The 411 on the 711

BIG NEWS!!! -Marvel is reintroducing comics to the mainstream via 6,000 plus 7-11 convenience stores accross the USA. This has to be some of the biggest news retailer wise in the past ten plus years. Hopefully this will produce positive results for everyone over the next couple of years. Check the main story here.

Joe Quesada Speaks

Joey Q has dropped some info on goings on at Marvel and the future for comics once again at his 'Cup 'O Joe' panel at Megacon this past weekend. Read what he has to say here.

What Are You Buying?

What Are You Buying? - Thats the question posed by Richard Friend on the Gelatometti site and he's got some great picks. Go check out what your favourite creators favourites are by clicking here.

Whedon's Astonishing to Continue For Another Year

In case you haven't heard [you'd have to be blind,deaf and dumb, but still...] Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's run on Astonishing X-Men will continue for another year after there first 12 issue run is complete. There is mention of a short hiatus between the two runs so lets hope it is 'short' as these breaks tend to be on the long side.

For the full story go here.

Stan Lee Returns with Alexa

Stan Lee is returning to his legendary comicbook writing form by doing a comic for iBooks called Alexa.

“The series deals with a comic book company trying to get the story rights to the lives of two twenty-foot-tall superhero giants who suddenly appear from a rift between dimensions. Alexa works for the comic book
company and begins to wonder: are they really superheroes, or something far deadlier? Also, what is the mystic bond between her and the mysterious giants from another realm? It goes from there.”- Stan Lee on Alexa

The book is due out late February in the USA and features artwork by a number of great artists such as Dave Gibbons.

Hawkeye Back From The Dead

Heh heh, this one made me laugh, Brian Bendis and Joe Quesada speak to Hawkeye from beyond the grave... check it.

Writers From Out Of Nowhere

Steven Bates writes a quick article about outside writers getting into mainstream comics writing, an interesting article.

"Despite an overall drop in comic book sales in recent years, Marvel and DC have been steadily improving the quality of their storytelling over the past decade. This may, in part, be a case of learning from the past; writers and artists working today have the advantage of seeing everything that has gone before, both good and bad. Unlike the pioneers of our industry, who created from whole cloth an art form that combined the visual elements of cartooning and illustration with a diverse literary goulash-part short story, part screenplay, part serialized fiction-contemporary creators are building on the foundation of those forebears."

Check the full story here.

Sorry...I really am!

Well in case you haven't noticed the blog [and site] are suffering for lack of updates. Life and work have been very crazy of note and after my 16 hour days updating has not been happening as it should. I will blog every few days and yes there are reviews for the past few months coming soon. Thanks for understanding.

Iain.

Nigerians Enter The Comics Sphere

It actually pisses me off a bit that the Yanks laugh at Africa so much, because if they had 11 languages to get right I rate they might be a bit off with one or two words here and there to, but anyway heres the latest Nigerian scheme for you all to chuckle over. Check it here.

Camuncoli Gets Intimate

The artist on Wildstorms 'The Intimates', Giuseppe Camuncoli, takes a moment to give his rundown on the hot new title from the 'Storm. Read the story here.

Stan VS. Jack

The New York Times has picked up on the fact that Stan Lee is making oodles of boodle while the deceased Jack Kirby, who was a co-creator at the very least, is getting 'Jack All' out of the deal!

"It's amazing that he walks away with all the credit and all the money for some of the creation of these characters," said Robert Katz, a nephew of Jack Kirby, the illustrator who worked with Mr. Lee on the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, the X-Men and others. "The artists who did the lion's share of the creation have walked away with absolutely nothing." Mr. Kirby died in 1994.

"I only wish that Jack Kirby had Stan Lee's lawyer," Mr. Katz added.

Shonen Jump Takes Over The World

"Shueisha's manga magazine Shonen Jump maintains annual sales of about 3.2 million copies within Japan. A Swedish version with sales of about 30,000 copies was launched in October 2004. A Norwegian version will launch in March of 2005. The German version of Shonen Jump known as "BANZAI" began in 2001 and maintains an annual circulation of 140,000. Viz began publishing the American version of Shonen Jump in 2002 and has an annual circulation of 350,000 copies."
Source: manganewsservice.com

Phil Hester Rocks

I am a fan of artist Phil Hesters work on Green Arrow over the last couple of years. In case you haven't heard yet he has moved off Green Arrow and onto Nightwing and will start with Aprils #107 along with his inking buddy Ande Parks. Heres a sweet interview with him on his upcoming gig.

Jim Lee & Crew In Paris

As we speak the legendary Jim Lee and friends are exploding onto the Paris comics scene, ok maybe not exploding but anyway. The merry crew have been posting some sweet 'Batman in Paris' pics and other fun adventures from France. Check out the coverage here.