Dark Horse and TNT Team for Falling Skies at SDCC 2010 and Prequel Comic

Press Release:

DARK HORSE AND TNT TEAM UP ON COMIC BOOK PREQUEL TO FALLING SKIES

THE EAGERLY ANTICIPATED NEW SERIES STARRING NOAH WYLE, PRODUCED BY DREAMWORKS TELEVISION AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER STEVEN SPIELBERG WILL APPEAR

IN COMIC FORM ONLINE AND IN PRINT!

JULY 22ND, SAN DIEGO, CA–TNT is teaming up with publisher Dark Horse Comics to create a comic book and webcomic prequel to FALLING SKIES, the eagerly anticipated new series starring Noah Wyle (ER, TNT’s The Librarian movies) and produced by DreamWorks Television and executive producer Steven Spielberg. The comic book and webcomic are slated to be unveiled at New York Comic Con in October. FALLING SKIES, which is set to premiere on TNT in summer 2011, is a gripping drama that envisions a world where aliens have invaded, and the fate of humanity lies in the hands of a few survivors.

During New York Comic Con (Oct. 8-10), TNT and Dark Horse will distribute an exclusive, special-edition 12-14 page comic book that tells the harrowing backstory of the alien invasion. Beginning Nov. 1, fans will be able to download an extended webcomic version through tnt.tv, darkhorse.com and iTunes, with new installments posted every two weeks.

“The FALLING SKIES comic book and webcomic provide a great way for TNT to ramp up excitement for FALLING SKIES, while also providing a thrilling backstory to the series’ intriguing premise and characters,” said Tricia Melton, senior vice president of entertainment marketing for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “We look forward to working with Dark Horse Comics as we begin the FALLING SKIES invasion.”

In addition to the comic book and webcomic, Dark Horse is collaborating with TNT on the FALLING SKIES presence at this month’s Comic-Con International in San Diego. The event will include appearances and autograph sessions with series stars Wyle and Moon Bloodgood (Terminator Salvation), along with co-executive producer and writer Mark Verheiden (Heroes, Battlestar Galactica). On Friday, July 23, from 2-3 p.m. (PT), the three will appear at Dark Horse’s Comic-Con International booth, where they will sign exclusive FALLING SKIES posters. Then from 4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. (PT), Wyle, Bloodgood and Verheiden will participate in a Q&A panel session in Room 6A.

In FALLING SKIES, Wyle stars as a former college professor who becomes the leader of a group of soldiers and civilians struggling against an occupying alien force. Bloodgood co-stars as Anne Glass, a therapist who works with the surviving children to help them cope with the traumatic situation. The series also stars Drew Roy (Lincoln Heights) as Hal and Maxim Knight (Brothers & Sisters) as Matt, Tom’s two sons; and Seychelle Gabriel (Weeds) as Lourdes, an orphaned teenager who helps run the group’s commissary. Will Patton (Armageddon, TNT’s Into the West) plays a fierce leader of the resistance.

FALLING SKIES is executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, along with DreamWorks Television heads Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank and screenwriter Robert Rodat. Rodat, who earned an Oscar® nomination for his screenplay for Saving Private Ryan, wrote the pilot from an idea he co-conceived with Spielberg. Verheiden and Greg Beeman (Heroes, Smallville) are co-executive producers. The pilot was directed by Carl Franklin (One False Move, Out of Time).

About Dark Horse Comics

Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent like Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Gerard Way, Will Eisner, and bestselling prose author, Janet Evanovich, Dark Horse has developed such successful characters as The Mask, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Additionally, their highly successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Mass Effect, Tim Burton, Serenity and Domo. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic-book publisher in the United States and is recognized as both an innovator in the cause of creator rights and the comics industry’s leading publisher of licensed material.

