The New Golden Apple

Hollywood comics shop icon Golden Apple opens at its new location at 7018 Melrose tomorrow at 10 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee.

You can read about the reasons for the move here.

The celebrations will continue throughout the day, with actor/writer Seth Green ("Buffy," "Austin Powers," "Family Guy," "Robot Chicken") and writer Hugh Sterbakov appearing from 5-7 p.m. to sign copies of their new comicbook, The Freshmen II #1. David Mack, writer and artist of Kabuki, will sign from 7-9 p.m.

Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1

Creators: Neil Gaiman, writer; Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Chris Bachalo, Michael Zulli, Kelley Jones, Charles Vess, Colleen Doran, Malcolm Jones III and Steve Parkhouse, artists.
DC/Vertigo, oversize hardcover, color, 612 pages, $99

So? One of the reasons comics were so long considered cheap, disposable entertainment is that was the way they were made. The traditional comicbook — a 32-page saddle-stitched newsprint booklet with a glossy cover — came about because it fit the technology of the era that originated the comicbook, i.e. the 1930s.

Hardcover have been growing in popularity in recent years, offering oversize editions with DVD-style extras, but nothing comes close to the insane beauty of DC/Vertigo's release of The Absolute Sandman Vol. 1, a 612-page massive oversize hardcover volume reprinting the first 20 issues of Neil Gaiman's classic and ground-breaking fantasy series.

This volume — the first of four that will collect the entire series — is the comicbook readers' equivalent of watching a pristine, newly restored version of "The Godfather" or "Citizen Kane" from the best seat in the house on the largest screen in town. With 18 of the 20 issues herein recolored and printed on a lovely paper stock that's thick but not too thick; glossy but not too slick, flipping through this book is an irrestible invitation to revisit the dreaming no matter how many times you may have read these stories before. The book also is expertly bound. You can lay it flat on the table without cracking the spine and see the double-page spreads stretch uninterrupted across the gutter.

Content wise, the recolored stories and larger format gives these tales, which were good the first time around though perhaps not as good as later issues, is given new life. To make it truly compelling, there is more than 65 pages of bonus material. Most fascinating is the original proposal for the series that Gaiman wrote in 1987. The proposal's similarity to the series as it came to see print is fascinating and shows just how well-formed the concept was in Gaiman's head before any sketches were drawn. Also excellent is the full script and pencil art for issue 19, the Shakespeare story drawn by Charles Vess that won the World Fantasy Award for best short fiction in 1991. (The rules for the award were changed immediately after this event to prevent another comicbook from winning it again.) This also is new content. Collections of "Dream Country" (#17-20) included Gaiman's full script to issue 17, and DC could easily have just reprinted it again

The price is steep at $99, and while that may be too much for many to afford, it's not an unreasonable price. The cost of the three paperback editions that collect the stories presented in Absolute Sandman Vol. 1 would run about $45 new; the last hardcover editions sold for about $30 a piece.

This is arguably the finest of DC's Absolute editions, which have improved in quality from an already high level to the level of minievents for such recent volumes as Absolute Dark Knight and Absolute Kingdom Come. But Sandman is the state of the art; it's hard to imagine a more lovely volume being published by anyone. Grade: A+

Singer Returns to Superman

It's official: Bryan Singer has signed a deal with Warner Bros. to direct a sequel to "Superman Returns."

Film will likely be released in 2009 and the studio has option for Brandon Routh to return as the Man of Steel. Sequel was much talked-about but it was not official Singer would direct until now. Singer spoke at last summer's Comic-Con of his desire to make a sequel and promised more action.

"Superman Returns" finally crossed the $200 million domestic gross mark and has grossed $390 million worldwide. Pic was generally seen as an underperformer, with a lukewarm critical response and a grosses that failed to live up the cost of the film, which the studio pegs at $209 million, without factoring in development costs, etc. Other estimates put the cost much higher.

Film gets a major DVD release Nov. 28, along with re-releases of previous Superman films and the release of a new cut of "Superman II" overseen by its original director, Richard Donner.

