by Todd Matthy With the final issue of “Planetary” dropping tomorrow, I’ve decided to spotlight another series destined to join the ranks of ‘delayed for far too long’ lore,”The Twelve”. Does anybody remember “The Twelve”? You know that 12 issue maxi series Marvel produced written by J. Michael Straczynski about Twelve forgotten heroes from the Golden Age that were placed in suspended animation by Nazis and revived in the 21st century? I thought you did, but if you didn’t it’s understandable considering the last issue came out in October of LAST YEAR!  

6 October 2009 (Berkeley, CA) – This upcoming weekend the world’s greatest creator-owned and operated publisher, Image Comics, makes a big return to the Baltimore Comic Con including their biggest guest list yet and a very special IMAGE UNITED preview book variant available only at the show!  

Private Practice actor returns to Superman: The Animated Series role for all-new DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movie available today, Sept. 29 For most fans, Tim Daly patented the All-American trust within the voice of the title character for the landmark Superman: The Animated Series. Daly returns to his heroic roots today as the Man of Steel in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. The film is available today, Sept. 29, in Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def, DVD, OnDemand, Pay-Per-View and for download.  

Series Offers A Powerful Collection Of Realistic Vignettes That Explore The Angst-Ridden Lives Of Young People On The Brink Of Adulthood San Francisco, CA, October 6, 2009– VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, expands its notable VIZ Signature manga imprint with the publication of Inio Asano’s WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD! on October 20th. The 2-volume series (each sold separately but launch simultaneously) is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens and will carry an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN.  

by Todd Matthy One of the most successful ways to bring new readers to comics has been through licensed properties. Some of the greatest comics of all time have been based on licenses. (Example: GI Joe) One of my favorite comics currently on the racks is Marvel’s book based on Stephen King’s The Dark Tower.  Done as several interconnecting limited series, The Dark Tower comics use the novels as framework to tell new stories based around events referenced in the novels. The success of these books has led me to believe a similar method can be applied to J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.  

by Todd Matthy In 1984 Marvel Comics released The Transformers comic book and it was a success. However, Marvel was initially weary of the new concept and decided to give the series a shot in the arm by having Marvel characters guest star in an issue. This practice was not new; such licensed books as Micronauts and Shogun Warriors often had guest stars or made guest appearances with Marvel characters. Transformers number three is one such comic and it guest stars none other than the Amazing, Spectacular, and Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.  

Kevin Conroy returns to seminal role as the definitive voice of Batman in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies Batman: The Animated Series star reunites with Tim Daly and Clancy Brown brings in all-new DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movie for distribution Sept. 29 While the debate rages among fans over who might be the best live-action actor to play Batman, there is no such controversy when it comes to the voice of The Dark Knight – Kevin Conroy stands unchallenged for that title.  

Reports are coming from several places that the upcoming Broadway musical Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark is in financial trouble. The musical, slated to open March 2010 at The Hilton Theater in New York City and costing 45 million dollars, has suspended production this month due to money running out. Producer David Garfinkle has been scrambling to get a new dose of financing to get the ball rolling again. With the news that Disney has just purchased Marvel, some would think that the mouse house would save the day…wrong! Disney is said to not want nothing to do with the production, which many feel is over budgeted and bloated. Disney has had its own troubles in the past with large productions on Broadway (Tarzan,... 

Welcome…all ye who enter the metalmachine.net blog. We have a new segment in the comic book section of the blog, it’s called “Monday Morning Quarterback”, in honor of the upcoming football season and the flashbacking we will be doing covering some of comic books all time great stories. These will be stories that are a bit off the mainstream radar. We will expose these books and series every week, but we won’t divulge the whole story. We believe in fans reading a review or an opinion and also going out to your local comic shop or Con and picking up these treasure troves.  

Beware My Power… Hal Jordan turns T.V. screens green. By: Andrew Sanford The demand and production of comic book figures taking the jump from page to screen has risen steadily over the past several years. With the success of films such as the Bryan Singer directed X-Men films, Jon Favreau’s Iron Man and Christopher Nolan’s Batman films are just a few examples of comic book films that have been successful with comic fans, movie goers and critics a-like. With film success mounting companies such as Marvel and DC have been very active in new films, with DC being just a little more animated. Handing the reigns over to Cartoon Captain Bruce Timm, producer on most of DC’s animated outings over the better... 

Review: Spider-Woman Motion Comic # 1 by Todd Matthy Everyone’s been talking about Motion Comics lately but unfortunately most of them are dramatizations of previous released material, until Marvel came along with “Spider-Woman: Agent of S.W.O.R.D.” by the Daredevil team of Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev. The first issue was a typical Bendis opening chapter. Jessica Drew is having trouble dealing with the Skrull Queen assuming her form to lead the “Secret Invasion.” Contemplating suicide, she receives a mysterious envelope from Abigail Brand, leader of the Sentient World Observation and Response Department, otherwise known as S.W.O.R.D. Meeting on a bus, Abigail makes Jessica an offer she can’t... 

Who Watches the…Comics? Dave Gibbons on the Motion Comics Experience. By Todd Matthy The world is changing. Thanks to the Internet, what was once breaking news in a newspaper, is outdated within a couple of hours. The same thing is happening with comics. Well drawn but printed static images no longer excites the youth of the digital-age. Can comics survive? Of course they can, and one of the ways they will is through Motion Comics. Motion Comics takes the actual images from a comic and animates them, while voice actors narrate the words creating a hybrid of an animated cartoon with a classic comic book.