4/30/2010

Batman Sequel Slated

From The Hollywood Reporter:
Warner Bros. has set July 20, 2012, as the release date for the third Christopher Nolan-directed Batman movie.

Batman The studio has barely begun the process of developing the movie; Nolan is in postproduction on “Inception,” but is hammering out a story with David Goyer.

There is no title as this point and no start date.

July is becoming Nolan’s month. “The Dark Knight” opened on July 18, 2008, and “Inception” debuts July 16.

With Batman 3 on the docket, summer 2012 is shaping up to be one of the greater geek movie seasons. Marvel’s “The Avengers” is slated to come out May 4, board game adaptation “Battleship” leaves port May 25, the “Star Trek” sequel beams up June 29, and the rebooted “Spider-Man” swings into theaters on July 3.

Jonah Hex Trailer

Hmm...

Sunday Heroclix


Sunday's Heroclix event is a 300 pt "Floor" tourney (Brave and the Bold figs only). Prizes are the Bruce Wayne LE!

4/26/2010

MONDAY TELEMETRY For April 26th, 2010

Welcome to another installment of Monday Telemetry, a weekly blog from The Launchpad that covers some of the more interesting releases or events that are coming to the store this week.

ITEM! This Saturday is Free Comic Book Day. We'll be open 10 to 7! Be there!
 

DEADPOOL #22
“DO IDIOTS DREAM OF ELECTRIC STUPIDITY?” Somewhere in rural North Georgia, a brazen band of brigands have made the mistake of robbing Deadpool’s bus, stagecoach-style. But en route to delivering a hefty comeuppance to these redneck rogues, Deadpool makes a “shocking” discovery…as will you, intrepid reader. Brace yourself for the introduction of Appalachia’s own vilest of villains, the disgraceful WHITE LIGHTNIN’!


 DETECTIVE COMICS #864
The inmates of Arkham Asylum have taken over DETECTIVE COMICS in "Beneath the Mask" Part 1 of 2! It's Black Mask verses Jeremiah Arkham for control of the asylum. But what of the enigmatic Three Beauties, and how does Batman fit into the mad plan? Everything that was set up and teased in BATTLE FOR THE COWL: ARKHAM ASYLUM and ARKHAM REBORN is at last revealed, but the answers to the mysteries just might drive everyone – including Batman – mad!

Then, in the co-feature, the spotlight is shone on Renee's personal life. But just who knows about her secret identity, and what will they do with that information? That is the question...




INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #25
With the movie approaching fast this is a great time to jump into one of the best marvel series going. To encourage you to take the plunge we're knocking a buck off this issue's cover price and doing one of our $2.99 rollbacks.

Double-sized issue! Co-released alongside this summer’s surefire blockbuster hit IRON MAN 2, this issue is the perfect jumping-on point for fans of the films and readers new and old alike! New year. New decade. New trade dress. New threats. New loves. New armor. New Tony Stark. New storyline: RESILIENT. Get onboard the Eisner-award winning INVINCIBLE IRON MAN here!



SUPERMAN #699
Superman has defeated Brainiac before, but it cost him the life of his father. Now Brainiac has returned, more powerful than ever, and the entire planet of New Krypton is at stake! Things look bleak for the Man of Steel and his people, but for all Brainiac's knowledge, he still has one lesson to learn: Superman. Never. Gives. Up.

New Comics In Store 04-28-10

The full list after the jump.

4/24/2010

Howling Commandos will join Captain America

 
Over at CHUD they've got an exclusive revealing some details about the upcoming Captain America film.

4/22/2010

Heroclix Sunday

 

This Sunday at The Launchpad @ 2pm, 1-Booster Draft Tournament, entry fee: Cost of the Booster. We've got Lantern 3d objects and Feat Cards as prize support this week.

Game Order Today

Got a D&D Restock today (PHB 2 and 3 back in stock) and The Plane Above. For the Star Wars RPG we have The Unknown Regions. We also have Boosters, Intro Packs and Fat Packs for MtG Rise of the Eldrazi.

