Kiss returns to comics

Classic rock group Kiss has formed its own comicbook company in partnership with Platinum Studios. Variety's Phil Gallo has the details here; the press release follows.

KISS COMICS GROUP LAUNCHES WITH PLATINUM STUDIOS
Collectors Limited Edition Preview Book Available Now

Beverly Hills, Calif. – (January 30, 2007) – Platinum Studios, Inc., an entertainment and comic book company that controls the world’s largest independent library of comic book characters, and KISS Catalog Ltd., the billion-dollar merchandising empire created and managed by original members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, announced the creation of a new comic book entertainment company, the KISS Comics Group.  This is the first time KISS will be producing its own comic book-based characters.

The line kicks off at the Wizard World Los Angeles Convention on March 16-18, 2007 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, where both Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley will be present to promote the debut of KISS 4K #1, Destroyer Edition.  The Destroyer Edition will be a super-sized largest comic book EVER printed, and the ongoing KISS 4K monthly series will begin in May. Newcomer Ricky Sprague writes KISS 4K, with #1 art by the hyper-talented painter, Kevin Crossley. Rodolfo Migliari (Freshmen) is the cover artist.   Tickets and additional information on the Wizard World Los Angles Convention can be found at wizardworld.com.

KISS 4K tells the story of the transformation of the KISS band members into eternal, evil-fighting spirits. However, once they transform, they are unable to transform back into their human forms.   Fans can get a sneak peak at KISS 4K images today at www.KISSComicsGroup.com and images are available for mobile download at www.PlatinumStudiosMobile.com.

“Gene Simmons approached me with the idea of launching KISS Comics Group and working together has simply been incredible,” said Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, Platinum Studios’ founder and chairman. “Platinum Studios has been working with independent comic book creators for years; KISS’ worldwide legion of fans spans an enormous age range, providing this new company with a given global audience.”

"We’ve had licensed KISS comic books before but never our own imprint and never with the wide reach across so many multi-media platforms," said Gene Simmons, a founding member of KISS. “Paul Stanley and I are personally involved in all day-to-day decisions and we are looking forward to extending the KISS legacy, images and sound to our fans around the world.”

"As the iconic KISS characters have continued to evolve far beyond our beginning in rock music, we have always looked for the ideal situation for a KISS comic book outlet that was as far reaching as we originally conceived and intended. Platinum fills that slot perfectly," said KISS co-founder Paul Stanley.

Signatures Network and Dell Furano, which already handle worldwide licensing for KISS Catalogue Ltd, will be handling worldwide licensing for KISS Comics Group and for KISS 4K on behalf of the co-venture.
Fans can get the Limited Edition Collectors Preview book of KISS 4K and order Launch Edition KISS 4K merchandise including t-shirts, hats, mugs and posters at www.kisscomicsgroup.com or www.kissonline.com while supplies. In addition, Launch Edition Preview images of KISS 4K are available for mobile download at www.PlatinumStudiosMobile.com.
Art attached: Rodolfo Migliari’s KISS 4K #1 cover
About Platinum Studios www.platinumstudios.com
Platinum Studios is an entertainment company that controls the world’s largest independent library of comic book characters, which it adapts and produces for all forms of media.  Platinum Studios’ library contains more than 3,800 characters and a full range of genres and styles.  With deals in place with some of the entertainment and new media’s top players, Platinum is a recognized leader in the creation of new content across all media.  For more information, please see www.platinumstudios.com.
About KISS Catalogue Ltd www.kissonline.com
For 34 years, KISS has been and continues to be the juggernaut of licensing and merchandising. Through its own company, KISS CATALOG, it has leveraged its iconic name and world famous logo, images and makeup designs to produce the most extensive range of licensed products of any rock band in history. For more information, please see www.kissonline.com

About Signatures Network  www.signaturesnetwork.com
Signatures Network is the leading entertainment licensing and merchandising company, holding the merchandising and marketing rights to more than 125 top celebrities, entertainment properties and lifestyle brands including: KISS, The Beatles, John Lennon, U2, Madonna, Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Woodstock, among many others. For more information please visit www.signaturesnetwork.com.
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Criminal Macabre: Two Red Eyes #1

Creators: Steve Niles, story; Kyle Hotz, artist; Tim Bradstreet, cover
Dark Horse, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? The most recent installment in Steve Nile's ongoing saga of Cal McDonald, a private eye whose cases have a supernatural bent. This issue makes an excellent intro to the character, thanks in particular to the excellent art of Kyle Hotz. Unlike so many new comics, this book tells its story clearly and well. The coloring helps the art leap off the page by avoiding the idea that horror art needs to be dark and moody — a practice that turns too many otherwise good comics into muddy, incomprehensible reading experiences. Niles writes some very cool scenes for Hotz to draw, and a quick flip through this book will make at least a few of them hard to pass up for horror fans. Grade: B+

