Review of All-Star Batman #1: My Own Worst Enemy Part One

Scott Snyder has been on an epic five-year run with Batman adding high-quality content to the Batman mythos. Scott and company look to continue the streak with All-Star Batman.

Just when you thought  Scott Snyder had said all he has to about Batman he finds more stories to explore. This time around Scott is reimagining some of Batmans greatest villains. The First villain is Two-Face. Batman must take Two-Face to a location out of Gotham City. Unfortunately, he has every bounty hunter, bad guy, and even your everyday Gotham citizen with something to hide hunting them down with one goal: kill Batman. It’s goin to be a long road trip.

As I started reading the first page of All-Star Batman #1, I realised how weird it is not seeing Greg Capullo’s art with Scott Snyders words. Scott and Greg have literally been the dynamic duo for a long time, with great comradery and collaboration. I quickly got over that feeling by the 2nd and 3rd  page with some excellent action scenes By John Romita Jr.

While this is not John’s first time drawing Batman ( He drew the Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade.) This is the first time John will be drawing Batman on a monthly basis. For the most part, the art in this issue is good, but there were a few depictions of Batman that threw me off in some panels such a disproportioned body and odd facial expressions. Overall though I’m happy he’s working on this  book.

Scott has a very different writing style then he has used on previous Batman stories. There’s a lot of jumping around with time and before, after, and present sequences of the story. It’s nice to see a change to his style and still continue to tell a good story like he always does. The ending with be having you go what? in a good way, well i think for most of you anyways.

 

The Back up story  The Cursed Wheel Part one is also written by Scott but is drawn by Declan Shalvey (Doing both pencils & inks). An interesting side story to go with the main. Good art that compliments John’s style by Declan.

This was my most anticipated superhero comic of the summer and it’s off to a good start i look foward to taging along for this road trip through hell.

8/10

 

Interview With The Tick Animated Series Director Hank Tucker

Hank Tucker is a Storyboard artist, producer, director, and most recently independent comic book artist and writer. I asked Hank about his comic book The Actual Roger, his productive career in animation and of course his time on the short-lived The Tick animated series. Based on the comic book by  Ben Edlund . Spooooon! (read a book!)

How did you get connected with Alterna Comics and what was the inspiration for The Actual Roger?

Alterna was one of six publishers I submitted Roger to when I finished it. I got names from Wikipedia looked them up and followed submission guidelines. It was kind of fun. Out of the six, two got back to me at the end of the week with an offer. One of them was Alterna. I went with them because they actually included a contract and they had a New York Times bestseller to their credit (FUBAR! Zombies in History. Very cool…)

Roger was inspired by a dream I had when I was nine (Roger’s age). Just like in the book, I was lying on the floor, pushed up to get a snack or take a leak and kept going up! In the dream, I soared around the house about a foot and a half off the floor.

The overall “thematic” inspiration, I guess, was the sense of – my personal reaction to – how controlled, adjusted and “corrected” by the media and government (often hand in hand!) our lives have become. Even heroism! Heroic acts, it seems, have to be approved of and guided by people who’ve never done a heroic thing in their lives. Crazy. But also interesting…

Did you grow up reading comics as a child or did you discover them later in life?

I discovered comic’s when I was six at a children’s shoe store in Woodland Hills (or maybe Tarzana). They had a Superman comic laying on a table which I picked up and was totally bowled over by. My mom wouldn’t me keep it so I started drawing what I could remember of it when I got home. These were my first drawings. Hence my love of drawing hooked up directly to my then love of comics.

 It’s funny, though, I read Superman, Superboy, and the Legion of Superheroes…most at the time drawn by Curt Swan. But the minute Swan stopped drawing them I stopped reading them. I didn’t touch comic’s again until ’94 when I became storyboard supervisor on Fox’s Spider-Man show. While there I picked up the McFarland Venom intro issue and became totally hooked. Up to then, I’d mostly avoided Marvel having been a DC (i.e. Swan) fan exclusively! It wasn’t the drawing in that one so much as the situation and characters that grabbed me. I kept up with the series for a while then moved on…I think when Spidey became a clone I lost interest.

