Lost amongst the various C2E2 announcements this weekend was this IDW series announced at Stumptown:

That’ll be Judge Dredd: Mega City 2 – City of Courts by noted comic book critic, creator of the spectacular Dredd Reckoning blog and all-around wonderful human being Douglas Wolk and the amazing Ulises Farinas, then.

Firstly, look at that cover; that just looks so good. Secondly, as a Dredd fan for some time, I’m surprised that it’s taken so long for someone to really take a look at Mega City 2 (The west-coast equivalent of where Dredd normally spends his time; it got destroyed very early in the series’ continuity). Thirdly, I’m not surprised that it’s Douglas doing this, considering his love for the Dredd character and especially the world co-creator John Wagner and others has built around him. Fourthly, I was already sold on this book before I saw Douglas write the following on Twitter:

Seriously, one of my most eagerly anticipated books of the year. Apparently, it’ll be released towards the end of 2013; when it gets solicited, go pre-order.

(And if you don’t know who Joan Didion is, there’s always the Internet.)

Amid all the retailer announcements at the Diamond summit ahead of today’s C2E2, there was this bit of good news:

At yesterday’s Diamond Retailer Summit, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund announced that IDW Publishing has joined the organization as their newest Corporate Member!

IDW is recognized as one of the industry’s leading publishers, widely celebrated for its best-selling licensed comics, creator-owned titles and revolutionary art books. IDW joins industry leaders DC Entertainment, Diamond Comic Distributors, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Legendary Comics, Random House, comiXology, iVerse, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, and Threadless as Corporate Members supporting the CBLDF’s important work of protecting the First Amendment rights of the comics art form and its community of retailers, creators, publishers, librarians, and readers.

I am, I admit, surprised to see Random House and Threadless’ names in that list of Corporate Members, but in a good way. Anyway: Good job, IDW! It’s always good to see companies stepping up to the plate like this. Corporate or individual, if you want to follow IDW’s example, you can join the CBLDF here.

Spinning out, I suspect, from the success of its Artist Editions line as well as the various archive projects it’s managed, this press release from IDW isn’t a complete surprise:

IDW Publishing is thrilled to announce the launch of IDW Limited, a new division that will specialize in producing high-end, collectible editions of their wide catalog of books. Catering to the loyal and committed fans that have helped make IDW a success, IDW Limited books will feature unique elements like original sketches and creator signatures on luxuriously designed packaging not available anywhere else. These top-of-the-line rarities will aim to enhance and expand existing books, providing beautiful reading and collecting experiences fans will be proud to display on their shelves.

The line launches with a deluxe edition of its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Vol. 1: Change Is Constant hardcover that’s available in three amazingly limited editions:

-Red Label Edition is limited to 175 copies, features a custom cover, is housed in a limited edition slipcase and paired with an artist’s portfolio containing a unique, spot-color sketch of one of the Ninja Turtles done by series artist Dan Duncan.

-Black Label Edition is limited to 25 copies featuring the IDW Limited custom cover and is housed in a hand-built traycase, along with an artist’s portfolio containing a multi-color illustration of two classic TMNT characters by series artist Dan Duncan.

-Blue Label Edition, the rarest tier being offered, is limited to only 10 copies!  For this special version, series artist Dan Duncan will be creating full-color illustrations of the entire Turtle team in action. Each book is packaged with the IDW Limited cover inside a hand-built tray case.

I will be really curious to see how this works out in the long run…

IDW’s Scott Dunbier drops a teasing little tidbit in his chat with Tom Spurgeon:

[A]t WonderCon we will announce a new Rocketeer mini-series that isn’t an anthology, but one big story. I wish I could tell you the creative team on it but I think people will be pleased with the gentlemen doing it — tune in on Friday to find out who it will be!

I was very nervous about IDW’s Rocketeer Adventures anthology when it was first announced, if only because the characters seemed so tied to creator Dave Stevens that it seemed doomed to failure, but I’ve been really pleasantly surprised with the two series to date. I’m cautiously looking forward to this news.

Well, this is just plain lovely. Chris Ryall previews Darwyn Cooke’s next Parker book for IDW:

To anyone who loves comics and hasn’t picked up Cooke’s two Parker adaptations to date, The Hunter and The Outfit, you are missing out far more than you could imagine. Just amazing stuff.

