Previews Spotlight #043 (May->Jul): Fri May 6th: 5pm pac

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 8:01 am

abysslord wrote: What I don't like is while I sat through the last 4-5 issues of crap from the main series, now we get a possibly good story in a mini about the origin of Butcher. I've dropped The Boys, so I won't bother with this now. I'll probably read the rest of the series and this when it's all said and done.

A good story is a good story. I can see dropping the main series with all the fill-in artists, but why not get this mini if it looks like it will be good? (And it DOES look like it will be good).

torchsong · Post by **torchsong** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 9:15 am

BobBretall wrote:Notable (for me) from Dynamite:
WARLORD OF MARS: FALL OF BARSOOM #1
I LOVE Warlord of Mars (and the Dejah Thoris series), but in a move that Dynamite should patent, they are yet again over-expanding a franchise. I personally don't need 3 Warlord of Mars titles every month. I'm going to skip this one. I guess they add titles until one fails to sell. For me, this is the one that will be that breaking point.

I felt the same way...another cash grab by Dynamite. Sadly, it's a franchise I love so much I'll be ponying up the dough. With the main series echoing the books pretty much note for note, I enjoyed what they did with the first issues of Dejah Thoris, and hopefully this will deliver more of the same. I'm going to give them the opportunity to let me down. Plus the covers on all these series have been be-yoo-ti-ful!

abysslord · Post by **abysslord** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 9:21 am

BobBretall wrote:
abysslord wrote: What I don't like is while I sat through the last 4-5 issues of crap from the main series, now we get a possibly good story in a mini about the origin of Butcher. I've dropped The Boys, so I won't bother with this now. I'll probably read the rest of the series and this when it's all said and done.
A good story is a good story. I can see dropping the main series with all the fill-in artists, but why not get this mini if it looks like it will be good? (And it DOES look like it will be good).

I'd rather wait for the trades so I can finish the main series, and any other minis, all at once.

abysslord · Post by **abysslord** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 5:06 pm

BOOM! titles are up for July. Two notable things:

1) Dracula #12: Final issue. Damn, I really liked this series. I'm guessing 12 wasn't a planned number, but maybe it was. Either way, sad to see it go but I'd also hate to have it run out of ideas.

2)

ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST #1

Written by Chris Roberson, art by Francesco Biagini, covers by Francesco Mattina, Benjamin Carre, afterword by Neil Gaiman.

An ongoing series that sees a crisis break out across multiple worlds with Moorcock's other two most famous fantasy franchise characters, Corum of the Scarlet Robe and Dorian Hawkmoon! The workings of Fate are being tampered across the Multiverse, upsetting the Cosmic Balance. Elric is on a quest to restore The Balance and save the Multiverse from ruin! Elric, Corum, and Hawkmoon are forced into action far and wide, but will they fight on the side of Law... or Chaos?

Before I do too much searching, anyone else ever heard of Corum of the Scarlet Robe and Dorian Hawkmoon?

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 10:52 pm

abysslord wrote: Before I do too much searching, anyone else ever heard of Corum of the Scarlet Robe and Dorian Hawkmoon?

Elric, Corum, & Hawkmoon are all characters created by Michael Moorcock, all aspects of Moorcock's concept of the "Eternal Champion"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_Champion

There have been previous comics incarnations of all these characters (many from First Comics).

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 10:58 pm

abysslord wrote:BOOM! titles are up for July. Two notable things:

A THIRD notable thing from Boom! is the absence of Uncle Scrooge, Donald Duck, & Mickey Mouse being solicited.

Marvel has gobbled up the Pixar titles......I'm wondering if these key Disney properties are the next to be pulled back under the "Disney corporate umbrella" via their minion company Marvel comics.

Danscomics · Post by **Danscomics** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 7:16 am

BobBretall wrote:
abysslord wrote:BOOM! titles are up for July. Two notable things:
A THIRD notable thing from Boom! is the absence of Uncle Scrooge, Donald Duck, & Mickey Mouse being solicited.

Marvel has gobbled up the Pixar titles......I'm wondering if these key Disney properties are the next to be pulled back under the "Disney corporate umbrella" via their minion company Marvel comics.