Throughout my career I’d been literally surrounded by great comic book people and their work: Jack Kirby, Russ Heath, Mike Ploog, Doug Wildey and many others. Knew them and frequently worked with them. And the world we all occupied was all about comics even though the medium we were engaged in was animation. It was a world of Heavy Metal, Moebius,  etc. Comic’s and comic artists were sort of hard-wired to animation then and now.

Wow! What was your experience like with Jack Kirby?

In ’79 Jack was working for Ruby and Spears in Sun Valley designing and helping pitch shows.  Thundarr the Barbarian – my first storyboard gig in animation – was one of them. He’d mosey over to my supervisor John Dorman’s office now and then for a good natured ribbing by John (we all got one regularly, Jack no exception). I was pretty much a bystander, but we’d chat now and then…usually me asking dumb questions like, “oh you don’t like Stan? Why?” So he’d light up a cigar (we smoked indoors in those days), and he’d fume/riff on some recently published statement of Stan’s. Not having grown up a Marvel guy it all went a little past me. One thing, though, he seemed happy. Very at ease. Steve Gerber of Howard, the Duck fame, was there, too, on the same show. His office was across from mine. Unlike Jack he seemed pained most of the time. Partly the life of a story editor. Partly I think he was still in some kind of litigation with Marvel. Or he had been and lost…

Did you have any formal training or education for being an artist or were you self-taught?

I never went to a formal art school. In my last years of Taft high, Cal Art’s was newly opened, but I was advised against going there by people like Chris Jenkins (story man for Jay Ward) since it was run by avant-garde animator Jules Engles. I wanted to learn traditional animation. But Engles had no intention of teaching that. He was all about scratching images onto film and hypnotic light patterns, ala National Film Board of Canada; shoot-me-now-type stuff for a 17-year-old Disney nut.  It wasn’t until the late 70’s -early 80’s that they started their character animation program and people like Lassiter and Burton showed up. I was the early bird that missed the worm. My education was handled by just getting into the business (with help from a mentor) and being surrounded by great artists.

It’s always great to hear stories about artists working for Fox or Disney without formal art school. Is that less common today or is your art still enough proof for big companies to consider you? 

I think at this point if you’ve done it, in their minds, you can keep doing it. As to people coming in “off the street” like me, it depends on what the work looks like and who’s looking at it. I’d been in animation for five years animating and assistant animating. Then I decided to get into boards. So on my own, I storyboarded scenes from books I’d read. When a friend I’d met on Bakshi’s Lord Of The Rings (Art Vitello) saw it, he recommended me to Dorman at Ruby/Spears. Dorman liked it so I was in. But the same goes with someone coming out of a school. They have to like what they see. Having a degree is nice but if the portfolio sucks…well, good luck.

 

You have been involved with many classic cartoons such as Darkwing Duck, Spider-Man, G.I Joe and Bonkers, but the most iconic one (at least in my opinion) has to be The Tick. How did you get that gig?  

 Well, let me say first off, any gig of mine that was worth anything dating from 1979 on can be pretty well traced to Art Vitello. Again, Art recommended me to Ruby/Spears in ’79, then pulled me in the following year (’80) to Marvel – where we worked with Stan. Then in ’85 he pulled me back over to Disney, but this time, it was Disney TV when they started that division. Art left two years in, eventually going to Warners where he produced and directed Tiny Toons, then to create and Executive Produce Tazmania. Gary Kreisel at  Disney tried to get him back but instead he recommended they try me as a producer. So they did.

I produced/directed 17 Goof Troop episodes and 4 Bonkers episodes (don’t even ask about that one!)  before quitting to go to the “new” Marvel beginning ’94  (back with Stan and now Avi Arad)  as a storyboard supervisor. While I was there, Art had quit Warners and went to take over the – how do they say it? “troubled” -production of The Tick animated series for Graz Entertainment and Fox.

