Category Archives: Random

Hanna-Barbera Reimagined by DC Comics

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In what might be either the most brilliant or insane announcement of 2016, DC Comics has announced that they’re launching a new line of comics based on Hanna-Barbera characters. The comic publisher has announced not just new comics, but new takes on the classic cartoon characters “injected with current sensibilities.”

We here at GP HQ are still debating what we think, and you can expect it as the topic of a future Sunday Roundtable.

So what classic cartoons will be getting the comic book treatment? Read on!

SCOOBY APOCALYPSE – Featuring character designs by veteran artist Jim Lee and an origin story by Jim Lee and Keith Giffen (JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001), artist Howard Porter (SUPERMAN) will provide his own unique take on Freddie, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo. “Those meddling kids” and their Mystery Machine are at the center of a well-meaning experiment gone wrong and they’ll need to bring all of their mystery solving skills to bear (along with plenty of Scooby Snacks), to find a cure for a world full of mutated creatures infected by a nanite virus that enhances their fears, terrors and baser instincts. This time, the horrors are real in this apocalyptic near-future badland!

SCOOBY APOCALYPSE SCOOBY APOCALYPSE 1

FUTURE QUEST – Writer Jeff Parker (AQUAMAN, JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED, BATMAN ’66) and artist Evan “Doc” Shaner (JUSTICE LEAGUE DARKSEID WAR: GREEN LANTERN) join forces to bring fans new tales of adventure’s most iconic teenager, Jonny Quest, along with his sidekick Hadji. This series combines Team QUEST (Hadji, Race Bannon, Dr. Benton Quest and Jezebel Jade) with some of the most well-known action and adventure heroes ever created by Hanna-Barbera, including SPACE GHOST, THE HERCULOIDS, BIRDMAN, MIGHTOR and FRANKENSTEIN Jr., among others.

FUTURE QUEST 1 FUTURE QUEST 2 FUTURE QUEST 3 FUTURE QUEST 4 FUTURE QUEST 5

WACKY RACELAND – Take The Ant Hill Mob, Penelope Pitstop and Dick Dastardly, mix in a healthy dose of “Mad Max” and you get this dark and gritty take on Hanna-Barbera’s “Wacky Races,” courtesy of writer Ken Pontac (REBOOT, HAPPY TREE FRIENDS) and artist Leonardo Manco (HELLBLAZER), with vehicle designs by Mark Sexton (MAD MAX: FURY ROAD). A time of hope and innocence with Utopia at the finish line has given way to planetary Armageddon and a desert wasteland full of radioactive lakes, nanotech dust storms, and cannibalistic mutants. Against this backdrop, the Wacky Racers and their sentient vehicles continue their contest, but now the competition is for survival, and there can only be one winner when the checkered flag falls.

WACKY RACELAND

THE FLINTSTONES – Based on character designs by Amanda Conner (HARLEY QUINN, STARFIRE), writer Mark Russell (PREZ, GOD IS DISAPPOINTED IN YOU) provides his own unique perspective on everyone’s “modern stone age family.” Russell will use Bedrock’s most popular family to shine a light on humanity’s ancient customs and institutions in a funny origin story of human civilization. Fred is still the simple man, striving to be the king of his castle, Wilma is still the tolerant but not-indulging wife and Barney (with his wife Betty and infant son Bamm-Bamm) is still the original wingman, whose loyalty to Fred often outweighs his common sense.

THE FLINTSTONES

Stanford Engineers to Colbert, Yes Spider-Man is plausible

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This is more Cambridge University versus Stanford than Stanford versus Colbert. The short version…

Cambridge University announced in a study that humans were too big to actually be Spider-Man, it just wouldn’t work. The CBS The Late Show host Stephen Colbert, like so many of us, was devastated by the news (I decided to settle for just flying like Superman instead, that’s still realistic). And enter Stanford, who have said not so fast Cambridge. In a video Stanford has responded with technology they invented in 2014 that makes being Spider-Man possible, to the joy of everyone. Even better, they do it to a capella version of the 1967 TV show The Amazing Spider-Man theme sung by The Stanford Mendicants.

The even shorter version… still dream on being Spider-Man.

More Details on Knight Model’s Marvel Universe Miniature Game

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Some more details on Knight Model‘s Marvel Universe Miniature Game have been released. The game was announced yesterday with basic details of what we can expect.

The game will have three initial starter sets (Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and X-Men) released featured four figures and a a rulebook. There will also be rules cards for each figure included in the set.