American Elf, Book 2

Creator: James Kochalka
Top Shelf, 192 pages, color, $19.95
So? Few people keep a diary as consistently and as entertainingly as James Kochalks, the Vermont cartoonist who has been posting a small comic strip about his life every day for the past 8 years at his American Elf website. The second volume collects all the comics from 2004 and 2005. The strips taken on their own seem simple and amusing. Kochalka draws himself and his wife, Amy, as elfs and he puts into tiny, color pictures some anecdote, joke, incident or thought from the day as they live, work and raise their young boy, Eli. Kochalka's tiny strips convey the personalities of him, his family and friends with astounding and impressive ease. The cumulative effect of reading multiple strips at one sitting is akin to meeting and getting to know and become friends with real people who laugh at each other's silly jokes, have good days and bad and deal with all the profound and mundane details that make up every day life. It's hard to find fault with these cartoons, which are drawn are simple, appealing and easy to read. Grade: A

Okko: The Cycle of Water #1 (of 4)

Creator: Hub
Archaia Studios Press, 32 pages, color, $3.95
So? There are lots of samurai comics out there, but few that look as stunningly beautiful as this one. Originally published by Delcourt as two volumes in France in 2005, this is the series' first appearance in English. Tale is a fairly standard samurai one, of the ronin Okko and his entourage agreeing to help a man rescue his sister from pirates. What's amazing is the beauty of the artwork and color, both of which show a level of craft not often seen any more in American comics. This looks and reads like something Hayao Miyazaki could turn into an animated film without having to change a thing about the story, design or look of the characters and settings. The only shame is that the artwork isn't reproduced at a larger size so it can be more fully enjoyed. Perhaps in the collected edition ... . Grade: A-

NYCC: Colbert, Miller, "Buffy"

NY Comic-Con has announced guest appearances by comics artist/director Frank Miller, Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" and  a 10th anniversary "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" panel. The con is set for Feb. 23-25 at the Javits Center in Manhattan.

Miller will appear on a panel Saturday at 3 p.m. to discuss his film adaptation of "Will Eisner's The Spirit." Producer Michael Uslan, who originated the Batman film series at WB,  also will be on hand to discuss the project. Miller, of course, co-directed the film "Sin City" and WB is set to release an adaptation of his graphic novel "300," directed by Zack Snyder, in March.

Colbert will appear for a signing on Friday, Feb. 23, at 4:30 p.m., just after the show opens to the public. Colbert is appearing to support the Oni Press comic book "Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen," a five-issue miniseries based on an unpublished novel often mentioned on the show that also appears as animated shorts. The comic is set to ship in March.

The "Buffy" panel will feature actors Nicholas Brendon (Xander), Juliet Landau (Drusilla) and Bianca Lawson (Kendra). The panel will be held Saturday at 10 a.m.

Villains: Thick as Thieves

Creators: Adam Cogan, writer; Ryan Cody, Charles Clark, artists
Viper Comics, 144 pages, color, $12.95
So? Comics from the villain's point of view have been tried before to varying effect, but this one manages to overcome the most obvious pitfalls of stereotype to tell a reasonably entertaining story. Story follows 20-something college dropout Nick, who loses his job and accidentally discovers his building's super is the supervillain called Hardliner. Nick forces the old man to train him to use the superpowered Hardliner armor to start a life in crime, learning all about the structure of the underworld in the process. The writing and art borrow heavily from Powers, and it's hard to avoid comparing the two. Fortunately, Villains sticks with its plot and works pretty well as a reversal of the standard hero-learns-the-business plot. There's some nice pinups and even a backup story about the early days of the Hardliner that make this a decent package for the price. Grade: B

The Lost Books of Eve #1

Creator: Josh Howard
Viper Comics, 32 pages, color, $3.25
So? Yes, these are tales of Eve, as in Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, the snake and the apple fame. The idea is that these are Eve's adventures before she and Adam get banished. In this first issue, Adam goes missing and Eve sets out to find him with some help from the other denizens of the garden (even the big G himself helps out). It works mostly because Howard's art is cartoony in the style of animated TV shows. It also works because Howard draws really cute girls, and this is a great opportunity to draw a cute girl who's naked — or nearly naked — almost all the time. Eve is plucky, smart and cute and it's hard not to like her even if the basic concept is sure to get some people's panties in a wad. Grade: B-

"300" in IMAX: The One Sheet

Click for a larger view.

NY Comic-Con ads

NY Comic-Con has put some short clips described as TV ads on YouTube. Two of the clips are definitely TV ads, one plugging big name guests Kevin Smith, Stan Lee and Stephen King. The second is anime focused. The descriptions indicate these will run on Sci-Fi Channel, Anime Network and Cartoon Net's Adult Swim.

The third clip at 1:42 seems too long for a typical TV ad. It features some famous faces, including Adam Kubert, Kyle Baker, Dan Didio, Neal Adams, John Cassaday and probably a few others I can't place talking about their "first time" at the con and the second time. They rounded up some cute girls to ramp up the double entendres as they rave about how BIG the show is. Perhaps this will be edited into shorter clips to actually show on TV, but for now here's the full thing in all its YouTube glory.