The previous producer had been let go, and Art was brought in to supervise post on the first six episodes coming back from Korea, then to pre-produce and direct the next seven, including write a couple. When it came time to board his first solo episode he called in some of his favourite board guys – me one of them – to freelance on it. So I picked up the 1st half of his “The Tick Vs. The Tick” and did it at night while supervising on Spider-Man. It turned out they really liked mine in particular.  When the first season aired and became a hit, Art left to develop and pitch his own projects. He recommended me to take over the show, especially considering how much they’d liked my board. I’d produced already for Disney so they (Stephanie Graziano, head of Graz Ent.) interviewed me then set up a meeting with Ben Edlund the show’s creator/head writer. We met at the Ritz Carlton in Pasadena and had a pleasant chat  (no other kind of chat conceivable with Ben) mainly I think about directing and directors (I was a staunch Kubrick fan). Showed me some doodles on a pad he had just done before I’d arrived of what he called “a little wooden boy” -very insane drawing – and said it would be figuring into the first new episode.  He seemed particularly impressed that I’d worked on Thundarr the Barbarian. Later he told me that was what cinched me as producer/director of The Tick.

Was it a fun ride while it lasted?

Two of the best years of my life…and that’s 59 years we’re talking.

Any new projects in the works whether with comics or storyboarding?

Right now I’m desperately (no exaggeration!) trying to finish the 5th and last issue of the Roger miniseries, after which there’ll be a print run of all five as a compilation trade paperback. Simultaneously I’m boarding on a very fun feature for Mike Johnson (co-director of Corpse Bride)…and Simul–simultaneously I’ve been asked by a small Shanghai-based production company to write a feature for them. They apparently read Roger, fell in love with the style, and there was the email one morning! I pitched three ideas, and they chose one and just sent me the contract. Very strange. So on it goes…

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If you’re curious about Hank’s comic check out our review of  The Actual Roger #1 by Tosin Alalade    Here

You can purchase the first 4 issue digitally at Comixology

Hank’s IMDB Page

Follow Hank on Twitter @HTucker007

Twitter for The Actual Roger @theACTUALroger

Diamond Comic Distributors Good Or Bad For Future Of The Comic Book Industry?

In the 21st century there many companies and industries are still stuck on business models and practices from decades ago that do not make sense in today’s market. The music and film industry have learned the hard way that you can’t beat the internet, you have to work with it. After making ridiculous profits for decades, they now find themselves dying and struggling to keep with the times.

With that said, I asked the same question of an industry I love comic books.

Is Diamond Comic Distributors good or bad for the future of the comic book industry?

That’s a question I had never really thought much about until having a great 2 hour Skype chat with indie creator  James Schumacher ( creator of the indie horror comic Inheritance. Stay tuned to Skatronixxx for news about it later this month) last week. So I thought I’d do some research and see what I’d find.

First of all Diamond Comic Distributors is essentially the only way to get your comics into brick and mortar comic book speciality stores. You might be thinking that statement can’t be right, surely there has to be some competition. No. In fact, Diamond has exclusive distribution deals with comic publishers Marvel, DC, Image, IDW and Dark Horse.

That accounts for more than 75% of the market, and they are the top 5 publishers regarding sales. Now whether you think it’s right or not, that is clearly a monopoly. If you’re a comic book retailer, you are forced to have an account with Diamond because they have control of the most popular titles your customers want.

If you remember In 1998  the first time, the US government was investigating Bill Gates, the former Chairman and Co-Creator of Microsoft for Manopaniolization and engaging in abusive practices it was big news and a serious issue at the time. The only one who can step in and say hey you’re creating a monopoly were going to investigate you is the government.

I get that the comic book industry is not even a concern to the US government and that the tech industry has a bigger effect on the economy, but the comic book industry is a billion dollar industry and it affects the lives of people. Are there more pressing issues at the moment? Absolutely, but isn’t breaking the law or the likely hood that it has been broken worth being looked into? At the end of the day, it affects the arts, creatives, and small business owners, which economies desperately need right now.

The next question that arises is, was it unfair of diamond to secure over 75% of the market with exclusive distribution contracts? Yes and no. On the one hand, Diamond came into the game in the early 80’s as a start-up that was the competition to marvels recently bought distributor Heros World in the early 90’s. At the time comic shops had to have two accounts which became confusing due to the different policies and discounts of each company. Once Diamond landed the exclusive contracts with DC, Image and Dark Horse, Marvel realised there was no point haveing their distribution company and would eventually sign an exclusive deal with Diamond. In a capitalistic market, you can’t blame them (even though it’s a prick move) for going from startup to full-fledged powerhouse in the industry.