Marvel stamps preview

The U.S. Postal Service has released a look a the Marvel Super-Heroes stamp set, due out next year. The set is nearly identical in design to the DC set, released this year.

There are a few nitpicks about this: The alteration of the cover of Daredevil #176 into a cover for Elektra is clumsy and strange, given the number of Elektra covers they had to choose from. They could have easily used a cover from The Elektra Saga reprints to keep the art by creator Frank Miller. 

The other problem is that the cover images are distorted, smushed down to fit the dimensions of the stamps. It's a small thing, but obvious to fans and seeminly easy to fix especially since it was not a problem on the DC set.

Full info on the stamps as well as high-res versions of the sheet and the individual stamps can be found here.

Action Comics #844

Creators: Geoff Johns and Richard Donner, writers; Adam Kubert, artist
DC Comics, color, 32 pages, $2.99
So? There's lots of familiar sfuff in this comic, which is nominally about a mysterious ship that lands and reveals a young boy who happens to be from Krypton, but its real appeal is in its ties to the much-loved 1978 film "Superman: The Movie." The connection is Richard Donner, who directed the first film and part of its sequel before he was fired from the project and  "Superman II" was finished by Richard Lester. In the intervening years, Donner's film has become a touchstone for fans of superheroes and their movies and it was the primary influence on Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns." Fans are getting a big dose of Donner's Man of Steel, with the director's cut of "Superman II" coming to DVD next month and this comic book project, which is the first new Superman story Donner has worked on in more than 25 years. And fans of Donner's film, the character of Superman and the comics of today will be very, very pleased with the result. The dialog in this issue replicates the snappy patter and chemistry that made the original film work. It does this so well, it's hard not to hear the voices of the original cast members speaking the lines as you read the book. But even more interesting is the portrayal of Superman himself, who is decisive, bold, compassionate and determined to do the right thing. That's the Superman fans saw and admired in Donner's film, but one who's been harder to find in the pages of the comic books through the years. It's an excellent reminder of what made the character so exciting and enduring in the first place. Kubert does an excellent job with the art, which is stylish and dynamic without sacrificing clarity or storytelling. There's a pair of two-page spreads and splash panels that are used particularly well, and the storytelling is balanced between large, open pages and pages that feature as many as 9 or 10 panels. The result is a very satisfying, entertaining and accessible read that's hard to put down and impossible to see as the sequel that never was. Grade: A

Garry Trudeau at Royce Hall

"Doonesbury" creator Garry Trudeau appeared Wednesday night at UCLA's Royce Hall, and managed to talk mostly about his career without much discussion of comics.

Trudeau says that based on the number of people who read the strip but never crack open a newspaper, he expects comic strips to migrate to the web. The capabilities of computers make it likely that a short daily animation could replace the still images of a comic strip, though that would make them an entirely different medium altogether.

Trudeau himself says he still draws the strip with pencil on paper, though he has an assistant to ink his work.

He also says it's unlikely he'd ever take an extended break from the strip a la Aaron MacGruder because it's too difficult to get back into the grind of writing and drawing a daily strip once you're out of it.

By coincidence, Oct. 26, 2006, is the 37th anniversary of the strip's first appearance.

U.K. "Lost Girls" dispute settled

Top Shelf publisher Chris Staros announced an agreement has been made with the Great Ormond Street Hospital, owners of the copyright to Peter Pan, to publish Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie's "Lost Girls" in the United Kingdom.

Book was released in North America over the summer, but the U.K. release was postponed pending an agreement. Staros' announcement, made in an email letter, follows:

Following very amicable discussions between the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (owners of the copyright to J M Barrie's PETER PAN) and ourselves, Top Shelf Productions (the publisher of LOST GIRLS by Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie), the parties have agreed that, without conceding that the work necessarily breaches the GOSH copyright, Top Shelf Productions will withhold United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU) distribution of LOST GIRLS until the end of 2007, when the Peter Pan copyright in the UK and EU expires. This means that a special UK First Edition will be released in the UK on 1 January 2008.

