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Peter Parker Loses His Job; Crossed #9 Hits Shelves Soon

Administrator — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:30:04 +0000

It’s a special comic book entry today, so let’s get started! One of the main selling points of Marvel comics has always been that their heroes always existed in the real world and encountered real-world problems. Tony Stark battled alcoholism; Peter Parker was constantly struggling with money and relationship problems; the X-Men encountered bigotry as often as super villains. Marvel continues to keep things relevant with the announcement that Peter Parker (aka The Amazing Spider-Man) is going to join the ranks of the unemployed starting this Wednesday with issue #623. Hey, I’ve spent three years unemployed, but of course I don’t have a hero costume to keep up. Good luck, Peter!

According to the official Marvel press release:

New York, NY (March 1, 2010) – Marvel Comics has two words to say to Spider-Man’s alter ego Peter Parker — You’re Fired! Beginning in Amazing Spider-Man #623, on-sale March 3rd, everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood hero has to not only survive key arch nemesis Vulture’s reign of terror…but also losing his job at the Mayor’s office! Peter Parker lays it all on the line to protect J. Jonah Jameson and keep the city from ripping itself apart, but Peter’s sacrifice winds up costing his career as a photographer.

But when you can’t pay the bills, how’s a Super Hero supposed to buy web-fluid and fix his costume? Spider-Man’s about to learn that with great power and great responsibility comes the great need to be employed — which isn’t so easy when you’re blacklisted in New York City!

“Peter Parker’s been through some rough times lately, with all of his deadliest foes returning, and he couldn’t lose his job at a worse time” said Senior Editor Steve Wacker. “He’s going to struggle with unemployment and trying to save the city while he can barely afford to keep a roof over his head.”

The intrigue starts in Amazing Spider-Man #623 with the shocking next installment, Amazing Spider-Man #624, spinning into stores just one week later – March 10!

Avatar Press has announced that Crossed #9, the 40-page final issue in Garth Ennis’ and Jacen Burrows’ post-apocalyptic comic will be released at the beginning of March. For the uninitiated, Crossed takes place after the world has succumbed to a virus that transforms its victims into rampaging, homicidal monsters, torturing and killing everyone in their path. This is one of the bleakest end-of-the-world stories I’ve read in a long time (although I haven’t read Cormac McCarthy’s The Road yet). Ennis and Burrows have reached down deep to bring us images of brutal, no-holds-barred violence as the infected rampage across the world, but they also balance the mayhem with quieter moments of character growth and development. The dwindling group of survivors are pushed to their physical and psychological limits as they try to cope with the violence all around them. Survival means just making it to the next day.

Crossed doesn’t end with issue nine. The trade, collecting all nine issues, will be released in April. A new series, Crossed: Family Values is coming soon with writer David Lapham and artist Javier Barreno taking over for Ennis and Burrows. Crossed #0 is available to read for free over at Rich Johnston’s Bleeding Cool web site.

UPDATE: Crossed 9 hit stores today and you can catch a quick preview over at Bleeding Cool. Be warned: it is pretty graphic.

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New Doctor Who Trailer Online

Administrator — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:54:04 +0000

Here it is Doctor Who fans: the newest trailer for the 2010 series starring Matt Smith as the Doctor and Karen Gillan as Amy Pond. The trailer aired Saturday on BBC1 and will also be shown in front of the UK premiere of Alice in Wonderland. Oh, and it will be in 3D. Note that the Doctor and Amy seem to fall down “the rabbit hole” very much like Alice.

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IDW Publishing’s Doctor Who Solicitations for March

Administrator — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:52:28 +0000

March is almost upon us, which means that we will soon be seeing Matt Smith debut as the Doctor. David Tennant fans have something to look forward to as well because we will also be treated to IDW Publishing’s newest Doctor Who comics, with two new issues and two collections hitting the shelves next month. Here are IDW Publishing’s solicitations for Doctor Who comics arriving in March:

DOCTOR WHO #9

Written by Tony Lee, art by Blair Shedd, covers by Paul Grist and Shedd.

