Author: Robert Greenberger

NBC Freshens Viral Experience for new Shows

NBC Freshens Viral Experience for new Shows

  • News
  • September 18, 2008

The season premier for Heroes is Monday and NBC promises their website will feature more micro-sites.  These specialized areas are promised to delve into secrets revealed on air, plus more graphic novel material, more cast commentaries and more webisodes beginning in December. In October, a special heroes vs. villains social network launches.

Meantime, the paperback edition of Saving Charlie, the sole Heroes tie-in novel, is also now on sale. DC’s second collection of Heroes webcomics will be out November 19 and collects all the comic material based on the second season.  Creators for the 272-page collection include Joe Kelly, Steven T. Seagle, Duncan Rouleau, Christopher Zatta, Mark Sable, Mark Warshaw, Christine Boylan, Chuck Kim, Harrison Wilcox, Pierluigi Cothran, Jim Martin, Timm Keppler, DJ Doyle, Staz Johnson, Michael Gaydos, Tom Grummett, Ryan Odagawa, Jason Badower, Travis Kotzebue, Marcus To with a cover from Gene Ha.

Hoping to generate good will for the remake of Knight Rider, NBC is offering the ability to investigate the back stories of some of their favorite characters, play an all-new KITT game and interact in Attack KITT and the KITT cave.

The peacock network has also freshened the Office website as the Dunder Mifflin Infinity social network will feature new branches, new tasks and new prizes. Additional new features include Meredith’s blog, Angela and Andy’s wedding planning microsite, a Serenity by Jan microsite and a second installment of webisodes slated for November debut.
 

Casting the 11th Doctor Already?

Casting the 11th Doctor Already?

  • News
  • September 18, 2008

Russell T. Davies, who is handing the Doctor Who series over to Stephen Moffat, has suggested that whenever David Tennant is done being the Doctor, the role should go to Russell Tovey.

The 26-year-old Tovey was seen in the most recent Christmas special as the young crewman, Midshipman Frame, left to pilot the sinking starship Titanic. He has also been on stage and screen in Alan Bennett’s The History Boys.

The creator, who leaves the show next year as lead writer and executive producer, said he thought Tovey was "going to be huge" and is "amazing".

In excerpts leaked throughout England for the forthcoming book Doctor Who: The Writer’s Tale, Davis also floated the idea of JK Rowling appearing in a Christmas special and the author would work some sort of Doctor cameo into a Harry Potter novel.  Tennant objected, feeling it was crossing a line.

"David doesn’t like the JK idea, he thinks it sounds like a spoof, so we’ve paused slightly, wondering whether to win him round or just abandon something that he’s not going to be happy with," Davies said in an e-mail excerpted in the book.

‘Ghost in the Shell’ now Downloadable

‘Ghost in the Shell’ now Downloadable

  • News
  • September 18, 2008

Jaman.com has cut a deal with Starz Media’s Manga Entertainment to allow downloading of Japanese anime including classic titles such as Ghost in the Shell. Other familiar titles include Robotech, Astro Boy, Street Fighter II V, Noein, Karas and Tactics.

The downloads will cost $2.99 for feature-length films, while all series episodes will be available for $1.99. New subscribers, enticed by this development, will also receive two free movies.

Jaman was founded by Gaurav Dhillon, a silicon valley wunderkind, and it has been a leading supplier of downloadable entertainment to computers and TiVo recorders. Starz Media is more than just the cable channel but also includes



Film Roman, Anchor Bay Entertainment, and Manga Entertainment among its holdings.

“Jaman is excited to bring some of the most well-known and iconic titles in Japanese animation history to our online audience,” said Gaurav Dhillon, founder and CEO of Jaman.  “Animation fans are among the most passionate in the world, and episodic content has proven to be very popular with our audience. We look forward to bringing new fans into our vibrant community with this amazing collection of titles.”

“We saw an obvious match between Manga Entertainment’s properties and Jaman’s sensibilities,” said Mara Winokur, Starz Media’s vice president of digital media and business development. “Jaman’s audience has come to expect cutting-edge, quality titles from across the globe, and they will find what they’re looking for in the entertainment we’re supplying to Jaman.”
 

Gallery of Recalled Classics

Gallery of Recalled Classics

  • News
  • September 18, 2008

Comic book fan Charlie Meyerson, currently a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, helped assemble a photo gallery of infamously recalled comic books.  We direct your attention to their website.

Not every title included here was recalled nor is this list in any way complete.  But in the wake of last week’s recall and reprinting of Action Comics #869, All-Star Batman & Robin #10, and DC: Decisions #1, it was a good time to go tripping down memory lane.

New ‘Hitckhiker”s Writer Named

New ‘Hitckhiker”s Writer Named

  • News
  • September 17, 2008

Eoin Colfer, best known for the Artemis Fowl series, has been tapped to write new novels set in Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Adams’ widow, Jane Belson, personally selected the author.

According to a profile at the BBC, Colfer said the opportunity was akin to "being offered the superpower of your choice".

Penguin International will make the announcement in London today including the news that the new book will be titled And Another Thing… to be published in October 2009.  Colfler joins a growing list of authors brought on to write works in another author’s world, a practice that has seen very mixed results from John Gardner’s underwhelming James Bond pastiches to Alexander Ripley’s hated sequel to Gone with the Wind.

