•Archie Comics is adding another videogame-based comic to its line with the debut of Mega Man in 2011. Mega Man, based on Capcom’s videogame hit, joins the ultra-popular Sonic the Hedgehog as a part of Archie’s monthly line.
Written by Ian Flynn and illustrated by Patrick “Spaz” Spaziante, Mega Man is set to blast his way back into the comic book world in his own monthly action in the spring.
“Since 1987, the enormously successful Mega Man franchise has conquered media from video games to television to manga. Archie Comics is ready to carry on this tradition of success, holding true to the spirit of the old school with a fresh eye on Mega Man’s strong potential in the world of American comics,” Sonic and Mega Man editor Paul Kaminski said.
Mega Man will follow the original Rock/Mega Man in his battles against the maniacal Dr. Wily. Mega Man’s jam-packed, fast-paced adventures are told from the perspective of Rock (a.k.a. Mega Man) the young boy with a peaceful heart now thrust into a life of conflict.
“Readers can expect non-stop action, as well as an exploration of the themes of family, choice and loyalty that make the Mega Man franchise a property that connects on a very personal level,” Kaminski said. “From there, we hope to fully explore not only that classic world, but the other spin-offs including Mega Man X, Mega Man Zero, Mega Man Legends, and more!”
Saturday, October 16, 2010
That's Rich!
The poor little rich kid is about to make comic book readers’ lives a little richer! Ape Entertainment and Classic Media have signed a deal to bring Richie Rich back to comics in an all-new series that will update the concept, transforming Richie Rich into a globetrotting adventurer who uses his limitless wealth for good. Part James Bond, Jr., and part Indiana Jones, with Donald Trump’s bank account, Richie Rich helps the less fortunate with the assistance of. With his close-knit team of friends, including an updated supporting cast.
“We are excited to partner with Ape Entertainment for a reimagining of Richie Rich,” Karyn Schneider, VP, Licensing, Classic Media, said. “Richie is a long-standing star of the comic book world and we look forward to adding new adventures to his story.”
“Everyone inside the Ape HQ grew up a Richie Rich fan,” Ape Entertainment founder and co-publisher Brent E. Erwin said. “What we’re hoping to do with the property now is update it with a contemporary spin and bring even more action and intrigue to the original stories we all grew up on.
“While there will be plenty of adventure, there will also be plenty of fun. Ape is by no means reinventing the wheel, just adding another spoke. And in the words of Richie Rich, you can take that to the bank!”
The first issue of Richie Rich will appear in early 2011 under Ape’s KiZoic all-ages imprint.
“We are excited to partner with Ape Entertainment for a reimagining of Richie Rich,” Karyn Schneider, VP, Licensing, Classic Media, said. “Richie is a long-standing star of the comic book world and we look forward to adding new adventures to his story.”
“Everyone inside the Ape HQ grew up a Richie Rich fan,” Ape Entertainment founder and co-publisher Brent E. Erwin said. “What we’re hoping to do with the property now is update it with a contemporary spin and bring even more action and intrigue to the original stories we all grew up on.
“While there will be plenty of adventure, there will also be plenty of fun. Ape is by no means reinventing the wheel, just adding another spoke. And in the words of Richie Rich, you can take that to the bank!”
The first issue of Richie Rich will appear in early 2011 under Ape’s KiZoic all-ages imprint.
The Buck Stops Here!
DC comics has announced that, as of January 2011, they will return to a $2.99 cover price for all of their standard-length 32-page comics.
“Today’s announcement re-affirms DC Comics’ commitment to both our core fans and to comic book store retailers,” said Jim Lee, DC Comics Co-Publisher. “For the long term health of the industry, we are willing to take a financial risk so that readers who love our medium do not abandon the art form.”
“As Co-Publishers, we listened to our fans and to our partners in the retail community who told us that a $3.99 price point for 32 pages was too expensive. Fans were becoming increasingly reluctant to sample new titles and long term fans were beginning to abandon titles and characters that they’d collected for years.” Dan DiDio, DC Comics Co-Publisher, added. “We needed a progressive pricing strategy that supports our existing business model and, more importantly, allows this creative industry to thrive for years to come. With the exceptions of oversized comic books, like annuals and specials, we are committed to a $2.99 price point.”
When taking into account mini-series, annuals and specials, more than 80% of DC’s comic books will be priced at $2.99.
