‘C’ is for Comic Books - An Encyclopedia Blitz!

I think it started sometime in 2006. Yes, that’s when the Marvel Encyclopedia was published by DK Publishing. I have a handy copy of it right here, and as I flip through I can tell you that this is a pretty in-depth look at the Marvel universe and her characters. More than a thousand articles in here.

I’ll agree with a friend of mine and allow that Deadpool doesn’t get nearly the page space he deserves... still a very comprehensive look, however.

The Marvel Vault, published by Running Press, followed suit in 2007. The ‘Museum-In-A-Book’ did extremely well during the holiday season, and traced the history of Marvel from the Golden Age all the way to present day. Nearly 70 years of history and over 30 pieces of removable memorabilia – such as old trading cards, reprints, artwork, etc. – all in a book. Makes you feel like a kid again just by opening it and exploring the treasures inside.

This is why Running Press will be releasing ‘The DC Vault: A Museum-In-A-Book’ this October! Following the success of its predecessor, The Marvel Vault, Running Press has ordered a huge first printing of 100,000 copies of this new Vault collection. There will be tones of extras to be found in this vault, such as exact reproductions of early sketches, memos and even a working model of a 1942 Junior Justice Society of America Decoder!

How cool is that?!

Look for that one in stores in October for roughly $50.00!

DK Publishing won’t be missing the boat this holiday season
either, as they will be releasing a thoroughly informative collaboration to follow up on the Marvel Encyclopedia! DK’s The Vertigo Encyclopedia ($30.00) will be a 240-Page, full color hardcover edition will be out for the holidays and will most definitely be a top seller. In here you will find all of the primary Vertigo labels such as Hellblazer, The Sandman, Preacher, Swamp Thing, Fables, and Y: The Last Man. That’s not all, there will be tones of other articles on other Vertigo properties. Look to the shelves this holiday for this one to add to your collection!

But DK’s not done yet! With the success yet again of its Marvel Encyclopedia, DK is coming back with Marvel Chronicle (roughly $50.00)! It’s a 352-page, year-by-year accounting of the history of the Marvel Universe! From its early days all the way up to the recent events of Civil War and Secret Invasion! Along the way it will also note the key events of our time to coincide with what comic books were being published in those years. This book will be a great idea for those who wish to find out just how Marvel found themselves in the position they are today – how they and their characters built up so much steam to become the true marvels they are today.

So a bunch of encyclopedic knowledge about comic books will be out for the holidays this year. So throw away your Encyclopedia Britannica – there wasn’t much in those anyways – and make some shelf space for a whole new set of books containing all you need to know about the comic book titans of history!

Marvel Wants More ‘King’

It’s simple fact that Stephen King’s novels are sheer gold when it comes to comic book adaptations. Each issue of the series has sold no less than 100,000 copies and has remained in the top 3 sellers since the initial release. With this incredible success, Marvel has taken it as a signal and has announced a licensing agreement with Doubleday in order to continue their work with Stephen King.

What’s next on the list?

The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition. The adaptation is based off of Stephen King’s novel, which is a post-apocalyptic tale set in America after a virus has wiped out 99.4% of all humanity. It tells of two separate bands of survivors, struggling against each other to survive.

The book which the series will base itself off of has sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide, and it is expected that with the previous success of The Dark Tower series as a comic adaptation, this will do equally well if not better. Robert Aquirre-Sacasa (Fantastic Four) is set to adapt the novel and Harvey Award-winning artist Mike Perkings (who was the artist for Captain America) will illustrate the series.

You can expect the first issue of this new series to hit stores in September!

The Deal with D&D

As some of you may know, the definitive table-top RPG (Role Playing Game) of our time - and inspiration for countless works of fiction, cinema and video games - is releasing its highly anticipated 4th Edition on Friday, June 6. Dungeons and Dragons, created by Mr. E. Gary Gygax and Mr. Dave Arneson, was originally released in 1974 and has grown in every way since then.

For those who have no clue what this game is all about, I will give a quick rundown of what the game entails.

Players create their own character along a provided guideline, allowing for a large amount of creativity. The leader of the game session, named the 'Dungeon Master' (DM), controls the games progression. His/her job is to tell a story, through which the players' created characters quest in order to achieve glory and riches by defeating various monsters that the DM throws at them. Actions are controlled through the use of various die rolls, especially the all-important d20 - the 20-sided-dice.

This game is all done verbally, and use of the imagination is called on frequently and is of key importance to the success of the game. Many visual components have been produced over the 34 years of this game's existence to aid adventurers in completing their campaigns to the utmost satisfaction.

And now, 34 years later, Dungeons and Dragons has created a 4th edition of rules, updating and fixing the many issues that have built up over previous editions. With such new additions as an online component, this release is expected to be HUGE.

With D&D Insider, which I believe comes out to 9.95/month for a subscription (if purchasing a year) grants the user access to a veritable plethora of online material - the best part being the online game table. The game table will allow a DM to host a session of Dungeons and Dragons online with (from what I hear) up to 15 people. With the online aid, rules and procedures will be literally at your fingertips for easy access. A voice chat system will allow for the game's demand for verbal interaction, although instant messaging will no doubt be available. The game table itself will represent an actual dungeon which may be fully customized; every monster, every spike trap, every treasure chest and even the dungeon layout.

Players will be able to create their own characters, controlling everything from facial features, armor, how they stand, etc. The game will then place this newly created character as a playable figurine on the virtual game table. No more worries for the artistic impaired. The use of this character designer means you'll never again have to ask your friends to draw your character!

