If you look in the Guinness World Record under “Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever”, you’ll find Batman: Arkham Asylum. Batman: Arkham City is the follow up game coming out this fall, and to tie the two games together, DC Comics has enlisted Pual Dini to pen a six-issue mini-series.
DC Comics released a sneak peek of Paul Dini and Cliff Chiang’s Zatanna #8 that features the title character experiencing Pupaphobia…
Press Release
In a coup for Marvel Entertainment, Jeph Loeb, Head of Marvel TV, revealed the all-star, award-winning creative team for the upcoming Ultimate Spider-Man animated series, premiering on Disney XD. This team includes the most sought-after and acclaimed writers in the comic and television industries, including Eisner & Emmy award-winning scribe Paul Dini (Batman: The Animated Series, Lost); Eisner award-winning writer Brian Michael Bendis (visionary behind Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man comic series); and the red-hot creative powerhouse Man of Action Studios (creators of hit series Ben 10 and Generator Rex), comprised of lauded creators Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, Duncan Rouleau and Steven T. Seagle .
This might come as a surprise to many of you – Paul Dini, best known for his work on Batman: The Animated Series, and a successful run of Batman comic books, is joining Brian Michael Bendis, and the Man of Action crew to bring Ultimate Spider-Man to life.
You also don’t want to repeat the same old tropes. As much as I love elements of Spider-Man’s past, I don’t really want to go back in and retell the Gwen Stacy and Green Goblin story in animation just so I can do my take on it. I don’t want to redo the first Spider Slayer story. I don’t want to redo some of those classic Lee/Romita and Lee/Ditka stories just for the sake of seeing them rendered in animation. For now, I just want to approach Spider-Man with fresh eyes, taking a few things we know about him and just doing a new spin on the concept. I think old-time fans will find what we’ve done with the character to be pretty good and thoughtful, because we’re not out to junk-up Spider-Man. That’s not our intent.
While the move is a bit of shock, it kind of makes sense and some may have even seen it coming after Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III came on board Detective Comics. That last part is pure speculation on my part, mind you, as Dini has written comics for other companies and done work for other productions.
Or – “I’d Be Her Puddin’ Any Day, Crazy Or Not…”
I don’t know what it is about Harley Quinn or the root of her perverse appeal, but for some reason, the character is just irresistable. Maybe it’s her madcap ways, maybe it’s her devotion to love and Mister J, maybe it’s the sheer number of hot young ladies swanning about in her skin-tight costume at conventions and various adult sites that don’t respect copyright, but if I was ever of a mind to date an imaginary psychopath, she’d be the first girl to get a jingle from me…
Zatanna, the Mistress of Magic, finally has her own comic! Follow everyone’s favorite backwards-talking magician as she fights to protect San Francisco from its supernatural underbelly of crime. First on her list is the mystical crime boss, Brother Blood. Erom retfa eht pumj!
Gotham City has a thousand stories. Most of the time, we’re privy to those being told from the very top; those featuring some malevolent force brought down by the dynamic duo. Occasionally, we’re given a glimpse into how the other half live. Batman: Streets of Gotham #12 is one of those as we get a look at the ne’er-do-well’s handy-man, Jenna Duffy, a.k.a. The Carpenter.
Since Grant Morrison’s R.I.P., the Joker has been pretty scarce, and some have speculated where the Clown Prince of Crime might have wandered off to. Dead? The new Red Hood? Hunting bats in the far past? Nope. Turns out he’s been right there waiting to make a dramatic entrance.
A lot of panels being covered by the various Intardwebz outlets today, so why not offer up our Rapid-Fire Roundup of San Diego Comic-Con News. It’s better than a live blog, because you don’t have to wait for the three minute update, and you don’t have to jump from entry to entry; it’s all under one umbrella-ella-ella.
There are so many titles and issues that float through Stately Spoiler Manor that getting through all of them in a single week seems overwhelming. Fortunately there are some issues that rise to the top as must reads (Blackest Night, RASL, and Unthinkable to name a few). This is the case with the second installment of Batman: Streets of Gotham where the streets have been set a flame by Firefly.
Press Release
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group will give fans the ultimate inside track on two landmark releases at Comic-Con International on Saturday, July 25 with a Live Community Screening of Watchmen: Director’s Cut via BD-Live, and a first-look panel for the breakout Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment game, Batman: Arkham Asylum.
The event begins at 8:30 p.m. in Room 6BCF of the San Diego Convention Center.
In this issue: The Major Spoilers Crew talk Thor, Gotham City, Grant Morrison’s New X-Men volume 1, run through a Poll of the Week, and read listener e-mail.
Show Notes after the Jump!