For The Love of Comics

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There’s not really much to report on for the last day of Megacon. I spent most of my day wandering around picking up some good deals on trades and small press comics and going to a few panels on how to write for - and break into - comics, none of which I’ll probably really utilize, but it was really interesting and if I ever find myself with an idea that’s great for a comic and an artist to illustrate the idea, I have some good ideas on how to pull it off. I’d get more in-depth, but I didn’t take many interesting notes and it was mostly common sense stuff anyway. If anyone is interested in the details like what creators were at the panels and so forth, let me know and I’ll tell you what I remember.My haul was really pretty small since I’m trying to save alot of money and had myself on a strict allowance; I just bought a few things that the retailers were trying to unload cheap and caught my eye.

• A Green Hulk figure from the Marvel Legends Galactus series. Apparently the Green Hulk is a variant and the Grey Hulk is the normal one. Being a variant probably makes this thing more expensive (is it obvious that I’m not a toy collector?), but I got it for five bucks, which is likely cheaper than it was originally sold for since it’s a nice looking figure. I bought it to sit on my desk at work, but the fact that it’s a variant has me considering selling it on ebay and dumping the proceeds back into this site. I haven’t decided yet.
• I also got the first trades of both Ultimate Spider Man and Ultimate X-Men, since I was on a comics hiatus when both series were introduced and the dealer was unloading stock for cheap. I may or may not post a review. Again, I haven’t decided.
• I got the hardcover of Incredible Hulk: Return of The Monster, which collects Bruce Jones’ run on Incredible #’s 34-43 and Brian Azzarello’s Startling Stories: Banner #’s 1-4, for so cheap that I’m halfway considering dumping it on ebay, too. Odds are that I probably won’t, though. If you’re a big Hulk fan, though, get in touch and we could probably work out a deal for both the book and the figure, or either one, for a pretty cheap price.
• Remember WAYYYYY back in November when I did that review of Necessary Evil #1? I hadn’t been able to get any of the following issues until this weekend when I came across the Desperado Studios booth. I picked up issues 2 and 3 of Necessary Evil, found a supposedly certain way to make sure I could get issue 4, and picked up the trade collecting the beginning of Atomik Mike by Stephan Nilson. Stephan even threw in a CGC 9.8 of Atomik Mike #1! Expect reviews of all three sometime this week, except for the CGC copy, which I’m going to try to find something special to do with.

In fact, I have a plan. You may have picked up from some things I’ve thrown out there that I don’t really collect, per se. It’s all about the love of story for me. I hand out floppies after I’m done with them all the time and buy the trades when they come out so that I can go back and read stuff later, but I have no interest in the whole value game anymore; the 1990’s totally burnt me out on that concept.

So here’s my idea. I have a few potentially valuable items laying around now that I, frankly, have no interest in trying to maintain the value on. So, at some point, they’ll be prizes. I’ll take care of them until the day I send them out to a lucky winner, at which point they’ll be that person’s problem.

My offer on the Hulk stuff stands, email me if you’re a big fan and we may work something out. Otherwise, they go into my prize bin until I think of a contest. Hopefully, I’ll periodically pick up more stuff to throw in there that may be awesome but I just don’t have interest in keeping around.

Let me know if you have any ideas for contests folks, if you don’t mind.

Anyway, that’s enough for me. Sorry that this post has been short on real detail or substance, but this weekend has me wiped out. Hopefully I’ll get to meet some of you at my next con!

Technorati Tags: Megacon, Hulk, Necessary Evil, Desperado Publishing, Atomik Mike, Contests, Prizes, Conventions, Awesomeness

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A recap of my first day at Megacon is coming soon, but first things first - While I was sitting in the Indie Film Festival Panel, I got a recorded call from Harvey Dent! You can hear the call right here, courtesy of jokersminion of the Superherohype forum It sounded like a typical call that a candidate would do in order to drum up support for their campaign and it directed me to the I Believe In Harvey Dent website.

