The Beat |
- RECAP: WHAT IF…? S1E4 — “What If…Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?”
- MARVEL’S MIDNIGHT SUNS receives gameplay trailer
- The Retailer’s View: Hindsight is 2020
- Who Wants a Treat? MAYOR GOOD BOY Gets Ice Cream Homage
- INJUSTICE animated movie release details announced
- Small Press Spotlight: Only a few days left to back RISE OF THE KUNG FU DRAGON MASTER VOL 2
- INTERVIEW: Raiden voice actor Dave B. Mitchell finds the Elder God’s vulnerability in MORTAL KOMBAT LEGENDS
- PREVIEW: Nate Piekos presents THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO COMIC BOOK LETTERING
- ComiXology announces new app, more integration with Amazon
- The Marvel Rundown: Taylor & Coello’s DARK AGES arrives with a shrug
- Letterer Appreciation Day ’21: 17 of Our Favorite Letterers
- EXCLUSIVE: This preview of SNELSON: COMEDY IS DYING #2 is brought to you by postage.net
| RECAP: WHAT IF…? S1E4 — “What If…Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?” Posted: 01 Sep 2021 01:30 PM PDT WHAT IF…? S1E4 "What If…Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands? "In just a few months Benedict Cumberbatch is set to reprise his role as everyone’s favorite Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, in the highly-anticipated Spider-Man: No Way Home. Before that though, you can catch Dr. Strange voiced by Cumberbatch headlining the latest What If..? episode. In the “Sacrad Timeline” Christina Palmer (Rachel McAdams) rejected Strange’s offer to accompany his speaking engagement at an American Neurological Association dinner. In this alternate universe, Palmer instead decides to take Strange up on his invitation. And just like the main universe, Strange and Palmer are involved in a car accident… only instead of Strange losing his hands it ends up proving fatal for Palmer, thus explaining the episode’s title “What If…Doctor Strange Lost His Heart.” From there, things play out like the 2016 Doctor Strange film. Strange travels to Kamar-Taj to study the mystic arts, acquires the Eye of Agamotto (in actuality the Time Stone), and manages to “bargain” with Dormammu to save the universe.  We jump to two years later (but presumably before Thanos launched his campaign to obtain the Time Stone in Avengers: Infinity War). Still unable to let go of Christina’s death, Strange uses the Eye of Agamotto to travel back in time in order to undo it. And as you’d expect, things take a turn into Russian Doll territory as all his attempts no matter what always lead to her death. It’s during one of these attempts that Strange is visited by the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) who informs him that his efforts are in vain as Christina’s death is an Absolute Point, an unchangeable moment in time that would create a paradox and threaten the universe. Refusing to listen, Strange tries to use the Eye once again but is blasted by a bolt of energy by the ancient one and finds himself in a strange land. It’s there he discovers a temple guarded by O-Bengh (Ike Amadi), the librarian for the Books of Cagliostro. O-Bengh guides “Sorcerer Armani” to the Lost Books of Cagliostro and after a deep cram session, Strange learns he can acquire the power to reverse an Absolute Point through the absorption of other beings. His first attempt to “borrow” the power from a very familiar tentacled monster, doesn’t go as well as his bargain with Dormammu. Not heeding O-Bengh’s warnings, Strange decides to forcibly absorb the powers from other mystical creatures starting small and working his way back to the aforementioned tentacled Champion of HYDRA. In the process, Sorcerer Armani manages to acquire a more devilish looking Cloak of Levitation. However Strange has frozen himself in time for centuries during this quest for power and discovers a much older O’Bengh on his deathbed. Refusing Armani’s assistance to cheat death, O’Bengh reveals to him that there is in fact another We then cut back Strange before he embarked his time travel shenanigans who has problems of his own as reality starts crumbling around him. He’s once again visited by the Ancient One (or rather a psychic impression sent through a splinter of reality) who reveals who she drew up on the power of the Dark Dimension to split Strange allowing for two timelines to exist one one universe.  Strange has to defeat his evil misguided twin before he undoes Christina’s death and the resulting temporal paradox destroys the universe. Where’s the TVA when you need it? Strange is abducted by his darker half the “Strange Supreme” but not before Wong (Benedict Wong) provides Strange a protection spell. The Strange Supreme believes that once the two Doctor Stranges merge, they will finally have enough power to reverse the Absolute Point of Christina’s death. It worked Piccolo and Kami in Dragon Ball Z, after all. Naturally, Strange tells his deranged self that his “marbles are long gone” and that means it’s time for a wizard duel! An epic showdown commences, and despite the the sacrifice of Strange’s faithful magic carpet-esque Cloak of Levitation, the Strange Supreme gains the upper hand and absorbs his doppelgänger. Strange manages to resurrect but as predicted, reality begins to crumble all around them.
As hinted earlier in the episode, Strange actually has the ability to see the Uatu (Jeffrey Wright) and beseeches the cosmic being for his aid. It’s all for naught as The Watcher holds fast to his oath of noninterference and chastises Strange knowing the repercussions of his actions would doom the universe.
Miscellaneous Notes
New episodes of What If…? are available for streaming Wednesdays on Disney+. The post RECAP: WHAT IF…? S1E4 — "What If…Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?" appeared first on The Beat.  |
| MARVEL’S MIDNIGHT SUNS receives gameplay trailer Posted: 01 Sep 2021 01:15 PM PDT When Marvel’s Midnight Suns was unveiled last week at Gamescom, developer Firaxis promised to share gameplay from the tactics RPG the following week. As expected, the gameplay trailer premiered today during an IGN live stream, showing off the combat system and characters who will appear in Midnight Suns. You can watch it below. Firaxis also provided IGN with an extended gameplay walkthrough, which offers a brief summary of the story, including details about the Hunter, an all-new Marvel character who players get to customize to their liking. The video dives into the kinds of relationships you can build with established heroes and the game’s unique combat system.