I flew to England and met with the Hospital on Oct 11th, and on that day we signed an agreement together putting to end the controversy surrounding this issue. It was a very nice meeting, and we're very glad that we could come to a peaceful settlement. We'll gear back up for a big UK and EU release of LOST GIRLS towards the end of next year.

"Moon Knight" tapped for TV

Marvel has teamed up with No Equal Entertainment to produce a TV skein based on "Moon Knight." Skein will be produced by Larry Sugar, a TV veteran of more than 35 years.

Moon Knight has been hanging around the Marvel Universe since 1975's Werewolf by Night #32. Character's alter ego is Marc Spector, a soldier of fortune who has a run-in with some Egyptian dieties and takes on the mantle of Moon Knight. Character has more than a passing resemblance to Batman and starred in a memorable run from the early 1980s that saw the breakout of artist Bill Sienkiewicz. Character has appeared in a number of series since then, and currently has a series penned by crime writer Charlie Huston.

Marvel seems determined to keep trying in TV after the demise of its "Blade" series after a single season. Superheroes have had a hard time on TV of late, with WB's attempts to launch an Aquaman skein foundering. Success of NBC's "Heroes" shows the potential for superhero TV if it's done well and with trappings that the mainstream audiences will accept. "Heroes" is more like "Lost" than "Blade" or even the successful "Smallville," which itself eschews capes and tights for teenage angst.

Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall

Creators: Bill Willingham, writer; Esao Andrews, Brian Bolland, John Bolton, Mark Buckingham, James Jean, Michael William Kaluta, Derek Kirk Kim, Tara McPherson, Jill Thompson, Charles Vess and Mark Wheatley, artists.
Vertigo, 144 pages, color, $19.99
So? Comics and the superheroes that populate them are often described as modern-day myths, but the medium works extremely well for classic myths and fairy tales as proven by this lush hardcover graphic novel. Fables creator Bill Willingham steps out of the continuity of the regular comic and uses a framing sequence in which Snow White is captured by an Arab sultan and escapes beheading by telling him a story from the Fables’ past each night. Fans of the series will love glimpses into the past adventures of Snow White and her sister, Rose Red, as well as the “origin” of Bigby Wolf. The tales vary in length and complexity, but all unfold like a dream and twist their classic origins for older readers in highly inventive, charming and surprising ways. Aiding Willingham in this venture is a flight of top artists, each of whom brings their A-game to the table to make this feel more like a storybook or art-table offering than the paperback editions of the regular series. An outstanding diversion that cements Fables as a top-notch fantasy comic that is on a par with “The Sandman.” Grade: A

The Pirates of Coney Island #1

Creators: Rick Spears, writer; Vasilis Lolos, artist
Image Comics, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? Another entry in the subgenre of gritty urban tough kids, this is a striking book for its excellent art and use of color. The hot pinks of the cover wash into lovely shades of green and orange as tough kids duke it out on the grimy day-glo streets of New York City. The pirates of the title are not seen in this issue, only spoken off in hushed or defiant tones. Obviously, they’re a force to be reckoned with and there will be plenty of street violence and punk rock attitude thrown around in upcoming issues. The comic’s underground vibe works well within the confines of its genre, which was largely pioneered in comics by Spears’ and Rob G’s Teenagers from Mars series a few years back, but seems unlikely to expand it. Grade: B

The Damned #1

Creators: Cullen Bunn, writer; Brian Hurtt, artist
Oni Press, 40 pages, black and white, $3.50
So? When the distinctive patter of movie dialog infects “The Damned” much the same way the zombie genre has infected comics. That’s not a bad thing — Bunn writes the kind of noir dialog that would be right at home in a tribute to the films that made that genre so distinctive. Story is a basic mob story, with three families of demons running prohibition era crime orgs. Enter Eddie, a guy cursed to recover from death — convenient given the frequency with which he’s killed — who is asked to help broker a peace between the demon families. Hurtt’s art is the best thing about the book: it’s dark, stylish and accomplished. The script has its moments but lacks a bit in clarity. Bunn writes this issue in media res and never gets around to properly introducing the concept and the characters. It’s all still in there, but pages can go by where it’s unclear what exactly is happening if you’re not paying very close attention. The first issue gives little indication that there’s much more to this series than the concept of demons and gangsters, though one scene of Eddie’s death visions shows the creator realize they have potential to do something more than merge genres. Grade: B

