IA IA CTHULHU FHTAGN!
BOOM! STUDIOS BRINGS CTHULHU BACK TO COMICS WITH
THE CALLING: CTHULHU CHRONICLES
A BRAND NEW ONGOING SERIES
FROM SCRIBES MICHAEL ALAN NELSON (FALL OF CTHULHU, 28 DAYS LATER)
&
JOHANNA STOKES
(DEATH VALLEY, SAVAGE BROTHERS)
THIS JULY
"There is a great one sleeping that will hear… The Calling"
At C2E2 today, BOOM! Studios announced a brand new ongoing horror series, THE CALLING: CTHULHU CHRONICLES, debuting this July from writers Michael Alan Nelson (FALL OF CTHULHU, 28 DAYS LATER) and Johanna Stokes (DEATH VALLEY, SAVAGE BROTHERS.) An all-new ongoing Lovecraft-inspired supernatural horror series with a decidedly modern spin, THE CALLING: CTHULHU CHRONICLES marks the return to the Cthulhu mythos that BOOM! built its reputation on with bestselling titles like FALL OF CTHULHU and CTHULHU TALES.
“If you are a fan of Lovecraft, if you worship Cthulhu, if you love horror, don’t miss this book,” said BOOM! Studios Marketing Director Chip Mosher. “This is BOOM! at its best, returning to our horror roots with a great new title that is guaranteed to creep you out… and drive you mad!”
Joining Nelson and Stokes, THE CALLING: CTHULHU CHRONICLES features covers by 2010 Eisner Award-nominee and CRIMINAL Co-Conspirator Sean Phillips along with hot newcomer Federico Piatti, and rising star Christopher Possenti on interior art.
In THE CALLING: CTHULHU CHRONICLES a cruise ship comes to port with hundreds aboard dead. But why? Clayton Diggs is a pharmaceuticals salesman who discovers his sister has committed herself to an insane asylum. She's checked herself in, fearing she'll hurt herself or someone else. And she's afraid that something is out there... All across the world, moves are made, hands are being dealt, and momentum is shifting, while ordinary people in an ordinary world find themselves drawn by fate to see darkness and despair unlike anything they ever could imagine. Meanwhile, a cult sets their plan in motion, believing that there is a great one sleeping that will hear THE CALLING.
BOOM! Studios’ THE CALLING: CTHULHU CHRONICLES, a new ongoing horror series, debuts this July.
About BOOM! Studios
BOOM! Studios (www.boom-studios.com) is a unique publishing house specializing in high-profile projects across a wide variety of different genres from some of the industry's biggest talents, including Philip K. Dick's DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?, The Henson Company's FARSCAPE, and the original Mark Waid series IRREDEEMABLE. BOOM! recently launched its youth imprint, BOOM Kids!, with Pixar's THE INCREDIBLES, CARS, and TOY STORY, as well as Disney's THE MUPPETS, DONALD DUCK, UNCLE SCROOGE and WALT DISNEY'S COMICS AND STORIES. This year, BOOM! Studios celebrates its fifth anniversary.
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WAR IS COMING!
FARSCAPE: SCORPIUS #0
MARKS THE PRELUDE TO...
THE WAR FOR THE UNCHARTED TERRITORIES
AN EPIC FARSCAPE EVENT STARTS HERE!
WHO ARE THE KKORE?
At C2E2 today, BOOM! Studios announced an epic event that will take over all of FARSCAPE. There is a dark menace that wants to bring death and destruction to the civilizations of the Uncharted Territories. They are the Kkore! No one will be spared from war in the Uncharted Territories. And it all starts in FARSCAPE: SCORPIUS #0, on shelves now, serving as a prelude to The War For The Uncharted Territories.
Farscape show creator Rockne S. O'Bannon has architected this epic event that will span both of BOOM! Studios ongoing series FARSCAPE: SCORPIUS & FARSCAPE.
Very soon, Farscape fans across the globe will learn...
What role do Zahn's people, the Delvians, have in this coming conflict?
How can Scorpius benefit from the Kkore?
What plan does Scorpius have with Chiana?
To know the answer to these questions and more don't miss a single issue of BOOM! Studios' FARSCAPE ongoing series and FARSCAPE: SCORPIUS! The prelude to the epic war for the Uncharted Territories begins in the pages of FARSCAPE: SCORPIUS #0 with the threat taking over the entire Farscape Universe.
FARSCAPE: SCORPIUS #0 is written by Rockne S. O’Bannon and scripted by David Alan Mack, with interior art by hot newcomer Mike Ruiz. The debut issue features two covers in a 50/50 split, with art by Nick Runge and Chad Hardin, and a 1-in-10 incentive cover. This title carries a Diamond Code of FEB100749 and shipped April 14th, 2010.
FARSCAPE is an ongoing series written by Farscape creator Rockne S. O'Bannon and Keith R.A. DeCandido with sensational interior art by Will Sliney. FARSCAPE: SCORPIUS is an ongoing series written by Rockne S. O'Bannon and David Alan Mack with art by red-hot newcomer Mike Ruiz.
About BOOM! Studios
BOOM! Studios (www.boom-studios.com) is a unique publishing house specializing in high-profile projects across a wide variety of different genres from some of the industry's biggest talents, including Philip K. Dick's DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?, The Henson Company's FARSCAPE, and the original Mark Waid series IRREDEEMABLE. BOOM! recently launched its youth imprint, BOOM Kids!, with Pixar's THE INCREDIBLES, CARS, and TOY STORY, as well as Disney's THE MUPPETS, DONALD DUCK, UNCLE SCROOGE and WALT DISNEY'S COMICS AND STORIES. This year, BOOM! Studios celebrates its fifth anniversary.
