Author: Press Release

Want a nice, frank conversation? Corner Greg Rucka and pick a subject. He is anything but restrained, speaking freely and constantly exuding the kind of creative flashpoint from which arises his fascinating array of benchmark characters. Raised on California’s Central Coast, and schooled at Vassar College and USC, Rucka brings a street sensibility to his work – which has ranged from nearly a dozen novels and several short stories to a daunting list of comics, non-fiction essays and, now, a segment of the highly-anticipated animated film, “Batman Gotham Knight.”

More Black Cat images continue to trickle in from The CW and The Kids’ WB! This time, the images are accompanied by comments from Matt Wayne, writer for the episode entitled Persona. In the episode, Spider-Man learns the hard way not to judge a book by its cover when another Spider-Man starts making headlines … as a crook! It’s the Chameleon, master of disguise, looting the city and laying the blame at Spidey’s feet. The Web-Slinger is forced to team up with another crook, the lovely Black Cat, to stop his foe’s faux-Spidey crime spree and clear his name. Along…

Kevin Conroy had studied for and starred on the stage, advanced his career through soap operas, and was featured in television series like “Dynasty” and “Tour of Duty.” He had no idea that stepping into a sound booth in 1991 to audition for his first cartoon voiceover role would forever cement his place in the annals of animation and help to extend the Batman legacy to untold legions of fans. Conroy quickly became the Batman voice by which all others are judged – and rarely assessed as an equal. He has cast a loud shadow in voicing the Dark Knight…

One of the most sought-after writers in comics today, Brian Azzarello is one of the six acclaimed scribes to pen a segment within “Batman Gotham Knight,” the third in the ongoing series of DC Universe animated original PG-13 movies. Unlike many of his past works, Azzarello’s segment – entitled “Working Though Pain” – takes a decidedly non-violent direction. The segment, which falls chronologically as the fifth of the six segments, explores an early chapter of Bruce Wayne’s training as a mysterious and exotic Indian woman named Cassandra introduces Batman to techniques that would help him to conquer the physical and…

Acclaimed animation writer Kevin Hopps offers his third script of the “The Spectacular Spider-Man” season in “The Uncertainty Principle,” an all-new episode premiering Saturday, May 10 at 10:00 a.m. ET/PT on Kids’ WB!/The CW. Hopps has worked in the animated realm for nearly two decades, amassing a lengthy list of writing credits that ranges from “Darkwing Duck,” “Buzz Lightyear of Star Command” and “Loonatics Unleashed” to the “Justice League,” “Hellboy: Blood & Iron” and “Transformers: Animated.” He has drafted four scripts for the first season of “The Spectacular Spider-Man” – “Interactions” featuring the debut of Electro; “Competition,” which introduced Sandman;…

Writer Randy Jandt makes his “The Spectacular Spider-Man” debut with a tight, exciting, frequently funny script that offers Doctor Octopus entrée into the series this Saturday, May 3 in the all-new episode, “Reaction.” The episode, directed by Jennifer Coyle, premieres at 10:00 a.m. ET/PT on Kids’ WB! on The CW. In the episode, the nebbishy Dr. Otto Octavius is painfully transformed – by the meddling hands of the Green Goblin – into the menacing Doctor Octopus. The newest villain to hit town, Doc Ock releases his initial anger on Norman Osborne before turning his attention toward Spider-Man as the pair…

Alan Burnett has spent more consecutive years “in the Batcave” than anyone in animation history. Not counting his stint on “Super Friends” in 1983, Burnett has constantly helped bring the Batman’s legacy to animation since 1991 – when he began scripting episodes of “Batman: The Animated Series,” the Emmy(R)-winning production widely considered a pivotal moment in American animation. This summer, the latest animated venture into the Dark Knight’s mythos takes an altogether different approach than anything produced during Burnett’s 17-year association with the character. Burnett served as movie story editor and the writer of the anchoring segment of “Batman Gotham…

The next time you drop the “I’m too busy” excuse for some undone deed, consider the career of Peter MacNicol. Over the past year, MacNicol could be found pulling the unheard-of simultaneous double duty as a core cast member in two hit primetime television series – “24” and “Numb3rs” – and was still able to devote an afternoon every other week to creating the voice of Dr. Otto Octavius and his villainous flipside, Doctor Octopus (aka Doc Ock), for the breakout animated series, “The Spectacular Spider-Man.” Now THAT’S busy.

I was really looking forward to a Peter Jackson Hobbit, but I think if I had to pick a second, Guillermo del Toro would be a good choice. Let’s just hope del Toro doesn’t insist on telling the tale in native Middle-earth with subtitles. LOS ANGELES (AP) — Guillermo del Toro is directing “The Hobbit” and its sequel, New Line Cinema announced Thursday. The 43-year-old filmmaker will move to New Zealand for four years to make the films back-to-back with executive producer Peter Jackson. Del Toro wrote and directed “Pan’s Labyrinth,” which earned six Oscar nominations in 2006 and won…

After a brief introduction two weeks ago, popular voiceover artist Vanessa Marshall brings Mary Jane Watson to animated life in the character’s first full episode of “The Spectacular Spider-Man” this Saturday, April 26. Entitled “Catalysts,” the episode premieres at 10:00 a.m. ET/PT on Kids’ WB! on The CW.

23 April 2008 (Berkeley, CA) – Unknown to the general public, FRANK FRAZETTA’S SWAMP DEMON, RUNES OF RAGNAN, WILLOW CREEK, GI JOE and 30 DAYS OF NIGHT artist Josh Medors has been fighting cancer for the past several months. In his time of need, Image Comics and Frazetta Comics have stepped in organize an auction with all proceeds going straight to Josh.

The nomination list for the 2008 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards represents the most diverse slate of titles and creators in the 20-year history of the awards (considered the “Oscars” of the comic book industry). The nominees range from literary Japanese graphic novels to comics based on popular TV series, from massive hardcover collections of classic comic strips and comic books to cutting-edge anthologies, from goofy humor titles to works about the Soviet space program, a Chinese vaudeville magician, and the Negro Leagues. In fact, the nominations are so varied that it is difficult to summarize any trends.

Clancy Brown has crafted an impressive career within both the mainstream and the fanboy arenas. He has balanced acclaimed performances in the Academy Award nominated “The Shawshank Redemption” and HBO’s “Carnivale” with memorable roles in numerous fanboy classics, including “Highlander,” “Starship Troopers” and “The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai Across the 8th Dimension.” Brown’s lengthy list of animated voiceovers is topped by his quintessential evocation of Lex Luthor in “Superman: The Animated Series,” and “Justice League,” as well as Mr. Freeze in “The Batman” and, of course, as Mr. Krabs in “SpongeBob SquarePants.” Now you can add a new credit to…

Listener Drive Raises Money for Comic Creators The month of April is pledge month for the Major Spoilers Podcast (www.majorspoilers.com). But unlike other pledge drives that ask listeners to give money, Major Spoilers is flipping the tables and pledging money directly to the Hero Initiative (http://www.actorcomicfund.org/) to aid comic creators.