Yahtzee Croshaw Returns With JAM
/Blockbuster Superhero Film Writer Pens His Very First Comic
/Blockbuster Superhero Film Writer Pens His Very First Comic
Avatar Press proudly announces that the Zak Penn, the accomplished screenwriter with a half dozen superhero film credits under his belt, will launch his first-ever comic book series, Hero Worship, in July 2012. The six-issue miniseries will be co-written by Scott Murphy (screenwriter of Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and feature artwork by Michael DiPascale.
Hero Worship introduces the ultimate celebrity, an indestructible superhero called Zenith, and the rabid fans that worship him. These legions of adoring admirers follow every disaster, trying to speculate where they can catch a glimpse of their modern messiah – even risking their own lives in the process. But what happens when one fan’s unhealthy obsession leads to the development of powers all his own?
“We couldn’t be more thrilled about Zak Penn bringing his debut comic project to Avatar,” says publisher William Christensen. “Zak is an incredibly gifted and inventive writer, and Hero Worship is a fresh perspective on the entire genre. It’s slick and innovative, taking risks like every great Avatar title should. Let the other Brand-X companies tell the same-old, ‘Guy-in-Tights-Punches-Another-Guy-in-Tights’ stories; here at Avatar, Zak’s got the freedom to blow all the doors off their hinges.”
Zak Penn began his career as a screenwriter when selling his first script, Last Action Hero, at the age of twenty-three. Since then, Penn’s name has become synonymous with big-budget superhero films, predominantly those based on Marvel Comics characters: The Avengers, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand, Elektra, and The Incredible Hulk. His first foray into television, the critically acclaimed Alphas, debuted in July 2011 on the cable channel Syfy and is set to enter its second season shortly.
Penn is joined in this creative venture by Scott Murphy, a writing partner whose work on Star Wars: The Clone Wars provides the perfect frame of reference for working with iconic characters. The series’ luscious, painted art style is provided by Michael DiPascale, whose artwork has long graced the front covers of Avatar Press (and sister company Boundless Comics) publications, including Lady Death, War Goddess, Crossed, and Night of the Living Dead, among others.
Avatar Press is a groundbreaking independent publishing company which produces a wide variety of cutting-edge comic books, graphic novels, and original web content. Their high-quality publications include the work of such industry luminaries as Garth Ennis (Crossed, Chronicles of Wormwood), Warren Ellis (Freakangels), David Lapham (Caligula, Crossed: Psychopath), and Alan Moore (Neonomicon). They also produce a diverse range of licensed projects including the classic zombie epic Night of the Living Dead and George RR Martin’s Fevre Dream. Their Boundless Comics imprint publishes Brian Pulido’s original Lady Death and Mike Wolfer’s reimagining of the classic femme fatales Pandora, Hellina, and Widow in the series War Goddess.
Chronicle: On DVD/Blu-Ray May 15th.
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Scene – Matt and Casey in the Kitchen
- Pre-Viz
- Camera
Test
- Theatrical
Trailer
- Chronicle
Soundtrack Info
AM2 Announces AMV Contest
/The entertainment of fan produced and
created AMV¹s (Anime Music Videos) comes to this summer¹s most anticipated
anime, manga and music event in Southern California‹AM2. With four (4)
categories to potentially win by votes from attendees‹AM2, invites fans to
participate with its official call for entries today. All participants must
be Passport Holders. The AMV event is a Passport preferred event (Passport
holders enter first with general attendees entering thereafter based upon
available seats). More info and attendee registration can be found at
www.am2con.org
Anime Music Videos consist of clips from one or more anime series or movies
set and choreographed to a song. These music videos are made by fans that
have a passion for Anime and Music that drives them to create these videos
to share that vision to their fellow fans.
Categories:
(9 entries per category will be selected as finalists to be shown at the AMV
Viewing. The winner of each category will be voted on by the attendees of
the AMV Viewing and announced.)
Action
Drama
Comedy
Additional Awards: (The winner will be selected from one of the finalists of
the three categories.)
Creators Choice (Voted on by the contestants.)
Contest Rules
Deadline for AMVs will be June 8th, 12pm, PST
I. AMV Restrictions
€ AMV Length: Minimum 1 minute; 4 minutes maximum.