DC teaser art

DC Comics sent out the following preview image by artist Phil Jimenez. The subject line said only: "Let the battle cry be heard in the land, a shout of great destruction." Click for a closer look.

Heroes 4 Heroes

Comics fans read about superheroes a lot, and thankfully comics is a biz with a number of excellent orgs that allow fans to be real-life heroes, too.

A great example is Heroes 4 Heroes, a nonprofit corporation founded in Dallas that collects, organizes and distributes comics, books, DVDs, CDs and more to American troops stationed overseas.

Comics have a long history of entertaining troops. In World War II, comics were a new medium that offered cheap, portable entertainment — in color, no less — to military men everywhere. Comics were a major form of entertainment back then, in the days before TV, VCRs, CD players or even portable radios. Soldiers provided a large part of the audience that helped establish the comics industry back then.

Today, the need is still there for soldiers to connect with home and stay in touch with the culture. And that's what Heroes 4 Heroes is doing. The org was founded by Scott Hinze, host of the excellent Fanboy Radio show/podcast, Dallas Pollei and Chris McCroskey. Fanboy Radio, Komikaze and Invincible Studios are the main partners. The group accepts donations of books, cash or volunteer time.

To help out this cause, I'm going to be donating all the review copies I can dig up to the org. So if you sent a book or comic to Bags and Boards to review, you're already helping out. Anyone who wishes to help out the org can check out their site and chip in anyway they can.

Scalped #1

Creators: Jason Aaron, writer; R.M. Guera, artist
DC/Vertigo, 32 pages, color, #2.99
So? Jason Aaron, writer of the very good Vietnam comic The Other Side, tackles another topic in his first ongoing series that makes many Americans uncomfortable: Indian reservations and gambling. This reads more like a hard-boiled crime comic in the vein of early issues of 100 Bullets. Story follows Dashiell Bad Horse, who returns to the reservation after 15 years away to find the people there struggling with a casino being built by fat cat Lincoln Red Crow. Dashiell has his share of family secrets, and the plot has a few nice turns. The art by R.M. Guera is gritty and good, but the book suffers from a disjointed feeling. The story starts very much in media res and it takes a bit of effort to match up characters' visuals with the people being discussed in the balloons and narration. That may make it hard for readers to jump in and immediately love it, though sticking with it to the end has its rewards. Whether the promise of this issue pans out is hard to tell, as most Vertigo successes seem to happen almost by accident. Aaron has shown with only a few published comics that he's a writer with something to say, so this is a title that bears watching to see which way his talent develops. Grade: B-

FCBD titles set

The annual Free Comic Book Day is set for May  5 — not coincidentally the same weekend as "Spider-Man 3" opens — and the organizers have announced the titles publishers are set to offer. It's interesting to note that every publisher that has a movie or TV tie-in to plug is taking advantage of it for this year's event.

There are 10 Gold Sponsor offerings:

• Little Archie, Archie Comics
• Bongo's Free for All, Bongo Comics
• Umbrella Academy Zero Killer Pantheon City, Dark Horse
• Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century, DC
• The Lone Ranger / New Battlestar Galactica Flip Book, Dynamite
• Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse, Gemstone
• Transformers Movie Prequel #1, IDW
• Astounding Wolf-Man #1, Image
• Amazing Spider-Man: Swing Shift, Marvel
• Choose Your Weapon, TOKYOPOP

And there are 34 Silver Sponsor books:

• Pirates vs. Ninjas #1, Antarctic Press
• Comic Spectacular, Ape Entertainment
• Arcana Studio Presents, Arcana Studio
• Sonic the Hedgehog, Archie
• Worlds of Aspen, Aspen
• Last Blood #1, Blatant Comics
• Hunter’s Moon / Salvador Flip Book, Boom! Studios
• Jack the Lantern: Ghosts, CastleRain Entertainment
• Comic Genesis, Comic Genesis
• Comic Shop News 2007 FCBD Edition, Comic Shop News
• Justice League of America #0, DC
• Family Guy / Hack / Slash Flip Book, Devil’s Due
• Digital Webbing Jam #1, Digital Webbing
• Lynda Barry Sampler, Drawn and Quarterly
• The Unseen Peanuts, Fantagraphics
• The Train Was Bang On Time, First Second
• Liberty Comics #0, Heroic Publishing
• Impact University Vol. 3, Impact
• Keenspot Spotlight, Keenspot
• Comics Festival, Legion of Evil Press
• Love and Capes #4, Maerkle Press
• Marvel Adventures Three-In-One, Marvel
• Whiteout #1, Oni
• Amelia Rules! Hangin’ Out, Renaissance Press
• Nexus Special, Rude Dude Productions
• Buzzboy / Royboy Red: The Buzz & The ‘Bot, Sky-Dog Press
• Wahoo Morris #1, Too Hip Gotta Go
• Owly & Korgi, TopShelf
• Comics 101: How to & History Lessons from the Pros, TwoMorrows
• Viper Comics Presents: Josh Howard’s Sasquatch, Viper
• Ramayan 3392AD, Virgin
• Gumby Special, Wildcard Ink
• “How to Draw” Sampler, Wizard
• Dyno-Force #0, Zenscope

Con news: WonderCon, Phoenix, NY

* WonderCon, set for March 2-4 at the Moscone Center South in San Francisco, has kicked off its promo activities with a very cool poster drawn by Tony Harris of Ex Machina fame. The poster prominently mentions some big movie presentation panels focusing on "300" and "Spider-Man 3."

