Marvel Comics seeks to inspire minds with STEAM Variant covers

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Marvel is Proud to Introduce STEAM Variants this Fall
November Variant Campaign to Promote Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math

New York, NY—Aug 22^nd, 2016 — Marvel’s best and brightest heroes are stepping to the head of the class for a series of special variant covers! Marvel is pleased to announce 5 special STEAM Variants coming to some of your favorite Marvel titles this November!

“Our characters have been exciting fans for ages,” says David Gabriel, SVP Sales & Marketing, Marvel Comics. “With our new STEAM Variants, we plan to continue to motivate our fans to explore their passions in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art, and math and present these disciplines through some of our favorite young heroes who are doing just that – following their dreams and preparing for the challenges that await them ahead.”

We are excited to reveal the following STEAM Variants by some of Marvel’s great cover artists:

• S (science) – MOON GIRL & DEVIL DINOSAUR #13 by Joyce Chin
• T (technology) – SPIDER-MAN #10 by Pasqual Ferry
• E (engineering)— INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1 by Mike McKone
• A (art) — CHAMPIONS #2 by Pascal Campion
• M (math) – GWENPOOL #8 by Will Sliney

Through Marvel’s STEAM Variants, this campaign plans to ignite the spark of creativity and innovation that fuels and empowers the very heroes that have helped inspire generations around the world.

This November, join Marvel at your local comic shop as we continue to inspire champions of education, seekers of enlightenment, and the next generation of visionaries with Marvel’s STEAM Variants.

To find a comic shop near you, visit www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook.

Wonder Woman Film Costumes and Props on display in Las Vegas

First up comes all this news from the set of the new Justice League film, and now these images from the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, where costumes and props from the new Wonder Woman film (currently in production) are on display:

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After the backlash received by Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, it looks like DC Comics and Warner Bros. have been going into overdrive to generate as much positive buzz as they can for their slate of comic book films.

What do you think about what you’ve seen so far?

TOASTY! Talking about Mortal Kombat X and the Mortal Kombat franchise with Shawn Kittelsen

Ever since it debuted in game arcades over twenty years ago, Mortal Kombat has become more than a video game franchise. It has spawned numerous sequels – including a series of motion pictures, a television series and comic books – all feeding a ravenous fandom.

No stranger to this franchise – or fandom – is Shawn Kittelsen, a video game producer turned comic book writer. He makes his debut in the four-color pages as the writer of “Mortal Kombat X”, a comic-book prequel to the like-named video game which hits store shelves today.

Kittlesen took a quick break from his writing (and gaming) endeavors to answer some questions about Mortal Kombat X; how he got involved with the comic; his favorite “kombatants”; who he’d like to see the MK Universe collide with next; and which MK console he’d like to have in his home:

Elliott: Hey Shawn! Congrats on making your debut in DC Comics with Mortal Kombat! Can you tell us about how you got involved with the project?

Shawn Kittelsen: Thanks for the congrats, Elliott! A few years back, I was a creative executive at DC working on their video games. One of my favorite projects was Injustice: Gods Among Us because I’ve been a fan of Mortal Kombat for over 20 years and suddenly I got to collaborate with NetherRealm Studios. Fast forward to last year, I’m working at an ad agency and writing by night, and I get a call asking if I’d like to pitch for this series. I put my heart and soul into that pitch, and now here we are.

E: I’ve written comics myself, but have always wondered how different it is to write for video games. Are there any differences that you feel are most remarkable?

SK: Writing a game itself is tedious. You don’t just write scenes, you also write long spreadsheets of dialogue and text, and when you do write scenes, there are a variety of game design and technical concerns to address over and over again.

Writing a comic based on a game, on the other hand, is a lot more fun, because it’s like someone handing you the controller and saying, “Play on!” All the backstories and side quests that you daydream about while you’re playing a game can take on new life on the comic book page. And with a game as iconic as Mortal Kombat, that world comes alive in such vivid detail that it’s fun just to turn over stones and discover every secret corner of someone else’s universe.

