Bill Mantlo ROM Benefit

Comic books may be regarded generally as raw material for feature films these days, but they are also touch stones of a reader’s childhood. One of the most beloved comics of my generation’s past is Rom, Space Knight. Devised as a tie-in for a toy released by Parker Brothers in the 1970′s, Rom’s adventures were outlandish and bizarre, leading the gleaming silver knight against the shape-shifting Dire Wraiths.

More often than not, the creators of comic books are all but forgotten, but in this case, writer Bill Mantlo has a strong fanbase who not only remembers his contribution to childhood escapism but desire to help a creator in need.

Via http://techland.com/2010/11/29/reading-rom-backwards-jason-leivian-on-the-bill-mantlo-benefit/:

In 1992, Marvel Comics writer Bill Mantlo was severely injured in a hit-and-run accident, and he’s required full-time care ever since. Three years ago, the Portland, Oregon comic book store Floating World Comics raised money to improve Mantlo’s quality of life by putting together a show of mainstream and indie cartoonists’s drawings of ROM, Spaceknight–the comic book, based on an unsuccessful toy, that Mantlo wrote from 1979 to 1986.

This week, they’re doing it again: a second “Spacenite” event is happening this Thursday, December 2, with artwork that will be auctioned to benefit Mantlo. We spoke with Floating World’s Jason Leivian about “Spacenite” and the enduring appeal of ROM.

TECHLAND: ROM has become something of a cult item, over twenty years after the series ended. What made it connect so deeply with you?

JASON LEIVIAN: ROM #60 was the first comic my Dad ever bought me, and I will always remember that. I wonder what made that particular comic jump off the racks? It has to be ROM’s design. I thought he was so cool-looking–a shiny silver robot with metal muscles, and yeah, something about the geometry of his boxy head with glowing red eyes. This would’ve been around 1986. So most kids had seen Star Wars by that point and I think we were all into robots in the ’80s because of that and Terminator, Battlestar Galactica, stuff like that.

(More on Techland: Superman’s Most Inappropriate Team-Ups)

I read that issue so many times. It was horrific. Wraiths were drilling their tongues into people’s skulls and leaving them as dried-up husks. There was a little girl in that issue and she sees her parents get killed while she’s hiding from the Wraiths. Rick Jones has cancer. There’s lots of crying. It’s pretty intense. I also find it interesting that the first comic I ever read was drawn by Steve Ditko. I didn’t really like his art as a kid. I was more into John Byrne. I couldn’t believe people could draw so well.

So next time we go to the supermarket I get the next issue. Except I think I’ve already missed one somehow. I started reading the series right around ROM’s final battle on earth. Meaning he had been fighting the Dire Wraiths on Earth since issue one. And this battle reaches its epic conclusion in issue 66 which guest- starts almost every character in the Marvel universe. I must’ve thought ROM was the biggest deal in Marvel.

How was the money from the previous “Spacenite” show used to improve Bill Mantlo’s quality of life?

I work with Bill Mantlo’s brother, Mike, who is also his caregiver. Bill is a ward of the state, living in a special care facility. The state sustains him there and gives him an annual allowance of something like $1000-$2000 a year. But Bill can’t have any possessions of his own. Anything beyond that, his brother and family must provide. So the money we contribute can get him things like changes of clothes, food that isn’t hospital food, things like that. I wish there was something hopeful I could say about his situation, but from my phone conversations with Mike I can tell it’s a pretty heartbreaking story.

Mike did tell me that Bill is aware that we’ve been doing these tribute shows, and Mike said he really got a kick out of seeing the artwork. It’s been fun connecting with Bill’s peers like Al Milgrom, Herb Trimpe and Walt Simonson. They all had very kind messages to share with Bill.

This week’s event is the “second and final” ROM tribute show–why is it the last one?

Mainly, I’m going to stop doing the shows so I can finally publish the tribute book that I’ve been planning for the ROM artwork. This second show was supposed to double as a book release, but I kept pushing the date back in order to give artists more time. Finally I decided, let’s just do the show, that’ll be the deadline, and then I’ll do the book 6 months later without having to rush it all at the same time. That basically worked out. Once I finally set the date of the show in stone, the artists knew it was real deadline time and they got their art in.
Read more: http://techland.com/2010/11/29/reading-rom-backwards-jason-leivian-on-the-bill-mantlo-benefit/#ixzz16oZEqH41

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Previously Unseen Ghost Rider 80 pg. Giant Unearthed!

Via Robot 6:

by Kerry Callen

Comics creator Kerry Callen has posted the second of two fun posts that dare to ask the question: What if DC published Marvel characters in the 1960s? And the answers are pretty awesome: Monkey Ghost Rider! Composite Power Man/Iron First! Fat Spider-Man! And a Captain America who has to eat his shield. Fun stuff; go check’em out.

 

RIP Sleazy

Musical composer and grandfather of industrial music Peter ‘Sleazy’ Christopherson has passed away. Founding member of both Throbbing Gristle and COIL, ‘Sleazy’ leaves behind him an impressive body of work that pushed the boundaries of pop music and a positive message of life and how to live it.

Via http://www.brainwashed.com/:

It is with great sadness that Brainwashed has learned of Peter ‘Sleazy’ Christopherson’s passing.

