If you play Halo: Reach there’s a good chance you’ve encountered more than your fair share of armor-locking n00bs. These cowards will do battle, but at the first sign of trouble they crouch into the Halo version of the fetal position and activate their six seconds of immovable invulnerability hoping that the superior players on their team will come save them.
Generally, these players are fairly easy to dispatch of. It’s just a matter of waiting them out then delivering that final blow followed by either humping or smacking around their limp corpse just so they know how much of a bitch-button using n00b they are – but, these types of players can still be extremely frustrating to encounter during a game.
Last night, Kill-tacular-tron, ‘Bigcheezhead” and I encountered a team of these pussies armor-lockers during a game of “Splockets” (Spartan Laser + Rockets = Madness). Despite the general annoying nature of this team, we of course prevailed and one player in particular learned a hard lesson in the dangers of trying to jump in and out of this cowardly armor ability too quickly:
Play Halo: Reach? Have an awesome video of you PWNING some n00bs? Send them our way and we will feature them as part of our “You Got PWND” series here on BSR! Send a link to your video to admin@bigshinyrobot.com
If you haven’t noticed lately, many of the Secret Origins columns lately have dealt with characters that have ties to this year’s summer blockbusters. This week follows that trend, but with a bit of a twist. There are so many Green Lanterns that if I decided to profile each one, it’d take this weekly column nearly 138 years to do it. Luckily for me, most Lantern origins are somewhat the same, They follow the lines of “Pre-existing GL dies and leaves the ring to someone else”. There are exceptions, most of the earth-based Lanterns are unique in some fashion, but none like today’s entry. You see, he’s a member of the Green Lantern Corps, but he’s not a Green Lantern. Intrigued? Let’s get down to it then, with the one and only member of the F-Sharp Bell Corps, Rot Lop Fan!
Rot’s story actually begins with Katma Tui, who has an interesting origin herself… a story for another time, perhaps. Anyway, Katma is being debriefed by everyone’s favorite hydrocephalic space Nazis, the Guardians of the Universe. It seems Katma was on assignment to bestow the powers of a Green Lantern to someone in a region called the Obsidian Depths, which is known for not having any light or stars to call its own. As the blue beach ball heads continue, they need Katma to explain herself, because she says while her mission was successful, there is still no Green Lantern patrolling the depths.
"And besides, Big Head Bowling is appearing on the viso-screen in 5 Earth minutes!"
Being the dutiful lapdog Lantern that she is, Katma starts to relate her fate. You see, the thing about space is, it’s black, and the thing about the Obsidian Depths is that they’re really black, so Katma is having a bit of a tough time even finding the right planet, let alone the one sentient in the area who is worthy enough to wield the ring. She does eventually find the right place, thanks to her ring to homing in on the correct gravitational field. Even so, there is still no light but that of her own Lantern’s light. She attacks the darkness with her light, and eventually finds her chosen one. He doesn’t seem fazed at all by the light. Katma, assuming that things are great, approaches the chosen ring-bearer, and discovers something she hadn’t expected…
It took millennia for his race to develop Rebecca Black's "Friday" as a defense mechanism, but the time was well spent.
After the initial shock, Katma uses her ring to translate, and she finds the alien is our titular Rot Lop Fan. Rot cannot see, which makes sense, since there is no light on his world. By touch, he tells Katma that it’s too bad she’s deformed (by his standards), as she has a beautiful voice. After that rather strange flirtation, Katma changes the subject by explaining many new concepts to Rot, such as the existence of other planets, and the need to protect them. When she gets down to the nitty-gritty of explaining how the GLs protect space, she runs into a bit of a problem…
After all the Lanterns have done over the years, I have a few untranslatable words to describe them, too.
Unfortunately, when you are trying to talk to a species that has no concept of light, color, or objects that radiate those things, it’s kind of difficult to get your point across. To Katma’s credit, she continues to try, but it just gets worse. When she tries to teach the Green Lantern Oath to Rot Lop Fan, fully one-third of it is untranslatable, as it pertains to day, night, sight and light. Katma, is diligent, but eventually, she realizes the road to madness lies with trying the same thing 1,000 times and expecting different results, so she resigns herself to failure…
"You're an alien? Oh forget this, then!"
