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The original Mirror’s Edge was one of those games you might have missed. It wasn’t based on anything, nor was it part of a movie franchise. Mirror’s Edge was a new idea from a big company, and that can often times leave consumers more skeptical than something from a little known publisher. Admittedly, I never played the original game till it was offered free maybe really cheap on Steam or PS Plus. After playing it, I regret not jumping on sooner. Mirror’s Edge is a great metaphor for technology trapping humanity in hell. We got some hand’s on time with DICE’s follow up Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst at E3, not only does it have us more excited for the game, but the upcoming Dark Horse published comic as well.

The Mirror’s Edge mini theater inside the EA booth hypes you up for playing this small piece of the game with an introduction video outlining your objectives and how to use the game’s emphasis on “free run” to have the best experience.

This video also gives us an insight into the story of Catalyst. After the events of the original game, the whereabouts of our hero Faith and Kate are unknown, so DICE is going back to the beginning to tell an origin story. We’ll dive deep into the rebellious beginnings of Faith as a simple runner over the rooftops of the City of Glass.

As the doors in the back of the theater opened we were staged inside the EA booth to take on the first part of Mirror’s Edge Catalyst. A portion that consisted of Faith walking through processing on her way to jail when she receives a message that tells her to make a run for it. This part is here strictly to get you accustomed to the game’s controls and tease a bit of the intense story.

The second part of the demo sees players complete three objectives in the free roaming City of Glass. We first took on a courier mission that sees Faith use her fighting skills to take down enemy patrols. To say “flow” is important in this game is an understatement. Much like the Flash, Faith’s greatest weapon is speed. The smoother players can make her movements the more dangerous her attacks. As we ran from roof top to rooftop, when we could fluidly parkour our way across; enemies could be taken down with one hit. On the off times where movement was clunky from not timing obstacles right, hand to hand combat was our only recourse.

While some have been vocal about the problems with combat in the first game, here it’s easier to get the hang of. They’ve taken a few pages from the Arkham series, strikes are easy to chain among multiple enemies and the execution of finishing moves is spectacular.

Our second objective was a time trial of getting from one point on the map to the other under a specific time. Sprinting, leaping from ledge to ledge, seamlessly sliding through vents, and busting through locked doors; You’ll need to time these all just right to make the objective points in record times. In other games these objectives feel like after thoughts. In Mirror’s Edge it feels like a reward. There’s something gorgeous about the feeling of running from building to building in first person. As intense as it is on screen, publishers need to bring the Mirrors edge to their VR experiences. I can’t imagine how much my heart would pound in my chest from seeing something like that.

We didn’t get a chance to complete the third objective before our time was up. The only thing more disappointing is knowing we have to wait until February 23, 2016 to play the game. Fortunately, Dark Horse Comics is bring Faith’s story to comics in the six issue mini series, Mirror’s Edge: Exordium. We’ll only have to wait till September for comics to explore a part of Faith’s story.

Fans have waiting seven years for the return of Mirror’s Edge and this feels like a game that used the time away to build an experience worthy of the new generation of gaming hardware. The City of Glass will be somewhere we want to visit come February.

Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst comes out February 23, 2016 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. See more of the game on their official website and find out more about the upcoming Dark Horse Comics series here. 

 

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Xbox kicked off Monday with high octane announcements and the epic news of backwards compatibility for Xbox One from the Xbox 360. Now it’s EA’s turn in the spotlight as they take over the Shrine Auditorium in LA.

Expect new info on Mass Effect, Star Wars Battlefront, and Plants Vs Zombies 2. Last week Dark Horse Comics announced a new limited series set in the world of Mirror’s Edge; today we should see new footage from the game. Everything starts in about 15min, so if you’re hinding in your cubicle check back as the conference starts and we’ll update this post with news as it comes out.

Mass Effect Andromeda will be released Holiday 2016.

First up the return of Need For Speed. The video package shows off some intense cops and robbers car chases. This new game is intended to be the definitive experience built on all of the franchises previous entries. In runs on the same Frostbite tech that powers the Battlefield and Star Wars games.

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What a weekend it’s been. Between Avengers, “Fights of the century”, Free Comic Book Day, the Suicide Squad reveal, and the Batman: Arkham Knight DLC info; some of us didn’t even get a weekend. On the Monday night edition of WGB we’ll talk about some of the tidbits that slipped through the cracks in the last few days such as Star Wars Infinity, and The Last of Us. This week doesn’t show signs of slowing down either as we got a full trailer look at Jason’s appearance in Mortal Kombat X, plus a Legend of Zelda graphic novel hits stores this Wednesday. Let’s Go!

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This past Thursday, a retail leak fueled speculation that the upcoming Disney Infinity 3.0 would feature Star Wars characters. The 3.0 set leaked by retailer Saturn shows a set that includes toys based on both Anakin Skywalker and Clone Wars star Ahsoka Tano. No word on when the new 3.0 Infinity game would launch or what systems it would be available for.