Reports have come in this morning of November 25th, 2010, that Christopherson passed away quietly in his sleep at his home in Bangkok. A book of condolences has been set up at unklesleazy.tv.

Peter Christopherson wrote, on July 31, 2010, in response to his interview in The Quietus:

“we are all only temporary curators of our present bodies, which will all decay, sooner or later. In a hundred years or so ALL the humans currently alive will have died. I take great comfort in knowing, with certainty, that thing that makes us special, able to enrich our own lives and those of others, will not cease when our bodies do, but will be just starting and new (and hopefully even better) adventure…

If we don’t get to meet in this Life, maybe in the next you can buy me a beer! ,-)”

Sleazy will be remembered for his fruitful music career with Throbbing Gristle, Coil, SoiSong and The Threshold HouseBoys Choir as well as his visual work as a music video director, photographer and his stint with design company Hipgnosis. His work frequently was outside the bounds of normality and indeed challenged the very idea of normality. His art touched us all and his innovative and free approach to music cannot be denied.

Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti simultaneously announced his death this morning on twitter:

“Our dearest beautiful Sleazy left this mortal coil as he slept in peace last night.words cannot express our grief.”

Chris has also posted the following on his blog:

“I first met Sleazy in 1975 when we were both in our early twenties. We immediately hit it off – talking endlessly about films, the merits of John Barry or Martin Denny’s arrangements, the aesthetics of gay vs straight porn, the why’s & wherefores of programming in Basic, or the best place in London to get a decent ice cream sundae. Sleazy was the first person to give me an Abba album, in 1976 – and it being Sleazy it was of course a ‘signed’ copy.

Over the 30 odd years we knew each other mine and Cosey’s relationship with him got closer as we grew older and spent more time together – lately comparing our various ailments and aches & pains, or the latest Apple gadget. There was (there is) nobody else on this little blue rock that I shared such disparate and diverse interests with, no one.

I last saw Sleazy about a week ago, just before he left for home to his beloved Bangkok. He was clutching a bag full of Apple goodies and he never looked happier or, ironically, healthier. He had new schemes and plans for X-TG’s future and was looking forward to finishing the Desertshore project and playing us rough mixes of “his baby”. He gave Cosey and me each a kiss and one of his infamous ‘bear hugs’, jumped in a waiting taxi and was gone… forever.

To quote the same movie three times (including the title):

“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time… like tears in rain…”

“The light that burns twice as bright burns for half as long – and you have burned so very, very brightly…”

c

x”

Chris and Cosey released an expanded statement this evening on the Throbbing Gristle site:

“Peter Christopherson, affectionately known as Sleazy, died peacefully in his sleep on the 24th of November at his home in Bangkok, Thailand.

The music and art world has lost a great talent whose unique approach ignored the conventions of the day and often challenged the status quo.

Sleazy’s playful and inspiring creativity saw him pushing boundaries as a musician, video director and designer throughout his life. He had recently returned to Thailand from Europe, where he had played a short but spectacular series of live shows as a member of Throbbing Gristle and in the newly formed trio X-TG with Cosey Fanni Tutti and Chris Carter.

Sleazy’s visual art career included work as a member of the influential British design agency Hipgnosis, creating iconic record sleeve artwork in the 1970s for Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and, later, Factory Records. He took the first promo photographs of the Sex Pistols, created a highly controversial window display for Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood’s clothing shop, SEX, and went on to design the logo of the hugely popular fashion company, BOY. In 1976 Sleazy met Cosey Fanni Tutti, Chris Carter and Genesis P-Orridge and together they formed electronic music provocateurs Throbbing Gristle and Industrial Records, creating one of the first independent record labels of the era and laying the foundation for a new genre of music. The band was infamously described in the Daily Mail by Tory MP Nicholas Fairbairn as “the wreckers of civilisation”.

TG ceased operations in 1981, after which Sleazy formed Psychic TV with Genesis P-Orridge and they produced two albums. The second, Dreams Less Sweet included his future life partner Jhonn Balance as a member, with whom he went on to form Coil and to release an extensive body of work up until Jhonn’s passing in 2004. Subsequently, Sleazy left the UK to live in Bangkok, Thailand and to continue his artistic and musical vision in the guise of The Threshold HouseBoys Choir and Soisong.

Following their original break-up, Throbbing Gristle’s legacy steadily grew within the music and art world, leading to their reformation in 2004 and a series of sold-out performances, including in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall.

At the time of his death, Sleazy was in the midst of assembling what was to be Throbbing Gristle’s next project: a cover version of Nico’s Desertshore album.

Sleazy was a kind and beautiful soul. No words can express how much he will be missed.

Throbbing Gristle / X-TG
Cosey Fanni Tutti
Chris Carter”

For those unfamiliar with COIL, here’s a video clip from their appearance on ’Hello Culture’ (excuse the snarky interviewer):

… and a piece by COIL and Zos Kia

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New Releases 12/1/10

For the complete list of this week’s comics, click here.

Not sure where your local comic shop is? Try comicshoplocator.com!

(note: all information including ad copy is from the publisher)

If you can’t make it to the shop, just click on any of the images below to be taken to an online retailer. I don’t get any referrals for these sales, I’m just doing my bit to spread the word on some neat products.

