IDW PUBLISHING LAUNCHES NEW CHILDREN'S DIVISION
AND IMPRINT

Signs Distribution Agreement with Renowned UK Children's Publishing Firm; Pacts With Top Hollywood Screenwriters To Create Children's Books



(San Diego, CA and Newark, NJ; January 10, 2008) -- In a precedent-setting move, IDW Publishing, a division of IDT Internet Mobile Group and an established leader in the comic book and graphic novel arena, is launching a children's division called Jonas Publishing and a new imprint, Worthwhile Books. The move will allow IDW Publishing to expand its library of successful print titles, which to date has been particularly focused in the horror, action, and sci-fi genres, such as 30 Days of Night and The Transformers. To launch the imprint, IDW Publishing has inked a significant agreement with a renowned UK children's publisher and is striking deals with top Hollywood writers to create children's books.


Worthwhile Books has finalized a first-look arrangement with UK children's publisher Meadowside Books (www.meadowsidebooks.com), known for its unique character-driven picture books for young readers. Worthwhile will be the exclusive U.S. publisher of selected Meadowside titles and will retain domestic film and television rights on those properties. The first Meadowside Books title in the deal, Michael Recycle, by Ellie Bethel, follows the escapades of a "green-caped" environmental hero and will be released in March by Worthwhile Books. Worthwhile expects to issue approximately 10 Meadowside titles over the course of the first year, including William's Dinosaurs, by Alan Baker, which tells the tale of a little boy who finds more than trees in the dark woods near his home.

Worthwhile's Hollywood outreach is tapping into the top ranks of movie and television writing talent to bring original literary stories to the young reading audience. The collective credits of the entertainment writers include some of the industry's most successful television series and movies. These writers include:

· David N. Weiss, whose writing credits include Shrek 2, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and both Rugrats movies
· David Sacks, a writer/producer on The Simpsons, producer on Malcolm in the Middle, and writer on 3rd Rock from the Sun
· Dava Savel, an Emmy Award- winning comedy writer with credits on shows such as Grace Under Fire and Will & Grace, in addition to being an executive producer on the children's program That's So Raven
· David Steinberg, whose producing credits include Meet the Robinsons, Home on the Range and Cats Don't Dance
· Robert Kurtz, who wrote for the movie Everyone's Hero and has written for such shows as Boy Meets World and Grace Under Fire

"Our growth strategy calls for continued expansion into other areas of the entertainment sector," said Ted Adams, IDW co-founder and president. "Creating and controlling successful children's properties helps us in those endeavors. Meadowside's books are playful, empowering, smart and exciting and the artwork is simply breathtaking. These are children's picture stories in the classic tradition with a central character that is relatable to today's kids."

In speaking of the outreach to Hollywood writers, Robert Kurtz, vice-president and creative director at Worthwhile Books, said "Every writer I know who works in television or movies has a children's story inside him or her that they've wanted to tell for years but for a variety of reasons never were able to get out into the marketplace. We want writers to think of Worthwhile Books as the one-stop destination for that kind of project. It is designed to be a writer-driven company and we think that will be very attractive to these talented artists."

ABOUT IDW PUBLISHING:
Idea and Design Works, LLC, (DBA IDW Publishing) is a division of IDT Internet Mobile Group (IIMG). An established leader in the comic book and graphic novel marketplace, particularly in the horror, action, and sci-fi genres, IDW Publishing also owns Jonas Publishing and its children's imprint, Worthwhile Books. IDW lists some of the most successful and hottest print titles in the industry in its portfolio, including: television's #1 prime time series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; Sony's Underworld; Paramount's Star Trek; Fox's 24 and Angel, and Hasbro's The Transformers. The feature film version of IDW Publishing's graphic novel, 30 Days of Night, recently topped the box office when it premiered in October. The company also works with foreign licensing agents to sell their comics around the world, with titles being published in multiple languages and crossing dozens of regions.

ABOUT IDT INTERNET MOBILE GROUP:
IDT Internet Mobile Group (IIMG), a division of the Fortune 1000 telecommunications firm IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT, IDT.C), is a leader in the development, management and growth of cross-platform consumer entertainment, distribution and financial services. From providing mobile content to consumers in over 200 countries through the mobile content portal Zedge (www.zedge.net) to the creation, development and distribution of top graphic novels through IDW Publishing, and providing cash remittance services via mobile phones to millions of people living abroad, IIMG is dedicated to turning innovative ideas and companies into products and services that span various industries.

In this press release, all statements that are not purely about historical facts, including, but not limited to, those with the words "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "plan," "intend," "estimate," "target" and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements and risk factors included in this document are made as of the date hereof, based on information available to IDT as of the date thereof, and IDT assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or risk factors.

[PRESS] 'DRAFTED' #4 NOW OUT OF STOCK WITH MORE COPIES EN ROUTE
New issue of Devil's Due Publishing's hot sci-fi epic goes quickly as new shipments head from the printer to Diamond



Chicago, IL. (January 10, 2008) – A flood of orders quickly depleted Diamond's stock of the fourth issue of Mark Powers' ongoing sci-fi saga Drafted this week. Readers and retailers will not have to wait long to see the drought ended, however, because Devil's Due is currently rushing a new shipment from its printer to fulfill new orders.



"I've been in love with this concept from beginning," said DDP President Josh Blaylock. "I'm really glad that readers have latched onto the story with the same level of appreciation."



Powers' story follows Earth's first contact with extraterrestrial emissaries after the destruction of Jerusalem. When humans from all over the planet are removed from their everyday lives and told they have been drafted for a coming war to decide the fate of their world, the drama heats up as their training commences.



"Things are about to get really insane over the next few issues," Blaylock confirmed. Powers' intricately woven epic in the tradition of Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica unfurls with each new issue, crafting a new saga for this generation.



The Diamond order codes for the first six issues of Drafted are as follows:



DRAFTED PREVIEW APR073607

DRAFTED #1 JUL073478

DRAFTED #2 AUG073554

DRAFTED #3 SEP073564

DRAFTED #4 OCT073451

DRAFTED #5 NOV073504

DRAFTED #6 JAN083550


For more information, please visit www.devilsdue.net.

# # #

About Devil's Due Publishing:
After exploding on the comic book scene by igniting the "80s retro
revival" in the industry, Devil's Due quickly became one of the largest
and most popular comic book publishers in the United States. Today DDP's
lineup is a diverse mix of original properties and licensed books
including Drafted, Lost Squad, Sheena: Queen of the Jungle, G.I. Joe,
Storm Shadow, Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, DemonWars, Voltron, The Nye
Incidents, and the cult-favorite Hack/Slash, which is currently in
pre-production as a feature film for Rogue Pictures.

Devil's Due: reminding everyone that "Pop culture IS our culture". For
more information on Devil's Due Publishing, please
visit http://devilsdue.net.

Inside the Comic Writers Studio – Episode 15

Atomika Writer Andrew Dabb Speaks Exclusively to ComicBloc





(San Antonio, Texas) January 7, 2008 – One of Devils Due Publishing's busiest writers, Andrew Dabb recently spoke exclusively to ComicBloc's Eric Moreno in the first installment of the acclaimed Inside the Comic Writers Studio series of 2008.



http://www.comicbloc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1083&Itemid=52



During the discussion, Dabb speaks about finding his niche as a successful adaptor of such varied properties as Dungeons & Dragons , G.I. Joe and The Ghostbusters, his collaboration with legendary artist Seth Fisher and writing Japanese science-fiction. While speaking on the subject of writer's block, Dabb had this to say:



"I believe that writer's block, to the extent it actually occurs and I'm sure it does, is self-inflicted. When you're legitimately engaged and excited about a project, it's fun to sit down and write for hours. But by contrast, when you're doing something out of obligation, or for the paycheck, or pounding on an idea that just won't work for some reason, that flashing cursor becomes your enemy."



ComicBloc (www.comicbloc.com ) is a conglomerate of members and readers that seeks to elevate the status of the sequential art into the mainstream. This is a weekly series featured exclusively at ComicBloc. Past guests include, HACK/Slash creator Tim Seeley, Virgin Comics Editor Ron Marz, Wildstorm: Armageddon author Christos N. Gage, Whiteout author Greg Rucka and Dynamo 5 creator Jay Faerber.

ROAD TRIP FROM HELL
URBAN MONSTERS hit the road this February!


January 9th, 2008 (Berkeley, CA) It’s been said that Hollywood is controlled by monsters and in February’s URBAN MONSTERS, four creatures head on a road trip to make that statement literal.


"URBAN MONSTERS pokes a lot of fun at the post-Warhol American Dream wherein everyone's after their fifteen minutes of fame," mini-series co-writer Joanne Moore said. "Our four road trippers learn not only that attaining any dream is hard, you'll have a heck of a time getting anywhere near it!"


