Age of Ultron #8 Preview

Marvel has promised a huge ending for Age of Ultron that no one will see coming. Many of the creative teams and staff at the company are still in the dark about what will happen once this story comes to a close. And in keeping with that thought, a one page preview of issue #8 has been released which helps keep the mystery and excitement surrounding the story at full heat.

Marvel is pleased to present your first look at Age of Ultron #8, from the critically acclaimed creative team of writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Brandon Peterson! To ward off Ultron’s devastation of mankind, Wolverine and Susan Storm traveled back in time and made a decision that irrevocably changed the Marvel Universe! Now the duo has come back to present only to find the world turned inside out! Wait until see who’s in charge of the world and how they’ve ascended to power! A reality-spanning choice must be made that’ll shift the course of the Marvel Universe for years to come that no fan can miss! So what are you waiting for? Head on over to your local comic shop today and reserve a copy of Age of Ultron #8!

AGE OF ULTRON #8
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Art & Cover by BRANDON PETERSON
FOC- 04/22/13 On-Sale – 05/15/13

Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox Press Release

GET READY FOR THE NEXT ALL-NEW DC UNIVERSE ANIMATED ORIGINAL MOVIE JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE FLASHPOINT PARADOX COMING JULY 30, 2013 FROM WARNER BROS. HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Primetime TV Stars & Justice League Alumni Fill Stellar Voice Cast Including Justin Chambers, Kevin McKidd, Michael B. Jordan, C. Thomas Howell, Nathan Fillion, Ron Perlman, Dana Delany, Cary Elwes, Danny Huston and Kevin Conroy

The world is turned upside down as one of earth's greatest super heroes - Flash - wakes up devoid of his super powers in the all-new Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox - the next entry in the popular, ongoing series of DC Universe Original Animated Movies. Produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, this all-new, PG-13 rated film arrives July 30, 2013 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Blu-Ray^TM Combo Pack ($24.98 SRP), DVD ($19.98 SRP) and Digital Download. The Blu-ray^TM Combo Pack will include UltraViolet^TM*.

When time travel allows a past wrong to be righted for Flash and his family, the event's temporal ripples prove disastrous, creating a fractured, alternate reality where the Justice League never formed, and even Superman is nowhere to be found. Amidst a new world being ravaged by a fierce war between Wonder Woman's Amazons and Aquaman's Atlanteans, Flash must team with a grittier, more violent Batman and government agent Cyborg to restore the continuity of Flash's original timeline.

"Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox has all the elements of another great film - dynamic forceful villains, treacherous twists and turns and internal tensions amongst heroes," said Mary Ellen Thomas, Warner Home Video Vice President, Family, Animation and Partner Brands Marketing. "Showcasing a cast that brings together some of today's popular primetime television actors with many fans' favorite voices from the original series, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is proud to release this title as the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie."

Primetime television stars Justin Chambers (Grey's Anatomy) and Kevin McKidd (Grey's Anatomy), the voices of Barry Allen/Flash and Thomas Wayne/Batman, respectively, unite with numerous greats of television and film to fashion the famed animated roles. Adding to the celebrity-laden voice cast and providing thrilling additions to the Justice League series are Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale, Friday Night Lights, Chronicle) as Cyborg, C. Thomas Howell (Southland, The Outsiders) as Thawne/Professor Zoom, Nathan Fillion (Castle) as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, Ron Perlman (Hellboy) as Slade and Deathstroke, Dana Delany (Body of Proof) as Lois Lane, Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) as Aquaman, Danny Huston (Magic City) as General Lane, Sam Daly (The Office, The Daly Show) as Superman, and Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) as Batman.

Screenwriter Jim Krieg delivers an action-packed vision of the legendary comic book miniseries FLASHPOINT, by Geoff Johns & Andy Kubert, adding to the over 13 million DC Universe video units produced to date. Jay Oliva (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns) is director and James Tucker (Superman: Unbound) is producer.