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What If Iron Man Demon In An Armor

What If Iron Man Demon In An Armor
By: David Michelinie, Graham Nolan, Bob Layton
Would Tony Stark still be Iron Man…if he wasn’t Tony Stark? Twenty years ago, in a college experiment gone bad, the young Stark’s mind is transferred to the body of impoverished but brilliant fellow student, Victor von Doom! Blamed for the unsanctioned research, his memory wiped clean, Tony is deported and forced to face life as a disgraced Latverian commoner.

Meanwhile, von Doom grows and flourishes in the wealth and privilege of being sole heir to Stark Industries. Thus, in separate cauldrons on different sides of the world, both Iron Man and Dr. Doom are forged anew. But who are the men inside the armors…really? Find out in ‘WHAT IF TONY STARK HAD BECOME DR. DOOM?’

PLUS, What If: The Venom Symbiote Possessed Deadpool – Part 3!
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Forry: The Life of Forrest J Ackerman

Forry: The Life of Forrest J Ackerman

Forrest J Ackerman (1916-2008) was an author, archivist, agent, actor, promoter, and editor of the iconic fan magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland; a founder of science fiction fandom; and one of the world’s foremost collectors of sci-fi, horror and fantasy films, literature, and memorabilia. This biography begins with a foreword by Joe Moe, Ackerman’s caregiver and close friend since 1982. It documents Ackerman’s lifelong dedication to his work in both literature and film; his interests, travels, relationships and associations with famous personalities; and his lasting impact on popular culture. Primary research material includes letters given by Ackerman to the author during their long friendship, and numerous reminiscences from Ackerman’s friends, fans and colleagues.

Deborah Painter has written articles for such magazines as Filmfax and Horse and Horseman. She is an environmental services director for REMSA Incorporated and lives in Norfolk, Virginia.
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Creepy Archives Volume 8 HC

Creepy Archives Volume 8 HC
Dark Horse’s multiple award winning archive editions of Creepy have arrived at one of the most compelling and legendary eras of the horror magazine’s epic run. Creepy Archives Volume 8 collects issues #37 — #41, which herald the beginning of the more psychedelic and strangely spooky stories that came into vile vogue with the onset of the 1970s. This gore — geously designed volume highlights work from amazing artists such as Basil Gogos, Ernie Colon, Vaughn Bode;, Ken Kelly, and others, and stories written by Nicola Cuti, Phil Seuling, Doug Moench, and other great monsterminds!

* Creepy Archives Volume 1 was awarded the 2009 Will Eisner Award for Best Archival Collection.

* “Terrifyingly good!” -Cory Doctorow, boingboing.net
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DC Comics Presents Batman Beyond #1

DC Comics Presents Batman Beyond #1
By: Hilary Bader, Brian Stelfreeze
Blast into the future of Gotham City with these tales from BATMAN BEYOND #13, 14, 21 and 22, as Terry McGinnis teams up with Barbara Gordon, Etrigan the Demon, the Green Lantern of the future, Big Barda and more!
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The Official Underground 2012 Doomsday Survival Handbook

The Official Underground 2012 Doomsday Survival Handbook
Nuclear holocaust, super volcano, asteroid impact, mega tsunami, alien invasion, zombie outbreak? Will the world end with a whimper or a bang? However it goes, W.H. Mumfrey will prepare you for what to expect when the world is ending, how to survive a litany of doomsday scenarios and how to rebuild the earth if you?re one of the survivors. This book covers such essential topics as: foraging for food, looting 101, barricades and fortifications for beginners, retro-technologies, dealing with cannibals, mutant identification, post-apocalyptic fashions, renovating your subterranean hideout, decoys and booby-traps for dummies, dating after doomsday, and more.

W.H. Mumfrey (aka Grant Murray) graduated with a Bachelor of Education in 1989 and, among other things, has worked as a science/computing educator, landscape photographer and scientific research assistant in the deserts of central Australia. Having lived in a number of countries, including South Korea and New Zealand, he currently resides in Tasmania.

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The Dream World of H. P. Lovecraft: His Life, His Demons, His Universe
Occult scholar Donald Tyson plumbs the depths of H. P. Lovecraft’s cosmic visions and horrific dream world to examine, warts and all, the strange life of the man who created the Necronomicon and the Cthulhu mythos.

Lovecraft expressed disdain for magic and religion, and most of his biographers have dismissed the mystical side of his nature. This book redresses this imbalance. Here you will find the roots of Lovecraft’s extraordinary cosmic vision laid bare. The dream-world sources for his mythic Old Ones are examined, along with the practical esoteric implications of Lovecraft’s unique mythology. A man in fundamental conflict with himself, Lovecraft lived always on the brink of madness or suicide. Tyson reveals Lovecraft for what he truly was—a dreamer, an astral traveler, and the prophet of a New Age.

PRAISE:
“The Dream World of H. P. Lovecraft is a thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating book. Its fusion of sound biographical knowledge and critical insight makes it a must-read for Lovecraftians.”
—S. T. JOSHI, LEADING AUTHORITY ON H. P. LOVECRAFT

Donald Tyson is a Canadian from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Early in life he was drawn to science by an intense fascination with astronomy, building a telescope by hand when he was eight. He began university seeking a science degree, but became disillusioned with the aridity and futility of a mechanistic view of the universe and shifted his major to English. After graduating with honors he has pursued a writing career.