Such dreams of fame hit a misfit group of east coast friends consisting of a beastman, a satyr, a fish-man and a zombie who strike out west on a country wide road trip. URBAN MONSTERS was created by Andrew Stroscher for noted television producer Vin Di Bona’s first foray into the comics medium and features the writing talents of Will Wilson & Joanne Moore alongside fan-favorite Tone Rodriguez on art duties.


Shadowline President Jim Valentino said, "URBAN MONSTERS is a wonderful fit in the eclectic lineup of titles under the Shadowline banner. Each book we publish is unique to everything else both in our line and on the stands altogether. We're very happy to have Andrew, Will, Joanne and Tone on board."


URBAN MONSTERS (DEC072051), a 3-issue 32-page miniseries for $3.50, will be in stores February 27th, 2007

NEW 'DUNGEONS & DRAGONS' SERIES GETTING LOWDER
D&D® legend editing new ongoing 'Worlds of Dungeons & Dragons™' series for Devil's Due Publishing





Chicago, IL. (January 10, 2008) – Bestselling author and award-winning editor James Lowder (Prince of Lies, Knight of the Black Rose) applies his talents to a new ongoing comic book series this February in Devil's Due's Worlds of Dungeons & Dragons. Lowder will oversee adaptations of the works of such legendary storytellers as R.A. Salvatore, Margaret Weis, and Tracy Hickman, which will pack the giant 48-page monthly comic.



"Each issue of Worlds of Dungeons & Dragons will feature two stories from Wizards of the Coast's bestselling fantasy settings, including the Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, Ravenloft, and Eberron," Lowder said. Issues 1 and 2 will adapt R.A. Salvatore's "Dark Mirror," starring the Forgotten Realms' most famous drow, Drizzt Do'Urden, with a script by Nick Schley (Abiding Perdition, "Red Lotus") and art by Rafael Kayanan (Conan, Star Wars, Spider-Man), and Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's "The Legacy," featuring the world of Krynn's most infamous wizard, Raistlin Majere, with a script by Neil Kleid (Brownsville, Ninety Candles, X-Men Unlimited), and art by Javier Sanchez Aranda (Hellina).



"Future issues of Worlds of Dungeons & Dragons will feature a wide array of iconic characters, including the arch-wizard Elminster, the vampire Strahd von Zarovich, and the death knight Lord Soth," according to Lowder. "Writers will include authors familiar to comics readers, as well as fans of fantasy fiction and role-playing games: Jeff Grubb, Ed Greenwood, Richard Knaak, Elaine Cunningham, P.N. Elrod, Monte Cook, Keith Baker, and Stan Brown, many of them scripting the adaptations of their own short stories."



Devil's Due tapped Lowder, whose background includes time directing the Forgotten Realms® and Ravenloft® book lines for TSR, Inc., and comics scripting assignments with DC, Moonstone, and Desperado. Lowder notes, "The worlds and characters featured in the anthology are already fan favorites for millions of readers and gamers around the world, but the stories are also terrific adventure fantasies that are accessible to anyone looking for great sword and sorcery tales."



For more information, please visit www.devilsdue.net.

Or find out more about James Lowder on his website www.jameslowder.com.


# # #

About Devil's Due Publishing:
After exploding on the comic book scene by igniting the "80s retro revival" in the industry, Devil's Due quickly became one of the largest and most popular comic book publishers in the United States. Today DDP's lineup is a diverse mix of original properties and licensed books including Drafted, Lost Squad, Sheena: Queen of the Jungle, G.I. Joe, Storm Shadow, Dragonlance®, Forgotten Realms, DemonWars, Voltron, The Nye Incidents, and the cult-favorite Hack/Slash, which is currently in pre-production as a feature film for Rogue Pictures.

Devil's Due: reminding everyone that "Pop culture IS our culture."

THE PHANTOM #24

Written by Mike Bullock , Art: by Silvestre Szilagyi

Colors by Bob Pedroza, Cover: Rick Leonardi, Terry Austin and Bob Pedroza

32pgs, color, $3.99 …………"Checkmate #4 (of 5)"

Bangalla Invaded! The biggest arc in Moonstone's Phantom run, culminating in the double sized issue #25, continues!

In the aftermath of last issue, the Phantom must hurry to follow the murderer's trail before it grows cold.

However, the hunt leads him to a place no man, even one Who Cannot Die, wants to go.


" The Phantom may be decades old but his stories continue to be fresh, relevant and exciting." – Broken Frontier

"I think Lee Falk would have been proud." – Chronicle Chamber

__________________________________________________________________________________________________



KOLCHAK TALES: NIGHT STALKER OF THE LIVING DEAD #2 (of 3)



written by Chris Mills

illustrated by Tim Hamilton

cover by Dave Aikins

32 pages, color, $3.99



Forget the Children of the Corn...

Kolchak and the local sheriff are up to their ears (pun intended) in ZOMBIES at a small-town corn festival.

But what is the terrible secret behind these walking, lifeless people...

and what else besides people has it affected?

This is one story Kolchak may not want to get to the bottom of!

Great Expectations, the Graphic Novel
Best-selling Treasury of Victorian Murder creator Rick Geary adapts
Charles Dickens’ tale of mystery and obsessive love


It’s been made into movies nearly a dozen times. School systems
worldwide tell their students to read it. It’s in the top one-tenth of
one percent of Amazon.com’s bestsellers. And in April, Charles Dickens’

Great Expectations appears under the Papercutz Classics Illustrated
imprint as a graphic novel by Rick Geary, creator of the popular series

Treasury of Victorian Murder.

Great Expectations is a full-color hardcover, 56 pages long, at a size

of 6 1/2” by 9”, a cover price of $9.95, and the ISBN
978-1-59707-097-3. In both the prose novel and the graphic novel, the
homeless orphan Pip falls desperately in love with the beautiful but
shallow Estella. Pip struggles to prove himself worthy of Estella while

a mysterious benefactor intervenes in the boy’s life. You can see
preview art at http://www.papercutz.com/classics/greatexpectpre1.html.

Geary has won the 2007 “Best Title for a Younger Audience” Eisner
award (the comic-book Oscar) and the National Cartoonists Society’s
Book and Magazine Illustration Award. His Treasury of Victorian Murder
graphic novels have inspired praise such as:
• “First rate. Superb as always.”--Publishers Weekly
• “Meticulously researched, beautifully drawn, and quite entertaining.

My highest recommendation!”--Comics Buyer’s Guide
• “A must read!”--Andrew Smith, Scripps-Howard Newspapers
• “ Will have even reluctant readers immersed in history.”--School
Library Journal
• “Geary relies not on gore but on the scrupulously drawn detail and
the droll, telling expression.”--Booklist
• “A keen sense of period detail and sharp pacing.”--Kirkus Reviews
• “Filled with rich detail and told with the tightness of a
thriller.”--Time.comix
• “Geary shows a true talent for capturing the images, mood and even
language of Victorian society.”--Washington Post

Classics Illustrated has introduced generations of students to great
literature. These comic-book editions of novels, plays, and epic poems
sold about 200 million copies from 1941 through 1998. Geary originally
created his version of Great Expectations for a Classics Illustrated
series published by Berkley Publishing and First Publishing in 1990. It

has been out of print for more than a decade, and Papercutz is proud to

bring it back.

Great Expectations is the second of Papercutz’s new Classics
Illustrated volumes. The first two was Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in
the Willows, adapted by Michel Plessix. Up next: Grimm’s Fairy Tales
by Mazan (pen name of Pierre Lavaud), Philip Petit, and Cecile
Chicault.

VIZ MEDIA LAUNCHES SIX NEW MANGA SERIES FOR FIRST QUARTER 2008

Diverse New Titles To Kick Off The New YearSan Francisco, CA, January 8, 2008 –

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the launch of six highly anticipated new manga comic series for the First Quarter of 2008.The new releases are designed for Teen and Older Teen readers and include SAND CHRONICLES, HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT, HONEY AND CLOVER and MONKEY HIGH, to be published under the popular SHOJO BEAT imprint, RAL Ω GRAD, under the SHONEN JUMP ADVANCED imprint, and SWITCH, to be offered by the VIZ Media imprint.“We open 2008 with an exciting and diverse collection of new manga titles designed for fans of everything from gritty crime dramas and fantasy/action tales to bittersweet romance stories and zany high school comedy,” says Alvin Lu, Vice President, Publishing VIZ Media, “The debut of DEATH NOTE artist Takeshi Obata’s latest manga series RAL Ω GRAD continues to show the versatility of this very talented creator as he tackles the genre of fantasy adventure manga. New teen-oriented series like SAND CHRONICLES and HONEY AND CLOVER present softer but equally intriguing stories about growing up, entering adulthood and dealing with life’s dramas. The unique stories and characters presented in our newest collection of titles should strike a chord among even the most discriminating fan and we look forward to their success in the New Year.”