Aaaaaand that’s a full set. IDW have officially announced today that they’re going linewide day-and-date through ComiXology (They’ve actually been doing it quietly since last month on selected titles; the press release today mentions that the addition of IDW titles “helped lift comiXology’s same-day-as-print offering over the 50% threshold,” which is really kind of amazing when you stop to think about it) as part of a larger announcement about the company’s digital output – including specific apps for  Transformers, GI Joe, Doctor Who and other titles -now being powered by ComiXology. This means that Diamond’s entire “premiere publishers” – IDW, Dark Horse, DC, Image and Marvel, AKA, the front half (and accompanying Marvel catalog) of Previews – have committed to same-date digital release of their comics by March 2012, with all but Marvel pricing their comics as same price as print for the first four weeks, and then a dollar cheaper afterwards (Marvel doesn’t do a price drop after four weeks – yet). And to think, this time last year, no publisher was linewide day-and-date digital…

IDW is set for an interesting 2012 with today’s news that current Chief Operating Officer Greg Goldstein has been promoted to President, so that co-founder Ted Adams can concentrate on continuing the company’s growth. According to Adams, quoted in the press release sent out this morning, IDW is “exploring new markets and potential acquisitions, and Greg’s role as president will allow me more time to focus on these avenues of expansion, while we continue to elevate our publishing program.”

With things like the Craig Yoe-edited books, the artists’ editions and collections of classic, out-of-print series like Rocketeer and Starstruck, IDW has shown itself to be dedicated to some level of comics conservancy. Could the “potential acquisitions” mentioned above be IP from comic companies that have come and gone, perhaps…?

Here’s a fun alternative to polybagging a comic to keep the cover a secret, courtesy of IDW’s Chris Ryall:

I’ve been really enjoying IDW’s GI Joe “Cobra Civil War” storyline to date, and there’s something about this particular special cover that really appeals to me. Looking forward to the big reveal, when it comes.

I’ll admit, I’m normally not a fan of photo covers to comics. With very few exceptions, the photos are generic PR shots from the movie/TV show that they’re spinning out of, and that’s always seemed both lazy and, in most cases, somewhat ugly to me. It’s more than a little surprising, then, that I’m so onboard with IDW’s “Photo Covers Month” stunt, which will see 10 titles in December have illustrated covers replaced by photographs… but look at the photos for the GI Joe line:

With four of the ten books being GI Joe – and a further two being Transformers titles (The others are Eternal Descent, Doctor Who, True Blood and Star Trek) – I can’t wait to see the old-school toy photos filling the store shelves at the end of the year. It’s too much to hope that the Star Trek covers will be the old Mego figures, isn’t it…?

Back in July, we told you about veteran Marvel writer Marc Sumerak moving to IDW for All-Ghouls School, a lighthearted original graphic novel set in, you guessed it, an all-girls school populated by teen versions of classic monsters. Teaser trailers for comic books — as odd of a combination that may at first — have become more and more popular within the medium, and Sumerak has put an especially movie-y one together for his book (with art from David Bryant) and shared it with us. Here it is:

All-Ghouls School is scheduled for release on Oct. 5.

The Locke & Key TV series may not be dead after all. Again.

After being passed on by Fox at the pilot stage and shopped around to other networks, Deadline reported Wednesday that MTV is interested in the show — at least mildly so. The post basically boils down to two factors, that the trailer has attracted a lot of buzz on YouTube (which hasn’t gone unnoticed by those in the biz), and that MTV programming chief David Janollari has seen the pilot and liked it. Yet Janollari also hasn’t talked to the producers and the show may very well be cost prohibitive for a basic cable network, so it may not necessarily mean anything. But that’s at least a hint of renewed hope.

This news came the same day as Newsarama’s own Jill Pantozzi (positively) reviewed the Locke & Key pilot in the latest installment of Hey, That’s My Cape.

Doctor Who fans are eagerly awaiting this Saturday’s return of the hit show on BBC America with the episode titled “Let’s Kill Hitler,” not to mention the return of the 11th Doctor Matt Smith. Until then, you can check out his adventures in the Doctor Who Annual from IDW, in stores today, with an all-star line-up of creators. Newsarama spoke with one of them about his work and got an exclusive sneak peek at some preview art from an upcoming arc!

