Skylanders: Superchargers #3
Ron Marz, David A. Rodriguez (w) • Fico Ossio (a & c)
First story arc concludes! With the world crashing around them, Spyro and the Superchargers team race to save Skylands from certain doom!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Skylanders: Superchargers #2
Ron Marz, David A. Rodriguez (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • Fico Ossio (c)
REV UP YOUR ENGINES! The new season of Skylanders kicks into overdrive as Spyro and his newfound friends race to beat the clock!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Skylanders: Superchargers #1
Ron Marz, David A. Rodriguez (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • Fico Ossio (c)
GET SUPERCHARGED! Join Spyro and all his Skylanders friends as they meet a new group of friends and embark on their most perilous journey to date!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Skylanders: Rift into Overdrive OGN
Ron Marz, David A. Rodriguez (w) • Fico Ossio (a & c)
The official story leading into this year’s all-new SKYLANDERS video game! The citizens of Skylands are in their most desperate hour as Kaos begins to tear the world apart with his newfound powers. Spyro and an elite group of Skylanders must enter an ancient and unknown part of Skylands and find the only hope left that can stand against Kaos’ might! The origin story of the next big SKYLANDERS video game starts right here!
HC • FC • $12.99 • 80 pages • ISBN: 978-1-63140-412-2
Skylanders #12
Ron Marz, David A. Rodriguez (w) • Jack Lawrence (a) • Fico Ossio (c)
SEASON FINALE! The Trap Team season concludes and the stage is set for Skylanders: Season 2 launching just in time for the new game in October!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
The smash-hit videogame and toy sensation, Skylanders, makes its comic book debut this fall! This all-new series will focus on fan-favorite characters and features stories tying directly into the videogames that cannot be found anywhere else!
I know very little about the Skylanders video game. I know that it’s some toy figures you put on a base and then you can play games with them based on the figures. That’s about where my knowledge ends, as I’ve never played it myself, and don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone play it either. As far as the characters, my knowledge is also lacking, and I chalked it all up to being the latest craze of games featuring small creatures you collect, continuing a long tradition.
Overall, I went into the first issue with an open mind, but generally expecting a cash-in to the video game. In reality, I found a comic that felt more like a worthy successor to the Saturday morning cartoons of my youth, that are currently awol for today’s kids. The comic features two stories, one a comedic trip through the skies as the latest Skylanders class heads to their destination, and the other an origin of sorts for the character Trigger Happy. Neither you needed to know anything about the characters or world, and both were very enjoyable, even as an adult. Yes, the comic is generally geared towards kids, but the humor peppered throughout has enough winks and nods that also makes them enjoyable for adults as well.
The art is pretty solid with a consistent look between both stories. Each artist captures the kinetic energy of each story well, giving it a flow that helps out and adds to the humor, especially the physical comedy of a lot of it.
IDW’s Skylanders comic is a worthy addition to the growing line of comics geared towards kids. And more impressively, even though it’s an off-shoot of a very successful toy/game line, it doesn’t feel as such. If you’re a long time fan of Skylanders, or totally new to it all, Skylanders is simply fun. This is an absolute buy for fans of the serious, or those looking for a fun comic to give their kids.
Story: Ron Marz, David A. Rodriguez Art: David Baldeon, Mike Bowden
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Buy
IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Th3rd World’s new all-ages series pre-launches with a record setting micro-distribution promotion
BETHESDA, MD (May 18, 2012) – Th3rd World Studios, publisher of the NY Times Bestselling series THE STUFF OF LEGEND, is proud to announce a complete sell-out of their FINDING GOSSAMYR micro-distribution promotion. This comes on the heels of the breakout success of their Free Comic Book Preview that MTV Geek said, “purposely evokes the excitement and humanity of a Pixar movie and actually nails it… exciting, intriguing, and everything you’d want from the first few pages of a book…”
“Th3rd World has taken the increasingly popular method of ‘micro-distribution’ and applied it in a way that we’ve never seen done before with FINDING GOSSAMYR. Not only is this book shaping up to be an all-ages classic in the making, like AMULET or BONE, but I feel it’s going to be carry a lot of heat with collectors as well”, said Steve Anderson, owner of Third Eye Comics in Annapolis, MD.
Th3rd World studios opted to use a hybrid model that blended the direct to retailer sales of micro-distribution with the much larger Diamond channel, offering each their own set of unique purchasing incentives. The micro-promotion was limited to 25 retailers on a first come first serve basis, with two sponsorship levels based on volume. As soon as the slots were filled, the promotion closed. Each retailer that took part will receive 1 of the 25 numbered Jim Starlin variant and a limited exclusivity window. Th3rd World also created two, Diamond exclusive, incentives that can be found in this month’s MAY PREVIEWS catalog.