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox Blu-ray^TM has over three hours of exciting extra content, including:

• A Flash in Time: Are there other dimensions? Can time travel get us there? And if The Flash existed, could he really travel through time? Interviews with experts in mythology, theoretical physics and top DC writers will examine the science and legacy of the storytelling behind the fiction.
• My Favorite Villians! The Flash Bad Guys: Acclaimed DC Comics writer Geoff Johns and others share their favorite Flash villains in this short film that gives viewers a glimpse into the Flash's world through the eyes of some of the nefarious characters he has encountered over the past 70 years!
• A Sneak Peek at the next DC Universe animated movie:. An in-depth look into the next DC Animated feature film, spotlighting the cast and crew.
• From the DC Comics Vault: Bonus cartoon episodes

The Flashpoint Paradox Audio Commentary.

Flashpoint Voice Cast Revealed

From TV Guide:

A pair of Grey's Anatomy doctors will spend their summer hiatus saving lives in a different way. Justin Chambers and Kevin McKidd don cape and cowl to star in the upcoming animated superhero adventure Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox.

The film — based on Flashpoint, a 2011 comic book miniseries by writer Geoff Johns and artist Andy Kubert — will be released on July 30 in Blu-ray, DVD, On Demand and digital download formats from Warner Bros. Animation, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

Chambers plays the Flash, the super-speedster hero whose life is thrown into chaos when the reality around him suddenly changes into a world where the Justice League was never formed, Superman is unknown and Aquaman and Wonder Woman are waging a vicious war against each other that is tearing apart Europe. McKidd stars as Batman — but in this alternate reality it's not who you expect wearing the mask.

The all-star cast also includes Michael B. Jordan — star of this year's Sundance darling Fruitvale — as Cyborg, the half-man, half-robot government agent/hero; Southland's C. Thomas Howell as Professor Zoom, aka the Reverse Flash, the villain at the center of the turmoil; Cary Elwes as Aquaman, Vanessa Marshall as Wonder Woman; Sam Daly as Superman; Ron Perlman as Slade; and Danny Huston as General Lane. Warner Bros. Animation vets Kevin Conroy, Dana Delany and Nathan Fillion reprise their roles as Batman, Lois Lane and Green Lantern, respectively.

Marvel EPIC!

This fall, Marvel launches the Epic Collections – a new way for fans to collect their favorite series!

Each super-sized volume in the Epic line presents a heaping helping of Marvel's greatest heroics in one handy, affordable and self-contained package. What's more, each Epic Collection TPB is also a piece of a grand puzzle: When all is said and done, the Epic volumes will fit seamlessly next to one another on readers' bookshelves, presenting a complete and unbroken run of each title!

So be sure to get in on the ground floor! Marvel's most storied titles — including Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Captain America, Fantastic Four, Iron Man and Thor — are going Epic, and there's no turning back!

List price will range on these from $34.99 to $39.99 depending on a variety of things," Gabriel told CollectedEditions.com. "The normal top of the line restoration that folks have come to enjoy from Marvel will be a part of this line -- as seen in recent oversized TPBs like 'Avengers: The Trial of Yellowjacket' or 'Incredible Hulk: Pardoned.'

Review: "Jirni" Volume 1: Issue 1

Discover a whole new world of adventure! Trekking through a violent and dangerous frontier of savage barbarians, devious thieves, and wild creatures, a warrior-princess named Ara searches for her mother, who was stolen away from her kingdom by a mysterious sorcerer with the help of his powerful D'jinn.  What great and terrible secrets await her in the distant horizon? Prepare to experience an epic tale of fantasy and wonder without boundaries. This is Ara's quest. This is Ara's destiny. This is Ara's - JIRNI.

From Aspen comics comes the start of an exciting adventure into a dangerous and lush world that is as gorgeously drawn and colored as it is excitingly written.

Harking back to a simpler time of swords and sorcery, "Jirni" is a series that shows a lot of promise as an exciting, almost pulpy kind of adventure that is sure to enthrall readers who might be tired of the capes and heroes schtik, or who have tried other fantasy series before but seem overwhelmed.

"Jirni" does a fantastic job of slowly showing readers into it's world and not beating them over the head with complicated terms and names all at once. The first issue does a fantastic job of showing is it's main character, Ara, and her badass attitude and skills; but also quickly reminds is Ara isn't just a sexy killing machine, and we get a small glimpse of her past, and through internal monologue we see her ambition and longing for answers, as well as a quick glimpse of the antagonist and his power and abilities as he uses his murderous demon in a bottle, his D'jinn, to quickly and mercilessly dispatch and band of thieves in the desert.