 

Our Thought:

The first Disney Infinity featured characters from classic Disney films while 2.0 brought Marvel characters into the toy box. It seems logical that the next phase of Infinity would feature Star Wars. With the slew of new comics and upcoming movies, every division of the Disney machine should have a way to pry open wallets all over the world. While no official announcements have been made, it seems a safe bet that the new Disney Infinity would follow their incumbents model of releasing on all the major platforms. Over the last year not only has Disney Infinity had to compete with the popular Skylanders game toy franchise, but Nintendo also made a splash in the market with their Amibos. Most recently, Lego announced they would also release their own version of this with Lego Dimensions. All this adds up to Disney Interactive needing to do something huge to gain a hold on market share, which means consumers could see the biggest Infinity line up yet. With gamings biggest week, E3, right around the corner you can expect the official word to come sooner rather than later.

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The Last of Us: Left Behind, the single player downloadable add-on chapter to developer Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed PlayStation game, The Last of Us, was released more than a year ago. Since then the PS3 classic has seen a full 1080p remastered edition bundled for the PS4, now the DLC chapter comes standalone and will be available on both PS4 and PS3 starting May 12th for only $9.99. Left Behind is the story of Ellie and her best friend Riley as they sneak out to an abandoned mall to enjoy their last night together. It also touches on a key battle for Ellie not seen in the main story campaign that takes place right before you briefly play as her in the Winter.

Those who purchase the standalone version of Left Behind will also get a two hour trial of the factions multiplayer mode.

Our Thought:

Yes, most of you who’ve owned or currently own a PS3/4 have already played The Last of Us and most likely its DLC chapter. However, there are quite a few gamers out there who may have been caught in the next-gen transition that didn’t want to pay another $49.99 for the remastered edition just to play the DLC. This move seems to be geared toward that part of the audience. If you haven’t played either of the games, you’re missing out on one this generations best stories. Left Behind especially makes a bold stand for diversity with its characters not only as female protagonists, but as voices for young teens who might be struggling with their own identities.

If you want to go even deeper into the world of TLOU, then check out the Dark Horse Comics published companion series, The Last of Us: American Dreams. The book was written by the game’s mastermind himself, Neil Druckmann in collaboration with the incredible Faith Erin Hicks. You can find it in shops and online.

 

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We’ve known for months now that Mortal Kombat X‘s Kombat Pack downloadable content would include the Predator and horror film icon Jason Vorhees. Now more has been revealed about Jason’s appearance including all three of his style variations players can choose before the fight.

• Slasher: The character goes classic white mask and uses the machete to slash the sternums of his opponents. Lots of bloodshed.
• Relentless: This variation changes his mask chrome and uses barehanded attacks. The quirk about this mode is that it also comes with the ability to flip an opponents block buttons and teleportation.
• Unstopabble: Just as the name would suggest. Jason is able to regenerate health and power up his attacks.

Players who purchased the Kombat Pack will be able to download the character starting tomorrow. If you don’t own the Kombat pack you’ll have to wait until May 12 to purchase the Jason pack for $8 which also includes the “horror pack” skins for Melina, Ermac, and Reptile.

 

Our Thought: 

MKX has been a great time for gamers. I’ve yet to complete the classic towers with every character. Now the addition of the movie franchise characters we were teased gives me more reason to dive back into combat. Monday’s Netherrealm live stream (archived here) also teased what we’ll see when the Predator comes to the game. Some out there might think having these licensed characters might be cheeky, but they don’t have any real barring on the MKX story. They’re just there for a cheap pop and there’s sure to be more incoming fighters from previous Mortal Kombat games, maybe even a DC Villain.

Mortal Kombat X is available now for PS4, Xbox One, and PC with Ps3 and Xbox 360 versions to launch this Summer.

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Monday also marked “May the fourth be with you” a holiday for lovers of Star Wars. To celebrate EA and DICE posted a look at the planet Sullust in the upcoming Star Wars: Battlefront game. The game’s developer, DICE, traveled to Iceland to base an unexplored planet in the legendary sci-fi series’ mythos. In their chronicles which you can view on the game’s site, fans will see the developers travel to locations used in the original film for planets such as Endor.

 

Our Thought:

For anyone who looked at the game’s trailer during Star Wars celebration and said it’s nothing special, take in to account just how much detail DICE is stretching to put into this game. Star Wars: Battlefront is poised to become the new standard by which all future Star Wars games will be measured. You know, as long as they don’t include the prequels.

Star Wars: Battlefront will come to the PS4, Xbox One, and PC on November 17, 2015.

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Before we get to this Wednesday’s new comic releases. I wanted to mention that The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past graphic novel will be in stores. Originally published as a 12-issue comic in Nintendo Power magazine, this reprinting captures the original story by Shotaro Ishinomori as it was told back in the 90’s.

Our Thought:

We’ve read it and it’s a must have for any Zelda fans. When I first read the Shotaro Ishinomori story in Nintendo Power, I couldn’t appreciate just how spot on this tale nails some of my favorite characters of the game. It pays tribute to Zelda’s core themes of adventure and good versus evil, plus it’s pretty damn gorgeous.

