Hey guys, I hope you are all having a great weekend enjoying all the great comics that have come out in the past few weeks. This week I was VERY impressed with Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers. It reminded me of Morrison’s JLA in all the right ways and Jerome Opena’s art was top notch. Other great books Before Watchmen: Minutemen, Great Pacific, and All-New X-Men. What did you guys like this week?
This was a big week in comic news so let’s get started with an all-new installment of The Impact.
Karen Berger Leaving DC Comics in 2013
Courtesy of Publishers Weekly. This week it was announced that Vertigo Executive Editor Karen Berger will be leaving DC Comics in March of 2013. This is a huge loss for DC and comic fans in general, under her leadership Vertigo published such esteemed creators as Neil Gaiman (Sandman), Alan Moore (V for Vendetta), Grant Morrison (The Invisibles) and Garth Ennis (Preacher), Brian K. Vaughan (Y the Last Man), Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets), Bill Willingham (Fables), Jason Aaron (Scalped) and Scott Snyder (American Vampire). Berger will help with the transition with her most likely successor will most likely be one of the current Vertigo Editors Shelly Bond, Mark Doyle and Will Dennis. I wish her all the best in whatever she pursues next for more check out Antonio’s blog call The Vertigo Imprint: End of Era?
Vertigo Announces a Revival of Time Warp
Courtesy of MTV Geek. This week we learned that Vertigo would be bringing back the 1970’s sci-fi anthology, Time Warp. While it’s not clear if it will be a ongoing, one-shot or mini-series, we do know the impressive talent that will be involved including, Damon Lindelof, Jeff Lemire, Matt Kindt, Toby Litt, Mark Buckingham, Dan Abnett, Peter Milligan, Ray Fawkes, Simon Spurrier, Gail Simone, Rafael Albuquerque and Tom Fowler. Time Warp will be released March 20th 2013.
Martian Manhunter Spotlight Stories in Justice League of America
Martian Manhunter is finally getting the spotlight in “The New 52.” Featuring a creative team of co-writters Matt Kindt and Geoff Johns and illustrated by Scott Clark the former member of Stormwatch will be featured in the spotlight back-ups of Justice League of America starting with issue two. Kindt spoke with MTV Geek about his feelings on the project.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be working on this. I grew up with the JLA and Manhunter was one of the few characters I felt had so much more un-mined potential than most of the other characters. His powers and abilities really lend themselves to the kind of stories I love to tell. And working with Geoff? That’s like the cherry on top. But more than just being fun from the fan/reader part of me, we’re really working to make the back-ups be an essential part of the reading experience. We’re treating the back-up like the harmony to the main melody of the issue.”
Justice League of America #2 hits stores March 6, 2013.
Free Comic Book Day 2013 Gold Comics Announced.
So Free Comic Book Day is only five months away. It’s a nice day to celebrate comics and your local comic shop and it a proper kickoff to the summer movie season. This week on freecomicbookday.com we learned which books will be offered. Check out the list below.
Free Comic Book Day 2013: Gold Comics
APE ENTERTAINMENT
KIZOIC PRESENTS: SESAME STREET/STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
(W) Georgia Ball, Jason M. Burns (A/CA) Amy Mebberson
On side one, Elmo, Cookie Monster, The Count and Super Grover teach you about the magic of reading comics! It’s GUARANTEED to chase the clouds away! On side two, join Strawberry Shortcake and friends on 3 berry sweet adventures! Includes “The Blue Flu”, “The Hunt for Blackberry’s Treasure”, and “Blueberry’s Book Tour”.
It’s a bushel of fun!
ARCHIE COMICS
THE WORLD OF ARCHIE DIGEST
(W/A) Various (CA) TBD
Archie! Betty! Veronica! Jughead! The world’s most famous teenagers for over seven decades are all here in this FREE digest! Packed with non-stop laughs and gaffs that the Riverdale gang is known for, we challenge you to find a Free Comic Book Day offering with more pages than this! The perfect introduction to the world of Archie and friends, this digest is filled with stories from some of the best creators in the business! This is the one to pick up on Free Comic Book Day!
BONGO COMICS
BONGO COMICS FREE-FOR-ALL! FCBD 2013
(W/A/CA) Matt Groening, Various
Bongo rings in another Free Comic Book Day with a comical cornucopia of four-color comics and games. First, Bart becomes a model citizen for a day…with disastrous results. Then, Jimbo and the gahttp://toynewsi.com/n/images/button-bold.gifng escalate and elevate their juvenile delinquency to new heights. Stick around for a bedtime tale with the dim but adorable Li’l Homer and go in search of the Happy Little Elves with Maggie. (STK525407)
BOOM! STUDIOS: KABOOM!
KABOOM! SUMMER BLAST
(W/A/CA) Various
An explosion of All-Ages awesomeness from KaBOOM! this Free Comic Book Day! Sure to be one of the most popular offerings this Free Comic Book Day, the KaBOOM! Summer Blast is 48 pages chock-full of the most popular all-ages comics on the stands today! Featuring excerpts from Adventure Time, Peanuts, Regular Show, Bravest Warriors, Garfield, Ice Age and some brand-new surprises, these series will keep readers young and old coming back to your comic shop again and again!
DARK HORSE COMICS
STAR WARS/CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT/AVATAR
(W) Joshua Williamson, Various (A/CA) Ryan Hill, Various
All-Ages Adventure! Star Wars joins fan-favorite villains Darth Vader and Boba Fett! Then explore the upcoming Dark Horse series, Captain Midnight, where the search for the missing superhero is on! And the smash hit Avatar: The Last Airbender follows Mai as she deals with her broken heart…
DC COMICS
FCBD 2013 SUPERMAN SPECIAL EDITION
(W/A/CA) TBD
Sorry, but you’ll have to come back next month for full details!
