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Dave Dorman: Star Wars Artist, Blogger, Podcaster!!!

11/20/2011

In 1991 the world got excited about Star Wars again!

In fall of that year Dark Horse Comics shocked fans with their return to the long neglected Star Wars Universe with the 6 issue series ‘Dark Empire’! The series follows the return of the Emperor as be tries to resurrect a new and greater Empire with some more world destroying weapons. The series, written by Tom Veitch and drawn by Cam Kennedy was a huge success, but for many, it’s the books covers by Dave Dorman that remain at the forefront of peoples memories!

“I remember seeing the cover for ‘Dark Empire’ # 1 and being blown away,” said Star Wars junkie Matman! “For me Dave became the definitive artist for my galaxy! I love his work and think his covers had a major part in the series being so successful and think he has a huge part for the resurgence in Star Wars that happened soon after.”

Recently Matman caught up with Dave Dorman to look for some help with the comic book marketing guide he’s working on. As the two talked, Matt found out that Dave was probably as busy as he’s ever been!

“When I spoke to Dave I was asking for a comment about the importance of a good cover and he pointed me to a blog that he has going that could be incredibly beneficial to artists looking to get noticed! Then I discovered his series ‘Wasted Lands’ and then we spoke about all the other stuff I can’t talk about!”

To check out the blog, just go to http://davedorman.wordpress.com/

And in the time since those incredible covers and the amazing book’ The Star Wars Art of Dave Doeman’, Dave has been incredibly busy. With a bunch of projects he can’t talk about yet there is a few we can like ‘Wasted Lands’. Below is the tag!

“Fate. Desire. Disillusion. Reconstruction. Welcome to the Wasted Lands...an unforgettable place and time where passion, greed, corruption and valor color everyday existence...where ordinary men, eccentric heroes and their horrific adversaries battle for power...and for the future of mankind.”

And Dave and his wife Denise also do a podcast called “Wednesday Is Comic Book Day”!

To find out more about everything Dorman, just go to http://www.davedorman.com/

Torchbearer Takes The Prize In Our Batman: Arkham City Giveaway!

11/19/2011

The Batman: Arkham City giveaway contest is over, and we have a winner!

We asked listeners to tell us what other DC character they'd like to see developer Rocksteady make a game about. We got some cool pitches, but our favorite was sent in by Josh from West Virginia, better known as Torchbearer on the Secret Identity forums. He had a cool Wonder Woman idea, and for that he will be receiving a copy of Batman: Arkham City for the XBox 360, signed by the development team at Rocksteady. Here's the winning pitch that Josh sent in:

Basically my concept is Arkham Asylum/City meets Tomb Raider with Wonder Woman as the main character. Throughout the course of the game Diana would be forced to make her way through Themyscira, Delphi (to get information from the Oracle), Hades, the Cretian labrynth, and other locales straight from Greek mythology as well as our own modern world.

The main concept would have Circe, Genocide and perhaps Ares be the big villains but other DC characters like Giganta and Cheetah, along with Medusa and some other mythological creatures like centaurs and minotaurs would make appearances as well. Along the way she could be gathering armor and weapons to aid her in her quest.

Ideally the plot of the game would be Circe, who comes to Diana in disguise as a harbinger of doom, convinces her and enlists her help to acquire items and artifacts of power under the guise of trying to prevent a coming catastrophe but ultimately resulting in her unwittingly helping Circe gather items used to create the villain Genocide.

Congrats to Josh, and thanks to everyone who entered! We'd also like to thank Sandbox Strategies and Blockbuster for making this contest possible. Don't forget, if you didn't win, you can still buy Batman: Arkham City at your local Blockbuster before November 22nd and get a free month of game rentals.

Top Ten Books Since 2001

11/18/2011

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What were the Top Ten selling comics over the past 10 years? The answer may surprise you. And…do you own any of them and what did you think?