 

Gaming comics in stores 5/6/15

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We now live in a post Star Wars trailer world, it’s a world where anything is possible including universally liking things. This week we’ll touch on new developments with Batman, Disney Interactive, and free Mortal Kombat X goodies.

In addition to seeing the first full trailer for The Force Awakens, fans at Celebration in Anaheim got a first look at Battlefield game series developer DICE’s plunge into the Star Wars universe with Battlefront. With the game set to be a November holiday release we can now start the anticipation build up. DICE has lit the match and started the fire by releasing a series of video diaries chronicling the game’s progress. Watch the first one below:

Star Wars: Battlefront comes to the PS4, Xbox One, and Origin PC on November 17, 2015.

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While no official announcement has been made, Infinity Inquirer managed to get a leaked image  of possible characters for Disney Interactive 3.0. The image showcases a lineup of 11 new collectible toys which include Sam Flynn and Quarra from Tron Legacy, Olaf, and Mulan. Keep in mind Disney has neither confirmed or denied the image, but it has been taken down at the request of Disney from several sites.

With E3 approaching soon we should find out more details on the future of the franchise, including the possibility of incorporating figures from or to previous versions of the game.

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Last week the Mortal Kombat franchise had it’s biggest launch in the game’s history. While no specific numbers are known it has been released that the PS4 version is outselling both Xbox One and PC. For a breakdown of sales, MKX sold 61% of its copies on PS4, 38% on Xbox One, and 1% on PC.

This week, to thank fans who’ve been part of this launch the latest game update will include a new free DLC skin for a classic character. Patch 1.02 improves online stability, adds a new move for Takeda, and includes general balancing tweaks. It’s most visible addition is the classic look of Sub-Zero seen here.

Destructoid has also reported that classic Mortal Kombat fatalities from the 90’s could be coming back in DLC form.

Now that we’ve played the game, it’ll be interesting to see how the DC Comics prequel series catches up to the game. As of now one of the game’s main four characters, Takeda, is a teen just starting his training under Scorpion. The series still has yet to do any significant story on the game’s main character Cassie Cage.

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Halo 5: Guardians released a new trailer that showcases UNSC elite manhunter Spartan Locke taking out Covenant while in pursuit of Master Chief. If you check it out you’ll see new weapons and multiplayer abilities the game will have when it releases this October. Additionally it’s been announced anyone pre-ordering the shooter from GameStop in the US will get access to the Hunter-Class armor set.

Halo 5: Guardians releases for the Xbox One on 10-27-2015.

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Batman: Arkham Knight draws closer and closer each week, yet the wait feels unbearable. The game’s director Sefton Hill isn’t making things easier. He teased fans on  twitter with talk of a new trailer, as if that wasn’t enough there’s also talk of new features Rocksteady has not yet disclosed.

 

 

He even went so far as to say, a familiar face from Arkham City would be appearing in the new trailer. With just about everyone in the Batman universe appearing during Arkham City, it’s anyone’s guess just who he’s referring to. We should know more about the trailer including a possible date in the next few days.

Batman: Arkham Knight is set to release on June 23, 2015 for the Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

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Game Comics out 4/22:

Halo: Escalation #17 (Dark Horse Comics)

(W) Duffy Boudreau (A) Douglas Franchin, Rob Lean (CA) Sparth                                               “The Glass Horizon” part 1: An action-packed survival tale on the treacherous and barren glasslands of a Covenant-ravaged colony world . . . and a Spartan-IV’s mysterious origin revealed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomb Raider #15 (Dark Horse Comics)

(W) Rhianna Pratchett (A) Derliz Santacruz, Andy Owens (CA) Andy Park

While using the cover of a fake documentary about the legendary Chupacabra, Lara and her friends are drawn into a missing-child case while hunting the organization holding their friend hostage!

 

 

 

 

 

Batman: Arkham Knight #3 (DC Comics) (Print ed)    

 (W) Peter J. Tomasi (A) Viktor Bogdanovic & Various (CA) Dan Panosian

The Arkham Knight’s shadow spreads across the city as Batman digs deeper into the murders of villains – and it will soon put him on a collision course with the most dangerous enemy he’s ever faced!

 

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Swedish comics creator Kim W. Andersson has signed a deal with Dark Horse Comics for The Complete Love Hurts. This project will be Andersson’s debut graphic novel for United States readers.

According to the press release, this collection of horror-romance comics features “lovelorn supervillains, psychopathic online daters, murderous reality TV show stars, and heartbroken cowboys, samurais, and astronauts.” These stories explore the idea “that no matter who you are or what you do, love can be one deadly bitch!”

Danish comics artist Peter Snejbjerg has contributed a foreword for this book. The publication date has been scheduled for October 28th.

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Planetes has been one of those titles that people in manga circles have been hoping would be reprinted and licensed after it was formerly released by TOKYOPOP many years ago. But years end up going by, and well, nothing. Well, that will end this year. Planetes, by Makoto Yukimura (creator of Vinland Saga), is a ... Read more

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Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá, siblings and collaborators, have been working on a new project entitled Two Brothers.

The story was inspired by the work of Brazilian novelist Milton Hatoum. Dark Horse Comics will release the graphic novel on October 27th.