The site has been revamped to encourage us to drum up support for a Harvey Dent run for D.A. of Gotham City, via publicity moves similar to The Joker’s WhySoSerious campaign in the sense that instead of dressing up as clowns, fans are asked to print out placards, billboards and petitions and to find their own creative ways to drum up support for Dent.

There is also something called a Dentmobile coming to various cities around the country. This map already shows some cities, but you’re encouraged to enter your email for periodic updates, indicating that more cities may be added later.

There’s plenty more to check out on the site, like a section with suggestions on other things to do and, of course, a section to submit your…submissions. The deadline is Noon on March 6th. It doesn’t specify what time zone, which may mean your local time zone, but I’d probably try to make it by EST, to be safe.

Happy Campaigning!

Technorati Tags: The Dark Knight, Movie, Harvey Dent, I Believe In Harvey Dent, Viral Marketing

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The” >I Believe In Harvey Dent” site has been updated with the message of hope “We have the power to change Gotham City. Soon you’ll find out how.” along with an invitation to sign up to join the fight by entering your e-mail and phone number.

You know I signed up right away. I quickly received the following confirmation e-mail:

Citizens of Gotham! The future of our city rests in your hands! Alone, we are helpless against the thugs and killers menacing our city. Together, we have the power to take back Gotham. In just a few days, you’ll find out how. Please click … to verify your e-mail address. Keep an eye on http://www.ibelieveinharveydent.com and get ready to join a movement that will transform our city!

No phone calls yet, but I expect to receive a voicemail similar to the one that I got after submitting a tip at WeAreTheAnswer.Org within a few days.

So it seems that the speculation that the viral campaign’s focus would switch to Harvey Dent was right on. Whether or not that was the original plan before Heath Ledger’s death, only WB knows.

If I had to, I’d bet that this phase of the viral campaign will lead up to the rumored Dent-centric trailer debuting before 10,000 B.C. next Friday. I hope that the Arne Starr Movie Trailer Panel that I’ll be going to at Megacon will have it, otherwise I don’t think I’ll get to see it until the next Monday at the soonest.

As always, I’ll tell you more as soon as I know more.

Technorati Tags: Movies, The Dark Knight, Batman, Harvey Dent, Viral Marketing

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Below is the official WB Press Release for Batman: Gotham Knights.

For those who are not nearly as obsessed with Batman as I am, Gotham Knights is supposed to bridge the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight with several animated stories from top Anime directors, serving a purpose similar to the Animatrix DVD that supplemented the Matrix trilogy.

If you hate anime or animation in general, you’re probably quite safe skipping this, but you risk my accusations of lacking a soul*, just so ya know.

Anyway, here’s the press release:

Full Batman: Gotham Knight Press Release
Source: Warner Home Video
February 25, 2008

Here is the official press release from Warner Home Video about Batman: Gotham Knight:

DC Comics, Warner Premiere, Warner Home Video and Warner Bros. Animation have collaborated to create a unique Batman experience in Batman: Gotham Knight. The all-new, original movie will arrive July 8, 2008 on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Order due date is June 3, 2008. The original movie will also be available OnDemand and Pay-per-View as well as available for download on the same day as release date, July 8, 2008.

Batman: Gotham Knight is a fresh and exciting new entry into the Batman mythos, spinning out of a 40-year history in animation including the Emmy®-winning Batman: The Animated Series, widely considered a pivotal moment in American animation. A cross section of distinguished creators, award winning producers, and acclaimed writers weave six interlocking stories that reveal Bruce Wayne’s journey to Dark Knight, each with stylish art from some of the world’s most revered animation visionaries.

Batman: Gotham Knight was headed by an impressive list of directors who have brought their distinctly different anime styles to the classic Batman character. The production was divided among three renowned studios – Studio 4ºC, Production I.G and Madhouse – and included the truly inimitable visions of directors Shojiro Nishimi, Futoshi Higashide, Hiroshi Morioka, Yasuhiro Aoki and Toshiyuki Kubooka. With stories written by several of the most talented writers of film, comic books, and animation, including Academy Award®-nominated screenwriter Josh Olson (A History of Violence), David S. Goyer (Batman Begins), Emmy®-winner Alan Burnett (Batman: The Animated Series), Jordan Goldberg (Associate Producer, The Dark Knight), and award-winning comics writers Greg Rucka and Brian Azzarello, Batman: Gotham Knight presents thrilling new adventures of Batman that spotlight several of Gotham City’s most dangerous villains, including the fearsome Scarecrow, the freakish Killer Croc and the unnerving marksman known as Deadshot. Batman: Gotham Knight is produced by Emma Thomas (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight), Michael Uslan & Benjamin Melniker (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight), Toshi Hiruma and Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series).