On the other hand your the king of the mountain, you have no reason to change when there is no threat. I’m going to use the pro wrestling industry as an example. When WWE Chairman Vince Mcmahon bought the WCW and ECW in the early 2000’s his mainstream competition was eliminated. Only a few years prior there was an explosive era in wrestling (referred to as the Attitude Era in WWE) WWE and WCW were in a rating war. Each week the promotions would try to top each other which made for some of the best entertainment and storylines in pro wrestling history. Once Vince bought out WCW, the excitement and creativity slowly began to die and after only a couple years it was a joke. They resorted to competing with themselves by having a draft for wrestlers to join one of there two tv shows Raw and Smackdown. They then went to PG for their content which also hurt, and they were never the same. With no legitimate competition and no other perspective to the industry to challenge him, Vince, effectively damaged his own business.

Competition is always good, for industries, right? Is it okay for comic book distribution? It’s complicated. With the profit margins so tight for everyone involved the addition of competition, in this case, might raise the already inflated prices of comic books. Printing a comic is not cheap, and is what eats the majority of your profits. I have heard of some mainstream creators on Twitter say that single issues aren’t viable anymore and that we should just produce trades. This idea makes sense to me; it would reduce costs and save space for purchasers, but the single issues especially the variant covers would be missed, though.

I’m not sure how accurate the numbers are regarding 2016, but these were from a few years ago and should give you an idea how the profit of the comic is divided between the retailer, diamond and the creator.

 So the average comic is about $3.99. About $1.59 goes to the creator; $1.99 goes to the retailer, and the remainder goes to Diamond. Keep in mind especially for indie creators that diamond does not pay you in advance. So you have to have the money either saved up or borrowed to pay for your print run. Once the creator gets paid (30 days later) the majority of the profit made off the comic goes to recovering your printing cost leaving little to pay yourself and any of your team that you may owe money. Retailers also have the risk of ordering too much of a particular book and are stuck sitting on product that isn’t moving, as diamond rarely accepts over order returns, which can hurt the retailer’s profits a lot. Diamond makes a profit with no risk to the company at all.

There have been mixed reports on the customer service quality of Diamond, as is the case with every companies customer service. There are always good, and bad experiences told in person, and online, deciphering which are accurate and which are exaggerated or flat out wrong is tough. I have read and heard from retailers books being delivered in a horrible condition to stores. Diamond states on their site that their comics will be delivered in “mint condition.” I’m sure now and then that’s unavoidable, but the health of comics is important the retailer and the customer. It’s hard to sell a comic with bent corners or edges; it also makes the rest of the rack look bad. Collectors are also particular about the condition of comics for grading and resale purposes.

If you’re fortunate enough to get your comic into one of the top 5 publishers, the Diamond process is a little easier with publishing staff taking care of things or guiding you through the process. If you are an indie creator, it’s a challenge to get a deal with Diamond. You have already either pitched to an indie publisher or have created your publishing company and now you’re looking to test the direct market and play alongside the big dogs. You now have to convince a team at Diamond that your book is going to be worth them putting you in there all extensive Previews catalogue. If they like, you then have to sell your comic to them at a 60% discount off the cover price, and you are usually responsible for shipping costs from their distribution centre.

The sales statistics provided on Diamonds website I’m not inclined to trust 100% again they are the only player in the game, and I wasn’t impressed with the old look of their site. I also noticed the lack of conversation about whether Diamond is good or not by both indie and mainstream creators. I assume talking about this issue could hurt your relationship with the only major distributor available. So I understand wanting to be silent or biting your tongue. It’s a tough game and creators and employees in the industry all have responsibilities and loved ones to look after. It’s still somewhat surprising; not much is being said, and It undoubtedly affects everyone.

