Current Batman actor Ben Affleck has informed the powers that be that he will no longer be directing the up coming solo Batman movie “The Batman”. The Batman would have been the first in a reported trilogy of solo Batman films that Affleck would have probably directed, written and starred in. Mr. Affleck will still star, produce and write the movie, which will feature the Caped Crusader do battle with villain for hire Deathstroke: The Terminator. Rumors have been flying as to what made Mr. Affleck have a change of heart. Some indicating that the recent failure of “The Accountant” and Live By Night, the latter which was directed by Mr. Affleck and was a passion project of his, was the final... 

Mike Mignola, the legendary creator of Hellboy and NEW YORK TIMES bestselling novelist Christopher Golden reunite for the epic conclusion to Baltimore with Baltimore: The Red Kingdom, a five part comic book series from Dark Horse Comics co-written by Mignola and Golden, with art by award winning children’s book illustrator Peter Bergting, colors by Michelle Madsen and stunning covers by Ben Stenbeck (Frankenstein Underground).  

On February 1, 1992, seven comics superstars Erik Larsen, Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino came together to form their own company that would change the landscape of comics forever. Current partners McFarlane, Valentino, Kirkman, Larsen, and Silvestri collectively have brought creator-owned comics to the forefront of industry change and, after 25 years of amazing storytelling freedom, Image is pleased to celebrate the milestone anniversary with Image Day—Feb. 1, 2017.  

On March 10th, Nova Collective (featuring members of Between the Buried and Me, Haken, Trioscapes, Cynic) will release their debut album, The Further Side, via Metal Blade Records. Nova Collective’s music can be described as fusion, weaving progressive rock influences with world music, jazz and classical, to create something entirely new that is pure aural candy for prog/jazz fans.  

Available exclusively in North America and released in conjunction with the band’s upcoming Spring co-headline tour with Killswitch Engage – “KillThrax” – thrash metal icon ANTHRAX – Frank Bello/bass, Scott Ian/guitar, Joey Belladonna/vocals, Charlie Benante/drums, Jonathan Donais/guitar – announces the release of the limited edition “For All Kings 7-Inch Box Set” (Megaforce Records).  

After touring the world this past year in support of their new album, Jomsviking, Amon Amarth will head back out on the road this spring for a USA tour with Goatwhore! Starting April 30th, the trek also features select appearances by Amon Amarth at some of the nation’s premier music festivals: “Welcome to Rockville”, “Carolina Rebellion”, “Dark Lord Day”, “Northern Invasion”, and “Rock on the Range”.  

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), a premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing, announces the latest edition of the BLEACH anime series on Blu-ray with the home media release of Set 2 on January 31st.  

Orange County, CA based Hard Rock outfit NEW YEARS DAY are preparing to hit the road for their first tour of 2017. The band will be direct support to Attila on the upcoming “Let’s Get Abducted” Tour in the US. New Years Day continue to tour throughout North America and internationally on the strength of their third studio album, Malevolence (2015).  

Image Comics is pleased to reveal interior preview artwork from the forthcoming ROYAL CITY—a new ongoing monthly series written and illustrated by New York Times bestselling author Jeff Lemire (DESCENDER, Sweet Tooth) and set to launch in March 2017. First announced in Entertainment Weekly this Spring, ROYAL CITY promises to be a sprawling, serialized graphic novel that will chart the lives, loves, and losses of a troubled family and a vanishing town across three decades.  

Once upon a time, the Thunderbolts were the Masters of Evil, villains posing as heroes. Two decades later, their leader has returned…and Baron Zemo will reclaim the legacy of the Thunderbolts – with the infinite power of the cosmic cube!  

Superstar creators Mark Millar (Kingsman: The Secret Service) and Greg Capullo (Batman) join forces to create the sci-fi story of the year—REBORN. A beautiful hardcover edition from Image Comics will collect issues 1-6 and hit stores this May.  

Extreme metal giants ARCH ENEMY have released a new live video for the song “War Eternal”. The video was filmed at Wacken 2016 and is featured on the band’s upcoming live DVD/Blu-ray “As The Stages Burn!”, which comes out March 31st