Backing up what Firaxis said in interviews, the footage shows that the gameplay in Midnight Suns is distinct from what’s found in XCOM, the acclaimed tactics series Firaxis is best known for. Will those differences be for better or for worse? We’ll have to decide for ourselves when Marvel’s Midnight Suns launches on PC and every major console (including Nintendo Switch) in March. The post MARVEL’S MIDNIGHT SUNS receives gameplay trailer appeared first on The Beat.  |
| The Retailer’s View: Hindsight is 2020 Posted: 01 Sep 2021 01:00 PM PDT We almost skipped Free Comic Book Day this year. From the moment the books were first solicited in March, straight through to running the event just a couple weeks back, we wondered if we were making the right choices. This year, it wasn't just about figuring out quantities and drumming up a big crowd, it was about how the curve of the world would go and if we should be inviting a crowd at all. In early May, our final orders were due. We tried to plot where we thought our province and city would be in terms of pandemic numbers while our provincial government made noice about completely re-opening things by July. We knew there was a significant chance things wouldn't be okay by mid-August. Regardless, we placed some modest orders. And then we waited. As time passed, we watched things get worse with our province's COVID numbers. Still, Alberta was pretty gung-ho on removing any and all province-levied restrictions, placing the burden anywhere and everywhere else. For our part, we maintained a masking policy in our store for our community's protection. History was telling us it was the safe bet, despite some light pushback from folks who were in no way regular customers. With COVID not coming close to us during this time, this seemed to be the right choice. But what about Free Comic Book Day? With all of our general concerns, and with cases rising, would it be possible to put on the day without potentially adding to a problem we were actively concerned about? And how could we consciously ask folks to help out on the day when it would put them at potential risk themselves? We spent days coming up with different plans, running through many different scenarios. Wracked with indecision, we were suddenly two days out from the event without many things we could actionably do. If we were to run the event, our lack of advertising was bound to keep things pretty low-key. That felt comfortable. For the amount of space we have, cramming 600+ folks through our doors would be unconscionable, full stop. We knew that wasn't going to happen. But for the folks who did show up, no matter what we planned… what might we be able to put together?  In the end, we did something very small, utilizing an open breezeway just a few doors down from our shop. The idea would be to have Danica or myself in one of these spaces at all times, with some regulars providing direction. In the end, things went pretty well. Neither space ever got too crowded, and folks were cool with wearing masks in both spaces, sanitizing, and keeping their distance. More than a couple weeks removed, it seems like no one got sick, and we still managed to have a great day filled with awesome experiences. That said… the whole experience wasn't "normal". Not much is these days. DC is sending out messages to retailers talking about an impending paper shortage and its real and potential effects on their line. FedEx is warning of a year-end crunch unlike any before, which will necessitate an increase in their rates. Outfits like Ingram are sending out messages stating that 4th Quarter fulfilment is about to get wild, and gave some tips about ensuring a solid stock by the time the holidays get into full swing. And that's just what's on the horizon for the comic book industry. Currently, there are reports from everywhere that Diamond and Lunar are having trouble delivering goods on time with increasing frequency. Viz and other manga companies are scrambling to try and get their popular books back in print on a consistent basis. If numbers are any indication, vaccines aren't going to do much to curb infection rates this fall while the world deals with the harrowing results of distribution inequalities, anti-vaxxers, and idiot ideas like Alberta very nearly ending all tracing and mandatory insolation while our numbers skyrocket. (For his part, our Province's Premier hasn't been seen or heard from publicly since August 9th). I know this will sound laughable to many of you out there, and I do try and keep my columns as neutral as possible, but I'm clearly having a hard time with this one. Things are bad. Things aren't going to get better. Normal? We're done with that, in big ways that effect the world at large, like the heat dome that nearly cooked me alive, down to small ways, like how the comic industry is about to deal with some of the most tumultuous changes it has had to weather in its long existence. Soon, it's going to be more than just "is it a good idea to gather a crowd during a pandemic". As always with my columns these days, we will be focusing more on the micro than the macro. I do realize that there are bigger problems out in the world, but my experience only makes me somewhat qualified to talk about the comic book industry, and many would even debate me on that point. First, we need to explore the space that we find ourselves in. Then, we can set about looking for a path through it.  By Brandon Schatz, with edits and contributions by Danica LeBlanc It's the end of August, and several things are on the horizon. In less than two weeks time, the first full slate of items from Marvel will be available to order somewhat exclusively through Penguin Random House – moving the company's exclusive single-issue distribution away from Diamond for the first time since 1997. Last year, DC Comics did something similar, pulling their product away from Diamond and moving it hastily into the hands of Lunar Distribution and UCS. While only Lunar survived that ride (so far), this has left Diamond without direct access to the majority of product that once sustained them. A brief side note: shops in Canada can obtain their DC and Marvel product through a wholeseller called "Universal", who matches both Lunar and Marvel's rate of discount. They also cost less shipping than Lunar, and will be matching the free shipping from PRH for Marvel products, something that Diamond has proven either unwilling or incapable of doing. During this time of transition, Diamond recently attempted to adjust the shipping costs it was offering to retailers, effective when Marvel would jump to PRH in October. The offer included a "flat-rate" of 2.5% of the cost for all single issues, with an increase in percentage for other items. They combined this with the announcement of their abysmal discount rates on Marvel product that they would be offering retailers in hopes of keeping them on their side. Personally, if I continued with Diamond, our shop would be spending roughly 6% more per title IF the better shipping rates applied to stores in Canada, which is not ideal. Diamond never got around to explaining what rates would be for their "international" customers, as they instead released a statement that, despite any drop in volume a retailer might experience in dealing with Diamond, their current rate of discount (always based off of volume) would be maintained through to the end of the year. To do that, however, Diamond would NOT be changing the way they charge for freight. I know that was a lot of information, but it is vital to set the stage: Diamond is about to lose a lot of direct product base, and as a result, retailers will be ordering a lot less from them. While this happens, the base rate of shipping will not go down – which someone at Diamond seemed to realize. Instead of going through with a more of a fixed percentage model, retailers are going to experience the same problems they had shortly after Diamond's shutdown last year, when the shipping costs ate up a sizeable portion of the profits to be made with fewer titles being produced. This is not a good thing. It either means that Diamond can't, or won't, be able to provide cost-effective service. My money is on "can't", because the math on "maintaining your volume discount" gets a little wonky when you pair it with an immediate backpedal on what soon will be a ballooning cost of doing business.