The Other Side #1

Creators: Jason Aaron, writer; Cameron Stewart, artist
Vertigo, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? This is a comic worth reading to the end. It starts out fairly typically, especially given its pedigree with writer Jason Aaron the cousin of Gustav Hasford, who wrote the novel that became the basis for Stanley Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket.” Artist Cameron Stewart traveled to Vietnam to get the artwork as authentic as possible. But when Marine Pvt. Billy Everette starts seeing decaying soldier corpses and hears his rifle taunt him, basic training becomes even more hellish. His dreams are shared by Vo Binh Dai, a Vietnamese youth also training to fight in the war. Both are headed to a confrontation that promises to defy the genre and deliver a story that’s more than just another war tale. Grade: A-

John Woo's 7 Brothers #1

Creators: John Woo, creator; Garth Ennis, writer; Jeevan Kang, artist
Virgin Comics, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? John Woo and Garth Ennis have a lot more in common than you might think. Both take action to extremes and have a sense of humor about it. That makes 7 Brothers worth a look, even as the first issue is nagged by a sense of little happening and a coincidental similarity to a certain hit TV series about a group of strangers who happen to have strange powers. Here, seven men are lured to Los Angeles by an offer of unexpected riches. They meet a beautiful but deadly woman named Rachel Kai, whose purpose in assembling the men is, as yet, unclear. The best bits involve Rachel’s recruitment of the sad sack member of the group, Ronald Wipes, a wannabe gangster/pimp who wants to go by the name “Double Double” but lacks any ability to back up his street bravado whatsoever. There’s a lot of potential in this book, especially with the brothers hailing from all over the world, that could make this the hard-core, uncompromising flipside to NBC’s “Heroes.” Virgin has found some amazing artists for its books, and this is no exception. But as a story the single issue is sorely lacking for being a less than satisfying fragment of a story. Grade: B-

Wildcats #1

Creators: Grant Morrison, writer; Jim Lee and Scott Williams, artists
Wildstorm, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? This issue makes one thing clear: Grant Morrison is the new John Byrne — i.e., the guy you call when a series needs a major makeover. That Wildcats co-creator Jim Lee is back on art should prompt many readers to give it a shot — though given the delays seen on Lee and Frank Miller’s All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder, skeptical fans will drop this in droves if it’s even the slightest bit late. Morrison swings the book back toward its superhero roots, looking to reunite some of the more popular characters to battle renewed threats from two of the more popular Wildstorm villains. The book’s key conceit is summed up by Spartan: “How would truly adult superheroes behave?” The book isn’t really adult – despite the violence and funky sex scene – and still struggles for an identity. That’s the real problem for a book that has never set the world on fire despite excellent and vastly different runs by Alan Moore and Joe Casey. With Lee and Williams on art, the book is, of course, pretty to look at. But it needs to deliver spectacle and story on a consistent basis to avoid being just another relaunch. Grade: B-

Beau Garrett in FF2

Beau Garrett will play Frankie Raye in the currently filming "Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer."

Raye was Johnny Storm's girlfriend, first appearing way back in FF #164. After gaining superpowers similar to those of the Human Torch, she went by the name Nova and volunteered to replace the Silver Surfer as the herald of Galactus.

Also, pics are starting to show up online of the wedding of Reed and Sue, which of course originaly happened even further back in FF Annual #3. It also looks like the appearance of the Thing has evolved to include the more prominent brow he developed in later issues of the classic run by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Dirge, Daily on display

Meltdown Comics opens today an exhibition of the art of "Lenore" creator Roman Dirge and artist Steven Daily.