Yes, this actually hit the news sites a couple days ago. Disney has officially moved everything other than the "Disney Afternoon" titles (Darkwing Duck, Ducktales, Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers) over to Marvel.

Personally I am ok with this, the Disney Afternoon titles are the only ones that I read of the Disney titles that Boom had (I can't resist the nostalgia).

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:07 am

Danscomics wrote: Yes, this actually hit the news sites a couple days ago. Disney has officially moved everything other than the "Disney Afternoon" titles (Darkwing Duck, Ducktales, Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers) over to Marvel.

I'm guessing, then, that it's only a matter of time before Disney pulls these away from Boom! also.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:49 am

Image solicits are up!!!

Looks cool:

THE RED WING #1
story JONATHAN HICKMAN
art & cover NICK PITARRA & RACHELLE ROSENBERG
To stay alive in the future, the best fighter pilots in the world not only have to perfect their skills and master their aircraft, they also have to know how to travel through time.
Brought to you by award winning writer JONATHAN HICKMAN and possibly the best new talent of the year, NICK PITARRA, the Red Wing is the story of the greatest battle in the history of the history of three worlds.

A GREAT series from Remender from the days before he "went corporate":

STRANGE GIRL OMNIBUS HC
story RICK REMENDER
art ERIC NGUYEN, JEROME OPENA, NICK STAKAL & PETER BERGTING
450 PAGES / FC
OVERSIZED
$59.99
FOR THE FIRST TIME, IN ONE VOLUME: RICK REMENDER’S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED INDIE HIT, FROM START TO FINISH!
Ten years after the Rapture, a beautiful occultist and her pet demon embark on a road trip to the last open gateway to heaven, in hopes of befriending God and escaping hell on earth. A bare-knuckle, action-driven series, peppered with social commentary and dark humor, STRANGE GIRL is a story about the bewildering nature of religion, what would happen if the dark future predicted by many came true, and what a good person would endure for not having faith in advance of it. Featuring story and art by a handful of today’s hottest new talents including RICK REMENDER (Uncanny X-Force, Venom), ERIC NGUYEN (Halo, Sandman), JEROME OPENA (Uncanny X-Force, Punisher) and NICK STAKAL (Criminal Macabre).
Collects STRANGE GIRL #1-18

Can't go wrong here, only a buck!

MARKSMAN #1 (of 6)
story DAVID BAXTER
art JAVIER ARANDA, GARRY LEACH & JESSICA KHOLINE OF IMAGINARY FRIENDS STUDIOS
32 PAGES / FC
$1.00
Sixty years ago the oil ran out and debts were called in. Civil war followed that splintered America into warring fiefdoms. New San Diego is a technocratic utopia that offers the last bastion of peace and prosperity, provided you live within its walls. Drake McCoy is its best protector. McCoy, an expert marksman, defends the city from the numerous threats in the wasteland outside the walls. But when the oil rich Lone Star state sends a powerful army to steal New San Diego’s energy technology, even Drake’s leadership and skill may not be enough to fend off the siege.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 9:15 am

What I'm getting from Boom!

DRACULA: THE COMPANY OF MONSTERS #12 - last issue. Bummer!
ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST #1
HELLRAISER #5
INCORRUPTIBLE #20
IRREDEEMABLE #27
PLANET OF THE APES #4 --> Maybe, I have to read #1 1st
STAN LEE'S SOLDIER ZERO #10
STAN LEE'S STARBORN #8
STAN LEE'S TRAVELER #9

I'll be getting 30 Image books!!!

THE RED WING #1
MYSTERIOUS WAYS #1 (of 6)
MARKSMAN #1 (of 6)
50 GIRLS 50 #2 (of 4)
'68 #4 (of 4)
AGE OF BRONZE #32
ARTIFACTS #11 (of 13)
BLUE ESTATE #4
‘BREED III #3 (of 6)
BUTCHER BAKER, THE RIGHTEOUS MAKER #5
DAOMU #6
DRUMS #3 (of 4)
ELEPHANTMEN #34
GLADSTONE’S SCHOOL FOR WORLD CONQUERORS #3
HACK/SLASH #6
INVINCIBLE #84
THE LI'L DEPRESSED BOY #5
MORIARTY #3
MORNING GLORIES #12
NETHERWORLD #4 (of 5)
RED SPIKE #3 (of 5)
SAMURAI’S BLOOD #2 (of 6)
SCREAMLAND #2
SHINKU #2
SKULLKICKERS #9
UNDYING LOVE #4
THE WALKING DEAD #87
THE WALKING DEAD SURVIVOR’S GUIDE #4 (of 4)
WITCHBLADE #149
WITCH DOCTOR #2 (of 4)