According to the press release, the story follows “twin brothers Omar and Yaqub.” They “may share the same features, but they could not be more different from one another. And the possessive love of their mother, Zana, stirs the troubled waters between them even more.”

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By Davey Nieves

The Goon: Once Upon A Hard Time #1 

 

Story & Art : Eric Powell

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

 

 

 

If there’s a textbook that exist on making comics, then Eric Powell probably wrote about half of it. The five time Eisner Award winner consistently crafts quality stories with every book he produces. His latest, The Goon: Once Upon A Hard Time is yet another example of how great a work of art comic books can be.

After the events of Occasion of Revenge, the witch coven that demolished Goon’s life is closer to their goal of total control of the unnamed town. Powell shows how a character like The Goon can only be bent but never truly broken. The series opening picks up in the middle of his vengeful rampage against the Magpies who played him for a fool and shattered his world. It wouldn’t be a Goon story if it wasn’t coming at him from all sides as he’ll also have to deal with an angry Don Rigatti who’s seeking payback of his own for Rory’s death in the perevious series. For anyone looking for the humor of the older stories, there’s none to be found here. This story is an unrelenting tale of a man pushed too far.

Books like this are rare. Once Upon A Hard Time uses emotion to justify its sheer gorgeous brutatlity. There’s anger, grief, and fervor bursting from the panels drawn by Eric Powell. Each nuance shows just how much the characters have become part of him. There’s only a handful of panels where Goon isn’t holding a bottle or a weapon, or a bottle to use as a weapon. After all these years of creating Goon stories, Powell doesn’t relent on any of the most minuscule details when it comes to character.

The previous Occasion of Revenge story marked a turning point for the character in more ways than one. Powell’s inking experiments on his own work refined his detailed touch and added more power to the emotions already expressed on the page. All this helped the shock value of seeing those bright colors on the final pages. Once upon a Hard Time continues the affair with color splash but Powell’s evolution in rendering emotion is what sets it apart. Every ghoul, monster, and human like face expresses feeling in a way that few horror books can. You’ll see just how far he takes it in the panels with spider.

Perhaps the most unique thing about Dark Horse’s 50th issue of The Goon is how new reader friendly it is. That’s odd because it really isn’t suppose to be. If you’re already a fan of The Goon you won’t be able to understand the direction of this issue unless you’ve read Occasion of Revenge. Those that have never read Goon, who can accept the premise at face value will find themselves in such a violent and gorgeous world that can’t help but go back and read them all.

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Goon or Goonies Dave rants about it on twitter @bouncingsoul217

 

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By Davey Nieves

The pantheon of PlayStation has a rich library of quality games, but few have impacted the art of storytelling like the UNCHARTED franchise. Developed by Naughty Dog, the studio behind The Last of Us, the UNCHARTED series is this era’s Indiana Jones. The series protagonist, fortune hunter Nathan Drake has achieved mascot like status for the PlayStation brand. With the success of previous entries The Art of The Last of Us and The Art of Naughty Dog, Dark Horse Comics and Naughty Dog are launching The Art of the UNCHARTED Trilogy in April 2015.

The three games which spanned the life of the PlayStation 3 console fill this book with never-before-seen art from Naughty Dog spanning UNCHARTED: Drake’s Fortune, UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves, and UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception, with insightful commentary from the games’ creators, this epic volume is an incredible opportunity to own a piece of UNCHARTED history.

“With each UNCHARTED game we make we strive to set a new bar for video game art, design, and tech,” said Erick Pangilinan, art director at Naughty Dog. Over the course of the last decade there hasn’t been a game developer that has raised the bar with each outing like Naughty Dog. Combine this with Dark Horse Comics eye for building gorgeous bookshelf prize collections and this feels like a book that could itself be a treasure in the game’s history.

No word yet on whether or not The Art of The UNCHARTED Trilogy will have any glimpses at the series highly anticipated fourth console installment Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End which is also set to release sometime in 2015 on the PlayStation 4.

 

Available in April, The Art of the UNCHARTED Trilogy retails for $39.99 and can be preordered now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound.

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By Davey Nieves

X #21

Writer: Duane Swierczynski

Art: Eric Nguyen, Michelle Madsen

Letters: Richard Starkings

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

 

There’s X-Men, Xzibit, the band X (if you get the reference I’ll buy you a soft pretzel if you’re onsite at SDCC), and there’s Dark Horse Comics vigilante simply known as X. Since the characters reboot under writer Duane Swierczynski and artist Eric Nguyen the series continues to be a rollercoaster of highs and lows. X #21 marks a good jumping on point for new readers but needs a little polish to keep them.

Issue 21 kicks off the “Marked For Death” storyline and like any good Steven Segal plot our anti-hero finds himself in the middle of a fight he has to kill a lot of people to get out of. We pick up on the continuation of X’s battle with the underworld crime armies of Arcadia as he tries to take out a major weapons cache. However, the hunter finds himself the hunted by the end of the issue when he comes face to face with The Archon; a being of superhuman strength that’s already beaten X within an inch of his life. His saving grace this time is another super-being known as The Mark, whom Archon believed X to be at first due to their horrible choices in eye covering fashion.