Oh, and once more, Diamond and Lunar are already having problems getting product to stores on time. This is something that is just going to get worse, and more expensive as the 4th Quarter approaches. We saw it happen last year, and the world never did catch up. We're all in various stages of re-entering some of the worst of the pandemic, albeit with less death and hospitalization due to the vaccines. Considering the time-sensitive nature of the product they deliver (generally speaking, the single issues) this will be a huge problem. Outside of this, retailers are already struggling with the splintering of where they're placing orders. Lunar still seems to be struggling to maintain a sense of customer service (admittedly, something I don't have to deal with as the folks at Universal have treated me exemplary). Diamond no longer seems to have dedicated reps to deal with any problems that come up, which has caused long delays in any action being taken on any issues. For their part, Penguin Random House has been working hard at building something approaching solid before launching everyone into the deep end. They're providing a ton of resources for Comic Retailers, including a landing page that offers news to retailers and consumers. Their weird Final Order Cut Off Page had a bunch of problems (and still has a few!) but now items from different catalogues that happen to have the same FOC date are all on the same page and you can adjust those orders up or down. These might seem like simple, easy things, but when you look at the steady degradation of Diamond and the stagnant… whatever of Lunar's customer service, any progress feels great. Is that a sad thing to say? Sure. But this is where we are. The places to get the product are splintering, each has their own unique problems, and that's all being placed on the plates of retailers. There isn't more time, but there's more and more to do and keep track of. Or at least there will be until possibly the paper shortage deems otherwise. And that's all before we get into some other aspects of how things are changing. When Diamond closed down during the early parts of the pandemic, it caused a lot of creators to second-guess their place in the industry and where their next meals were going to come from. Heck, Jonathan Hickman apparently drew up a proposal that would bring the entire X-Men line to digital if single issues didn't continue as they had. Ed Brubaker has talked about how Image owed creators a bunch of money that might not be paid out if Diamond couldn't pay Image what they were owed, and how the pandemic caused him to rethink his next project with Sean Phillips entirely. And now you're seeing more and more creators making deals with places like SubStack and ComiXology. Physical copies are being promised, but that's not where you're going to get the first taste of many products from some of the industry's absolute biggest names. Meanwhile, you have a platform like Webtoon boasting regular readership in the millions while print comics rely on variants to sell and the overprints that result to satisfy the needs of the thousands. You see mapping from years ago about how (pandemic notwithstanding) the middle class in so called "western" nations was going to shrink, while the so-called "BRIC" countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) would see their middle classes all grow and thrive, necessitating a turn of attention from some of the biggest players around us. That's a tidbit I learned from listening to an old episode of Under the Influence – a Canadian radio show about advertising and marketing – from 2012, and folks? It caused me to rethink many of the recent initiatives we've seen from folks like Marvel, DC, WWE, and pretty much every movie company and production agency out there. This is data that's just been sitting around.
The comic industry is at a crossroads. The direct market? Is in danger. The things that the direct market requires as food and structure are eroding, and eroding faster because of the pandemic. The circumstances we considered normal, both within this industry, and the world itself, are not just changing, but in many ways they have already changed, forever. There are so many big things to think about. Some of them are looking at things like Marvel's initial press release about their partnership with PRH and seeing the line (emphasis mine):
Some of them scale bigger, like the idea of the single issue itself – why can't Diamond and Lunar offer a delivery model in line with the free shipping that is almost industry standard for graphic novels? Is it because they can't? The amount of fine-tuning required to get single issues out doesn't make a lot of money for a distributor. If it did, during this graphic novel boom, you'd be seeing companies tripping over one another to offer their solution. But no one did. Except PRH – the absolute biggest in the game. With them also in the process of purchasing Simon and Shuster (and with them, another bevy of book market contracts with folks like Viz and Boom and so many more), they stand a lot to gain from having a strong position on single issues, so that graphic novels continue to run unabated. You might say that they and Marvel have taken a look at what the future holds, and set about to "create a sustainable, productive supply chain", because our current one is dangerously close to not existing. There's a lot to think about right now. Creators are thinking about it. Publishers are thinking about it. Heck, from the tenor of those coming into our shop, readers are thinking about it. What is going to happen next? With shortages, with heat domes and wilder cold temperatures and hurricanes and the whole deal. What might an industry look at for cuts? If I were a betting man, I'd look at what someone like Marvel is seeing, and see what Penguin's goals might be. They publish and distribute books. Graphic novels. Single issues? They've talked about how they view it as a value add for the publishers they distribute. When creators are getting deals to produce content digitally, when people publishing on Webtoon are sometimes making seven figures, why wouldn't digital just… become a better option? Especially if you might be making the decision between using the paper to print today's single issue, or tomorrow's graphic novel? We're not in normal times. Normal's done. Normal's gone. Everything is changing around us, and as much as I don't want it to, as much as it would be easier if things just stayed the way they were, that's not the future we face. One way or another, this industry is bracing for impact. Should print single issues survive that impact? All the better. But if they don't? If shortages, if the shipping costs, if the intense dominance of the graphic novel and the money available to produce these items – money that comes FAR cheaper than producing a movie or TV show – is here (and it is)… Then we all have to entertain the idea that we're heading for a post-normal that we should really be preparing for. NEXT TIME… There won't be a next time. This was the last edition of The Retailer's View, although it won't be my last column for The Beat. The reason for this is multifaceted, but suffice to say, I'm changing the direction this (my) particular ship is pointing. If you want to argue with me on the internet, you'll either have to have my contact info and be in somewhat regular contact, or pay me. Any and all interactions outside of that will get a "thanks for reading". I don't know about you, but I've got a shop to run, and a future to think about. We'll talk in a couple of weeks. The post The Retailer’s View: Hindsight is 2020 appeared first on The Beat.  |
| Who Wants a Treat? MAYOR GOOD BOY Gets Ice Cream Homage Posted: 01 Sep 2021 12:30 PM PDT Looking for a delicious way to support literacy in Chicago Public Schools? Logan Square ice cream shop Pretty Cool Ice Cream has teamed up with Dave Scheidt, the Chicago-based writer of the newly released Mayor Good Boy, for a very unique ice-cream treat! The Mayor Good Boy PopThe ice cream treat celebrates the new graphic novel Mayor Good Boy, illustrated by Miranda Harmon. Published by Random House Graphic, Mayor Good Boy is available now at your local bookstore or public library.  As for The Mayor Good Boy Pop, it will be released for purchase at Pretty Cool Ice Cream on Friday, September 3rd, 2021. It features peanut butter ice cream in a cheese cracker shell (if the integral inclusion of cheese-flavored snacks is surprising to you, consider reading The Beat's interview with Scheidt and Harmon here). If you have food allergies, be aware that the cheese crackers are Carolyn's Krisps, which are plant-based and gluten-free: this snack's for everyone! And we mean everyone: Dana Cree, one of Pretty Cool Ice Cream's owners, confirmed to Block Club Chicago that the flavor was even dog-friendly! To taste The Mayor Good Boy Pop for yourself, you'll need to visit Pretty Cool Ice Cream, located at 2353 North California Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60647. Tell them The Beat sent you (then kindly explain to the confused staff who we are)! Ice cream can be civically responsible!Do you want to ensure your snacking is bolstered by the delicious flavor of civic responsibility? Then The Mayor Good Boy Pop is the taste you've been searching for! One dollar of each purchase will be donated to the Sit, Stay, Read charity.