As I mentioned, the Doctor Who Annual 2011 features the Eleventh Doctor in his first-ever Annual adventure. The  issue is oversized at 48 pages and contains three full stories as well as a prologue to the next arc by writer Tony Lee and artist Josh Adams.

The next arc of IDW’s Doctor Who, by Lee and Adams, starts with issue #9, set to be released September 28. It just so happens that’s the same day Adams’ famous father, Neal Adams’ New Avengers #16.1 comes out. “When I finally got to read the annual top to bottom, I felt like not only was every creator excited about the content but were really trying to out do each other and I think when you read it you’ll really get the benefit of all that passion,” artist Josh Adams told Newsarama.

“My part in the annual is really a prologue to issue #9 and yet when you read it, you realize it’s like anything Time Lord related; so much bigger on the inside,” said Adams, “Detectives, aliens, talking dinosaur, giant squids, Native American Indians and egg whisks! Of course, if you think that’s something, issue #9 has so much more.”

The artist said he worked through Independence Day weekend as well as Comic-Con week in order to meet the tight deadlines for the book but couldn’t be happier with the results. “Tony Lee has been creating amazing stories in the IDW series, quite in step with the content Steven Moffat produces for the television series and for the scripts I got to draw, he really gave me the kinds of juicy details that you could only wish to see on the show.”

This isn’t just a job for Adams, it’s also a joy. He’s a big fan of the long-running British TV show. “My apartment is jam packed with all sorts of  ’geek’ goodies but take one look and it’s clear that Doctor Who really rules over all,” he told us. “So getting to work on the comic and adding my name not just to the great list of talents who have done the comics but who have created nearly fifty years of amazing sci-fi history just means the world to me.”

The Doctor Who Annual 2011 also features stories by Echoes writer Joshua Hale Fialkov and artist Blair Shedd, Doctor Who Magazine writer/artist Dan McDaid, and writer Matthew Dow Smith and artist Mitch Gerads. The cover features an illustrated Doctor by each of the artists involved, Adams’ is the one standing at the bottom.

“I really enjoy being able to tell stories that a whole family can enjoy while not being to broad or oversimplified and Doctor Who is a series that really takes that sentiment to heart,” he said.

Back in April, we wrote about a online petition driven by fans who wanted to see IDW pick up the old Marvel Transformers comic book where it left off with issue #80 in 1991, in the same fashion as the publisher’s current GI Joe: A Real American Hero series. At that point, it was a possibility, but as of last week’s “IDW and Hasbro: 2012 Transformations” panel at Comic-Con International: San Diego, it’s official.

They’re actually starting with an issue #80.5, designed to catch up new readers or old-school fans who may have forgotten a few details in the interim two decades. In 2012 (undetermined as to exactly when, but said to likely be first half), will be #81, which will run until the story wraps in #100. The creative team will be writer Simon Furman and artist Andrew Wildman, the same crew on the book at the end of the Marvel series. The petition currently has 2,779 signatures, more than twice the number it was at in April.

“This has felt like unfinished business since 1991, when Marvel canceled their Transformers series with issue #80,” Furman told Newsarama. “In the aftermath of the cataclysmic battle against Unicron in issue #75, we (myself, Andrew Wildman and the editor at the time, Rob Tokar) seeded numerous storylines that would — optimistically as it turned out — play out over the next ten or more issues. Then, suddenly, it was like you have two issues to wrap everything up into a neat bow. Wasn’t going to happen. Sure, we gave the Autobots their ‘happy ending,’ but there was just so much left dangling, so much we wanted to explore in terms of story and character. Even that last issue hinted that the story wasn’t over, and that the Decepticon threat was far from over. And now, finally, thanks to IDW, we get to tell those stories — and then some!”

Furman said that though the book will “maintain the spirit of that bygone era,” it’ll be aimed at both new and old Transformers fans. We’ll have more information on the series as it becomes available.