The issue’s furious pace is kept up like a rocket car that doesn’t run out of fuel. It’s so fast; it almost nullifies X’s internal monologue as he’s killing all those bad guys. No man could have that many thoughts over instincts when slicing that many vocal chords like someone had thrown cucumbers in the air. Action sequences are crisp, but there’s very little backing it up to make me care about the character or his predicament. He spends the issue setting himself up as the ultimate badass and by the end seems to change his tune. Ultra-violent brooding vigilante characters (Punisher, Judge Dredd) typically work best when they don’t bend, but instead let all the emotion work through the supporting cast. Which could be fixed as the story carries along.

Nguyen’s art feels like an anime game cut scene. (Google search: Gungrave) The brutality of the action is on point with explosions and sword slashing which has that freeze-frame feel at just the right moment. It’s in the sequentials that move the story along where the art suffers a bit. For example, characters feel like they lack expression during dialogue sequences causing hiccups when reading panel-to-panel. One thing I’d really like to see going forward is more risks with panel layouts. Experimenting a bit more in that area could polish Nguyen’s style.

Upon first glance, it’s easy to write off a character like X as a Punisher clone but this character has quirks that make him very unique. His one mark warning, second mark death rule plays well at times showing a code that lacks in other vigilante characters. “Marked For Death” is probably best taken as a whole as opposed to monthly chapters. If you’ve been reading the series then keeping issue twenty-one in your pull is definitely a reward. If you’re looking for a new series to read; I can’t really recommend X #21 because it just doesn’t do enough to get me interested in #22. Although as the arc continues it could warrant a trade pickup since there’s definitely a spark to it that has the potential to turn ablaze if some daring chances are taken.

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If you like looking at pictures of Disneyland and funnel cakes follow Davey on twitter for his reposted instagram pictures.

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By Davey Nieves

CONAN RED SONJA #1

 

Story: Gail Simone, Jim Zub

Art: Dan Panosian, Dave Stewart

Lettering: Comicraft

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics & Dynamite

There’s an entire generation of readers who weren’t even born the last time Conan The Barbarian and Red Sonja teamed up for battle in comics or film. Both characters have had a bit of a renaissance as of late with such great books as People of the Black Circle and Dynamite’s own Red Sonja ongoing series. Was it time for the barbarian and the warrior to meet again? Dark Horse Comics and Dynamite think so, and they’ve certainly assembled the best team to do it as they deliver a subtle yet prolific opening to their new 4-part mini series.

What you’ll notice from the outset of the issue is a risk the writing team of superstars Gail Simone (Batgirl, Secret Six) and Jim Zub (Samurai Jack) take by not just immediately dropping Red Sonja and Conan into mega-fight scenes. The opening of this series is really a heist story as the two are unknowingly both hired by an insidious figure known as Manus –Drath to steal a valuable treasure from the royals of Koth. Our conquerors get a bit more than they bargained for as they’re set up to be the only standing between us and Bloodroot covered dead Earth. By the time you reach the first issue’s end the twist feels a little predictable but doesn’t diminish the enjoyment.

Fans who expect a certain level of savagery from characters whose battle skills are almost mythological won’t be disappointed. As with any team-up, readers will get all the slashing and hard-hitting melee you’d expect. Including a fight between the characters that can best be described as sensual. It’s just that the violence feels like a character reward for the story more than just being shoehorned in. More books could do well in following Simone and Zub’s lead in this manner.

A pair of high caliber writers need an artist who can bring the primal nature of these characters out in a way makes them feel anything but simple. Joining Simone and Zub is the urban barbarian himself Dan Panosian (X-Men, Thor). Upon first glance there’s such a unique neanderthal surface to his work in these pages. As you keep reading you’ll notice all the emotion underneath the savagery. Eyes, expression, and body gesture all click together as accents in his panel work. Colorist, Dave Stewart’s work is just as vital in the book. The warm pallet he uses makes the pop stand out in the battle scenes it needs to and unifies the flow of art with story making it one of the smoothest reads of the week if not the year.

This book is awesome! Simone, Zub, and Panosaian put peanut butter and jelly together then served it alongside a big juicy porterhouse steak. Fans of both characters will find plenty to enjoy in this limited series. A big plus for both publishers and retailers is just how inviting the book is for new readers. You need not know anything about the lore of either character or Arnold Schwarzenegger to understand what’s going on here. Conan/ Red Sonja #1 kicks the series off with the right balance of intrigue and good ol’ beat ‘em up action.

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Follow Davey on Twitter to talk comics, cats, and punk rock as he repost his instagram feed and makes the occasional complaint between naps. 

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By David Nieves

The holiday isn’t quite over yet but Dark Horse Comics is already getting set to take our Christmas money. Today the publisher announced The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe will receive a limited edition release. Restricted to 4,000 copies, The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Limited Edition comes packaged in a deluxe Castle Grayskull slipcase, with an exclusive foil embossed cover and portfolio print, coming in at just under 400 pages with commentary written by Tim & Steve Seeley.