SAND CHRONICLES • Rated “T” for Teens • MSRP: $8.99 • Available Now!Twelve-year-old Ann and her divorced mother move from big city Tokyo to her mother’s rural hometown, where the menu consists of mystery meat, the village kids are totally uncool, the cute woodland creatures are not destined to be her faithful companions, and there aren’t even any bookstores! How will she survive her exile from civilization? When Ann’s mother unexpectedly dies, she must grow up fast, relying on the kindness of her new friends—Daigo and aristocratic siblings Fuji and Shika. But after her father reappears and moves her to Tokyo, will Ann be able to maintain a long-distance relationship with Daigo ?And do Fuji and Shika harbor romantic feelings for each other that will rip apart these childhood friendships…?

SAND CHRONICLES was created by Hinako Ashihara and won the 50th Shogakukan Manga Award. The ten-volume series sold more than 5.7 million copies in Japan and also spawned a live-action television series and a feature film, set to be released next year. The series currently appears in SHOJO BEAT magazine and also has been published in Italian, German and Spanish.

HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT • Rated “T” for Teens • MSRP: $8.99 • Available Now!Can a junior high tomboy turn into a high school sweetheart overnight? When Haruna Nagashima was in junior high, her life consisted of playing softball and reading comics. Now in high school, Haruna decides to put all of her energy towards getting a boyfriend and having the high school romance of a lifetime. She enlists the help of a cute upperclassman named Yoh Komiyama to help her transform into the kind of girl who can catch a guy. Yoh agrees to the challenge with one catch – Haruna had better not fall for him!

HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT was created by Kazune Kawahara, who drew her first manga series at age 18. Since then, Kawahara has developed a variety of comics for Shueisha's Bessatsu Margaret magazine. HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT is also previewed in the December issue of SHOJO BEAT magazine.

RAL Ω GRAD • Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $7.99 • Available Feb. 5, 2008Renowned manga artist Takeshi Obata, artist of HIKARU NO GO and the wildly popular DEATH NOTE, introduces a new series of fantasy and action set in medieval times. In the midst of a meaningless war, a child named Ral is born during a bloody battle at the cost of his mother's life. From this baby’s shadow comes forth a huge and powerful dragon named Grad, which lays waste to the landscape within minutes. A quick-thinking knight locks the baby in a cage of darkness, where he grows to be a young man, knowing only the kindness of his young female tutor named Mio, but never seeing her face. One day an army attacks and the people of Sphaein are put under siege by horrendous monsters knows as Shadows. With the castle walls collapsing and their doom within sight, the people are persuaded to set Ral free knowing he also has a Shadow within him—the large blue dragon. Released from his black cell, Ral finally meets his beloved teacher face-to-face and discovers there are differences between men and women…differences he deems worth fighting for!

RAL Ω GRAD artist Takeshi Obata won the 2003 Tezuka Shinsei "New Hope" award and the Shogakukan Manga award for his wildly popular Shonen Jump title HIKARU NO GO. RALΩGRAD is his newest series and the latest addition to the Shonen Jump Advanced imprint and will appeal to fans of fantasy RPGs.

MONKEY HIGH • Rated “T” for Teens • MSRP: $8.99 • Available March 4, 2008After her politician father is disgraced in a scandal, Haruna Aizawa transfers to a new school where she becomes convinced that school life is like a monkey mountain—all the monkeys form cliques, get into fights, and get back together again. She even meets a boy called Macharu who reminds her of a baby monkey! Will Haruna remain jaded and distance herself from everyone around her, or will Macharu win her over with his monkey magic?

MONKEY HIGH was created by Shouko Akira, who made her manga debut in 1995 with THE SOLAR SYSTEM IS YOURS, which was serialized in Japan's Deluxe Bessatsu Shojo Comic. Akira is notable for her Betsucomi style art which features rosy cheeks and cute, clean designs. She is also the creator of TIMES TWO, a collection of five romantic short storiesthat's currently available from VIZ Media. MONKEY HIGH will be previewed in SHOJO BEAT magazine in February.

HONEY AND CLOVER • Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $7.99• Available March 4, 2008Takemoto is a student who lives in a run-down student apartment, where his greatest worries are when he'll next be able to afford to eat meat and whether he'll get to class on time. Along with a crazy cast of five friends, Takemoto sets out to discover life and his true self. Set in a Tokyo art college, HONEY AND CLOVER realistically blends comedy and pathos to bring to life a very unique set of individuals. One day, one of the art professors introduces Takemoto to his cousin's daughter, Hagumi Hanamoto, a first-year art student who has come to live with him. Takemoto is immediately smitten and the plot thickens as Hagumi becomes embroiled in a complicated love triangle that also includes Takemoto’s friend, Shinobu Morita.

HONEY AND CLOVER showcases the journey from adolescence into adulthood and the long and challenging road these five young people must navigate to balance the demands of school, work, and love.Chica Umino is the creator of HONEY AND CLOVER, which debuted in 2000 and received the Kodansha Manga Award in 2003. The series was extremely successful and was also nominated for the Tezuka Culture Prize and an award from the Japan Media Arts Festival. Over 7.8 million copies of the 10-volume series have been sold in Japan and the series inspired both and anime series and live-action film, set for release by VIZ Pictures in 2008. Chica Umino is also a merchandise designer and created an array of HONEY AND CLOVER bags, purses, hats, and clothing available in Japan. There is even a HONEY AND CLOVER café in Tokyo. The series has been translated into Dutch, Korean, Chinese, and German and is also serialized in SHOJO BEAT magazine.

SWITCH • Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $9.99 • Available March 11, 2008Kai Eto may look like a squeaky clean kid, but the Greater Kanto Narcotics Control Division's new investigator hides a violent alter ego and a dangerous past. Together with his stoic partner, Hal Kurabayashi, Kai is assigned to track down and stop the distribution of a dangerous new drug called Dragon Speed. But the hard-boiled syndicate trafficking the drug is almost impossible to infiltrate and combined with street violence and a jurisdiction war with the Meguro Police, poor Kai is in for some very long days at the office.

SWITCH was created by the Naked Ape duo, a collaboration of artist Tonomi Nakamura and writer Otoo Saki. The two women also produced an array of posters, album covers, phone cards and manga series such as BLACK TAR and the futuristic crime thriller DOLLS. SWITCH was originally published by Square Enix, the Japanese company behind FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST and FINAL FANTASY, and will appeal to fans of crime dramas such as Miami Vice, CSI, and NCIS.

LIBRARY EDITIONS • MSRP: $15.99 • Available January 2008In January, the company will also publish new hardcover Library Editions of the first volumes of several popular manga series including BLEACH, DEATH NOTE, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, INUYASHA, NARUTO and RANMA ½. The content of these editions will match their original manga counterparts but now packaged with a rugged hardcover to make the volumes viable for years of library use.

About VIZ Media, LLCHeadquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan’s largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan Production Co., Ltd. (ShoPro Japan), VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America and a global licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including, magazines such as SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, graphic novels, videos, DVDs and audio soundtracks and develops and markets animated entertainment from initial production, television placement and distribution, to merchandise licensing and promotions for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at www.VIZ.com.

Dan Dare Flies off Shelves & to Computers

www.virgincomics.com offers Digital Comic of sold-out title


JANUARY 8, 2008 - NEW YORK, NY - With comic book collectors scooping up every issue of Virgin Comics’ sold-out Dan Dare #1 at retail, fans desperate to read the new adventures of this classic British science fiction hero have found a solution. As part of Virgin Comics’ popular Widescreen Digital Comic Book series, installments of Dan Dare #1 are being posted every Monday and Wednesdays at www.virgincomics.com. “With Dan Dare we are seeing why online digital comics are so important to Virgin Comics” said Sharad Devarajan, CEO of Virgin Comics. “The global demand for comics and graphic story telling far exceeds the distribution available through physical distribution.”


Dan Dare #2 was released on December 26th, and is still available at limited retail locations. The highly anticipated Dan Dare #3 is scheduled to street on January 23rd. Both of these issues, as well as copies of the second print run of Dan Dare #1, can currently be ordered at www.virgincomicsstore.com.

