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Netflix lands 'Deadpool' creator's comic universe
Netflix is pushing hard to stay relevant in the comic-based movie business, especially after Disney announced plans to shun the streaming service and make its own. Now, just a few months after Netflix's big acquisition of Mark Millar's comic publisher, Millarworld, the streaming company has landed a big splashy deal for Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld's Extreme Universe set of comic book characters.
Marvel wants to help you make comics, just leave out the farts
If you've ever wanted to make your own comic but don't quite have the skills to draw one, Marvel and Tap Tap Comics have a solution. Called Marvel: Create Your Own, the new app will let you choose a Marvel character, pose them on various backgrounds and then fill in the story via speech bubbles. The service isn't available right now, but you can sign up to be notified when it is.
Harley Quinn animated series slated for DC's streaming service
If you've been hankering for some more animation from comics juggernaut DC, or if you simply love Harley Quinn (originally created for Batman: The Animated Series herself), then you'll dig the news from Warner Bros. According to Deadline, the villainess will be heading up her own animated show for DC's upcoming streaming service.
Netflix's first comic book is Mark Millar's 'The Magic Order'
When Netflix acquired Mark Millar's comic book empire in August, many assumed the streaming service would just adapt his various works for the screen. That isn't quite the case: Netflix announced today that it will publish The Magic Order as a comic book, with art handled by Olivier Coipel. Millar is on writing duties for the six-issue dark fantasy series. In a somewhat surprising move, the story will be available in print in addition to digital starting with the premiere issue next spring.
'Nonplayer' comic series is being turned into a movie
You might not be familiar with Nonplayer right now, but if Legendary does it right, then everybody might know the name "Dana Stevens" in the future. According to Deadline, Legendary has acquired the movie rights to the beautifully drawn comic book series by Nate Simpson and Image Comics. It has also tapped Eric Pearson, known for co-writing Thor: Ragnarok and the Agent Carter TV series, to write the script.
Square Enix's Project Hikari makes a good case for VR comics
Comics are big business in Japan, but here in the West, Japanese and American titles alike tend to get overshadowed by movies, television and video games. In fact, many of those programs might even be adaptations of popular comic titles. For its first big VR project, Square Enix's Advanced Technology Division is putting the spotlight back on manga. But it isn't just about taking these stories and pasting them into a headset. Due for release in 2018 on all major VR platforms, Project Hikari aims to capture the look and feel of reading a manga while taking advantage of the immersive nature of VR to let the viewer delve deeper into these worlds.
Magic Leap will get Madefire mixed reality comics on launch day
Magic Leap is getting Madefire's mixed reality comics from day one. Reps from both companies announced their partnership at the New York Comic Con, revealing that they've actually been working together for the past five years. They promise you'll be able to view comic panels like they're 3D illustrations floating mid-air and that you'll be able to pin them around your room like digital wallpaper. Madefire plans to bring all its graphic novels to Magic Leap, including comics from Marvel, DC and Blizzard, along with original titles made just for the device.
Marvel joins Madefire's digital comic book collection
Madefire's digital comic book platform is a good way to spice up stories that you may have read countless times, but its catalog has always had a conspicuous gap: namely, there were no Marvel comics. That ends today. Madefire has added Marvel to its collection, giving you the likes of The Avengers, Black Panther and X-Men through its Android, iOS, Windows and TV apps. There's no mention of taking advantage of Madefire's pseudo-3D Motion Book format, but having access is clearly the big deal here. You don't have to switch apps when you're ready to jump from Wonder Woman to Squirrel Girl.
How the internet embraced a 'Simpsons'-'Akira' mashup
In the spring of 2013, Ryan Humphrey was lying on his bedroom floor, searching for inspiration. He had been looking for a way to contribute to the Simpsons Drawing Club, a blog on Tumblr dedicated to unofficial fan art. Run by a tight-knit group of illustrators, it featured colorful, funny and occasionally terrifying depictions of Bart, Homer and the rest of the Springfield populace. Humphrey wanted to be a part of it. He had, at one point, considered an original story about Ralph Wiggum and a dead body that could somehow talk back to him. But he didn't see himself as a comic book artist and slowly cooled on the idea. Suddenly, he spotted a copy of Akira, "Volume 1" in his room. Inspiration struck like a thunderbolt. He would redraw parts of Akira, the iconic Japanese manga series written and inked by Katsuhiro Otomo, but with characters from The Simpsons. By blending the two worlds, he would create something not only truly bizarre and unexpected but also stylish and instantly recognizable. "I just thought, 'This will be funny. This will be such a laugh,'" he recalls.
Sphero ditches the robots for a storytelling Spider-Man toy
Sphero is moving beyond cute, connected rolling balls fast. Less than a month after introducing a tie-in for the animated movie franchise Cars, the company's now taking the wraps off of its first non-robotic product. And it's another toy built in partnership with Disney. Meet Sphero's Spider-Man, a replica of the beloved Marvel superhero than listens and responds to your voice commands. Unlike with its versions of BB-8 and Ultimate Lightning McQueen though, this Spider-Man doesn't depend on an app to be fully functional.