Are you going to be visiting Pretty Cool Ice Cream to pick up this delicious treat? What do you think of this exciting trend of ice cream based on graphic novels? The Beat wants to hear from you! Let us know what's got your mouth watering in the comment section or over on social media @comicsbeat! The post Who Wants a Treat? MAYOR GOOD BOY Gets Ice Cream Homage appeared first on The Beat.  |
| INJUSTICE animated movie release details announced Posted: 01 Sep 2021 11:30 AM PDT Last month, details were revealed for Injustice, an animation adaptation of the incredibly successful DC Comics video game and comic book tie-in series. Today, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment revealed the release details for the Injustice animated movie available this October. Check out the release details in the official press release below.
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| Small Press Spotlight: Only a few days left to back RISE OF THE KUNG FU DRAGON MASTER VOL 2 Posted: 01 Sep 2021 11:15 AM PDT September already? It's ok. I prefer the fall weather (even though it is still 800 degrees in Jersey). Today for the Small Press Spotlight we have eyes on White Cat Entertainment's Rise of the Kung Fu Dragon Master VOL 2, a 100-page graphic novel follow up to VOL 1, which was successfully funded via Kickstarter. The book brings together writer Chris Mancini and artist Fernando Pinto again after their first graphic novel, Long Ago and Far Away, which was released digitally in 2019 from Starburns Industries Press. Read details here:
"I love mixing genres, and I thought about how cool it would be to mix martial arts, fantasy, and comedy in a modern way that also explores contemporary attitudes towards masculinity, violence, and our personal relationships," Mancini said. "I wanted to tell a big, fun story, where you're laughing one minute, thrilled by the action the next, and then surprised by a thoughtful character moment." Mancini is multitalented. He's a stand-up comic and podcaster, and he has also written, directed, and produced everything from soap operas to parenting books to horror films. Originally from Chile, Pinto is a Kubert School graduate and has worked as a sequential artist on Tales of the TMNT, Moon Lake vol. 2, Hack Slash, Monarchs, Eat Fighter, and his own books Warped! and GunPunch. The Rise of the Kung Fu Dragon Master VOL 2 Kickstarter has been up since the beginning of August and is close to reaching its funding goal. To back the project before September 5, click here. Check out some preview pages below.
The post Small Press Spotlight: Only a few days left to back RISE OF THE KUNG FU DRAGON MASTER VOL 2 appeared first on The Beat.  |
| Posted: 01 Sep 2021 11:00 AM PDT Voice actor Dave B. Mitchell is no stranger to the Mortal Kombat property having played the villains Geras and Sektor in the Mortal Kombat 11 video game. For the new Mortal Kombat animated films, Mitchell is fighting on the side of the angels as Raiden, the franchise’s iconic god of thunder and protector of Earthrealm. Mitchell returns to channel the lightning once again in Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, the sequel to last year’s smash-hit Scorpion’s Revenge. The Beat had the chance to speak with Mitchell about how he came to voice Raiden, the different experiences between voiceover work in animation and video games, and much more! Taimur Dar: This isn't your first foray into the Mortal Kombat franchise having played Geras and Sektor in the Mortal Kombat 11 video game. How did voicing Raiden in Battle of the Realms come about? Dave B. Mitchell: Much like most of the things we end up doing, they sent out a set of auditions for Scorpion's Revenge for all of the characters. I think they were looking to establish their own voice of the characters. I don't mean just from a vocal stance. I think they wanted to explore some different angles on these characters and wanted to do something different to stand apart from the games. All the people who have played the characters in the games over the years are phenomenal and amazing. It was never a thing about anyone trying to replace anyone. It was to explore a different side of things.
Dar: Continuing on that, as an Elder God Raiden obviously comports himself very seriously. But I like that in the films we see a more human side of Raiden emerge like how he gets amused by Johnny Cage. How important was connecting to Raiden's humanity to you as a performer? Mitchell: It's there in the script. The writer [Jeremy Adams] did a magnificent job with these films and these characters even before any of us opened our mouths. When you read the script, they jump off the page. You connect with them and know who they are. Despite the fact that we didn't record this stuff together, we recorded separately. Side thing here with Johnny Cage. Joel [McHale] brought it! I loved his take on Johnny. I thought he absolutely killed it. Obviously, Joel is a very funny guy and he's a fine actor. He really brought that out in Johnny. With this, knowing where had gone with Johnny in the first movie when I had the bits where Raiden does find the moments of amusement with Johnny it's cool. Because you know Raiden sits up there above it all. But as you said, he's not immune to it. When something's amusing, it gets through to him. He'll give you that little smile or chuckle or acknowledgment of, "OK, you got me with that one. I'll give you that." As heavy as the emotional stuff [gets] it's nice to have those little moments of relating to the humanity or humor that get fleshed out in this movie.