Now he devotes his life to the attainment of a complete gnosis of the art of magic in theory and practice. His purpose is to formulate an accessible system of personal training composed of East and West, past and present, that will help the individual discover the reason for one’s existence and a way to fulfill it.
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Destroy All Movies!!! The Complete Guide to Punks on Film

Destroy All Movies!!! The Complete Guide to Punks on Film
The most dazzlingly insane film reference book of all time, Destroy All Movies!!! is an informative, hilarious and impossibly complete guide to every appearance of a punk (or new waver!) to hit the screen in the 20th Century. This wildly comprehensive release contains A-to-Z coverage of over 1100 feature films from around the world, as well as dozens of exclusive interviews with the cast/creators of crucial titles like Repo Man, Return of the Living Dead, The Decline of Western Civilization and Valley Girl. Also examined are several hundred prime examples of straight-to-VHS slasher trash, Brooklyn skid row masterpieces, Filipino breakdancing fairytales, no-budget apocalyptic epics and movies that shouldn’t even have been released, many of which have never been written about. Plus hundreds of eyeball-smashing stills and posters, many in full color!

Interviewees include screen veteran punk musicians Richard Hell, Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat, Lee Ving of Fear, Exene Cervenka and John Doe of X, Keith Morris of Black Flag and Circle Jerks, Chris D. of The Flesh Eaters, Youth Brigade’s Shawn Stern, Sickie Wifebeater of The Mentors, Ivan Kral of the Patti Smith Group and many others. Also featured are conversations with filmmakers Penelope Spheeris (the Decline of Western Civilization documentaries, Suburbia), Mark Lester (Class of 1984), Martha Coolidge (Valley Girl), Alex Cox (Repo Man), Lech Kowalski (D.O.A.), Allan Arkush (Rock ‘n’ Roll High School), Amos Poe (The Blank Generation), Susan Seidelman (Smithereens), Slava Tsukerman (Liquid Sky), Alan Sacks (Du-beat-e-o), Eric Mitchell (Underground USA), Brian Trenchard-Smith (Dead End Drive-In), Dave Markey (Desperate Teenage Lovedolls), Bruce LaBruce, and NYC transgressor Nick Zedd. Performers like Mary Woronov, Eddie Deezen, Clint Howard, Jon Gries, P.J. Soles and Dick Rude speak out, plus countless other actors and creators from the frontlines of punk’s big-screen explosion.

Destroy All Movies!!! nails down decades of insanity with superhuman research, vicious precision and electrically charged stills and images, and is the first and final definitive armchair roadmap to punk and new wave on celluloid. Five years in the making, this pulse-bursting monument to lowbrow cultural obsession is a must for all film fanatics, music maniacs, anti-fashion mutants, ’80s nostalgists, sleazoids, cop-killers and spazzmatics!
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Chaos War God Squad #1

Chaos War God Squad #1
By: Marc Sumerak, Dan Panosian
CHAOS KING has decimated the Pantheons of Earth, but the new GOD SQUAD have a last, desperate plan to halt Mikaboshi’s march towards oblivion!

The Kami of Japan once trapped Chaos King in Yomi – the Japanese Underworld – but even with the God Squad’s help, can his old pantheon put the genie back in the bottle? The gods themselves aren’t prepared for what they may find at the gates of Hell! Join the HELLSTORM, SILVER SURFER, SERSI, VENUS and more of Marvels’ most daring deities on an epic adventure that’s sure to rock the heavens!

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Daredevil #512

Daredevil #512
By: Andy Diggle, Roberto De La Torre
SHADOWLAND TIE-IN: FINAL ISSUE!

Years of acting as the Guardian Devil of Hell’s Kitchen have taken their toll on The Man Without Fear. Hell’s Kitchen lies in ruins, and it is up to the people of New York to start anew and begin rebuilding. In this last chapter of his story, will Matt Murdock at last find final redemption for the events of SHADOWLAND?

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Gorilla Man TPB

Gorilla Man TPB
By: Jeff Parker & Jason Aaron, G Caracuzzo & R Cruz, Dave Johnson
Shooting from the pages of ATLAS, comes an all-new exploration of fan-favorite GORILLA MAN! Yes, Ken Hale is blessed with might and cursed with inhumanity, but you don’t know the entire tale, and how his history may destroy his present!

See his storied past as an Agent of Atlas, a soldier of fortune, an ally of the Avengers, and a Howling Commando! Plus, learn the history of Marvel’s Gorilla Men in ‘Tales of the Gorilla Man’ and then watch as Ken Hale takes the X-Men on a journey through the jungle in X-MEN: FIRST CLASS #8.

