Posted 12/27/11 3:15 pm EST by Alex Zalben in Comic Books, Dark Horse
After his contract expired with DC, many have been wondering where fan favorite indie writer Brian Wood would show up next. The answer? Everywhere. From an upcoming Wolverine series with Marvel, to a Conan series for Dark Horse, Wood is going to be dominating comic book shops in 2012. Read More...
Posted 12/23/11 3:00 pm EST by Charles Webb in Animation, Comic Books, Dark Horse, TV
Catch up with the characters from the original series before The Legend of Korra makes its debut in 2012.
Read More...
Posted 12/21/11 2:30 pm EST by Alex Zalben in Comic Books, Dark Horse
Today we have reviews for two Dark Horse titles for you… We’re going to skip major spoilers, but be warned there may be some things that can be construed as “in spoiler territory,” so tread carefully! On to the reviews:
The Goon #37
After several pure comedy issues, Eric Powell mixes things up a bit with a story that barely involves the Goon – and when it does, he’s only a small part of the proceedings, an instigating spark rather than the thrust of the narrative. And it mostly works, though it makes for a curious read… Though perhaps one of the more important comics that we’ve seen recently. Read More...
Posted 12/2/11 11:30 am EST by Don Hatfield in Comic Books, Dark Horse, Digital Comics, IDW, Marvel
Wednesday and Thursday were pretty big days for digital comics – First, IDW Publishing landed on Barnes & Nobles' new Nook Tablet with over 15 of their hottest titles, then Marvel released the new Marvel Comics app 3.0 and Dark Horse announced they'd be delivering all of their titles day & date digitally the same day as print. Yea, all of that happened in two days... Head past the break for the lowdown on all of this digital comics madness!
__________________________________
IDW Publishing
The Nook Tablet is Barnes & Nobles recent replacement for their popular Nook Color eReader. It runs a custom version of Google's Android OS and gives users access to TV, movies, games, apps, e-mail and best of all full color comics books. To make things even better, IDW recently struck a new deal with the big-time book seller, bringing titles such as Locke & Key, True Blood and Bloom County to the tablet. You can check out the full list of IDW comics now available on the Nook Tablet below. Read More...
Posted 11/23/11 4:00 pm EST by Charles Webb in Best Of, Boom Studios, Comic Books, Dark Horse, DC Comics, IDW, Image Comics, Marvel, Vertigo Comics
Looking through our picks for the best comics of 2011, I've been trying to divine some kind of theme among the Geek staff's choices. Without really going out of our way to do so, the list of books we all gravitated towards ran the gamut from creator-owned to long-running franchises, from big, superhero fiction in revamped universes, to quietly personal dramas about relationships.
What I'm saying is, I guess: keep making things different, diverse, and strange in 2011 comic books, and we'll keep reading you.
Read More...
Posted 11/15/11 3:03 pm EST by Charles Webb in Comic Books, Dark Horse, Interviews, Video Games
Back during the release of Valve's co-op zombie shooter Left 4 Dead, the studio released a tie-in webcomic comic which provided additional story to the Sacrifice DLC. Featuring art by Powers artist and co-creator Michael Oeming, the story provides a shocking reveal about the zombie plague and our quartet of heroes from the first game. Oeming is actually an in-house artist at Valve and is enjoying The Sacrifice being serialized in the November 29th Dark Horse release, Valve Presents: The Sacrifice and Other Steam-Powered Stories Volume 1, which also includes stories from both the Team Fortress 2 and Portal franchises.
We shot a couple of questions over to Mr. Oeming about The Sacrifice, telling stories the Valve way, and what's next on the horizon for Valve comics. And before you ask, yes, I did ask about the Powers TV series, and no, he had nothing new to say/reveal at this time.
Read More...
Posted 11/10/11 4:30 pm EST by Charles Webb in Announcements, Dark Horse, HBO
It's reaching the point now where so many companies have their hands on a piece of the Game of Thrones license, that it's kind of nuts. We just brought you news that Atlus will be publishing an action-RPG based on George R.R. Martin's books, and then there's the Dynamite ongoing series presenting another take on the novels, and finally, we've got Dark Horse teaming up with HBO to produce all of the licensed merchandise you could ever ask for from the land of Westeros.