So is Diamond right for the future of the comic book industry? I don’t personally think it is. I also don’t know what the solution is. Thanks to Kickstarter it’s shown the industry you don’t need Diamond to reach a broad audience. Some Kickstarter campaigns have outsold Marvel and DC titles by 10’s and even 100’s of thousands. So perhaps the future is crowd funding and the direct market will eventually implode over time?

I’m no expert on this issue; I just thought it’s worth talking about. With all the information available in the information age, we have so much that it’s nearly impossible to decipher what’s legitimate and what’s not. There always seems to be substantial information to prove any viewpoint. It used to be you just had to check the date of the study or statistics, not so much these days; there is no regulation what so ever on the internet regarding the accuracy of posted information.

I don’t see there being a simple solution to this problem. The fact that it’s not a big issue in the industry today is quite disturbing. I get the mentality that it’s been this way for years, and it’s worked for the past few decades. Like the music and film industry though is Diamond going to have a rude awakening when sales start to dwindle and comics released outside of the direct market start to be more viable and frankly the better option for quality? Something needs to change, but determining that requires the veterans of the industry to come together and discuss that.

Questions? Opinions? Post in the comments below.

 

Kill Or Be Killed #1 Review

If you had any doubt about the quality of this new book by the super team of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (as well as Elizabeth Breitweiser) let me assure you, you want to pick up this comic.

Kill or be killed is a story about Dylan a young man who is forced to kill bad people, and how he struggles to keep his secret as it gradually ruins his life and the lives of his friends and family.

This is not your typical vigilantly story. Many people were under the impression when the book was announced that this would follow the lines of Marvel’s Punisher, despite Ed Brubaker saying multiple times that it is nothing like the Punisher. Don’t worry I’m not going to spoil anything for you.

From the first page, you get a taste of the violence and gore as Dylan unleashes harsh justice on evil men. Dylan being the narrating voice of the story then quickly brings you back to how it all started for him. Dylan is a down on his luck young adult that doesn’t have much going for him and is a bit of a loser. Dylan is a person who lacks confidence when faced with trials that test his courage and abilities. He also goes through relationship issues and friction, depression and multiple suicide attempts. During one of his attempts, something happens to him that changes his life forever. You get to see quite a progression and range of emotions in just one issue.

I enjoy the fact that there’s no filler in Ed Brubaker’s writing. Every dialogue box and word bubble feel necessary. He even breaks the fourth wall a little bit which is done tastefully. Ed is defiantly making this book relevant to the times we are living in today. He references police shooting unarmed black kids; the farce that is the 2016 presidential race, mass shootings, terrorist attacks, the tension in the Middle East, and generally how totally screwed up and dark the world is today. It will be interesting to see if any of these social commentaries continue throughout the book and how they will play out.

Sean Phillips art is once again fantastic. He manages a style that’s like a painting come to life with comic book undertones and that trademark noir feeling.

Elizabeth Breitweiser’s colours complimented Sean art perfectly. I felt she used right range, of colour and tones and the shadowing was great.

 This may or may not be something important to you, or just something you never thought of, but the page quality of this comic is excellent. It’s thick, good quality paper. Why is this important you ask? It’s important to point out that the big 2 (i will give DC credit for its improvement in quality for it rebirth line) who are multi-billion dollar companies use garbage quality paper for print. Nothing is worse than reading a comic that can rip while reading when you accidently sneeze let alone just turning the page. You’re also paying more for less generally regarding content.

My point is the price you pay for the big two you should be getting the quality paper that Kill or be Killed is printed on, but you don’t. It’s just a pet peeve of mine I’m sure this is the last time you will see me write about this (i make no promises)

If you pre-ordered this comic then great job! If you have not picked it up, I suggest doing it quickly because Ed and Sean’s books have a healthy habit of selling out quick (at least of the first printing, there’s usually 2nd or 3rd printings but first is what you want). Go to your local comic shop now, or if your content with digital go to comixology, purchase and read right now.

I tried to find something negative about this comic (it’s rare for me not to find something ) but I just couldn’t this is how you do a #1 issue start off with some great action then set up the story to hook you in for issue 2,3,4,5, until then end.

Kill or be Killed #1 was my most anticipated comic of the summer, and it does not disappoint.