I’ve seen your work on Army of Darkness, so I know you appreciate that process!

Read more and check out artwork from the Mortal Kombat X Comic book after the jump!

Archie Comics and The Marvel Universe join forces on Scribd

The world of comic book readership got a little bit bigger this week when it was announced that some of the top comics publishers would be making their titles available on the Scribd digital reader. Referred to as “Netflix for book lovers” Scribd offers subscribers unlimited access each month to e-books and audiobooks via their app and website.

“We are very excited to take this step in expanding our subscription service beyond books,” said Trip Adler, co-founder and CEO of Scribd. “This addition gives comics readers the freedom of unlimited reading, while also giving our ebook and audiobook lovers the opportunity to discover comics and graphic novels.”

Marvel and Archie Comics, along with IDW, Valiant, Dynamite and other publishers will be part of the popular e-reader’s “comics” section, offering unlimited access to over 10,000 comic books featuring some of the most popular characters in the medium. DC Comics is not currently participating.

Now, when the announcement was made, the first question that came to my mind was what books were these publishers offering and would they be the same ones they offer through their own reading apps? Marvel Comics has their Marvel Unlimited app which gives subscribers access to a huge backlog of issues. But the Marvel Unlimited library alone exceeds what is being offered cumulatively by all the publishers on Scribd, so it does appear that folks who get their first taste of the Marvel Universe on the app will need to go over to the publisher’s own portal to get the full meal. The same holds true for the other publishers. All in all, I think this is a nice way of getting folks who wouldn’t normally read comics online to give them a try.

Here’s a rundown of what Scribd is offering to subscribers according to their press release:

• Classic Comics – Classic runs of the Avengers, the X-Men, Daredevil, Archie, Judge Dredd, the Rocketeer and more
• Top Characters – Spider-Man, the Avengers, Betty and Veronica, Kevin Keller, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony, G.I. Joe, Bloodshot, Adventure Time
• Major Creators – Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Fiona Staples, Darwyn Cooke, Mark Waid, Ed Brubaker, Renee French, Jeffrey Brown, Joe Hill, and many more
• Acclaimed Graphic Novels – March, From Hell, Swallow Me Whole, Underwater Welder, Spiral-Bound, The Ticking, Too Cool to Be Forgotten
• Award Winners – League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, 30 Days of Night, Locke & Key, Alec, Will You Still Love Me if I Wet the Bed?
• Hit YA Titles – Ultimate Spider-Man, Runaways, Afterlife With Archie, Harbinger, Lumberjanes
• Manga – Partnership with MediaDo brings titles from Cork and Harlequin Manga, including work by acclaimed artist Moyoco Anno
• Leading Publishers – Marvel, Arcana, Archie, Boom! Studios, Dynamite, IDW/Top Shelf, Kingstone, Space Goat, Top Cow, Valiant, Zenescope

The press release also states that “Readers will have the ability to browse comics in a variety of ways, allowing long-time fans to dive deep and find what they love and new readers to explore comics”:

• By Character – Character pages allow readers to follow their favorite characters through their series and guest appearances.
• By Series – Readers can browse by title and read series entire series from start to finish.
• By Curated Collection – Readers can browse over 100 expert-curated collections of comics, such as Incredible Team-Ups, Classic Marvel Moments, Zombie Horror, Welcome to Riverdale, Funny Women, Supernatural Romance, and more.

With the current comic book market struggling to expand readership, I think that any effort to increase access is a positive thing. This partnership with Scribd allows the publishers to set up a gateway for new readers, which hopefully will draw them in to want more of what they have to offer.

If you’re curious, Scribd does offer a free, one-month introductory trial period, which I’ll be checking out myself.

The question remains how this announcement will affect those who work in the Direct Market, and how it is being received.

