Wednesday, May 23, 2012

NEWS EDITION # 36 - THE BIG GAY IMPACTS, COLOSSALS BRING DEBRIS, THE RETURN OF THE CROW & THE WOLVERINE

Welcome to the News Edition for the Week of May 23rd, 2012.  Let's get right to it.



HOMOMANIA HITS COMICS HARD 

by Frankie Rodriguez 

    Over the course of the last decade, the Big Two (Marvel & DC) have made waves in introducing and spotlighting more diverse characters, including those characters that are homosexual or bisexual. Slowly but surely, this has become a staple in many comics: Over at DC Comics, Gail Simone's run on Secret Six featured Scandal Savage as a lesbian while during the weekly comic 52; Greg Rucka introduced us to a lebsian Batwoman. James Robinson's run on Starman revealed Mikhaal to be gay while former JLI members Blue Jay and Tazmanian Devil were both found out to be homosexual. On the Marvel side, we were introduced to Daken, the son of Wolverine who had no problem using his bisexuality in order to manipulate and stumble his foes and allies. Long time New Mutant founding member Karma revealed herself to be lesbian while currently in X-Factor, the award winning run of the book by Peter David is partially fostered by making Rictor and Shatterstar into a gay couple. Funny ... how Mutants seem to be the only gay people in the hero community in the Marvel Universe ... huh?

   That aside, both companies launched huge announcements this week. At Marvel, they revealed who the wedding is indeed for ... the X-Man Northstar and his longtime boyfriend, Kyle. During next month's Astonishing X-Men # 51, Northstar and Kyle will have Marvel's first gay wedding. The two will be married on the grounds of the Jean Grey School where Northstar is currently a teacher. The issue is being handled but current team of writer Marjorie Liu and artist Mike Perkins. While promoted for the last four months, there have been no signs at all of who was to be hitched till this past weekend. This garnered so much attention that the ABC show The View discussed it earlier this week on their show.

 But that is only from Marvel. Then we heard something else from DC Comics.

    Dan Didio and several others  from DC Comics promised that during this June, we will see a major, iconic character reveal himself to be gay. And while speculation immediately went to one of the heroes, here are two things that need to be noted. It was revealed by Batman writer Scott Synder revealed on twitter Tuesday morning that it has been a character that we have not seen since the relaunch. And the other is that , no one every said Superhero but character. So whoever the character is has not appeared in the new 52 yet and will reveal himself to be gay this June during a storyline. After that, speculation has shifted from Batman, Superman and others to people like Ra's Al Ghul or Wally West (formerly the Flash). While we do not know who it will be, fan reaction has been mixed while most readers wait to see which character it is.

It will be interesting how both events are taken by readers.



THE WOLVERINE: A LONG AWAITED SEQUEL

by Hector Ramirez

Hey Clashers, Hector here, I know I promised you guys a piece on the Tokusatsu (live action Japanese tv show in the tradition of super sentai) Spiderman, unfortunately I have to postpone until next week. That being the bad news the good news pertains to another live action Marvel spectacle to behold, X-Men Origins: Wolverine has spawned a sequel set for release in July of next year.

    Due to setbacks like the massive earthquakes in Japan where the majority of the movie is being filmed and losing a director because he didn’t want to leave his family for Japan for so long, the movie was pushed to be released next year instead of being out this year. After that, Hugh Jackman was dedicated to his part in Les Miserables which further postponed filming. Now, with a new director, the star ready to go and Japan ready filming is set to start in August. The plot is said to involve ninjas and the Silver Samurai as antagonists.





THE CROW FLIES AGAIN!

From the IDW website


IDW Brings back James O’Barr’s iconic anti-hero this summer!


The Crow Cover BSan Diego, CA (May 17, 2012) – Proving that the spirit of vengeance is timeless, Bram Stoker Award-winning author and co-screenwriter of the original The Crow film,John Shirley, has teamed with Eisner Award-nominated, Fishtown artist Kevin Colden, to bring the dark spirit back to comics. Concurrently, the film’s producer Edward R. Pressman, in conjunction with Relativity Media and Dimension Films, is in pre-production on a gritty reinvention of the 1994 cult classic to be directed by F. Javier Gutiérrez (Before the Fall) and written byJesse Wigutow.

The comic book, which explores its own unique storyline from the film, is set in Tokyo, Japan where the Crow returns in the guise of a foreign exchange student named Jamie Osterberg. When Haruko, the love of his life, is stolen away from him, Jamie must search for answers–ones that turn deadly, and transform him into the spirit of vengeance, the Crow! With a sword that seeks truth, the Crow hunts down those responsible for this crime, discovering a web of horror that may lead him to kill his one true love.

The Crow Page 1“I was thrilled to help bring James O’Barr’s The Crow to the screen, and am equally thrilled to rediscover the character in this new incarnation of The Crow for IDW—it’s as if he’s come back from the grave all over again,” said Shirley. “It feels like The Crow is taking me on the journey into some very dark realms. All I can do is come along and hope to survive the trip. It helps to have a great talent like Kevin Colden along.”