This is a great part as we even see the D'jinn has a character, in a small sentimental moment where he stares longingly across the desert and quietley says "Home".

DC/Marvel alum J.T. Krul is the one in charge of the story and writing, and he does a great job. His work in the mainstream industry really shines with some crisp and clean dialogue that doesn't ramble and reads very fluidly. The universe Krul created is one that, on the surface, seems like something we've seen before; but has it's own charm and spin on things. It's not the typical "Tolkien" world so many fantasy series seem to borrow from so heavily, instead "Jirni" feels like something that's in a world that borrows from Edgar Rice Burroughs and some more modern fantasy like Blizzard's Warcraft.

In an interview with First Comic News, Krul spoke of the universe he created:

There is a big Arabian /Middle Eastern vibe to the story. We are definitely playing up the Aladdin motif, but there is more to it than that. I love that genre if you will, and really am using it as a springboard to launch this grand adventure.

Artist Paolo Pantalena has a style with women almost similar to Michael Turner of "Witchblade" fame; and that's not a bad thing. As seen on his DeviantArt, Pantalena has an amazing amount of talent that makes sure "Jirni" is just as pleasing to look at as it is to read, once again drawing me back to a more "classic" kind of comic-book. Colorist Brett Smith compliments Pantalena's artwork magnificently as well, with a beautiful pallet for the jungle that Ara treks through. The colors pop and nothing ever looks murky or dull.

All said and done, "Jirni" is a series that has definite staying power with readers. It's the classic blend of adventure and action that I can see hooking a wide margin of readers.

Image Teases Galactus For Age Of Ultron

Marvel has released this new teaser image that is in the same lines of their recent Marvel NOW! ads to get people guessing on which creative teams are with a certain title. The big difference in this image is that no names have been announced as writing or drawing this book.

I think it's pretty obvious with the purple text, the hunger, and it being set against a backdrop of space, this is definitely some sort of Galactus involvement as Age of Ultron nears the end. Marvel wants to keep this one deep underwraps and that means something really big could be going down. The title of the book is Age of Ultron #10 U.C. which leaves some questions unanswered and causes the anticipation to increase.

Lobdell Fills In For Diggle On Action Comics

Last month Andy Diggle let it be known through Twitter that he was stepping away from his writing duties on Action Comics and this came before his first issue on the book was even released. It's no secret that a lot of creative talents have been suddenly dropping off their anticipated DC titles before even getting a good run set in. A few very vocal creators have openly blamed the editors at the company citing creative differences and it could be more than that.

Scott Lobdell was announced to fill in for one issue while artist Tony Daniel tries to wrap up the scheduled arc on his own, but now Comic Book Resources has revealed that he will be on the title for a bit longer. All the Superman books in the new 52 have been a little rocky and with Lobdell coming on the regular Superman title last year, he crafted what is probably the best full story of the Man of Steel in the relaunched DC.

It is actually a fill-in arc, and you just revealed it here! I was eager to write a story where we got to see Superman off-planet and out of his comfort zone. We've seen a lot of adventures so far in the New 52 where Superman is either dealing with Earthbound threats... but I admit I am a sucker for those stories where we learn the man has quite a reputation outside of our solar system!

I also like those stories where Superman has to deal with cultures that are not his own, not of this Earth. Sometimes I think if left to my own devices I would publish a book called 'Clark Kent!' I love that guy! But 'Action,' like the title implies, is an action-oriented title, so it is not as conducive as 'Superman' is for the character-driven plots that I spend most of my time writing.

Action' is more actiony! There's a lot of action in this story, a lot of galactic scope, and the art from the first three pages alone is spectacular.  So everyone should strap themselves in for a bit of romp -- the series is called 'Action,' after all!

Dead Man's Run #4 Review

This issue opens up with Sam Tinker still in search of his sister, Juniper, after they were both murdered and set to endure the various levels of Hell. He has assembled a team of misfits in the promise of helping them escape, but on the condition that they first help him find Juniper on the way out of there. The group runs into a number of nasty, vicious and quite unconventional horror-esque beasts and threats throughout their search. They end up in a 5th level of hell where a horde of children are condemned to be there, but not by someone else. The children sent themselves there because of the the sins they believe they committed. Sam eventually runs into Juniper only to have her taken away yet again by the end leaving a cliffhanger into the next issue.