Batman: Gotham Knight will be available on DVD for $24.98 SRP. There will also be a 2-disc Special Edition DVD available for $29.98 SRP which contains additional bonus features. All the content from the 2-disc Special Edition DVD will be available on Blu-ray Disc for $34.99 SRP.

Batman: Gotham Knight DVD will feature incredible extras including:

“A Mirror for the Bat: The Evil Denizens of Gotham City” - A stimulating documentary covering Gotham City’s most nefarious of characters, combined with a look into the symbiotic relationship Batman shares with his enemies.

“Sneak Peek: Wonder Woman” - DC Universe animated original movie
Audio Commentary - Featuring the filmmakers of Gotham Knight.

Widescreen (1.78:1)

5.1 Dolby Digital

The 2-disc Special Edition DVD will feature even more incredible extras including:

“Batman and Me a Devotion of Destiny: The Bob Kane Story” - The comprehensive chronology of the remarkable life of the creator of Batman.

“Batman: The Animated Series” Bonus Episodes - Bruce Timm selects his favorite episodes from Batman: The Animated Series.

“Batman: Gotham Knight explores an exciting moment between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight,” said Paul Levitz, DC Comics President and Publisher, “and takes our fans on a very different visual trip through Gotham and Batman’s life. We’re extremely proud of this project, and look forward to adding to the momentum our DC Universe Animated Original Movie program has been building.”

“Batman: Gotham Knight is a perfect example of the type of release that Warner Premiere is becoming known for and that audiences are hungry for,” said Matt Bierman, Vice President, Production, Warner Premiere. “With incredible production values, a top-notch creative team and compelling, iconic characters from the DC Universe, Batman: Gotham Knight really raises the bar in the Direct-to-DVD arena and we’re proud to be a part of this production.”

“To date, over 13.5 million units of Batman animated titles have been sold and we are thrilled to release Batman: Gotham Knight, the next installment of the DC Universe animated original movies, which will be a hit with Super Hero and comic book fans alike,” said Amit Desai, WHV Vice President, Kids and Sports Marketing.

Batman: Gotham Knight Marketing Support

Batman: Gotham Knight will be supported by a massive media campaign including primetime TV spots, national print and online coverage. Marketing support will also include strong promotional support as well as a grassroots viral campaign.

DC UNIVERSE ORIGINAL MOVIES

DC Comics, Warner Premiere, Warner Home Video (WHV) and Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) began the production and distribution of “DC Universe,” a series of original, animated PG-13 movies in July 2006. This original made for DVD movie is part of the DC Universe series of animated PG-13 films written and directed by acclaimed comic book creators and animators and featuring recognizable talent. WHV will be the exclusive worldwide home entertainment distributor for all DC Universe movies, which will include a slate of 2-3 action-packed films per year. Superman Doomsday and Justice League: The New Frontier were the first DC Universe original animated movies. Other DC properties with films in development include Justice League, Green Lantern, Flash and Wonder Woman.

BASICS

Street Date: July 8, 2008
Order Due Date: June 3, 2008
Languages: English, Spanish
Subtitles: Spanish

Run Time: 75 minutes

Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio: 5.1 Dolby Surround Stereo
Color / Closed Captioned
Rating: PG-13

Batman: Gotham Knight (DVD)

Price: $24.98 SRP / No MAP
UPC: 085391123323

Batman: Gotham Knight (2 Disc Special Edition DVD)

Price: $29.98 SRP / No MAP
UPC: 0883929011155

Batman: Gotham Knight (Blu-ray Disc)

Price: $34.99 SRP / No MAP
UPC: 085391179511

About Warner Premiere:

Warner Premiere is Warner Bros. Entertainment’s new direct-to-consumer production company focused on the development, production and marketing of feature-length content, as well as short form digital content for the growing home entertainment market. Warner Premiere is committed to being at the creative forefront in the evolution of quality product in the direct-to-DVD business and the digital space, creating material that exemplifies the commitment to story, production and brand equity for which Warner Bros. is known.