4/20/2010

Marvel VS Capcom 3 Press Release

Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, and the legendary Marvel Entertainment, LLC today announced the latest installment in their epic fighting game series with Marvel® vs. Capcom ®3: Fate of Two Worlds.
 

It’s been a decade since MarvelTM vs. Capcom® 2: New Age of Heroes was first released and now the most popular Marvel and Capcom characters join forces again in a re-envisioned team fighting game for a new generation. Fill the shoes of legendary characters from the most beloved franchises in entertainment as you battle in the first VS. Fighting game powered by Capcom’s MT Framework.

“We are so pleased to be working with Marvel again. Marvel vs. Capcom 3 has been one of the most requested titles for us to produce by our fans,” said Christian Svensson, Corporate Officer and Vice President of Strategic Planning and Business Development at Capcom. “Our Capcom development studio is creating the most epic fighting game ever developed and Marvel’s input into that process has been invaluable.”
Get set for the ultimate faceoff when Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds hits PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft in Spring 2011.

For more information please visit http://press.capcom.com.

Anime Pioneer Carl Macek Passed Away

Carl Macek, a man responsible for introducing a whole generation of Americans to Japanese Anime via the hugely popular Robotech, died yesterday of a heart attack at the age of 58. At the time of his death Macek was involved with the English dub of the popular Bleach anime.

More Marvel "Number Ones" On The Way

From ICv2:
A bevy of new “Number Ones” were revealed at the “X-Men Panel” at C2E2.  The long-awaited Chris Claremont/Milo Manara X-Women one-shot ships in July just as Victor Gischler and Paco Medina are launching a new X-Men #1 with a “Mutants vs. Vampires” story arc, followed by the debut of Clarmont’s New Mutants Forever series in August.  

The end of Wolverine: Weapon X will be followed in September by a new Wolverine #1 written by Jason Aaron who sends Wolvie’s soul to Hell.

September is also when Dark Wolverine becomes Daken: Dark Wolverine launching with yet another #1 issue.  It appears that the dark saga of Wolvie’s evil spawn will provide a grim contrast with the general positive tenor of Marvel’s Heroic Age.   Marjorie Liu who will stay on the new Daken: Dark Wolverine title, will also write a new X-series, X-23, which also launches with a #1 issue in September.

X-Force will end after the events of the Second Coming only to be re-launched in October in a new series written by Rick Remender.

Marvel’s Arune Singh pointed out that after the conclusion of the Second Coming event, the X-Men will become more closely integrated into the Marvel Universe than they have been in years, which explains the presence of Spider-Man and She-Hulk in the X-Men teaser images issued last week.

4/18/2010

MONDAY TELEMETRY For April 19th, 2010

Welcome to another installment of Monday Telemetry, a weekly blog from The Launchpad that covers some of the more interesting releases or events that are coming to the store this week.



ITEM! Sunday the 25th we're having a Sealed Brave and the Bold Heroclix tournament at the shop @ 2pm. Turnout and player feedback will determine if this is going to be a 2-booster sealed event, or a 1-booster draft.


ITEM! Buy Green Lantern #53 and get a Green Lantern ring!


AMERICAN VAMPIRE #2
It's been nearly 20 years since notorious outlaw Skinner Sweet was buried on boot hill. But when a group of grave-robbing collectors of Western memorabilia uncover his final resting place, they find much, much more than they bargained for. And: Pearl Jones was attacked and left for dead by a cabal of powerful Hollywood vampires. Now, a mysterious stranger comes calling and Pearl gets a second chance at life - and at revenge.

BLACKEST NIGHT SERIES 4 ACTION FIGURES
This series includes Wonder Woman, who is surprisingly transformed by the happenings of the Blackest Night (Read the comics to learn more!); Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, in his new costume as a member of the prestigious Green Lantern Honor Guard; Black Lantern Firestorm, who was once a member of the Justice League but is now a part of the Black Lantern Corps; and Black Hand, who threatens to destroy everything the Guardians and the Green Lantern Corps stand for, in ways no one ever dreamed possible.