10/10

Mark Millar Announces Date For 2016 Talent​ Search Guidelines

Mark Millar is the writer and co-creator of such excellent comic books like Jupiter’s Legacy (with Frank Quitely), Kick-Ass (with John Romita Jr),  Chrononauts (with Sean Gordon Murphy) and Huck (with Rafael Albuquerque).

Last year Millar held his first ever talent search through his publishing company Millarworld. Mark was looking for interior artists, cover artists, inkers, colorists and writers to create short stories based on Millar’s comic properties. If chosen the winners would not only be included in the mini-anthology issue but would also be paid the starting page rates that are offered at Marvel and DC. Artists would receive  $200 a page ($120 for a penciler and $80 for an inker) writers would get $90 per page. The cover artist would be paid $450 for black and white, $600 for colour. Mark also would be paying these unknown talents out of his pocket; which is great to see someone as big as Mark do this for the industry.

Mark announced on Twitter today (@mrmarkmillar) that the guidelines for this year’s talent search will be released September 1st, 2016.

So any aspiring comic creatives looking for a big break should follow Mark on Twitter and also check back here as I’ll have an article with links once it’s announced.

Comic Book Recommendation:​ I Hate Fairyland Vol One: Madly Ever After

Artist/writer Skottie Young is best known for his Marvel Baby Variant Covers and his work on the Rocket Racoon solo series (issues #1-#11)

I Hate Fairyland (IHF) is a story about a 6-year-old girl named Gertrude. While playing with her stuffed animals and having a joyous time she wished she could be taken to a place filled with magic joy and laughter. To her surprise, Gertrude’s dream comes true and is sucked into Fairyland. Shocked and scared she meets the queen of fairyland who tells her the only way to get back to her world is find a key to unlock the door. The queen gives her a guide named Larrigon Wentsworth III(aka Larry)  and a map to help in her quest. 27 years pass and Gertrude has still not found the key. She also still had the body of a six-year-old but the mentality of a very bitter adult. Tempers flare as her behaviour causes issues throughout the realm of Fairyland.

IHF is one of the most refreshing comics I have read in a while. With all the superhero books currently trying to rewrite and or correct their continuity and history, I hate fairyland brings enjoyment back to comics.

Skottie’s writing does a good job of taking the tropes of well know children’s fairytales and doing something new and unique with them or just downright destroying them. This is not a serious toned comic; it’s funny, entertaining and fun.

I Hate Fairyland is a great adult version of a fairytale that demands your attention and makes you anticipate the next turn of the page. Skottie Youg’s art is excellent in this series, good cartoon style with adult gore, while Jean-Francois Beaulieu’s colours make this book stand out from your average children’s book and average comic book.

 

Here is a sample of the censoring used for the foul-mouthed Gertrude.

IHF is published by Image Comics and is a currently ongoing series that Skottie plans to be doing for a while.I Hate Fairyland Vol 1 collects issues #1-#5 and is available wherever books are sold, although I do recommend ordering from your local comic book store if you’re able to. The good news is the majority of Image’s volume, one’s (including this one) are priced at $9.99 USD so that this book won’t hurt your wallet.

You can pick up the digital version  for 7.99 USD at Comixology 

I look forward to Volume 2 and beyond. Skottie kicked off a wild story that I hope doesn’t end for a long time.

Geoff Johns Promoted To President Of DC Entertainment

 

Comicbook.com and other media outlets who were at San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend have confirmed that Geoff Johns has been promoted to president of DC Entertainment. Johns still retains the title of Cheif Creative Officer at DC as well.

Reportedly this promotion happened at the same time Johns was promoted to overseeing DC’s film production with producer Jon Berg. There has been no official announcement released by Warner Bros. yet.

Johns recently wrote the oversized one-shot to kickstart the DC Universe: Rebirth event that is currently going on now. Johns has said this will be the last comic he writes for a long while, due to his new responsibilities.

I have to say he ended it on a high note, grab a copy if you can still find one at your local comic shop. You will not regret the purchase.