Mitchell: They differ in some ways but for the most part they're still drawing on the same skills and techniques particularly on something like Mortal Kombat. Obviously, in the animated films, they're going to be much more dialogue-heavy with what we end up doing with the characters. Whereas in the games though they do have their fair share of dialogue, ultimately those games are about fighting. They tend more towards that with the games but utilizing the same set of skills. In these films, there's a lot of fighting and the fights are so well done. They're well directed, conceived, rendered, and drawn. You get involved in the fights and they're bloody and violent. You have to bring that physicality especially for something like Mortal Kombat because it is so brutal and violent and bloody. You have to reflect that in the performance. It has to have that visceral quality or it's not going to translate to the audience. So a lot of the stuff that we're doing is the same particularly when it comes to the fighting and a game franchise. There's a lot of crossover. [I] definitely was using the video game background for some of the physical stuff for sure. Dar: In the film, Raiden relinquishes his godhood in order to participate in the tournament. Did you adjust your performance in any way when performing Raiden as a mortal? Mitchell: To a degree. Ultimately he's still Raiden. There wasn't a giant shift. Certainly, the fact that after he does that you could feel some vulnerability because for the first time ever in Raiden's history you see him being genuinely vulnerable. There's maybe an emotional vulnerability that was hiding in there because he was physically invulnerable that was never really an issue. In this case, he's got both. Because he is now mortal, he can not only be hurt physically but he can be hurt emotionally. The writer did a marvelous job of being able to straddle that line. He's still Raiden and carries with him everything about who he is. I tried to tap into that he's not as armored as he was physically or emotionally. Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms is available now on Digital, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD The post INTERVIEW: Raiden voice actor Dave B. Mitchell finds the Elder God’s vulnerability in MORTAL KOMBAT LEGENDS appeared first on The Beat.  |
| PREVIEW: Nate Piekos presents THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO COMIC BOOK LETTERING Posted: 01 Sep 2021 10:15 AM PDT Next month Image Comics will release The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering. The new book from letterer Nate Piekos will break down everything you ever needed to know about the craft of lettering comics. Today, as part of our Letterer Appreciation Day celebration, The Beat is pleased to present a preview of the book, as well as its complete table of contents.
Here’s how Image describes The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering:
In the publisher’s announcement of the forthcoming guide, Piekos explained what went into his decision to put everything he knows down on paper:
I freely admit that there are many, many, many things that I don’t know about what goes into lettering a comic, and I’ve always had a great appreciation for those who can do it well, Piekos included. The table of contents for the book shows that, as well as going in-depth on dialogue and the different types of balloons, Piekos will also cover the ins and outs of captions, sound effects, and more, and I for one can’t wait to read this book and learn as much from it as I can. Check out the preview and the table of contents below. The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering is due out in comic shops on Wednesday, October 20th, and everywhere the following Tuesday, October 26th. The preorder cutoff date for comic shops is Monday, September 13th.
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| ComiXology announces new app, more integration with Amazon Posted: 01 Sep 2021 10:05 AM PDT
Digital comics are definitely heating up and ComiXology is the latest to make big changes. After years of realagtive stability (and complaints about an outdated interface) ComiXology has just announced some major updates, all slated to take place over the fall. The news was announced in an email from CEO David Steinberger, which you can read below. The good news is that the app will be updated with more robust filtering and navigation, something users have been asking for for a long time, and you’ll be able to read more free comics if you have a Prime or Kindle Unlimited account. The bad news is that the existing Comixology site is going away, to be replaced by the Amazon storefront, which you can see right now. This is a major loss, as flawed as it is, the ComiXology site was tailored specifically to comics with previews and credits. Many of the changes will requite users to integrate even more with Amazon, which some may be reluctant to do. You will now need to have an Amazon account to use ComiXology, and all purchases will go through the Amazon store. This is a very major change to how ComiXology does business, and there’s sure to be a lot of outcry in 3…2…1…but also greater visibility for digital comics on Amazon as a whole as the graphic novel category becomes ever more prominent. Amazon has acquired many companies over the years, and how they integrate with the main Amazon site on browsers varies. For instance, Audible is now mostly integrated with Amazon but still has its own branding and interface. Zappos, which sells shoes, still has its own freestanding website, although all the products are also available on Amazon. ComiXology appears to be folding in to Amazon in a much more complete way, as “Kindle Comics” on browsers, although the app will still be free standing. And of course, there is ComiXology’s ongoing original comics program, such as the huge Scott Snyder deal announced only a few weeks ago. It’s going to be a long day on the interwebs, as a friend just told me. Here’s Steinberger’s letter.
Hello, Friends! For those of you who don't know me, I'm David Steinberger, co-founder and CEO of comiXology. It's been a while since I personally wrote to comiXology customers, but it's for a good reason: the comiXology team has been hard at work making important changes that you'll start to see soon, and today I'm excited to share what's coming. First, though, I want to ask you to merge your comiXology and Amazon account so you can use these new services — in fact, once we update this fall, you'll need to use an Amazon account to use comiXology at all. You can do so, here. Thanks! In 2014, comiXology did what all great comic book heroes do: a major team-up. Teaming up with Amazon was the best way to support our mission — to make everyone on the planet a lifelong comics, graphic novel, or manga fan. Since then, we've been adding features like Guided View and comiXology Unlimited to Amazon and the Kindle app. We made our amazing comiXology Originals titles available free-to-read with a Prime Reading, Kindle Unlimited, or comiXology Unlimited membership. These additions have helped us reach more readers of comics, graphic novels, and manga than ever before. This fall, we're introducing an upgraded comiXology app along with a new way to shop for digital comics and manga on Amazon.com. Here are some of the changes you can expect:
The team and I can’t wait to share more about our new features and exciting changes over the next couple of weeks. If you have questions I didn’t cover in this email, visit our FAQ or join our conversation on Twitter. Thanks for being a reader of and an advocate for this amazing art form. I'm truly grateful to work with such a passionate team of comic and manga lovers. I look forward to releasing our new app this fall and following up with great new features and improvements at a more rapid pace. For those of you who haven't enjoyed a comiXology Original title yet, read Kel McDonald and Tyler Crook's The Stone King for free until 9/30/2021 as a token of our appreciation. I love this book! All the best, David PS: I wanted to share something pretty amazing: Stephen King’s new novel, Billy Summers, has not one but two mentions of @comixology in the story. That's a nice feeling.