Years ago, Adams said, "I suspect at some point in the future I will write a sixth Hitchhiker book…I would love to finish Hitchhiker on a slightly more upbeat note.

"Five seems to be a wrong kind of number; six is a better kind of number."

There are already 16 million copies of the five books in print in addition to television, radio, and film adaptations.

 

Time’s Maghound goes Live

Time’s Maghound goes Live

  • News
  • September 17, 2008

Time Inc. is hoping to do for magazines what Netflix has done for movies and if successful, could open a new avenue for comic book readers. Maghound has opened up, allowing people to subscribe to tiers of magazines for reading.  It has opened up a beta site with 240 titles from not only Time Inc. but also Men’s Health, ELLE, Martha Stewart Living, Maxim, Ladies Home Journal, Parents, Better Homes & Gardens, Woman’s Day, Best Life, Popular Science, Prevention, Runner’s World, Women’s Health, VIBE, Car and Driver, PC Magazine, Gardening and Bicycling.

At present, no comic books, including any from sister division DC Comics, are available for purchase. Mad Kids, though, is available.

A reader can choose one of four tiers starting with three titles for $4.95 per month up to eight or more titles for $1 each per month. A reader can alter which titles read month to month so a first-timer could try Time, Runner’s World and PC Magazine then the following month swap out PC for ELLE.  Should a title not be published monthly, the site will offer substitute selections.

The site was in development for four years and was announced about a year back. When the launch date was announced, they had expected 280 titles so this comes in under estimates.

“It’s vital for circulators even more so than ever in this economy to test innovative new ideas," Peter Winn, director of planning and development, consumer marketing for Bonnier Corporation, told Folio Magazine. "Maghound has potential to be an important program for the industry and that is why Bonnier is in."
 

Creative Arts Emmys Given to Genre Faves

Creative Arts Emmys Given to Genre Faves

  • News
  • September 17, 2008

With the Emmy Awards four days away, much so being made of the main event although many awards have already been given out.

The 2008 Creative Arts Emmys were presented and among the winners of note include:

Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or More went to the “Imaginationland”  special episode of South Park while the less-than-one-hour category went to The Simpsons’ “Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind”.

The guest acting awards were presented to Cynthia Nixon as Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series went to Kathryn Joosten for ABC’s Desperate Housewives. Joosten, one of our favorite character actors, notched her second win as Karen McCluskey. Accepting her statuette, Joosten declared, “This solves a problem. I have two sons, and now they don’t need to fight over which one gets this when I die.”

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series went to Glynn Turman for HBO’s In Treatment; and Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series went to Tim Conway for NBC’s 30 Rock.

The awards for Interactive Media were presented by Evan and Gregg Spiridelis of the online media company JibJab Inc. The award for fiction went to nbc.com’s Heroes Digital Experience. The nonfiction award went to Disney Channel Games Digital Media Event from the ABC Television Group, Creative Asylum and Walt Disney Internet Group.

(more…)

‘Kick-Ass’ Adds Duke

‘Kick-Ass’ Adds Duke

  • News
  • September 17, 2008

Slash Film is reporting that Clark Duke has been added to Kick-Ass’ cast as Marty, the would-be hero’s civilian pal. Duke has been previously seen on the internet series Drunk History Part 2, television’s Greek, and will next appear in the October comedy Sex Drive.

Moviehole’s description of Marty says he’s: “About 17, a chubby Caucasian high school student who loves comic books. He is Dave’s funny best friend. Together with Dave and Todd, he loves to go to comic book stores, and checks out the latest issues, while talking about school, girls, the futility of teenaged life, and the exciting adventures of MySpace insta-celebrity Kickass. He never suspects that Kickass is in fact Dave Lizewski — and neither would you if you knew Dave.”
 

Siegel and Shuster Society tops $50K

Siegel and Shuster Society tops $50K

  • News
  • September 17, 2008

A total of $53,455 has been raised by the Siegel and Shuster Society’s fund raising efforts after just two weeks.  The $50,000 goal for exterior repairs to Jerry Siegel’s’ boyhood home was exceeded after week two’s auction haul of $18,996.  Two more weeks of auction will proceed while t-shirt sales will continue.  Once the auction ends, work will begin on both the exterior and interior of the home.

(more…)

Marvel Begins Original Digital Comics

Marvel Begins Original Digital Comics

  • News
  • September 16, 2008

Marvel’s Digital Comics will begin original material for the first time, with two strips based on this year’s movies, Iron Man and Incredible Hulk. In fact, the content will be based on the film versions not the comic book continuities so as to appeal to a wider audience. The stories will run weekly, with new installments showing up on Wednesday, the traditional “new comic day”.

Iron Man: Fast Friends, starting tomorrow, is said to focus on the relationship between Tony Stark and Jim Rhodes. It’s written by Paul Tobin, with art by Ronan Cliquet and covers by Dave Bullock.

Incredible Hulk: The Fury Files, launching October 8, will feature Nick Fury investigating Bruce Banner. It’s written by Frank Tieri, with art by Salva Espin and covers by Steve Lieber.

Both strips are timed to the impending DVD releases of the films with Iron Man due September 30 and Incredible Hulk due out October 21.
 

Categories

Archives

Everything you need to make great comics!

comicmix-pro-300x69-2

Nucleus X

Bookshop Zaks