Virgin Comics’ Dan Dare is written by legendary comic author Garth Ennis (Preacher, The Boys, Hitman, John Woo’s Seven Brothers and other acclaimed and best-selling titles). The story is set in the future, albeit not too many decades from the present day. Colonel Dare is still vibrant and courageous – but now he’s retired. His retirement is a self-imposed exile, the result of his disgust with politics and the post-nuclear warfare that has destroyed North America and much of Asia – leaving the UK as the world’s last remaining superpower. Readers familiar with Dan Dare stories will recognize many of the original cast including a wiser and more experienced Digby; the innovative, brilliant and beautiful Professor Peabody; and of course the enemy of all that is good, the super-intelligent ruler of the Treens – The Mekon, together with a mix of galactic evil beings.

In addition to Dan Dare, other Virgin Widescreen Digital Comics titles include Guy Ritchie’s Gamekeeper, Devi, Weston & Nicolas Cage’s Voodoo Child, Deepak Chopra’s & Shekhar Kapur’s Ramayan 3392AD, Dave Stewart’s Walk In, The Sadhu, Deepak Chopra’s India Authentic, John Woo’s Seven Brothers and Snake Woman.

About Virgin Comics
Virgin Comics LLC is a character entertainment company creating original stories and epic myths for worldwide audiences. The company was founded in November 2005 by Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Enterprises Ltd., alongside author Deepak Chopra, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and entrepreneurs Sharad Devarajan, Gotham Chopra and Suresh Seetharaman. Virgin is developing new stories with acclaimed filmmakers, actors and musicians including John Woo, Guy Ritchie, Terry Gilliam, Jenna Jameson, Dave Stewart, Ed Burns, Nicolas Cage, Duran Duran, Sachin Tendulkar and others. Feature films based on Virgin Comics' characters are also in the works, including an animated feature, The Secrets of the Seven Sounds, and theatrical live action feature films including Gamekeeper in development with Warner Bros. and Virulents with Fox. In India, Virgin Comics recently established a partnership with Studio 18 to pioneer the Indian "teen-horror" genre and a separate partnership with UTV Motion Pictures to develop new Indian superheroes. Virgin Comics also formed a joint venture with NBC Universal to create new science fiction properties for graphic novels and television with the Sci Fi Channel. www.virgincomics.com

ABOUT THE DAN DARE CORPORATION
The Dan Dare Corporation is the global rights holder in the intellectual property Dan Dare and the Eagle Comic. It represents the film, television, merchandising and publishing rights. The Company produced the highly successful CGI animated series 'Dan Dare - Pilot of the Future' in 2001. The $20 million production in LA has now been distributed by Columbia TriStar to over 130 countries worldwide. In October 2007, the book ‘The Best of the Eagle’ will be published worldwide. www.dandare.com

BACK ON THE HORIZON!
THE INFINITE HORIZON Returns to Store Shelves!
January 7th, 2008 (Berkeley, CA) - Following excellent reviews and a free convention preview, the debut issue of THE INFINITE HORIZON sold out at a distribution level and will return to store shelves alongside the second issue. on January 9th with a new cover by artist and series co-creator Phil Noto.

“Working with Phil Noto has been a true dream, I’ve been a fan of his for a long time,” said Writer Gerry Duggan. “We’re both ecstatic about the very gratifying reviews and then selling out of the first issue from the distributor. We think every issue gets better, and we want to take a second to thank the fans, retailers and reviewers that have all supported this new comic book.”

The reprint of the first issue of THE INFINITE HORIZON (OCT071959) and the brand new second issue (NOV072044), both 32-page comics for $2.99, will be available January 9th, 2008. The oversized third issue (DEC072091) will feature the soldier with no name against the Cyclops and arrive on racks in late February with a cover price of 2.99. For more information please visit http://www.the-infinite-horizon.com/site and http://www.imagecomics.com.

Image Comics is a comics and graphic novels publisher formed in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Since that time, Image has gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. There are currently four partners in Image Comics (Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino), and Image is currently divided into four major houses (Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline and Image Central). Image comics and graphic novels cover nearly every genre, sub-genre and style imaginable, offering science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. Visit www.imagecomics.com.

2007=fin.

Below you'll find my final review of 2007. I've done so many this year (again) that I couldn't even begin to count them all. Adding the new columnists to the main site really helped me ease back on the throttle a bit, so I'm very grateful for that. And for them.

What will 2008 bring? Something damned cool, I'll tell you that much right now. I'm not ready to totally spill the beans yet, but The Comics Waiting Room as you've known it up until now is stepping aside. Version 3.0 is coming.

Comics Waiting Room 3.0

I'm seriously fuggin' excited about it. It's going to be different, and yet more of the same cool stuff you've grown to expect from me and the merry band of columnists writing for the site. Plus, you'll also get some new writers to enjoy, as well.

So... MONDAY, JANUARY 14TH, 2008. That's the big day. Keep an eye out.

We'll be waiting for you. Happy New Year!

Marc Mason
Owner/Editor-in-Chief

NORTHLANDERS #1-2
Written by Brian Wood
Drawn by Davide Gianfelice
Published by DC/Vertigo

A marauding Varangian named Sven returns to his homeland, only to discover that his father is dead and his evil uncle has assumed control of the lands and gold that rightfully belong to him in NORTHLANDERS, a very accessible (if a little too colloquial) new book about Vikings from the fertile mind of Brian Wood. We’ve seen futuristic sci-fi (CHANNEL ZERO), action-adventure (COURIERS), human drama (LOCAL), superheroes (DEMO), and political allegory (DMZ) from Wood, but those are all quite a distance from a concept like this one, so it does play as a bit of a surprise. But even when Wood has faltered in his storytelling approach, his work has remained compulsively readable. This book is no different.

That isn’t to say that NORTHLANDERS is massively flawed in any way- it isn’t. But giving Sven a sort of Wolverine-esque narration is… well, odd. It serves to make what’s happening on the page at those moments feel anachronistic. It works to keep the reader glued to Sven as a character, which is smart; he’s hardly someone to root for or develop a keen interest in watching succeed. As a man of this period of time, he’s a colossal asshole with an ego of matching size. But everyone else is worse, leading you to hope for more delightful death, dismemberment, and bloodshed to come.

To my eyes, the real treat in these two issues is the work of Gianfelice. What a find! His art resembles a somewhat rougher John Romita, Jr, his characters wonderfully well-defined and captivating to look at. I’m working from black and white preview copies, and they’re so sweet to the eye that I don’t think I’d want to see them spoiled by the eventual colors.

I don’t know that I’d keep up on the monthly issues, as the pacing here is a bit broad and slow, but I could certainly see myself reading the entire tale (these pieces are only the first two of a total eight) once it gets a cover and a spine.

/Mason

YEARBOOK STORIES 1976-1978
Written by Chris Staros
Drawn by Bo Hampton and Rich Tommaso
Published by Top Shelf

YEARBOOK brings together two short stories focused on Top Shelf honcho Staros’ younger years, each previously published as part of the late, lamented SMALL PRESS EXPO anthologies. The first, “The Willful Death of a Stereotype,” turns its eye towards a young geek’s attempt at achieving popularity and power through a school election. Story two, “The Worst Gig I Ever Had,” skips ahead to his high school years and the first rock band he played in. Each has its merits, though there’s no question that “Stereotype” is the shining gem of the duo.

Autobiographical comics have become such a mixed bag over the years that you tend to have your defenses built so high against them that they have little chance of succeeding. So many are about tweedy jerkoffs who want to tell you every minute detail about their lives and forget to tell you an actual story. But Staros knows exactly how to make them work. “Stereotype” has a full story to tell, and it’s one with an emotional and intellectual progression. “Gig” is a bit more of an extended humorous anecdote, but it also delivers on the punchline. I wish more cartoonists understood how important that is.

Artistically, Staros couldn’t have done better by himself. Bo Hampton is in a class by himself, and “Stereotype” looks incredible. Tommaso also turns in some terrific work, though it lacks some of the fluid spontaneity of Hampton’s work.

For four dollars American, this is a pretty sweet little treat. Pick it up and give it to someone like me who had lost his taste for autobio comix and remind them that the genre can still be done with skill and intelligence.

/Mason

POPGUN VOL.1
Edited by Mark Andrew Smith and Joe Keatinge
Published by Image Comics

Anthologies are a tricky thing. When you try and limit them to one central theme, they can feel forced and lack spontaneity. If you allow them to be broad and open, you run the risk of the entire affair feeling scattered and without purpose. Plus, there’s always the requisite gem-to-crap ratio to deal with, no matter what kind of anthology you have. Putting one together isn’t for the faint of heart.

But AMAZING JOY BUZZARDS maestro Mark Andre Smith and Image marketing guru Joe Keatinge have certainly given it their best shot with POPGUN. Ostensibly based on the concept of the pop single in music, the results are a bit trying and inconsistent for the first two-thirds of the book, but the final third of this gargantuan book (450 pages) finds a solid groove and delivers a powerful crescendo of sound and fury.