This title collects
GORILLA MAN #1-3 and material from AVENGERS VS. ATLAS #4
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Spider-Man Noir TPB Eyes Without A Face GN

Spider-Man Noir TPB Eyes Without A Face GN
Written by DAVID HINE & FABRICE SAPOLSKY Penciled by CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER The Goblin is gone. The Spider-Man saw to that. But then, along came the Crime Master, and now New York City’s criminals have a new overlord – one who strikes terror in the hearts of the innocent and guilty alike. He must be stopped. And then there’s Dr. Otto Octavius, a brilliant scientist working out of a U.S. Government lab on Ellis Island. What’s he up to? What’s the European connection? Robbie Robertson wanted to know. He never knew what he was getting himself into. Who is the Crime Master? What’s going on in Octavius’ lab? Who’s behind it all? Peter Parker has to find out, and fast. Before his friend Robbie is lost forever. Before more innocent people are killed. And before Spider-Man loses his greatest battle with the deadliest foes he’s ever faced – enemies for whom the prize is not just control over the city, but over the world itself… Collecting SPIDER-MAN NOIR: EYES WITHOUT A FACE #1-4. 112 PGS./Rated T+
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Heroes For Hire #1

Heroes For Hire #1
By: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, Brad Walker, Doug Braithwaite
In the aftermath of Shadowland, Marvel’s greatest street heroes – Punisher, Moon Knight, Shroud, Elektra, Paladin, Silver Sable, Ghost Rider, Iron Fist, Falcon, Misty Knight and more – leap into one all-new series!

Who has brought these dangerous loners into one fighting force? How is this network different from all other teams? Who is their first target, and what mysteries wait for them? Discover the answers and enter the action on Marvel’s mean streets.

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Iron Man Thor #2 (of 4)

Iron Man Thor #2 (of 4)
By: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, Scot Eaton, Stephen Segovia
Captured by the High Evolutionary and his unlikely allies, Iron Man learns the dark truth of the genius creator’s plans. Meanwhile Thor battles to recapture the Destroyer armor stolen from Asgard.

The paths of these two heroes are about to cross, and if they can’t stop the High Evolutionary’s schemes, then the fates of Mankind and Planet Earth alike will be altered forever!

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Iron Man War Of Iron Men Prem HC

Iron Man War Of Iron Men Prem HC
By: Fred Van Lente, Steve Kurth, Francis Tsai
Tony Stark’s worst fears are realized when stolen Iron Man technology is used for ethnic cleansing in a civil war-ravaged land.

When he defies U.S. government orders to confront the armored assassins himself, Stark sets off an international conflagration that threatens his friends, his company, and his very life — and sets him on a collision course with China and Russia, and their champions, Radioactive Man, Titanium Man and the Crimson Dynamo! Guest-stars galore!

This title collects
IRON MAN LEGACY #1-5 and IRON MAN: HARD RAIN

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DC Superhero Figure Coll Mag #69 Det Chimp

DC Superhero Figure Coll Mag #69 Det Chimp
The ultimate collection for comics fans, the DC Superhero Collection Figurine Magazine brings together DC Comics’ greatest heroes and villains! Official figurines of the characters, both good and evil, are cast in lead, individually hand-painted and numbered to form an authentic collector’s edition.

Each comes with a 20-page magazine providing detailed history and background on the featured characters, including exclusive images and interviews. Choose this month from Captain Atom (#68) or Detective Chimp (#69).

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Classic Marvel Figure Coll Mag #134 Son Of Satan

Classic Marvel Figure Coll Mag #134 Son Of Satan
These fully-authorized, hand-painted lead figurines are sculpted by master craftsmen and based on original pieces of Marvel artwork.

Each 3 1/2″ figurine is individually numbered, comes stamped with the Marvel official logo, and comes packaged in its own box. The accompanying magazine provides a detailed history and background on the featured character, including exclusive images and interviews. The fabulous characters featured this month are Son of Satan (#134) and Nomad (#135).

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Vertigo Resurrected Winters Edge

Vertigo Resurrected Winters Edge
In time for the frigid depths of winter are ten previously uncollected short stories from the pages of VERTIGO WINTER’S EDGE – the timeless Vertigo title that featured comics’ most select and sensational creators tackling the imprint’s most enduring characters. Featuring The Endless, Swamp Thing, John Constantine and Tim Hunter.
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Planetary TPB Book 04 Spacetime Archaeology

Planetary TPB Book 04 Spacetime Archaeology
By: Warren Ellis, John Cassaday
The final, spectacular collection of Warren Ellis and John Cassaday’s PLANETARY is now available in trade paperback!

Book 4 features the final battles waged by Elijah Snow, Jakita Wagner and The Drummer against the mysterious Four along with the surprise return of a key player no one could have foreseen! It’s been over a decade in the making – don’t miss this unforgettable conclusion to one of WildStorm’s most acclaimed series.

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Marvel Masterworks - Golden Age Marvel Comics Vol. 05 HC

Marvel Masterworks – Golden Age Marvel Comics Vol. 05 HC
By: Joe Simon, Ray Gill, Andrew McWhitney, Carl Burgos, Bill Everett, Jack Kirby, Paul Gustavson, Steve Dahlman, Bob Oksner, Ben Thompson, Alex Schomburg
This item is currently not available, but we will special order a copy from our supplier if you choose to backorder it from us today. Delivery will be delayed by two to four weeks while the backorder is processed and shipped from our supplier to our warehouse. Your credit card will not be charged for this item until it is ready to be shipped to you. For more information, please see our backordering help page.

The greatest comic magazine of the Golden Age returns with the Marvel Masterworks!

