Tagged: Marvel Universe

Marvel Lets Japan Recreate Its Heroes

Marvel Lets Japan Recreate Its Heroes

  • News
  • August 25, 2008







Marvel Comics announced a deal with Japan’s Madhouse that will have their core super-heroes reimagined for Japanese audiences.  Originally designed as animated fare, the long-range plans call for the Marvel Japanese Universe to be found on mobile devices and comic books.

Essentially, the heroes will experience new origins taking into account Japanese culture and society.  Their problems, foibles ands villains will all reflect the country of origin, using “something that is part of the fabric of society” according to Jungo Maruta, the president and chief executive of Madhouse. He told the New York Times, “Marvel gives creators freedom to fly.”

The first characters to undergo transformation will be Iron Man and Wolverine in thirty-minute anime intended for Japanese television in 2010. “Although they say, ‘I want Japanese anime,’ it’s not what they actually want. They want a hybrid between Japanese and Western animation,” Alex Yeh, the chief operating officer of the studio, told the Times.

“Marvel has continuously looked to push the boundaries with the Marvel Universe and seek new mediums for our characters. Madhouse is helping us expand the Marvel brand with a truly global vision tailored to themes and artistic styles popular in Japan, creating a uniquely localized and cross-cultural adaptation of the Marvel Universe,” said Simon Philips, President, International & Worldwide Head of Animation, Wireless & Gaming for Marvel Entertainment in a release.

Marvel previously attempted this concept with an India-inspired Spider-Man which was a commercial and critical flop from Gotham Entertainment Group in 2004.

Madhouse was founded in 1972 and is seen as a creative powerhouse in Asia, perhaps best known for its Vampire Hunter D.

 

Marvel Universe and Marvel Legends Images From Comic-Con

Marvel Universe and Marvel Legends Images From Comic-Con

  • News
  • August 3, 2008

Hasbro recently sent over a pile of images from the new 3.75" Marvel Universe figures that debuted at Comic-Con International last weekend, as well as the two new "Build-A-Figure" lines that premiered. Since it’s that typically slow post-SDCC weekend, I figured I’d post them here.

Seen here are two of my favorite figures from the lines, Black Bolt from the Ares Build-A-Figures and Captain America from the new Marvel Universe line. I’m not even a very big fanof Cap, but something about that figure is really impressive. As for Black Bolt, well… he’s just another one of my favorite characters in the Marvel U. ‘Nuff said.

 

I’ve posted a big ol’ gallery of the rest of the figure photos Hasbro sent over after the jump.

 

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Happy Birthday: Mark Gruenwald

Happy Birthday: Mark Gruenwald

  • News
  • June 18, 2008

Born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1953, Mark E. Gruenwald is a rarity in the comc book industry in that he spent his entire professional career with one company.

After graduating with an art degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Gruenwald moved to New York and applied at both DC and Marvel, with no luck. He then switched his focus from art to writing (he had been a Literature minor in school). He self-published a fanzine called Omniverse, which caught the eye of new Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter. Shooter offered Gruenwald a job as an assistant editor in February 1978.

Two years later Shooter promoted Gruenwald to full editor. In the late ’80s he became executive editor there. Gruenwald also wrote for Marvel, and is probably best known for his ten years writing Captain America, and for his work on The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe. He also wrote the Squadron Supreme 12-issue series, which many consider his finest work.

Sadly, Gruenwald suffered a fatal heart attack in August 1996. According to his wishes, he was cremated and his ashes were mixed into the ink used to print the Squadron Supreme trade paperback, thus ensuring that he and his greatest work would always be together.

Happy Birthday: Peter Sanderson

Happy Birthday: Peter Sanderson

  • News
  • April 25, 2008

Born in Milton, Massachusetts in 1952, Peter John Sanderson, Jr. is proof that an obsession for comic books and consistency can be made into a viable career.

Sanderson is a comic book critic and historian, as well as a teacher at New York University (NYU). He is best known for his work with both Marvel and DC, helping each of those companies catalog their characters and continuities. Sanderson’s first professional job in the comic book industry—he had written for comic fanzines in the early 1980s—was reading every comic book DC had published since 1935.

That research was instrumental for both Marv Wolfman’s Crisis on Infinite Earths and Len Wein’s Who’s Who in the DC Universe. Sanderson then moved to Marvel, becoming their archivist and assisting with the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe. He also wrote the Marvel Saga and Wolverine Saga limited series.

Currently, he writes the online column “Comics in Context,” reviews for Publishers Weekly, and teaches at NYU.

Marvel Releases ‘Secret Invasion’ Primers Online

Marvel Releases ‘Secret Invasion’ Primers Online

  • News
  • March 28, 2008

In its continuing efforts to get readers pumped up for Secret Invasion, Marvel Comics has released two new stories  as digital comics.