* With an impressive guest list, this weekend's Phoenix Cactus Comic-Con appears to be coming into its own. The state, which I lived in for nine years and still visit on occasion, was long without a consistent, good con despite being home to a number of top comics folks including Todd McFarlane and Brian Pulido.  The guest list for the show, to be held at the Mesa Convention Center, is impressive and includes: George Perez, Howard Chaykin, James A. Owen, Len Wein, Mike Mignola, Rob Liefeld, Steve Rude, Todd Nauck and Tone Rodriguez. Charity org The Hero Initiative is auctioning off opportunitie sto eat lunch and get a sketch from Mignola or Perez on eBay.

* The New York Comic-Con is approaching quickly and the con is shaping up to be an improvement on last year's impressive (and hectic) debut. The con is currently running a contest to seek an official podcaster for the show as part of its initiative to be a convention "without walls." Anyone interested in the job, which compensates you with a free pass and some exclusive goodies, can read the press release after the jump to find out how to apply.

DO YOU WANT TO BE A “JOURNALIST”?  HAVE YOU EVER HAD ASPIRATIONS OF INTERVIEWING CELEBRITY TALENT?

New York Comic Con is Seeking Talented Individual to Host Its Podcast Interviews; Submissions Open to Public

Video Applications will be on YOUTUBE for All to See!!

Norwalk, CT, January 24, 2006:  New York Comic Con (NYCC) is accepting applications immediately for anyone who wants to be the official “voice” for its recently announced podcast initiative.  Do you have what it takes to be a reporter for the 2007 New York Comic Con?  Go behind the scenes, meet the creators and talent, interview the fans, report on the pulse of the industry.  This is the ultimate fan opportunity to be the official broadcast voice of the 2007 New York Comic Con.

NYCC will be held at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City, February 23 – 25.

NYCC’s podcast program is an ambitious endeavor that is free to the general public and will significantly extend the show’s reach both nationally as well as throughout the world, virtually making NYCC a convention “without walls,” featuring coverage of the event, interviews with celebrities, clips and previews.  Fans may subscribe to the podcasts through the official podcast web site at www.nycccast.com or through popular podcast portals such as iTunes.  They will be able to download the podcasts to their iPod, portable player or cell phone, or they will be able to watch or listen to the episodes directly on their computer through streaming technology.

The lucky winner who will be designated NYCC’s Podcast Anchor, will receive two 2007 Commemorative Packages including:

·       Weekend Pass
·       Show Exclusive MARVEL™ Hulk T-Shirt
·       New York Comic Commemorative T-Shirt
·       Limited Edition, Exclusive MARVEL™ Icons Venom™ Bust
·       SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN #35 Variant Sketch Cover by Angel Medina
·       New York Comic Con Ghost Rider Toon Tumbler

HOW TO ENTER:

Step 1:  READ THE OFFICAL RULES AT www.nycomiccon.com/contest and make a video (maximum of 2 minutes) explaining why you should be The Voice of the 2007 New York Comic Con Podcast.
Step 2:  Fill out the registration form at www.nycomiccon.com/contest

Step 3:  Log on to: http://www.youtube.com/group/nycomiccon and upload your video privately to the group. YOU MUST SUBMIT A VIDEO ON YOUTUBE.COM FOR A CHANCE TO WIN.

Very important! You must be available to be in New York at the Jacob Javits Center, February 23-25 to be the Voice of the 2007 New York Comic Con Podcast.

Contest is open from 11:00am on Wednesday, January 24 through 3:59pm on Wednesday, February 14.

   

ABOUT REED EXHIBITIONS:  New York Comic Con is operated by Reed Exhibitions which is the world’s leading events organizer. In 2006 Reed brought together over six million industry professions from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held in 34 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, and organized by 37 fully staffed offices.

Reed organizes a wide range of events, including exhibitions, conferences, congresses and meetings. It’s portfolio of over 460 events serves 52 industry sectors, including: Aerospace and defense, building and construction, design, electronics, energy, oil and gas, entertainment, food and hospitality, gifts, healthcare, IT/telecoms, jewelry, manufacturing, marketing and business services, pharmaceuticals, property, publishing, security, sport and recreation, transport and logistics, travel.

Working closely with professional bodies, trade associations and government departments Reed ensures that each and every event is targeted and relevant to industry needs. As a result, many Reed events are market leaders in their field.