The show opens with a reception Friday at 8 p.m. and runs through Nov. 3. The artists are collaborating on a new book that will be previewed at the show, titled "It Ate Billy on Christmas."

Naruto takes a Quill

"Naruto," Vol. 7, by Masashi Kishimoto, has won the 2006 Quill Book Award in the graphic novel category, beating out Alison Bechdel's "Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic," Marvel's "Maximum Fantastic Four," Brian Fries' "Mom's Cancer" and "Hellsing, Vol. 7."

The awards, now in their second year, are organized by Variety parent company Reed Business Information and will be televised on NBC stations Oct. 28.

Small Press Expo

The 11th annual Small Press Expo is coming up this weekend at the Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center in North Bethesda, Md.

The show is, as its name implies, small but it looms large in the world of indie comics. Guests include the legendary Jules Feiffer, Tony Millionaire, Scott McCloud, Paul Pope, Megan Kelso and Ted Rall.

The show will be open Friday and Saturday to the public, with the ignatz Awards set to be presented Saturday night and a small press summit for creators only set for Sunday.

Ignatz Award winners listed after the jump.

Outstanding Artist: David B., for "Epileptic" (Pantheon) and "Babel" (Drawn & Quarterly)
Outstanding Anthology or Collection: "Diary of A Mosquito Abatement Man" by John Porcellino (La Mano)
Outstanding Graphic Novel: "Persepolis 2: The Story Of A Return" by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon)
Outstanding Story: "Dogs and Water" by Anders Nilsen (Drawn & Quarterly)
Promising New Talent: Andy Runton, for "Owly" (Top Shelf Productions)
Outstanding Series: "Finder," Carla Speed McNeil (Lightspeed Press)
Outstanding Comic: Or Else #1 by Kevin Huizenga (Drawn & Quarterly)
Outstanding Minicomic: Phase 7 by Alec Longstreth (Self-published)
Outstanding Online Comic: "The Perry Bible Fellowship" by Nicholas Gurewitch
Outstanding Debut Award: "Will You Still Love Me If I Wet The Bed?" by Liz Prince (Top Shelf Productions)

Virgin, Kohani to animate myth

Virgin Comics has teamed up with Toronto-based animation studio Kahani World to produce an animated feature called "Secrets of the Seven Sounds," an adaptation of the Indian myth of Ramayana.

Virgin published last month the first issue of its Ramayana Reborn comicbook, written by author Deepak Chopra and filmmaker Shekhar Kapur.

Fraction by the numbers

Fans of independent comics have known about writer Matt Fraction for a while. He turned the 1970s-style action pic genre on its side with “The Last of the Independents,” united Mark Twain and Nicola Tesla to fight crime in “Five Fists of Science” and now is jumping into the Marvel Universe with Punisher War Journal #1 and Immortal Iron Fist #1 due next month.

But the ultimate Fraction reading experience so far is Casanova, an ultracool take on the spy genre that’s near and dear to the Kansas City-based writer’s heart.

“I’ve always loved the super-spy genre — and not even necessarily the John le Carre or ‘Sandbaggers’ sort of working-class spy. I want ‘The Ipcress File,’ I want ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,’ ” he says.

The impetus for Casanova, published by Image Comics, sprang from the format Warren Ellis developed for Fell — a 24-page book with a 16-page comic story and eight pages of text material published monthly for a mere $1.99. Fraction says that format was almost like a challenge.

“I thought: ‘Sixteen pages. I can find the time somewhere to scribble down 16 pages,’ ” he says, adding that he had at the time a full-time job working on videos and commercials for local studio MK12.

The format also made sense for other reasons. “It’s a $2 book, and that really kind of minimizes everybody’s financial risk across the board — retailer, publisher and consumer.”

The result is a trippy series about the scion of the family behind the secret, world-dominating spy org E.M.P.I.R.E. The tales are an unusual and intoxicating mix of daredevil violence, sex, family rivalries and the twists and turns of loyalty that come part and parcel with the spy genre. Illustrated by Brazilian artist Gabriel Ba, whose work includes the excellent graphic novel “Ursula,” Casanova has earned critical attention from discerning fans and mainstream media such as Entertainment Weekly.