It’s a good thing that Katma is as smart as she is “deformed”. If I were playing Green Lantern word association, if someone said “ring” I’d look at my hand. Not Katma, though, she’s thinking musically! She has Rot Lop Fan put the ring on his appendage, and asks him if he’s familiar with what a bell is. The ring has no problem translating this, so it’s obvious that he does, but he assures Katma nonetheless. She asks him to think and concentrate on holding a bell in his hand, and amazingly, the ring changes its shape to that of a bell! Katma, being extremely pleased with herself, knows that proper nomenclature is important, so she asks Rot Lop Fan what his favorite note/pitch is. Rot says that F-Sharp has a nice ring to it. Katma christens Rot as the F-Sharp Bell of his sector, and explains with his bell, he cause make sound waves that can form solid objects. She has him give it a shot, and the effect is actually pretty spectacular.
Sadly, Rot Lop Fan's first construct summoned the dreaded "Death Flower Butterfly". They were never heard from again.
After some further training, such as using the power battery like a tuning fork, Katma decides it is time to try the GL Oath again, because well, you simply must have a battle cry. In all seriousness, the F-Sharp Bell Oath is pretty great. Here it is in its entirety.
In Loudest Din, Or Hush Profound
My Ears Catch Evil’s Slightest Sound
Let Those Who Toll Out Evil’s Knell
Beware My Power: The F-Sharp Bell!
Brings a tear to your eye, doesn’t it? Anyway, sensing her work is done, Katma leaves her charge, leaving out a teeny, tiny detail…
A bit short-sigthed, don't you think? What if Rot Lop has to assist a fellow Lantern in the Yellow Galaxy of Ponn?
With that, Katma wraps up her story to the Guardians. Explaining that Rot Lop Fan may not even qualify for the Green Lantern Corps. All I have to say about that is then why the heck did you (A) give him a ring in the first place, and (B) adapt it to his use? With judgement calls like that, it’s no wonder the Guardians try to keep the Lanterns on such short leashes! WIth Rot Lop Fan’s status in the air, Katma asks the Guardians to sort it all out. For once, those crazy red-dressed short stacks have a witty retort…
Did that Cerulean Caesar just make a funny? Now I've seen everything!
The story ends there, but thankfully, the career of the F-Sharp Bell does not! Rot Lop Fan is seen over the years a handful of times, and is so fondly remembered that he’s getting a bit of screen time in the upcoming Green Lantern movie! Well, he has an action figure in the movie line, at least…
I don't see why they'd alter the design so much if he wasn't gonna be in the movie.
This story originally appeared in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual #3, 1987. It was reprinted in the DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore trade paperback. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention ‘ol Rot Lop Fan was created by everyone’s favorite be-beared recluse? Well, he was, and both character and creation are awesome.
Today DC’s big 2011 event, Flashpoint, kicks off! In Flashpoint Barry Allen discovers his whole world has changed. How has it changed? Check back later for our review of the first issue. In the meantime we have a teaser image that DC sent us that’ll whet your appetite for this event!
Just in case the Rapture doesn’t happen on May 21st, you may want to know what’s in the coming months to your local comic shop! No worries, we’ve got you covered! Here are the books coming out of Aspen in July!
HAUNTED CITY #0
Peter Johnson – Writer / Michael Ryan – Art / Peter Steigerwald – Colors
In the corners of our minds, we find ourselves asking…who protects us from the unknown?
Detective Tom Whalen is a ‘lifer’ on the force, as well as a veteran of the decrepit streets of New York City…along with all the freaks that come with it. Yet, the city might not be anything close to what he thinks it is, in fact—it might just be far worse than he ever imagined! Journey through the supernatural origin and expansion of America’s most famous metropolis, New York City, in this introductory HAUNTED CITY zero issue that will uncover those which dwells in the shadows of the paranormal, and also reveals why Detective Whalen may not be able to survive the city he’s spent his entire life protecting.