Starting in March of next year, the Dark Horse Deluxe line will be responsible for all of the toys, patches, stickers, playing cards, mugs, etc. that will be sure to have some odd entries in January's Previews.
Here's a snippet of the actual release:
Dark Horse Deluxe is proud to announce, in partnership with HBO, a vast Game of Thrones product line debuting in the spring of 2012, leading up to the show’s second-season premiere in April. Licensed product categories derived from the series will span a large range, including statues, busts, and action figures; prop and jewelry replicas; and barware, stationery, and other collectibles. This exciting new line of products debuts with a range of branded magnets, patches, playing cards, coaster sets, and more.
“We are delighted to be part of HBO’s licensing roster for Game of Thrones. We are big fans of the television adaptation,” said Dark Horse’s VP of Product Development, David Scroggy. “We are working closely with HBO to develop a line of products inspired by the series that will delight the fan base.”
Posted 11/8/11 3:29 pm EST by Alex Zalben in Dark Horse
Those of you bummed out about the untimely passing of Hellboy will be pleased to know that the Big Red is back in an all new original graphic novel, which pits our hero against every classic movie monster in the book… And also there are luchadors. So basically? Best comic book ever.
Okay, so that’s being a little glib, but after the epic apocalypse that led to Hellboy’s demise, ‘House of the Living Dead’ works as a lovely palate cleanser before the next Hellboy story, which finds him, appropriately, in Hell. Flashing back to a time right after the Hellboy in Mexico one-shot (don’t worry, if you didn’t read that, all the info you need is in this book), this OGN – like most of author Mike Mignola’s best work – mixes horror, action, humor, and true, honest pathos into a neat graphic bundle.
Hellboy, you see, is mourning the loss of one of his friends by drinking himself into a stupor, and becoming one of the most sensational luchadors (masked Mexican wrestlers) on the circuit. So naturally, he attracts the attention of some rather unsavory characters, particularly a Central American version of Dr. Frankenstein. Fighting, as you can imagine, ensues; but at no point do Mignola, or artist Richard Corben lose track of the main focus, and that’s making Hellboy miserable. Read More...
Posted 10/5/11 1:00 pm EST by Charles Webb in Announcements, Comic Book Conventions, Comic Books, Dark Horse, New York Comic Con, Video Games
Shephard!
Read More...
Posted 10/3/11 3:25 pm EST by Alex Zalben in Comic Books, Dark Horse
Today we’ve got two advance, spoiler free reviews of Dark Horse comics for you! But you know, some light spoilers anyway. So be careful, friends.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 9 #2
I’m not going to recap everything I said in my review of the last issue of Buffy Season 9, but here’s the gist: after an increasingly convoluted Season 8, Joss Whedon and team used issue one to bring things back to basics, ending with a laugh out loud funny page that very clearly grounded this new series in reality. Well, sure, a reality where super strong girls fight the undead, and demons demand payment for student loans, but reality nonetheless.
Luckily, this second issue is even more grounded. Where Whedon went for a time jumping structure through issue one, Andrew Chambliss – a writer on Dollhouse, among other TV shows – takes the writing chores on issue two, and with one exception makes things even simpler. Read More...
Posted 9/29/11 1:27 pm EST by Lemonjuice McGee in Announcements, Dark Horse, Marvel, New York Comic Con, Toys
As the 2011 New York Comic Con approaches, it seems more and more companies are unveiling exclusive collectibles and merchandise for the big show. Today we're taking a look at a Marvel Comics Spider-Man statue that is being released by Dark Horse as part of their Syroco line! We reported on this awesome tag-team when it was first announced and now's your chance to grab the Webhead while he's sporting a sweet-ass web cartridge belt!
