REVIEW: ‘Elektra’ #1 Hits The Bullseye
W. Haden Blackman and Michael Del Mundo's 'Elektra' #1 is one of the strongest debuts from Marvel in recent memory with a wild story and beautiful art.
JH Williams III’s Blondie Album Art
'Batwoman' and 'Sandman: Overture' artist J.H. Williams III has drawn Blondie as part of the band's new 'Ghosts Of Download' album, which is available now.
Here’s The Thing: Kirby’s Cadmus
Chris Sims provides a brief history of Jack Kirby's Cadmus Institute and its place in the DC Universe in the fourth 'Here's The Thing' installment.
‘Cosmic Scoundrels’ Is Awesome
Chris Sims explains why Matt Chapman and Andy Suriano's 'Cosmic Scoundrels' will hit the spot for fans of buddy comedies, sci-fi and everything in-between.
DC Collectibles For July 2014
ComicsAlliance looks at DC Collectibles' July 2014 toy and statue solicitations, which include new Constantine and Zatanna action figures.
Honest Trailers Takes On ‘Kamen Rider x Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen’ [Video]
If you were watching tokusatsu shows from 2012, then you probably saw the trailer for Kamen Rider x Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen, a movie where the Japan's two long-lasting supehero franchises clashed in a war that pit heroes on dirtbikes against heroes with giant robots, for the fate of... I don't know, the world? It's usually the world. The trailer wasn't really clear, but it did hint at lasting repercussions for the heroes and a thrilling, high-stakes battle that would pit all your favorites against each other.
That... wasn't quite accurate. I mean, to be fair, it definitely was a war between the Kamen Riders and Super Sentai, meaning that it delivered the bare minimum on what was promised in the title, but other than that, not so much. Fortunately, the crew at Honest Trailers have taken the trailer and made it a little more accurate -- and also made this movie sound way more awesome than the original.
‘Mega Man’ #36 Explains Dr. Wily’s Wild Video Game Comeback [Preview]
If you are of a certain age, you may recall the feeling of being really excited for Mega Man 3, while also being very, very confused about the game's plot. Not the thing with the eight killer robots and their weapons that you needed to get, we were all used to that by that point, but definitely the thing about how Dr. Wily had "reformed" and everyone was just totally cool with him building a gigantic "peacekeeping" robot with lasers and ninja stars. I mean, if you try to destroy the world twice and somehow still regain the trust of the people, that must have been a heck of a trial to prove your innocence.
And now, we get to see exactly how that goes down. In Mega Man #36, Ian Flynn, POWREE, Gary Martin, John Workman and Matt Herms finally reveal the story of how Dr. Wily was cleared of all charges, including two counts of Attempted Murder Of Literally Everyone. Check out a preview below!
J.H. Williams III Draws Blondie For The Band’s New ‘Ghosts Of Download’ Album
I'll admit that when I heard that J.H. Williams III is doing art for Blondie, I was more surprised than anything else. I mean, I'm as big a fan of Williams as the next person, and if there's anything we've learned from his work on books like Batwoman, Promethea and Seven Soldiers, it's that he can provide pretty beautiful art in a variety of styles. I just never expected him to turn his talents to the world of a three-panel newspaper strip is all. That said, I am pretty stoked about seeing him draw one of Dagwood's signature massive sandwiches. Can you imagine the detail --
What? Oh, he's doing art for Blondie the band? Yeah, that makes a lot more sense.
Scott McCloud’s ‘The Sculptor’ Coming February 2015 From First Second
For many Scott McCloud is a name that's synonymous with comics -- Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics and Making Comics -- but it's been awhile since the Zot creator has released sequential art that wasn't rooted in education. That changes on February 3 next year with the relase of The Sculptor from First Second, a story McCloud's had in mind for more than two decades and has been actively working on for five years.
‘Elektra’ #1 Hits The Bullseye (Figuratively, Though Literally That Might Come Later) [Review]
Constructing a comic to be a direct reference to something else is always a tricky proposition. When it's done sloppily, it can take the reader right out of the story, like one of my least favorite Batman comics, The Cult, which is trying so hard to be the next Dark Knight Returns that you can see it straining with effort on every page. Even in the best case, if you're attempting to echo one of the greats, you're still reminding people that they're not reading the comic you're spending all this time calling back to, and it goes from being distracting to being frustrating for the reader.
It's the exact problem that W. Haden Blackman and Michael Del Mundo are grappling with in Marvel's latest relaunch of Elektra, but with the incredible, engaging storytelling that comes from both story and art, they do a solid job of it. Well, until the last page, that is, when it goes from "this might be a worthy successor" to "this is going to be incredible."
5 Key Takeaways From Publishers Weekly’s Annual Comics Retailer Survey
The big headline on Publishers Weekly’s site when it published the results of its comics retailer survey last month blared that comics sales were down during the early months of 2014, though retailers seem relatively optimistic about it.
What comes after is a sometimes difficult-to-parse snapshot of the world of comics as it looks now. It’s not necessarily a bleak picture, but it’s very clearly one that portrays an industry may not be able to sustain itself as it is now. Change is occurring, and here are some key items from the report that show how, and what might be changing.
Kent Osborne Explains How Tony Hawk Inspired ‘Adventure Time: Banana Guard Academy’ (Sort Of) [Interview]
When Boom! filled us in that Adventure Time head writer Kent Osborne would be teaming with Regular Show: Skips artist Mad Rupert for a new series in July that'd include the show's recently-introduced Root Beer Guy, I was intrigued. When the title of the book was revealed to be Adventure Time: Banana Guard Academy, I was ecstatic. I finally had a reason to make someone answer a question relating to the Police Academy franchise! Fortunately for ComicsAlliance, Kent is a very good sport. Read on to learn about how Kent crossed over from the world of AT animation into comics, who some of his favorite creators are, and how Tony Hawk fits into it all.
Link Ink: Eastman & Laird On FCBD, A Life-Size Spider-Man Statue And Dark Horse Digital Turns 3
Thursday's links await, after the jump.
ComicsAlliance Presents Here’s The Thing, Episode 4: A Brief History Of Jack Kirby’s Cadmus Institute [Video]
If our weekly Ask Chris column isn't enough of definitive comic book (and pro wrestling) opinions for you, good news: ComicsAlliance is proud to present Here's The Thing, a series of videos where you can join our own extremely opinionated senior writer, Chris Sims, as he sits in his living room under a framed portrait of Destro, drinking a cup of coffee and sharing his opinion on comic books.
This week, Chris takes a viewer question from someone curious about Cadmus Institute, a fixture of the DC universe created by the legendary Jack Kirby that has its roots in the Golden Age and continues to operate in the background of comics all the way to the 21st Century.
Marvel and Icon Comic Book Releases for July 2014 [Solicitations]
Courtesy of Marvel, ComicsAlliance brings you an advance look at new periodical comic books, collected editions and graphic novels going on sale in June 2014 (and in some cases beyond) from the publisher’s mainline Marvel Universe titles, Ultimate Comics, the mature readers MAX imprint and the creator-owned label Icon. All of the following books can be purchased at finer comic book shops, where you can also pre-order your selections to ensure you’ll get a copy before they sell out.