Comics Crux

For the last few months we’ve been treated to daily SDCC exclusive reveals from every toy and collectibles company on this plane of existence. We all know about the big ticket items, you can’t travel the internet – or at least the relevant parts – without seeing the solicitations posted. I would be remiss in ignoring SDCC, but since neither you or I want a rehash of what’s on every other “to-grab” list I’m going to cover a few of the lesser known but equally awesome items that may have slipped under the radar.

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It seems like Frank Miller titles can’t get a break. Earlier this year, 300: Rise of an Empire was pushed back to 2014, and today news broke that Miller’s other creation - Sin City: A Dame To Kill For - would also be delayed until next year.  This year is a crowded year for films, with about one thousand or more being released, so it makes sense that the film would be pushed back next year in a less competitive environment.

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Comics are full of scantily clad women and misogynist power fantasies and if we could just fix that then women and kids would start reading them and the industry would be saved, right? I mean, we’ve all found ourselves having that discussion from time to time. The “what’s the problem with comics” discussion, where we debate why mainstream comics seem to have alienated people to the point that they’ve become a niche product? Heck, if you’re me, that discussion has led to you producing an 128 page graphic novel that addresses all of those issues and has broad demographic appeal (Hypergirl), not to mention two graphic novels that satirise those very same issues (Hero: 9 to 5).

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Comics writer Mark Millar already has an extensive list of achievements. As if writing the supremely successful series-turned-films Wanted  and Kick Ass  and being nominated for several Eisner awards weren’t enough, now Millar can add “Honored by the Queen of England” to his resume.

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When I first heard of the Eternal Con, my eyes widened with exhilaration. Especially after I found out that Frank Patz – founder of Eternal Collectors – had put this Expo together on extremely short notice. It was officially announced in March that in 3 months time the first annual Eternal Con, featuring a vast array of pop culture from all types of media, would take place at the Cradle of Aviation Museum on Long Island, NY. I wasn’t sure what to expect – except for some fun-loving, costumed fans dressed up as their favorite characters, as well as some icons from the industry. This convention faced some definite obstacles, like the opening weekend of Man of Steel, Father’s Day weekend, and then there was the short notice.

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How does Dynamite Entertainment follow having all of the masked pulp heroes united together in Masks? In this case, you take writer Jeff Parker and task him with bringing together a new group of pulp heroes, Flash Gordon, The Phantom, and Mandrake the Magician in Kings Watch this September.

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iandsharman:

I have free reign to talk about anything I like, so, things I need from you, tumblr:

• Suggestions for the name of the column.
• What you’d like me to write about.

Answers in my ask, please!

We’re excited for this!

The Incal is a classic amongst comic fans. Alejandro Jodorowsky and Jean “Moebius” Giraud crafted a story that sent ordinary private eye John DiFool on a quest unlike any he – or we – could have ever imagined. Now the revered series is going to hit the big screen, being adapted for film by Nicolas Winding Refn – most known for his recent work on Drive with Ryan Gosling. If anyone is up to the task of adapting this science fiction epic to film, Refn is one of the few who could handle this monumental task. The Incal is not a comic series to take lightly, this is not your typical comic work that can be easily adapted.

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Alas Tom Hiddleston fans, Loki will not be in the Avengers sequel. In an recent interview on Empire’s podcast, Avengers writer-director Joss Whedon confirmed that the god of mischief will not appear in the upcoming sequel The Avengers 2. 

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With James Robinson leaving DC’s Earth 2 after issue #16, many wondered who would take on writing duties for the series. An official DC statement revealed that Tom Taylor, writer for the Injustice: Gods Among Us tie-in, will be taking over for Robinson beginning in October.

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One of the more controversial in-universe decisions in crafting the New 52 was the break-up of Superman and Lois Lane, followed by the subsequent pairing off of Superman and Wonder Woman.  I don’t really know anyone who was terribly excited for a ‘romance’ between the two marketing powerhouses, but the storyline has mostly played out in the background, not really changing the quality of either character’s books.  It looks like DC was just biding time before a big announcement, however: According to IGN, you can expect a new ongoing series titled Superman/Wonder Woman to launch this October. 

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In light of the release of Man of Steel, I decided to take a look at  Superman stories across many periods of his history, calling this The S stands for Superman Tales. From stories that you’ve heard of, others that you may wonder why they exist, and others that I say you should be hunting down. I decided to begin with a lesser story that I’d never heard of until the covers by Dave Bullock caught my eye – “The Harvest” written by Joe Kelly – or the man who wrote Action Comics #775, introducing the Elite. When you have Dave Bullock, who did work on Batman Beyond, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Justice League doing covers, that can’t help but catch attention. I’m glad they did, Joe Kelly’s “The Harvest” was a unique beast to say the least, which I’ll go into more as we go on. “The Harvest” takes place in the latter half of Joe Kelly’s run on Action Comics, using the idea of a Meta Gene run wild and activating itself in surprising and brutal ways all across America. Throughout “The Harvest” you’ll get a minor introduction into “Our Worlds At War”, President Lex Luthor, and something loosely involving General Zod. Time to take a look at Action Comics #801-805, to see where “The Harvest” takes us.

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Steel House Digital has re-created another movie trailer in the style of minecraft – this time Pacific Rim – and somehow has managed to maintain the badassness of the original. 

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Man of Steel is often good.  At times, Man of Steel approaches greatness.  For a lion’s share of the first two-thirds of the movie, I wasn’t just thinking, “This is the best Superman movie I’ve ever seen,” but “This is one of the best superhero films I’ve ever seen.”  It just clicked.  And while it eventually soured – badly – as we approached the end of the movie, I still legitimately really like the first two-thirds of the film.

*Spoilers Ahead* 

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I have mentioned this before in previous columns and news pieces, I like video games and Popcap Games’Plants vs. Zombies is one particular gaming addiction of mine. With the recent announcement of Plants vs. Zombies 2 and Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, this is the perfect time for Dark Horse Comics to release Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon by Paul Tobin and Ron Chan. Quietly put into the recent Dark Horse Comics solicitations in September, the November released hardcover will be initially released digitally by Dark Horse, with an exclusive print copy of the digital comic at San Diego Comic Con International 2013.

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In the ever expanding world of HeroClix, WizKids has managed a perfect fit for the line with the July 10th release of Pacific Rim: HeroClix. The line will have characters and monsters from the film and there will be ten figures in all. You’ll have the five Jaegers (giant robots) and five Kaiju (giant monsters), and just from the designs I’ve seen from this line, they do capture the look of the Pacific Rim movie nicely.

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After the dismally degrading dreck that was the last few Tomb Raider films, it’s pretty easy to write off any future attempts at a decent movie centered on the adventures of Lara Croft. Luckily, fans may be getting the Tomb Raider they’ve been waiting for – and deserve – thanks to Marti Noxon, the woman who has been tasked with writing the movie.

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With Man of Steel premiering this weekend and DC kicking off their Superman Edition of We Can Be Heroes, it’s a perfect time to peruse some awesome Superman merch around the interwebs.  

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We’ve all seen a lot of Superman recently. In addition to Man of Steel’s release, this year marks Superman’s 75th anniversary, so his flooding the market is pretty understandable. To battle the apathy that often accompanies oversaturation, we here at Comics Crux have decided to take a loving look back at the moments that make us truly appreciate Superman.

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