Aspen Comics proudly teams up with producer and director McG’s Wonderland Sound and Vision to bring you this all-new story that sets the stage for the brand-new HAUNTED CITY #1 issue heading your way next month. Make sure to get in on the ground floor of this incredible new series that’s set to take comics and Hollywood by storm! Complete with an additional sketchbook section, never before seen art, and a stunning cover by series artist Michael Ryan, this special #0 issue is not to be missed!
HAUNTED CITY #0 is in stores July 6th, 2011! FC 32 Pages $2.50
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: IRIS (vol 2) #1
David Wohl – Story / Eduardo Francisco – Art / Sunny Gho – Colors
Iris is back, but will she survive – The Hit List Agenda!!
Aspen’s first ever intra-series summer event, “The Hit List Agenda” takes off right HERE in the pages of this exciting first issue! A brand new corporate power player has emerged in the wake of Ching’s death and Iris’ disappearance, but this time, it is no man calling the shots, but a woman—Diane Coverdale. However, dangerous elements are still at play in the high stakes world of corporate domination, and Coverdale must obtain a familiar form of defense to guard herself and her assets—introducing Executive Assistant: Acteia. Sworn to protect her employer at all costs, Acteia proves to be quite deadly, but when Coverdale’s life is threatened, she must learn that discretion can be as effective as any weapon in her arsenal. And how exactly does IRIS fit into all of this?? Pick up the thrilling first chapter of “The Hit List Agenda” and find out!
Aspen’s first ever Summer-spanning event, “The Hit List Agenda” starts right here with the return of Executive Assistant: Iris!
Executive Assistant Iris (vol 2) #1 is in stores July 6th, 2011! FC 32 pages $2.99
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: ORCHID #1
Scott Lobdell – Story / Micah Gunnell – Art / Rob Still – Inks / David Curiel – Colors
“The Hit List Agenda” sets its sights on Executive Assistant: Orchid!
Aspen’s first ever intra-series summer event, “The Hit List Agenda” debuts right HERE in the pages of this exciting first issue! The blood trail of “The Hit List Agenda” leads to a small, poverty-stricken Colombian village in South America. A powerful drug cartel led by Ramos Cordova seeks to strengthen their grip of power and fear over their oppressed citizens. Executive Assistant: Orchid is up to the task as her master and his unruly son Umberto, use her element of surprise to settle an old debt with their rivals—definitively. But, when her orders send her north to Dallas, her mission may unwittingly engulf her into a conspiracy larger—and more dangerous– than her ‘capable’ abilities can handle!
Aspen’s first ever Summer-spanning event, “The Hit List Agenda” continues right here in the pages of EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: ORCHID!
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: ORCHID #1 is in stores July 13th, 2011! FC 32 pages $2.99 mini-series
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: LOTUS #1
Vince Hernandez – Story / Oliver Nome – Art / Emilio Lopez – Colors
“The Hit List Agenda” zeros in on Executive Assistant: Lotus!
Aspen’s first ever intra-series summer event, “The Hit List Agenda” debuts right HERE in the pages of this exciting first issue! The turmoil in South Asia erupts into chaos as “The Hit List Agenda” sets its sights on the Republic of India. Amidst the bloodshed of a devastating attack on the Israeli Embassy, one woman’s actions will force the government’s hand in inching towards a potential war with a rival nuclear superpower—Executive Assistant Lotus! Yet, the catastrophic national conflict she has set into motion by her exploits is nothing compared to the life-altering conflict rising inside her due to the misdeeds of her past!
Aspen’s first ever Summer-spanning event, “The Hit List Agenda” continues right here in the pages of EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: LOTUS!
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: LOTUS #1 is in stores July 20h, 2011! FC 32 pages $2.99 3 issues mini-series
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: VIOLET #1
Marc Andreyko – Story / Pop Mahn – Art / John Starr – Colors
“The Hit List Agenda” heats up for Executive Assistant:Violet!