About TNT

TNT, one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama. Seen in 99.6 million households, the network is home to such original series as The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; and Dark Blue, starring Dylan McDermott; Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander; Memphis Beat, with Jason Lee; Men of a Certain Age, with Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula; and Southland, from Emmy®-winning producer John Wells (ER). TNT also presents such powerful dramas as Bones, Supernatural, Las Vegas, Law & Order, CSI: NY, Cold Case and Numb3rs; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament will appear on TNT beginning in 2011. TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

EW’s Visionaries: J.J. Abrams and Joss Whedon at SDCC 2010

Entertainment Weekly Comic-Con Panel (and Video): J.J. Abrams and Joss Whedon Greet the Faithful

J.J. Abrams and Joss Whedon are responsible for some of the most obsessed-over and geeked-out-about pop culture creations of the past two decades, so it’s natural they would find an ideal audience at Comic-Con, the home away from home for the obsessive and geeky. When the two took the stage at Comic-Con for EW’s Visionaries panel, hosted by EW’s Jeff “Doc” Jensen, the crowd welcomed them with raucous and adoring applause. For the hour that followed, these two master storytellers gave the audience some insight into their upcoming projects, their creative processes, their influences, and their perspectives on the seismic shifts that are rocking the entertainment landscape. Some highlights:

Following months of speculation, Whedon confirmed that he is, indeed, directing Marvel’s superhero-team-up movie, The Avengers. (See video of the announcement below.) But he said it’s still too early to get into details about the film, which will unite such beloved Marvel heroes as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and the Hulk. “I’m still writing an outline,” Whedon said. “But the thing that made me excited to do it was just how completely counterintuitive it is. It makes no sense. These people shouldn’t be in the same room, let alone on the same team.” He paused. “And that, to me, is the very definition of family,” he added wryly.

The always-busy Abrams, who is launching a new spy series called Undercover and finishing the romantic comedy Morning Glory, talked about his thrill at collaborating with Steven Spielberg–who’s long been a kind of creative father figure to him–on a still-mysterious film due next summer called Super 8. “It’s imposible to work with him and not constantly reference the work he’s done,” Abrams said. Though he revealed few specifics about the project, he said, “The movie is very much in the spirit of some of the Amblin films [Spielberg] made years ago.”

The two diverged in their opinions of the current boom in 3-D movies. Whedon was high on it (“Honestly, I totally love it”), while Abrams expressed reservations: “The thing that drives me crazy about 3-D is that when you put on the glasses, everything seems dim,” he says. “I’m not totally on board yet.”

But in more general terms, they both expressed the same kind of unabashed fanboy enthusiasm for the pop culture they love that also drives the Comic-Con crowd. Abrams talked of his admiration for the work of comic-book artist Chris Ware and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World director Edgar Wright (“I just saw Scott Pilgrim–it’s awesome”). And Whedon, for his part, geeked out big-time over some of Abrams’ work. “I’ve had actual moments of sheer f—ing panic because I loved Star Trek so much,” Whedon said. “I just keep watching it and going, ‘This is the gold standard for a team movie, for a summer movie, for any movie that has come out in the last several years.’ And it makes me throw up with fear, so I have to stop watching it.”

Source: EW.com

UK – FVZA Signing

David Hine signs on Thursday September 2nd from 6 – 7pm.

Forbidden Planet is pleased to announce a signing by DAVID HINE. He will be signing FVZA: THE FEDERAL VAMPIRE AND ZOMBIE AGENCY at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, on Thursday 2nd September from 6 – 7pm.

Landra always knew that Vampires and Zombies were real. Trained to fight since childhood by her grandfather, legendary Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency operative Hugo Pecos, she was ready. Even though both viruses were – apparently – eradicated and the F.V.Z.A. officially disbanded, Landra knew they would be back. Little did she realise that when the Vampires did come out of hiding they would use a deadly new weapon – an incurable strain of the zombie virus. Now Picos and Landra (along with her brother Vidal) have been tasked to re-instate the agency and train a new batch of operatives to target the most dangerous Vampire they’ve ever known – Landra and Vidal’s own grandmother!

David Hine has been working in comics since the 1980s, working on everything from 2000AD to Image Comics’ Spawn to TokyoPop titles to Marvel’s X-Men. As well as the back-and-white horror comic Strange Embrace, he’s probably best-known for Silent War, a six-issue mini-series with art by Frazer Irving. More recently, he’s written the Arkham Asylum one-shot for the Batman” Battle for the Cowl event – which, in turn, created the mini-series Arkham Reborn.

Limited Edition T-Shirts at SDCC 2010 Featuring Tron and More

Press Release:

Limited Edition T-Shirts Feature Disney, Warner Bros. and Udon/THQ at Comic-Con 2010

70,000 Facebook fans drive product development for Internet retailer. Limited edition t-shirts available only at San Diego Comicon – while supplies last!

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) July 22, 2010

Fashion has learned what comic book and toy manufacturers have known for years; exclusives sell.