There are some gems early on the line-up. Jamie S. Rich and Joelle Jones contribute a nifty relationship tale (their specialty) that’s as solid as any of their other work in that genre, and it gives the reader an early good taste in their mouth. Chris Moreno’s “Sanz Pants” follows along shortly after to keeping the beat moving. But it isn’t until Adrian Dominguez and Matthew Weldon’s “Ellie saves the World”, an issue-length adventure, drops in that POPGUN grabs hold of you by the lapels and refuses to let go until the final chord is struck. Their tale of a teen superheroine is so fun and funky that you find yourself wanting more of Ellie’s adventures sooner rather than later.

Image has become one of the best anthology makers in the business, and this is a worthy effort to stand alongside some of the previous efforts like AFTERWORKS and 24/7. There will certainly be more POPGUN; I expect it will be fun to keep an eye on it and see where it goes.

/Mason

THE ART OF BRYAN TALBOT
Published by NBM

A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed THE ART OF GREG CAPULLO and gave it a resounding pan due to a number of glaringly bad decisions in design. So I was quite pleased to see this book in my mailbox- no North American publisher does better “Art” books than NBM, and I expected this would be excellent. As usual, they didn’t let me down.

This is how you do an “Art” book.

Bryan Talbot is one of the greatest living artists in our field, a man who has been mastering his craft for decades. He’s shown himself to be versatile, tackling superheroes, science fiction, fantasy, rock stars, and human interest. He can pencil, ink, paint… you name it… and he does so in brilliant fashion. And each bit of that is on display in this terrific over-sized book. You also get to see a retrospective of his whole career on display here; some of his earliest work is on these pages, along with some of his most recent. It allows the reader to see just how much talent he had to start with, and just how much he’s learned and progressed with over time.

There is also very little “white space” inside this book. Where there isn’t art (printed at all sizes) there is commentary text from Talbot explaining the origins of various works and how they came together. Sometimes he even expresses chagrin about the results, but he isn’t afraid to put them out there.

The book also comes with a lovely introduction by the great Neil Gaiman, but the real star is the life’s work of a man whose talents know no boundaries. Any serious collector of comic or pop culture art will want this excellent work on their shelves.

/Mason

THE SLEEPY TRUTH VOL.1
Written by Jason M. Burns
Drawn by Erik Valdez y Alanis
Published by Viper Comics

Sleepy Hollow, NY, is a strange little town. It’s beset by all sorts of oddities: sea monsters, ghostly Native American tribes… and maybe even a space alien who’s taking over the city council. So who can the citizenry turn to in order to keep them in-the-know about these phenomenon? How about the staff of THE SLEEPY TRUTH, the local newspaper dedicated to blowing the lid off it all? Of course, the staff isn’t quite what you’d expect: there’s Suzanne and Thomas Watson, the oddly-birthmarked 15-year old twins who run the show; their friend Grant (age 15), who has prosthetic hands; and Matthias, their portly 14-year old friend who claims to be telekinetic, but can’t prove it.

In volume one of what looks to be a potentially lengthy series, the kids must contend with two threats to their First Amendment rights: the return of the creature the twins believe ate their father, and the afore-mentioned alien and councilman, who are determined (in classic SCOOBY fashion) to put these meddling kids out of their hair for good.

SLEEPY comes across as a gentle, fun little lark, and shows a nice grasp on how to put together entertainment that can appeal to readers young and old. No question, one of the real markets for these books should be school libraries; there’s no profanity, no sexuality, just clean fun all the way around. The kids are interesting, unique characters, their dialogue rings true, and while there’s a “threat” involved, you know that whatever resolution comes will be appropriate. I wish there were more like it.

Viper has made its mark in the field mostly with sharp-edged books like DEAD @17, MIDDLEMAN, and THE EXPENDABLE ONE. But with SLEEPY and EMILY EDISON, they’re showing that the youth market is one they can succeed in.

/Mason

MASKED MAGICIAN
Written by Mike Maddox
Drawn by Pradeep Ingale
Published by Virgin Comics

Centuries ago, a statue fell to earth that allowed the bearer to control the four elements of the world, and it led the planet to ruin. Only the foresight of a select few allowed humanity and the Earth itself to survive, and they split the statue’s power amongst other objects and hid them around the globe. Then they banded together to create a society dedicated to not only making sure no one ever uses that power again, but that sees to it that magic stays solely in the realm of illusion. Unfortunately, a power-hungry member of that society has decided that he wants the statue’s gift for himself, and anyone in his way must die. Now, a special effects technician and his dead partner’s daughter must band together to stop the world’s climate from a magical armageddon.

This is quite an unusual way of bringing the character that did those TV specials a few years back into the spotlight again. That man’s purpose was to expose how tricks are done, and I personally avoided watching- I didn’t want to know. This book actually offers up a sort of “purpose” in doing such a thing, as it serves to keep illusionists from seeking genuine power. Hmm.

The script follows the classic hero’s journey; a man possessed of gifts he barely understands loses his mentor, discovers a conspiracy centuries old, and must dive into this world, discover his inner strength, and save the world. But this is not a bad thing: there’s a reason that the hero’s journey is one of the strongest and most reliable tropes in fiction: when it’s done well it works. And Maddox’s story and dialogue absolutely do. Tom, the protagonist, is very likeable, and possesses just enough of a skeptical sense about him that he doesn’t easily buy in to what he’s being told in concern to real magic, but he also isn’t so stubborn that he ignores the things happening around him, either.

Unfortunately, the book has one enormous Achilles’ heel, and that’s the art. Ingale’s work is stiff, his characters are un-involving, and his grasp on anatomy and movement is poor. In fact, during the climactic fight, I honestly couldn’t tell you precisely how the villain is defeated, because the art doesn’t make it clear at all. It lacks pizzazz, and when you’re dealing with magic and illusion, that ain’t so great.

At five bucks (and laying beneath a stunning cover by the brilliant Brian Stelfreeze) that makes MASKED MAGICIAN a tough call, purchase-wise. Cheap, but not pretty. Sort of like the person sitting next to you at last call. Whether or not you want to go home alone is entirely up to you.

/Mason

PAINKILLER MERCENARIES: ORIGINS

All books from Dynamite Entertainment

PAINKILLER JANE #4
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti
Drawn by Nigel Raynor

Thus begins one of the stranger crossovers in recent memory: Painkiller Jane versus The Terminator. In the present, our indestructible heroine takes out a helicopter in a gun battle, decides not to start a gunfight with 100 armed men, and chooses instead to drink herself silly with her best friend. In the future, John Connor and his resistance fighters alter one Terminator’s trip through time and send it further down the line and into the restroom at Jane’s favorite watering hole.

Much to my surprise, this actually works pretty well, maybe because of the slow pace. It isn’t until the end of the issue that both plots dovetail. Therefore, both tracks read exactly like their regular books, and since PAINKILLER JANE is always a ludicrously violent and hilarious treat… score. And Palmiotti has a solid grip on writing the TERMINATOR world as well, offering up strong material in the short scenes here that we got out of the complete recent series that DE put out.

Kudos are also in order to Nigel Raynor, who has moved from being one of the shakier artists in the DE stable to one who really seems to be growing and learning at a quickening pace. This looks like the best stuff I’ve seen from him; maybe getting him away from GALACTICA was just what he needed.

Good fun all the way around.

MERCENARIES #1
Written by Brian Reed
Drawn by Edgar Salazar

Typically, one of the quickest ways to turn me off to a comic book or film is to have the sentence “based on a videogame” play a part in it. The second quickest way to make me ignore a comic is to have the words “cover by Michael Turner” in the solicitation copy. So MERCENARIES started out buried in a pretty deep hole. But…

…This is one of those rare times when I turn out to be wrong. Because MERCENARIES is a skillfully executed comic.

Three mercenaries, along with their “home” operative, set themselves up for hire and take on all the tough jobs. Their current assignment pits them against a faction of the Chinese army, always a tough one, and when one member of the group falls into the hands of the bad guys, it begins to get complicated. After all… even though they’re doing the job for money, they don’t have to agree on how to execute their objectives. That’s why they aren’t exactly a true “team.”

Brian Reed has come to prominence as a writer at Marvel, but it’s his recent Image book THE CIRCLE that’s sort of made him worth watching in my book. He has a real good grasp of how to put together an action sequence, and for a book based on a videogame, he manages to string together some characters worth reading about. It helps that Salazar has serious chops as an artist. His work is dynamic and has some grace to it, but he also knows his way around the use of shadow and perspective.