This must have collectible for die hard He-Man fans includes rarely seen images of concept sketches, prototypes, and more from Mattel’s archives. Featuring beautifully restored art from master illustrator Earl Norem—celebrated artist of the most memorable He-Man images, interviews with Dolph Lundgren, Paul Dini, Erika Scheimer, and many more!

The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Limited Edition is on sale in comic shops April 15th and April 28th in bookstores. Fans can pre-order a copy today from these retailers:

Think Geek
PopCultcha
Big Bad Toy Store
Forbidden Planet
Things From Another World

In addition, the book will be available for pre-order at the Dark Horse Comics booth at all their 2015 convention appearances.

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By David Nieves

Since 1999 Becky Cloonan has been breaking down doors; whether they be from moving to new places or the ones every creator has to go through to make comics for a living. I had the overwhelming  joy of sitting down with her on the SDCC show floor last week. To no one’s surprise, I found her to be every bit the –best in the world– her poignant art style suggest.

We talked a little bit about her recent move back south of the wall. Becky has a genuine zest for life that would terrify the average person thinking about uprooting themselves to new surroundings. While she deals with the same angst of “where the grocery store is, the post office… trying to figure out my place in this neighborhood,” she finds inspiration and new contributions to the projects she’s in the middle of during her journeys.

Reflecting back on the dystopian opera that was True Lives of The Fabulous Killjoys, a process that’s been over five years in the making. The original story inspired the My Chemical Romance album Danger Days: The True Lives of The Fabulous Killjoys which then turned back into the comic book.  Killjoy’s end result being a Mad Max story with so much heart that it makes the tears shed in the opening of Up seem like a prick from a rose throne. On the subject of if the group would ever come back to tell more stories in the Killjoy’s world, all Cloonan would say is, “never say never.” It does sound as though it will be quite sometime before that would ever happen due to Shaun Simon’s upcoming projects, Gerard Way’s new album, and her own recently announced Image book Southern Cross.

Our conversation steered towards the comic book industry in general. After starting by self publishing her own books in 1999, she’s excited by how viable self-publishing has become over the last ten years. Not only has this been a coo for creators, but she’s noticed how much its changed the readership of comics. Cloonan and Way recently signed at Meltdown Comics in L.A. she was thrilled by the fact that “the line was like 90% girls and they all had their comics to be signed.” Her thoughts about the on going hot topic women in comics; Cloonan takes a very humble approach on the matter. In her words, “As much as I feel like I don’t represent women in comics, I don’t feel like I can carry that flag cause it’s too heavy (laughs). I represent myself, but at the same time I love to encourage young girls to get into drawing comics, get into reading comics.”

Her outlook on the future of comics is as upbeat as the artist’s demeanor. Cloonan talked about how all the conversations and strides we take today will pay off ten years from now. The artist emphasized, “It’s going to be healthier, it’s going to be bigger and we’re going to see even more amazing comics.”

Listen to our entire conversation below to hear just how fabulous Becky is:

Becky Cloonan isn’t just the story of a female creator in comics. After spending some time with her you start to see that she’s the tale of a girl who wants to tell stories through a lens of her ever-evolving perspective while along the way encouraging those of us with the same fears and anxieties to pursue their passions. The industry is a much better place for having her and you just can’t say that about everyone.

If you’re one of the five people on earth who haven’t read True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys check it out in stores and through Dark Horse Comics. Becky’s new Image book Southern Cross will be available in stores this Winter.

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Serbian born artist Toni Fejzula has worked on many comics, and illustration projects in, and around his current residence of Spain. The new Dark Horse Comics series, Veil, has finally brought him to the attention of American comics fans. His artwork, with it’s unique coloring style, perfectly fits the moody atmosphere of Greg Rucka’s story.

Fejzula has contributed covers to Cthulhu, created the science-fiction album ‘Central Zéro’ at Soleil Productions, and co-created the series ‘Nephilim’ at Delcourt.

Toni Fejzula news, new project updates, and more of his awesome art can be found on his on his facebook page.

For more comics related art, you can follow me on my website comicstavern.com - Andy Yates

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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By David Nieves

Few stories have truly transcended the bounds of their original media in meaningful ways. Sure movies have become games and vice versa, even we comic book faithful are no stranger to our favorite stories becoming cannon for Hollywood. The catch is few of these attempts ever delivered something that can truly be called an experience, or at least one we’d like to remember. In order for a multiple form story to thrive there has to be a unifying vision. Someone who can traverse the minefield of different studios or individuals trying to take something and change it beyond something fans can recognize, all in the name of mass consumption.

Dark Horse Comics figured out that being successful in bringing a story over from another part of the entertainment industry really only requires one thing, the person who knows it best. In short just call Naughty Dog creative lead Neil Druckmann and let him do anything he wants with whomever he pleases.

SDCC Friday, I got some one-on-one time with one of the best storytelling minds in any medium. We talked a bit about his initial story that would spawn one of the best games of all time, The Last of Us. Along the way he told us about his deeply rooted passion for comic books and revealed a new book coming this Fall. Of course we found time to rave about his collaborator on arguably one of Dark Horse’s best books The Last of Us: American Dreams, Faith Erin Hicks.