€ Content must be appropriate for all audiences.
€ No Intros/Outros. No text in the video that does not pertain to the
video itself.
Accepted Formats:
€ Video: MPEG-4, MPEG-2, and h264
€ Audio: mp3, wav
Video Files ONLY. Files will be sent via link or FTP. Tape or Disk Media
will NOT be accepted.
II. Submission Restrictions
€ Deadline for Submission Forms coming soon!
€ NO ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED AT THE CONVENTION.
€ Limit two entries per person.
€ You must be a Passport holder to compete. Your Passport must be valid
for the day of the AMV Viewing.
€ You must be present and in attendance during the AMV Viewing at the
convention.
Please contact amvs@am2con.org
or comments...
3 Day Passport Holders that also stay within the official hotel room block
will be treated to a ³private² panel with Guests of Honor during the
convention. The official hotel is the Anaheim Hilton Hotel.
Please note that ALL Guest of Honor activities (i.e. panels, autographs,
appearances, etc.) are ALL Passport preferred activities. There will also
be a private Meet & Greet event for Anaheim Hilton Room Block Attendees
(room key proof is required).
Attendees can avoid the anticipated huge lines at autographs, premiere
screenings, workshops, main events, concerts and panels by purchasing a
Passport fast pass for the event. The Passport fast pass will also provide
holders with premier seating options at Main Events and at Concert events as
well as major discounts with theme parks (including Disneyland and the grand
opening of Cars Land, Knott¹s Berry Farm, etc.), retailers and local
restaurants. Bypass the lines and get your Passport today and experience the
difference!
AM2 current activities include Exhibit Hall, AMV¹s, Arcade, Summer Festival,
Behind the Voice Actors Studio, Masquerade, Dances, Fashion Shows, Table
Top, Console Gaming, Workshops, Panels, Concerts and more!
Current AM2 Official Guests of Honor include Putumayo, Andrea Libman,
Quinton Flynn and Toshihiro Kawamoto.
Brathzo, Icarus Kid, Kazha, Lucid and Momotoma join Summer Festival join
other announced performer Ant1Nett
AM2 Premieres, screenings and exclusive screenings include ACE ATTORNEY,
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: THE STAR OF MILOS, KAIBUTSU-KUN THE MOVIE, KAIJI 2 and
more!
Current Major Sponsors Include: Anime News Network and Snakebyte USA.
Follow us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/AM2Con
Follow us on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/AM2Con
SHADOWLINE TAKES A LEAP
/
At the beginning of the new Image Comics series GRIM LEAPER, Lou Collins has died thirteen times, and he can be sure that grisly death #14 is just around the corner. This may seem like a weird way to find romance, but that's just what Kurtis J. Wiebe (PETER PANZERFAUST, GREEN WAKE) has in store for Lou in his new series debuting in May, drawn by Aluisio Santos.
Every time he dies, Lou jumps into a stranger's body, and just as he's learning something about his new host, another gruesome accident sends him leaping to the next one. Lou wants to escape the violent cycle and find eternal rest — that is, until he meets another "leaper" named Ella.
"This is the gory love story you've been waiting for, a buckets of blood romantic comedy for the ages," said writer Wiebe.
"Grim Leaper is a story about that person you've always wanted to date but never had the chance to," added Santos. "Except now your bad luck is a killer."
GRIM LEAPER #1 (MAR120418), published under Image Comics Shadowline imprint, will be in stores on May 30. It's a full-color comic book for $3.50. It is available for pre-order now in the March issue of Previews.
Dark Horse Comics Unveils Exclusive Comic Book Experience™ Application for ePlate™ Mobile Payment Devices
/Dark Horse Comics Unveils Exclusive Comic Book Experience™ Application for ePlate™ Mobile Payment Devices
Dark Horse Gives Dynamics’ ePlate Users Exclusive Comic Book Content with Each Purchase
APRIL 19, SAN FRANCISCO, CA–Dark Horse Comics makes history again today with the announcement of a revolutionary new partnership with Dynamics Inc. Dynamics is an innovator in next-generation payment devices, and will now launch a new comic book experience application for ePlate™ mobile payment devices. The innovative offering brings a new kind of experience to comic book fans by enabling them to earn access to exclusive Dark Horse digital comics with every purchase made with the ePlate™ device. This groundbreaking technology will link payment devices with exclusive Dark Horse comic content, and empower consumers to engage with Dark Horse and other brands that excite them with every swipe or online purchase.
