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Marvel Hypes Iron Man – Extremis

Today Marvel announced the upcoming Iron Man – Extremis DVD. While the press release made no mention of the motion comic, I’m guessing since Marvel Knights Animation’s name is attached, this is basically a mainstream release.

Iron Man blasts onto home entertainment shelves later this year … probably knocking out a wall or two with the sheer, unbelievable Repulsor force. Oh, yes. You’ll need these coming months to prepare.

Check out a trailer for the motion comic below. You can read about the DVD details here, at OneMetal.

Tags: Adi Granov, Extremis, Iron Man, Marvel, Marvel Knights Animation, Shout! Factory, Warren Ellis
Posted in Comics/Manga, OneMetal, Writing | 1 Comment »

Review: Dark Rain: A New Orleans Story

Mat Johnson, writer of Incognegro, and Simon Gane, artist on The Vinyl Underground, release their Hurricane Katrina tribute Dark Rain: A New Orleans Story tomorrow. The style of this book reminds me of more “serious” graphic novels like Fun Home and the recently published Revolver. Vertigo Comics puts out another good one.

You can read my early review of Dark Rain at OneMetal.

Five years after the water hit shores, Mat Johnson and Simon Gane still acknowledge the need for remembering the widespread destruction Hurricane Katrina caused. Their tribute, Dark Rain: A New Orleans Story, goes on sale tomorrow from Vertigo Comics and inspires a story of hope.

When Katrina lands, surprising even New Orleans locals with its severity, wronged ex-cons Dabny Arceneaux and Emmit Jack leave their assigned halfway house to capitalize upon their blessing in disguise. With the flooded population seizing every opportunity to escape to higher and safer ground, “J.D.” and his unlikely partner “Rockefeller” contact the security force Dark Rain, hoping they’ll lend their expertise in robbing Louisiana’s now vulnerable Banque de Congo Square. But Driggs, who leads the Dark Rain company of post-duty soldiers embittered over the government’s cold shoulder treatment, also specializes in backstabbing and corruption (a theme that undercurrents the book), and he tasks his team with beating the undermanned and unprepared Dabny and Emmit to the bank.

Tags: Dark Rain, DC Comics, Lee Loughridge, Mat Johnson, Pat Brosseau, Simon Gane, Vertigo
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High in the Clouds: Bioshock Goes Infinite

More Bioshock, please! Check out the star-spangled news (with a teaser trailer and screens) at OneMetal.

Irrational Games promises to return the Bioshock series to red, white, and blue form with Bioshock Infinite. The sea is so three years ago. Come visit the city in the clouds.

2K Marin departed Bioshock from its original creative talent for the lesser praised sequel, but the company is graciously stepping aside for the third installment in the series, a property that Irrational Games has reclaimed. 2K president Christoph Hartmann recently announced, “We believe that Irrational Games will lend their meticulous attention to detail and unique storytelling expertise to make BioShock Infinite an incredible entertainment experience that will immerse new and diehard fans of BioShock alike.”

Tags: 2K Games, BioShock, Infinite, Irrational Games, Ken Levine, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Posted in OneMetal, Video Games, Writing | No Comments »

Review: The Iron Saint Vol. 1

Jason Rubin struts his creative stuff with the trade release of The Iron Saint (formerly Iron and the Maiden). These spunky characters should be video games bosses!

After reading that Jason Rubin, co-founder of Naughty Dog and the creator of Crash Bandicoot and other successful platforming series, had dipped his creative pen in Top Cow’s ink, my heart was won. Rubin originally produced Iron and the Maiden for Aspen Comics before turning the characters over to the capable publisher Top Cow. Renamed The Iron Saint (an apparently acceptable substitute for the sue-happy Iron Maiden band), the comic’s first volume hit stands today. So does Rubin work his magic for creating iconic, cartoon mascots onto a hundred-plus colored pages illustrated by Joel Gomez and Francis Manapul? You can bet your furry whiskers on it.

Read the full review at OneMetal.

Tags: Francis Manapul, Iron and the Maiden, Jason Rubin, Joel Gomez, The Iron Saint, Top Cow
Posted in Comics/Manga, OneMetal, Reviews, Writing | No Comments »

Review: The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Séance for a Vampire

Vampires and ghosts, and ghost vampires, and vampire ghosts and séances for vampire ghost … things? That’s just about what you can expect with The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Séance for a Vampire from Titan Books. Check out my review at OneMetal for more information.