His new book, A Second Chance at Sarah will be in comic book stores this Fall through Dark Horse Comics. It’s an occult story involving time paradoxes, regret, and sacrificing for what you love most.

You can hear the full interview below.

After talking with Druckmann, it’s hard not to buy into his magnanimous amounts of  love for the comic book industry. Dude’s got legit comic cred, even before ever writing for Dark Horse.

Don’t count out The Last of Us as being done yet, according to Druckmann himself from our interview it was apparent there’s at least one more story to tell. Of course you can find The Last of Us Remastered out now for PlayStation 4, and the absolutely necessary The Last of Us: American Dreams can be found in comic shops and digitally through Dark Horse Comics.

Featured Image: Naughty Dog Twitter

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Last night Jeff Koons sold a sculpture of Popeye for over $28 million. The sculpture may not have been designed by him though. In the comments of our previous post about the Popeye sculpture, Brew reader Alex Kirwan pointed out that Koons's sculpture bears a striking similarity to a Dark Horse-produced Popeye figurine released in 2002.

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Dark Horse Comics announced this week the launch of the newly formed Kitchen Sink Books imprint. The venture will begin publishing books in late-2013, with a focus on large-format art books, archival reprint collections, and original graphic novels. If the name of the imprint sounds familiar, that’s because it’s headed by alternative publishing pioneer Denis Kitchen who ran Kitchen Sink Press between 1969 and 1998. His partner in the new venture is book designer/editor John Lind, with whom he had previously run Kitchen, Lind & Associates.

I discovered John’s work as one of the designers of the fantastic coffeetable book The Art of Harvey Kurtzman: The Mad Genius of Comics, which was co-written by Kitchen. The book impressed me so much that I contacted him to ask if he would be the designer of my Ward Kimball biography. He agreed and Chronicle hired him for the project. John set up a beautiful layout for the book, and while his work on it will sadly never see the light of day, it was a rewarding experience personally to work with someone so talented at what they do.

Both John and Denis have a great aesthetic eye, and hooking up with Dark Horse sounds like a perfect match, both for them and comic fans. “John and I have packaged books for a number of first-rank publishers, but we have long discussed the ideal house to enjoy maximum freedom and creativity,” says Kitchen. “In longtime friend and publisher Mike Richardson and Dark Horse Comics, we found just that. It’s a kinship born of creator-friendly environments, a commitment to upholding comics history, and beautiful books produced by talented creators that we can be proud of.”

Kitchen Sink Books will initially release four to six books per year, beginning this November with The Best of Comix Book: When Marvel Went Underground!, which is:

A collection of the long-out-of-print underground Comix Book series (1974–1976) that was originally edited by Denis Kitchen and Stan Lee for Marvel Comics. The collection will include work from underground creators such as Joel Beck, Kim Deitch, Justin Green, Harvey Pekar, Trina Robbins, Art Spiegelman, Skip Williamson, and S. Clay Wilson. The book will feature an introduction by Lee, a foreword by Kitchen, and an essay written by James Vance (Kings in Disguise), accompanied by unpublished artwork, photographs, and correspondence from Kitchen’s archives.

A preview of the book’s contents can be seen on BleedingCool.com.

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TweetLord Henry Baltimore, Vampire Hunter, is more strictly speaking the hunter of a specific vampire, as THE WIDOW AND THE TANK one-shot reminds us. For such a goal-oriented guy, he certainly leaves plenty of ash-piles along the way, not to mention the corpses of other creatures he may happen to encounter. Writers Mike Mignola and [...]

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TweetWe’ve all been enjoying Dennis Hopeless week, haven’t we? That time once a month where two of his books come out on the same day? Well just in case that wasn’t enough, it looks like Hopeless has decided to add another date to our calendar: Mike Norton week. Not only is Norton involved in drawing [...]

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By Steve Morris

Boldly going where no man has gone before, kicking off a Star Wars article with a Star Trek reference, it looks like SDCC announcement fever has already hit America! Before San Diego even begins, Dark Horse have announced that Brian Wood is to be the new writer of a Star Wars series starting next year. Based on George Lucas’ classic Star Wars trilogy (and NONE OF THE OTHER FILMS), the series will feature the classic characters doing classic things. No monkeying around with Gungans this time! Art is by Carlos D’Anda, with covers by Alex Ross.

Covers like this one!

io9 seem to be the ones responsible for breaking this news, and have an interview with Wood up already. And here’s a quote from Wood himself, posted to his tumblr account:

I’m writing an ongoing Star Wars book for Dark Horse. Not just any Star Wars book, this will be called “Star Wars”, and will be set in the original trilogy, using the classic characters, and will pretend like its 1977 and no other films were every made or books ever written aside from “A New Hope”. Carlos D’Anda is on art, Gabe Eltaeb on colors, and Alex Ross on covers. LucasFilm asked for me personally, and I felt it too irresistible a job to pass up.  I’m three scripts into it and having fun.  The book launches in Dec or January.

Oh yeah, Leia’s an X-Wing pilot.