Library of Congress archives select webcomics for posterity
Webcomics have been around for a long while, and that's raising a question: who's going to preserve those comics for online viewing outside of non-profits like the Internet Archive? The Library of Congress, that's who. It just launched a Webcomics Web Archive that curates stand-out strips. Many of them are award-winning or otherwise stand-out comics that you may have read -- the nerdiness of XKCD and the historical spoofs of Hark! A Vagrant are among the initial batch.
Comixology adds Marvel to its all-you-can-read service
Digital comic retailer ComiXology offers an all-you-can-read service for $6, which nets you stacks and stacks of virtual graphic reading from Image, Dark Horse and IDW. The big two — Marvel and DC — have been notably missing from the Netflix-style app for a while now, as both offer their own digital systems. Today, however, Amazon-owned ComiXology announced that it had finally harpooned one of the big white whales, adding select Marvel titles to its library. You'll also be able to grab several Marvel collected editions via Amazon's Prime Reading service and Kindle Unlimited.
Hulu eyes Joe Hill's 'Locke & Key' horror comic for new series
After a few false starts, Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez's award-winning horror comic Locke & Key is getting another shot at coming to your screen. Hulu is producing an hour-long pilot adaptation with Lost's Carlton Cuse executive producing and Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson filming it.
Atari's 'Swordquest' comic returns without the game
Over 30 years after its original release, Atari has decided to resurrect one of its most beloved game franchises: Swordquest. Released in 1982, this ambitious gaming series was a pretty unique proposition at the time. As well as offering $150,000 worth of prizes to players who could solve all the puzzles in the game series, Atari also teamed up with DC to release a companion comic alongside each game. Now, thanks to Dynamite Entertainment, the long dormant franchise is getting a brand new run of comic books starting this May.
Amazon Japan's manga-centric Kindle is all about storage
Japanese comics, called manga, are hugely popular. Although you probably knew that, you probably don't know the extent of it. In 2015, Japan's bestselling manga series, One Piece, sold more than 14 million copies. It helps that the format runs a hugely broad spectrum of topics; they're not just action-packed comics aimed at children but foodie series, sports, alcohol, comedy, romance and more. There are also plenty of one-off manga novels, like Steve Jobs: The Manga, to name one (ridiculous) example. It makes plenty of sense, then, for Amazon Japan to launch a special manga-focused edition of its e-reader, with faster page turning and eight times the storage for your digital manga collection.
Marvel writer chased off Twitter by pathetic misogynists
A year ago, Marvel announced that the character Mockingbird would be getting her first solo series helmed by author Chelsea Cain. The book ran from March until it was cancelled this month, with the final cover prominently displaying the message "Ask Me About My Feminist Agenda." Predictably, this provoked the vile side of Twitter, and after the trolls amped up their harassment, Cain deactivated her account this morning. Once again, the social platform's failure to combat harassment allowed a vocal minority to drive away a creative voice.
Amazon Japan's manga-ready Kindle has 8 times the storage
Amazon Japan has an unusual challenge with the Kindle: it not only has to cater to your typical bookworm, but to a local fondness for image-heavy (and thus storage-intensive) manga books. What it's going to do? Release a special model just for those readers, apparently. The company has introduced a manga version of the Kindle Paperwhite with 32GB of storage, or eight times as much space as the run-of-the-mill 4GB model. You could cram every single volume of Asari-chan, Kochikame and Naruto into this e-reader, Amazon says. On top of that, a 33 percent faster page turning speed promises to keep you engrossed in your comics.
Comic books come to VR through an app
You may have felt immersed in a comic book before, but never quite so literally as this. Madefire has released a free Gear VR preview app that lets you read its Motion Books in virtual reality. As you might guess, it's all about depth. Pages now fill your view, and creators can add 3D layers to individual panels. While it's not real 3D (your childhood dreams of exploring comic universes will have to wait), it beats staring at completely flat pictures on a PC or tablet.
Hulu cozies up to Marvel, starts working on a 'Runaways' series
Netflix has been milking its relationship with Marvel with great success, churning out critically acclaimed -- and badass -- series like Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Now Hulu's getting in on the action, too. As first reported by Deadline, the streaming service inked a deal to turn Marvel's Runaways into a series co-written by (gulp) the folks who adapted Gossip Girl for television.
Telltale's 'Batman' game does Bruce Wayne justice
Batman comics excel when they dive into the psyche of Bruce Wayne. The moody billionaire is conflicted by his desire to be a good person while protecting Gotham by any means necessary. How much force is excessive? Where do you draw the line? It's easy for the Caped Crusader to lose sight. Bruce is also a genius, capable of unraveling the most complex mysteries. Watching him scour the city and piece together a supervillain's plot is as rewarding for the reader as seeing the Dark Knight foil it with fists.
