Author: Stephen Schleicher

“They” are going all out to promote the Simpson’s movie. First it was turning 7/11s into Kwik-E Marts, now it is mocking an ancient carving in England. In Dorset there is a giant chalk carving of a naked, sexually aroused giant, that many believe is an early symbol of ancient spirituality. Next to said carving, some jokers painted Homer offering the giant a donut… or is he playing ring toss?  It’s so hard to tell… The painted Simpsons character has been painted with water-based biodegradable paint which will wash away as soon as it rains. Ann Bryn-Evans, joint Wessex district…

With the announcement made over the weekend of the Image Founders Panel featuring all seven of Image Comics founders together again under one roof, Comicon International has decided to move the panel from room 5AB, which holds 500 people, to room 6A, which can seat 1,000. Time and date remain the same. FRIDAY, JULY 27 10:30-11:30 Image Comics: The Founders—Erik Larsen, Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino reunite for Image’s remarkable 15th anniversary. Join the conversation as they explore Image Comics’ beginnings, impact, and future in the comics industry. Moderated by George Khoury…

I haven’t read this series, and know even less about the character, but apparently he is popular enough to warrant yet another sell-out issue from Diamond Comics Distributors according to Marvel. “We can’t believe we’ve sold out 4 issues in a row, that’s fantastic. It just goes to show how many loyal fans of the Human Rocket there are out there.” said Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. “We hope the twists and surprises are still keeping everyone entertained, and judging from the ending of issue #4 you can bet there are some real shocks on the way as Nova finds…

The folks over at Film Wad have some images of Heath Ledger decked out in full Joker gear filming a scene for the Dark Knight. Woot! Looking pretty scary. I’m getting more and more excited about this movie as it draws near. Word has it, we’ll see a trailer for the film ahead of the Simpson’s movie, which just so happens to be the same day as the WB panel at the SDCC. Take the jump for another image, then head over to Film Wad for some video.

Top Cow sent us an email detailing the convention exclusives the company is offering at the San Diego Comic Con and Wizard World Chicago. The company will have three exclusive variant edition comic covers, a fan pack, an exclusive t-shirt, and a full-size statue available for fans attending both shows. Take the jump for the details and pictures of the items sure to show up on eBay after the conventions.

Marvel has sent Major Spoilers sneak peeks for both Uncanny X-Men #489 and X-Factor 22. Both of these issues continue the Endangered Species storylines. “I’m so glad to see people responding to Endangered Species,” said editor Nick Lowe. “And what they’ve seen is only the beginning. Beast is in for some big things in the rest of Endangered Species and fans will be amazed by some of the people showing up in there. Uncanny X-Men is really picking up steam, thanks to the great work of Ed Brubaker and Salvador Larroca. X-Factor is just getting better and better and bigger…

Rumors on the Internet this morning have Dean Cain in talks with the producers of the CW’s Smallville seiries. There’s no word on what role Dean Cain would play on the show. For those not in the know, Cain played Clark Kent/Superman in the ABC series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Back in the 90’s I really enjoyed watching Lois & Clark, one because it was a Superman related show, and two because Terri Hatcher looked soooooo much better back then. The first two seasons were really good, but the show seemed to go downhill after that.…

You would think a mud bath would be good for you It was one of those weeks, where I was flooded with too many things on my plate (meetings, preparing for classes, meetings, writing for various blogs, meetings), and I didn’t even have time to sit down and read the latest issue of Countdown until Sunday evening. Mary Marvel continues to kick it in Gotham, the hunt for Ray Palmer kicks off, and what do you do when you find yourself at 30,000 feet without a parachute?

DC Comics has sent Major Spoilers the cover images and solicitation information for titles shipping in October 2007. Countdown is in full swing, the hunt for Ray Palmer ventures to Earth-Three, and Batman and the Outsiders return!

Here is the New Comic Release list for comics scheduled to be in stores July 18, 2007. There may be items on this list that are not shipped at the last minute, or new material may be added. Check with your local retailer for more details. This list was last updated July 16, 2007.

Diamond Comic Distributors have released its listing of the Top 300 comics sold in June 2007. Marvel sweeps the top five spots, with World War Hulk #1 selling an estimated 178,408 copies (according to ICv2.com), and dominating the Top 25. Surprisingly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer #4 came in at the number 10 spot with an estimated 102,000 copies sold. DC only claimed eight of the Top 25 spots with Justice League of America #10, featuring the concluding chapter of The Lightning Saga, coming in at number six and The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13 moving up the charts to…

According to Image Comics the sale of The Astounding Wolf-Man by Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard have been going strong, even though the company sent double the stock to retailers free of charge. It’s really thrilling to have so many people react so positively to the book,” added Howard. “Robert and I have been working on promoting the book intensely over the last year or so. Seeing it pay off so highly means a lot.” This makes me wonder, “Are we seeing a resurgence of werewolves and wolf-men due in part to the flood of zombie stories that we are…

Comingsoon.net has a synopsis for the Warner Bros. Watchmen movie. “Watchmen” is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the “Doomsday Clock” – which charts the USA’s tension with the Soviet Union – is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion – a ragtag group of retired…

Thanks to a couple of email skips, I missed out on some sneak peeks, but Filip at Top Cow comes to the rescue with three sneak peeks you want to check out. This installment features Unholy Union, Witchblade, and First Born.