Headlining the heavy-hitters of the Timely era, Marvel Mystery Comics has it all-from top-of-the-field super hero action to bizarre mystery, otherworldly noir, jungle adventure and boy detectives! And it all starts off with the history-making Human Torch/Sub-Mariner team-up by the titanic talents Carl Burgos and Bill Everett! Then the Human Torch’s sidekick Toro, the Flaming Kid, makes his Marvel Mystery debut. Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner, takes his uniquely anarchic brand of action straight to the Nazis’ noses, while the Angel’s origin is revealed and he begins a multi-part crusade against the sexy villainess, the Cat’s Paw.

Rounded out by Jack Kirby’s eerie agent of vengeance, the Vision; the wonderfully weird Electro; Terry Vance, School Boy Sleuth; and the adventures of Ka-Zar, it’s the classic package that made Marvel famous!

This title collects
MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS #17-20

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Doctor Who and The Mazes of Time

Just announced for  iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad App store is a new interactive Doctor Who video game titled The Mazes of Time. As many have already pointed out, the graphics look far superior to the Wii and Nintendo DS games released earlier this year.

Via Doctor Who TV:

The story follows the adventures of Amy and the Doctor (Rory is MIA as usual) as they attempt to rescue an innocent family, scattered through time by the fallout, from a Dalek attack.

Gameplay is said to mix action and puzzles with the player able to switch between the TARDIS duo.

The new screenshots show a top-down perspective, and while the graphics are fairly basic, remember this is a mobile game.

The game will be released this December.

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/grix

Will 2011 see the return of the Cybermen?

It looks like the ‘real’ Cybermen may be making a comeback next year.

(Thanks to Tardisnewsroom for the heads up)

There has been some talk at Doctor Who Spoilers here and here about an adventure for series 6.1 being set in Egypt during the 1920′s and possibly featuring mummified Cybermen. So, why is this a big deal? It’s because it could be the ‘real’ Cybermen and not the ‘new’ Cybermen that have been troubling the Doctor since 2006.

This would mark the first appearance pf the classic Cybermen since 1988′s adventure Silver Nemesis. The cybernetic baddies were introduced way back in 1966 when the cybernetic race of the planet Mondas piloted their dying planet to attack Earth and drain the world if its energy. A small squad of Cybermen were sent as an advance assault team and while the Doctor managed to keep the monsters at bay, it cost him his life. In the adventure called Tenth planet, the Cybermen explained that they had find a way to escape death by replacing their failing body parts with cybernetic parts until they were nearly all robotics and hardly human at all. Emotionless beings driven by motors pumping fluids through their few remaining organs, seeking to further their race by pillaging bodies for parts and turning others into Cybermen as well.

In the subsequent adventures of the regenerated Doctor were set after the initial attack by the Cybermen, developing a kind of linear timeline that hinted at a Cyber-War and an apparent defeat of the baddies only to see them return triumphantly from their ice tombs on Telos in the fan favorite adventure ‘Tomb of the Cybermen.’ The streets of contemporary London were trod upon by an army of Cybermen in 1968′s Invasion, resulting in some of the most iconic Cybermen moments of Doctor Who.

Cybermen from the Invasion

The Cybermen were mainly absent from Doctor Who with the exception of Revenge of the Cybermen in 1974 until they came back in a big way for 1984′s Earthshock where the youthful fifth incarnation of the Doctor faced the baddies who sought to threaten a World Peace Conference by first exploding a bomb deep under the surface of the planet then piloting a massive invasion force straight into the proceedings.

Here’s a lovely video that summarizes the Cybermen of Doctor Who from their first appearance through 2008′s The Next Doctor.

The Cybermen appeared in two more adventures in the 80′s, Attack of the Cybermen and Silver Nemesis before disappearing forever.

Cybermen '06

In 2006, the Cybermen were featured in a two-part adventure set in a parallel world. In this alternate Earth an ailing brilliant industrialist sought to use his influence to replace the entire population with ‘enhancements’ that would make them immortal.

Since 2006, these ‘Cybus Industries’ Cybermen are the only Cybermen viewers have seen, leading fans of the classic program curious if we will ever see the ‘real’ Cybermen from Tenth Planet-Silver Nemesis.

These recent rumors are hardly confirmation that the Mondas Cybermen are coming back, but with Steven Moffat quoted as saying that we will see the old Daleks return in the 6th or 7th series, it’s not impossible.

More as it comes.

Batman: Arkham City video game on its way

Via the astounding Bat-Blog comes this preview image for the sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Taking credit for Batman’s insane heroics from the first game, Arkham Asylum’s chief warden gets recognition from the mayor of Gotham City. With some investigation, Arkham Asylum is then deemed unable to contain Batman’s enemies. The solution to this problem is simple. Stick all of the villains in the worst part of Gotham, put a gigantic security wall around the perimeter and let the criminals go nuts on each other!! Yet instead, all of the villains get together and form a society, to “killllll the Bat.”

This game’s environment is almost five times times larger than the original. Batman can swing and glide throughout this destitute part of Gotham. He will even have to face some of the key villains of Arkham City: Joker, Two-Face and also a lone gang, the Outcasts (slightly connected to the Riddler).

(summary from Rip-Ten)

More at the Bat-Blog:

Superman/Batman Apocalypse- review

Based on the Superman/Batman comic book series by Jeph Loeb and Michael Turner, Superman/Batman Apocalypse is the first of the DC Animated films that is actually a sequel. Following the events Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, this project pays homage to the style of the late Michael Turner in much the same way that Public Enemies took up the distinctive visual style of Ed McGuinness. The Superman/Batman Apocalypse comic re-introduced Supergirl, a character that has been plagued by DC Editorial since 1985′s Crisis on Infinite Earths killed her off.

