Multiverse Mgazine blasts back into action

Mike Conroy's comics news and features magazine Multiverse is finally back in print - with a spanking new look for Issue 7 from Barry Renshaw and packed with industry news from both the US and UK, complete with an intriguing supplement from Blase Books, "Scraps", offering some rare UK and US comic oddments and a brand new one page comic strip from Mike Higgs.

The magazine has a range of news features, leading with an overview of upcoming US comics projects including the latest Marvel revamp and Marvel Now!, which will deliver refurbished Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova titles.

There's also a look at Paul Levitz' new DC Comics Golden Age book and an affectionate tribute to Karen Berger, who recently stepped down after 20 years at the helm of DC's mature readers imprint, Vertigo.

There's plenty for British comics fans too, with a look at IDW's Judge Dredd title and David Hine and Doug Braithwaite's Image Comics title, Storm Dogs.

Described as "blatant advertising", the Blase Books "Scraps" supplement will have comic art fans salivating, perhaps, at the double page spread of some of the art it offers for sale from the IPC/Fleetway archive, including pages from strips such as Spider and The Phantom Viking alongside girls comics work and pages of the British Star Trek strip that were published in Valiant and TV21 in the early 1970s.

It might be advertising, but it's done with a sense of fun, wrapped in a great strip from Mike Higgs which we're only showing you part of below. Go and buy a copy to read the rest!

Mike diplomatically explains the troubles for the title in his editorial, which resulted in its 12 month absence in print - although digital editions of #5 and #6 were released. Let's hope his new partnership with UK Comics Creative and his unfailing enthusiasm for this magazine bring better fortune for him moving forward.

• Multiverse #7 costs £3.99 and is available in all good UK comic shops. For purchase information visit http://multiverse-magazine.com 

Multiverse comic magazine heads for America

It's the magazine I, Vampire writer Joshua Hale Fialkov hails as “beautifully designed, with a modern, smart sensibility about mainstream comics that’s been missing from print comics journalism for a long time” -- and Multiverse will be available in the US for the first time in February.

In conjunction with Ardden Entertainment, British-based Hell Freezes Over is launching a US edition of its flagship title. Highly regarded not only by its readers but also by comics professionals, whether they be writers, artists, editors or publishers, Multiverse is the full colour magazine that prompted one reader to say: “The content is informed, easy to read, lacks post-modern nonsense and packed into a well-structured format. I loved the balance of popular heroes and emerging or independent coverage with what comes across as educated and balanced prose.”

Multiverse is Britain’s leading comics magazine. Promotionally priced at $4.99, the first issue of the 68-page American version is being offered on page 239 of the current Previews (for February-shipping product) under order codes DEC110838 and DEC110839.

Discussing the title, publisher/editor Mike Conroy said, “Its main focus will unashamedly be the popular – read commercial – end of the business. That’s not just the ubiquitous superheroes but Star Wars, Star Trek, G.I. Joe, Transformers and similar spin-offs and licenced titles alongside zombies, vampires and other such horrors.

“Even so,” continued the veteran comics author/historian, “we certainly won’t be neglecting the innovators out there on the cutting edge, whether their print run is 100 or 100,000. We’ll be covering their latest titles as they continue to expand the boundaries of our medium.

“My goal has always been to produce an entertaining title that occupies the middle ground between the late Wizard and the moved-to-another-plane Comics Journal, " he added. "That is, just straightforward reportage without to the hype or the cerebral dissection.

"I think Multiverse is that magazine.”

• More info: www.multiverse-magazine.com