Greg Pak has always had my attention since 2006 with what I consider to be the best Hulk story of all time, Planet Hulk. He is currently writing X-Treme X-Men for Marvel and will be starting off the relaunched Superman/Batman title for DC so his plate is definitely full which is well deserved. Pak throws a lot of interesting concepts throughout issue #4 of Dead Man's Run. When they get into the 5th Level and are confronted with those self condemned children, it is one of the most eerie and uneasy moments I've read in a comic in a while and I think it's a scene that will stand out for anyone who reads the issue.

Tony Parker adds solid imagery to a well written story by Pak and it shouldn't be long before he gets even more mainstream exposure. He crafts some really grotesque monsters residing in hell. I love the friendly themed horror elements that haunt the children including what looks like an evil stone clown, an extreme teddy bear, and an exaggerated version of a scolding father.

Dead Man's Run is yet another strong outing from a really interesting story that continues to throw out twists and turns and enough nightmarish images to keep you wondering what Pak and Parker will be able to think of next.

Review: "Shrugged" Volume II: Issue 2

Yes or No? Right or wrong? Whatever the choice, Theo Langstrom's conscience makes the call. But is Theo truly the one calling the shots or is he just merely along for the ride? One Thing is for sure— he is definitely not alone! Dev and Ange know it is their sole purpose to capably guide Theo from his birth to his passing, providing their own conscientious reasoning on his behalf. But as they will come to realize, they can do more than simply provide their own perspective, they can now affect his world. And they as well— are definitely not alone!

"Shrugged" starts like a 'slice of life' series, with high-schooler Theo having an angel and a devil on his shoulders as he goes through life, helping him make decisions and providing some mental insight into things. On one shoulder is Dev, your typical loud-mouthed yet funny demon, and on the other is the aptly named Ange, a lovely blonde angel who always is revolted at Dev's crudeness, and tries steering Theo on the right path.

Having not read any other issues prior to this, I found the series very easy to pick up and get into (with the exception of a quick google search here and there). This is a distinct advantage that smaller comics have over the "big ones" like DC and Marvel which require an extensive knowledge of back-issues just to understand half a page of some of the more arch-heavy content.

"Shrugged" is a cute little adventure, the writing is accessible and sometimes funny and cute, if not a bit cliche; but it's not a real problem.

The issues strength (and weakness) comes from artist Jonathan Marks, who sometimes creates some wonderful looking characters and set-pieces, while other times the design and anatomy are just...odd. This is a problem I can see being easily fixed or looked past though, hopefully in later issues. 

All in all, "Shrugged" is a fine series to read. It's nothing weighty on the mind; but it's imaginative and colorful enough to keep you going. An engaging concept for all ages, and after the cliff-hanger, I'm very much looking forward to this next issue. 

Trinity War Connects Three Justice Leagues

From Comics Alliance:

Three flavors of Justice League -- plain, Dark, and of America -- will battle it out in Trinity War, a six-issue crossover event spanning all three Justice League titles in July and August, USA Today reports.

DC is promoting the event, written by Geoff Johns and Jeff Lemire and with art by Ivan Reis, Doug Mahnke and Mikel Janin, as the first meetings of lots of the heroes involved. The story revolves around the so-called "Trinity of Sin": Phantom Stranger, the Question, and the mysterious Pandora, the hooded woman who was present in the universe-changing Flashpoint and every New 52 #1 issue when the reboot started up in September 2011.

Pandora's set to get her own series the month before the crossover begins and the Phantom Stranger has been the star of his own comic since September. The New 52's version of The Question, however, remains an what Lemire calls a "bit of a wild card."

Though heavy-hitters such as Superman and Batman will be prominently featured, Johns and Lemire promise that other, less-familiar characters including Shazam, the Atom, Element Woman and Frankenstein will get considerable page time, too.

As for what brings all these Justice Leagues together, rest assured it's something that endangers the entire DC Universe.

"It's not going to end wrapped up in a bow," Johns said. "Something really, really major happens that kicks off some pretty crazy stuff at the end of August."

The event kicks off with July's Justice League #22.