A delightfully innocent creation of Otto Binder and Al Plastino in 1959, Supergirl was the man of steel’s cousin from the Kryptonian metropolis Argo City which had somehow survived Krypton’s demise only to find a new destruction from kryptonite meteors. Supergirl was an immensely popular character, but as DC Comics found itself losing readers to Marvel Comics and independent markets, they became determined to reverse their image as a publisher of fanciful material and decided to make specific changes to their comics including the reduction of Kryptonian survivors from many to one. There was a massive house cleaning project that altered the landscape of the DC Universe, killing off many beloved creations including Supergirl. In the revised continuity, Kal-el was the sole survivor of the doomed planet Krypton and Supergirl was no more.

In the years that followed, other writers attempted to bring Supergirl back into the DCU and somehow adhere to the rule of only one Kryptonian survivor. The result was a tangled mess of ideas that ultimately resulted in several new characters who were removed from comics one after the other until DC decided to modernize the initial Binder/Plastino concept. This may sound incredibly complicated (because it is) and it is important to understand the complexities of this character as the Superman/Batman Apocalypse animated movie attempts to summarize them into one story.

It’s overly complicated, but given its many challenges Superman/Batman Apocalypse is a great film. To begin with, Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy are back as the voices of Superman and Batman. I am hoping that if any other Superman/Batman animated films are made, this pairing is repeated as it makes for a feeling of continuity. The inclusion of Wonder Woman feels like far too much at first but in the end makes for perhaps the amazonian’s finest animated outing to date.

A shower of meteorites falls to the Earth in the wake of the successful destruction of an asteroid in a previous adventure. One of the fragments crashes into Gotham Harbor where Batman attempts to investigate but finds that the survivor of the crash is hardly in need of assistance. The stranger takes control of Batman’s sea craft and nearly destroys much of Gotham City before Superman arrives and manages to communicate with the confused alien in Kryptonian. Taking her back to Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, the pair of heroes struggle to figure out what to do with the alien named Kara Zor-El. Batman is especially concerned as her body is absorbing sunlight at a far more efficient rate than Superman can, making her far more powerful and dangerous than the mightiest of Earth’s heroes. He immediately suspects that she may be an unwitting agent of Superman’s enemies. Even if Batman is wrong, Kara still poses far too great a threat to simply let her find her own way.

When Superman attempts to integrate Kara into human society through a bizarre shopping montage, he is halted in his tracks by Wonder Woman who, along with Batman, is concerned for Kara’s fate. All three agree to let Wonder Woman take Kara to Themyscira (formerly Paradise Island), where she will undergo Amazonian training. In the midst of her training, we discover that a character named Harbinger has been having tragic visions of Kara’s future. Before this can be dwelt upon, the island is attacked by clones of Doomsday operating for Darkseid.

The plot is bloated from the beginning with a radio program attempting to fill in details that establish the state of the world that the film is set in. It’s not needed and in fact much of the first third of the movie should have been either trimmed or removed entirely. Superman/Batman Apocalypse doesn’t really get going until after Darkseid is introduced and until that point there are various characters and setting thrown about that made me wonder if my purchase of the film would be a wasted affair. From Gotham City to Metropolis and even Themyscira, the focus is shifted numerous times and we are even introduced to Harbinger, a character who is suddenly very important yet even she states that she is an outsider, hinting at a complicated back-story that is thankfully avoided.

However, after Darkseid attacks Themyscira to abduct Supergirl, things get interesting and this film finds its pace and tone all at once. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman who have been unsuccessfully trying to shepherd Kara decide to attack Apocalypse with the assistance of Big Barda who has been hiding out in suburbia but reluctantly agrees to guide the trio on a rescue mission.

Like Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, the biggest strength of the Apocalypse film is the incredible action sequences. From the army pf Doomsday clones to the amazing three-pronged assault of Apocalypse itself, this animated feature has action to spare.

Newcomer Summer Glau as the voice of Supergirl is a little awkward but given the challenges that she faces, the actress does manage to carve out a compelling character for herself. By contrast Andre Braugher (of Homicide fame) as Darkseid is just no comparison to Michael Ironside who voiced the villain in the Superman and Justice League cartoons.

If you are a fan of the Batman, Superman and Justice League animated films, make sure to check this one out.

Batman mastermind Bill Finger

Bob Kane is recognized as the creator of Batman, but lesser known writer Bill Finger is responsible for much of the dark knight’s world from the villains to much of the classic adventures.

Finger wrote Batman tales uncredited but has recently been brought into the spotlight by devoted Batfans online and in print. Kane was a wily and charismatic businessman during Batman’s early years, drafting in other talented folks he met as he rose to prominence in the field. One of those creators was Bill Finger, a young artist who saw the first glimpses of the character who would become Batman. Many of the key components of Batman were in place in these images, but Finger offered up suggestions such as naming the character’s alter-ego after Robert the Bruce, borrowing the cowl design from Lee Falk’s the Phantom, etc.

Bill Finger passed away in 1974, but fans are still talking about his amazing talent and contribution to the world of  comic books.