Aspen’s first ever intra-series summer event, “The Hit List Agenda” debuts right HERE in the pages of this exciting first issue! England takes center stage in “The Hit List Agenda” as one man, Henry Vincent, the heir to the Velchem fortune, decides to protect his wealthy corporate interests–as well as his life—with force. Executive Assistant: Violet is the solution. However, when the events of his father’s death become clear, and the crisis surrounding Vincent’s various holdings begin to reach a boiling point across the globe, Violet must prove she has what it takes to protect their future while also confronting the demons within!
Aspen’s first ever Summer-spanning event, “The Hit List Agenda” continues right here in the pages of EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: VIOLET!
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: VIOLET #1 is in stores July 27h, 2011! FC 32 pages $2.99 3 issue mini-series
FATHOM (vol 4) #3
Scott Lobdell – Writer / Alex Konat – Pencils / Beth Sotelo – Colors
Michael Turner’s Fathom makes its return for the sensational fourth volume!
A weary and frustrated Aspen arrives in Saudi Arabia at the request of scientists from an international conference of deep-sea researchers, but mostly, looking to avoid the scornful eye of the U.S. Government. However, Aspen soon realizes her refuge from the Americans’ concerns has now become a solution for a new groups’ crisis. At the request of the powers-that-be, she is hesitantly thrust back into the depths to moderate a search for oil reserves that soon turns into a discovery far greater—and potentially far more catastrophic—than what they ever could have anticipated.
For the legions of FATHOM fans who have been waiting to see Aspen in her element and taking control of her life, now is the time to jump on in—the water’s just fine!
FATHOM #3 is in stores July 20th, 2011! FC 32 pages $2.99
CHARISMAGIC #4
Vince Hernandez – Story / Khary Randolph – Art / Emilio Lopez – Colors
Everything you thought you knew about magic will… Vanish.
Journey into a world where the lines between magic and reality are blurred…And where one man will soon find himself as the last remaining hope for all mankind.
Hank, Sudana and Sparkles make their way into the treacherous jungles of Costa Rica in search of the wizard Kon for help. Yet, their journey may end before it even begins when they encounter The Guardians, magical panthers tasked with protecting the temple of Kon—who may or may not be allies to their cause. Inside Kon’s temple, the ancient wizard battles the newly returned Samsun, but the tides of magic power have shifted—and not in his favor. In the Void Realm, Hector and Alle’s capture by a mystical shaman will provide a glimmer of hope to the pair stuck in the hellish landscape of the Void, but will they be able to survive in order to enjoy it?
Created and written by Aspen’s own Vince Hernandez, with stunning art by Khary Randolph and Emilio Lopez, make sure to open your eyes to the exciting new world of CHARISMAGIC!
CHARISMAGIC #4 is in stores July 27th, 2011! FC 32 pages $2.99
Peter Jackson will be prefacing a nationwide theatrical release of the Extended Edition of the Lord of the Rings films. Fathom Events, who put together one night events across the country, set this up.
Jackson’s introductions will be filmed on the set of The Hobbit, which leads me to believe that we’ll be getting a sneak peak at the new films as well.
From their press release:
Return to Middle-earth as the most magical epic adventure in motion picture history comes to the big screen this June for a three-night theatrical event series. NCM Fathom and Warner Home Video are bringing all three The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition films to movie theaters nationwide so that you an experience them the way they were meant to be seen – on the big screen!
The events will begin with a new and personal introduction for each film from The Lord of the Rings™ director Peter Jackson captured from the set of his current film, and The Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hobbit, and will be immediately followed by the Extended Edition feature presentations which altogether include nearly three hours of additional feature footage carefully selected by Peter Jackson.
The Academy Award®-winning trilogy will be featured in an exclusive series of three in-theater events including The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring™ on June 14, 2011; The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers™ on June 21, 2011; and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King™ on June 28, 2011. Each event will begin at 7:00 p.m. local time.