Talking Moneyball and revisiting “The Economics of Digital Comics” with Todd Allen

When we last spoke, Todd Allen was in the middle of making revisions to his book “The Economics of Digital Comics.” First published in 2007, Allen set out to explore the developing landscape of the “webcomics” field and help fans (and creators) understand where and how money was being made.

A lot has changed since then and Allen set out to address those changes when he completed the newest revision in 2014. The book has been met with praise, winning the endorsement of Thrillbent.com founder Mark Waid (Kingdom Come, Insufferable) who also wrote the forward.

I caught up with Allen as he was preparing to send out some Kickstarter editions and returning to his duties as comics market analyst – and all around gadfly – at The Beat:

Geek To Me: What compelled you to revisit “The Economics of Digital Comics“?

“The Economics of Digital Comics” Author Todd Allen

Todd Allen: Too much has changed since I wrote the last edition of the book in early ’07.  I’d actually started the background research for an update in the summer of 2010, but every time I’d start to make progress, something would come up and pull me away for 6 months.  Eventually, I had a break in the schedule and decided I was just going to hole up and finish the update.  I’d been away from the book for about a year at that point and it was almost like starting from scratch.  There was a LOT of change from 2013-2014.

In general, I think it’s important for people who want to work in the comics field to know where the money flows from.  How do publishers make the money that they give to you?  How do comics work if you want to go it alone?

When I started documenting these models back in ’02-’04, comics were in very shaky shape and I wanted to make sure people knew what their professional options are.  It’s not nearly as dire a landscape right now, but it’s still important to know the different markets, what your options are and whether you’re being treated fairly.

Geek To Me: What changes did you see in the market from when you did the first version of the book to this current one?

Todd Allen: The eBook/digital download format like you see with Amazon/Comixology and iVerse didn’t exist back then.  Crowdfunding didn’t exist back then.  The first edition came out in 2005, so I don’t think xkcd had quite launched yet. The Oatmeal was four years away and PAX hadn’t started up.

The fundamentals of day to day webcomics are similar (advertising is a little easier to get), but everything else has evolved.

Hail to the King baby! Get the script to Army of Darkness 1992.1

Listen up screwheads! This Wednesday Dynamite Entertainment’s anniversary special “Army of Darkness 1992.1” will be hitting the shelves at comic shops everywhere. The square-bound anthology edition features the talents of Steve Niles, James Kuhoric, Cullen Bunn and Mike Raicht (along with yours truly) writing untold tales of everyone’s favorite chainsaw-swinging, boomstick-blasting hero, Ashley J. Williams.

It was such a blast getting to play with Ash again and it was a real honor to have my name on a book with some of the top talents in comics! Now, since I think this occasion merits doing something special to commemorate it, I’m going to reward all my readers with a treat!

(Read more after the jump!)

Halloween Parties for Chicago’s Geeks & Nerds (and geeky families too!)

Chicago has one of the most vibrant geek/nerd communities in the U.S. and you don’t have to look far to find fun events where you can “get your geek on.”

With that in mind, and knowing that Halloween is one of those holidays that really bring out the kid in all of us, here are some fun events and parties that Chicago’s geeks, nerds and their “norm” friends can enjoy! (With one thrown in for my geeky peeps in the suburbs!):

CHICAGO LOOT DROP SHAMBLERS’ BALL: I’ve written about this super-cool event before. It’s less than a week away and tickets are STILL AVAILABLE but don’t wait until the last minute! All proceeds go to the Child’s Play Charity which benefits the Comer Children’s Hospital.

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS!

(More events after the jump!)

Titan Comics debuts “Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor” Comic Book [VIDEO TRAILER]

Now that they have the Doctor Who license, the blokes over at TITAN COMICS have been cranking out books that have featured the continuing adventures of the Tenth (David Tennant) and Eleventh (Matt Smith) Doctors. You knew that the Twelfth (or is it really Thirteenth?) Doctor – as played by Peter Capaldi – wasn’t far behind, right?