New Superman comic on sale now in newsagents

Timed to coincide with the release of new Warner Bros film, Man of Steel, the first issue of Titan Comics new Superman is on sale now.

Featuring Henry Cavill in the lead role and directed by Zack Snyder, the Man of Steel film will be released in cinemas on 14th June and will be darker in tone than previous incarnations - and so will the Superman comic.

Aimed at 9-17 year old boys, Superman will feature two full full-length, action packed comic strips in every issue.

Issue 2 goes on sale at the end of this month.

In Issue 1:

Action Comics – 'The Boy Who Stole Superman's Cape'
Here's an untold adventure from Superman's very earliest days in Metropolis - learn how he got his name, his crest, and discover the importance of his cape, as you share a day in the City of Tomorrow!
First printed in Action Comics #0

Action Comics – 'Rocket Song'
Delve into Superman's past as we turn back time to that fateful moment when baby Kal-El was jettisoned from is dying home planet of Krypton! What bigger role does the life-saving rocket that carried him to Earth still have to play in Superman's future?
First printed in Action Comics#5

• More info and subscription info on the Titan Magazines web site here

Cornell Takes on Action Comics

Hugo Award-nominated, top British comics creator Paul Cornell - whose credits include Captain Britain and MI13 and Doctor Who – has just been announced as the writer of DC Comics prestigious Superman title, Action Comics.

Paul Cornell will join interior artist Pete Woods and cover artist David Finch on Action Comics in June, stepping in at a critical point for Superman, coming out of The War of the Supermen.

"I'm seriously psyched to be working on such a legendary title," says Paul via his blog, "and to be back on an ongoing again, and to be working with artist Pete Woods, whose designs are a delight already.

"And my first story arc centres on Lex Luthor, who's always been a favourite of mine."



"So many legendary creators have written this title in the past that I’m giddy and frankly terrified at the prospect of following in their footsteps,” he commented on the DC Comics site The Source.

Paul replaces author Marc Guggenheim, who had been announced as the new Action Comics writer earlier in the year but who, says Superman Group Editor Matt Idelson, had concerns about whether he was the man to write the tale he had come up with for the title. "Rather than do a disservice to the book, the readers and himself, Marc decided to step away from Action, and we both know that sometime in the future, we’ll be collaborating on Superman for sure."

Action Comics has often been a 'home' for British talent: artist Gary Frank is among recent creators who have worked on the title. 

• Paul Cornell's Official Web Site


• Pete Woods Official web site


• DC Comics web site

In Review: The Tripwire Annual 2008

Review by John Freeman

Joel Meadows has edited and designed Tripwire since 1992, and, as editor of the magazine and a freelance journalist for newspapers such as The Times, The Indpendent and various other titles, has interviewed almost everyone of import in the comics world, including Alex Ross, Alan Moore, Mike Mignola and more.

Despite his numerous other writing credits, it's Tripwire that remains his passion (that, and photography) and this passion is nowhere more evident than in the pages of the latest annual, wraped this time in a gorgeous Doctor Who cover by Tommy Lee Edwards.

With a remit that includes television, film and animation as well as comics, I'd best describe this as an essential snapshot of developments in those industries, something that magazine and books can deliver that the web, with its constantly changing flux of material, cannot. Readers could pick up this Magazine five years from now and get a feel for some of the cutting edge developments for key sectors of the entertainment industry in 2008, and still learn from the sheer wealth of material included.

This latest annual is elegantly designed by someone who knows the best way to present the visuals in a way that complements the editorial -- something many magazine designers, with their idiotic predilection for seeming hip, using white lettering on brash colours that make whole sections illegible for example fail to achieve. The title offers a fascinating, carefully chosen selection of material, presented in a way that will appeal not just to fans of an article's subject matter but also for those simply dipping into the mysteries of, for example, Futurama or the many worlds of Michael Moorcock, for the first time.

Features include interviews with Bryan Fuller about the Emmy award-nominated hit TV show Pushing Daisies; with Tim Kring and Jeph Loeb on the future of Heroes; a celebration of the "renaiassance" of British sci-fi, wirh articles covering Doctor Who (fronted by a stunning double page illustration by Jeff Carlisle), Life on Mars and Primeval (the latter highlighting design secrets on the show); an entertaining and informative interview with Matt Groening, David Cohen and Bill Morrison discussing the return of Futurama in the form of made-for-DVD movies as well as to TV; and a look at Pinewood Studios’ new plans.

For comics fans, the annual includes an enjoyable by Andrew Colman feature on the seventy year history of Superman; an interview with graphic novelist Posy Simmonds, author of Tamara Drewe and Gemma Bovary, who talks about illustration and her career; and a feature about the career of James Bond storyboard artist Martin Asbury; and a much fought over list of 15 grahic novels for 'regular readers', books the Tripwire team recommend for people who don't read comics such as Ethel & Ernest by Raymond Briggs and We Can Still be Friends by Mawil.

Michael Moorcock also talks about Elric - a film starring the character is imminent - and Walt Simonson, Michael Whelan and P. Craig Russell discuss translating Moorcock’s vision to the comics.

There's plenty more, too: the magazine is a veritable cornocupia of visual and editorial delight for someone like me, rounded off with a small selection of short. sharp but carefully selected comic strips from creators such as Roger Langridge, Jamie McKelvie and Declan Shalvey, whose No Witnesses is "silent strip" perfection in terms of storytelling.

This is a truly excellent collection, taking full advantage of the beauty of print in presenting stunning visuals in a way that the Internet has yet to emulate in any meaningful way. Editor Joel Meadows has an instinctive feel for the advantages of print as opposed to the immediacy of the electronic medium and puts those skills to good use throughout.