The series is set to start in January 2013. I hope there’s Ewoks!

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Proud beard owner and American artist Tyler Crook is the third nominee for this year’s Russ Manning Award. Best known for his work on B.P.R.D. for Dark Horse, he has also drawn an issue of Cullen Bunn’s Oni Press series ‘The 6^th Gun’, as well as the original graphic novel Petrograd.

Working for both the comic book video game industries, Crook only turned freelance in early 2011, quitting his day job to focus extensively on drawing monsters and cowboys. Petrograd followed 6 months later, written by Phil Gelatt. At over 200 pages long, it was this piece of historical fiction which first drew Mike Mignola’s attention.

Midway through work on the book, Crook hunted down Mignola at a convention, as he describes in an interview with Multiversity Comics:

I was at the Long Beach Comic Con in 2009 or 2010 and so was Mike Mignola. I decided that I needed to seize the day and show him my portfolio. At the time I was really close to finishing PETROGRAD for Oni Press so I showed Mike a bunch of my pages where Rasputin gets assassinated. He seemed to like my stuff and gave me his card and told me to keep in touch. So every couple of months I’d drop him an email and let him know what I was up to.

At the time I was doing contract work at Sony working on a video game called MLB: The Show. They offered me a full time position and I accepted. Literally two hours after I signed and returned their offer letter. I got a call from Scott Allie with the offer to take over the art duties for B.P.R.D. I guess it’s pretty obvious which job I ended up with.

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I so want the Tarot deck!!

Press release from Dark Horse Comics:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Mystical Parlor Games

MILWAUKIE, OR—Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising and Dark Horse Comics are proud to present two magical products that are sure to provide hours of sleepless slumber parties this fall. Joss Whedon's mythology comes alive with the official Buffy the Vampire Slayer Tarot Deck and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer “Conversations with Dead People” Board!

Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. In addition to publishing comics from top talent like Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, and comics legend Will Eisner, their highly successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Aliens, Conan, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton, Trigun, and The Incredibles. Today Dark Horse Comics is the third-largest comic-book publisher in the U.S. and is recognized as the world's leading publisher of licensed comics material.

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Comes the news this week that two publishers have launched distribution initiatives that feature competing visions of the future.

Harper Collins is releasing complete texts online from such web-savvy authors as Neil Gaiman and Paul Coelho.

Random House on the other hand is selling chunks of business books for small fees.

This almost 20 years after the creation of the world wide web. Is it just me or does this sound a bit slow, considering how the web has so far revolutionised music distribution and all sorts of human interaction?

Nicholas Clee, on the Guardian Book Blog, notes:

These announcements suggest we have not moved on from the year 2000 - at least a generation ago, in internet terms.

Clee saves us some research by outlining how authors from Stephen King to Seth Godin have been working the web for years way before the publishers perked up to its possibilities.

One author commenting on Clee’s blog post wrote:

The publishing houses are stuck in old modes of doing things, trying to make money (yes, they have to survive). Finally! they are allowing the public to read their books without trekking to the bookstore? But they are doing this after the books have been out and their window of opportunity is closed. And in whose interests?

When the Media Guardian invited media movers and shakers to predict the future, book publishers were conspicuous in their absence.

For the publishing world, the online universe is a Brave New World. Aldous Huxley describes his novel as set in a “negative utopia” – which pretty much probably reflects how publishing regards the web.

Author and marketing guru Godin sees the Harper announcement as a typical traditional book publishing mentality attempting a new initiative: "They took all the [viral marketing] things that work — that make it spread — and they're turning them off." His idea is that marketing is "trying to start conversations, and if that conversation takes place the ideas spread." - 22nd Century Press Blog

I guess the key word in this Brave New World is Brave. The initiatives announced today are at best tentative and at worst fearful.

Sure, the industry is constantly struggling to stay on the right side of the bottom line.

But publishers should do better.

Brave New World image copyright Tony Hamilton, DreamingAloud.com

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The Media Guardian asked Vint Cerf, the godfather of the internet, to guest edit the MediaGuardian.

Vint Cerf's editorial describes how traditional media has always been vulnerable to new technology:

It is not often that a technological innovation changes fundamentally the way people communicate. In the 15th century the printing press made it possible to distribute the written word. In the 19th century, the telegraph enabled rapid point-to-point communication over long distances. Then there was the telephone. And we're still coming to terms with the social effects of radio and television.

It takes decades if not generations to fully understand the impact of such inventions. We are barely two decades into the commercial availability of the internet, but it has already changed the world. It has fostered self-expression and freed information from the constraints of physical location, opening up the world's information to people everywhere.

For the MediaGuardian's opening piece: Tell Me the Future Cerf selected a panel of commentators who can best tell us where technology is going.

Cerf's choices included Chris de Wolf of MySpace, Chad Hurley of YouTube, Peter Norvig, director of Google Research, and Biz Stone of Twitter. The presence of these social networking luminaries comes as no surprise.

Unfortunately, it also comes as no surprise that none of the seven experts he picked to predict the future came from the publishing industry.

Does traditional publishing have nothing to contribute to a discussion about the future of media?

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