Writing those 16 pages a month is, however, not as simple as it may seem as the format demands a density of story that belies its relative brevity. Fraction says he recently finished writing the first volume of the series, which will run seven issues, and says it feels like he has crammed three to four years’ worth of story into that space.

Fraction says he’s thrilled to have Ba illustrating the series, which is black and white with green spot color. Ba also has designed and executed the striking covers, which are unlike anything else on the comic book stands. “He’s really kind of making them work as a set,” Fraction says.
Image also published this summer Fraction’s original graphic novel “The Five Fists of Science,” illustrated by Steven Sanders. An admirer of both Twain and Tesla, Fraction says that his first thought upon learning the two men were real-life friends was that they would fight crime together, not realizing how close to reality that instinct was.

“I just tugged at this loose thread hanging off of this sweater and suddenly there’s this amazing story in my lap where Twain and Tesla were in fact really close friends and had this plan to bring about world peace,” he says. “We were halfway into the book and Sanders found this essay by Tesla about war automatons after we’d already sort of made it up. We thought we were making up more than we actually were.”

Fraction says a lot of thought was given to whether the book should be serialized first. “To commit to a monthly schedule we would have had to have had the last issue finished anyway by the time we solicited it. It seemed like a graphic novel and that was what we always wanted to do and there it was,” he says. “Neither one of us were terribly well known, so I don’t know that it would have done any better one way or the next.”

Fraction has made inroads with other publishers, writing a serial for 30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales and a Wolverine story drawn by Sam Keith for X-Men Unlimited #9. Now, he’s planting his feet firmly in the Marvel Universe with the debut of the new Punisher War Journal series. The title debuts Nov. 22 with art by Ariel Olivetti and will have the character interact more with the Marvel Universe than he does in Garth Ennis’ Punisher title.

Fraction says he sees the vigilante character as having gotten over the trauma of seeing his family killed. “Frank’s mission is to prevent other Franks from happening,” he says.

And while the tone will differ from that of Ennis’ book, there is no escaping the character’s potential for comedy. “It’s impossible not to find moments of black humor in anybody that’s that single-minded and psychotic. It’s just a really enjoyable thing to write,” he says.

Punisher War Journal #1 is followed the next week by the release of Immortal Iron Fist #1, written by Fraction and Ed Brubaker and featuring art by David Aja. Iron Fist has never had much success as a solo character — his original series only ran 15 issues before it was merged into the mildly popular 1980s series Power Man and Iron Fist — and more recent attempts to establish him as a solo star have fallen short.

Fraction says the goal on the new book is simply to bring out the cool facets of Iron Fist while staying true to the character’s origins as part of Marvel’s take on the grindhouse films of the 1970s.

“He’s a billionaire kung-fu master who has this crazy burning fist that can destroy things when he punches it and he goes around kicking people and being a billionaire and has a really hot girlfriend,” Fraction says. “We want to write a big kung-fu comic, an awesome fight comic with a kind of sleazy exploitation-y superhero awesomeness.”

Now writing comics full time, Fraction says he feels lucky to have entered the field able to focus on quality rather than having to take any available work to make ends meet.

“I’m not afraid to walk away if I know I’m not sticking the landing rather than embarrass myself and produce something that’s mediocre,” he says. “Which might end up being sort of megalomaniacal and presumptuous and suicidal as time goes on, but it lets me look at myself in the mirror so I’m pretty happy with it.”

Howard signs on to "Iron Man"

Terrence Howard has signed on to play Jim Rhodes, confidante and pilot to Tony Stark, in the "Iron Man" feature.

Howard is the second Oscar-nommed actor to join the production, which will be directed by Jon Favreau and set for release in May 2008. Robert Downey Jr. plays Stark. The role of classic Iron Man foe The Mandarin has not yet been cast.