About Warner Home Video:

With operations in 90 international territories Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video’s film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.

About DC Comics:

DC Comics, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world and home to such iconic characters as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Sandman. These DC Super Heroes and others have starred in comic books, movies, television series (both animated and live-action) and cyberspace, thrilling audiences of all ages for generations. DC Comics’ Web site is located at www.dccomics.com.

BATMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics. (s08)

About Warner Bros. Animation:

Warner Bros. Animation has been producing award-winning original animation since 1930, when it released its first cartoon, “Sinkin’ in the Bathtub.” Since then, Warner Bros. Animation’s characters have set the standard for innovative, quality animation. Producing for network and cable television, online, home entertainment and feature films both domestically and internationally, Warner Bros. Animation is highly respected for its creative and technical excellence, as well as maintaining the studio’s rich cartoon heritage. Warner Bros. Animation also oversees the creative use of, and production of animated programming based on classic animated characters from the Hanna-Barbera and DC Comics libraries. Warner Bros. Animation is one of the most honored animation studios in history, garnering a grand total of six Academy Awards®, 35 Emmy® Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents’ Choice Award, a Humanitas Award, two Prism Awards and 20 Annie Awards (honoring excellence in animation).

*Actually, that’s total BS; your soul is safe. I’m not a huge anime fan, either, but I enjoyed the Animatrix and there’s no way I’m missing out on Gotham Knights.

Technorati Tags: Movies, The Dark Knight, Gotham Knights, Warner Brothers, Press Release

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A little over an hour ago, “—” left this comment on my last Dark Knight viral update post:

its good to see some of you clowns still have a little faith in me. keep your eyes peeled when the guy in diapers stops bye. a new game is going to begin

Originally the only “guy in diapers” I could think of was “Baby New Year”, but New Year’s is already here. You’ll have to forgive me for that one, I had a long day and my brain must have needed food, because it hit me while I was throwing down on some sesame chicken - CUPID!

I still wasn’t completely sure the comment was legit, so I did some research. As always, the geniuses at the Superhero Hype boards were already on the case and I learned that this has been showing up all over the ‘net tonight, all from some variation of “laughing matters” - the email address that “—” gave for the comment registration was “laughingmatters50 @ yahoo.com”.

So… it would appear that the game, once again, is afoot! Keep your eyes out for a special website with a name something like “laughing matters”

EDIT!

I emailed the address that “—” left and got this reply:

HaHaHa. I see that you have your own little ways of jumping a HEAD of the game.
I admire that in a clown. I have a little mission for you. just be patient and youll find
all the clues a clown could use. That is if you have what it TAKES

I wonder if there’s any significance to the all-capitalization of “HEAD” and “TAKES”.

More as it develops, though there may be nothing until Valentine’s Day.

Another Edit at 12:30 AM EDT
Everyone at the Superhero Hype boards is a little skeptical… I just got this email as I was heading to bed:

So my spy tells me you have doubts. A good clown should always be suspicious. It’s true things didn’t go as planned.
Just sit tight like the hoarding mass you are. A new boss will be taking over in a few days. He will instruct you when
the first arrow gets shot.

Final Update 7:25 AM
Call off the hounds. While I was sleeping, “Lou-fin Matters” stepped up and admitted he’s a faker. What a douche.

Technorati Tags: Movies, The Dark Knight, Batman, Joker, Viral Campaign, Laughing Matters

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Batman On Film has an update on the Dark Knight Cellphones via this email from one of their readers:

“’Chicago Joker Phone Guy’ here. Just got a text at 10:49 PM (CST) on The Joker cake phone that said that $30 was added to my account and the phone is now good until 3/29/2008.