At any time, users can decide to use the Dark Horse Experience™ application for the ePlate™ payment device. The Dark Horse application allows users to earn pages of exclusive Dark Horse comic books with each purchase. After all pages of a particular comic are obtained, the user is provided with a complete digital comic. After a certain number of digital comic books are collected, Dark Horse provides, at no cost to the user, a collectible print copy of each exclusive comic book earned. Users will be able to earn comic books faster with purchases made at Dark Horse affiliates, sponsors, and retail outlets. At any time, a user can also decide to earn Dark Horse credits instead of exclusive content so that the user can earn any product from DarkHorse.com.
“Dark Horse is always looking for new ways to expand the comics-reading audience,” said Mike Richardson, president and founder of Dark Horse Comics. “Our new partners at Dynamics have created a platform which gives not only existing comics fans, but a wide variety of consumers, the ability to obtain exclusive Dark Horse content just by making day-to-day purchases.”
“Dark Horse hit the nail on the head with its Experience™ application,” said Jeff Mullen, CEO of Dynamics. “Dark Horse Experience leverages unique content—available nowhere else—and provides participating merchants with an exciting promotional tool to attract customers.”
For additional information, see DEMO’s article on Forbes.com.
About Dynamics ePlate™ Mobile Payment Device
Dynamics’ ePlate™ mobile payment device is a paper-thin, flexible computing platform in a payment card form factor. The device includes the Electronic Stripe®—the world’s first fully card-programmable magnetic stripe. The Electronic Stripe® can be read at any existing point-of-sale (POS) magnetic stripe reader. The device includes two buttons—one for a first experience and one for a second experience. Based on what button was selected, the device changes the information on the Electronic Stripe™ to reflect the selected experience so the user can swipe the card in any store and enjoy the selected experience.
A user can change the experiences associated with the buttons on the ePlate™ device at any time. All a user has to do is use Dynamics’ Experience Manager™ software through their favorite phone, or accessible through their bank’s website. Dynamics’ Experience Manager™ will provide a list of experiences that a user can select and associate with the different buttons on the ePlate™ device.
The ePlate™ device is as durable as a traditional payment card and will last over four years on a single battery charge. The technology does not require any change to the 60 million 1970s-era magnetic stripe readers or reeducation of its merchant base.
About Dynamics Inc.
Dynamics Inc. was founded in 2007 by Jeff Mullen. Dynamics produces and manufactures intelligent powered payment cards and advanced payment platforms. The company has won many of the world’s most prestigious international business plan competitions, including the Rice Business Plan Competition, Carnegie Mellon McGinnis Venture Competition and the University of San Francisco Business Plan Competition. The company won DEMOgod and the $1M People’s Choice Award at DEMO Fall 2010, Best of Show at FinovateFall 2010, FinovateFall 2011, and FinovateEurope 2012, and Best of Show at BAI Retail Delivery 2011. Dynamics won Best in Show for Personal Electronics and Technology Honors at the 2012 International CES show. Dynamics investors include Adams Capital Management and Bain Capital Ventures. Dynamics is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa. For more information, visit: www.poweredcards.com.
About Dark Horse
Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent like Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Gerard Way, and comics legend Will Eisner, Dark Horse has developed such successful properties as The Mask, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Additionally, its highly successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton, Trigun, Serenity, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of licensed comics material.
ARTIFACTS ONLINE AND ONGOING
/
Image Comics and Top Cow Productions, Inc. are excited to reveal that ARTIFACTS will be serialized as a new feature on the front page of topcow.com absolutely free for fans as announced at Emerald City Comicon 2012.
Beginning Tuesday, April 17th, 2012, fans will be able to go to Top Cow’s homepage and read one page per week for free. During the debut week, there will be three new pages of ARTIFACTS for fans to read. A new page will be posted every subsequent Tuesday.
From Top Cow Universe architect RON MARZ (WITCHBLADE, SHINKU) and Top Cow superstar artist MICHAEL BROUSSARD (THE DARKNESS) comes the event series that shook the Top Cow Universe to its foundation.