Geoff Johns is best known for rebooting the Green Lantern franchise (Green Lantern: Rebirth) in the mid-2000’s, the Superman limited series Secret Origin and bringing back Barry Allen as the Flash (The Flash: Rebirth) in 2009.

It will be interesting to see what influence Johns will have for future DC movies. He has a vast knowledge of the DC universe and is a talented writer. Hopefully, his opinion will be valued and taken into consideration by the movie makers.

What do you think about Johns promotion? Do you think he can help turn around DC’s struggling film franchises? Let me know in the comments below.

Final Hours For Sharkasaurus Kickstarter

Good news Sharkasaurus is 100% funded!!

With less than 35 hours left to pledge, the team has now set a stretch goal of 2,500$ more. If they reach this goal before the deadline, they will include a Sharkasaurus bumper sticker with every physical copy of the book.

If you were holding off to make sure this project will be funded to pledge, now is the time to go Kickstarter and choose your pledge tier. To pledge click here.

If you’re not able to pledge, please share this article on whatever various form of social media and email your on.

Check out my original article for Sharkasaurus here

 

Stay tuned to skatronixxx.com for more comic book related news.

96 Creators Combine Their Powers To Tell 40 New Stories For Alterna’s 2016 IF Anthology

Alterna Comics was founded in 2006 by president and publisher Peter Simeti. This year marks their 10th anniversary, and they have some big announcements at SDCC to celebrate the milestone. Alterna Comics is distributed globally in print and digital formats in several languages. Alterna is a creator-owned company where creators own the licensing and merchandising rights to their creations. Alterna Comics titles are distributed to the direct comic market by Diamond Comics Distributors and the book and ebook market by IPG (Independent Publishers Group). Digital versions of the comics can be found on comiXology.

Alterna’s new (yearly) anthology is set to release in November 2016. This year’s theme is “Super Powers.” Some of the 96 indie creators involved are:

Tyler Chin-Tanner (American Terrorist)

 Mike Loniewski (Myth)

Jason Inman (Co-host of DC All Access)

Tim Shinn (Neal Adams’ Blood)

Peter Simeti ( The Chair)

Ashley Victoria Robinson (Apollo IX )

Anna Wieszczyk (Red Angel Dragnet)

Lea J. Zimmt (Side Show)

This year’s anthology is two times bigger than last years science-fiction teamed collection, with 384 pages. The 2016 collection will appear in Diamonds September previews.

For more information on the anthology and Alterna Comics, check out   alternacomics.com. Also @ALTERNACOMICS  and @petersimeti  on Twitter.

Here is a preview of some of the art and stories from 2016 IF Anthology: Super Powers.

 

Rick Remender’s Deadly Class TV Series Adaptation To Be Produced By Russo Brothers

Rick Remender

Deadly Class is Image comic book by writer Rick Remender and artist Wes Craig that Debuted in January 2014. Deadly Class is a coming-of-age story that takes place in the 1980’s; that follows a group of high school students attending King’s Dominion School for the Deadly Arts, which trains the deadliest assassins in the world.

Wes Craig

Deadline.com has reported that Sony Pictures TV is behind the TV series adaptation of Deadly Class with Captian America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War directors John and Anthony Russo as the show’s producers.

The TV adaption will be written by Rick Remender and Miles Field. Adam Targum and Mike Larroca will be the showrunners. Sony is currently getting ready to find a home for the series on either a major network or streaming service. (i hope they get on Netflix)

Remender is a highly talented writer in the comic book industry. I recommend picking up Deadly Class (ongoing), Black Sceience (ongoing), his run on Uncanny X-force, and  Venom.

 

Seven to Eternity is Rick’s newest project with artist Jerome Opena and is scheduled to be released September 21st, 2016. Pre-order cut off is August 29th 

Story Synopsis via Imagecomics.com:

“The God of Whispers has spread an omnipresent paranoia to every corner of the kingdom of Zhal; his spies hide in every hall spreading mistrust and fear. Adam Osidis, a dying knight from a disgraced house, must choose between joining a hopeless band of magic users in their desperate bid to free their world of the evil God, or accepting his promise to give Adam everything his heart desires. “

 

Stay tuned for more SDCC coverage.