The Comic Book Thread

[Gamerforlife]

Slightly off the current topic, but here is the newest Avengers Trailer: http://blip.tv/cbr/the-avengers-trailer-5633211

and at last, the whole world will know why Joss Whedon is a Geek God. This will put him on on equal footing with JJ Abrams now that he'll finally have a big, blockbuster movie to add to his resume

Here's another Year One clip:

http://blip.tv/cbr/batman-year-one-clip ... oy-5633597

[Gamerforlife]

Made another trip to the local shop since it's new comics day. I think I have almost half of all of the new 52 number 1s now in first print. I read Demon Knights # 1 and really enjoyed it. That's right up my alley.

I don't know if there are many Whedon fans who follow this thread, but I love the Angel and Faith series so much I have to post this preview:

http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/Previews/18-778?page=0

They are just killing it with this series, sooo good. I think I'm developing a crush on Rebekah Isaacs too. She's sweet, kind of cute and her art on this book is amazing. She's very good at capturing the likeness of Eliza Dushku and David Boreanez in some panels. She is so good at capturing the kind of facial expressions and mannerisms that Eliza had when she played Faith on tv

I'm loving this girl right now

[Gamerforlife]

and can I just say too how much I loved Batgirl # 2? I'm sold on this series. Two good, back to back issues. I love Barbara's character so much in this story. She's very human, not this larger than life, superhero personality and she's funny too. The art in this issue was amazing too. Gorgeous stuff. Plus, we got answers about her legs working(sort of)and about the villain as well. It sounds like Nightwing will make a guest appearance next issue. Five stars for this issue!

Batman and Robin # 2 was a little better than the first issue and I'm actually interested in the story now. This book might work for me after all

To my surprise, Detective Comics # 2 kind of fell flat for me. Really didn't enjoy that one. I still think the first issue was great, even as just an enjoyable stand alone Batman issue, but the second issue just didn't hook me. I hope it picks up momentum in issue 3

I hope Batman # 2 knocks it out of the park. I read an interview with Scott Snyder that has me really excited for what he plans to do in that book

[Runefaust]

This is the only thing that sucks about getting my subscription online; I have to wait a bit longer for the new prints to be shipped, lol.

I plan on purchasing Batgirl #2 digitally via Comixology tomorrow; the guided view feature is pretty frickin' sweet! It's a really interesting experience compared to normally reading a comic. I had read Batgirl #1 the week it was released, but reading it with the guided view app was a completely different experience!

Out of the new 52 Batgirl was probably my favorite, with Batman, Detective Comics, Justice League and Catwoman following close behind.

As for digital versus hard copy; I believe both have their pros and cons and I think that they're obvious enough that I don't have to spend too much time talking about 'em, lol. As for my personal preference, though, I always have preferred hard copies of the actual comics. I'm a collector and I love to archive things in my collection. Going through the hassle dealing with backing boards, mylar or polypro bags, boxes, drawer boxes, I love it! In fact, I recently ordered a new shipment of bags and boards to repackage my entire collection next week, lol!

As an artist, though, digital copies allow me to analyze the art without worrying about wear or tear. That's the real advantage that digital has for me.

[SpaceBooger]

I plan on purchasing Batgirl #2 digitally via Comixology tomorrow; the guided view feature is pretty frickin' sweet! It's a really interesting experience compared to normally reading a comic. I had read Batgirl #1 the week it was released, but reading it with the guided view app was a completely different experience!

I read the digital copy of Justice League because I couldn't wait until after work to go to the shop and get my hard copy and I have to admit that and O.M.A.C. are both better than reading the hard copy because of the guided feature. Superman #1 on the other hand was better to read via the hard copy... For me digital copies are for those I want to access anywhere, and back issues, and hard copies to collect.

[Gamerforlife]

So I read half of All Star Western # 1 before going to sleep, as it was late. I really liked what I had read so far though. Hex is a great character. DC's Clint Eastwood. Having a period piece is a nice change of pace too, kind of like Demon Knights, and I love any story that features Gotham, no matter what the time period is

I also finished Great Lantern Corps # 1 and loved it! Way better than Green Lantern # 1, which did nothing for me

I read Legion of Super Heroes # 1 and felt like I had been dropped into an ongoing story without being given enough info about previous events. Dissappointing read. The story events they were referencing and all of these different characters made the whole thing seem convoluted and not in any way accessible for new readers

Read two issues of Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. and it's really interesting. Don't know if I'm sold on it, but I might just pick up issue 3.