It’s pretty soon, but I’d really love to check these out. They’re Tuesday nights so I might not be able to go personally, but I’d love to see them on the big screen again. It would have been much nicer to see them in at least week long engagements.
We have a bit of local sports/geek news hitting the interwebs for you folks today!
If you were watching the local news last night here in Utah – where Big Shiny Robot’s “home base” is located – you may have seen a picture of this:
That is Utah Jazz small-forward Andrei Kirilenko’s new tattoo. According to the local media it is a depiction of Kirilenko’s World of Warcraft character – a level-80 Paladin, riding a dragon.
Heh.
So, I guess for the twelve people out there who have been thinking to themselves, “Boy, I wish somehow my love for the NBA and my love for WoW would somehow collide!”, here you go . . . I guess. Way to go Kirilenko, nothing says “bad ass” as you go up for a rebound like a giant tattoo depicting your fantasy character from a video game associated with 40-year-old recluses who lock themselves in their mother’s basement desperately trying to disassociate with the real world and aren’t exactly known for their athletic prowess (relax WoW players, it’s a joke.).
I know, “This is a geek-oriented website, shouldn’t you guys be all about this?!” No. I am one of those particular (and rare?) types of geeks who you will find reading the latest issue of Amazing Spider-Man while watching the Jazz loseplay the Lakers on TV. This is just bizarre and really bothersome to me for some reason. Perhaps it’s because it’s causing a conflict with the two versions of Arse-bot that coexist within the same metallic body, and my collective thought process can’t sort out exactly why I/they hate this? Either way, as a Jazz fan, I’ve never been a fan of “AK” and I believe his contract is up, so I hope this dude takes his expensive homage to a lame-ass fantasy game to a different city next year.
Update: On our Facebook fan page, Mr. Benny Wallace was kind enough to point out that this piece was done by Vic Back from Painted Temple Tattoo & Art Gallery. Despite my personal feelings on the subject, there’s no denying this is a very well done tattoo.
While Arse-bot’s geek side and sports side try to come to an agreement on exactly why they hate this and can form a coherent argument as to why, sound off with your thoughts in the comments below!
Well, Free Comic Book Day 2011 is over, but the impact it left has not. This year’s FCBD had a massive amount of titles over all genres, that it was easy for some of them to be overlooked a bit. I decided to share two of my favorites with the BSR! readers.
Frist, from Oni Press, we have Rated Free for Everyone. This is definitely an all ages book. We’re given previews of two upcoming Oni books, but thankfully both stories stand on their own as well. In Sketch Monster by Joshua Williamson and Vinny Navarrete, we meet Nicole. She’s your average 8-year old, except for the fact that the monsters she draws sometimes come to life.
It’s a fun romp with Nicole, and her two sketchy pals Happster and Meanie, as they try to figure out how to stop the “Attack of the 100 Foot Booger”! The thing about Sketch Monster than really has me wanting to pick it up the hardcover when it is released in the fall is the bio page after the story. It seems that Nicole expresses herself through her drawings, and the full tale is about growing up and learning self-expression. I really like that. You can have your fun, but there is a lesson attached, too. This book is definitely on my radar, and it would not have been if not for FCBD.
The second story in Free for Everybody is Power Lunch. This tale, by J. Torres and Dean Trippe is why I picked this book up. I am a big fan of Trippe’s and Torres is no slouch either. The story itself is a pretty neat concept. Joey, a kind of sickly looking boy, can only eat foods that are white. This seems really odd, and it is, but the fun really starts when Joey’s mom allows his to eat different colored foods. Each one gives him a new superpower! Noodles give him the ability to stretch, and miniature chocolate shrinks him, and so on. When he’s being picked on at school, he uses his ability to get a little light-hearted payback.
Rated Free for Everyone may still be available at your local retailer, and if you ask for it by name, they may give you a copy with a purchase. It’s worth a shot for a very fun read.