All four figures feature multiple points of articulation and include a display base. Wonder Woman also comes with a lasso accessory, Green Lantern has a lantern accessory, and Black Hand holds Bruce Wayne's skull in his hand.



DARK WOLVERINE #85
"RECKONING" PART 1
After having done the unthinkable, Wolverine now moves into endgame-a direct confrontation with Romulus. But as the pieces begin to move, Wolverine's plan begins to tear apart at the seams-has Skaar, the son of Hulk, become compromised by Romulus' influence? Will the reluctant Cloak be there when Wolverine needs him? Just when Wolverine thinks he has Romulus cornered, he begins to realize that he, not Romulus, has walked into a trap.




SPIRIT #1
FIRST ISSUE!
The Spirit returns in an all-new ongoing series! Central City destroys everyone who lives within its borders... so it's a good thing The Spirit already died once! International crime syndicate The Golden Tree wants to help Central City's Octopus consolidate control over the underworld and the Spirit is the kind of mess the Golden Tree was created to clean up. They've offered the Octopus the services of one of their finest assassins to take his breath away for good - and the sight of this killer would get anyone's heart pounding!

New Comics In Store 04-21-10

A list of all the cool stuff coming in after the jump.

4/16/2010

Mondo Marvel Panel


A lot of Marvel news coming out of the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo. Why didn't they give us at least a taste of that at WonderCon?

Check out CBR for the juicy details.

D&D Comics are coming

From ICv2:
IDW Publishing, under license from Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast, will publish several all-new comic book series based on the Dungeons & Dragons Role-Playing Game.  The first new series will begin with a Dungeons & Dragons Issue #0 in August with new monthly comics and reprints of past series launching in November.

Heroclix @ The Launchpad


We'll have Brave And The Bold Heroclix Organized Play events every Sunday for the next ten Sundays. The specifics of each event will be announced here as the dates draw nearer. The first two events will be as follows:

April 18th @ 3pm -  300pt Constructed, Swiss-style.

April 25th @ 3pm - Either a 1-booster Draft or 2-booster Sealed event depending on turnout. Entry will be $10 or $20 respectively. A Black Lantern 3d Object will be included in the normal prize support.

4/13/2010

B-Day

In about 13 hours...


Fevre Dream


Bleeding Cool has a preview of George R. R. Martin’s Fevre Dream (Avatar Press) up. Check it out.

Fevre Dream #1 comes out tomorrow.

Do The What Now?

Deadline is reporting Joss Whedon may be directing The Avengers movie. Wow. Call it rumor for right now and read details at the link.

Game Order Today

We received a small game order today:

We got a restock on D&D Players Handbook 2, got the Marvel Master Set for Heroscape back in, and we have...


Brave and the Bold  for DC Heroclix. For Marvel Heroclix we have...


The Iron Man: Armor Wars Mega Pack, everything two players need to play (other than two dice) for only $12.99.

4/12/2010

Doc Savage



The above book unfortunately does not exist, its fan made.

Doc Savage is coming to DC's new pulp-o-verse (as featured in First Wave #1, get yours today!) and getting his own new comic series this week. If you don't know you he is you might wanna peruse his wiki entry.

And of course in Phillip Jose Farmer's work he figures prominently in the Wold Newton family making him part of the heroic legacy akin to Warren Ellis' Planetary and Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.


His history in comics goes back to 1940s and there's been attempts to make the character more "contemporary" by both Marvel and DC, but it looks like DC's getting it right this time and embracing what makes the character great while placing him (along with Batman, The Spirit and others) in a timeless milieu.

4/11/2010

MONDAY TELEMETRY For April 12th, 2010

Welcome to another installment of Monday Telemetry, a weekly blog from The Launchpad that covers some of the more interesting releases or events that are coming to the store this week.

ITEM! A lot of cool stuff starting this week if you're looking for a new series to get into. Stop on by and ask for our suggestions! 