I re-read Batman and Robin # 2 again after realizing it's written by the same guy that did the awesome Green Lantern Corps # 1 and I think I liked it a little more. I like very much how they played up the tension of whether or not Damien will ultimately just become a psycho and a possible liability to Bats. It occurred me that they are showing a very dark view on this character in this issue and dark is ALWAYS good in a Batman book. Also, I learned for the first time who Damien's mom is in this issue and I've always liked her. So I think it's kind of cool that she is the one who gave Bruce a son. The villain for this series is also very cool and I love how everything seems tied to Raj Algul in some way

[Gamerforlife]

This looks awesome. Shame the fight later in the video is spoiled by the player being a button mashing scrub who is making a mockery of the game's combat system. Still, this has me amped to play this next week. They seem to be advertising both the game AND the Year One movie in the tv commercials I've seen today. I wonder why they chose to to release and market them simultaneously

[Retrozoa]

Just picked up Flash #1 from the DC reboot. I've been a flash fan since around the early nineties, so I have to say its probably some of the best art the series has ever gotten. It goes back to Barry Allen at the start of his career. The story starts with a mystery too, which I like. I thought for sure the first villain would be captain cold.

[BurningDoom]

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=34932

NYCC: DCU Animated with Timm, Conroy & Dushku



DC Entertainment brought out their full force of animation heavyweights for this year's New York Comic Con as executive producer Bruce Timm, casting director Andrea Romano and Kevin Conroy, the iconic voice of multiple incarnations of the animated Batman, took the stage for an inside glimpse at the October 18-releasing animated film "Batman: Year One," a full showing of the accompanying "Catwoman" short and some exclusive early footage of the next DCU Animated project "Justice League: Doom." Moderated by Warner Home Video's Gary Miereanu, the panel took a look at the state of DC Universe Animated Original Movies in 2012. The panel kicked off a bit late, but what the it lacked in promptness, it more than made up for in surprises.

After Timm and Romano were introduced to uproarious applause from the entire room, Miereanu added a surprise guest in Eliza Dushku, who introduced a full screening of the "Catwoman" short. Directed by DC Animated Film staple Lauren Montgomery and written by fan-favorite scribe Paul Dini.

The short features surprisingly little dialogue, but is heavy on action and chase sequences with a lengthy pole-dancing scene in a strip club. Beginning with a cat running away from thugs and ending with Catwoman bounding off into the night, the short also introduces new villain Rough Cut, a diamond-toothed crime boss who finds himself tussling with Catwoman for his less-than-savory crimes. Voiced by John DiMaggio, Rough Cut provides a formidable opponent for the lithe thief who shows off both her acrobatic skill and prowess with a whip throughout the short.

"The amount of research that went into the first part of the segment was incredible," joked Miereanu.

According to Romano, the dialogue in the written script was sparse, and what was there was used to great effect. "It was really, really short -- it was about 10 pages of ADR. The initial recording session took about 15 minutes."

After another round of applause for "Catwoman," the panel moved on to "Batman: Year One," the animated adaptation of one of Bruce Timm's favorite comic stories.

"'Batman: Year One' is just about my favorite comic book of all time, one of them. When it first came out in the 80s, it just totally blew me away. I had never seen a Batman comic like that before, it was the first time anybody had ever crafted that level of reality to a superhero series. It was mind-blowing. When we came to do the animated version, I wanted to stay as faithful to it as possible in terms of staying true to the story and the dialogue and the characters, even though it's not really a superhero movie. It's more like a cop movie, because it's really more about Jim Gordon than it is about Bruce Wayne or Batman."

Timm mentioned that he wanted to create a different feel for this film to match the tone of the source material, from the style of animation down to the score. "Every step of the way, we wanted to make sure the performances we got were very naturalistic and cinematic. In animation, all the action scenes had to be grounded in reality.

"Even the score, when we sat down to talk with Chris Drake about the score, I said, 'I don't want it to sound like a Batman movie,'" Timm continued. "I don't want it to sound like Danny Elfman or Hans Zimmer. It needs to sound really different."