And that Turner cover? It isn’t of a woman with balloon breasts that dwarf her head, allowing Mike to keep his fly zipped and concentrate on things like composition and anatomy. So it’s pretty sharp. Just like the interiors.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: ORIGINS #1
Written by Kevin Fahey
Drawn by Jonathan Lau

The best BATTLESTAR book from DE so far was ZAREK, which told the origin of the infamous terrorist turned political prisoner. The reason it worked so well was because it fit into the framework of the show, but didn’t feel slavish to it. Using that template, this series follows in its footsteps, beginning with a look at the background of everyone’s favorite narcissist villain, Baltar.

We open with scenes of the childhood on Aerilon reference in the show. Baltar is the son of farmers, his quest to better himself and rise above his station, yet held back by the failures of his imagination and the equipment he repairs and tries to make more efficient. We also jump forward, to two years before the Cylon armageddon, and see his first meeting with Caprica Six and the early developments in their relationship. And it works; it works within the framework of what we know about Gaius, but it also is a strong enough story that it would work without the trappings of the show.

A big part of that must be credited to Fahey, who writes for the show itself. His Baltar sounds exactly right, and you can easily imagine James Callas uttering every single word that appears on the page here. He also gets strong support from Lau, who turns in much sharper work here than what he did on the recent PEGASUS one-shot.

The original GALACTICA’s Baltar was a one-note caricature, as John Colicos ate enough scenery to keep him going to Weight Watchers for life. But Ron Moore’s Baltar is a much more complex and fascinating character, vain and self-serving, yet with a spark of inner strength and vulnerability. Week in and week out, he’s been the most riveting piece of the show. Starting off this series by putting him in the spotlight was the best possible move, and the book delivers on that promise.

/Mason

POTTERS FIELD #2-3
Written by Mark Waid
Drawn by Paul Azaceta
Published by Boom Studios

The final two chapters of Mark Waid’s clever little procedural arrive and do a bit better job of showing the strength and flexibility of the concept. John Doe, who’s life’s mission is to put names to the anonymous dead, is approached by a woman who claims that her twin sister is among those in Potter’s Field, and she has a recent assault by local thugs to prove it. But of course, there’s a lot more to her story than that, and it could likely mean the end of Doe’s entire operation if he isn’t careful.

Doe himself is an intriguing heir to The Shadow, using a network of operatives to ferret out information about frozen cold cases and getting them closer to being written in black. In issue one, we got a slight one-off of a story; good, but nothing that really let the concept of what having a Doe running around a city would mean. But here, Waid allows more of the local New York flavor to kick in, and expands the character universe in order to give some dimension to the obstacles that someone doing this sort of work would face. Thus, it’s a far more gripping read, and there feels as though there’s something at stake for everyone involved. That makes for good comics.

Of course, it helps that Azaceta continues to grow as an artist, and his work is much more suited to this book than it was to TALENT. With a book with noir roots, like this one, you need someone who can deliver darker, edgier work on the page, and this stuff looks terrific.

The one problem I see here is that there needs to be more, especially for the eventual trade paperback. Right now, the added material is pretty slight. So… sequel anyone?

/Mason

UNBEATABLE
Written by Matthias Wolf
Drawn by Carlos Gomez
Published by Razor Wolf Entertainment

Heimen Dale Jr.’s existence has gone… astray. He’s awakened to find himself in an insane asylum, with no clue how he got there or why he’s now incarcerated. All he has are his early memories and his dreams. The memories are of he and his father, and how he taught him to quietly learn how to stand up for himself, and of the girl next door, Denise, that he fell in love with and married. Seemingly a pretty standard existence. But his dreams… those are something else entirely. His dreams are filled with one brutal, bloody fight after another, as he’s continually murdered in battle with some of history’s greatest warriors. Now he must begin to piece together exactly what has happened to him, before he completely loses his sanity and the ability to withstand the pain he feels upon waking up from those fights. And what he’s about to learn will be unlike anything he could have imagined. Ever.

Debut graphic novels can be a tricky thing; writers often struggle with story structure, pace, and dialogue, and artists are usually pretty green as far as storytelling capability. But UNBEATABLE manages to defy those problems- Wolf’s script is strong, he juggles multiple pieces of the story with grace, and the characters are genuinely interesting on the page. He also does an excellent job of offering up solid clues as to what’s really happening without slapping a huge neon sign on the page that says “Clue Here.” Going back through the book, he actually makes the book’s final revelation fairly obvious, but it certainly wasn’t upon first read.

Gomez also turns in strong work, shifting back and forth seamlessly between the various milieus Wolf places the character, and showing an adept ability for portraying action. He also does well with characters and faces, which makes it easier to dive fully into the story.

I think the highest complement I can pay UNBEATABLE is this: lacking space, I rarely find myself keeping a lot of debut graphic novels from small publishers. They don’t turn me on enough to merit a spot in the collection, instead getting donated to friends, schools, you name it. But UNBEATABLE is a keeper, earning a permanent place of honor on the bookcase.

/Mason

GOBLIN CHRONICLES #1
Written by Troy Dye and Tom Kelesides
Drawn by Collin Fogel
Published by Ape Entertainment

A young goblin boy named Gorim is a rebel without a cause no longer in GOBLIN CHRONICLES, a new kid-friendly fantasy book that follows a pretty standard path in setting up its uber-plot. Gorim loves to read and create, where goblins are a war-like race, and that doesn’t sit well with his parents. In fact, each race in the GOBLIN world (troll, elf, goblin, shape-shifter) is constantly fighting, thanks to the manipulations of the Dark Queen who rules the land. However, there’s a greater purpose to her keeping the factions fighting; there’s a prophecy (there always is) that says four will band together and bring her down… and you can probably guess that a little goblin boy who prefers to read than fight is destined to be one of them.

There’s nothing inherently offensive about using the standard tropes of a fantasy story, so I’m willing to give the book a pass on that, because they’re executed with competence and charm. However, the book does get bogged down on the artistic side; Fogel’s art is static and lacks dynamic movement, and the color scheme is murky, making it difficult to tell the goblins and trolls apart. The dialogue could use a bit more punch as well, but it’s acceptable as is, as opposed to some of the art issues.

One other thing I’d point out- the target audience here is definitely younger by nature, making publishing this as a miniseries a questionable call. Indy publishers are already ignored by a significant percentage of comics shops, making this a tough sell to a limited market; the real sales potential here is in bookstores for the collected edition.

/Mason

Friday's Fall Finale... concluded!

The last new column of 2007 is up and it's a doozy! Matt delivers a brand new FULL BLEED full of huge news: his book, STRANGEWAYS, will be in the new Previews! So pre-order that bad boy!

Also: the holiday hiatus announcement is now on the front page, along with links to those CWR writers who are blogging through the holiday... including ME!

/Mason

Friday's Fall Finale...

The main site will be shuttering for the holidays, but blogging will continue. However, before all that happens...

2007 IN REVIEW by yours truly, is now live, as I take a look at some of the year's better books... and a few you don't want anywhere near you...

Plus, Elliott ends 2007 by beginning his personal manifesto about comics and what they should mean to us all!

Go read, for Pete's sake!

/Mason

Thursday... as tomorrow's main site holiday approaches, we still have plenty of goodies to come!

First... Vince delivers his final OMNIUM GATHERUM of 2007, wherein he takes on Ed Brubaker's CAPTAIN AMERICA OMNIBUS and finds it... boring...

Plus: I review J. Chris Campbell's very odd piece of cartooning, ZIG ZAG #2.

Click over and say hello, yes?

/Mason

Wednesday...

WON TON SOUP marries sci-fi with "Iron Chef"... and it's pretty good.

/Mason

Tuesday...



It's time for the December edition of JESS KNOWS BEST! This time around, she offers up some holiday gift giving advice for the geek set, plus provides some guidance in how gamer couples can keep their relationships fresh and free of burnout.



JESS KNOWS BEST also has its own MySpace page now, too!



/Mason

I just posted this bit of PR out to the news sites:

VIRGIN COMICS WRITER SAURAV MOHAPATRA JOINS THE
COMICS WAITING ROOM!

Up-and-Coming Talent is the Latest Addition to the Comics Columnist Community!

TEMPE, AZ, Monday, December 10, 2007-

The Comics Waiting Room (www.comicswaitingroom.com) is proud to announce the addition of comic book writer Saurav Mohapatra to the site. Mohapatra will be writing a column titled “NINE PANEL GRID” for the site and it will cover his trials and travails in making it in the comics business and the things he continues to learn along the way. Saurav is currently writing DEVI, THE SADHU, and DEEPAK CHOPRA PRESENTS: INDIA AUTHENTIC for the publisher, so you can see the results of his columns and the lessons he’s learned on the stands at your neighborhood comics shop!