"Given my very vocal feelings about online piracy of comics, maybe people will be surprised to hear that I absolutely love the idea of giving away content,” commented writer Marz. “Artifacts #1 was written to be a ground-floor read, asking only curiosity from the audience, not requiring any knowledge of the Top Cow Universe or characters. You learn everything you need to know in the story. I absolutely believe a big part of comics' future is digital, so this is another step toward that future. All I've ever asked is that the people who own and/or create content be the ones who decide whether or not to give away their content. It's great that a publisher is choosing to do just that."
Thirteen mystical Artifacts, including the Witchblade, the Darkness and others, guide the fate of the Top Cow Universe. For centuries, it's been whispered that bringing together all 13 Artifacts would herald mankind's destruction. But a mysterious figure has been manipulating events, laying plans to put Armageddon into motion. The final phase begins here, with the abduction of Hope, the daughter of Sara Pezzini and Jackie Estacado. What ensues will remake the entirety of the Top Cow Universe, from the Witchblade and the Darkness, to the Angelus, Magdalena, and even Cyberforce.
ARTIFACTS will debut on the front page of topcow.com on Tuesday, April 17th, 2012.
A STRING OF SELL OUTS FOR THIEF OF THIEVES
/
THIEF OF THIEVES #3, published by Skybound/Image Comics, has sold out at the distributor level just like the second issue. The first issue sold out on the first day of release. A second printing (MAR128105) will be in stores on May 5, the same day as THIEF OF THIEVES #4.
More and more readers are snatching up this action-packed crime noir, so the first issue has also been returned to print yet again. The third printing of THIEF OF THIEVES #1 (MAR128105) is available for order immediately and will also be stores in stores on May 5.
"We are bringing heist stories to readers with a new twist by showing the humanity of all of the characters, including the criminals," said THIEF OF THIEVES creator/writer Robert Kirkman, "and we couldn't be happier that people seem to be enjoying it as much as we are."

THIEF OF THIEVES is about a master thief who leaves behind his life in the high-stakes world of crime to try to return to being a family man. Each 32-page full-color issue is available for purchase and reorder in comic book stores and on multiple digital platforms.
C2E2 Late Edition Dark Horse Announces WILLOW Series
/DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES WILLOW SERIES!
JOSS WHEDON’S FAN FAVORITE RETURNS!
APRIL 18, MILWAUKIE, OR – Dark Horse Comics announces another exciting addition to the Buffyverse:
Willow gets her own miniseries!
Written by Jeff Parker (Thunderbolts, Agents of Atlas) and drawn by Brian Ching (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Witchblade), Willow tells the story of the witch’s obsessive journey to recover her magic.
Willow is on a quest to bring magic back to the world, and she’ll do anything to make it happen, including forming some unhealthy alliances after cracking the code to travel to other dimensions—something thought impossible since the destruction of the Seed.
Willow #1 is on sale November 21, 2012.
About Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products
A recognized industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products licenses and markets properties worldwide on behalf of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Twentieth Television and Fox Broadcasting Company, as well as third-party lines. The division is aligned with Twentieth Century Fox Television, one of the top suppliers of primetime entertainment programming to the broadcast networks.
About Dark Horse Comics
Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent like Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Gerard Way, Will Eisner, and best-selling prose author Janet Evanovich, Dark Horse has developed such successful characters as the Mask, Timecop, and the Occultist. Additionally, its highly successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan the Barbarian, Mass Effect, Serenity, and Domo. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic-book publisher in the United States and is recognized as both an innovator in the cause of creator rights and the comics industry’s leading publisher of licensed material.C2E2 Late Edition: Dark Horse Announces SPIKE Series
/DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES SPIKE SERIES!
JOSS WHEDON’S ANTIHERO VAMPIRE RETURNS!
APRIL 18, MILWAUKIE, OR – Dark Horse Comics announces a brand-new Spike miniseries slated for release this summer!
Written by Victor Gischler (X-Men, Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth) and drawn by Paul Lee (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Devil’s Footprints), Spike promises to be the series all Joss Whedon fans will be talking about.
Spike ventures off world in his bug ship in order to get away from some personal frustration on terra firma, and winds up sucked into a demonic plot to take advantage of the absence of magic on earth.