The other FCBD book that surprised the heck out of me, because I enjoyed it so much was Silver Scorpion by Liquid Comics. Even before we get to the story itself, this book is fascinating. While the book is written by Sharad Devarajan and Ron Marz (with art by Mukesh Singh), the concept was created by a group of disabled Syrian and American students.
The story itself revolves around Bashir, an artist who works with metal in his sculptures. One day he and his friend Kamal are searching Bashir’s uncle’s scrap yard for the perfect piece to Bashir’s new masterpiece. The two friends find themselves in a no-man’s land where the city’s street gangs have mined the area. Tragedy strikes as Kamal is killed, and Bashir loses his legs. The accident leaves Bashir bitter an angry at the world and himself. His fate takes a turn for the strange when he meets Tarek, a friend of his uncle’s. Through a series of tragic events, Bashir finds himself with the ability to manipulate metal in all forms, which he can only use to benefit others. As we leave his origin story, Bashir, now the Silver Scorpion is thrust into a world he doesn’t fully understand, but it’s one I am eager to see unfold.
Before reading this, I have never read a book by Liquid Comics before. I was aware of them, but never really gave them a shot. Now, thanks to Silver Scorpion and Free Comic Book Day, I am much more likely to pick up their stuff. The best thing about Silver Scorpion is that if you missed getting it on FCBD, it’s available to read online via Scribd. The book itself says an app for your iDevice is also coming, but as of this writing, it isn’t available yet.
Both of these books epitomize what Free Comic Book Day means to me. Not only do you have books that encourages children to get into comics, but you have offerings that can turn the head of even the most seasoned comic fan. The next time you hit up your local shop, see if they can be persuaded to give you a copy of one of these, or the many other smaller press books that were offered this year. You won’t be disappointed. After all, they’re free!
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of digital comics. They have a few advantages over print comics. Among other things, they’re easy to organize, they don’t clutter a room, and they are much less of a fire hazard. There are of course some disadvantages, as well. Digital comics are still in their infancy, but it’s hard to deny the impact they’ve had already. Case in point, the Comics by comiXology app was recently inducted into the iPad app Hall of Fame. There is still a lot of room to grow, in my opinion. That was foremost in my mind when I was given the opportunity to interview comiXology’s CEO David Steinberger. We touched on a variety of topics, so as not to bury the lead, here’s the interview!
comiXology CEO David Steinberger
Shaz-Bot: The Comics by comiXology app has been inducted into the iPad App Hall of Fame. For our readers not familiar with it, what exactly is the App Hall of Fame, and what apps do you share this prestigious honor with?
David Steinberger: The Hall of Fame is aimed at presenting the “very best of the best” and contains 50 apps for iPhone and iPad, both paid and free. It’s pretty awesome to be listed next to apps such as Angry Birds, Evernote, Facebook and Epicurious.
Shaz-Bot: comiXology has had a great presence on the various iDevices, but you’re available on the web so even people without an iPod/iPad can enjoy digital comics. Your Flash interface on the web is quite good, but will you developing an HTML5 interface for even greater compatibility?
David Steinberger:We’re available on the web and Android devices as well. For now, the reader will stay in Flash, but we’ve been experimenting in HTML 5. We expect at some point to have comics available through HTML.
Shaz-Bot: Is comiXology spearheading any initiatives to get consumers to buy physical copies of the books you sell from their local comic shop?
David Steinberger:Actually, comiXology started as a website to help consumers see what comics were coming to their local comic shop. We even have an iPhone app called PullList that shows the comics coming to your store. We have full Pull List functionality for print books on the site, and you can even connect to our local store partners to pick up your pull list at your local store.
All of our apps have a retailer finder built into them, so you can use the geo-location ability of the device to find a local store
We’ve recently launched our comiXology Retailer Sites, giving retailers a full website, calendar, blog, and pull list tools. A couple of examples are legacycomics.net and samuraicomics.com.
We’ve also announced a digital comics affiliate program for retailers, and soon they will be able to sell comiXology digital comics on their websites.
