Link: http://www.stansback.com

There's been some speculation for a while now as to what the above image meant, well wonder no more, this press release from Boom! Studios clears it all up:

POW! Entertainment and BOOM! Studios announced a deal has been struck that will see the production of a series of three superhero titles presented by Stan Lee. These series will premiere from BOOM! Studios later this year.

BOOM!'s Editor-in-Chief Mark Waid, creator of BOOM!'s runaway hit series IRREDEEMABLE and its smash sister book INCORRUPTIBLE, will be writing one of the series. Two other series will follow, featuring A-list writers as a part of the creative team. Further announcements will clarify the teams and the timing for the roll-out.

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Thought I'd add to the previous bit about Cold Space with this press release:

This April, BOOM! Studios teams up with legendary actor Samuel L. Jackson and Emmy nominated writer/producer Eric Calderon — the folks that brought you the Emmy award-winning AFRO SAMURAI — to deliver their next original comic book series, COLD SPACE. A hard-boiled sci-fi action-adventure with covers by Eisner Award-winner Dave Johnson and IRREDEEMABLE cover artist Jeffrey Spokes, COLD SPACE is sure to be the most talked-about comic of the spring.

COLD SPACE follows the adventures of an on-the-run outlaw as he crash-lands on a hostile planet that is on the brink of civil war. Finding himself in the crossfire between two warring factions, Mullbery realizes that in chaos lies opportunity — because where there's war, there's money to be made.

Samuel L. Jackson says, "I'm a long time comic reader and big fan of many genres in graphic novels and manga - from crime thrillers, westerns, & super-hero books, to samurai dramas, science fiction and horror. So I actually do read the stuff - and lots of it. Now's my chance to put my stamp on the medium with something new, but with a classic taste of the stuff I already like."

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Link: http://www.boom-studios.net/

By now we've all seen the 'Mark Waid is Evil' banners and t-shirts and bumper stickers and (probably) weapons of mass destruction that Boom! Studios used to promote their Irredeeemable series and they pulled a similar trick for that title's sister book Incorruptable. Well it seems like they're at it again...

The press release I got from them today just had this picture attached and nothing else. It's definitely related to a new upcoming series as that was in the subject heading but which new series and what does it all mean? Looks pretty badass though yeah? Very Samuel Jackson I think, wonder how Marvel will feel about that? Could the coolest man on the planet also be working with Boom! Studios? Keep 'em pealed and let me know.

*UPDATE*
Thanks to MTV Splashpage we now know the series will be called Cold Space and is a collaboration between Jackson and Afro Samurai writer and producer Eric Calderon. Colour me interested.

Link: http://www.thedarkcomicbook.com/

Fairplay I have to give it to Chris Lynch and the guys at Markosia, they're really pushing 'The Dark', a review of which you can hear on this weeks episode of Sidekickcast, it's good to see a UK comic publisher making the most of a new product launch. Good Luck guys it's a great book that if you out there want you could get for free just by following these simple instructions:

From Jan 19th to midnight on January 31st, AAM/Markosia are running a free prize draw to win a copy of 'The Dark' signed by writer Chris Lynch and artist Rick Lundeen.

To enter, all you have to do is tweet our URL http://www.thedarkcomicbook.com from your Twitter account.

Can we make The Dark a trending topic on Twitter? Only time will tell, but everyone who tweets will be entered into the prize draw for a chance to win a signed copy of The Dark. So, don't delay!

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Link: http://www.westfieldcomics.com/store.cgi?LoadPage=anchormerules.

Why just read THE ANCHOR, when you can be in the actual comic? Westfield Comics and BOOM! Studios are excited to announce a contest where one lucky fan will be drawn into an issue of THE ANCHOR, the hit new series by Phil Hester and Brian Churilla published by BOOM! Studios.

To enter the contest, simply send an email to anchor.me@westfieldcomics.com saying why you should be drawn into THE ANCHOR. Entries should be no more than two sentences and 100 words or less. The contest begins Monday, January 11 and ends on Monday, January 18.

Each entry will be judged by both BOOM!’s editor-in-chief Mark Waid and Westfield’s Content Editor, Roger Ash. The winner of the contest will be announced on Sunday, January 31 with the winner to be drawn into a forthcoming issue of BOOM!’s THE ANCHOR. For a complete list of rules, go to www.westfieldcomics.com/store.cgi?LoadPage=anchormerules.

“I’m really excited about this contest,” says Westfield’s Roger Ash. “When Phil Hester and Brian Churilla agreed to the idea, I knew this would be something fun for Westfield customers and fans everywhere. Working with BOOM! has been great and I hope we can do more together in the future.”