The promotion met with a success that far and away exceeded expectations, pre-selling over 3000 copies to retailers with 8 store exclusive variants by artists such as Stjepan Sejic, the Skullkickers art team of Edwin Huang and Misty Coats, Jeremy Dale, Charles Paul Wilson III and Daniel Lieske. A full breakdown of participating stores and their individual covers can be found below.
Preserver Level (Minimum 200 Copies)
Bladeslinger Level (Minimum 50 Copies)
To view all of the variant covers as well as links to the participating retailers click here.
FINDING GOSSAMYR – CHAPTER 1 (MAY121282 – Previews Page 328)
When a brilliant young boy named Denny solves the most perplexing puzzle in the history of mankind, he and his caretaker sister, Jenna, are transported to the fantastic land of Gossamyr, where math is the language of magic and the boy’s unique condition gives him incredible power.
A 36-page full-color, all-ages comic series written by writer/video game designer David A. Rodriguez (SKYLANDERS, STARKWEATHER) and illustrated by artist Sarah Ellerton (PHOENIX REQUIEM, INVERLOCH), will be available in stores July 2012.
About Th3rd World Studios
Th3rd World Studios (www.th3rdworld.com) is a hands-on print and digital publishing house specializing in the development of high-quality original and adapted properties spanning a broad spectrum of genres. Th3rd World Studios had its first breakout hit in 2009 with the first volume of the acclaimed original series THE STUFF OF LEGEND. A fourth volume will be released in the Fall of 2012. Also in development is the highly anticipated adaptation of the NY Times bestselling series THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS, by Cassandra Clare.
Th3rd World Studios has hooked us up to bring their Free Comic Book Day 2012 offering of Finding Gossamyr to you. The series is by David A. Rodriguez and Sarah Ellerton.
Th3rd World Announces the release of Finding Gossamyr Chapter 1 & The Stuff of Legend Omnibus One this July!
Th3rd World Studios is following our hit, NY Times Bestselling series THE STUFF OF LEGEND with a brand new, all-ages, fantasy series called FINDING GOSSAMYR. The new title is sure to appeal to existing fans of THE STUFF OF LEGEND as well as anyone interested in other top, all-ages series like AMULET and BONE.
FINDING GOSSAMYR was paired with THE STUFF OF LEGEND for Th3rd World’s 2012 Free Comic Book Day offering and debuted to record breaking numbers for the studio. Reports from across the nation made mention of its quick disappearance, including one retailer easily going through 1000 copies. The series preview also met with high praise from a number of news outlets and bloggers.
MTV Geek said of the Free Comic Book Day preview, “purposely evokes the excitement and humanity of a Pixar movie and actually nails it…”
Comics Bulletin called the series, “original, intriguing and fraught with all sorts of narrative possibilities.”
Both FINDING GOSSSAMYR (MAY121282) and the new 260 page THE STUFF OF LEGEND Hardcover Omnibus (0983216193) are available for pre-order right now in Previews(July Release).
May Solicits (July Release)
What would Harry Potter for adults be like? It might look a bit like Starkweather: Immortal. Produced by Archaia, written by David A. Rodriguez with art by Patrick McEvoy, this comic book series mixes magic and religion in a very cool package.
Today they are called witches, and they are hunted at every turn. The Twelve Great Houses have collapsed under betrayal and infighting. They have abandoned their charges, forsaking the very source of their gifts. They teeter on the brink of extinction and their best chance at survival—a five-year-old boy with enough power to topple mountains—disappeared 15 years ago. The boy has become a man who doesn’t remember what he was. The very spell that was woven to hide him from the world also has hidden his true self, leaving him a professional slacker—a directionless disappointment who wants nothing to spend his life in wonderful obscurity. It is Alexander Starkweather’s destiny to restore the Divine Blood to power and lead them into a new age. But before he can become a witch, he must learn what it means to be a man. Completes and collects the STARKWEATHER: IMMORTAL comic book series.
The story is pretty interesting with a lot of twists and turns I didn’t see coming. It’s all familiar, but there’s definitely some items that come out of left field and caught me off guard.
I don’t want to give away too much, but there’s a lot going on, all of it entertaining. The art is top notch, as I’d expect from an Archaia series. If you enjoy a modern tale of magic, I’d definitely check this one out.
