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'Star Trek: Picard' will have its own prequel comic and novel
Streaming shows have had literary tie-ins before, but not quite like this. CBS All Access' upcoming Star Trek: Picard will have two works that serve as lead-ins to the series -- you'll want to read them if you intend to be fully informed before the show's debut. A three-part IDW comic book series, Star Trek: Picard--Countdown, will kick off in November 2019 and center on a mission that will "change the life" of the legendary Starfleet captain. You'll have a better sense of the situation he's in as the online show begins.
ComiXology Unlimited offers all of the comics for $6 a month
ComiXology, Amazon's online comic book service, unveiled a new unlimited content subscription option on Tuesday. The $6 per month ComiXology Unlimited plan gives subscribers unfettered access to the service's archive, which includes titles from Image, Dark Horse, IDW and a bunch more -- basically every notable publisher outside of Marvel and DC. ComiXology will continue to sell individual issues from the Big Two, it just won't offer them on the unlimited plan.
IDW releasing comics for iBooks
Most of the comic books released on the iPad and iPhone have been inside of special apps (many of which are run by ComiXology, actually), but here's another option. Comic book publisher IDW is set to release some graphic novels and comic books through iBooks, meaning that you can buy them right inside Apple's official e-reader app. 20 different graphic novels are coming out in the first round, ranging from genre stuff like Star Trek and Doctor Who, to licensed titles like Dragon Age, and older stuff like Locke & Key and Bloom County. Each should cost around $6 to $10 (which is competitive, especially compared to buying the full paper editions of these books), and should be available in the iBookstore soon, if not already. I used to be a die-hard paper book reader, but lately I've seen a lot of value in iBooks, not just in terms of price, but also in the convenience of having all the books I happen to be reading stored on my iPhone. I have a feeling that ComiXology and other apps like it will probably remain the best way to pick up day-one releases of periodical comic books (at least until NewsStand comes along in iOS 5), but for library editions and collected graphic novels, iBooks could become the best and easiest way to read those.
Dead Rising 2: Off the Record puts West in Greene's jacket, offers preorder DLC
We recall fondly last year's Dead Rising 2 panel, learning new information about weapons, plot and a Zombrex webseries, and it seems this year Capcom didn't want to mess with success. The Capcom panel revealed little new information about any of its titles, except for one game, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, an enhanced version of 2010's zombie sequel. Pre-ordering Off the Record from Gamestop will give you cosplay clothing pack DLC, and anyone who played Dead Rising 2 can get Chuck Greene's jacket for Frank West to wear. Because the one thing we want when we're playing the revamp of a sequel whose second protagonist has been replaced by the original, is to see the original wearing the second's jacket. Finally, someone understands us. Capcom also confirmed it is teaming up with IDW Publishing to release a graphic novel, Dead Rising: Road to Fortune, this October. Off the Record is scheduled to drop October 11, so that might be a good time for the comic to release too. Just sayin'.
Crysis 2, Dungeon Siege 3 comics in the works
Can't be bothered to actually play a game, but want something a little more visual than novels? You're in luck. First up, Crysis 2 is getting its own comic, thanks to publisher IDW. The six-issue series, written by Richard K. Morgan (who also penned the story in the game) and drawn by Peter Bergting, connects the events of Crysis and Crysis 2. It arrives in June. Next, Square Enix is working with Dark Horse Comics to release a digital Dungeon Siege 3 comic online. The book will appear on the official Dungeon Siege site, with writer Jeremy Barlow, along with artists Iban Coello and Sergio Abad, telling three tales of the kingdom of Ehb. Yet another comic will be packaged with the game itself at Walmart when it arrives on May 31.
Dead Space lives in two new formats: animated movie and graphic novel out this winter
The Dead Space universe just got a bit less lonely. EA announced two more projects for the property, this time an animated feature called Dead Space Aftermath, available January 2011, and a graphic novel called Dead Space Salvage, expected out December 2010. Perfect for those of you who love Dead Space, but somehow hate video games. The animated Aftermath tells the story of a group sent by the Government to the site of the Aegis VII disaster, specifically to be exposed to Marker shards, in order to create a carrier for a "Marker blueprint." Of course, the people don't know that's why they've been brought there, and since it's horror (and Dead Space) we can expect the expedition to go ... well, not great. The Salvage comic, published by IDW, is about a group called the "Magpies" who come across the abandoned Ishimura, which is full of candy Government agents and necromorphs. We'll learn more details about these projects during today's Comic-Con panel, "Building a Horror Entertainment Franchise: Dead Space 2."
Dragon Age comic delayed until April [update: It's still on for March]
Update: It seems there's been a mix up somewhere between BioWare and IDW, as a recent tweet from BioWare's account claims that the Dragon Age comic is still scheduled to release in March. It looks like Dragon Age fans hoping to delve further into its fantasy realm will have to wait a little bit longer. IDW Publishing editor-in-chief Chris Rydall tells Big Download that the planned March release of its Dragon Age comic has been pushed to April. Furthermore, the second issue will release in June. The comic was announced last year, and is slated to feature a story written by Orson Scott Card. The plot itself focuses around a band of rogue mages that "will defy the rules of the Templars and change the course of the world forever."
PSP Digital Comics launching in US, UK, other territories today
The PSP Digital Comics store will launch in several countries today. According to a PSNComics tweet, the US will receive access at noon Pacific time (3PM EST). The European PlayStation Blog states the comics store will open at 5PM GMT in the UK, Ireland (technical issue), Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The system will supposedly launch with hundreds of comics from Marvel, IDW, Titan, iVerse and 2000AD. Everything that's available should be listed on playstationcomics.com after launch. We're definitely looking forward to taking the service for a test drive with that "free comics" button.
IDW adding audio commentary to PSP comics
According to a tweet by comic publisher IDW, we won't just read comics on the PSP, we'll hear them as well. At least we'll hear people talking about them. "Editing more audio tracks from @Templesmith (Ben Templesmith) for Wormwood on the PSP," one tweet noted. A subsequent message clarified the nature of the audio: "Recording more @Templesmith commentaries tonight." The official PlayStation Digital Comics Twitter account (yes, we're sourcing another tweet) pointed out the note, saying "I'm so pleased IDW are taking advantage of the optional audio sound track(s) available to publishers." We agree -- it's nice to know that the PSP Digital Comics service will add something to the medium beyond a different interface. [Via QTE Gamers]
IDW producing Dragon Age and Army of Two comics
Through a joint collaboration with IDW Publishing and EA's new EA Comics brand, comic versions of Dragon Age and Army of Two will find themselves on shelves and available for download on iTunes in monthly runs. The comics will be backed by some pretty heavy hitters; Orson Scott Card will be penning the story for Dragon Age and veteran Peter Milligan will be handling the story for Army of Two, which is due to start its run sometime in January 2010.There's no information on the Dragon Age comic at this time, however we know the events of the Army of Two bromic (see what we did there?) will bridge the gap between the conclusion of the first game and the events of The 40th Day.