IDW PUBLISHING
TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES
(W/A) Various (CA) Dario Brizuela
Jumping from screen to page, it’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles New Animated Adventures! This unique series captures the heart of the smash Nickelodeon television show with brand-new stories. Full of action, excitement and laughs, this is the perfect all-ages comic to get you seeing green!!
IMAGE COMICS
THE WALKING DEAD FCBD 2013 SPECIAL
(W) Robert Kirkman (A/CA) Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn
This special Walking Dead issue contains a new Tyreese short story, a fan-favorite character who just made his television debut in The Walking Dead Season 3! It also reprints short stories featuring Michonne, The Governor and Morgan. This special issue is a must-have for fans of The Walking Dead — as none of these stories will be reprinted in the trade paperbacks!
MARVEL COMICS
MARVEL FCBD 2013: CLASSIFIED!
(W/A/CA) TBD
Prepare for an epic that is out of this world as the biggest and best Super Heroes in the Marvel Universe come together for something that will leave fans demanding more? Marvel Comics has something special planned for Free Comic Book Day 2013… but for now it’s CLASSIFIED!
NBM PUBLISHING/PAPERCUTZ
THE SMURFS
(W/A) Peyo, Various (CA) Peyo
The Smurfs return to Free Comic Book Day with two stories never-before-seen in the U.S.! Gargamel has tormented the Smurfs time and time again, always vowing his revenge on the small creatures. But what happens when he is forced to tangle with someone bigger than him — a nasty Ogre? Find out in “The Ogre and the Smurfs!” Also featuring comics from two of the hottest new Papercutz series, Annoying Orange and Ariol, a new series from Emmanuel Guibert!
UNITED PLANKTON PICTURES
SPONGEBOB COMICS FREESTYLE FUNNIES
(W) Derek Drymon, Maris Wicks (A) Graham Annable, Various
United Plankton brings you a completely original collection of SpongeBob comics for FCBD 2013. In “Paint Misbehavin'” Squidward teaches SpongeBob and Patrick how to paint realistically — but how did they learn to bring their painted creations to life? Then in “Day of the Free Comic” SpongeBob must foil Plankton’s latest plan: invading the Krusty Krab inside a…giveaway comic book! Will funny books ever be the same? And: Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy take on a new villain: the sultry Catfishstress. All this plus facts about the colorful cuttlefish, a fill-in comic, and a preview of this summer’s SpongeBob superhero-themed annual!
VIZ MEDIA
IT’S THE UGLY DOLL COMIC & OTHER STUFF
(W) David Horvath & Various (A) James Kolchaka & Various
Say, Friend. Do you need a hero? Then this comic isn’t for you. (Though being Ugly IS a super power — “ugly” means unique!) Do you need a cookie? Then this is your book! Join OX, Wage, Babo, Ice-Bat and all their friends in the Uglydolls’ first-ever comic book adventure! The Uglydolls may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but they sure will eat your candy! And don’t miss the bonus features from other famous members of the VIZ Kids family!
Valiant Teases the Harbringer Wars
Coming in 2013.
Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko Relaunching Star Wars: Legacy in 2013
Courtesy of CBR. Next year Dark Horse is bringing Star Wars: Legacy back with the fantastic creative team of Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko, who had a very impressive debut on Boom! Studios Planet of the Apes comics. Details are still scarce but we do know the series will focus on the great-granddaughter of Han Solo and Leia Organa. Stay tuned for more information.
Mark Millar Auctioning Characters Name for Jupiter’s Children.
Courtesy of ebay. In what’s becoming a generous tradition, Mark Millar is auctioning the opportunity for a fan to name a character in his upcoming series Jupiter’s Children. The proceeds will benefit Millar’s grade school. Just a reminder Christmas is right around the corner and Matt Todd is a great name for a comic character.
New Man Of Steel Poster and Picture.
To help promote the Blu-Ray release of The Dark Knight Rises the official DKR Facebook page unveiled the new poster for Man of Steel. The image, showing Superman in handcuffs being escorted by the military, is surprisingly low-key. I kinda wish they had gone a little more inspirational in tone, but that is just my opinion. On Friday we got a look at the cover of Studio Ciné Live which features a great promotional picture of Henry Cavill in costume, which I like better than the poster. Man Of Steel hits theaters June 14th, 2013. I hope we will have a link to the trailer in next week’s Impact.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For Adds Dennis Haysbert
Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter. Dennis Haysbert is currently in negotiations to join the cast of Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. Haysbert would be playing Manute, originally played by Michael Clark Duncan who passed away in September. Haybert would be joining returning cast members Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Jaime King and Rosario Dawson in the Robert Rodriguez directed sequel to the original Sin City.
Dane DeHaan Cast as Harry Osborn in Amazing Spider-Man 2
This week director Marc Webb announced on his Twitter that actor Dane DeHaan has been cast as Harry Osborn in Amazing Spider-Man 2. DeHaan is perhaps most well known for his role in Chronicle and I think is excellent casting as Harry…now I want to know who will play Norman, my vote is for either Jason Isaacs or Bryan Cranston. Amazing Spider-Man 2 hits theaters May 2, 2014.
Well there you have it guys I hope you have a great one and I will see you all here next week for an all new installment of The Impact.
Matt Todd
matthew@comicimpact.com