StylinOnline.com, the internet’s largest retailer of pop culture t-shirts, has partnered with studios and designers to present a selection of exclusive t-shirt designs available to fans starting July 21 at Comic-Con 2010 in San Diego, the country’s leading comics and popular arts convention.

The unique effort includes three t-shirts designs based on the demands from Stylin Online’s nearly 70,000 Facebook fans for something new.

Fans are expecting Disney’s “TRON Legacy” to be one of the blockbuster’s later this year, and designer Mad Engine has created a unique “Light Cycle” t-shirt to show off the futuristic motorcycle using glow-in-the-dark inks to mimic the feel of the movie.

Udon Studios and THQ produce the video game apocalypse “Darksiders” and is releasing its’ next end-of-the-world mega-hit in January. Fans can get an jump on the doom with the Ripple Junction designed “Darksiders Icon” t-shirt based on the forthcoming comic of the same name.

CBS’ Big Bang Theory has created quite a fan following, especially for cast member Jim Parsons. To salute the genius that is “Sheldon” Ripple Junction and Warner Bros. responded for fan requests for a “Sheldon Cooper Super Villain” t-shirt with the same extravagance as the character.

James Cucchiara, CEO of Stylin Enterprises is very excited for the exclusive offerings. “We’re in the business of giving our fans what they want – a great selection of pop culture t-shirts. We listen to what they talk about on our social media platform and we respond when they ask for something unique. We’re able to leverage our relationships with designers like Mad Engine and Ripple Junction to work with studios, like Disney Warner Bros. and Udon to do something different, something unique and with a limited supply, something collectible.”

The t-shirts are available only to Comic Con attendees at booths #215, #5029 and #5545 during the convention, and online at http://StylinOnline.com while supplies last.

About StylinOnline.com

Based in Michigan, StylinOnline.com is the largest retailers of licensed comic books, movie, TV, video game, music and pop culture t-shirts, sweatshirts, belt buckles and pop culture apparel for men, women, teens, juniors, and kids.

Scene on Video: MTV Movies Blog on SDCC 2010 Preview Night

MTV Movies Blog reports on San Diego Comic Con Preview Night:

Syfy SDCC 2010 Photos

See the latest Comic-Con International photos from SyFy below:

Nickelodeon Announces The Legend of Korra

Press Release

NICKELODEON GREENLIGHTS NEW SERIES FROM THE CREATORS OF THE ANIMATED TELEVISION HIT AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

Series Creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko Bring Fans a New Adventure in the Avatar World, The Legend of Korra

BURBANK, Calif. – July 21, 2010 – Nickelodeon, the number one producer of television animation in the world, has greenlit a new series from the creators of the hit animated TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender, it was announced today by Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. The new series The Legend of Korra (working title), from creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, will premiere on Nickelodeon in 2011, continuing the evolution of the animated franchise and its mythology. The original series was the inspiration for the Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies live-action epic adventure, The Last Airbender, which has already grossed more than $115 million at the box office to date.

“Mike and Bryan have imagined a compelling new story inspired by the Airbender mythology that they so brilliantly crafted when the TV series began,” Johnson said. “This new avatar is not only a girl, but also hot-headed, independent and ready to take on the world.”

The Legend of Korra takes place 70 years after the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender and follows the adventures of the Avatar after Aang – a passionate, rebellious, and fearless teenaged girl from the Southern Water Tribe named Korra. With three of the four elements under her belt (Earth, Water, and Fire), Korra seeks to master the final element, Air. Her quest leads her to the epicenter of the modern “Avatar” world, Republic City – a metropolis that is fueled by steampunk technology. It is a virtual melting pot where benders and non-benders from all nations live and thrive. However, Korra discovers that Republic City is plagued by crime as well as a growing anti-bending revolution that threatens to rip it apart. Under the tutelage of Aang’s son, Tenzin, Korra begins her airbending training while dealing with the dangers at large.

Launched in February 2005, Avatar aired for three seasons on Nickelodeon and was ranked among the top five animated properties on television among boys, 2-11 and 6-11 (2005/2006). During this time, the series reached a total of 21.7 million total viewers (persons 2+), including 8.8 million kids 2-11 and 6.3 million kids 6-11*. Currently, Avatar: The Last Airbender is the number one program on Nicktoons among tweens. (Source: *Nielsen Cume Data – July 2008, Live + 7 day, 6 min. qualifier.)