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| The Marvel Rundown: Taylor & Coello’s DARK AGES arrives with a shrug Posted: 01 Sep 2021 09:00 AM PDT This week, darkness descends on the Marvel Universe with the much-anticipated debut of Dark Ages! Does the first issue of the event miniseries live up to the hype, or are readers in for a truly dark time? We've got a review of Dark Ages #1, plus a Rapid Rundown of other new Marvel Comics titles for the week, all ahead in the latest installment of The Marvel Rundown!  Dark Ages #1Writer: Tom Taylor It's been just over a year since Dark Ages was teased in Marvel's Free Comic Book Day 2020 offering. At the time the series was listed as a Fall 2020 offering, but sprinkle in one pandemic and one distributor shutdown to the mix and here we are (and if you don't remember that there was a teaser for this series in that FCBD title, you're not alone — I had to be reminded of it myself). The first issue of the series arrives this week, and at this point I'm still a little torn about whether it was worth the wait or not. Tom Taylor brings his thing for apocalyptic superhero alt-universes to Marvel for this title, imagining a universe in which all technology has failed. The first issue is pretty much all set-up, telling the story of how this world ended up the way it did, and it makes for a decently enjoyable, if not necessarily groundbreaking, superhero tale in the process. Taylor uses narration from Spider-Man to set the mood for the issue, as Spidey recounts how costumed heroes around the world rushed around, helping people and trying to figure out what's happening, while the usual big brains came up with a plan that quickly fell apart. Some of that narration is pretty repetitive – we know this is happening "across the world," there's no need to say it multiple times in just a few pages – but otherwise it's fairly effective.  It helps that Taylor's wordsmithing is paired with a solid art team in Iban Coello and Brian Reber. Coello's previous Marvel credits include Amazing Spider-Man and Venom, so a tale focused on Spidey with a heavy dose of darkness included is a perfect fit for him. His work has a loose, energetic feel to it, which suits the superheroics of the issue well, particularly the sequence in which a group of heroes battle the Unmaker at the center of the Earth. The battle and its fallout are brutal, and Coello's linework captures the intensity and utter chaos nicely. Reber's colors complement Coello's lineart nicely, adding depth and texture to the characters and their goings-on. His largely muted palette suits the darkness of the tale well, and a few splashes of bright color highlight literally the figurative rays of light that pop up even as things go south for our heroes and the world. Despite all that, though, there was something about Dark Ages #1 that didn't quite capture me. Perhaps it was the feeling that, as mentioned earlier, the issue is pretty much all set-up for the real story that feels like it's coming with the next issue. It could also be that I expected something more from Tom Taylor, who's currently writing one of the best superhero books on stands in DC's Nightwing.  I think, though, that it was the lack of anything particularly new or exciting about the story that left me wanting more. It's entertaining in a way that's comfortable, and there's nothing wrong with a comic that’s comfortable — God knows we've needed comfort entertainment over the past eighteen months. At the end of the day this is a summer blockbuster, 'turn off your brain' comic, superheroes fighting against a primal force of darkness, and if you go in not expecting more than that you probably won't have any issue with it. Dark Ages #1 is an extremely competently-made comic. The writing is overall enjoyable and the artwork is strong. Still, it’s missing that little extra something to set it apart from the rest of the pack. If all you’re looking for is a book about superheroes doing superhero things to varying degrees of success, though, you’re sure to get a kick out of this book. Final Verdict: BROWSE.  Rapid Rundown!
Next week, Ka-Zar returns, and Conan the Barbarian hits its 25th issue! The post The Marvel Rundown: Taylor & Coello’s DARK AGES arrives with a shrug appeared first on The Beat.  |
| Letterer Appreciation Day ’21: 17 of Our Favorite Letterers Posted: 01 Sep 2021 08:00 AM PDT Header image by Nate Piekos, via TwitterToday, September 1st, is the fourth annual Letterer Appreciation Day, named in recognition of legendary letterer Gaspar Saladino‘s birthday. Letterers are easily the unsung heroes of the comics world. Writers and artists get all the credit from fans for a book’s success, and even many publishers don’t bother naming letterers when they announce a comic’s creative team. The best letterers are often so good at their craft that their work goes unnoticed, while bad lettering can absolutely ruin an otherwise great comic. To celebrate the occasion, and to recognize creators who are often overlooked, the staff of The Beat came together to name and gush over some of our favorite practitioners of the art of comics lettering. This list is sure to leave off some favorites, so we invite our readers, fans and pros alike, to sound off in the comments with your favorite letterers. Derf BackderfTrashed, My Friend Dahmer, Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio  I think this may be a bit unorthodox because Derf is known more for his cartooning, but lettering is an essential part of his oeuvre. In fact, Derf is an Eisner-award winning letterer (for 2016's Trashed), which makes his work in the field essential to study and appreciate. Derf's letters bend, stretch, and expand in singular ways not found in many other comix; he is a master of this critical piece of cartooning. The key ingredient that makes Derf's lettering work is its maximalism. He wants you to know that a sound is not just a sound, but a key character feature. Sound effects are, of course, a focus, but within Derf's lettering are elemental emotional tones that create color within reader's minds. –AJ Frost Joe CaramagnaAmazing Spider-Man, Incredible Hercules, Daredevil  I first became aware of Joe Caramagna back in 2010 when he reached a spectacular milestone lettering 100 consecutive issues of Amazing Spider-Man. Considering the 3x a month schedule, not an easy feat! Without a doubt though, Caramagna is a master at comic book sound effects. My personal favorites are the hilarious onomatopoeia effects that began during his stint lettering the Incredible Hercules book. However, his lettering on Mark Waid's acclaimed Daredevil run is where he truly shines and is incorporated into the storytelling on the same level as Will Eisner's The Spirit. –Taimur Dar Nate PiekosBlack Hammer: Reborn, Bang!, The Umbrella Academy, The Me You Love In The Dark  The prolific Nate Piekos has been behind the superb lettering of comics for basically every major publisher, in addition to video