10. Superman # 204 – the pairing of Brian Azzarello and Jim Lee was a fans dream and it paid off. The duo had a great run! And over 244,000 folks agreed!

9. House of M # 1 – Brian Michael Bendis and Oliver Coipel teamed up for a series that I really enjoyed. Some great emotional twists and turns too. Over 248,000 sold!

8. Justice League of America # 1 – Fresh of Identity Crisis, brad Meltzer was brought in to bring the JLA to past glories. This run was very inconsistent despite Ed Benes art. Almost 251,000 sold.

7. Justice League # 1 – The recent all star team of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee ushered in the ‘New 52’ with style. Over 255,000 for the most part agreed!

6. Secret invasion # 1 – Another Bendis book, started strong and ended with a whimper! Almost 263,000 readers bought this one.

5. Infinite Crisis # 1 – Johns, Phil Jimenez and Andy Lanning made 269,991 fans get real excited… until the end.

4. All Star Batman and Robin # 1 – Another Jim Lee (with Frank Miller) book. Looked amazing, alright story but lateness really hurt this one. Over 276,000 sold!

3. Captain America # 25 – Didn’t expect this to happen, but Cap died and it made world news! Brilliant book and nice run from Ed Brubaker. 317,713 sold!

2. Civil War # 2 – The battle versus Cap and Iron man got 341,000 plus readers wanting blood!

1. Amazing Spiderman # 583 - With a thumb up from President Obama (by Phil Jimenez) and about a thousand different prints, 530,500 copies were sold in a time when folks were a little more optimistic.

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The Year Without War (Gaming)

11/17/2011

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by Brian LeTendre

I’m taking a break.

Since the arrival of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in 2007, I have been an active participant in the yearly cycle of military-themed first-person shooters. CoD: World at War, Battlefield: Bad Company, CoD: Modern Warfare 2, Battlefield 1943, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, CoD: Black Ops and even Medal of Honor--I bought and played them all. I also spent countless hours in the competitive multiplayer modes of those games, and I have some great memories of playing with friends over XBox Live until the wee hours of the morning.

Over the past few years, I have come to like the Battlefield series the most, as I am not very good at first-person shooters, and the Battlefield games reward you for playing supportive roles, as opposed to just killing enemies. So it stands to reason then, that I was really excited to play the multiplayer beta of Battlefield 3, which I downloaded and checked out as soon as it was available.

A funny thing happened while I was playing the Battlefield 3 beta a while back, though--I realized I don’t really give a crap about these games anymore. They’re all basically the same now. You run around a map, killing bad guys and capturing strategic points. You get experience points for doing so, which you use to unlock new skills and weapons. You do this over and over again--wash, rinse, repeat. The maps in each game pretty much fall into the desert area, snow-covered area, jungle area and urban area categories. It’s all the same, and I just don’t care about it anymore.

So, I’m taking the year off. No Modern Warfare 3 or Battlefield 3 for me. It won’t be easy, because every single one of my gaming friends has these games right now, and every Friday and Saturday night they invite me to play. But I will stay strong, and I will devote what precious little gaming time I have to games that I really enjoy. Dark Souls, Saints Row 3, Batman: Arkham City, Skyrim, Uncharted 3--all games that have either immersive worlds or interesting storylines (or both) that I can get lost in.

Am I forsaking shooters? No way. I can’t wait to download the original Crysis on Xbox Live or check out Id’s post-apocalyptic Rage. As I write this, I have Gears of War 3 sitting on my gaming shelf, and I will absolutely be playing through the campaign and enjoying the cooperative modes with friends. I’m just done with the cookie-cutter, competitive multiplayer, military shooters (CCCMMS) for now.

Who knows? A year off may rekindle my enthusiasm for the CCCMMS genre. Or, I may never come back again. Time will tell.

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Top Shelf Goes Digital

11/16/2011

Press Release

The comic book industry takes another significant step into the future today, as Top Shelf productions offer its award winning library of graphic novels for sale in digital form through two dedicated apps – one for general readers and one for kids.