The film features voice work from "Breaking Bad's" Brian Cranston as Detective Jim Gordon and "Southland" actor Ben McKenzie as Batman.

"It was a joy to work with him," said Romano of Cranston. "Ben [McKenzie] had never done voice-over work before for animation. We talked about Ben, and I had known his work from 'Southland.' I had worked with one of his castmates, Regina King, on 'Boondocks.'

"He was absolutely a pleasure. He was so agreeable to our direction, what we had to give him, he had some ideas of his own. He's got that wonderful, youthful sound," Romano continued. "And yet there's this darkness that he brings to it, which is key for anybody that plays Batman."

The casting director also spoke at length about Dushku, who voices Catwoman both in the animated short and in the feature-length film. "Eliza, we had tried to get for a long time. When this project came up, we needed a Catwoman, and Eliza was available -- it was kind of a no-brainer."

As the panel transitioned away from "Batman: Year One," Miereanu had one last surprise for the audience. "We don't have Kevin Conroy as the voice of Batman here; he is the voice in 'Batman: Arkham City' and the voice in 'Justice League: Doom!'" the moderator told the assembled fans. "What the people over there don't realize is, he's sitting with them!" Conroy stood up from his seat in the audience and walked to the stage to a standing ovation from the crowd, a round of applause which grew to a roar as Conroy proclaimed, in his iconic Batman voice, "I am vengeance! I am the night! I am Batman!"

Inspired by the "JLA: Tower of Babel" storyline by Mark Waid and Bryan Hitch, the animated "Justice League: Doom" is directed by Lauren Montgomery and features the late Dwayne McDuffie's final script. Longtime fans of the DC Animated Universe will no doubt recognize a number of voice actors reprising their roles from "Justice League." Alongside Conroy as Batman is Tim Daly as Superman, Susan Eisenberg as Wonder Woman, Carl Lumby as J'onn J'onzz, Michael Rosenbaum as Flash (albiet, the Barry Allen version) and Alexis Denisof as Mirror Master. But the audience went crazy when they heard Nathan Fillion would be playing Green Lantern.


NYCC attendees were treated to the complete Eliza Dushku-starring "Catwoman" short

"It's like going to a family reunion that you hand-picked," said Romano.

The trailer featured the evil Vandal Savage (voiced by Phil Morris) voicing over scenes from the film, detailing his plan to form the Legion of Doom in order to destroy the Justice League. In a design style reminiscent of "Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths," the preview flashed through a number of characters, including Star Sapphire, Cheetah, Bane, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Mirror Master and the Royal Flush Gang.

Although most of the cast didn't have much trouble falling back into their roles, Timm mentioned that Michael Rosenbaum had a bit of trouble transitioning from playing Wally West in "Justice League" to Barry Allen in "Justice League: Doom."

"The only person who had any trouble at all was Michael," said Timm, "but only because he was used to playing the Wally West version of the Flash, this is actually the Barry Allen version of the Flash. He would do a line and say, 'Oh, no, that sounds too much like Wally. I'm going to make him sound more like a grown-up.'"

"The great thing about working with people that you've worked with for 20 years is that there's sort of a shorthand for working together," said Conroy of his return to the Batcave. "You know how each other works, you can jump right back in without getting to know new [things]. You're not getting to know new people. There's a lot of trust and so it's great to have that."

The panel shifted to talking about the central conceit of "Justice League: Doom," with Timm explaining the general overview of McDuffie's script. "It started from the comic 'Justice League: Tower of Babel,'" said Timm. "We liked the central idea -- Batman being the ultra-prepared dark boy scout in his own little paranoid way, if the Justice League is very, very powerful and if they ever went bad, someone needs to be around to stop them. So Batman comes up with a bunch of different contingency plans to take out the Justice League. Of course, those plans fall into the wrong hands."

After Romano quipped about Batman not hiding the files well enough, Timm responded as Batman, saying "Well, nobody's perfect. Damn that iPhone."

The panel then took some questions from the audience. While many of them included inquiries as to future projects like potential adaptations of Vertigo titles, revisiting past projects like "Batman Beyond" and Kevin Conroy's favorite episode ("Perchance to Dream"), one of the most intriguing questions came for Romano about why there has been such a diverse offering of actors voicing Batman over the years.

