Last weekend at Emerald City Comic Con, it was announced that current Batgirl scribe  Gail Simone would be taking over Red Sonja, with her run having an all-female line up as cover artists. Rockstar artist Fiona Staples recently showed off her cover and by Crom is it cool looking. Staples has recently shot to superstar status with her and writer Brian K. Vaughan’s hit Saga and while that takes up most of her time, it’s good to see some work like this from her.

“Nick Barrucci from Dynamite got in touch with me, telling me that Gail had had the idea to have all-female cover artists on the book.” Staples told Blog@, who was excited about the project, especially since she has little experience with the character. “I’m not an expert on the Red Sonja mythos or anything, but I’ve loved the character for a long time based on the old comics and a couple of Roy Thomas paperbacks that I read.” She continued with saying “I just love classic, meaty, violent sword-and-sorcery stories, and a gorgeous woman who does all the stuff Conan does appeals to my sensibilities.”

The other cover artists include fan favorites like Nicola Scott and Stephanie Buscema with Dynamite Entertainment CEO Nick Barrucci promising more female cover artists will be announced in the coming months. When asked about her approach to cover, Staples said it’s all about the character. “I had an outline of Gail’s story to go by, so I tried to hint at some of the plot elements without really giving anything away- just a slight taste of doom and gloom. I also wanted to depict Sonja as a serious-looking warrior. I know the old chainmail bikini has become almost an emblem of sexism in comics, but I don’t think it’s problematic in and of itself.”

She went on to say “I think if you can show that the character has other attributes- strength, craziness, determination, humor- and don’t write and draw them solely as a sex object, then what they’re wearing becomes completely incidental.”

Staples has given us fantastic imagery and strong female characters in Saga and is a rightful fit with Red Sonja. Her cover here demonstrates that the famed bikini look seems secondary to her scowling and determined visage.

In addition to the cover for the issue, coming out in July, Staples also released a new art book which can be purchased here.

Out today, and well worth picking up, is Dynamite’s The Spider #1 by David Liss and Colson Worley. I’d missed Liss’ Black Panther run, but based on this first issue, probably need to go and pick up the collections, because this is a pretty damn good pulp crime book with a fun twist at the end… What sticks in my head, though, is Worley’s art, which has double-page spreads like this:

Pretty JH Williams-esque, in terms of layout, right…? There’s more of that throughout the book, but it’s Worley’s colors that made me sit up and pay attention; he’s obviously doing it all online and his work reminded me of Frazer Irving and Fiona Staples in the way – The painterly approach using digital tools to create something that’s the best of both worlds, and entirely unique to their medium (and on time each month, too). Who’re the other artists working in this style that I’m not paying attention to? And where can I find them?

I know that it’s probably just empty hype, but when Grant Morrison explains Dinosaurs vs. Aliens by saying “At the beginning of the project I saw this as the next step beyond what Frank Quitely and I did in We3,” I have to admit that I find myself all manner of more excited about the project than I otherwise might have been. He’s talking about the project to ICv2, teasing that the comic and movie are two different scripts altogether, and setting up the main conflict:

It was important for the dynamics of the story to give the aliens a legitimate reason for their invasion and to make them much more complex and even more relatable than the typical alien invasion force.  We liked the idea of flipping the sympathies and allegiances of the audience repeatedly as the story progressed.  This is a film where there are monsters on both sides but where the dinosaurs are ‘natural’ the aliens are ‘synthetic.’  It’s flesh vs. technology, Mother Nature vs. the Mother of Invention.

This still sounds like a 2000AD story that’s accidentally escaped to Hollywood, but I kind of love it for that.

Well, this is awkward: Dynamite is being sued for Trademark Infringement and Unfair Competition over its Warlord of Mars and Lord of The Jungle titles by Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc., the company that represents the estate of the writer who created the two characters. The Wall Street Journal reports that ERB, Inc. was originally asked by Dynamite for permission for their series, but such permission was never given; the company would later team with Disney subsidiary Marvel for a series of John Carter comics in support of Disney’s John Carter movie, released next month.

The original novels in both the John Carter and Tarzan series are public domain works in the U.S., although as the suit points out, this isn’t the case internationally; ERB, Inc. additionally owns both copyright and trademark for all material published after 1924, which constitutes a sizable amount for both characters further complicating matters. The lawsuit claims that ERB, Inc. “has no control over the quality of [Dynamite]‘s comic book series” and therefore, “ERB’s extremely valuable reputation may be permanently damaged.”

In addition to Dynamite Entertainment, Nick Barucci’s other companies Dynamic Forces and Savage Tales Entertainment are named as defendants in the suit.

Today sees the release of both Oni Press’ Wasteland #33 and Dynamite Entertainment’s Lord of The Jungle #1, both of which are specially-priced promotional issues that offer a full-length issue for just $1.00. I’ve read – and enjoyed – both, but it’s a fair bet that I was going to pick both up nonetheless (Especially as I’ve enjoyed Wasteland for some time; if you’re a fan of post-apocalyptic sci-fi, you really should pick the series up). Why I’m mentioning the books, though, is that I’m wondering if specially-priced (i.e., cheap) promo issues work: Have you found yourself trying series that you usually wouldn’t because they were a buck? Or, just the opposite, have you ever found yourself avoiding a book because of this kind of stunt? Use the comments, people: I’d love to know what people think.

It was bound to happen and I have to say I’m damn excited for it. George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series is being adapted to comics and there’s a very big name attached to the books.

The hugely popular book series was recently adapted to television on HBO and has created a whole new set of fans. Now Bantam Books, an imprint of the Random House, have announced that artists Alex Ross and Mike S. Miller will act as the cover artists for the comic adaptation which was revealed to be in the works earlier this year. Dynamite Entertainment is planning on publishing the monthly title come September and the books will be adapted and scripted for the comic page by writer Daniel Abraham will art by Tommy Patterson.

The issues will be collected in graphic novel format under the Bantam imprint. Senior Editor at Random House Anne Groell had this to say about the project in a press release sent out today, “It has been fifteen years since I first edited A Game of Thrones, and it is a genuine joy to be revisiting and adapting this landmark novel into a format that suits it so perfectly. George’s writing has always been highly visual, painting rich, detailed and striking images in the reader’s minds and hearts. And now seeing such a talented group of artists bringing that so vividly to life is truly exciting. I couldn’t be more pleased with everything I have seen so far–and I can’t wait for what is yet to come!”

“It’s a real privilege and a treat to be involved with reinterpreting Game of Thrones,” says writer Daniel Abraham. “It’s a brilliant piece of work, and watching the strength of that story come into a visual medium is fantastic.”

“George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones is the best book series I’ve ever read,” says cover artist Mike Miller. “Not just in the fantasy genre, but in ANY genre. Just as I hear people saying Game of Thrones is the best series on TV, I’m sure they’ll be saying the same about the comic book. You can’t find a better writer anywhere than George, and I was very excited to get the opportunity to draw covers for the comic book adaptation.”

The television show was picked up for a second season after the first episode aired back in April. No word yet on the official air date of season two but you can bet fans of both the book series and television show will be seeking this comic out to help tide them over.