ITEM! Buy a copy of Flash #1 and get a free Flash Ring! Next week we'll have Green Lantern Rings to give out with Green Lantern #53! 


ITEM! Free Comic Book Day is almost upon us. Mark your calendars, Saturday May 1st. 

ITEM! We're offering packages on the first three months of Brightest Day and its crossovers. Check the store for details.
 
BLACK WIDOW #1
New Series!
The deadly super-spy from IRON MAN 2, INVINCIBLE IRON MAN and CAPTAIN AMERICA in her own ongoing series! Natasha Romanoff is not a super hero. She’s not psychic. She doesn’t fly. And yet as the Black Widow, she manages to hold her own against a world of incredibly powerful enemies…and allies. But now someone has tried to kill Natasha…and almost succeeded. Injured gravely, almost beyond her ability to recover, Black Widow sets out to find her attacker…with no suspects and no leads. Who could be deadly enough to get the drop on Natasha? And what connections do they have to some of her closest super hero friends…? Plus, a backup detailing the deadly history of the Black Widow!



BRIGHTEST DAY #0
This is going to be *the* event of the year for DC, and after hearing more details at WonderCon, we're really excited to see all the changes coming to the DC Universe.
The biggest event in comics continues as BRIGHTEST DAY burns back the BLACKEST NIGHT from the writing team behind GREEN LANTERN and GREEN LANTERN CORPS – Geoff Johns and Peter J. Tomasi! And don't miss the exciting DC Comics debut of red hot cover artist David Finch (New Avengers, Ultimatum)! The effects that the already classic BLACKEST NIGHT will have on the DC Universe will be felt for years to come and this issue not only sets the stage for the new ongoing biweekly DC Universe book BRIGHTEST DAY, but also the next exciting era of the DC Universe!


DOC SAVAGE #1  
New Series! 

The Man of Bronze in his own series at last! Doc Savage is the target of a brazen attack on New York City! Tragedy will strike one of Doc's compatriots, and someone may not survive the opening pages of "The Lord of Lightning!" Written by Paul Malmont, national best-selling author of The Chinatown Death-Cloud Peril, with art by Howard Porter (JLA)!

And don't miss the hard-hitting JUSTICE, INC. co-feature, starring Richard Benson, the Avenger! When criminals abduct one of his own detectives, Benson's icy heart sears with a rage hotter than any he's ever known. "Worst Nightmare" begins here, written by crime novelist Jason Starr (THE CHILL) with art by Scott Hampton (LUCIFER)!

THE FLASH #1
New Series!  
Buy this issue, get a Flash Ring!
A BRIGHTEST DAY tie-in! Get in on the ground floor of DC's next epic in the making! The Flash races out of BLACKEST NIGHT and into his own monthly title as the all-new adventures of The Fastest Man Alive start with "Case One: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues!" Barry Allen runs back to his life in Central City, but when one of the Rogues turns up murdered under mysterious circumstances, it's up to The Flash to not only solve this bizarre crime, but protect those that are still targeted by the elusive killer. Plus, don't miss a peek into the future of the Flash universe in this special, extra-sized starting point issue!


IRON MAN LEGACY #1 
New Series!
The Armored Avenger’s second on-going series kicks off with a bang as the WAR OF THE IRON MEN begins here! Tony Stark’s worst fears are realized when stolen Iron Man technology is used for ethnic cleansing in a civil war-ravaged land. When he defies U.S. government orders to confront the armored assassins himself, Stark sets off an international conflagration that threatens his friends, his company, and his very life -- and sets him on a collision course with China and Russia, and their champions, Radioactive Man, Titanium Man and the Crimson Dynamo! Guest-stars galore! And a shocking last page reveal of the classic Shell-head villain behind it all you won’t want to miss!