Shaz-Bot: In the beginning, comiXology was a bastion of small press/creator owned works. Now your focus seems to have shifted to the larger companies. How difficult is it for a creator to get their book released on your platform nowadays?
David Steinberger:comiXology is still and will remain a bastion for small press/creators, which is why we launched our Guided View Authoring Tools program a few months back (http://pitch.pe/101663). The Guided View™ Authoring Tools program will help level the playing field by giving independent creators and publishers an equal chance for visibility in the digital marketplace through a standard format and ubiquitous platform.
The final product will be part of a comprehensive online system, allowing seamless submission for digital publishing for all comic book creators and publishers in an iTunes-like model. Creators and publishers can sign up for consideration for a Beta spot at http://www.comixology.com/self_authoring_signup/
Shaz-Bot: One of the only complaints I have about comiXology is that any Marvel titles that I buy are confined to you iOS apps. I am sure this is more of Marvel’s policy than it is yours, but is there a chance that I’ll be able to read the books I’ve purchased on the web or on my Android device anytime soon?
David Steinberger:Marvel is a valued partner of ours and we are continually working with them to expand to other platforms.
Shaz-Bot: In a similar vein, do you see comiXology taking on a bidding war? That is to say, making deals with companies not currently on your app, such as IDW and Dark Horse? (Note: This interview was conducted before the debut of Dark Horse’s digital comic platform.)
David Steinberger: We’d love to work with IDW, Dark Horse, and many other publisher not currently on our platform. We don’t think that a bidding war is necessary to make that happen.
Shaz-Bot: You periodically have sales pertaining to a particular character or storyline, do you foresee any plans to sell digital trades at all, similar to the Atomic Robo collections you already sell?
David Steinberger:Yes, we look forward to having many more collected editions. We’ve had great success with Atomic Robo and The Walking Dead, among others.
Shaz-Bot: Archie Comics has a digital day and date initiative for their app that is frankly intriguing. comiXology also sells Archie books, even some day and date titles. Will this expand to their entire line as it is on other devices?
David Steinberger: Archie is always pushing the envelope with their initiatives and for such an iconic brand, it has been a blast to help them out with their digital strategy. We currently have all the same day and date titles as any other platform for Archie.
Shaz-Bot: How would you personally like to see digital comics expand in the future? What can we, the readers do to make it a reality?
David Steinberger:Our first focus is in the reading and presentation of the stories. Second is on a great discovery process so people can find comics they’re interested in. On top of these we can add in other features and abilities.
We love the idea of anyone who has a professional comic being able to distribute them, so our Self Authoring platform is something we’re really looking forward to.
We love hearing from our fans and hearing what they’d like to see. So find us on Twitter or Facebook and let us know what you’re interested in seeing in the apps!
Shaz-Bot: Finally, are there any surprises comiXology has in the near future than you can share?
David Steinberger: We don’t pre-announce anything but do have a few great announcements in the pipeline.
And, there you go. There really is nowhere for digital comics to go but up. What form they’ll take as time goes on remains to be seen, but you can be sure that comiXology will be there, leading the way. Now, go grab the app or hit the website and read some comics!
Anime Update 5/09/2011: Trigun Movie, Monster, and more!
Hey everybody. I’ve got 3 pieces of news for you in this weeks Update: the Trigun Movie Announcement, free epsiodes of Monster now online, and 20% off Dragon Ball on Viz’s Digital Manga App! (Bonus video from Japan this week: Cat Weightlifting.)
First up: Trigun fans rejoice! The big news this week is that the film Badlands Rumble is coming to theaters in North America this summer. Badlands Rumble released on April 24th of last year in Japan, nearly twelve years after the series first launched on TV Tokyo, and Madhouse Animation worked hard to produce a film that would be able to follow the success of the series.
Fans of the dub will be ecstatic to know that Johnny Yong Bosch is reprising his role as Vash the Stampede.