Posted 9/26/11 12:30 pm EST by Alex Zalben in Comic Books, Dark Horse, Reviews
Today we’ve got two advance looks for you at upcoming Dark Horse releases, so check ‘er out! Mild spoilers on, of course.
FEAR AGENT #31: OUT OF STEP, PART 4
Posted 9/19/11 12:30 pm EST by Alex Zalben in Dark Horse
Today we’ve got two Dark Horse advance reviews for you! Spoiler free, natch, but tread carefully anyway.
Abe Sapien: The Devil Does Not Jest #1
I think I’ve already mentioned here on MTV Geek how, much to my shame, I haven’t followed the periphery of the Hellboy universe as closely as I should. Sometimes that’s pays out nicely, like in the most recent issue of B.P.R.D., which worked as a nice intro to the book while still paying off continuing storylines. Here… Not so much.
Abe Sapien, everyone’s third or fourth favorite comic book merman, gets embroiled in a supernatural mystery that very quickly turns dark and bloody. After a jaw-dropping first page, though, we’re pretty much thrown into the deep end of the pool, and there’s no looking back after that. One of the problems - and I’m guessing it’s not as big of a problem for long time readers – is that this starts off in 1985. Given that I’m not completely familiar with the whole Hellboy/B.P.R.D./Abe Sapien timeline, I don’t really know where the character is emotionally, or perhaps even physically.
Is this my fault? Sure, maybe. But when you’re coming in for a number one issue, you shouldn’t necessarily be barraged with more information than even the regular reader can handle. There’s character interaction, shout outs to characters past and present, and several (I think) new characters introduced. Given the simplicity of the opening splash in particular, it’s a bit disappointing. Read More...
Posted 9/12/11 3:28 pm EST by Alex Zalben in Dark Horse
Today we have two advance Dark Horse reviews for you... Very mild spoilers, though nothing that isn't in the solicit text, so CALM DOWN and enjoy!
B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Russia #1
I’m not a regular reader of B.P.R.D., and I don’t really have a good reason why that is. For fans looking for info, I’m sure that’s going to be a turn off right away, but I do think coming in occasionally, and having a vague familiarity with the series is helpful – particularly when we’re launching into a new mini-series like this one. Even though it is technically the eighty-second issue of B.P.R.D., and some major s**t went down in the last mini, this is, technically, a first issue. So does it read like a great new entry point?
Well, yes and no.
First, the plot: with most of the Bureau of Paranormal Reasearch and Defense’s heavy hitters either quit, missing, or nearly dead, its up to a ghost and a regular human to head to Mother Russia for their latest case. What that case is? Not quite clear from the first issue, but suffice to say: it’s really gross.
Series writers Mike Mignola and John Arcudi do an excellent job of setting up this mini like a movie. There’s a mysterious and intriguing opening, with enough weirdness and mysteries to propel the series forward. And then we flash to the ghost (Johann Kraus) and the human (Kate Corrigan) on their way to the mystery, recapping what’s happened previously… And then there’s a little more recap, and even more, with a brief action sequence thrown in the middle to keep things interesting. Read More...
Posted 9/6/11 1:00 pm EST by Alex Zalben in Dark Horse
Buffy The Vampire Slayer is once again back in comic book form, with the official continuation of the series written by Joss Whedon himself, and drawn by Georges Jeanty – the same team that launched Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 8. So is it five by five, or the Big Bad?
Happily, I can say that it’s far more the former, than the latter... Not only that, but it has one of the best, most unexpected final pages of the year. We’ll get to that in a moment, though. I may hesitate from saying something like, “Buffy is back, and better than ever!” But it is back, and it is good.
When last we left Buffy and her friends, she had eliminated all magic in the world by destroying The Seed, the germ of a baby universe that I think was maybe created by her and Angel having sex? Or maybe it wasn’t? I don’t know, by the end of Season 8, I got a little bit lost, and I wasn’t the only one… Even Whedon himself admits that they went just a little over the top with Season 8, embracing the “we can do anything we want!” ethic of comic books far too much, while losing track of the characters and story.