Wish that Fox has picked up the TV version of IDW’s Locke & Key? Going to San Diego Comic-Con? Then you’re in for a potential treat, as IDW will be screening the entire pilot at the con as part of its Locke & Key panel on Friday morning. Deadline Hollywood broke the news, noting that the screening comes from IDW themselves, and not producers 20th Century Fox. The studio is said to have loved the pilot, however, and started looking for another home for the show (Syfy is potentially in the mix); could this screening end up selling some potential new network on picking up the show for a try-out? Keep your fingers crossed.

Maybe I’m showing off my own fanboy nature a little bit too much here, but: Yes please. I’m not a massive Trekkie/Trekker, but I really liked the JJ Abrams reboot, and tend to like IDW’s Trek comics for the most part (Especially underrated, weirdly enough, are the John Byrne series. Who knew?), so the idea of a continuation of the movie written by Mike Johnson under the careful eye of movie screenwriter Bob Orci seems like a very good one indeed, even if I’m unsure about the idea of the storylines adapting episodes of the original television series.

It does make me wonder, though: Is Star Trek the oldest comics adaptation outside of Disney still running? There were plenty of cross-media comics before Trek, of course, but does Trek outlast all of them? I’m trying to work out if things like The Lone Ranger or Warlord of Mars count, considering their lengthy hiatuses, unlike Trek, which has been fairly continuously published in comics since, when, the late 1960s? Help me out in the comments here, please: What comic adaptations are older than Trek, but still being published?

More unfortunate TV news today. Deadline is reporting the adaptation of Joe Hill’s comic Locke & Key from IDW is not being picked up by Fox for the fall season.

It seemed hopeful for the series to get picked up, it was adapted for television by writer Josh Friedman, who previously worked on Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles for the network and had Miranda Otto, Nick Stahl, Mark Pellegrino and Jessie McCartney in starring roles.

The comic, illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez, tells the story of the Locke family who endure personal tragedy and move away from the horrors only to find more. The three Locke children discover their family house contains keys that do lots more than open locked doors and there are supernatural forces at work that will do anything to obtain them.

Deadline said there were rumors Fox could make a limited series/miniseries out of Locke & Key but weren’t sure if it was something financially feasible for the network. Turns out, that’s not going to happen either. The only hope to come out of this news is both The Hollywood Reporter and Enterainment Weekly say Locke & Key could be retooled for a later premiere or shopped elsewhere now that Fox has passed.

I’m incredibly bummed about this one, Locke & Key is one of my favorite comics. If you haven’t already, I suggest giving it a look, both the writing and art are phenomenal.

Rip Kirby v. 3
Written by Alex Raymond, Ward Greene & Fred Dickenson
Illustrated by Raymond
Published by IDW/Library of American Comics

After leaving the Flash Gordon, the sci-fi adventure strip he’d created in 1934, for a stint in U.S. Marines during World War II, Alex Raymond was informed by his editors at King Features that Flash was doing quite well without him, thank you very much, and they would not reinstate him to his creation. Although he was almost certainly very disappointed, Raymond didn’t let it show – he simply created another engaging strip, this one thoroughly different in tone, content and style.

Rip Kirby, which debuted in early 1946, became Raymond’s longest run on a daily strip (Flash was a Sunday strip), the feature which he devoted himself to until he died in a car accident in late 1956. A break from earlier pulp-inspired detective strips, Kirby presaged more recent procedurals, with a debonair private detective who relied on wits and science. Though he could punch a crook out when he had to!

While it’s not the best adventure strip you’ll read – the plots are mostly good, though a few stretch credulity, such as The Mangler’s attempts to ruin Pagan Lee, a storyline predicated on a half-reasoned excuse to bring back a popular female character – Kirby always manages to entertain. Raymond and his co-authors (Greene, who scripted the early stories, leaves during this run, claiming that Raymond received too much credit for the writing – Dickenson replaced him) keep the pace up consistently, pepper the scripts with small bits of humanizing humor, and throw in enough wrinkles to keep readers off-balance if not entirely surprised.

The classic romantic aspect of adventure fiction remains strong here; nearly every case Kirby solves seems to bring together two conflicted lovers. Supporting players are well developed during the strip – onetime bad-girl Pagan Lee and Kirby’s reformed-safecracker-cum-valet Desmond each carry the strip for over a month of strips without any slack in the storylines, and Rip’s main squeeze Honey Dorian nearly matches them in a storyline of her own.