A good mystery always remedies boredom, and adding a deerstalker hat, cape, and pipe makes a good detective story even better. Sherlock Holmes’ wit and talent situated alongside his investigative partner, John H. Watson, makes for a cannon of juicy stories, which span from the late nineteenth century to early twentieth. The uncouth often worm its way between logic and sensibility, but the elementary duo manage to decode the most befuddling whodunits, murders, and nefarious schemes known to Europe … in most instances, anyway.

Tags: Fred Saberhagen, Séance for a Vampire, The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Titan Books
Posted in Books, OneMetal, Reviews, Writing | No Comments »

Review: Revolver

Bang, the world’s tearing itself apart. Bang, it never happened. That’s exactly the setup for Matt Kindt’s new graphic novel, Revolver. Read my review over at OneMetal.

“I lie down there; I wake up here.”

From Super Spy author and illustrator Matt Kindt’s imagination emerges Revolver, a new original graphic novel published by Vertigo. The mind-bend asks a difficult question: Is a life full of meaning worth sacrificing for one of shallow comfort? The answer comes easier than readers might think.

Meet Sam. Until a few minutes ago, Sam has never been in a fight, let alone killed another human being. Of course, only a few minutes ago, his luxuriously dull world existed free of terrorist-driven explosions, his superficial girlfriend waited just around the corner, and his biggest complaint was having to edit someone else’s party photos. At 11:11 every night, Sam finds himself walking through a different reality. The boss he once hated now spearheads an underground revolution in which he takes part: a newspaper called “Revolver,” bent on reporting the country’s turmoil that has made looting, savaging, and murder casual occurrences. Each time Sam wakes up, his dead-end job and materialistic obsessions seem pettier than ever before, and only Sam remembers the night’s change—or so he thought. Confused and troubled by the events unfolding around him, Sam seeks the one link between his two worlds: a man named P.K. Verve.

Tags: DC, Matt Kindt, Revolver, Steve Wands, Vertigo
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Review: Blackest Night

I’m on a roll this week! See what’s buzzing with the Blackest Night GN (hint: more than just flies). Check out my review in OneMetal’s hot ‘n fresh comics section.

Blackest Night devastated the DC Universe, assembling superheroes and villains in a massive showdown against the resurrected. Geoff Johns forefronts the event in which life and death are “overrated” … at least until the good guys pull the punches.

The day that Superman died has changed from one of mourning to remembrance, but as Coast City gathers to honor the heroes and innocents who have fallen, evil forces converge. The first of the Black Lanterns, Black Hand, has risen and stolen the buried skull of Bruce Wayne, whose remains Alfred Pennyworth buried alongside those of his parents. Hungry for flesh, black rings swarm momentarily unnoticed, latching onto deceased victims and their memories. As Black Hand’s army grows in number, the Justice League and the other six Lantern factions take heed, especially when the rings start claiming living hosts.

Tags: Alex Sinclair, Blackest Night, DC, Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, John Prado, Julio Ferreira, O'Clair Albert, Rob Hunter
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Review: A God Somewhere

This book killed me inside. It sure was good, though … you just might want to cry for humanity when you’re finished.

Why is it so … you know? Visit OneMetal for the full review.

A God Somewhere tiptoes the boundary between Wildstorm, its actual publisher, and Vertigo, DC’s heavier and more mature back end of comic book titles. John Arcudi’s original graphic novel evolves from a simplistic, almost cliched tale of a man who wakes up with superpowers to an unrecognizable nightmare that ruins everything, and everyone, in its path.

The first chapter begins with a message of destruction, but the narrator’s warning only grazes the violence to ensue. Readers should brace themselves for a terrifying and gut-wrenching experience. Outlined with implications (unfulfilled love, a severed connection between brothers, racial indiscretions), the comic quickly takes a dramatic turn in exploiting them. When an unidentified explosion rips through Eric Forster’s apartment building, many are left dead or buried—except for a completely unscathed Eric. What’s more, he soon develops an omniscient mentality, knowing when and where others need his now superhuman assistance. The change rattles those close to him in different ways, but the initially pleasant book gradually falls into uncomfortable territory once Eric’s personality, intelligence, and world view show signs of tampering.

Tags: A God Somewhere, Bjarne Hansen, DC, John Arcudi, Peter Snejbjerg, Wildstorm
Posted in Comics/Manga, OneMetal, Reviews, Writing | No Comments »