After looking at the account information once the phone was initially received back in December, I found that the phone was set to expire tomorrow (1/30), leading us Bat-Fans to believe that the viral campaign (at least with the phones) was going to end. With the addition of the extra minutes, this means that the viral campaign lives on despite the untimely death of Heath Ledger (may he rest in peace). I have looked on message boards and several of the other cities have also confirmed that their phones have received extensions until the end of March as well.

[If this is indeed the case], I applaud Warner Bros. for continuing the marketing campaign and not letting the fans down or suppressing Heath’s extraordinary performance. We all have the greatest respect for Mr. Ledger and I believe we all know how to separate the Joker character from Heath. Heath’s performance should be celebrated and shown to the world and I believe that is exactly what Mr. Nolan and WB plan to do.

I cannot wait for the next viral to start and I will keep you updated as always.”

I agree with “Chicago Joker Phone Guy” on this one - I think the best way for WB to honor Ledger is by promoting his last performance as planned - by spotlighting that performance and riding it for all that it’s worth, which I suspect is quite a bit.

Technorati Tags: Comics, Movies, The Dark Knight, Viral Marketing, Batman, Joker, Heath Ledger, Cell Phones

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I’m on my way out the door for an appointment, so I don’t really have time to get into this, but I was just emailed this story:

NEW YORK (AP) — Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan residence, and police said drugs may have been a factor. He was 28. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the Manhattan apartment believed to be his home. The housekeeper who went to let him know the masseuse had arrived found him dead at 3:26 p.m.

Read the full AP story here and I’m sure I’ll post more tonight after I get home and read about it.

EDIT! Comic Book Resources has an excellent write-up with running updates.

I know I said that I would probably have more to say later, but I really don’t know what I can say. Obviously I don’t know that I would even be posting about this if Heath Ledger wasn’t playing The Joker in The Dark Knight, but it goes beyond that. Ledger was quite possibly the most talented actor of my generation and it breaks my heart that by the end of this year, we’ll have seen the last performances that he’ll ever make.

This is a deep, deep loss. I don’t think we’ll ever know how big of a loss since we’ll never know how much better he would have gotten.

Technorati Tags: Comics, Movies, Heath Ledger, Joker, The Dark Knight

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Hollywood Chicago is reporting that the phones from last month’s Step Right Up marketing finale are receiving text messages from the Joker.

Here is the email sent to Hollywood Chicago from the person who found the Chicago Cake:

I have the cell phone and I just got a text message from the Joker today from humanresources@whysoserious.com. Here’s what it said:

“You still out there, clown? Reply and let me know.”

I replied “yes” and I got another response:

“See you found my little message. So do you think you have what it takes to be a part of my circle of friends? Are you a backstabbing, self…”

Then the message gets cut off. Others I have talked to with the phone have said the same thing. I am sure this is an automated response.

I replied back “yes” to the last text and I am waiting to see what happens. I will keep you updated!

~ Vlkers54

Let the games begin again!

And give me something to do down here in Orlando, WB!

Comics, Movies, The Dark Knight, DC, Batman, Joker, Step Right Up, Why So Serious

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Technorati Tags: Comics, Movies, The Dark Knight, DC, Batman, Joker, Step Right Up, Why So Serious

Ok, folks, if you go to A Taste For The Theatrical and click the “download now” link, you will be redirected to the trailer for The Dark Knight, the new Batman sequel.

Enjoy it, I’m off to do the same.

tag: A Taste For The Theatrical, The Dark Knight, Trailer, Batman, Joker

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The picture quality on this is okay, but the sound and angle are crap, so I still must encourage you to see this on IMAX.

That said, for those of you for whom catching it on IMAX simply is not an option, here is the six-minute prologue for The Dark Knight (the new Batman sequel), courtesy of Just PressPlay.net. I suggest you watch it quickly before it gets pulled.

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.445086&w=425&h=350&fv=]

In related news, A Taste For the Theatrical remains dormant as of this writing.

Edit: It’s Live!

tag: A Taste For the Theatrical, Batman, IMAX, Joker, Prologue, The Dark Knight

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