Additionally, Top Shelf expands the availability of its books across multiple digital platforms, for every device. As the publisher of critically acclaimed and popularly beloved books such as FROM HELL, ESSEX COUNTY, and OWLY, Top Shelf breaks new ground as the first "indie" or "alternative" publisher to offer such a substantial catalog of digital graphic novels.

To celebrate, Top Shelf is offering five keystone graphic novels at radically reduced digital prices -- as low as 99 cents! -- for the next week. What's more, a newly remastered edition of Jeff Lemire's LOST DOGS makes its Top Shelf debut this week as a digital graphic novel.

The flagship of this launch is a pair of new apps, developed by industry leader Comixology, available now for Apple devices: Top Shelf Productions (featuring the full lineup of books) and Top Shelf Kids Club (focusing specifically on comics for all ages). They can be downloaded here:

** Top Shelf Productions App **

** Top Shelf Kids Club App **

At the same time, Top Shelf graphic novels are also now available through Comixology, Graphicly, Comics+ by iVerse, Apple iBooks, and Google Books. More titles will continue to roll out on every platform in the days to come, including the Nook and Kindle Fire devices, as well as the Diamond Digital program which partners with comic shops. New "buy digital" buttons now appear throughout www.topshelfcomix.com, offering easy access to digital editions in every available format.

In the wake of this major expansion, anyone with a computer screen, smartphone, or tablet device can take home Top Shelf's award-winning and life-changing library of graphic novels. And with this week's sale prices, jumping in has never been easier -- five of the most popular Top Shelf graphic novels collectively cost less than $10.

Special launch week SALE PRICES - Top Shelf keystone books! Get all 5 for $9.95!
$1.99 for League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: 1910 by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill
$1.99 for Owly (Book 1) by Andy Runton
$0.99 for Johnny Boo (Book 1) by James Kochalka
$1.99 for Clumsy by Jeffrey Brown
$2.99 for The Surrogates by Robert Venditti & Brett Weldele
These prices apply in every digital store - try whichever you like!

In addition, the Top Shelf apps feature such contemporary classics as FROM HELL by Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell and ESSEX COUNTY by Jeff Lemire, new critical darlings like INFINITE KUNG FU by Kagan McLeod and LUCILLE by Ludovic Debeurme, and stellar full-color kids' books like INCREDIBLE CHANGE-BOTS by Jeffrey Brown and OKIE DOKIE DONUTS by Chris "Elio" Eliopoulos. All use Comixology's "Guided View" technology for a carefully curated panel-to-panel reading process on small screens, or full-page views on large screens. And, like all Top Shelf's digital comics, they are priced very affordable.

BOOM! Studios Will Reprint Grant Morrison's Avengers Series

11/14/2011

Back in 1990, Eclipse Comics published a three-issue Avengers series based on the television show of the same name. Titled Steed and Mrs. Peel, the series was written by Grant Morrison, and has been tough to find in print over the years. This January, BOOM! will be reprinting the book as a six-issue miniseries. Details are sketchy at this point (we only got the teaser image above as a press release today), but we'll keep you posted as we find out more.

Frank Miller Feels The Fire

11/14/2011

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Comic legend Frank Miller has always been outspoken, but he has now taken it to a new level!

The following article is by Ted Mann from the Atlantic Wire:

Frank Miller, the legenday comic artist behind SinCity, 300, and The Dark Knight Returns unloaded on the Wall Street protesters in a recent blog post, and plenty of his fans are firing back.

First, the blog post. In a long statement posted on his website, titled "Anarchy," Miller says he has decided to say what others are "too damn polite" to say:

[The “Occupy” movement, whether displaying itself on Wall Street or in the streets of Oakland (which has, with unspeakable cowardice, embraced it) is anything but an exercise of our blessed First Amendment. “Occupy” is nothing but a pack of louts, thieves, and rapists, an unruly mob, fed by Woodstock-era nostalgia and putrid false righteousness. These clowns can do nothing but harm America.

