Comic News

Hastings Stores to stock Comics Nationally

Who says that comics are dead?! It was revealed this week that Hastings Media stores will be carrying comic books. That’s to say that they’ll be carrying weekly comic releases, making Hastings the largest national comic chain! Good news for the creators, as their royalties are sure to increase! Aside from “singles,” the chain will also be carrying trade paper backs, hardcovers, manga and… BACK ISSUES?! That’s right, that most definitely makes them a comic book shop. 

Also emerging from the deal is the first Hastings exclusive variant coming from Top Cow Comics. The variant is for Artifacts #1 and ships in July, possibly giving a rough estimate of when the chain will begin carrying comics.

DC goes Digital – Partners with Comixology and PSP

Well it’s about time! DC Comics has finally caught up with the likes of: IDW, Red 5, Boom!, Image, Dark Horse, Disney and Marvel! Most of the books will be priced from .99 to 2.99 per an issue which breaks from the standard 1.99 that most other companies use. Perhaps the 2.99 price is being used to hook more readers as DC has slowly but surely, bumped nearly all of it’s cover prices to 3.99. Personally it seems that a digital vs print war is inevitable now that all the major players have joined. The biggest problem with digital is that there still isn’t a universal format allowing you to use the content from device to device.To mark the occasion DC is giving a free preview of Superman #700 that’s out on comic shelves today. Other titles to be found include: Batman Hush, Batman/Superman, Planetary and basically a slew of hits.

Here’s the full press release from DC’s blog.

P.A.C. Weekly News

Welcome once again to Player Affinity Comics News or P.A.C. News as we like to call it. We already brought you several stories this week. Most notable was Dark Horse Comics teaming up with USA Today and Toshiba to create DH:HD. Basically Dark Horse will be creating and adapting it’s content into a new format and brought to your HD televsion. To read the full release you can read PAC’s coverage here.

In movie news we have a picture of the Green Lantern Movie banner coming to us from Bleeding Cool. One of their readers snapped a shot of the banner on a tour of Warner Bros. The movie is filming in New Orleans so don’t take this as picture of the actual costume… just a real bad photoshop of what it might end up being. It’s ugly and soul crushing to look at but here’s hoping Deadpool… I mean Ryan “I play the same character in everything” Reynolds can pull it off. Also this week is was revealed that the bad guy from Sherlock Holmes would be playing Sinestro. 

Top Cow at Flordia Supercon

TOP COW AT FLORIDA SUPERCON
LOS ANGELES, Calif., June 16, 2010 – Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today that they will be exhibiting at Florida Supercon in South Florida this weekend. Three three-day comic book, anime, animation, video game, fantasy and sci-fi convention will be open to the public on Friday, June 18 running through Sunday, June 20, 2010, at the Doubletree Miami Mart Airport Convention Center in Miami.

Fans who stop by the Top Cow booth will be among the first to get a glimpse and purchase Velocity #1 by Ron Marz (Witchblade, Artifacts) and Kenneth Rocafort (Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer, Madame Mirage). The story centers on the Carin Taylor, the fastest woman in the world. At least, she’d better be if she wants to save her own life and the lives of her Cyberforce teammates. When a former Cyberdata scientist – and test subject – seeks revenge against the members of Cyberforce, only Velocity can save her friends before the clock literally runs out. Velocity #1 will arrive in stores on Wednesday, June 30th.

Image Comics – Liquid State Vol. 2 Coming

Image Comics to release second volume of critically acclaimed LIQUID CITY anthology in September

Berkeley, CA – 17 June 2010 – In September, you’ll be able to explore the mutable landscapes of LIQUID CITY, VOL. 2, an anthology collecting work from celebrated Southeast Asian creators. Editor Sonny Liew promises unforgettable tales of cities and the people who live in them.

LIQUID CITY, VOL. 2 once again brings together creators from Southeast Asia to offer an amazing diversity of stories. From Lat’s vignette of a soccer game in Malaysia, to Ivan Song’s poignant near-future tale of childhood memories, to Vietnamese artist Nguyen Thahn Phong’s account of his adventures in South Korea, this collection showcases an incredible variety of styles and genres. War, fantasy, drama, road trips and Robot Rabbits — you’ll find it all and more in LIQUID CITY, VOL. 2.

Darkhorse – The Future of Comics

Image Comics – Next Gen Warz

With all the excitement around Video Games and E3, Image releases a comical look at the overly serious nature of the console wars.

Next Generation Console Conflict! Next Gen Warz battles for your disposable income in September

Berkeley, CA – 16 June 2010 – Forget waiting in line for the next game system — get in line for Ryan Kinnaird’s NEXT GEN WARZ, a hilariously satirical take on anthropomorphic video game systems! The first issue of the miniseries from Image Comics will hit stands September 22.

Image Comics Kicks you in the Skull

Image Comics revives fantasy-fueled action comedy with SKULLKICKERS

Berkeley, CA – 15 June 2010 – In September, Image Comics brings you fantasy as you like it — hilarious and action packed — with SKULLKICKERS, an all-new ongoing series. Written by Jim Zubkavich with art by Edwin Huang, Chris Stevens and Misty Coats, SKULLKICKERS promises to turn any fantasy motif on its head.

“I love sword and sorcery novels and role-playing games,” says Zubkavich, “so I wanted to use those as a jumping off point and marry them with a slightly sarcastic self awareness of fantasy clichés. At its core, the book is about fun characters and wild adventure, with witty banter thrown in to keep it all clipping along at a healthy pace.” 

Image Comics – Science Dog Collection

FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE. FIGHT EVIL WITH SCIENCE!

SCIENCE DOG gets his first collection from Image Comics

Berkeley, CA – 15 June 2010 – Half man, half dog and all hero, Science Dog gets his first collection in SCIENCE DOG SPECIAL #1, coming this September from Image Comics. He’s INVINCIBLE’S favorite comic book character. Soon, he’ll be yours as well!

“In the INVINCIBLE universe, Science Dog is a superstar — comic books, movies, action figures — the works,” says writer Robert Kirkman. “This is a step toward making him the superstar he should be in our universe!”

Image Comics – Try Some, Buy Some

Image Comics reprints the first issue of classic series in IMAGE FIRSTS: WAVE TWO

Berkeley, CA – 14 June 2010 – This Fall, Image Comics is re-presenting 10 first issues as an introduction to some of its most acclaimed titles. Each debut acts as a perfect primer to its corresponding ongoing series and collected editions. Starting September 1, 2010, and continuing through November, each reprinted first issue will be available for only $1.

“Response to Image Firsts has been phenomenal,” exclaims Image Publisher Eric Stephenson. “So, we are expanding the line with a second wave of IMAGE FIRSTS. Image Firsts is a fantastic way for readers to discover new titles and for retailers to introduce customers to Image’s unsurpassed backlist.”