They may be less excited, however, to know that no other voice actors from the original dub will be returning for this film. I’m not too worried, though, because we’ve got some great voice talent up for this film including Colleen Clinkenbeard (Soul Eater, Fullmetal Alchemist, Dragon Ball, Romeo X Juliet) as Amelia and Luci Christian (Soul Eater, One Piece, Ouran High School Host Club) as Meryl Strife.
Funimation has only released this about the plot so far:
TRIGUN: popular sci-fi action anime series with the original storyline created by Yasuhiro Naito. The setting takes place in a remote planet of the near future. It portrays the life and actions of a wanted man named Vash, an extreme pacifist by nature bizarrely nicknamed as the “human typhoon”. Story and designs have been renovated for this animated film, so that not only fans, but people who haven’t read the original manga or seen the animated TV series could enjoy the work.
Since this is incredibly vague, allow me to fill you in as to what Trigun is all about! Vash the Stampede finds out that he has a huge bounty on his head, for 60,000,000,000 double dollars! Unfortunately, Vash cannot remember his alleged destruction of the city of July or anything surrounding the events that led to his being pursued by bounty hunters. Though armed to the teeth, Vash generally uses non-violence to save the innocent as he works his way towards finding out why he’s become a wanted man. It’s not the deepest story out there, but it’s a fun Sci-fi Western series, and the movie will probably be just as good (if not better for removing filler from the main story).
I’ll let you know more about the film as soon as Funimation releases more details. Until then, here’s the Japanese trailer for the film from last year. It basically introduces Vash as the wanted man with the 60 Billion Double Dollar bounty on his head, and lets us know that he’s back with all our favorite characters to face off against the criminal of the century:
Up next in this week’s Anime Update: catch free episodes of Naoki Urasawa’s MONSTER online at vizanime.com!
What if doing the right thing cost you everything? What would you do if a child you once saved grows up to become a monster! Dr. Kenzo Tenma’s selfless act changes his life forever when the young boy he once saved reappears nine years later amid a string of unusual serial murders… Tenma now must go on the run to clear his name, and stop the monster he set loose upon the world!
Let me just say that Monster is an awesome show. The story is extremely well written and you truly root for Dr. Tenma as he tries to clear his name and his conscience. I’ve already watched through the first ten episodes and am really pleased with the plot and the characters.
The best news about this series coming to Viz Anime’s website is that they’re going to be putting up new episodes each Friday, and they’ll be uploading all the way to the series finale on June 3rd. I’m psyched because this means I’ll finally get to see what happens to Tenma! Definitely check this series out if you like a suspenseful story.
Finally on this week’s Update: Viz Manga is offering readers 20% off each of the $3.99 volumes of Dragon Ball for their Digital Manga App. Remember, it’s free to download the app, and you can find out more at Viz Manga’s website. Dragon Ball is a classic that defines the medium! If you haven’t read it, it’s absolutely a must-read!
That’s all for this week’s update. For more anime news, updates and geek news from around the world, Stay Surfing on Big Shiny Robot!
I leave you this week with another obscure video from Japan: a television show that pits cats against each other to see who can carry the biggest fish – it’s Cat Weightlifting! You don’t need any Japanese language skills to enjoy this video. Just fast forward to a few minutes in and check out one of the most ridiculous shows I ever saw on television in Japan.
The Disney Parks Blog is giving away 1200 tickets (each with a plus one) to be one of the first to ride the new Star Tours at Disneyland, Anaheim. The best part of this event is that it takes place May 20th to coincide with Florida’s opening of the ride.
I’ve entered. I’m getting everyone I know to enter. And if you win, you should bring me.
But this is the last day to enter, so get over there and do it!
Now through Monday, May 9, at 11:59 p.m. (PDT), you can enter for a chance to attend the “Star Tours Early Departure” at Disneyland park. We will randomly select 1,200 entries, and those selected will be able to bring one guest to experience Star Tours at Disneyland park on May 20. (Please see official rules for eligibility requirements. We will notify you via email if you are selected.)
Enter now. I’d wish you luck, but as Obi-Wan Kenobi so famously said, “…in my experience, there’s no such thing as luck.”