“Occupy” is nothing short of a clumsy, poorly-expressed attempt at anarchy, to the extent that the “movement” – HAH! Some “movement”, except if the word “bowel” is attached - is anything more than an ugly fashion statement by a bunch of iPhone, iPad wielding spoiled brats who should stop getting in the way of working people and find jobs for themselves.]

The diatribe goes on in a similar vein. Miller, if he's lucky, may find himself credited with adding the exhortation "wake up, pond scum" to the vernacular. And he pivots into a favorite topic, which he covered, to no small amount of controversy, in his recent graphic novel Holy Terror: Islamist terrorism. Miller gleefully called that effort "propaganda" in the grand tradition: "Let's keep in mind that, back in the forties, Superman punched out Adolf Hitler." But critics saw a crude, simplistic narrative that flattered anti-Muslim stereotypes and lumped the innocent faithful in the same category as terrorists.

For fans who don't share his politics, including writers and comic book artists, the anti-Occupy screed is only the latest letdown. "So we've reached the point where 'Insane, even for Frank Miller' is a thing," the journalist Spencer Ackerman tweeted.

The comic industry tribune Bleeding Cool gathers the responses of Miller's contemporaries. They are genuinely unimpressed with his latest. Bleeding Cool also highlights one of Miller's own Batman comics, which seems to suggest that the superhero is ready to make the one percent pay their fair share. ("You've eaten Gotham's wealth ... your feast is nearly over," he intones.)

Here's the link to the article over on Atlantic Wire.

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Review--Avengers Academy #21

11/13/2011

1 Comment

by Brian LeTendre

The front cover of Avengers Academy #21 heralds the issue as the start of a new era for the title. In the ensuing pages, writer Christos Gage does an admirable job of introducing some new cast members and bringing new readers up to speed on the current class.

The story in issue #21 finds the current class of Avengers Academy down a member, as a mainstay defected from the team recently, while a couple of faculty have left the school as well. The Infinite Avengers Mansion, former home of the school, has also been destroyed. So, Hank Pym and company relocate to the former headquarters of the Avengers West Coast, and open the school up to any young hereo looking for guidance. The current class members feel lost in the shuffle of all the changes at the scholl, which leads to a conflict with Hank and visiting Avengers Luke Cage, Captain America and Hawkeye. It’s clear the new school year is getting off to a rocky start.

Overall, Gage does a nice job of juggling the mix of old and new characters, and the art team of Sean Chen, Scott Hanna, Jeromy Cox and Veronica Gandidni really goes to town with all of the different heroes they get to play with throughout the issue. There’s not a ton of action, but it’s going to take a few issues to sort out the new class, as it’s not clear who will be sticking around just yet. Spider-Girl was teased in a few pages but really didn’t factor in. Lightspeed from Power Pack is part of the new group, and it looks like Hawkeye will become a member of the faculty, so there’s a pretty good foundation moving forward.

I’ll pick up the next few issues to see how the roster shaeks out, and I’m hoping Spider-Girl may find a home in the new Avengers Academy.

3.5 out of 5 Class Is In Sessions

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Image Showcases The Talent Of Guillem March

11/12/2011

Press Release

This January, Image Comics will present a handsome collection of some of the best covers, pin-ups, and sequential artwork from promising young Spanish artist Guillem March. March is the creator and much sought-after illustrator behind the pages of Gotham City Sirens and the artist for the new ongoing Catwoman, but he has only just begun!

COVER GIRLS HC will include more than one hundred full-color images never before seen in the United States, plus much unpublished art as well!

"I am a very busy artist," explained March. "The American fans only get to see a fraction of the work I do, so now I'm glad to share some of my favorites with them."

March has built a varied and extensive portfolio of work in Europe, with stunning illustrations published by Diario de Mallorca, Playboy Spain, Eros Magazine, and more. Now Image Comics is ensuring that American fans can experience March's work beyond his current ongoing series with COVER GIRLS HC!

