Dark Horse

And the big summer movie trailers just keep coming. The latest addition to the lineup? “R.I.P.D.,” the supernatural 3-D buddy-cop action comedy adapted from the Dark Horse Comics title created by Peter M. Lenkov. Due in theaters from Universal on July 19, the movie sees Ryan Reynolds play Nick Walker, a rising-star officer killed in the line of duty who finds himself policing paranormal activity from beyond the grave. He’s now tasked with catching bad souls that have escaped judgment — the film’s title stands for “Rest in Peace Department” —  a mission made more interesting when he’s partnered with Jeff Bridges’ outrageous veteran sheriff, Roy Pulsifer. Directed by Robert Schwentke (“Red”), “R.I.P.D.” also stars Kevin Bacon, Stephanie Szostak, Mary Louise-Parker and Mike O’Malley. The clip suggests no shortage of deadpan humor, much of which appears likely to come courtesy […]

The Force is strong with Dark Horse Comics editor in chief Scott Allie. The Oregon-based company recently announced plans to publish George Lucas’ original screenplay for “Star Wars” as an eight-issue comic series launching in September, adapted by Lucasfilm executive editor and writer J. W. Rinzler and Mike Mayhew. As first drafted in 1974, “The Star Wars!” told the story of Jedi Annikin Starkiller and General Luke Skywalker, an alien named Han Solo and evil Sith Knights. Many had long speculated that the complete original version would never see the light of day, conflicting as it does with the saga’s mythic canon. But Allie said they found a powerful ally in Rinzler. “We ran some samples by him in order to show proof of concept, and now here we are,” Allie said. “We’ve had a great relationship with Lucasfilm for […]

The “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” Season 9 comic book panel at WonderCon did not yield any hints as to what will be the theme or arc of Season 10, but the assembled panelists gave accounts of working with Joss Whedon in constructing the story lines, what the experience and the world of “Buffy” have meant to them, and what the end of Season 9 will bring. The panelists in Anaheim on Saturday included Andrew Chambliss (onetime “Dollhouse” TV writer and “Buffy” comic writer), Georges Jeanty (artist on the “Buffy” comic), Jane Espenson (writer on the “Buffy” comic and TV show), and Christos Gage (writer on the “Angel & Faith” comic book). The panel was moderated by Dark Horse’s Jeremy Atkins. One of the first things addressed was that there continue to be so many fervent fans of the Buffyverse, even […]

Eric Powell’s Eisner Award-winning comic series “The Goon” — about an orphaned bruiser and his sidekick who fight zombies, cannibals, robots and other demonic creatures — might be getting the big-screen treatment if David Fincher gets his way. The “Fight Club” director is teaming up with Dark Horse Entertainment and Blur Studio, launching a Kickstarter campaign this morning to get the ball rolling for a film adaptation of “The Goon.” The campaign aims to raise $400,000 to make a full-length story reel — basically storyboards with voice-over that serve as a blueprint for the film. Two years ago, Fincher and Tim Miller of Blur Studio (a Venice-based animation and production studio) optioned “The Goon,” developed a feature film script written by Powell and released a concept trailer (above) for a full-length animated film. Though the clip was well-received at Comic-Con […]

It’s Earth Day and Dark Horse Comics is marking the day by giving away free digital copies of “The Massive,” the new near-future sci-fi tale about life after global calamity from writer Brian Wood (“Northlanders,” “DMZ”) and artist Kristian Donaldson (“Supermarket”). We caught up with Wood, who said this new saga was motivated by something far more insistent than political beliefs — he says it was driven by the searing fear he feels as he sizes up the future awaiting his children. HC: Constructing the calamity scenario and finding the textures of this changed world must have been a key challenge for you — can you talk about approaching that challenge? BW: Coming up with the high concept was easy, essentially just asking myself, “What if everything went to hell all of a sudden?” It was easy to think those thoughts back in 2009 and it […]

Aboriginal sci-fi, madcap cartoon realms, a sexualized dreamscape and a garden of geometric surrealism – these are the unexpected ideas and fascinating settings presented by the nominees in the graphic novel category for the 2012 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. This is the 32nd presentation of the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes but just the third year that the graphic novel category has been included. The winners in all categories will be announced at a ceremony at USC on April 20, right before the start of the 17th annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, the largest book festival in the United States. Here’s a look at the nominees in the graphic novel field: Joseph Lambert, “I Will Bite You! And Other Stories” (Secret Acres): Lambert’s dazzling debut effort, “I Will Bite You!” is a collection of short works (it includes some of Lambert’s self-published mini-comics […]

“Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi” takes readers back to the beginning — the creation of the mystic warrior order known as the Jedi. In February, Dark Horse will launch the series with both #0 and #1 — that zero issue, according to writer John Ostrander, will be a handbook of sorts focusing on “many of the characters, places, and tech involved” in this new tale, as well as development drawings by artist Jan Duursema. To learn the ways of the new series, Hero Complex writer Jevon Phillips talked to Ostrander and Duursema. JP: With all that is out there about the Star Wars universe and the Jedi, it would seem like a daunting task to lay the complete groundwork for this influential galaxy. What was the first task that you gave yourselves? JO: This is a time of myth and legend. An epic era. […]

Find the best and the brightest of the comic book world right here, before the books hit the shelves in the Hero Complex comics preview gallery.

Are you looking for a magical gift for that special Muggle in your life? Do you need to send a wrapped present to a Time Lord in the near future? Or maybe you’re an enterprising soul who just can’t figure out the logical thing to bring to the holodeck holiday party? Well, no worries, just mind-meld with us because we’re here to save the day. Look, up in the photo gallery, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…the Hero Complex Holiday Gift Guide. Flip through the gallery image above to see the best geeky gifts around and read our review (be sure to click the “CAPTIONS ON” option). Also below, grouped by price range, you’ll find those same gift suggestions listed with handy links to help you get your shopping done at light speed. May the nog be with you. – Noelene Clark […]

Find the best and the brightest of the comic book world right here, before the books hit the shelves. Thumb through the gallery above, and click on thumbnails below for larger images. We’ll update the post throughout the month so check back to see this growing gallery of covers and pages from upcoming releases from top publishers. To see more art from recent releases, check out our comic book news section and archive of comics-art galleries. – Jevon Phillips RECENT AND RELATED ‘Hunger Games’: See the character posters Wonder Woman at 70: DC’s icon gets new origin ‘Hawk & Dove’ preview: Chaos and order face off ‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn’ stars prep for L.A. fans ‘The Avengers’: Joss Whedon’s evil giggles ‘Star Wars’ flashback: Carrie Fisher’s audition ‘Lord of the Rings’: War in the North in Tolkien’s spirit ‘Adventures of Tintin’: Catching […]