Unfortunately everyone must wait for June 6th for this release. However, on May 23 it was reported that Buy.com was shipping out copies of the new core rulebooks - 2 weeks ahead of schedule. Wizards of the Coast - the company handling the release of this new edition - released a statement that they take these matter seriously and that they were looking into the matter.

In the mean time, the books have wound up on various Bit Torrent sites. Regardless of this fact it is expected that paper copies of the product will still do exceptionally well, if not even better because of the additional hype over this early leak.

3 days ago now, however, ICv2 reported that the 4th Edition has gone back to the printers in order to handle the demand of the release this Friday. They report that the sell-in of this new edition has been 50% higher than Edition 3.5, and now Wizards of the Coast must compensate for this flux in sales.

You can currently pre-order your own copy of the core rulebooks either separately or in this convenient gift set. Amazon.ca currently has the set listed at $76.23 Canadian before shipping, and each book separately listed at approximately $25 Canadian apiece.

On another note, the guys over at Penny Arcade and PVP got together with Wizards of the Coast in order to do some online advertising, etc. They were able to sit down and play a session of the new edition, and went through a few of the new changes in play. This session will be released in a series of podcasts, of which the first you can see here. Accompanying this escapade is some official D&D artwork drawn by Scott Kurtz (PVP) and Mike Krahulik (Penny Arcade). Go check it out! It's both informative AND funny!

Sam & Max

I just purchased a copy of "Sam & Max Surfin' the Highway" (Limited Edition Harcover).

Let me introduce you all to a brief history of Sam & Max.

Picture a 1960's black and white DeSoto Adventurer cruising down the street at break-neck speed, a 'hyperkinetic rabbity thing' hanging out the driver window wielding a Luger, and a 6-foot-tall dog-detective clutching his hat on the passenger side - all the while engaging in an extremely witty dialogue. You have now met the loveable duo of Sam & Max - the former being Max and the latter being Sam!

Created by Stever Purcell in the late 80's, the two characters are thrown into the oddest of situations, with only sheer wit and somewhat nihilistic humor as their allies. Also guns.

Kids of the 90's may even remember the television series based off of Steve's works (which was dimmed down a bit for child audiences) airing on Fox Kids for a 24 episode run. Or even more may remember the successful video game in 1993: Sam & Max Hit the Road. Although I was a child when these premiered, even I could understand the potential of underlaying adult comedy of incredible quality.

Telltale Games, a veritable Sam & Max oasis in the dessert that is the internets, was kind enough to keep the legend of these two characters alive over the past decade, selling merchandise, posting a (particularly) delightful mini-series web comic (which sadly seems to have finished its run long ago), and even creating it's own new material - Sam & Max episodic games (with the help of Mr. Purcell).

Don't just stand there, go and check out the site. The wit is always sharp, and the art is always fantastic in my humble opinion. I can't wait for my copy of the revamped "Surfin' the Highway" (with new content), to arrive!

A review on it to come!

Manga of Shannara

For over thirty years, Terry Brooks has published numerous works of fantasy fiction, his Shannara series being the crowning achievement. With millions of books sold to date, Mr. Brooks was able to make history by being the first author to produce a work of fantasy that earned a spot on the New York Times bestseller list.

Now Terry is ready to take another step in the production of his hugely popular series, according to an interview by Laura Hudson. Set to debut on shelves on March 25, Terry Brooks' first ever manga-tized story will be available for fans of both the fantasy and manga genres to enjoy.

'Dark Wraith of Shannara' will tell the tail of Jair Ohmsford, one of the two main characters in 'Wishsong of Shannara'.

Not to worry, Shannara fans. Dark Wraith is a stand-alone series written along the storylines of the title series; a fresh new story with a recognizable character.

As a long-time reader of Terry Brooks' works, with complete faith in his choices, I for one am both excited and intrigued by this new medium through which I can view his works. Stay tuned to Goliath!? when this one comes out. You can be sure there will be a review on it.

The full interview with Terry and Laura can be found here.

Z is for Zombie

After posting the story about Galactus, and especially about J. Michael Straczynski, I noticed another project he is working on in particular: World War Z

The book, written by Max Brooks (son of Mel Brooks), takes place 10 years after the human victory against the zombie pandemic, and tells of the stories and experiences of those who have survived during the undead plague.

Many readers and fans around the world have lifted Max Brooks to being the leading authority on Zombies, with his second book "The Zombie Survival Guide" becoming extremely popular even to those not already prepared for the inevitable zombie attack.

The movie is currently being penned by JMS, and is set to be produced by Brad Pitt's Production company, Plan B.

After reading through the Survival Guide, I feel I am personally ready to face the undead. However, I failed to notice a contingency plan if this were to happen... Game over, man...

The Hobbit no match for Wizard's First Rule

Sam Raimi of Spider-man fame has recently opted out of the running to be the director of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit'. The director/producer (who also may add such movies as The Evil Dead and Army of Darkness to his repertoire) has instead chosen to sign with ABC Domestic Television in order to Executive Produce their new fall series: "Wizard's First Rule".

The show, based off the hit novel and first-in-a-series by fantasy author Terry Goodkind, will headline ABC's Fall Season. ABC also brings other hits such as 'LOST', 'Grey's Anatomy', and 'Desperate Housewives'.

However, the fact that this series has even a remote chance at being more of a hit than a prequel to Jackson's 'Lord of the Rings' saga remains to be seen. Remember, Raimi is also responsible for that Amazon woman, and that really strong guy. Think of this how you will.