“NINE PANEL GRID” begins today with an introductory and the first two lessons in scripting that he had to internalize in his early efforts. The column will then run on a bi-weekly to monthly basis as Mohapatra’s writing schedule allows. The column will be archived at www.comicswaitingroom.com/ninepanelgrid.html so that anyone who has missed an installment can easily catch up. Column one can be found at http://www.comicswaitingroom.com/ninepanelgrid1.html.

Comics Waiting Room owner and Editor-in-Chief Marc Mason had this to say about the addition of Mohapatra to the site: “Saurav is a terrific young talent, and I’m ecstatic to have him add The Waiting Room to his list of assignments. He brings a new, unique voice to the table, and his connection with Virgin Comics will help him see his work published across the world. I think he’s going to be able to help other writers trying to follow in his footsteps and give them the tools and the confidence they need to succeed.”

About The Comics Waiting Room:
Established by Marc Mason in July 2006, after working for a number of other comics-related websites, The Comics Waiting Room has consistently added new content five to six days a week. The site offers reviews of comics, graphic novels, and media, as well as occasional media and entertainment features. After producing 99.9% of the content himself in the first year, the second year has seen the addition of five new columnists to the site, with more to come!

Contact: Marc Mason
marc@comicswaitingroom.com

Manga Monday! Leading off the week, a review of the (now super-good) ES (ETERNAL SABBATH).

Plus a new columnist joins the site. Details to come shortly!

/Mason

Friday...

Vince offers up a new OMNIUM GATHERUM, covering a variety of topics, including his complicity in the Defalco era Fantastic Four.

Then, I review Alex Robinson's new book, LOWER REGIONS.

Enjoy your weekend!

/Mason

DOCK WALLOPER #1

CWR BLOG EXTRA

Latest in Virgin Comics line of Hollywood director-created comics is DOCK WALLOPER, from the mind of Ed Burns and written by Burns and comics stud Jimmy Palmiotti and drawn by Siju Thomas. Burns has made his movie career based on films about schlub New Yorkers who can’t get their shit together when it comes to women and who need to drink and navel gaze a bit less. So the premise of WALLOPER comes as a bit of a surprise; set in Depression era New York, it follows the trials and tribulations of two unusual friends: John “The Hand” Smith, a bruiser whose right hand is much bigger than his left, and his best friend and fellow orphan, Bootsy.

In the first issue, the duo manages to fall under the good graces of an Irish gangster thanks to a timely bit of saving their own asses from a hit by a rival Italian ganglord. Thus, even though the Irish (being thorough racists) would prefer to not have Bootsy around, they are stuck with him for the moment thanks to Smith’s loyalty to his friend. But as the pair moves upward through the ranks, you can bet that temptations galore will work to tear the two apart, beginning with their first taste of actual money.

Actually, I suppose that could lead to Burns getting back to telling a tale about schlub New Yorkers who can’t get their shit together and need to drink less, but in a different format and era. But either way, this is actually quite a bit more appealing than a lot of his film work; the characters are interesting, the dialogue is crisp (something I’d bet good money is attributable to Jimmy), and Thomas does a nice job of depicting the era’s clothing, architecture, and colors.

Mind you, it isn’t a rocket science debut, but it is done well enough to merit a continued look (or at least a reading of the inevitable collection). If there’s one thing I know, it’s that Jimmy P. makes damned good comics, and his involvement here was reassuring from the time the book was announced.

/Mason

Thursday... we're running a bit out of order this week, so you get a new COMIC CULTURE WARRIOR today instead of Friday...

This week, Elliott remembers the work of Elliott S! Maggin and how it influenced him, and points your way towards Maggin's congressional campaign for office.

Vote by clicking, won't you?

/Mason

Today at the Waiting Room...

Matt Maxwell returns with a new FULL BLEED, dreaming of a Marvel Comics that never was and pondering the audience for big ticket comics like DC's Absolute editions.

You'll never look at Tom Spurgeon the same way again...

Plus: I take a gander at THE ART OF GREG CAPULLO

/Mason

This lovely bit of PR just went out this morning:

COMICS WRITER BRANDON JERWA JOINS COMICS WAITING ROOM!

Infamous Comic Writer is the Latest Addition to the Comics Columnist Community!

TEMPE, AZ, Tuesday, December 4, 2007-

The Comics Waiting Room (www.comicswaitingroom.com) is proud to announce the addition of comic book writer Brandon Jerwa to the site. Jerwa will be writing a column titled “ANYTHING GOES WITH BRANDON JERWA” for the site and working to find out what’s on the minds of your favorite comic book, TV, and film professionals. Known throughout the industry as one of the funniest and most sarcastic writers currently sitting at the keyboard, he’ll use his sharp wit and conversational skills to get new and entertaining insights about those who feed our weekly habit.

“ANYTHING GOES WITH BRANDON JERWA” opens today with an introductory essay and will get into full swing as the calendar marks 2008. It’ll appear on a bi-weekly to monthly basis, and the column will be archived at www.comicswaitingroom.com/jerwa.html so that anyone who has missed an installment can easily catch up.

Comics Waiting Room owner and Editor-in-Chief Marc Mason had this to say about the addition of Jerwa to the site: “Seeing as how the big galoot is one of my good friends, I had no qualms about guilting him into doing something for the site. Fortunately, his original idea to be the site’s first nude centerfold fell by the wayside, and he came up with this one instead. Still, just to make sure he doesn’t get too cocky, I’ve decided to let my hair grow out and use it to remind him who’s boss. I’m just glad I didn’t have to threaten to withhold sex; his wife Jess writes for the site and she told me if I stopped putting out and she had to do it, she’d quit on me. The things I do to keep my columnists happy!”

About The Comics Waiting Room:
Established by Marc Mason in July 2006, after working for a number of other comics-related websites, The Comics Waiting Room has consistently added new content five to six days a week. The site offers reviews of comics, graphic novels, and media, as well as occasional media and entertainment features. After producing 99.9% of the content himself in the first year, the second year has seen the addition of five new columnists to the site, with more to come!

Contact: Marc Mason
marc@comicswaitingroom.com

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Manga Monday! STRAY LITTLE DEVIL's forst four volumes were a treat...

Unfortunately, the final volume fails to stick the landing.

/Mason

DYNAMITE: EXPLODO!

CWR WEEKEND BLOG EXTRA

It’s been a while since I’ve sat down with a pile of goodies from those sexy beasts at Dynamite Entertainment. Let’s remedy that, shall we?

EDUARDO RISSO’S TALES OF TERROR is a collection of stories drawn by the great artist and written by his frequent collaborator Carlos Trillo. With eleven stories total, that’s so much gorgeous Risso art that you almost don’t need another reason to pick up the book. However, it turns out that the stories are generally pretty good as well. Most are meant to evoke some of the classic EC work from the 50s, offering a twinge of ironic horror in their denouements. Some, though, prove to have a wicked sense of humor, the best being the third chapter in the collection in which a man whose greatest attribute is his eternal apathy discovers that you can carry certain things beyond the grave after all. But my favorite is the final tale, which dissects the eroding marriage of a class-crossed couple. Again, it has a wonderfully snarky ending, and demonstrates an edge you don’t see enough of in comics these days. I love that Dynamite has been bringing more of Risso’s foreign work to the North American audience; his stuff is so damned good that it shouldn’t be missed. Buy this.

Brett Matthews and Sergio Cariello continue their excellent work on the LONE RANGER, with issue 10 bringing the second story arc to a close. This fine closing chapter finds the Ranger wounded and having to test his faith in Tonto. There’s a killer still on the loose, and while the Ranger remains stridently opposed to killing, Tonto has never shared that particular value. He must also balance his own vow against killing against the idea of the justice system’s inability to protect prisoners. While you might normally expect a more action-packed resolution to an arc, the action here moves on a moral level and is shockingly gripping. The Ranger has never been portrayed, character-wise, any better than this, and you have to hope that the next Hollywood incarnation takes its cues from the best western to hit the shelves this decade.

WITCHBLADE: SHADES OF GRAY #4 is written by Leah Moore and John Reppion and drawn by Walter Geovani, and concludes DE’s collaboration on Top Cow’s flagship character. The story got off to a relatively decent start, and the writers seemed to be making a concerted effort to make a solid stab at putting together a non T&A book featuring the character. And even with some diversions along the way, they almost pulled it off. The actual plot required thought and movement, and through three issues, the art was fairly serviceable and never embarrassing (or, frankly, looked like a Top Cow book). Unfortunately, while Moore and Reppion do their best to deliver a tense climax, Geovani’s art just buries it. Bad anatomy, clothing on Sara that makes no sense, impossible spine angles and ass shots- I honestly felt bad for the writers. For the completists only, I’d think.