CLICK IMAGE TO EMBIGGEN

Remember all the debate about that jigsaw Spider-Man promotional image, you should do it's like two posts below this one, well this here is that completed image with all the pieces of the jigsaw together. As my man Crimson Archer suggested it looks very much like all that One More Day/Brand New Day stuff could be coming to a head and as a non-Spidey fan I'm relly interested in what the hardcore webhead fan's reaction will be. After all there was such a backlash to One More Day but then brilliant stories seemed to quash all that during Brand New Day, what will they make of it all getting screwed up again? Could this be one head fuck too far?

CLICK IMAGE TO EMBIGGEN

I received this interesting teaser image for The Amazing Spider-Man today simply accompanied by the tagline: The Year of Spider-Man Is 2010. So what does it all mean? For starters it's a pretty cool idea for a teaser image, I'm loving the jigsaw concept and I hope they carry it through for the rest of the promotion of whatever 'this' is. In the image the characters we can positively identify are Black suit Spidey, The Scarlet Spider(?) or maybe not, Madame Web and Araña. There are also a couple of loose pieces of the jigsaw but without seeing them in context it's tough to comment on what any of this can mean, it is possible to see what appears to be classic suit Spider-Man in one of the pieces.

Could Spider-Man be in for another big shake up? Could the fans take another shift so soon in a title that has already been spectactularly rebooted? Or is this just the next story in the triumphant return to form in The Amazing Spider-Man series? My Spidey Sense tell's me whatever is going on it's sure to get people taking a closer look at old web head, I mean I haven't picked up a Spider-Man comic since they cancelled Tangled Web and here I am totally sucked in. Well played Marvel, well played.

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Link: http://www.g4tv.com

Got an email today promoting Jonathan Hickman's latest project for Marvel with very little information other than the Gerald Parel cover shown below:

CLICK IMAGE TO EMBIGGEN

It did say 'They’ve been around since the dawn of time….how do they impact the past, present and future of the Marvel Universe?'

It also gave out a link to G4 where apparently all will be revealed this evening 7pm Eastern on Attack of This Show. Where's the fun in that? Let's try to work this thing out ourselves shall we?

First of all we have an image of Galactus in the style of Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. My next thought was Eternals but surely not, we've just wrapped up one Eternals series that couldn't support itself as an ongoing. The guys with the helmets, it's difficult to tell where they're from could be Attlantean, could be Shi'ar? It's all very intriguing, what do you think?

*******UPDATE******

Turns out it's a book called Shield and will chronicle the attempts to protect earth from intergalatic threats by some well known figures. Speculation is that these figures will then go on to eventually form S.H.I.E.L.D. Sounds interesting I'm in.

Another day, another Siege promotional poster from Marvel, I've only been putting up the ones I like though and this one's a doozy. First seen briefly in the Siege promo video now we get to have a good luck and yes we can confirm that Asgard is burning and falling from it's place hovering over Broxton, Oklahoma. How does this happen? Who is responsible?? What will be the ramifications of a floating city smashing into American soil??! So many questions but I'm guessing it'll all be over soon and we'll move onto the next event, such is the Marvel way.

Link: http://www.ctrlaltshift.co.uk/collaboration/comica

By now anyone that actually reads this blog must know me and what I like pretty well, I like fun comics, stuff steeped in contiuity, I like capes and tights and generally just a good yarn. The thing is once you focus on an area of interest like comic books you can't help but be changed by it and in the past two years my comic book appreciation has grown and evolved, I still love all the stuff I used to but now I understand there is so much more out there. Pauline R. Kezer, a politician and teacher in the U.S. said it best with:
"Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights."
So here I am stretching and growing and in turn passing that onto you guys. Ctrl.Alt.Shift is a UK based experimental initiative politicising a new generation of activists for social justice and global change. Friday 6th November see's them launch their Ctrl.Alt.Shift: Unmasks Corruption comic book anthology at their exhibition of the same name as part of the COMICA festival going on this weekend in Soho. The anthology book attempts to expose examples of corruption in our world and features work by Dave McKean, Pat Mills, Peter Kuper and Dan Goldman amongst others. The exhibition will be held at Lazarides Gallery, 8 Greek Street, Soho, London, W1D 4DG and runs from 6th - 28th November, it will feature displays of 'worthy' comics, strips and graphic novels aswell as some examples of those posing as 'worthy'.

Don't get me wrong, I haven't gone all political and thrown off my capes and tights roots, 'worthy' comics could mean a lot of things but in this case we're talking about comics with a purpose more than just to entertain. The comic book medium is such a vital and powerful form that it's worth exploring more than just the usual genres. This is of course not a new concept far from it but there are too many people out there that just think og comics as 'for kids' or 'all about superheroes', this book and exhibition is just a good example of some of the other work being produced in the comic and graphic format.