Matt Price’s top 10 comic-book series of 2011
DC Comics regained the public’s attention — and the lead in market share — with a publicized revamp of its superhero line, but not all of the year’s best comics involved capes and tights.
The following are 2011′s best 10 periodical comic books.
ComiXology adds IDW
IDW and ComiXology have teamed up to bring the IDW library to the comiXology app. Titles including Transformers, Star Trek, and Locke & Key will be available. Click past the cut for the full release.
- Matt Price
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Ghostbusters still ain’t afraid of no ghosts: Team appearing in “Infestation” and “Sanctum of Slime” this month
Ghostbusters: Infestation #1
More than 25 years after they first arrived in movie theaters, the wisecracking Ghostbusters remain at the heart of a popular franchise.
IDW has big plans for G.I. Joe, Transformers in 2011
G.I. Joe Civil War #0
The world of the Transformers, robotic aliens who can shape-shift into cars and planes, will expand this summer with a third Michael Bay-directed film. IDW Publishing plans to give fans additional tie-ins in comics to further explore the characters and storylines based on the Hasbro toys.
IDW also holds the rights to the G.I. Joe license from Hasbro, and the anti-terrorist team of military specialists will receive a revamp this year as Cobra Commander, the leader of the Cobra terrorist organization, has been killed.
IDW’s Ted Adams promotes diversification in ComicsPRO keynote address
DALLAS, Texas — IDW Publishing CEO Ted Adams spoke at the ComicsPRO Annual Membership Meeting about his history in the industry and his hopes for the future.
Best graphic novels of 2010
Those looking for illustrated long-form fiction had much to choose from in 2010, with graphic novels from traditional book publishers and those from the comics field combining to make a wide selection. From crime to fantasy, from the distant past to the future, graphic novels in 2010 explored the human condition in a variety of settings with a wide range of characters.
Here are my selections for the best 10 graphic novels of 2010. I’ve limited the list to stories that first appeared in a graphic novel format, as opposed to collections of periodically released comic books.
Next week, return for the top 10 periodical comics of 2010.
The Rocketeer to return from IDW
IDW is bringing back Dave Stevens’ famous character, The Rocketeer. A four-issue miniseries is set for 2011 release, and will include contributions from Mike Allred, Kurt Busiek, John Cassaday, Darwyn Cooke, Michael Golden, Gene Ha, Michael Kaluta, Garry Leach, Bruce Timm, Bill Willingham, and more. Alex Ross will be the cover artist for the series.
The Rocketeer, first published in 1982, was an indy comics sensation despite an infrequent publishing schedule. The character was adapted into a Disney movie in 1991. Stevens died in 2008 after a battle with leukemia.
A substantial portion of profits earned from this new mini-series will be donated to Hairy Cell Leukemia research by the estate of Dave Stevens, the creators involved, and IDW Publishing.
“Dave Stevens was an incredibly talented artist and a wonderful person,” said IDW Special Projects Editor Scott Dunbier in a news release. “I would like to think that he would be happy with a book like this, one that pays such loving tribute to his greatest creation.”
- Matt Price
John Byrne’s Next Men to return from IDW!
SAN DIEGO — One of my favorite comic books of the 1990s is coming back. IDW Publishing is bringing back John Byrne’s Next Men in new stories from Byrne. The science-fiction series was a modern take on superheroes, through the means of a government experiment.
“When John started working for us three or four years ago, two things happened, and have been happening pretty much every month since then,” said IDW’s CCO/Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall in a news release. “I’ve been asking John about doing new Next Men comics, and fans have been e-mailing me demanding that we do new Next Men stories. Happily, after all this time, John is going to quiet us all down and do just that.”
“John Byrne’s Next Men” will return in December.
- Matt Price
Click past the cut for the full news release.
San Diego, CA (July 24, 2010) – At the 2010 Comic Con International, IDW Publishing, a premier publisher of graphic novels and books, and award-winning creator John Byrne, today announced the long-awaited return of Byrne’s fan-favorite series, John Byrne’s Next Men. Picking up where to series left off in 1995, Byrne and IDW will at last return fans to the world of Project: Next Men.
Debuting in 1991, Byrne’s Next Men originally ran for thirty issues and a standalone prequel graphic novel, 2112. Next Men developed an all-new world of superheroes grounded in modern reality. The series quickly became one of the most critically acclaimed runs of Byrne’s remarkable career, but ceased publication in 1995 and left fans with a cliffhanger at the end of issue 30. Now, coinciding with the twentieth anniversary of the original first issue, Byrne and IDW invite fans back into the world of the Next Men.
IDW has previously collected the existing Next Men material, in two black and white “Compleat” volumes and oversized Premiere Edition hardcovers, the third volume of which will be available in stores on September 1, 2010.
“When John started working for us three or four years ago, two things happened, and have been happening pretty much every month since then,” said IDW’s CCO/Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall. “I’ve been asking John about doing new Next Men comics, and fans have been e-mailing me demanding that we do new Next Men stories. Happily, after all this time, John is going to quiet us all down and do just that.”
John Byrne’s Next Men returns to stores in December 2010. For more information, please visit www.IDWpublishing.com and www.ByrneRobotics.com.
The Man with the Getaway Face, Astonishing Spider-Man/Wolverine 2, Batman 701, Booster Gold 34, X-Men Second Coming 2 reviews
In this week’s Planet 46 Comics Podcast, Kyle Roberts and Matt Price review the comics The Man with the Getaway
Face, Astonishing Spider-Man/Wolverine 2, Batman 701, Booster Gold 34 and X-Men Second Coming 2.
We take a look at Green Lantern’s new costume, the arrest of a Hollywood Superman, and the fate of Edward Norton as the Hulk. Also, Kyle bites it.
Terminator, Star Trek comics go mobile
Given the advanced technology in the future worlds of “The Terminator” and “Star Trek,” it’s perhaps not surprising that the comic books based on these franchises are among the first big-name comic books making the leap to the iPhone.
Publishers IDW and Dark Horse have made “Star Trek” and “Terminator” comic books available in the iPhone App Store this summer, tying in to the release of the movies “Star Trek” and “Terminator Salvation.”
The first iPhone comic book from veteran publisher Dark Horse is “Terminator: Death Valley.” In Death Valley, Calif., two Terminators have been sent back in time to kill John Connor as a boy. Each of the four issues is available for 99 cents from the App Store. The story also is available in print as part of “Terminator Omnibus” Vol. 2, which contains “Death Valley” and four other “Terminator” miniseries for $24.95.
“Death Valley” is by Alan Grant and Steve Pugh and originally was published in 1998. “Death Valley” is meant to be the first in a line of comics apps from Dark Horse.
“This is an evolution for the comics industry, and we look forward to bringing our tradition of innovation and creativity into this new medium,” Dale LaFountain, chief information officer of Dark Horse, said in a release.
IDW’s “Terminator Salvation” prequel also is available on the iPhone, with each of the five issues going for 99 cents or the entire graphic novel for just $3.99.
Warner Bros. and IDW Publishing present the “Terminator Salvation” graphic novel prequel, which takes readers through a series of events that have transpired since Judgment Day, leading up to “Terminator Salvation”.
IDW made its entry onto the iPhone in late 2008 with “Star Trek Archives” and gained even more momentum with “Star Trek: Countdown,” a prequel to the 2009 “Star Trek” movie.
Selected “Star Trek” comics from IDW are available via iVerse, which also distributes iPhone comics from Red 5, Image, Archie Comics, Antartic Press, Boom! Studios and others.
- by Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