Reed Exhibitions is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a FTSE-100 company and world-leading publisher and information provider. In 2005, Reed Elsevier made adjusted profit before taxation of £1,002 million on turnover of £5,166 million.

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Comics Eye on the Oscars

Tuesday morning's nominations for the Academy Awards gave little love to comic-book based movies.

"Superman Returns" was nominated the visual effects category, which passed over short-list contender "X-Men: The Last Stand" in favor of the heavily-favored "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" and the surprise nominee "Poseidon." The process for the vfx Oscar involves a screening committee choosing seven films to advance to the "bakeoff," in which each fllm presents a 15-minute reel of finished effects. Those who were there say the reel for "Poseidon" was quite impressive, while the rules may have hurt the chances for "X-Men" as the work done to make Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen look younger makes a bigger impact when you can see the before and after shots.

"X-Men" also made the short list but failed to get a nomination in the makeup category.

The most successful comic-book style movie is Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth." Del Toro, of course, is a huge comics fan who directed "Blade II" and "Hellboy." The film earned six noms: best foreign-language film, art direction, cinematography, makeup, original score and original screenplay.

"Couriers" goes Rogue

Brian Wood and Rob G's graphic novel series, "The Couriers," has been picked up by Rogue Pictures. "Lost" writer-producer and occasional comic scribe Javier Grillo-Marxuach is set to write the script.

Three "Couriers" volumes have been published to date by AiT-PlanetLar. The stories follow a pair of romantically linked well-armed urban couriers, Moustafa and Special, who take on dangerous assignments. Books have a strong Asian film and B-movie influence.   

"300" heads to Berlin

Zack Snyder's "300," an adaptation of the graphic novel by Frank Miller, has been chosen to screen out of competition at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival next month. Fest is held Feb. 8-18, which would make any screening of the film a world premiere.

"Spidey" 4 in works?

Screenwriter David Koepp is in talks with Sony to pen a fourth "Spider-Man" movie. Report indicates Sony decided to make the overtures after getting a look at the third film, which is set to open in May.

Koepp is credited with the script for the first film in the series and has written a number of blockbuster films including "Jurassic Park," "War of the Worlds" and the upcoming fourth "Indiana Jones" film.

"Spidey 3" is expected to follow in the footsteps of the series' first two films and be a huge hit at the box office this summer. But making a fourth pic has its own special brand of stumbling blocks, namely the high cost of resigning stars and director Sam Raimi. It seems unlikely that all will return for a fourth film, giving Sony the chance to revamp the franchise slightly. That was attempted with mixed results on 1995's "Batman Forever," in which WB replaced series helmer Tim Burton and star Michael Keaton for Joel Schumacher and Val Kilmer. The lighter, fluffier film did better at the box office than 1992's "Batman Returns," but also set the franchise up for the creative and financial flop of 1997's "Batman and Robin."

Marvel managed to avoid any major stumbling blocks when changing directors mid-trilogy with "X-Men: The Last Stand." But changing the "Spidey" franchise will be more difficult, especially if the third film meets expectations. Fans could reject any change to the Spidey films that they've come to know and love without some kind of a break between pics.

You'll Have That, Vol. 2

Creator: Wes Molebash
Viper Comics, 64 pages, black and white, $4.95
So? Remember comic strips? They used to appear in newspapers and then, later on, in books. Many of them were at least worth a smile, if not a full-on laugh. Well, "You'll Have That" — a popular web comic strip about young married couple Katie and Andy — is a reminder that those sorts of strips still exist. You're just more likely to find them on the web or in a small collection like this than in a newspaper. Molebash doesn't reinvent the wheel here, but his characters live in the 21st century and are endearing in their own modest way. Molebash draws a decent strip, and gets some help in this volume from such guest artists as Josh Howard, Joe Dunn and Derek Hunter. It's a book of simple yet satisfying pleasures. Grade: B+

The Dreamland Chronicles, Book 1

Creator: Scott Christian Sava
Blue Dream Studios, 300 pages, color, $19.95
So? Computers have been commonly used to color and letter comics for years now, but few comics have attempted to use technology to create 3-D imagery that is to comics what Toy Story, Shrek, etc. are to animation. The technique has potential but Dreamland Chronicles only partially succeeds in realizing it. The story is a fairly typical fantasy: Alex has vivid, nightly dreams in which he visits a fantasy world. But after discovering a special sword, he stops having the dreams. Now in college, he finds a way back to dreamland and learns he has a key role to play in securing the realm's future. Sava has created full digital models of his fantastic characters and all the settings for his tale. This requires a lot of effort, but the characters end up looking like vidgame characters in an extended cut scene. The colors also are real problems, with extensive use of pastel shades running together. Pink and purple characters become hard to see against orange skies. Some level of traditional comic art "inking" to give the images definition would help. Sava's efforts to create a new look for comics are admirable, but the experiment has to go back to the lab to yield a compelling result. Grade: B-

"Ghost Rider" vs. the IRS?