“What I love about working with Dark Horse on Buffy-related material is that they take great care to capture the feel of the characters and stories from the television show, of which I was a huge fan. Getting my hands on the characters I’ve loved so much over the years is a dream come true,” said Gischler.
Spike #1 will be on sale August 22, 2012!
About Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products
A recognized industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products licenses and markets properties worldwide on behalf of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Twentieth Television and Fox Broadcasting Company, as well as third-party lines. The division is aligned with Twentieth Century Fox Television, one of the top suppliers of primetime entertainment programming to the broadcast networks.
About Dark Horse Comics
Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent like Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Gerard Way, Will Eisner, and best-selling prose author Janet Evanovich, Dark Horse has developed such successful characters as the Mask, Timecop, and the Occultist. Additionally, its highly successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan the Barbarian, Mass Effect, Serenity, and Domo. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic-book publisher in the United States and is recognized as both an innovator in the cause of creator rights and the comics industry’s leading publisher of licensed material.
NARUTO SPIN-OFF: ROCK LEE & HIS NINJA PALS Debuts Today VIZAnime.com and Hulu
/Rock Lee may not be able to use ninjutsu, but that doesn't stop him from aspiring to become a great shinobi! What he lacks he makes up for with his undying passion and training... Under the guidance of his super-awesome sensei, Guy, and with the reluctant support of teammates Tenten and Neji, Rock Lee will make himself known to the world!
New episodes debut on VIZAnime.com and Hulu every Tuesday, two weeks after broadcast debut in Japan! Once you watch, you're sure to fall in love with Rock Lee and all his ninja friends!
Tim Burton to Judge Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Art Competition for 20th Century Fox
/Fairy Tail Review
/Fairy Tail is a story about a guild named the Fairy Tail Guild and the members that is in it. They all reside in the Kingdom of Fiore. There are other guilds that are around that have a play with Fairy Tail but no spoilers. Here is a character overture of the Fairy Tail Guild.
Natsu and Happy the Cat
Natsu is a fire wizard and one of the best wizards in Fairy Tale. Although he is different from other fire wizards: He has the ability of breathing, eating and wielding fire like a dragon! He is accompanied by his flying blue cat Happy who is one of the cutest things I have ever seen. He is Natsu's right hand man and best friend. He has the power to fly and loves to say "Aye" once in a while.
Lucy
Lucy is a spunky teen who got her wish of becoming part of Fairy Tail. She is a Celestial Wizard. She uses keys that summon "Celestial Beings" that seem to attribute to horoscope signs. She tries to keep Natsu in line and is a very sweet girl.
Grey
Grey is one of the strongest wizards with Natsu and Ezra. Grey is an Ice Wizard and because Natsu is a Fire Wizard, they get into altercations from time to time. Fire and ice don't mix after all. He has the habit of taking off his clothes..... I still don't know why but hey, I'm not complaining. He has a silly side especially when Natsu and him fight in front of Erza. They become buddies instantly since they know how Erza is.
Erza
Erza is a very serious young lady. She completes the strongest Fairy Tail team and is the roughest girl wizard around. She uses equip magic called "The Knight". She can transform into different types of armor that can perform different abilities including the weapons. Mess with Erza you'll get the bull and the horns.
So what do I think about this series? I love it. I immediately gravitate towards these types of animes. This is one people should have in their library's. It is fun, lighthearted, action-packed, serious and awesome! The voice acting is top-notched.Of course Funimation provided us with the voices of Todd Haberkorn, Cherami Leigh, Colleen Clickenbeard, Newton Pittman and many more. They all are doing an awesome job. I give this anime an A. Please go and support and buy everything Fairy Tail!! Fairy Tail Rules!!!!!!!!!!!! ^-^
Sakura Matsuri :: A Centennial
/















Cosplay Girl Of The Week #77 (Sigyn Erster)
/This week for Cosplay Girl Of The Week we journey into the world of "Broken Blade."
Read MoreCosplay Boy Of The Week #60 (Yukio Okumura)
/Hey Otakus I'm back to doing Cosplay Boy Of The Week. This week's boy character being cosplayed is Yukio Okumura from Blue Exorcist.
Read More