The next Tripwire Special will be released at the end of February 2009 and will focus on Superheroes in comics, TV and Film and in the works are a Joss Whedon interview, a DC feature that chats to Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns about the current state of play in the DC Universe, a Marvel feature that chats to Brian Bendis and Ed Brubaker and also a looks at Marvel in the wake of Secret Invasion. Look out for updates via Joel's Walls and Bridges blog.

• You can buy Tripwire from any good comic shop (or they should be able to order it for you via Diamond). The title will be available soon via online sales points.

Links

Tripwire Annual: www.tripwireannual.com
In development as of 18 September 2008
• Walls and Bridges: Joel Meadoews' Blog • Tripwire Specific Posts (including layout examples)
• Read a 2008 interview with Joel Meadows, discussing his other 2008 project, and Studio SpaceTripwire on the Forbidden Planet International blog • Buy the 2007 Tripwire Annual from amazon.co.uk which includes interview with Mike Mignola

If only it would happen here...

News this week that the US courts have ruled that Time Warner, owner of DC Comics, is no longer the sole proprietor of Superman must be be good news for the heirs of Jerome Siegel — who 70 years ago sold the rights to the action hero he created with Joseph Shuster to Detective Comics for $130.

The heirs are now entitled to claim a share of the United States copyright to the character, subject to inevitable appeal in a court case that has rumbled along since 1999, but The New York Times reports the ruling left intact Time Warner’s international rights to the character, which it has long owned through its DC Comics unit.Still to be decided is how much the company may owe the Siegel heirs for use of the character since 1999, when their ownership is deemed to have been restored.

Imagine if the creators of comic characters in the UK, or their heirs, were able to make similar claims against DC Thomson, IPC, Egmont and all the other comics companies that have laid claim to all rights to the creations that have made them a fortune in terms of comics sales and merchandising.

Unfortunately, they will all happily point at the work for hire agreements all creators will have signed when working for them which, bar some characters, mean those who put the effort into making them a success on the printed page will never see any royalties in terms of initial use, reprint in comic collections or t-shirt sales. A situation I have always regarded as bizarre when companies can so easily work out how much to pay another company in fees and royalties when it comes to licensing, but not build in similar payments to the creators who may have written the licensed comics.

As usual, the individual creator has to wait for a landmark case like this one to start the ball rolling in their favour and most simply do not have the energy to devote to such a cause.

Smallville, Supernatural Renewed

US network CW has announced early renewals to some of its top-performing series for the upcoming 2008-09 season, which include an eighth season for Superman-inspired Smallville and a fourth season for Supernatural.

UK publisher Titan Magazines continues to publish a tie-in Smallville magazine.

Now beginning its seventh season in the US, with early episodes screening on ITV2 and more recent stories on E4 in the UK, Smallville new interpretation of the enduring Superman mythology and its classic characters blends realism and adventure into an exciting action series.

Clark Kent (Tom Welling) and Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum) are now the sworn enemies that comic book aficionados have always known and loved and season seven features several guest stars from the Superman mythology, including Dean Cain (who played Superman in Lois & Clark) and Helen Slater (Supergirl), plus storylines about Superman's home Krypton and the El family, in a season in which Clark will discover more about his home planet, who his parents were, what his future holds and why he was sent to Earth.

Guests stars in the new season include Alaina Huffman as Black Canary (pictured above, image courtesy CW) and Justin Hartley as Oliver Queen (The Green Arrow), and Laura Vandervoort as Kara.

Also renewed are One Tree Hill and comedy Everybody Hates Chris, also screened in the UK.

DVD Releases from amazon.co.uk (Region 2)

• Smallville Season One
• Smallville Season Two
• Smallville Season Three
• Smallville Season Four
• Smallville Season Five
• Smallville Season Six

Titan Magazines' new DC title

Titan Magazines recently launched a fourth comic licensed from DC Comics. DC Universe Presents Batman Superman follows on the heels of Superman Legends, Batman Legends and Justice League Legends to the UK news stand.

Featuring stories and artwork never previously published in the UK (although available as imported titles), the 76-page comic uses the smash-hit superhero stars Superman and Batman to take readers on what Titan describes as "a dizzying tour of the captivating DC Universe".

Each issue of DC Universe Presents contains three fantastic stories, written and drawn by some of the greatest comic superstars, featuring superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Supergirl, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and the rest of the Justice League.

The first six issues include the epic The Brave and the Bold (written and illustrated by comics legends Mark Waid and George Pérez) featuring Batman, Green Lantern, Blue Beetle, and the Legion of Superheroes and a cast of thousands.

Heroes and Lost producer Jeph Loeb reintroduces the smash-hit character Supergirl to Earth. Follow her struggles as she encounters the teams and heroes that make up the rich tapestry of the DCU — before going toe to toe with the infamous Lex Luthor.

The comic also features Superman and Batman facing the strangest and most fearsome extraterrestrials the universe has to offer in the Superman/Batman team-up story, ‘The Enemies Among Us’!

With reader interaction all the rage these days, DC Universe Presents will enable them to have their say in which fantastic DC characters will be introduced next – with the Teen Titans waiting in the wings! "Fans can have a say on which of their favourite characters they’d like to see more of by writing to the comic’s letter column, where all ideas will be considered," explained a Titan spokesperson. "Teen Titans follows the trials and tribulations of the next generation of young superheroes and features Robin, Wonder Girl and Kid Flash, among many others.

If that isn't enough for even the most die-hard DC comic fan, the comic will also include news on DC merchandise and exciting competitions.

Issue 1 is on sale now, 76pp, four weekly, priced £2.60 from all good newsagents. Issue #2 on sale 18 October.