“Don’t Step On The Grass” Part 1 (of 2): When The Doctor is called back to modern-day London by Martha Jones and U.N.I.T., the last thing he expects are the Enochian Angels of Elizabethan magician John Dee, the secret underground library of Greenwich Park, and an army of angry living trees!

32 pages, $3.99.

DOCTOR WHO CLASSICS: SERIES 3 #1

Written by Steve Parkhouse, art by John Ridgway, cover by Robert Hack.

IDW’s newly recolored reprints of classic Doctor Who tales from years past continues in this all-new series picking up where Series II left off. In this first issue, with 32 pages of story and no ads, Steve Parkhouse and John Ridgway present “The Shape Shifter” and Parts 1 and 2 of “Voyager,” featuring the sixth Doctor.

32 pages, $3.99.

DOCTOR WHO, VOL. 1: FUGITIVE

Written by Tony Lee, art by Al Davison and Matt Smith, cover by Paul Grist.

An anomaly in the space-time continuum brings the Doctor to Hollywood during the Roaring Twenties, where he makes new friends and new enemies. But his actions attract the attention of the Shadow Proclamation, which puts him on trial for his life! This book collects the first six issues of the ongoing series.

152 pages, $19.99.

DOCTOR WHO CLASSICS VOL. 5

Written by Steve Parkhouse, art by Mick Austin, Steve Dillon, cover by Steve Parkhouse.

IDW’s newly re-colored reprints of classic Doctor Who tales from years past continue. In this collection the adventures of the Fifth Doctor continues in “Lunar Lagoon” and the four-part “4-Dimensional Vistas,” printed in the U.S. for the first time, and more! Featuring all-new colors by Charlie Kirchoff.

104 pages, $17.99.

For more comic news you can use, click over to Rob Allstetter’s Comics Continuum site! Oh, did I mention my birthday is in March?

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Geronimo! New Doctor Who Image Released!

Administrator — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:06:41 +0000

Geronimo! The BBC’s official Doctor Who web site has released a new wallpaper featuring the 11th Doctor and his companion Amy Pond warping through the Time Vortex. The new image also features a Dalek, a Weeping Angel and a new alien we have not encountered before. This does indeed look exciting and has me eagerly anticipating the new series set to debut this year.

This image links to a 1024 x 768 image.

In related news, the BBC plans to air a new trailer for the 2010 series Saturday on BBC1. No doubt it will be on YouTube that evening.

For more images, click over to the Doctor Who web site at the BBC.

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Neil Gaiman Writes Doctor Who Episode — No Longer Rumor

Administrator — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:39:58 +0000

According to the fan-favorite geek-gossip site, Bleeding Cool, Neil Gaiman will be writing an episode of Doctor Who for the new Stephen Moffat/Matthew Smith series. Before fans get too excited, the episode won’t be part of the 2010 season, but will instead be an early episode of the 2011 season. Here’s what Mr. Gaiman has to say on the matter:

Over the years SFX, and its readers and their votes in the polls, have always been very kind to me. I thought I’d return the favour with what used to be called, in journalistic circles when I was a boy, a scoop.

As anyone who’s read my blog knows, I’m a big fan of a certain long-running British SF TV series. One that started watching — from behind the sofa — when I was three. And while I know it’s cruel to make you wait for things, in about 14 months from now, which is to say, NOT in the upcoming season but early in the one after that, it’s quite possible that I might have written an episode. And if I had, it would originally have been called “The House of Nothing”. But it definitely isn’t called that any more.

Countdown. You’ve got about 14 months.

Very cool, indeed. Click over to Bleeding Cool for the entire story.

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Teaser for New Ricky Gervais-Stephen Merchant Project, Cemetery Junction

Administrator — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:05:47 +0000

Staying with all things British for awhile.

After years of being a super fan of NBC’s The Office I recently discovered the original BBC version and found it also to be hilarious, but in a darker, much more cold way than its American counterpart. I always knew the British version existed and that my Office was the remake. I had heard the American Office pales in comparison to the British incarnation, but I didn’t care. The American Office was my Office and will always be my favorite.

But Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are geniuses. That’s why I was excited to stumble across the teaser for their first co-directed feature film, Cemetery Junction. The movie follows three friends about to embark on life changing journeys that will test their friendship. The plot sounds familiar, but I’m sure Gervais and Merchant can put their own unique stamp on it. Here’s the teaser featuring Gervais, Merchant and Academy-Award nominated Ralph Fiennes:

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IDW Publishing’s Eight Page Doctor Who Preview

Administrator — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:44:12 +0000

Happy Monday, everyone! No sooner than I post IDW Publishing’s February solicitations then they turn around and give us an eight-page preview for the issue, which goes on sale Wednesday, February 3. Even though I posted the synopsis in the last post, I’ll repeat it here for those people who feel it might be too much work to click back:

DOCTOR WHO #8

Doctor Who #8 will arrive in stores on Feb. 3 from IDW Publishing. The issue is written by Tony Lee, with art by Al Davison and covers by Paul Grist and Davison.

‘Tessaract,’ part 2 of 2. With the TARDIS breached by invaders and with only moments before both vessels implode, The Doctor and his friends must find a working console and escape the fifth dimension. But what happens when the clock runs out — and everything ends? What happens to a Time Lord when his song finally ends?

Doctor Who #8 will be 32 pages and will cost $3.99.

Click over to Comics Continuum for more comic news and previews.

The official IDW Publishing web site has more great titles to check out!

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IDW Publishing’s February Doctor Who Solicitations

Administrator — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:02:17 +0000

Fans of David Tennant still mourning his regeneration into Matthew Smith at the conclusion of “The End of Time” should enjoy IDW Publishing’s line of Doctor Who comics, where the 10th Doctor’s adventures continue.

In February, part two of the “Tessaract” story concludes. Here’s the official solicitation and preview image:

DOCTOR WHO #8

Written by Tony Lee, art by Al Davison, covers by Paul Grist, Davison.

“Tessaract” Part 2 (of 2): With the TARDIS breached by invaders and with only moments before both vessels implode, The Doctor and his friends must find a working console and escape the fifth dimension. But what happens when the clock runs out and everything ends? What happens to a Time Lord when his song finally ends?

32 pages, $3.99.

Click over to Comics Continuum for more IDW Publishing books coming in February.

Visit IDW Publishing to see all their great titles.

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Doctor Who: The Complete Specials Arrives on DVD

Administrator — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:16:25 +0000

For those viewers still reeling from David Tennant’s departure from Doctor Who, take heart! A release date has been announced for the DVD release of Tennant’s final adventures as the Doctor.

Entitled Doctor Who: The Complete Specials, the new box set contains all the adventures from last year which marked the final run not only for Tennant, but also for show-runner Russell T Davies and producer Julie Gardner. Taken as a whole, these adventures mark a very private, very dark journey for the Doctor that culminates in his final battle with the Master and regeneration into Matt Smith.

The DVD set includes:

The Next Doctor with David Morrissey
Planet of the Dead with Michelle Ryan
The Waters of Mars with Lindsay Duncan
The End of Time parts 1 and 2 with Bernard Cribbins

The special features include Doctor Who Confidential, Doctor Who at the Proms, deleted scenes with introduction from Russell T Davies, David Tennant Video Diaries: The Final Days, Doctor Who BBC Christmas idents, audio commentaries, and Doctor Who at San Diego Comic-Con (you might be able to hear my question to David Tennant!).

Here’s the artwork:

Doctor Who: The Complete Specials goes on sale February 2, 2010.

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New Doctor Who Pics

Administrator — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:44:49 +0000

It’s officially the new year; 2010 my friends and the future looks bright. Well, except for the whole being unemployed thing, but that’ll turn around, I’m sure. The beginning of a new year always means looking forward, seeing the possible while incorporating the lessons of the past. With that in mind, here are a batch of pictures of Matt Smith as the newest Doctor. We are excited about the future of Doctor Who, looking forward to new adventures, the unlimited possibilities, while retaining the lessons of the past.

All right, you say, enough philosophizing. Lets get to the pics!

Special thanks to the official BBC Web site and to Blogtor Who, a great source for Doctor Who news and pics.

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