Raymond’s attention to detail – both in panel composition and in the styles of the time – pull readers into each continuity. Raymond was among the first comic artists to speak publicly about the possibilities of the comics medium – he found the glossy illustration work he thought he wanted less fulfilling than telling stories with pictures – and his attention to craft shines through on these pages. The Library of American Comics’ typically high standards of reproduction remain unimpeachable, with pristine linework, proper binding and a handy sewn-in bookmark.

Fast-moving, surprising, and beautifully drawn, Rip Kirby ages very well, and fans of Alex Raymond or comic strip history should love having the Library of American Comics’ superb collections on their bookshelves. These strips are among the most influential artistry in comics history – they deserve preservation and, even more, a passionate audience.

X-9: Secret Agent Corrigan v.1: 1967-1969
Written by Archie Goodwin
Illustrated by Al Williamson
Published by IDW/Library of American Comics

The daily newspaper Secret Agent X-9 debuted in 1934 with an impressive creative pedigree. Dashiell Hammett, following his successes with The Maltese Falcon and Red Harvest,  scripted the sleuth’s adventures, and Flash Gordon/Rip Kirby creator (and perhaps the most influential comics illustrator ever) Alex Raymond handled the artwork.

Both men soon abandoned their nameless detective, who travelled with a variety of creators for three decades until 1967 when Al Williamson, a longtime disciple of Raymond’s style, was hired to take over drawing the strip. Williamson recruited colleague and friend Archie Goodwin to write adventures for X-9, which was retitled Secret Agent Corrigan.

This book collects the earliest stories from Goodwin and Williamson’s twelve-year Corrigan run.

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The latest comic book to (potentially) be made into a future film is IDW’s Zombies vs. Robots, which the publisher announced today as optioned by Sony Pictures.

The series started as a two-issue series by writer/IDW CCO Chris Ryall and artist Ashley Wood  in 2006, inspiring subsequent follow-ups Zombies vs. Robots vs. Amazons and Zombies vs. Robots Adventure. Given the perennial box office appeal of both zombies and robots, the news shouldn’t be seen as too surprising, right? Full press release follows after the jump.

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The pilot script to the highly anticipated adaptation of Joe Hill’s Locke & Key for Fox has been seen by journalistic eyes and the verdict is…great!

This according to iFanboy who received a copy of the horror pilot. “It’s truly an echo of Joe Hill’s comic scripts for the original IDW mini (Welcome to Lovecraft), but it also features some cool additions. The pilot seems to benefit from the fact that Hill has a three-act structure in place for the comic (right now, readers are plowing through Act Two) and knows how the major conflicts will be resolved,” writes Paul Montgomery. Viewed above, an estate on Hartwood Acres in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania will serve as “Keyhouse” for the series.

So far, five roles have been cast. Lord of the Rings star Miranda Otto will be playing the matriarch of the Locke family, Sin City’s Nick Stahl will play her brother-in-law Duncan Locke, The Tudor’s Sarah Bolger is playing Kinsey and the two newest additions have an actor named Harrison Thomas playing “a recurring role as a troubled teen possessed by an evil spirit” according to Deadline so I’m assuming Sam Lesser, and finally Skylar Gaertner will be playing the youngest of the Locke clan, Bode.

Apparently the pilot will feature the tragic act that precipitates Hill’s entire story, adapted for television by Josh Friedman, as flashbacks throughout the episode. Montgomery says the Locke children read exactly like they do in the book with young Bode charming the audience immediately.

“Bode discovers the [Ghost] key in the first act and figures it all out for himself. All show, very little tell. And it works because we see it all through the eyes of a little kid who takes everything at face value,” reports Montgomery. “The other Lockes will confront all this weirdness later, but as an introduction for viewers, it’s perfect.”

Surprisingly, Montgomery’s review states the big confrontation that occurs at the end of the “Welcome to Lovecraft” arc takes place in the pilot. We’ll also see the infamous well and introduction of the evil Dodge.

Unlike David E. Kelley’s Wonder Woman, this is one comic book adaptation that appears primed to make a big splash with a wide audience. Are you excited to see Locke & Key come to life on the small screen?