Avatar: The Last Airbender was created and executive produced by Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

An award-winning filmmaker, DiMartino was a director at Film Roman for six years, working on the prime-time animated series King of the Hill, Family Guy and Mission Hill. During his tenure there, DiMartino animated and directed the short animated film Atomic Love, which has gone on to screen at festivals across the country including Sundance and the Los Angeles Film Festival. It also aired as part of the Nicktoons Network Animation Festival.

Konietzko began his career in animation as a character designer at Film Roman for Fox’s prime-time series, Family Guy. He soon moved to the post of assistant director for two more Film Roman shows, Mission Hill and King of the Hill, working beside animation director DiMartino. Konietzko then became a storyboard artist and later an art director for the Nickelodeon animated series Invader Zim.

The new Avatar series will be produced at the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, Calif., and is co-executive produced by Joaquim Dos Santos.

Nickelodeon, now in its 31st year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 16 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com.

Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

William Shatner to Help Launch Myouterspace.com at SDCC 2010

Press Release:

William Shatner to Land Helicopter on the USS Midway at Comic-Con for the Launch of Myouterspace.Com!

Tune in and Watch William Shatner’s LIVE Webcast on Myouterspace.com, July 23rd at 7:30 PST

STUDIO CITY, Calif., July 21 /PRNewswire/ — Myouterspace.com, a new Social Network created for those passionate about Science Fiction, will officially launch with William Shatner who will soar over the San Diego Harbor in a helicopter, landing onto deck of the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier at Comic Con. William Shatner’s Myouterspace.com launch will be held at the Tweet House on the USS Midway from 7:30pm-9:30pm PST on Friday, July 23, 2010.

Comic-Con is a natural magnet for the fans, as the world will be watching Mr. Shatner interview other celebrity guests and industry professionals. Shatner fans from around the world can follow the link to our live transmission page on Myouterspace.com and follow a live Twitter chat.

“I am excited about the possibilities that are happening at Comic Con,” said Mr. Shatner, host of Myouterspace.com. “The brand new platform for creativity in film, in gaming, and in animation is now coming alive on Myouterspace.com. With Tweet House on the USS Midway, and a great team of partners, can you get more with it?”

“The team at Myouterspace has worked extremely hard towards this exciting event,” said Sammy Oriti, Co-Founder of Myouterspace.com. “Bill is an innovator; a truly incredible visionary and it will a great moment when he lands his helicopter on the flight deck. All I can say is that I have the coolest job in the world…I work with William Shatner in a Sci-Fi virtual universe!”

Myouterspace.com is dedicated to providing fans with amazing content, while connecting talented users with creative opportunities in music, graphic design, entertainment, acting, film production, and writing. Myouterspace.com generates Sci-Fi projects for film, television and the web by allowing registered users to participate alongside industry professionals and connect with other users in the business. William Shatner, host of Myouterspace.com, engages with the online community by creating video messages to fans, overseeing feature productions, providing his professional critique to users, and promoting Myouterspace.com on Twitter, Facebook, and major media outlets.

With the support of William Shatner and an innovative twist on social media, Myouterspace.com is poised to be a presence in the Sci-Fi community.

Sponsorship/advertising inquiries; sales@adplayerz.com, or 800-557-4165, Ext. 202. Visit www.myouterspace.com and www.adplayerz.com.

OR – Agents of Atlas Signing

Writer Jeff Parker and artist Chris Samnee sign at Cosmic Monkey Comics from 12-2pm on Saturday, July 24th.

Cosmic Monkey Comics
5335 Ne Sandy Blvd Portland, OR 97213-2564

AZ – Not-at-Comic Con Party

Ben Glendenning, Daniel Bradford, Brandon James and others stop by to do sketches at Atomic Comics Mesa from 11am to 3pm on Saturday, July 24th for their Not-at-Comic Con Party. Dark Horse Comics is pulling out all the stops to provide a party for comic fans who were unable to attend San Diego Comic-Con. The Red Bull Wing Team will be present with cars, girls and all sorts of stuff and RED BULL! There will be special live cell-phone feeds and online chats with the Dark Horse team at the San Diego Comic Con. We’ll have prize packages throughout the day and have local artists such as

Atomic Mesa Superstore
1120 South Country Club #105, Mesa, AZ 85210

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