The game on two D8 dice rolled together and compared to various stats. It is said you’ll need five D8 dice, so stock up now. Models can see 360 degrees and measuring can be done any time and is in inches.

As is the trend, the game is recommended to be played on a 36″ x 36″ board and the more the terrain the better.

Turns are taken in an alternating basis with players going back and forth activating models.

The game is scenario based with achievements giving players victory points.

Characters have a “Pow” stat which determines what a character can do such as movement, attacks, and special powers. For movement, there will be 2 to 3 speeds and each speed will cost a different amount of “Pow.” For example the first speed may be 1, the second 2, and third 3 points.

There’s four types of attacks and defense, physical, mental, energy, and supernatural. Characters will be strong in some and weak in others. There’s also secondary attacks. Each attack has a “Pow” cost and some attacks will be limited in how often they can be used. The basic idea for attacks is roll 2D8 and compare it against a character’s defense.

As if straight out of a video game, characters will have an Endurance Bar which will go from Green to Yellow to Red. Depending where you are, you’ll get bonuses or negatives and you can eventually get knocked out.

The game sounds like a hell of a fun skirmish game.

Marvel Universe Miniature Game 2

(via Pressganger)

Dark Horse Comics Debuts Yearlong 30th Anniversary Variant Program

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2016 marks 30 years since Dark Horse Comics erupted onto the scene with their very first title, Dark Horse Presents. Since 1986, Dark Horse Presents has won multiple Eisner and Harvey Awards and launched some of comics’ greatest heroes.

This week, Dark Horse is releasing a new variant program which will continue throughout 2016. Every month, one comic will be selected to have a very special 30th Anniversary variant cover paying homage to a specific issue of Dark Horse Presents. Additionally, each issue serves as a perfect jumping-on point for new readers!

Now on comic store shelves is the Hellboy Winter Special, which features Mignolaverse debuts by Tim Sale, Michael Walsh, Chris Roberson, and Chelsea Cain. The Mike Mignola cover artwork is a throwback to the very first issue of Dark Horse Presents (1986).

Continuing where the Rise of the Tomb Raider game left off, Lara Croft takes on fresh adventures in a new comic series by Eisner Award–winning writer Mariko Tamaki. Hitting stands in February, the stunning variant cover by Joëlle Jones harks back to Dark Horse Presents #9 (1987).

In March, Dan Abnett begins Predator: Life and Death, the first chapter in a new story cycle involving Predators, Aliens, and the mysterious Engineers from Prometheus! The variant cover, drawn by Dark Horse senior editor Chris Warner, is a return to Warner’s original cover for Dark Horse Presents #35 (1989).

And in April, Brian Wood brings his sharp storytelling to Aliens: Defiance, while rising star Tristan Jones draws the scariest xenomorph you’ve seen in years. The variant cover features incredible artwork by original Aliens artist Mark A. Nelson and evokes Dark Horse Presents #40 (1990).

More 30th Anniversary variant covers will be revealed soon!

Retailers whose orders total 10 copies or more of Tomb Raider #1 of the regular or variant cover will qualify to have their order made fully returnable.

Retailers who order 15 or more copies of Predator: Life and Death #1 (any combination of the David Palumbo and Sachin Teng covers) are eligible to order any quantity of the 30th Anniversary variant.

Retailers who order 10 or more copies of Aliens: Defiance #1 are eligible to order any quantity of the 30th Anniversary variant.

Ricky Whittle Cast as Shadow Moon on American Gods

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PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 20: Actor Ricky Whittle poses for a portrait at the photo booth for MSN Wonderwall at ChefDance on January 20, 2013 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Wonderwall)

Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Wonderwall

Starz and FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) have announced that Ricky Whittle has been cast as Shadow Moon in the upcoming adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed contemporary fantasy novel, American Gods. The series will begin shooting in April.

A native of Oldham, Greater Manchester England, Whittle’s credits include The 100, Austenland, Hollyoaks, Mistresses, NCIS and Holby City. Whittle is the son of former Royal Air Force serviceman Harry Whittle and grew up travelling around the world.  A keen sportsman, Whittle represented England and the United Kingdom at youth level in football and rugby.