WORLD WAR HULKS: HULKED-OUT HEROES #1
The H.O.H. is revealed!
Spinning from the shocking twist ending of FALL OF THE HULKS, Jeff Parker (WORLD WAR HULKS: ALPHA, AVENGERS VS. ATLAS, THUNDERBOLTS) and Humberto Ramos (SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, X-MEN) bring you the most incredible new character from the House of Ideas: HULKPOOL! What sacrifices will he make for the greater good? What horrible decisions will change the world as we know it? And what do Devil Dinosaur, Rawhide Kid, Rama Tut, and Bluebeard the Pirate have to do with this? Find out this April in HULKED-OUT HEROES!

New Comics In Store 04-14-10

A bunch of stuff... after the jump.

4/09/2010

Batman & Robin at The Source


The Source has a great series of posts about the inspiration and rationale behind many of the new characters and concepts appearing in Grant Morrison's superlative Batman & Robin series. Read issue #11 yet? Great way to kick off the Return of Bruce Wayne. (Mike)

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

March Siege Deal Winner


As part of our March Siege Deal we were offering our subscribers a chance to win an INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1 Bob Layton Variant. We've had our drawing and the winner is Fabio! We'll have your comic waiting for you at the shop!

4/08/2010

Eisner nominees announced

Cool seeing some of my faves from the last year in there. (Mike)

See the full list here.

4/06/2010

Tardis eyesore

So, I really don't like the look of the new Tardis and I like it less now that I've seen Doctor Who Confidential for the first episode. It makes me wince. I spotted this:


See that circled bit. That's either a brake or clutch master cylinder that's been bolted to the Tardis. Oh, but it's cool because they filled it with jello or something. (Mike)

4/05/2010

Captain Universe in Shattered Dimensions


via Joystiq
Gamestop will be offering a "Cosmic Spider-Man" costume to pre-order customers for Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions. Obviously this is a Captain Universe costume.

Our guesses on the unrevealed "dimensions" in the game? 1602 and 2099. (Mike)

MONDAY TELEMETRY For April 5th, 2010

Welcome to another installment of Monday Telemetry, a weekly blog from The Launchpad that covers some of the more interesting releases or events that are coming to the store this week.


ITEM! WonderCon really got us excited for Brightest Day. #0 ship in just a coupla weeks and if you have questions about Blackest Night and/or want to continue with one of the greatest comic events in recent memory, check out Brightest Day.

ITEM! We've still got some copies of Blackest Night #8 if you haven't got yours, and of course there are lantern corps rings to got with it!






FLASH SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS #1
2010 is definitely going to be Flash's year. 
Flash Facts! In the aftermath of BLACKEST NIGHT and THE FLASH: REBIRTH comes the beginning of a new era for Barry Allen and the deadly Rogues! As Barry readjusts to life again, strange happenings explode across Central City that will lead to one of the most bizarre murder mysteries Barry will ever face in the upcoming THE FLASH #1! Plus, don't miss Wally West, Kid Flash, Gorilla Grodd and a cold case that will send The Flash down a path unlike any other. Run - don't walk - to pick it up!


 



SHIELD #1
Leonardo Da Vinci was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. So was Sir Isaac Newton. So were Imhotep and Zhang Heng and Galileo and many other geniuses throughout time. They were the first heroes to defeat Galactus and the Brood and turn Celestials back. They saved the world long before Captain America or Iron Man were ever born, but what does this mean to our heroes of today? What does this mean to Nick Fury? Do not miss this Marvel Comics masterpiece that fans will be talking about for decades to come. All the insanity is courtesy of JONATHAN HICKMAN (FANTASTIC FOUR, SECRET WARRIORS, Nightly News) and DUSTIN WEAVER (X-MEN).







TURF #1
This looks really good. And you can't go wrong with Tommy Lee Edwards.
A four- issue hard boiled noir crime thriller with girls, guns, fangs and aliens.
New York, 1929. The height of prohibition. The cops turn a blind eye while the mobs run the city, dealing in guns, girls and illegal liquor. But the arrival of the mysterious Dragonmir Family from Eastern Europe with more of a taste for blood then booze co-incides with a series of brutal attacks on the gangsters themselves.  As the gangs fall before the fangs, only handful of mobsters survive. But an unlikely alliance formed between tough guy Eddie Falco and a character from a LONG way from New York City - a long way from Earth in fact - offers the humans a glimmer of hope. As the strong willed young reporter Susie Dale from the Gotham Herald tries to survive in the middle of the maelstrom, and an ancient prophecy unfolds, no one can guess who's going to win the battle for this particular slice of Turf.