Caught this hilarious ad the other night for Jackson Hewitt's tax prep services, featuring Ghost Rider. I don't expect this trend to go too far (i.e., seeing Marvel characters like Spider-Man do such ads), but I think this one really works as a piece of entertainment even though i don't know how well Ghost Rider appeals to the tax-prep consumer.

"Smallville" goes mobile, Green

The story of Green Arrow is spinning off the TV show "Smallville" to Sprint mobile phones.

 

Warner Bros. TV Group, The CW and Sprint announced "Smallville Legends: The Oliver Queen Chronicles" will be coming to phones as a series of six original animated shorts.  The episodes will run two to four minutes each and will be exclusive to the Sprint TV  mobile video for the six-week run of the series, which begins Jan. 18. The shorts will then be available for streaming at The CW's website.

Move shows that WB is likely to continue to aggressively develop DC Comics characters for animation, TV and new media platforms. The network passed last year on an "Aquaman" series similar in approach to "Smallville," which is currently in its sixth season. "Smallville" has brought in a number of DC characters this season to form a loose prototype of the Justice League of America, raising the possibility that the show could be trying to establish some of these characters for future projects.

UPDATED to ad artwork.

Read the full press release after the jump.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WARNER BROS. TELEVISION GROUP, THE CW AND SPRINT TO BRING
“SMALLVILLE LEGENDS: THE OLIVER QUEEN CHRONICLES”
TO LIFE VIA SPRINT WIRELESS PHONES

Initiative Marks the First Time Original Animated Content
Has Been Created for “Smallville” as a Marketing Extension of the Show

Animated Wireless Series to Premiere Thursday, January 18,
Exclusively on Sprint Phones

            Burbank, Calif. and Overland Park, Kan. (January 17, 2007) – The Warner Bros. Television Group and The CW Network are teaming up with Sprint (NYSE: S) on a new shortform animated wireless series based upon the hit network drama “Smallville” (airing Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on The CW).  The announcement was made today by Lisa Gregorian, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Marketing, Warner Bros. Television Group; Rick Haskins, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Brand Strategy, The CW; and Anita Newton, Vice President of Marketing, Sprint.

            “Smallville Legends: The Oliver Queen Chronicles,” a six-episode animated wireless series created for the mobile and broadband environment, will premiere Thursday, January 18, exclusively on the Sprint TVSM mobile video service.  A new episode will launch on subsequent Thursdays and remain exclusive to Sprint for the six-week duration of the series.  After Sprint’s exclusive window, the entire wireless animated series will be available for streaming at www.CWTV.com, the online home of The CW Network, beginning February 22.  The initiative marks the first time Warner Bros. and The CW have created original animated content as a marketing platform to help drive tune-in for the “Smallville” television series.

            “Our goal at Warner Bros. Television is to look for unique, innovative ways to entertain and engage our fans, resulting in a deeper connection to our shows and providing value to our broadcast partners,” said Gregorian.  “This partnership with The CW and Sprint enables us to deliver exceptional wireless entertainment which provides a multi-layered experience for viewers.”

            “This is another example of how The CW is delivering on its promise to deliver original, new content to our young audience via multiple platforms,” said Haskins.  “We will continue to work with our studio and sales partners to whet the appetite of our passionate fans for more CW programming.”

            “‘Smallville’s’ mix of young, tech savvy viewers want to learn more and interact more with their favorite show, and Sprint is in a perfect position to give them that access,” said Newton.  “We are always looking for new opportunities for Sprint TV to give our subscribers exclusive content related to the primetime television shows that they love.”

            The producers of the “Smallville” television series recently introduced the new character of Oliver Queen, who arrives in Smallville to continue his covert quest for justice in the guise of the super hero Green Arrow.  Possessing phenomenal skills with a high-tech bow and arrow, Queen learns Clark has super powers and tries to recruit him in his current mission against Lex Luthor, Queen’s former schoolmate.  It is the fascinating back story to this new plotline that unfolds in the animated wireless series “Smallville Legends: The Oliver Queen Chronicles.” Viewers will go on a journey back in time to experience the pivotal events that led to a young Oliver Queen becoming Green Arrow.

            Sprint Vision subscribers can view the two- to four-minute animated episodes of “The Oliver Queen Chronicles” by texting GREEN to the number 7000 on their phone (Standard text message and wireless data rates apply).  The link provided will also connect fans to a multitude of additional “Smallville”-related wireless content like downloadable images and show playlists from the Sprint Music Store.

            About Warner Bros. Television Group:
            A division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, the Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG) is an industry leader in the production and distribution of television and motion picture content.  WBTVG consists of five production divisions (Warner Bros. Television, Warner Horizon Television, Telepictures Productions, Warner Bros. Animation and Studio 2.0), three distribution entities (Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution and Warner Bros. International Television), and The CW Network, the new fifth national broadcast network, co-owned with CBS Corporation.