From the official press release:

First up from Marvel is the Secret Invasion Saga, which is filled with the history of the Skrulls from their first appearance up to their current Infiltration. Loaded with clues, this is the best primer available for the biggest event in comics this year.

Next, from the creative team behind Secret Invasion, Brian Bendis and Leinil Yu, comes the Secret Invasion Prologue, in which one key member of the Marvel Universe was replaced by a Skrull, an infiltration that will lead to the downfall of S.W.O.R.D.

The Secret Invasion Saga comic was available in printed form if you happened to be at Wizard World LA a couple weeks ago. If you missed it there and still need to know what’s happening in the Marvel Universe before the invasion begins, having these two comics available online in digital form is a cool resource that can tell you all you need to know.

The invasion begins Wednesday April, 2 with the release of Secret Invasion #1.

Warren Simons on ‘Invincible Iron Man’

Warren Simons on ‘Invincible Iron Man’

  • News
  • February 16, 2008

Marvel’s new Invincible Iron Man series kicks off this May right about the same time Tony Stark and Co. hit theaters in the live-action Iron Man film.

Over at Marvel.com, series editor Warren Simons explains the connection between the new title and the film, as well as the reasons behind the choice of Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca as the Invincible Iron Man creative team.

Warren Simons: We’re aiming to provide a kick-ass entry point into the Marvel Universe for fans of the film, while also telling great stories for already established Iron Man and Marvel fans. With INVINCIBLE, we’re focusing on Tony as a super hero, and downplaying the espionage angle and Tony’s role as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Civil War? Never happened.

Even so, the art looks beautiful and Fraction can spin a fun tech-driven tale. This one could be worth keeping an eye on.

 

X-Men, X-Force, Messiah CompleX: What’s Next?

X-Men, X-Force, Messiah CompleX: What’s Next?

  • News
  • January 23, 2008

From X-Factor to X-Men, "Messiah CompleX" to the return of X-Force, Marvel certainly isn’t making it easy for fans of their much-loved mutants to stay current with team rosters, allegiances and the number of mutants bopping around these days.

That’s why this interview with new X-Force series editor John Barber gets a nod for helping to sort out the mess of mutant storylines and provide some perspective on the new title’s place in the greater Marvel Universe. (And it gets extra points for showing off some great interior art!)

Cyclops knows what he’s asking them to do.  But are they heroes?  I don’t know.  It’s like Wolverine tells them in the first issue, once they cross the line they’re crossing, they can’t go back.  They’re not X-Men anymore.  They might act like it sometimes, they might stand next to the X-Men, they might be friends with the X-Men, but deep down, Warpath, X-23 and Wolfsbane will be different.

The new X-Force ongoing series teams New X-Men scribes Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost with artist Clayton Crain, whose work on Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears still gives us the heebie-jeebies. X-Force #1 hits shelves Feb. 6.

 

Bendis, Brevoort on Marvel’s Secret Invasion

Bendis, Brevoort on Marvel’s Secret Invasion

  • News
  • January 22, 2008

Over at IGN.com, Marvel scribe Brian Bendis and editor Tom Brevoort discuss the House of Ideas’ plans for ’08, including the "trust us, it’s bigger than the  last event" Secret Invasion storyline set to rock the Marvel Universe in a few months.

If you believe the hype,  the real-world frights of Joe McCarthy’s hunt for Closet Communists will pale in comparison to the terror of Secret Skulls in the Marvel U. But just in case you need a little more convincing, the duo provided some covers from the eight-issue miniseries that forms the foundation of the storyline. The covers include an occasional homage to well-known Avengers issues, featuring green-chinned dopplegangers of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Bendis: It’s definitely the biggest thing I’ve ever written in scope, but if you include the Avengers tie-ins as part of the story (and I do –laughs- ) its also the biggest story I’ve ever written period. It is the same size as Civil War as far as ramifications and amount of characters involved, but it’s a different animal in every other sense. It’s a different type of genre and it’s something we’ve been building to over years.

Marvel’s fun with numbers

Marvel’s fun with numbers

  • News
  • April 16, 2007

Marvel editor Tom Brevoort mentioned he had a problem with the way certain parties referred to the Marvel Universe as "Earth 616" — a designation he mistakenly credited to Alan Moore.  He promptly followed up by passing along the actual origin of the appellation, courtesy of Alan Davis, who notes, "Although credited to Alan Moore, like much of the other Captain Britain folklore it was in place before he joined the book."

Interesting background reading for people who like behind-the-scenes stuff, and far easier for me to follow than Alan D’s analysis of who owns Miracleman…

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