Rhodes has been a part of Iron Man lore since 1978. The character was revealed as having met Stark in the jungles of Vietnam shortly after Stark created the Iron Man armor. After the war, Rhodes worked for Stark as a pilot and eventually took over the Iron Man costume and identity while Stark was incapacitated. Rhodes eventually received his own suit of armor and operated as the character War Machine in his own series of comics.

It's likley that Howard will not don the War Machine armor until the expected sequel film.

EW previews Donner "Action"

Entertainment Weekly has a preview of Action Comics #844, the first issue written by “Superman: The Movie” director Richard Donner with Geoff Johns and drawn by Adam Kubert.

The pages include some nice, breezy Daily Planet banter between Clark Kent and Perry White that just cannot be read without hearing the voices of Christopher Reeve and Jackie Cooper in your head, as well as a plot that evokes one of the more controversial aspects of "Superman Returns."

Johns worked as an assistant to Donner on the 1997 film "Conspiracy Theory" prior to breaking into comics writing. Donner's director's cut of "Superman II" is due out on DVD in November. Action Comics #844 is scheduled to hit comics shops Oct. 25.

Trailers: "300," "Ghost Rider"

The full trailer for “300,” Warner Bros.’ adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel, is up. The pic, directed by Zack Snyder and starring Gerard Butler, is set for release March 9.

A new trailer also is out for Marvel’s “Ghost Rider,” set for release Feb. 16.

"X3" DVD sets October record

Meanwhile, “X-Men: The Last Stand” made a big splash on DVD this week. Industry reports say the DVD — released in a regular edition and a collector’s edition that includes a comic book with an original Stan Lee story, and a Target edition that comes in a collector's tin with a set of trading cards and a comicbook reprint of Giant-Size X-Men #1, and a Wal-Mart edition with a bonus disc — sold 2.6 million copies at retail on its first day of release. That makes it the biggest October DVD debut ever.

Plans already are afoot for special edition of the movie, featuring a second disc with more behind-the-scenes and bonus material. 

It's interesting to note that a close look at the credits on the back includes credits not seen in the film itself for the creators of a few of the comic book creators. They read "Wolverine character developed by Len Wein & Herb Trimpe" and "Storm and Colossus characters developed by Len Wein & Dave Cockrum."

Golden Apple moves

Golden Apple Comics, a fixture on Melrose Avenue for 27 years, is moving.

The store will close its current location at 7711 Melrose on Oct. 31 and reopen the following day down the street at 7018 Melrose, just east of La Brea on the south side of the street.

“I found this really great spot, with a really great landlord and great surrounding businesses,” says Ryan Liebowitz, who came in to help run the family-owned store after his father, Golden Apple founder Bill Liebowitz, passed away in October 2004.

Leibowitz says the new location has new floors, high ceilings, track lighting, is comparable in size to the current location, and has parking so customers no longer have to hunt for street spaces and feed the meter. The store will have office space upstairs from the retail space.

The move represents a clean slate for the family-owned store, which has done all it could in 20 years at its current location, says Liebowitz. The businesses surrounding the current spot are not complementary to Golden Apple’s clientele and the building the store operates in is deteriorating, he says.

“We don’t have a landlord who is willing to cooperate on those matters and in fact feels the current market warrants an increase in rent,” he says.

But businesses are moving both east and west of the traditional Melrose strip between La Brea and Fairfax, Liebowitz says, and moving near La Brea put Golden Apple near businesses that make visiting the area more pleasant and that serve a complementary clientele, such as the famous chili-dog outlet Pink’s.

Liebowitz says the new store also will complement Golden Apple’s online efforts, which include launching an online store.

Response since the move was announced Wednesday has been overwhelmingly positive, Liebowitz says. “With our loyal customer base, the move is going to be good and seamless.”

Golden Apple takes possession of the new space and will begin moving in on Oct. 15. At most, the store may have to close for a day or two at the end of the month, but the new location will be open for new comics day on Nov. 1. A small ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration of some kind is in the works for Nov. 1, with a larger grand re-opening party planned for later in November or early December. 