Here are a couple of fascinating reads on the man now recognized as the co-creator of Batman:

The Many Faces of Batman

(See more faces of Batman here: http://batmanimagesgallery.com/)

Some Batmaniacs believe that only one obstacle stood between Bill Finger and official co-credit for Batman alongside Bob Kane: Bob Kane. The Bobstacle.

Others might argue that there is another villain in the saga of Bill Finger: Bill Finger. The Billain.

The man with so strong an imagination and so weak an ability to lay claim to it.

In this sense, he was his own archenemy.

To be clear, Finger did publicly reveal his role in the creation of Batman, and I believe it took courage for him to do so. Sure enough, when he did, Kane wrote an open letter excoriating Finger for his long-overdue honesty. This was in 1965, at which point Finger had been hiding in the Batcave, so to speak, for more than twenty-five years. (Clarification: Finger’s personal network and other comics creators had known of his Batman work, but fans didn’t.) From then on, Finger did publicly take credit for his ideas (while also crediting Kane and others for their contributions).

But what Finger did not do is take a stand against Kane. He took credit but did not demand credit.

Or, to be more accurate, if he ever did do this, there’s no known record of it. (I do have one personal letter that Finger wrote—to be fully shared here as we near publication—in which he claims he spoke firmly to Kane to correct errors of memory, but that doesn’t mean he actually did it; even if he did, it didn’t improve his overall station.)

But it was neither the Billain nor the Bobstacle who first publicly linked Finger to Batman. That distinction goes to editor Julie Schwartz. In the letter column of Detective Comics #327 (5/64), Schwartz wrote that Finger had “written most of the classic Batman adventures for the past two decades.”

(Read more here at Marc Tyler Nobleman’s blog, author of “Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman” http://noblemania.blogspot.com/2010/11/bobstacle-and-billain.html)

But don’t think that Bill Finger was only active in print, he also tried his hand at writing for the big screen as this reviewer found in his piece on the B-Movie classic, The Green Slime. (Finger also wrote Track of the Moon Beast featured on MST3K and famous for the song ‘California Lady’):

John Carpenter, Ridley Scott and George Lucas might have to cite The Green Slime as an influence on their work if this release from the Warner Archive catches on. An American production filmed entirely in Japan with an all Caucasian cast, The Green Slime is not only a ridiculously bad movie, it’s also ridiculously entertaining. Contributing to the screenplay is Bill Finger, the forgotten co-creator of Batman and Charles Sinclair (the duo also co-wrote for several television series including 77 Sunset Strip and the Adam West Batman series).

The film is played dead serious by the cast which includes Robert Horton, Luciana Paluzzi, Richard Jaeckel, Bud Widom and Ted Gunther and as a result, is unintentionally hilarious. If you like rubber monsters running amok and pure entertainment, The Green Slime is not only a must see, it’s a must have. Highly recommended.

What is Shuma-Gorath?

As the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange has the weirdest and deadliest of foes. Perhaps one of the more memorable monsters that the cloaked mystic has ever faced is Shuma-Gorath. An invention of Conan and John Carter – Warlord of Mars creator Robert E. Howard, Shuma-Gorath is basically a Cthulu-archetype. An ancient god who ruled all of creation in the days of pre-history, it is one of the ‘many-angled-ones’ who demand obedience and draws psychic energy from its subjects. A frightening mangled mass of limbs and tentacles, Shuma-Gorath bears a singular giant eye through which to survey its fearful victims.

When Robert E. Howard’s Kull the Conqueror was published by Marvel Comics, the monsters were absorbed into the Marvel Universe, along with Kulan Gath. Later, Shuma-Gorath would emerge as a threat to Doctor Strange, striking from the mind of Strange’s mentor, the Ancient One. The monstrous entity was more of an abstract threat than Dormamu who had become a kind of Doctor Doom-type and allowed for Strange’s rogue’s gallery to become more robust with possibilities. In the revamped 1990′s Strange Tales series, Shuma Gorath made a return appearance against a white-haired Strange, but has been rather absent of late.

As the mystic playing field of Doctor Strange has become reshuffled after the events of the latest issue of the New Avengers, I wonder if we will soon see the return of Shuma-Gorath. I’d certainly love to see the creature threaten the team.

A formidable foe, Shuma-Gorath will be available as a special downloadable content character for special downloadable content character for Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds due to hit stores on February, 2011.

Capcom will release Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds in a Special Edition. Those looking to dive deeper into this epic fighting experience will get the following:

- Steelbook case featuring exclusive art work
- Comic/Art book- A 12-page prologue comic, written by Marvel writer Frank Tieri, plus campaign art and a curated selection of fan art.
- 1-month Subscription to Marvel Digital Comics, providing unlimited online access to Marvel content
- 2 Playable DLC Characters – Shuma Gorath and Jill Valentine. Content is available 4 weeks post-launch.

… everyone’s favorite one-eyed demon Shuma-Gorath, famous for delivering his unconventional brand of tentacle-based combat with a little magic thrown in. Other Marvel characters include Magneto, M.O.D.O.K., Spider-Man, X-23, Dormmamu, Thor, Deadpool, Hulk, Wolverine, Iron Man, Captain America, Doctor Doom and Super-Skrull. – Via Marvelousnews