American Gods been translated into over 30 languages and earned numerous accolades including Hugo, Nebula and Bram Stoker Awards for Best Novel. The plot posits a war brewing between old and new gods: the traditional gods of mythological roots from around the world steadily losing believers to an upstart pantheon of gods reflecting society’s modern love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs. Its protagonist, Shadow Moon, is an ex-con who becomes bodyguard and traveling partner to Mr. Wednesday, a conman but in reality one of the older gods, on a cross-country mission to gather his forces in preparation to battle the new deities.

American Gods is produced by FremantleMedia North America. Bryan Fuller and Michael Green are writers and showrunners. David Slade is directing the pilot and additional episodes. FMNA’s Craig Cegielski and Stefanie Berk are executive producing the series along with Fuller, Green, Slade and Neil Gaiman. Senior Vice President of Original Programming Ken Segna is the Starz executive in charge of American Gods. Starz retains all network pay TV and SVOD rights to the project. FremantleMedia is distributing the series worldwide.

Ricky Whittle is represented by TalentWorks, Creative Artists Management in the UK, and Untitled Entertainment.

New Manga Series – Behind the Scenes!! – Launches from VIZ

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BehindTheScenes-01VIZ Media is bringing creator Bisco Hatori’s dramatic new manga comedy to English readers with the launch of Behind the Scenes!! on February 2nd.

The new shojo series by the famed creator of Ouran High School Host Club and Millennium Snow will be published in print and digital editions under the Shojo Beat imprint. Behind the Scenes!! is rated ‘T’ for Teens, and will carry a print MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. The series also launches digitally on February 2nd via VIZManga.com and the VIZ Manga App, as well as from the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks, comiXology, and GooglePlay stores. Subsequent volumes of the continuing series will be published in English twice a year.

In Behind the Scenes!!, Ranmaru Kurisu comes from a family of hardy, rough-and-tumble fisherfolk and he sticks out at home like a delicate, artistic sore thumb. It’s given him a raging inferiority complex and a permanently pessimistic outlook. Now that he’s in college, he’s hoping to find a sense of belonging. But after a whole life of being left out, does he even know how to fit in?!

As Volume 1 opens, it’s two months into Ranmaru’s college career, and if he’s learned one thing, it’s that he’s really uncomfortable around other people. But when he stumbles into a zombie mob attack, he’s totally forced out of his comfort zone! Of course it’s just a movie shoot, but when he wakes up from his ignoble faint, he’s been whisked away behind the scenes with the Art Squad! Could this group of weirdos be what Ranmaru’s been looking for all his life?!

Knight Models Announces Marvel Universe Miniature Game

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It shouldn’t be any surprise considerng their website telegraphed the releases, but Knight Models has officially announced Marvel Universe Miniature Game, a new miniature game featuring the entire Marvel Universe! Knight Models is the company that also produces Batman the Miniature Game.

The game will be a completely new game system unlike the announced Spider-Man release which uses the Batman the Miniature Game system’s rules. It’s unknown if the Spider-Man models will be able to be used in this system, but it is a different system entirely. The Spider-Man game is still teasing Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. expansions.

The first release will include 3 starter sets, X-Men, Avengers, and Guardians of the Galaxy. In their announcement they have said those starter sets will include everything you need to play including a small-sized rulebook, 4 character cards, and 4 white-metal miniatures.

Marvel Universe the Miniature Game

Assassin’s Creed: Templars #2 Covered Revealed

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Titan Comics has revealed the covers for Assassin’s Creed: Templars #2. The comic hits stands April 27 and features writer Fred Van Lente, artist Dennis Calero, colorist Hi-Fi, and lettering by Comicraft.

Covers include:

Cover A: Chris Thornley
Cover B: Dennis Calero
Cover C: Verity Glass

In the bustling streets of Shanghai, Darius Gift has come unstuck, his head turned by a pretty girl and a stunning smile. His tenuous position as a newly initiated member of the Templar Order is under threat, until he is rescued by the mysterious figure that is Black Cross…

Assassin’s Creed #7 Cover Revealed

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Titan Comics has revealed the cover to Assassin’s Creed #7. The issue hits shelves April 6 from writers Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery, artist Neil Edwards, colorist Ivan Nunes, and Comicraft is lettering.

The cover creators include:

Cover A: Chris Thornley
Cover B: Chris Wildgoose
Cover C: Verity Glass

Charlotte, Galina and Kody are on a mission; to locate the enigmatic hacker collective, Erudito. Charlotte must delve into the memories of her Inca ancestor to figure out the key to finding the elusive group, but while the Assassins hunt for the clue they need, they themselves become the hunted…

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