            About The CW:
            The CW Network, which is owned jointly by CBS Corp. and Time Warner, Inc., consists of a six-night, 13-hour primetime lineup including Monday through Friday nights from 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET; Sundays from 7:00-10:00 p.m. ET; Sunday from 5:00-7:00 p.m. ET outside of prime time as well as a Monday-Friday afternoon block from 3:00-5:00 p.m. ET and a five-hour Saturday morning animation block. Altogether, the new network programs 30 hours a week over seven days.  For more information, visit www.cwtv.com.

            About Sprint Nextel:
            Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two robust wireless networks serving more than 51 million customers at the end of third quarter 2006; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international walkie-talkie capabilities; and an award-winning and global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

Paltrow in on "Iron Man"

Oscar winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow has signed on to play "Pepper" Potts in the "Iron Man" feature.

Potts was the secretary/assistant to billionaire industrialist Tony Stark. In the comics, she has a crush on her boss but ends up with Stark's chauffeur, "Happy" Hogan. (All this is more proof that Stan Lee never met an alliteration he didn't like.)

Paltrow won a best-actress Oscar in 1999 for "Shakespeare in Love." She joins a top-notch cast that includes Robert Downey Jr. as Stark/Iron Man, and Terrence Howard as Rhodey. Jon Favreau is directing the pic, set to start shooting in March.

Casting move adds to the high expectations for the film. The film, set for 2008 release, is the first of 10 pics Marvel is slated to produce and finance on its own with a line of credit secured from Merrill Lynch. The film is shaping up to be a real tentpole release for Marvel and a possible harbinger of its future in Hollywood.

EW on "Off the Charts"

Thom Geier at EW emailed this morning to clarify and explain the events surrounding the story we posted a few days ago about their graphic novel sales charts:

There seems to be a lot of misinformation circling about the best-seller chart that ran in Entertainment Weekly's Jan. 12 issue. Since I edit the magazine's Books section, I'd like to clear a few things up. In the last year, we've occasionally run sales charts from regional bookstores and comics stores (L.A.'s Golden Apple, Arizona's Poisoned Pen, Houston's Murder by the Book). In December, we contacted New York's Midtown Comics about obtaining a chart to run in the Jan. 12 issue; many stores need time to compile data, so we called well in advance of our deadline. Contrary to some reports, we did contact Midtown Comics. In fact, one of our staffers went to the store in person and spoke to book buyer David Webster, who said that we should simply pull whatever data we wanted from the "top sellers" chart that the store puts on its website. That is precisely what we did.

There's been much discussion about the fact that two of the titles on the list we published -- Cowboys & Aliens and Dark Tower [Sketchbook] -- were free giveaways and listed as such on the Midtown Comics site. I'm puzzled about why a retailer would list a free product on its "top sellers" chart, but no matter. We regret that we did not note this distinction in print, and plan to publish a clarification in our Jan. 26 issue, due on newsstands Jan. 19.   

Thom Geier
Senior Editor, Entertainment Weekly

Marvel vs. DC at the box office

Lots of linkage to the blog Serve With Chips, which compares the box office for Marvel-based films to DC-based films. The winner, not surprisingly is Marvel, which has 57% of the domestic b.o.

The two "Spider-Man" pics were the big champs by a long shot. What's interesting is Marvel's tally begins with 1998's "Blade," while DC's goes all the way back to 1978's "Superman." (Yes, that fails to include such Marvel "gems" as the Dolph Lundgren "Punisher" or 1986 mega-flop "Howard the Duck.")

The news would be much better for DC if such a chart were able to go into the animation and TV realms, where DC has long done much better with the likes of "Batman: The Animated Series," "Lois and Clark" and "Smallville."

More Civil War delays

The seventh and final issue of Marvel's Civil War has been delayed to Feb. 21. The issue will be expanded, with six more pages of story, for no additional charge. That puts the book out the week of the New York Comic-Con, and should give Marvel something to talk about at the show.

And if you're still waiting for Civil War #6, it should now be in most comic shops after weather-related delays limited the number of copies that made it to the West Coast last week.

"X-Men" in makeup race

"X-Men: The Last Stand" has made the short list in the makeup Oscar race. The film, which used more blue coloring on Beast and Mystique than a dozen other non-X-Men movies, will compete in a Jan. 20 bakeoff against "Apocalypto," "Click," "Pan's Labyrinth," "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," "The Prestige" and "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause."

"The Last Stand" also made the short list for this year's visual effects race.

Off the Charts

A minor brouhaha has developed over a comic book sales chart in this week's Entertainment Weekly that puts Platinum Studios' first graphic novel, "Cowboys & Aliens," at the top of the chart. The controversy stems from the fact that Platinum has been reportedly reimbursing select retailers for their order so the book could be sold at a massively reduced price or be given away to customers free of charge. The idea, naturally, is to promote the company's long-awaited first book release and score some publicity. The book is even available online for free at the webcomics site Drunk Duck.