As of January, the following titles standard length ongoing titles, previously priced at $3.99 for 32 pages/22 story pages, will be priced at $2.99 with 32 pages/20 story pages:
•American Vampire
•Batman: The Dark Knight
•Batman Incorporated
•Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors
•JSA All-Stars
As of January, the following licensed titles, previously priced at $3.99, will be priced at $2.99:
•Gears of War
•God of War
•Kane & Lynch
•Ratchet & Clank
As of January, the following ongoing titles previously priced at $3.99 for 40 pages/30 story pages including co-features, will no longer include co-features and will be priced at $2.99 for 32 pages/ 20 story pages:
•Action Comics
•Adventure Comics
•Batman: Streets of Gotham
•Detective Comics
•Doc Savage
•Justice League of America;
•Legion of Super-Heroes
•The Spirit
In January, five books are $3.99 for 40 pages/30 story pages:
•Batman: Europa # 1
•First Wave # 6
•DCU: Legacies # 9
•Weird Worlds # 1
•World of Warcraft: Curse of the Worgen
The following oversized anniversary issue will be $4.99 for 48 pages/38 story pages:
•Hellblazer # 275
“Fans of our co-features should stay tuned. Some of these characters will find a new platform,” DiDio said. “Going forward, miniseries and special events may feature a different price point and page count to best allow writers and artists the flexibility of format and story pages they need to tell their stories best.”
One day after DC’s announcement, Marvel’s Senior VP of Marketing and Sales David Gabriel said that DC would also reduce the cover price of some of its titles to $2.99 in January, but they will maintain the 22-story-page count. Later statements made it clear that many new books debuting in 2011 will carry a $2.99 price, but it was unclear whether some of the titles currently priced at $3.99 might be reduced to $2.99 as well. Gabriel pointed out that a linewide reduction in prices, which would impact revenues and profits for friendly neighborhood comic shops, might jeopardize some shops’ continued profitability (and thus their existence).
Look for more news regarding these changes in upcoming issues of CSN.
“Today’s announcement re-affirms DC Comics’ commitment to both our core fans and to comic book store retailers,” said Jim Lee, DC Comics Co-Publisher. “For the long term health of the industry, we are willing to take a financial risk so that readers who love our medium do not abandon the art form.”
“As Co-Publishers, we listened to our fans and to our partners in the retail community who told us that a $3.99 price point for 32 pages was too expensive. Fans were becoming increasingly reluctant to sample new titles and long term fans were beginning to abandon titles and characters that they’d collected for years.” Dan DiDio, DC Comics Co-Publisher, added. “We needed a progressive pricing strategy that supports our existing business model and, more importantly, allows this creative industry to thrive for years to come. With the exceptions of oversized comic books, like annuals and specials, we are committed to a $2.99 price point.”
When taking into account mini-series, annuals and specials, more than 80% of DC’s comic books will be priced at $2.99.
As of January, the following titles standard length ongoing titles, previously priced at $3.99 for 32 pages/22 story pages, will be priced at $2.99 with 32 pages/20 story pages:
•American Vampire
•Batman: The Dark Knight
•Batman Incorporated
•Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors
•JSA All-Stars
As of January, the following licensed titles, previously priced at $3.99, will be priced at $2.99:
•Gears of War
•God of War
•Kane & Lynch
•Ratchet & Clank
As of January, the following ongoing titles previously priced at $3.99 for 40 pages/30 story pages including co-features, will no longer include co-features and will be priced at $2.99 for 32 pages/ 20 story pages:
•Action Comics
•Adventure Comics
•Batman: Streets of Gotham
•Detective Comics
•Doc Savage
•Justice League of America;
•Legion of Super-Heroes
•The Spirit
In January, five books are $3.99 for 40 pages/30 story pages:
•Batman: Europa # 1
•First Wave # 6
•DCU: Legacies # 9
•Weird Worlds # 1
•World of Warcraft: Curse of the Worgen
The following oversized anniversary issue will be $4.99 for 48 pages/38 story pages:
•Hellblazer # 275
“Fans of our co-features should stay tuned. Some of these characters will find a new platform,” DiDio said. “Going forward, miniseries and special events may feature a different price point and page count to best allow writers and artists the flexibility of format and story pages they need to tell their stories best.”