 



UNCANNY X-MEN #523
SECOND COMING TIE-IN!
The race to find Cable and Hope is on, but who will get to them first? Will it be Cyclops and the X-Men or Bastion and his mutant-hating cabal? Cyclops isn't waiting for the answer to that as takes the fight directly to Bastion with the New Mutants!

New Comics In Store 04-07-10

The full list after the jump.

4/02/2010

DARK KNIGHT: BOY WONDER replaces ALL STAR BATMAN

From The Source:

Let me shed some more light on what was just announced at WonderCon today: ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER — the landmark hit series from the superstar team of writer Frank Miller and artist Jim Lee — has ceased publication.

“The first Chapter of the story of how Batman and Robin came to be has been told in issues 1-10 of ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN,” said ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN artist Jim Lee. “Frank and I sat down just recently to have a long talk about how best to finish this very ‘deadline challenged’ project and give the loyal fans the second part of this epic storyline they have been patiently waiting for. Moreover, we wanted fans to know that this story is part of the overall Batman mythos and DARK KNIGHT RETURNS universe which Frank [Miller] started back in 1986.”
Out of this meeting came the decision to rebrand the series DARK KNIGHT: BOY WONDER. It will fit into the library of Frank Miller Batman titles: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, BATMAN: YEAR ONE and THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN. Beginning in February, 2011, you will see the remaining six issues ship on time, every month, culminating in the conclusion of the storyline started years ago.

Iron Man 2 video game studio closed

From Kotaku:
Sega is officially shutting down the developer of its two Iron Man games, the studio formerly known as Secret Level. The developer was best known for its work on a pair of Iron Man game adaptations and Golden Axe: Beast Rider, the latter of which found very few fans.
This doesn't mean the game is canceled. It will release alongside the movie next month.

New Expendables Trailer



Saw this before Clash of the Titans yesterday. Can't wait. (Mike)

Bucky Cast


From the Hollywood Reporter:

Sebastian Stan, one of the actors who tested for the title role of Marvel’s “Captain America” which ultimately went to Chris Evans, has nabbed the key role of Captain America’s sidekick Bucky Barnes.

4/01/2010

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions Trailer

The trailer for the upcoming Spider-man game from Beenox.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions


From the press realese about the upcoming Spider-Man video game, Shattered Dimensions:


As Spider-Man, players will experience a wide variety of gameplay and dramatic environments. The Amazing Spider-Man experience delivers innovative web combat and visuals in a world that pays tribute to the classic era of the legendary Super Hero. In contrast, Spider-Man Noir features a cunning and covert depiction of Spider-Man, who utilizes shadows to perform stealth takedowns in a 1930's-influenced, black-and-white cinematic environment.
"Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions delivers an original storyline that bridges four unique worlds," said Rob Kostich, Head of Marketing, Activision Publishing, Inc. "Each action-packed universe will have its own detailed art design and thrilling missions, challenging gamers to use new skill sets to defeat enemies as they unlock powerful new moves and progress through the game."
Penned by acclaimed Marvel comic book writer Dan Slott, the story takes players on a mission to capture the magical energy of the Tablet of Order and Chaos, which has been shattered and scattered across parallel universes. Gamers are challenged to battle fan-favorite villains such as the lethal Kraven and a custom, never-before-seen Noir version of Hammerhead, in a quest to restore the fabric of reality.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is developed by Beenox and not yet rated. Fans can learn more about Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and the next worlds to be revealed by visiting www.SpiderManDimensions.com.

While I'm tired of the underwhelming Spider-Man games from Treyarch, I would have preferred to see a larger developer with a more impressive history take on this franchise. Let's hope it good! (Mike)