games, films, ads, and more. He even creates and letters his own webcomics. One of my favorite examples of his comics lettering is his elegant conversion of Wendy Pini's handwriting from classic '80s Elfquest style, preserving the look and feel for the recent Elfquest: The Final Quest. His talents in creating atmospherically powerful fonts have also won him awards for horror and sci-fi lettering, while last year's Ringo Award for best letterer highlights his all-around skills. But what stands out to me most are his generous contributions to the community: I first encountered him via his beautiful, versatile free fonts that he provides for indie work (at Blambot.com), and he has an already-popular lettering book out in October. He's a talent and he lifts up other letterers… what more could you ask for? –Kerry Vineberg Janice ChiangConan the Barbarian, Iron Man, Ghost Rider, Superman Smashes the Klan  It's impossible to condense the incredible lettering career of Janice Chiang into just a few hundred words. With more than 69,000 pages lettered (as of 2017) and work that transcends recommended age ranges and genres, Chiang has consistently delivered impactful lettering in kids' comics, horror books, and everything in between. Her credits include creating a unique word balloon for Ghost Rider as well as lettering the 2021 Eisner Award-winning Superman Smashes the Klan. In addition to working in both hand-lettering and digital techniques over the years, Chiang has also turned her vaunted abilities towards conveying meaning in non-comics spaces: her impeccable printing has also graced signs she produced in her capacity as a community organizer. Without question, Chiang is a lettering legend! –-Avery Kaplan Ariana MaherS.W.O.R.D., Excalibur, The Joker, Ringside, The Banks  If you're a comics fan, you've probably already been won over by the work of Ariana Maher! As one of VC's Digital Letterers, she is behind multiple Marvel comics each week – and she nails each and every one of them, no matter how many "character-unique" word balloons there might be! In addition to Marvel Comics, Maher has lettered books for DC, Image, TKO, Dark Horse, and many other publishers, as well as webcomics for Hiveworks. 2021 has been a busy year for Maher: she received a GLAAD Award for her work on Empyre: Aftermath Avengers and her work appeared in both Marvel and DC's Pride one-shots. On top of all this, she regularly shares information on how to navigate comics (including the business elements) via her very clever Twitter handle, @CommentAiry. If you're looking for an up-to-the-minute example of her incredible work, I recommend picking up either Demon Days: Cursed Web #1 when you visit your local comic shop this week, or Crush & Lobo #4 next week! –-Avery Kaplan Hassan Otsmane-ElhaouWrite It In Blood, Engineward, Count, Next Door
When it comes to lettering, the devil may be in the details – and few people are paying as close attention to the details as Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou! To confirm this fact, one needs only glance at his Twitter timeline, which is reliably filled with thoughtful and precise examinations of a few of the word balloons being included in whatever project he might currently be lettering. In addition to his comic lettering, Otsmane-Elhaou also imparts his voluminous knowledge to those who are interested in honing their own craft, or are simply curious to better understand the mechanics of comics, through his YouTube channel, Strip Panel Naked. And as the Eisner-winning editor of PanelxPanel, Otsmane-Elhaou regularly plies his lettering craft to comics criticism… and comics criticism never looked so good! –-Avery Kaplan Bill SpicerConcrete, Ducktales  Spicer was a key figure in the rise of independent comics as the publisher of Graphic Story Magazine all the way back in the '60s. His contributions to the rise of undergrounds and creator-owned comics are still little recognized today, but his lettering is better remembered. He got his start at Western comics in 1967 but went on to work for Dark Horse (Concrete), Another Rainbow, Fantagraphics, Viz, and many more. He was something of a "Disney Specialist" though, with a distinctive, pleasing lettering style that was a joy to look at all on its own, and flawless placement to allow the story to flow. You can see why the exacting Paul Chadwick wanted Spicer's lettering for his book: I've always thought that lettering functions as a design element as well as storytelling, and Spicer's style meshed perfectly with Chadwick's. Spicer was definitely a go-to guy for Disney stuff, however, given his start at Western. I worked with him several times at Disney Comics back in the day and I was always excited to get his pages in as they were such a pleasure to read – even when the pages were crammed with way more dialog than they should have had! –-Heidi MacDonald Taylor EspositoAction Comics, Friendo, Finger Guns, Bunny Mask  With work that ranges from gritty and bloody like Bunny Mask to lighthearted fun like Elvira and Bettie Page, Taylor Esposito's strengths are his versatility and clean, easy-to-follow choices. Balloon placement and figuring out who is talking are never issues when he's on a book, making the pages flow for fluid storytelling. His font choices are typically spot on with each character's voice, and sound effects are powerful without overtaking the page. Esposito is also the lettering teacher at the Kubert School, helping upcoming professionals hone their craft for a new generation of proficient, quality lettering. –Deanna Destito Rus WootonThe Walking Dead, Invincible, Deadly Class, Fire Power  Rus Wooton is probably best known for his long-time lettering stint on The Walking Dead comic, but Wooton's reach also extends to other Image books such as Invincible and Monstress. Wooton's style becomes part of the artwork; his choices seamlessly fit into each panel without jarring the reader from the story. The best lettering is often the lettering you don't notice, and that may be the case for the hundreds of pages you've read without realizing who the man behind the font was. –Deanna Destito Benjamin MarraTerror Assaulter: O.M.W.O.T. (One Man War on Terror), Night Business, The Incredibly Fantastic Adventures of Maureen Dowd  Career letterers are a criminally underrated part of the mainstream comics production process, but there's a certain magic you can only get from cartoonists who letter their own work. It's a crucial part of Benjamin Marra's appeal, whose work possesses a handmade quality that's unmistakably the vision of one man's vision (even if he has been known to collaborate with other creators, like writer Joe Casey on Jesusfreak). Marra's comics can be difficult to recommend, or even describe, to the uninitiated, but Marra's warts-and-all lettering drives home the grimy charm. How do you begin to describe a comic like Terror Assaulter: O.M.W.O.T. (One Man War on Terror) without sounding like a lunatic? But Marra's