"If I had my way, Kevin would always be Batman," said Romano, as the audience cheered. "Which is not to say that I don't think all the other Batmen I have cast aren't wonderful. It's just that…he was my first Batman! I'm a freelance voice director. I'm hired by whomever, and they give me the directives. The first question I always ask is, 'Can I use Kevin as Batman? Can I use Mark Hamill as Joker?'"

Batman: Year One hits stores October 18

[BurningDoom]

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=34909

NYCC: Yost Runs to Texas with "Scarlet Spider"


Yost and Stegman bring back the "Scarlet Spider" in January

Many fans who discovered Marvel Comics in the '90s found themselves drawn to the adventures of a web-slinging, wall crawling hero who believed, "With great power must come great responsibility." If you think they were reading about Peter Parker -- you'd be wrong. In the mid-'90s Peter Parker's clone Ben Reilly was the star of Spider-Man's titles.

In Reilly's first appearance in 1975's "Amazing Spider-Man" #149 his creator, the Jackal, tricked him into fighting Spider-Man. It looked like Reilly perished in the battle, but in 1994 he returned to Spider-Man's world and created a new heroic identity for himself, the Scarlet Spider. Ben's return kicked off the sprawling and controversial "Clone Saga" story line which saw Reilly abandon his Scarlet Spider identity and take over the Spider-Man mantle for Peter Parker. Reilly kept the Spider-Man identity until his murder by Norman Osborn in 1996's "Spider-Man" #75.

Reilly may be dead, but this January the heroic legacy he created lives again with the launch of an all-new ongoing "Scarlet Spider" series by writer Chris Yost and artist Ryan Stegman. CBR News spoke with Yost about the project which was announced yesterday by Marvel at their "Amazing Spider-Man" panel at New York Comic Con.

CBR News: Chris, many Marvel fans know you from your work with co-writer Craig Kyle on X-books such as "X-Force" and "New X-Men." Lately you've been delving into Spider-Man's world with event tie-ins including the "Fear Itself: Spider-Man" miniseries and the "Spider-Island: Avengers" one-shot. Did "Scarlet Spider" come about because of those projects?

Chris Yost: "Fear Itself: Spider-Man" was not the disaster editor Steve Wacker thought it might be with me on board. [Laughs] He asked me about doing a book featuring the Scarlet Spider. I was reading Spider-Man back in the '90s and I was a huge fan of the character, the concept, and the entire mythology of the "Clone Saga," so I was in.

You weren't the only fan of the Scarlet Spider. The character has been dead for 15 years now, but he still has a devoted fan base. Why do you think that is? What is it about the Scarlet Spider that makes him such an enduring character?

That's an excellent question because the first Scarlet Spider was a clone of Spider-Man. He's the same guy, but different experiences take that Spider-Man world view of, "With great power comes great responsibility" and puts a new spin on it. Obviously people love Spider-Man and love that message of power and responsibility, but it's interesting to look at it through another lens. It's almost like a "What If?" story in the actual Marvel Universe. The Scarlet Spider was Spider-Man after being put through the worst case scenario. For several years he lived his life on the road hunted and haunted because he was a clone of Peter Parker. His life had been torn apart and the question was: can he still be a hero? To me, as a reader in the '90s, that was an exciting thing.

So the Scarlet Spider combined the Spider-Man origin story with the emotional intensity of something like the "Born Again" story line in "Daredevil?"



Right, and the themes of this story are similar. Situations are going to be a little different. Without revealing too much, it's even more of an extreme case because a lot of things have happened since those '90s stories. Our main questions, though, are still going to be: can you be a hero when the whole world is against you? When everything tells you to go one way is it possible to make a stand and go the right way?

We know you can't reveal much because of spoilers, but obviously readers are very curious about who this new Scarlet Spider is. Is this a character that will be recognizable in terms of powers and personality or are you dealing with a completely new character that has taken the Scarlet Spider moniker?

We're dealing with a character named Scarlet Spider and there are things that will be very familiar about him or her and there will be things that will be very different. Without naming names there's not much I can say, but there's a lot to get excited about with this character. The book has a great mix of historical and new elements.