COVER GIRLS HC (NOV110373, ISBN: 978-1-60706-491-6), an 80-page full-color art book for $16.99, will be on sale in stores and on digital platforms on January 4, and is available for order now in the November issue of Previews.

ABOUT GUILLEM MARCH

Guillem March, the artist from Palma de Mallorca, started his career doing contributions for several Spanish manga magazines and eventually won the award for Best Spanish Manga in 1998 at the Ficomic Barcelona Manga Con. He then began a monthly humor page for the best selling Spanish Dolmen Magazine that satirized American superhero comics, which led to him doing cover art for the magazine in a more mainstream American style.

In 2001, Guillem started an 8-year collaboration with Diario de Mallorca, the most important regional daily newspaper of the Balearic Islands. It consisted of a weekly page from serialized stories. Eventually these pages were compiled in the slice of life comic book albums titled Sofia, Ana, Victoria, and Laura, as well as a thriller called Gray Days. All these have been also published for the Spanish and French market in multiple editions, but have never before been available in the United States. His comics featuring female lead characters caught the attention of Playboy Spain and Eros Comix magazines, who published several of his one-page comics and some cover art. In 2007, he co-created with two colleagues the prozine Tangaroa, a bi-monthly comics magazine that only lasted 2 issues, while he was working for the Belgian publisher Dupuis in collective book called Vampyres.

In 2008, he entered the American mainstream market with DC comics, signing on as an exclusive artist a year later. At DC, he's worked on Batman, Detective Comics, Azrael, Birds of Prey, and cover art for many other titles, though he's best know for his stint in Gotham City Sirens with writer Paul Dini and the brand new ongoing Catwoman series with writer Judd Winick. For more information about the illustrator and his work, visit http://guillemmarch.blogspot.com.

Win A Signed Copy Of Batman: Arkham City Courtesy Of Blockbuster!

11/11/2011

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Hey Loyal Listeners!

We’ve got a really cool contest for you, courtesy of Blockbuster and our friends over at Sandbox Strategies. We’ve got a copy of Batman: Arkham City for the Xbox 360 to give away, and it’s signed by members of development team at Rocksteady!

The contest will consist of you answering the following question in 200 words or less:

If you could have Rocksteady develop a game based on another DC character, who would it be, and what would be the premise of the game?

Here are the rules:

1. You must have an Xbox 360.

2. You must live in the United States (*this is for shipping purposes, not because we don’t love our international listeners.)

3. You must email your answer to sipodcast@comcast.net no later than Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. Make sure to put "Batman Arkham City Contest" in the subject line.

4. You must include your full name and address, so that we can send the game out to you.

We will announce the winner here on the website on Saturday, November 19, 2011, and we’ll send out the game the following week.

Now, for those of you who don’t win the game, or have a PS3, Blockbuster is offering a very cool promo right now. If you buy Batman: Arkham City at a Blockbuster store, you get a free month of unlimited game and movie rentals. This offer is only good through November 22, 2011, so don’t wait! There are 1,500 Blockbuster locations nationwide – so for most Americans there is a store nearby and well stocked with Batman: Arkham City for sale or rent. All of the major recent videogame (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS) and movie releases are also available for rental, with over 100,000 titles available.

Head over to www.blockbuster.com/arkhamcity for more info.

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Dave Dorman: Star Wars Artist, Blogger, Podcaster!!!

Torchbearer Takes The Prize In Our Batman: Arkham City Giveaway!

Top Ten Books Since 2001

The Year Without War (Gaming)

Top Shelf Goes Digital

BOOM! Studios Will Reprint Grant Morrison's Avengers Series

Frank Miller Feels The Fire

Review--Avengers Academy #21

Image Showcases The Talent Of Guillem March

Win A Signed Copy Of Batman: Arkham City Courtesy Of Blockbuster!

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