lettering is perfectly in-sync with the rest of his singularly idiosyncratic style, knowingly aping the vibes of an over-stimulated teen doodling bombastic violence and over-the-top sex in pre-algebra class. –Gregory Paul Silber Deron BennettResonant, Harley Quinn, Nightwing  You can't talk about letterers without mentioning Deron Bennett. Bennett and his lettering and design company AndWorld Design are responsible for some of the best balloons and layouts in the industry, including books for DC, Marvel, Vault, Boom!, IDW, and so much more. Because Bennett understands the art and how a comic should be built, his letters are creative, attractive, and part of the visual experience on the page. His regular nominations for the industry's top awards are a testament to his professionalism and talent. –Deanna Destito Sal CiprianoDetective Comics, The Flash, Out of Body, Mary Shelley: Monster Hunter  Best known for his work on DC books such as Detective Comics and The Flash, Sal Cipriano has also worked with smaller publishers such as Aftershock and most recently AWA Upshot. Cipriano deftly handles books filled to the brim with dialogue and effects, never detracting from the art. His choices in font and colors always complement the rest of the page, never interfering with visuals. Instead, the balloons and sound effects enhance the page for a complete reading experience. –Deanna Destito Tom OrzechowskiThe Uncanny X-Men, The New Mutants, Spawn  If you've read Chris Claremont's X-Men run (especially Days of Future Past) or any of the Spawn comics from the series' first six years then you're probably well-versed in the lettering work of Tom Orzechowski, whether you knew it or not. Orzechowski showcases that rare ability to make text-heavy pages flow unobtrusively with the action while making key pieces of dialogue feel as if they were genuine manifestations of the characters that uttered them. It's one of the things that made my younger self fixate so much on Spawn. In fact, it's still one of the things that define the comic for me after all these years. –Ricardo Serrano Richard CorbenHeavy Metal Magazine, Haunt of Horror, Hellboy  Master of horror Richard Corben usually lettered his own work and there's an undeniable feeling of classic EC Horror nostalgia and continuity in it. From Ragemoor to Shadows on the Grave, his approach to lettering made the text a natural extension of the horror on display, giving it balance and texture as it developed. Corben's use of scroll-like narration boxes and crooked lettering to capture the sounds of a shambling corpse or an ancient god played up the terror in his stories quite beautifully, and it truly did alter how one would 'hear' the things that came out of the shadows in his comics. His methods allowed for a rich exercise in imagination and it made for some truly terrifying storytelling. –Ricardo Serrano Aditya BidikarAssassinistas, These Savage Shores, Little Bird, Grafity’s Wall  Aditya Bidikar is a name at the top of my list of the best letterers in comics, his work is the perfect synthesis of digital and hand-crafted. Controlled variation makes the words fit together where they should, dialog can flow and breathe while maintaining a continuous structure, tracks for the story to run on. Natural, programmed, gives comics the look of tomorrow. People say if lettering is good, you don't notice it. I think that Bidikar's lettering strives to go unnoticed while vying with equal intensity to be felt. I feel it. You can count on him to match a book's tone with thoughtful, powerful work, stuff that elevates the entire read. –Arpad Okay John WorkmanThe Mighty Thor, Doom Patrol, Orion, Static Shock  This guy. Total legend. John Workman's actual lettering is clear, bold, businesslike maybe and pulp definitely, with a touch of sword and sorcery, heavy metal, magic tome. However, nobody but nobody brought sound effects to the foreground like Workman. His thick and blocky text strips were a zipper of letters pulled up across the art, sealing scene and sound together. Talk about people who establish the aesthetics of comics, Walt Simonson's Thor without Workman is no longer what we think of when we think of Thor. Imagine what Workman and Jim Starlin would look like (you don't have to, it's called Cosmic Odyssey, with Mike Mignola among others). I could wax on forever about different books with incredible John Workman lettering in them, so let me cut it off with that he frequently worked with John Paul Leon and those two are real magic. –Arpad Okay Eldo YoshimizuRyuko  Manga is a tricky subject to bring up regarding lettering. The Hard Case Crime version of Eldo Yoshimizu's girl gang masterpiece Ryuko that I read had a letterer, and it was Amoona Saohin. Though I haven't seen (much of) Yoshimizu's original letters for the dialog in Ryuko, his sound effects have been preserved as well as translated in the English version, and holy shit. Yoshimizu has a boldness as a letterer that would make John Workman blush. He doesn't have as distinct a style, a recognizable hand the way Workman does, but that's because the sound effects match their source as well as go big. A clean sound of a car shifting gears paired with the shaky rumbling noise of its engine. Or the gunfire could be done in leopard print to match the outfit of the killer pulling the trigger. Yoshimizu is wild. His stuff is all over the page, all over the map. He's trying to get you to experience the sound as a reader and I love it. Must be seen to be believed. –Arpad Okay Who’d we forget? Let us know who your favorite letterers are in the comments! The post Letterer Appreciation Day ’21: 17 of Our Favorite Letterers appeared first on The Beat.  |
| EXCLUSIVE: This preview of SNELSON: COMEDY IS DYING #2 is brought to you by postage.net Posted: 01 Sep 2021 07:00 AM PDT Next week, AHOY Comics will release Snelson #2, the next chapter of the dark comedy miniseries from writer Paul Constant, artist Fred Harper, colorist Lee Loughridge, and letterer Rob Steen. The series follows Melville Snelson, a comedian who peaked in the ’90s, as he attempts to stay relevant by any means necessary. Today The Beat is pleased to present an exclusive excerpt from the upcoming issue.
Here’s how AHOY describes Snelson #2:
In an interview with The Beat prior to the release of the series’ first issue, Constant described walking the tightrope of writing a series with an unlikeable protagonist:
The preview for the latest issue checks in on Snelson in the wake of his “cancellation,” as he takes the next logical steps and launches a successful podcast where he interviews other “cancelled” comedians. You can check that out, as well as the variant cover for the issue by the legendary Sergio Aragonés, below. Snelson #2 is set to arrive in stores on Wednesday, September 8th.
The post EXCLUSIVE: This preview of SNELSON: COMEDY IS DYING #2 is brought to you by postage.net appeared first on The Beat.  |
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