We understand that readers will get their first glimpse of this new Scarlet Spider at the end of the "Spider-Island" story line currently running though "Amazing Spider-Man" and several tie-in issues?"

Yes. Dan Slott tees it all up in "Spider-Island," which has been amazing. It's one of the most fun events that I've ever been a part of. Then the "Point One" book coming out in November features an eight-page teaser story. It's a self-contained story with the Scarlet Spider in it that I wrote and Ryan Stegman drew, and it kind of sets the tone. Then come January we hit the ground running.

That's an interesting metaphor because we hear "Scarlet Spider" will be a "Fugitive"-style book and when the series begins the title character is on the run from someone or something. Is that correct?

Yes, after "Spider-Island" this character is going to be on the run. New York City is generally the last place you want to be if you're on the run because that's where everybody is. So the Scarlet Spider thinks, "I'm going to get the hell out of here!" It's extremely logical and that's the way we're trying to play this.

Steve Wacker is a big fan of showing the consequences of this reality. If you were a fugitive in the town where the Avengers lived you would leave town! Heck, you'd try to get out of the country. So our protagonist decides, "I'm going to go to Mexico." That puts them on the path. The "Point One" adventure takes place on the road between New York and Texas and then we pick up in Houston for issue #1. We've seen New York a billion times and we've seen L.A. a couple [times], but shockingly there are other cities in the United States of the Marvel Universe. [Laughs]

What can you tell us about the events that occur when the Scarlet Spider reaches Houston? In terms of plot and themes what is your first story arc about?



Our title character is a guy or a girl who really has a lot on their shoulders. All of their instincts are screaming, "Run!" You take the name Scarlet Spider, though, and with it comes a lot of baggage. There are just some things you can't walk away, run, or hide from. Sometimes the history will just catch up with you.

I've got an artist like Ryan Stegman so I'm just going to go as insane as I can. He's so amazing. I think people are going to be blown away by what they see. You're seeing a little bit of it now in "Fear Itself: Hulk Vs. Dracula" and you saw what he could do with Spider-Man's world in "Amazing Spider-Man" #665. Now throw in insane super powers, super villains, and action. We want to take Spider-Man and turn it up to 11!

Nothing much is really known about Houston's super powered community. What can you tell us about it? Who are some of the villains the Scarlet Spider will run afoul of? What makes them good foils for this character?

I don't want to reveal too much here, but the threats are really going to push this character. Every villain has been chosen to put our protagonist up against the wall. The Scarlet Spider has issues and every villain the character faces is going to test those issues. I remember pitching some villains to Steve Wacker and he said, "Really, you're going to bring back them?" I said, "Let me sell you on it." So I put together some stuff and I think he was convinced or he just wanted to see me fail. [Laughs]

Because this series takes place in Houston it's more of a regional thing and you're not going to see a lot big name villains. A few of them are going to be based out in the Southwest. Believe it or not, there are a few heroes that operate in that region as well. You'll be seeing them along with a couple of local villains. It's going to be exciting stuff.

What about the book's non-costumed cast? Who are some of the supporting players that the Scarlet Spider will encounter in Houston?

We'll have a full supporting cast composed mostly of new characters. The Scarlet Spider is in a new city so we'll see if he or she can make friends. Given that a fugitive scenario is involved how does that work though? Plus, historically the city of Houston is famous for how nice its people are. So that's going to be a fun element to play with too.

Sounds like you have grand plans for this series. How long do you see yourself sticking with "Scarlet Spider?" If fans respond to the book would you like to have a nice long run on it?

I'm a huge fan of when creators start and stay with a book. I like runs like John Byrne on "Fantastic Four," Walt Simonson on "Thor," Frank Miller on "Daredevil" and Bendis on "Ultimate Spider-Man." Plus, I love this character, this story, and working with Ryan. So I love everything about this situation. Steve Wacker and [editor] Tom Brennan have been amazing to work with and I'm in for the long haul. If the fans support it I will be there.

Given that there are a lot of secrets in play "Scarlet Spider" is a hard book to talk about, but trust me, even if it's just for the art alone, please check out this book. Ryan Stegman is the real deal and all of your lives will be made better by his work.

"Scarlet Spider" by Chris Yost and Ryan Stegman swings into comic shops in January.