“I’m very happy to be able to bring back The Crow with such esteemed creators,” said Chris Ryall, IDW’s Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief. “To be able to lead off with John Shirley and Kevin Colden in a story that takes the concept of James O’Barr’s The Crow in very unexpected ways is as thrilling to me as it hopefully will be to fans.”

Also featuring covers from Kyle Hotz and Ashley Wood, the vibrant, exotic setting and rich mythology of Japan should prove a thrilling and intriguing environment for Shirley and Colden’s fresh take on the beloved hero. The first of the monthly five-issue series will be released in print and digital in July, with more series to follow. Plans have also been announced for The Crow original creator James O’Barr to return with his own new series.

THE CROW #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in July.



COLOSSALS LEAVE NOTHING BUT DEBRIS

From the Image Comics Website


New dystopian mini-series from Image Comics in July

The future looks bleak for humankind in DEBRIS, the new Image Comics/Shadowline mini-series by the co-creators of the critically acclaimed GREEN WAKE, Kurtis J. Wiebe (PETER PANZERFAUST, GRIM LEAPER) and Riley Rossmo (REBEL BLOOD, COWBOY NINJA VIKING). Earth itself, covered with the detritus of civilization, has risen up against humans, as ancient spirits called the Colossals take physical forms constructed from the debris to wage war against the destructive species.

In the midst of this chaos, a warrior woman named Maya becomes the champion of humankind. She sets out to find the world's last source of pure water, combatting Colossals along the way as she fights to save her fellow humans.

"I'm very fond of Scandinavian and European folklore, so I injected a lot of those concepts into the monsters that will appear throughout the series," Wiebe told Comic Book Resources in an April 25th interview. "It's also very influenced by Native American (Canadian) mythology and even a touch of Mayan for some of the creatures. I like the idea that all these ancient monsters were once part of our world and have returned to end us when we are at our weakest."

With a look inspired by video games like Final Fantasy, DEBRIS boasts extraordinary creature design by Rossmo and vivid colors by Owen Gieni (AVENGELYNE) that set the comic apart from many other post-apocalyptic visions of Earth.

In an April 27th interview at IGN about the influence of the revolutionary video game series, Wiebe noted that DEBRIS shares the subject of "a world-changing battle against impossible odds, which is a constant theme throughout Final Fantasy." The IGN feature also included several FF-inspired teasers, showing Maya in battles against various Colossals.

In May, Wiebe also talked about the hotly-anticipated series at iFanboy, where a six-page preview of DEBRIS #1 was posted.

DEBRIS is a monthly four-issue miniseries published under Image Comics' Shadowline imprint. The first issue will be in stores on July 25.



VIDEO OF THE WEEK




Frieza vs. Sensui. WHO WINS?!




NOW AVAILABLE

CBC's very own Jeremias de Leon is not just a writer but an artist and is currently taking commissions:

Go here for his deviant art.  And this is his paypal.



ON SALE NOW:


Michael Turner Wizard World Hulk # 1 Variant


Iron Man, Ultimate Extinction, Ultimate Origins


Spiderman Books including first Black Costume appearance


AVENGERS ASSEMBLE: Including Avengers (Volume 1) # 16, 1st Wonder Man & More


Action Comics # 1 & 2 SIGNED WITH VARIANTS


Death In Comics SET


Yugioh Lightsworn Cards


X- Saber Cards


Yugioh DESTINY Hero DECK!!!


Wind Up Rabbit Cards



BROUGHT TO YOU BY . . .







One of the few Tokusatsu Reviews I know. Great guy with a good set of reviews, a few countdowns and some specials. Tokusatsu is special effects in japanese but it is what the genre of live action stuff like Power Rangers and Kamen Rider Dragon Knight are based off of. Toku Time or Reviewtopia: Toku Time is where you can find him.








Where you can find J1 Studios President, Jason Richson aka Spider Tribble, every single week on the Black Tribbles podcast. 








It's the new, BRAND NEW, Super Mario Dubstep Album. Listen as your favorite music from Super Mario has been transformed into remixes. The album is so addicting, you will feel like you're an addict!


GREEN MUSHROOMS & SUPERSTARS


From J1's own Shinigami (Ray Riley) & Forafire (Forrest Shamlian). FREE TO DOWNLOAD! NOW! 







And don't for get the recently released Sonic Remix Album, SPIN DASH AUDIO is also available now. 






RAJIO NIHON . . . the internet Toku Station where they play songs from tokusatsu, anime and give you in depth looks into the world of Tokusatsu. RAJIO NIHON  Take a listen as CBC's Frankie Rodriguez , Jeremias de Leon & Devin Walker go on and give you Tokusatsu News from Japan and around the world on Morphin Bracers.  


And don't forget to catch the Ikaricast from Reviewtopia!! Hosted by Jeremias de Leon aka Xaos, Jeff Williams aka 16 Bit Jeff with Frankie Rodriguez aka Seraph.


Also Don't forget to check out Frankie & Jeremias as they guest on 16 Bit Jeff's 




Episode 6 where they talk about Super Hero fighting games.









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