One day after DC’s announcement, Marvel’s Senior VP of Marketing and Sales David Gabriel said that DC would also reduce the cover price of some of its titles to $2.99 in January, but they will maintain the 22-story-page count. Later statements made it clear that many new books debuting in 2011 will carry a $2.99 price, but it was unclear whether some of the titles currently priced at $3.99 might be reduced to $2.99 as well. Gabriel pointed out that a linewide reduction in prices, which would impact revenues and profits for friendly neighborhood comic shops, might jeopardize some shops’ continued profitability (and thus their existence).
Look for more news regarding these changes in upcoming issues of CSN.
Youth and Mortality
•Young Allies #6 will be the final issue of Marvel’s teen hero series—and that means that the already-solicited Young Allies #7 won’t see print. alas!
King Krul
Green Arrow and Teen Titans writer J.T. Krul has signed an exclusive deal with DC Comics. “To say I am thrilled about the exclusive at DC would be a gross understatement,” Krul said. “I’ve loved each and every project I’ve worked on so far and am excited to know that I’ll be writing for them, and specifically for Green Arrow and Teen Titans, for the long haul...”
Subject-ive Commentary
My friend Jim Moore passed along a galley of his upcoming young adult suspense-thriller Subject Seven, and I just got a chance to read through it. I try to avoid hurting friends' feelings, so I don't write about books I didn't enjoy.
I'm writing about Subject Seven.
The book follows a group of teens who are the results of a program to create genetically engineered sleeper assassins. The plans are simple: keep trying until the program is perfected, destroy the failed experiments.
Then things to wrong. Subject Seven escapes... and in doing so, reveals that he possesses the very skills they've been hoping to instill in their subjects. He's so good, in fact, that even though he's only ten years old, he's able to best his captors and disappear from the program.
Jump ahead five years, and a seemingly unrelated group of teenagers comes together at the behest of a mysterious caller. Once they assemble, they learn that each of them is a failed experiment, and those responsible for their existence want them dead. But that's not as easy as it sounds...
Subject Seven is a fast-paced young adult novel, filled with insightful glimpses into the lives of teenagers who feel that they don't quite fit in. That's normal, of course--and it's the commonality of that makes this such a strong young adult novel. Every teen feels like there's something different about him or her--but in the case of Hunter, Cody, Gene, Tina, and Kyle, there's a good reason to feel that way. The novel takes the commonality of the adolescent experience and uses it as a launching point for a compelling adventure novel that's the kickoff of a potential series.
Moore's writing is taut, lean, and fast-paced. The prose is vivid and energetic, and the storytelling is sufficiently strong to propel the reader through its 300+ pages. As is the case with many young adult novels nowadays, Subject Seven leaves the door wide open for a sequel; hope that we don't have to wait too long! I'm eager to hear more about the true purpose of the program and how Seven and his teen comrades-in-arms find a place for themselves in a world that seems to want them dead and gone.
Look for it in a Razorbill paperback edition in January.
I'm writing about Subject Seven.
The book follows a group of teens who are the results of a program to create genetically engineered sleeper assassins. The plans are simple: keep trying until the program is perfected, destroy the failed experiments.
Then things to wrong. Subject Seven escapes... and in doing so, reveals that he possesses the very skills they've been hoping to instill in their subjects. He's so good, in fact, that even though he's only ten years old, he's able to best his captors and disappear from the program.
Jump ahead five years, and a seemingly unrelated group of teenagers comes together at the behest of a mysterious caller. Once they assemble, they learn that each of them is a failed experiment, and those responsible for their existence want them dead. But that's not as easy as it sounds...
Subject Seven is a fast-paced young adult novel, filled with insightful glimpses into the lives of teenagers who feel that they don't quite fit in. That's normal, of course--and it's the commonality of that makes this such a strong young adult novel. Every teen feels like there's something different about him or her--but in the case of Hunter, Cody, Gene, Tina, and Kyle, there's a good reason to feel that way. The novel takes the commonality of the adolescent experience and uses it as a launching point for a compelling adventure novel that's the kickoff of a potential series.
Moore's writing is taut, lean, and fast-paced. The prose is vivid and energetic, and the storytelling is sufficiently strong to propel the reader through its 300+ pages. As is the case with many young adult novels nowadays, Subject Seven leaves the door wide open for a sequel; hope that we don't have to wait too long! I'm eager to hear more about the true purpose of the program and how Seven and his teen comrades-in-arms find a place for themselves in a world that seems to want them dead and gone.
Look for it in a Razorbill paperback edition in January.
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