Marvel Heroes Unleashed

Gazillion Entertainment, publisher of the highly-anticipated massive online action RPG, Marvel Heroes, took the recent New York Comic Con by storm, unveiling three all-new playable heroes from the legendary Marvel Universe: Jean Grey, Nova and Luke Cage.

These iconic Super Heroes join the roster of over 25 announced playable Marvel characters that gamers collect and deploy, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk and Wolverine (but not, as yet, Captain Britain... come on guys!)

Marvel Heroes also showed over 40 minutes of never-before-seen gameplay at New York Comic Con, giving press and consumers an action-packed hands-on experience as they battled villains like the Green Goblin, Electro and the Shocker.

Marvel Heroes, which features an original story crafted by Brian Michael Bendis, is a free-to-play, action MMORPG game created by David Brevik, the visionary behind Diablo and Diablo 2. Set in the heralded Marvel Universe, Marvel Heroes combines the core gameplay style of action RPGs and MMOs with the expansive library of heroes from the Marvel Universe.

In the game, players can collect and play as their favourite Marvel Super Heroes as they team up with friends to try to stop Doctor Doom from devastating the world with the power of the Cosmic Cube.

• Closed beta registration is live now at www.marvelheroes.com

 

Battered but undaunted, Print Media continue Strip Magazine

After innumerable delays, the combined Issue 5/6 of the action adventure anthology STRIP is finally on its way to the shops and to subscribers.

“It’s a case of if anything could go wrong, it did,” explained Mike Conroy, head of Print Media Productions UK operation. “I’m not going to attempt to justify the title’s lengthy absence but I would like to apologise to readers – especially to subscribers – for the inexcusable delays, which they have accepted with great equanimity.”

Despite the problems that continue to beset the title, its Bosnian publisher and founder Ivo Milicevic is determined to continue the project and make good on his plans for continued UK publishing of the title he has already published in his home country and will soon launch in Croatia.

STRIP Magazine Issue 7, a £4.99 84-page issue with a cover from Croatian artist Maxim homaging Christmas comic covers of yesteryear has a line-up that includes:

• THRACIUS by James Hudnall and Mark Vigoroux - A Roman legionnaire against a deadly mystical golem!
• CITADEL by Moebius - a stunning fantasy six pager frm the late French artist
• KAMIKAZE by Miki Horvatic and Esad T. Ribic - the strange origin of Japan's 'Divine Wind' revealed
• DENIZENS by Shmumski and Maxim - Mother Earth fights back against the ravages of humankind!
• DAN BARTON OF SPACE COMMAND by John Freeman and Andrew Chiu - a crazy time travel adventure starring space command's stupidest pilot!
• HOOK JAW - A special one-shot story starring the world's most dangerous shark
• MIRABILIS - A special preview of the eagerly-awaited second volume of this fantasy adventure from Dave Morris and Leo Hartas

Plus humour from Bogey-Man Bob by Gerard Leever and Cosmic Patrol and Mauricet, and all the magazine's usual features.

Print Media is then putting STRIP on deliberate hiatus but only until February, when the comics anthology is to be relaunched as a newsstand title, a plan put back several times but still the aim of the publisher.

“We will be using this time to continue to resolve many of the problems we have encountered One of our top priorities will be secure a UK shipping company which will be able to deliver STRIP efficiently and on time,” stated publisher Ivo Milicevic.

“You wouldn’t believe what sort of problems we have had with carriers… one entire print run is still wandering somewhere in Italy while our latest shipment only got through on the second attempt… no one knows where or how the original vanished!

“I am amazed and grateful just how supportive our audience has been. I can promise that the relaunched STRIP – The Comic Magazine will bring more really great art and stories to he newsstands. It will be worth to wait,” he proclaimed.

• STRIP Issue 7 is currently in production and set to hit shops in the first week of December

 

Dave Gibbons guests at Dundee Literary Festival

Another reminder about events in Dundee next weekend, that are part of the Dundee Literary Festival.

On Saturday 27th October Dundee University welcomes special guest Dave Gibbons, one of the most famous comics artists in the world, and best known as the co-creator of Watchmen, the ground-breaking graphic novel written by Alan Moore and drawn by Gibbons.

Gibbons will deliver a talk on the theme of Creating Comics, and will discuss his own methods for producing comic art, and in particular, his use of Manga Studio, which he will demonstrate. He will also lead a workshop on this theme, which anyone can participate in, but would be particularly useful for anyone who has ever considered creating a comic.

Dr Chris Murray, lecturer in Comics Studies at the School of Humanities and Director of the Scottish Centre for Comics Studies said “it is a tremendous honour for us to host a workshop with Dave Gibbons. He is a hugely talented and influential figure”. He added, “to have Dave Gibbons and Grant Morrison in Dundee on the same weekend is astounding - we are very proud that comics creators of this calibre are supportive of the Comics Studies courses and events that the University of Dundee is leading”.

Phil Vaughan, lecturer at DJCAD added, “comics students at the Art College and in Humanities will benefit enormously from meeting Dave Gibbons and Grant Morrison, and hearing about their creative processes”.

"It's also good to see such interest from the general public in these events," notes Chris, "as this demonstrates that for many Dundee’s proud history as one of the homes of comics production is still something that has a great deal of resonance”.

The talk and workshop are open to the general public, but are ticketed (£15 full price, £7.50 concession). This ticket also allows access to Dundee Comics Day on Sunday 28th October, which features comics superstar Grant Morrison, along with several of his collaborators, including Frank Quietly, Peter Doherty, Rian Hughes, Frazer Irving and Cameron Stewart. The events will be held in the D’Arcy Thompson Lecture Theatre and Baxter Suite, Tower Building, University of Dundee. More information is available here: http://on.fb.me/WgJH1t

To buy tickets, please visit www.literarydundee.co.uk or http://bit.ly/SXEityTickets are also available from Literary Dundee, 6th floor, Tower Building, University of Dundee, tel. 01382 384413. Please note, this workshop and talk is part of a wider event called “The Comics of Grant Morrison”, so that should be selected. One ticket allows access to all events on Saturday 27th and 28th October.

 

AAIIEEE!!! It's a new horror comic from Dave Candish and Matthew McLaughlin!

Inspired by their love of the 1970s magazine Tomb of Dracula and 1980s comics Scream and Misty, Paragon editor Dave Candlish and Matthew McLaughlin – creator of El Bigote, the undead Mexican bandit – combine to bring a new indie horror anthology comic to life – AAIIEEE!!!

Offering 36 pages of creepy tales including The Major by Tom Proudfoot and George Colman (left) and a host of other short stories to chill your bones, the first issue includes an exclusive interview with Ghastly McNasty himself – the editor of Scream comic Ian Rimmer, telling the story behind the production (and demise) of the short-lived comic that included stories from the likes of Alan Moore and Simon Furman.

Launching on Hallowe'en (when else?), AAIIEEE!!! will be available to order in print or download from www.lulu.com/spotlight/PARAGONcomic.

• For more info, check out the new title's Facebook page