Chief Creative Officer, Joe Quesada, held court this past weekend at NYCC to enlighten us about the future and direction of Marvel comics. Joining him on stage was a who’s who of writers and artists that have propelled the industry into an exciting time, making work that is accessible to a new generation of readers as well as old. Such iconic names as Brian Michael Bendis, Kelly Sue DeConnick, and Dan Slott shared the spotlight for a candid conversation. This panel was filled with announcements so lets get down and dirty.  

Yesterday evening Marvel’s new trailer for Age of Ultron was leaked to the masses of the internet. This left Marvel with no choice but to release the HD version of the trailer a week before it was supposed to. The result is a very happy mass of fans. There’s also a large breakdown of what we see in this trailer.  

Ok, because of incredibly weird choices by our web platform, the actual title of this album is Primus & the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble, by Primus. Primus has always been known for eclectic choices in music, such as the usage of xylophones and a song about a mean ass bull called Bodacious, but they pull it off due to them being absolute musical Titans. Les Claypool alone has enough talent to start his own industry. The man was supposedly passed over by Metallica for being TOO GOOD. And he is so very good. This album is even further testament to his particularly beautiful madness, as its a reimagining of that wonderfully dark and fun movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!  

By now most people are familiar with FX’s popular show about a group of friends subjugating each other to a slew of shameful embarrassments for the soul purpose of personal hilarity.  

At first glance, one might not think much of the unassuming lady sitting at the table, directing fans to available seats as they pile into the small conference room. She is soft-spoken, stands 5 feet tall, and reminds me of the sweet aunt that comes to Christmas every year with extra gifts. I always loved that aunt. She bought me Super Mario 3 for the original Nintendo when I was a kid and she’s always been my favorite. But back to the unassuming lady at the table. You wouldn’t know it by her casual demeanor, but she is 8 time Emmy award-winning Andrea Romano and she is responsible for a tremendous part of our childhoods.  

The Death of Superman Lives – Jon Schnepp, best known for his work on Metalocalypse, discusses his upcoming documentary on one of the most hyped Superman movies that never happened.  

AMC’s show Comic Book Men debuts its fourth season on October 12th, kicking off with an open forum panel at New York City Comic Con at the Javits Center.  

Oh All Them Witches, how you continue to amaze me! This last month, All Them Witches dropped a spectacular new slab of their psychedelta blues upon our ears, title Lightning at the Door, and it covers ground at a pace matched only by the Flash! *Warning: the following review may contain music that will send you into a relaxed headspace.*  

As it seems Jake’s Backroom is th eonly venue that can advertise, I once again venture into its sticky-floored depths in search of heavy stuffs! This time, Palms, Chino of the Deftones side project (of who can keep count at this point), was rolling through town, and I simply had to go! The under card was local band Murrieta, and mid-show Boyfrndz (terrible spelling theirs).  

This might be a little bit controversial through the eyes of someone who is not a vendor and attends comic conventions. It is true that the mass majority of turn out to these shows are people wielding highly intricate costumes that they have either made or purchased. These costumes have become a staple of these conventions and are undoubtably amazing to look at. However, in my experience working as a vendor at different conventions the past few years, I have a theory that these cosplayers are going to be the death of the comic selling market.  

2014 has brought and continues to bring some pretty oddball releases to the shelves, and frankly this makes for good reading. But if you had told me that in 2014 we’d be seeing the return of the Rock comic? If 2014 can bring us books like Afterlife with Archie and Groo vs Conan, fantastic titles that exist to prove how awesome their concept can be executed, who am I to doubt the return of rock to the scene? Now if you told me that not only were we getting a rock n’ roll on-going; but an ALICE COOPER on-going; you’d have my undivided attention. If that were all we were talking about, that’d be impressive. But would one comic suffice? Can we really say that we expect only one title to represent the king of shock... 

For adult manga fans, the pickings aren’t exactly great. At the end of the day, US translation of manga is skewed towards younger audiences; so a good mature read can be hard to come by. Thankfully we do have some imprints bringing some great stuff to our shores, and today I’m going to introduce you to two decidedly underappreciated gems from VIZ. Terra Formars, a gory sci-fi action series that’s Starship Troopers by way of X-Men, and Food Wars, a cooking manga with a twist. Hit the jump for all the details!