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Friday's episode of The Clone Wars continued the story of the Zillo beast, and this two-parter is one of my favorite story arcs of the series. Both last week's "The Zillo Beast" and this week's "The Zillo Beast Strikes Back" are a loving homage to Japanese giant monster movies. At the end of last week's episode we saw the beast captured and ready to be sent to Coruscant, a decision made with the typical lack of judgement of characters in a giant monster story. Whether it's King Kong, Gwangi, or Mothra, it's never a good idea to bring a giant monster to town.
Like any most great monsters, the Zillo beast is as much a victim of man as it is a destructive force. We see some very intense scenes in this episode of the Beast locked up and subjected to cruel experiments and, finally, gassed to death at Palpatine's orders. The episode nicely captures the fundamental theme kaiju stories in which man suffers for being grossly out of harmony with the natural world. These two episodes make me wish the people who made this episode were in charge of the new Godzilla movie because they really get the genre.
These episodes mark a turning point for Palpatine's characterization on the show and the makers are far less coy about his true nature, even to the point where he shares an evil grin with the camera. He comes off as a real bastard in "The Zillo Beast Strikes Back." A running joke in the episode is that the Beast seems to be on to him when no one else is and the monster pursues him through a big chunk of the city. He could have done the galaxy a big favor if not for the Jedi.
Speaking of Palps, he has a great scene in this episode. Padme and the Jedi get wind of his plans to kill the Zillo Beast and, in a foreshadowing of Revenge of the Sith, they try to get Anakin to talk him out of it. Anakin and Padme go into the meeting on the same side, but at some point Palpatine pulls him to his point of view. It's a great scene because there are lots of things going under the surface and it really showcases Anakin's uncomfortable, shifting loyalties.
While the Zillo Beast's design is a little odd-looking in static poses, he was quite impressive moving and spinning through the sky lanes and buildings of Coruscant. That extra arm gives him the ability to move on another axis, which is visually interesting. It was really cool seeing this kind of kaiju urban destruction in a Star Wars setting.
Ultimately, the Beast is a confused and terrified creature which has been taken out of its element and meets its end at the hands of man (and aliens) like many great movie monsters before it. This great Zillo beast story arc gives me hope that The Clone Wars will continue to be adventurous in exploring different genres and ways to tell stories set in the Star Wars universe. After all, Star Wars itself is mix of many disparate styles and influences, and The Clone Wars offers a low risk venue for storytelling experimentation.
Patrick Garone
Creative Director
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The Amazing Race, Uncle Scrooge-styleFoundation and symbol of his untold wealth, Uncle Scrooge keeps the first dime he ever earned close to heart. The fiendish sorceress Magica De Spell recognizes the inherent magical powers of the dime and will stop at nothing to steal it from the gazillionaire of Duckburg.
Collecting issues 384-387 of the Uncle Scrooge series from Boom! Studios, Uncle Scrooge: The Hunt for Old Number One TPB follows Scrooge and Magica as they square off across Europe for possession of this talisman of prosperity.
The saga plays out like a season of the reality TV show The Amazing Race, with Uncle Scrooge, Donald Duck and Huey, Dewey and Louie either a step behind or a step ahead of Magica and Ratface (her talking raven assistant). We follow Scrooge as he takes a tour of Europe on various money-making opportunities while fending off Magica's devilish schemes.
The comic is a lightearted mix of adventure, magic, mystery and history masterfully woven together by author Per-Erik Hedman. The tales have a delightful internal consistency to them, becoming a whimsical blend of Indiana Jones swashbuckling and Disney fantasy.
There are six distinct chapters which each occur in a different European locale. Hedman creates a unique atmosphere in each story which really gives you a taste for the individual countries:
1. The Ghostly Carriage (Germany)
2. Salt and Gold (Poland)
3. His Ancestor's Diamonds (the Netherlands)
4. The Weapons of the Vikings (Denmark)
5. The Gold Hunt (Finland)
6. The Fateful Hour (Italy)
Inventor Gyro Gearloose, perpetual ne'er-do-wellers The Beagle Boys, and arch-rival Flintheart Glomgold appear in different chapters as guest stars, ensuring that the race between Scrooge and Magica doesn't devolve into meaningless repetition.
Though older readers might find some of the stories too simplistic, Hedman continues the honoured Uncle Scrooge tradition of Carl Banks and Don Rosa in making this the thinking fan's book in the Disney stable - always adding little twists and turns to each episode and crafting them with care and precision.
The artwork by Wanda Gattino is disarminly beautiful in a similar vein to Charles Schulz's classic Peanuts strip. With very few lines she manages to convey emotion, tension and action. It's a wonder that sometimes less can be so much more, especially amongst a world of overdrawn superhero comics.
Although Boom's policy of multiple covers can seem unnecessary or exploitative, the 13 covers in the appendix to this volume contain some real gems which serve to enhance the character and largesse of Uncle Scrooge.
These 96 pages of stories may seem linear to some but will provide hours of pleasure to avid fans and an excellent introduction to the world of Scrooge for newcomers.
Adam Paige
Senior Reviewer
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