Finally, a look at Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s THE BOYS #12. I’m not going to address the book’s contents so much; it’s another great issue in what has been a great series. Instead, I’d like to take a moment to disagree with a friend. He took offense to one of the characters in the book using the “N” word, and I get that completely. It’s a horrible word, one that should be expunged from the language. But the character isn’t using the term on Ennis’ behalf- he’s not speaking for Garth. Instead, the character that uses it (a Russian) does so as a bastardization of what he has learned and adsorbed from imported American popular culture. For better or worse, the prevalence of the term, particularly in music, has given the appearance of a cultural acceptance of the word in the United States. That isn’t true, but it is what we’ve put out there. Thus the character’s use of the word acts as a slam against the use of it in any sort of way. I think it shows Ennis as a sharp cultural critic, personally.

That’s it for this week. Friend us on MySpace and make sure you drop by here throughout the week for main site updates.

/Mason

DAN DARE #1

CWR FRIDAY BLOG EXTRA!

Chances are, if you like the work of a U.K. born comics writer or artist, they were at some point in their life a big fan of DAN DARE. Some have even taken that appreciation for the character a little further than most; what is Warren Ellis’ MINISTRY OF SPACE but a cynical tribute to the great space pilot? If you are a fan of BBC’s brilliant DOCTOR WHO spin-off TORCHWOOD, you can also see some of Dare in its main character, Captain Jack Harkness. Long a staple of the great comics magazines like EAGLE and 2000AD, Dare now makes his return thanks to longtime fan Sir Richard Branson and his involvement in Virgin Comics.

As written by Garth Ennis and drawn by Gary Erskine, Dare has retired and moved on from Earth’s International Space Fleet, enjoying the quiet splendor of a quaint English village where the pub is lively and the cricket matches amongst the local youth are carried out in the best of sport. But in space, trouble begins to brew- there are ominous signs of Dare’s old nemesis Mekon stirring in the distance. Thus must the Prime Minister, a somewhat corrupted version of Tony Blair, prevail upon Dare’s sympathies for his old home, in the hopes he will once again put on the uniform and fly under his planet’s flag.

DAN DARE reads much like a comic I would have devoured as a young boy. Ennis and Erskine eschew their Vertigo roots and do a very straight-forward and PG take on the character (as they should) and reintroduce him well to a new generation of readers. There’s nothing ponderous or deeply intellectual about any of it; there are space battles, character moments, cool technology, and a scary threat. The very things that capture a reader’s (young or old) heart. Ennis’s script is somewhat cynical, but not overboard, and you never stop seeing the hero beneath Dare’s beaten exterior. And Erskine simplifies his approach to the art; much of his work can be very complex on the page, but his pages here acknowledge how misguided that would be. Of all things, the work must appeal to a younger and newer reader.

Solid debut, and a book that looks to be a solid read for the time to come.

Friend us on MySpace and make sure you tune into this blog throughout the week for main site updates!

/Mason

Friday, and the living's easy...

Elliott returns with a new COMIC CULTURE WARRIOR and addresses a female reader's supposition that Tony STark's character can be saved only by sex at this point.

I also review the noir thriller NARCOLEPTIC SUNDAY, which features a man who wakes up next to his murdered girlfriend. Hard to believe something that crappy didn't happy on a Monday, isn't it?

/Mason

Today at The Waiting Room... Vince comes back from vacation with some interesting news: he's back to doing a little bit of comics retail work. What happens when you return to one of your old haunts after a long time away?

Read the new OMNIUM GATHERUM and find out!

/Mason

Hitting the hump... comics get literary with Stephane Heuet's adaptation of Marcel Proust's REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST VOLUME THREE: SWANN IN LOVE PART ONE.

Kinda good, kinda not.

/Mason

Like a quality indy book? Me, too. One of the better ones over the last couple of years actually began as a minicomic and worked its way up to floppy format. I'm atlking about, of course, Joshua Cotter's excellent SKYSCRAPERS OF THE MIDWEST.

Issue four, the conclusion, has hit shelves, and my review appears today.

/Mason

Manga Monday! We're back from holiday with a look at volume two of STRAWBERRY 100%...

A panty obsession mixed with some self-awareness? What an odd little book...

/Mason

Holidays... celebrate...

We'll be closed for the holiday weekend, but to make up for it you get 3 columns to take you into the period of over-eating and over-spending.

Matt Maxwell's FULL BLEED tackles LOEG: THE BLACK DOSSIER...

Vince Moore's OMNIUM GATHERUM gives thanks for his friends and his progress in the industry...

Elliott Serrano's COMIC CULTURE WARRIOR discusses how a young Spanish speaker used comics to learn and engage the English language...

Happy Thanksgiving!

/Mason

Tuesday= Reviewsday!

3 new ones, in fact! In no particular order, we have:

PROOF #1-3 from Image, wherein Bigfoot becomes a secret agent.

JOHN WOO'S 7 BROTHERS, volume two, issues 1-2, which sees a new creative team take on the concept.

TELEVISION #1, the Xeric-winning effort from Ryan Alexander-Tanner.

Make with the reading, yes?

/Mason

Manga Monday!

NOT.

Nope, this week, something special, instead: the return of "Should It Be A Movie?"!!! My old column has been sleeping quietly for months, but I've dusted her off today, with a look at Jason Burns' THE UNDERWORLD RAILROAD.

Take a looksee, won't you?

/Mason

It's Friday!

Owing to real world considerations and a holiday, it was a short week. But to make up for it, I have two new things for y'all to read today!

First is a new installment of Matt Maxwell's FULL BLEED. This is Matt's best one yet, taking on the issue of why management has nothing to gain by offering creative ownership and why it never truly will. Please give it your full attention.

Also, I have posted a review of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: PEGASUS as it arrives just in time for RAZOR to air next weekend.

See you next week!

/Mason

Manga... Tuesday? The holiday weekend delayed yesterday's look at the latest in right-to-left, but you still get one. This week's read is the fourth volume of Kia Asamiya's JUNK.

Then, you get Tuesday's review: SCOTT PILGRIM GETS IT TOGETHER! Comics' slacker savant is back, and it's the best of the series to date!

The Waiting Room will be quiet on Wednesday and Thursday due to real life obligations, but we'll be back on Friday with something else good to read!

/Mason

HEROES: HOLIDAY WEEKEND BLOG EXTRA

Welcome back to the Blog Extra. After taking a couple of weekends off, I’m back with a book that I suspect will be flying off shelves nationwide: HEROES: VOL.1.

Published by DC/Wildstorm, this beautiful hardcover collects the short stories that originally appeared on the HEROES website throughout season one. The stories served mainly to supplement and inform the show’s storylines, but occasionally they used the graphic novel format to greater advantage and told tales that would have been impossible to pull off because of budget constraints. Indeed, that turns out to be where the book’s strongest material comes from.

In particular, we get the full saga of Hana Gitelman, a character who only appeared twice on the actual show. Her power, which allowed her to access communication networks through her own brain, was fascinating, but not necessarily showy, but it was still striking when she vanished mid-storyline. With this graphic novel, we now know why, and it’s terrific stuff. Not just because it makes a couple of things seen on TV make better sense, but because her power is much easier visualized in comics. Her story also gets more room to breathe than most, and that serves to make her compelling as well.

That isn’t to say that the shorter bits focusing on what could almost be classified as “deleted scenes” featuring the main cast aren’t good. Certainly, many of them are very entertaining and illuminate the audience about what happened in the “cracks.” “Isaac’s First Time” is perhaps the best of the bunch, a story that not only shows what happens the first time he paints the future but also grants insight as to why it made him seek the solace of drug abuse because of it.

The stories are written by various writers of the show itself, and are drawn by a rotating cast of talented artists. There’s even a story drawn by Michael Turner that isn’t thoroughly repugnant. I didn’t even know that was possible. So there’s not much to complain about here.

Except the price. What a bungle!

Here you have a hardcover collection, geared towards a show with an audience of 14 million, that should do gangbusters in bookstores without a problem, especially releasing it in the middle of holiday shopping season. Unless you do something stupid like over-price the fucking thing.

Who thought 30 bucks was a good idea for this? There is no excuse for pricing this anywhere past the 22-25 dollar range, just like any hardcover book in Borders of similar size and page count. Bad, bad idea, and it will cost the book some sales, especially in a struggling economy. That extra 5-8 dollars makes a huge difference.

That’s it for this weekend! This will be an abbreviated week at The Waiting Room, thanks to the holiday and real world intrusions from the day job. But check with us on Tuesday and Friday for new content as we begin the gentle slide to the end of 2007.

Oh! And friend us on MySpace!

/Mason