Danscomics · Post by **Danscomics** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 9:24 am

BobBretall wrote:
Danscomics wrote: Yes, this actually hit the news sites a couple days ago. Disney has officially moved everything other than the "Disney Afternoon" titles (Darkwing Duck, Ducktales, Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers) over to Marvel.
I'm guessing, then, that it's only a matter of time before Disney pulls these away from Boom! also.

I'm hoping not, I really like being able to give my business to Boom!. I'm guessing since they haven't yet means they don't feel it's enough of a market to be worth it. We shall see though.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 10:31 am

Danscomics wrote: I'm hoping not, I really like being able to give my business to Boom!. I'm guessing since they haven't yet means they don't feel it's enough of a market to be worth it. We shall see though.

Not necessarily. When contracts are signed to license a product, those contracts extend for a certain period of time. They can't just be terminated without cause before the term is up.

The Disney afternoon books only came about recently, compared to the "core Disney" & Pixar books, so it makes sense that the license is still running. I'm guessing as soon as the term runs out it will not be renewed and the properties will move to Marvel.

Danscomics · Post by **Danscomics** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 11:49 am

BobBretall wrote:
Danscomics wrote: I'm hoping not, I really like being able to give my business to Boom!. I'm guessing since they haven't yet means they don't feel it's enough of a market to be worth it. We shall see though.
Not necessarily. When contracts are signed to license a product, those contracts extend for a certain period of time. They can't just be terminated without cause before the term is up.

The Disney afternoon books only came about recently, compared to the "core Disney" & Pixar books, so it makes sense that the license is still running. I'm guessing as soon as the term runs out it will not be renewed and the properties will move to Marvel.

I'm not sure the contracts in this case are that strict. All of the comments I have seen coming from Boom! make it seem like they were caught off guard by the first round of titles being pulled away from them. I would have thought that if the contracts were expiring, they wouldn't have been quite as surprised.

I'm also not sure how things are licensed, by title or something like characters. Boom! just started DuckTales, after the Pixar titles were pulled and long after the Marvel merge. If they are licensed by title it seems odd that Disney would have even started a new license with them at that point if they wanted all their titles under Marvel. If it is by something like characters, then I would have thought it would have been connected to the license that held Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge since those characters appear in DuckTales (and Darkwing Duck to a limited extent).

Anyway, I'm just being hopeful because I'm not sure I would follow those titles across to Marvel, especially since the creative teams are not following the titles (at least so far). Ultimately this is all speculation and I know we will just have to wait and see what happens. I'm glad that Boom! has started to branch out a bit so that they should be able to survive the loss of these titles.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 1:22 pm

Danscomics wrote: I'm not sure the contracts in this case are that strict. All of the comments I have seen coming from Boom! make it seem like they were caught off guard by the first round of titles being pulled away from them. I would have thought that if the contracts were expiring, they wouldn't have been quite as surprised.

I'd be willing to bet you money that any licensing contract has an expiry date & can't be terminated early by the licensor without cause unless some kind of penalty is paid.

I think they were "caught off guard" because they had someone blowing sunshine up their backsides leading them to believe that even though Marvel was bought by Disney that Disney would still allow Boom! to renew their licenses when the terms were up.

In the end, just putting a Marvel logo on the things will cause more comics shops to carry them & more people to buy them. Such is the sad state of the comics industry today.

Danscomics · Post by **Danscomics** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 2:19 pm

BobBretall wrote: In the end, just putting a Marvel logo on the things will cause more comics shops to carry them & more people to buy them. Such is the sad state of the comics industry today.

I fully agree with that. That's why I would much rather give my money to Boom!. That and the fact that they were one of the first to put heavy emphasis on publishing titles for all ages in the modern age (Archie doesn't count because they have always been pretty all ages friendly

).