The timing for the move is perfect, Liebowitz says, coming as it does shortly after the Jewish new year and with the current location’s last day being Halloween.

“We’re really just looking for a fresh new beginning,” he says.

Marvel adds "Iron," "Hulk" to finance deal

Marvel Studios has added “Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk” to the slate of pics it is financing with a $525 million credit line secured from Merrill Lynch. The films were added on the same terms as the other properties attached to the deal, which includes Captain America, Nick Fury and Doctor Strange. “Iron Man” will be distributed by Paramount; the “Hulk” sequel will go out through Universal, which distributed the original film.

In other Marvel corporate news, the company has hired Simon Phillips as head of its international unit. He was previously the managing director of 4Kids Entertainment’s international division. He replaces the departing Bruno Maglione effective Nov. 13.

Once around the indie rack

Bags and Boards has fallen behind on reviews, so let’s catch up with some of the indie titles that have crossed our desk of late.

Toupydoops #1-3 (Lobrau Prods., b/w, 32 pages and $3.50 each), by Kevin McShane, is an entry in the struggling actor comes to Hollywood genre. McShane’s minor twist is that Hollywood has become a comicbook town and his blue-skinned, bug-like protagonist auditions for a role in the next issue of “Superman” instead of the role of the corpse du jour on “C.S.I.” The art is clean and the story keeps things lively even as it trods the well-worn ground of the struggle to break into showbiz. It lacks the insight that made Brian Michael Bendis’ “Fortune & Glory” an instant classic and it’s a bit random with its humor, but it’s entertaining and fun its own small way. Grade: B-

Mouse Guard #3-4 (Archaia Studios Press, color, 24 pages and $3.50 each) remains one of the loveliest books to look at on the stands. If anything, David Petersen has improved as an artist and the detail and outstanding use of color here makes this a lush and quietly lovely read. The story has its charms too, with enough whimsy and drama to satisfy readers young and old. Grade: A-

American Splendor #1 (DC/Vertigo, b/w, 32 page, $2.99), marks the arrival of Harvey Pekar’s long-running series at Vertigo. To those familiar with Pekar’s comics (or the film based on them), not much has changed. Pekar writes about his parents’ lives and his own worries as he looks after his teenage foster daughter while his wife is away at a conference. As with most of Pekar’s stories, the art is essential to bringing the stories to life and usual suspects such as Dean Haspiel and Gary Dumm do their usual top-notch work turning Pekar’s slice-of-life tales into interesting comics. That’s not enough to make the worrisome Pekar seen in these stories as interesting as the angry Pekar that made the series’ name. Grade: B-

Case Files: Sam & Twitch #25 (Image Comics, b/w, 32 pages, $2.95) wraps up the six-part “Fathers & Daughters” story and proves that this is one of the best crime comics on the stands despite its origins as a spinoff of “Spawn.” Writer Marc Andreyko, who co-wrote the excellent “Torso” with Brian Michael Bendis and pens DC’s underrated “Manhunter” series, has written a gripping tale full of authentic characters and convincing police drama that would please any fan of “C.S.I.” or “Law and Order.” The gray-tone art by Rodel Noora gives the film a true noir look, and even the balloon-less lettering style adds to the murky, adult tone of the book. Grade: A-

Adrenaline #1 (A Wave Blue World, 24 pages, color, $2.99) has a workable concept but stumbles with some clumsy storytelling. Story  begins in Africa with a white man illegally hunting a lion with only a shield and a spear. A local doctor, Saida Nri, tries to stop the hunter from escaping, leaping aboard his helicopter and ending up returning with him to the United States, where the man is revealed to be Alex Lowder, heir to a massive broadcasting fortune. But Lowder’s father thought him too immature to run the company, so Lowder decides to create a reality show about his adventures around the world and asks Dr. Nri to accompany him. The art is quite nice, but some of the action strains credibility and the dialogue is stiff. If this book can refine its tone and voice, it would be worth a look. Grade: C