As Journalista reports, though, EW took its sales info from the website of NYC retailer Midtown Comics, which did show the book at the store's top seller. What EW failed to notice was Midtown was giving away the book free of charge, which obviously skews the charts and makes it impossible to tell how many copies it would have sold if people had to pay for the book like everything else on the chart. Apparently, Journalista finds, EW did not contact the store directly at all, meaning most likely the person pulling the info was not familiar enough with the book to adjust the chart accordingly. The charts have a few other oddities, including listing the novelization of DC's "Infinite Crisis" at No. 10 on the graphic novel chart, and Marvel's Dark Tower Sketchbook — a promotional giveaway comic — at No. 10 on the comic book chart.

It's an odd lapse for EW, which knows its comics better than most magazines, as you can see in critic Ken Tucker's online review of the best comics of 2006. 

The Spirit #1

Creator: Darwyn Cooke, writer and penciler; J. Bone, inker
DC, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? Will Eisner's masked crime fighter is back in a regular monthly series that has the benefit of being written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke. Whether that's enough to make The Spirit a hit again, though, remains to be seen. The first issue is solid but not spectacular, telling the story of The Spirit in a clash of wits with attractive reporter Ginger Coffee as he rescues her from a criminal known as The Pill. As you'd expect with Cooke, the art is excellent. Cooke has a real talent for period pieces – as in the excellent DC: The New Frontier, now out in a gorgeous Space Age absolute edition – and he gives the book a look that evokes The Sprit's classic 1940s look without being dated. But the story in  this first issue lacked punch, especially when compared to last month's Batman/Spirit special, which was drawn by Cooke and written by Jeph Loeb. Eisner's tales were all self-contained stories that were done in 10 pages, so it may take some time for Cooke to find a way to make things work in longer installments. Grade: B-

Justice Society of America #1

Creators: Geoff Johns, writer; Dale Eaglesham and Art Thibert, artists
DC, 48 pages, color, $3.99
So? The original superhero team is relaunched post-Infinite Crisis with a new first issue, in which new members are recruited to the team. The appeal of this title is the classic 1940s heroes, such as the original Flash, original Green Lantern, Wildcat, Hourman, Liberty Belle and Mr. Terrific. But what makes this particular issue interesting is the new (or at least new to the JSA) characters: Damage, the new Starman and Maxine Hunkel, granddaughter of the original Red Tornado. Maxine is the most appealing new character: she's a know-it-all nerd whose inability to stop talking and pontificating on any subject is actually very sweet and likeable. Plot wise, this is an introductory issue, with the usual "gathering of heroes" elements, including the choosing of members by posting photos on a cork board. Eaglesham comes through nicely on the art, which is polished, clean and attractive. The JSA is like comfort food for the superhero fan, rooted in and celebrating the established traditions of the team genre. Its old-fashionedness at times feels almost mundane compared to other comics, but it also is proud to be a superhero comic and brings with it a simple and welcome sense of optimism and happiness. Grade: B

Spider-Man: Reign #1

Creator: Kaare Andrews
Marvel, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? Years in the future, Peter Parker is a worn out old man, his wife Mary-Jane dead for many years. Living alone in near poverty, the violence of the city draws him back into the hero game for (all together now) one ... last ... battle. If that sounds familiar, it's because this is a very obvious homage to Frank Miller's classic Batman tale, The Dark Knight Returns. Everything from the art style to a TV news anchor named Miller Janson screams this intention, and it overshadows any positive aspects the story might have. For most, it will be impossible to read this and not compare it to Dark Knight – a comparison this book will come out on the losing end of. Andrews is a talented artist and it's unclear why this story had to be told so many years after Dark Knight. Spider-Man is a character whose optimistic outlook stands in stark contrast to the sort of grim urban violence that works so well with Batman because it's his raison d'etre. This is for the die-hards, only. Grade: C-

Newuniversal #1

Creators: Warren Ellis, writer; Salvador Larroca, artist
Marvel, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? Marvel returns to the New Universe, which longtime readers will remember was an attempt to create a second, more realistic line of superhero comics in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Marvel universe. The New Universe failed to catch on and faded away after a few years. This is not a revisiting of those stories and characters; it is a new concept and story that borrows some elements of the old New Universe comics. Ellis makes it clear this is not our world: the World Trade Center still stands in 2006, China has moon bases, and John Lennon lived while Paul McCartney was killed. Into this slightly off-kilter world comes the White Event, a bright flash in the sky that changes eveything. There's a few familiar names, such as Ken Connell and John Tensen, and familiar concepts such as a dream walker, but it's all given that cutting edge polish that Ellis specializes in. This story also seems to have a purpose and a point, something that was often lacking in the original New U. There are a few odd ramblings here and there, and two story threads involving archaeological discovers that are easy to confuse with each other. Larroca remains an excellent artist, and adopts a grittier style after years of drawing X-Men and other mutants. While fans of the original New U. may not appreciate the liberties taken with the concept, readers new to the idea will definitely get their money's worth. Grade: B