Comics Review - Star Wars: Obi-Wan and Anakin #1

OBI-WAN AND ANAKIN No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally published on Patreon.]

WRITER: Charles Soule
ART: Marco Checchetto
COLORS: Andres Mossa
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
COVER: Marco Checchetto
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (March 2016)

Rated “T”

“Part I”

At the end of the the 1999 film, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, newly minted Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi took on, as his student (Padawan), Anakin Skywalker.  The two were together for the ten years between The Phantom Menace and the 2002 film, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.

Marvel Comics' latest Star Wars comic book miniseries takes place during that decade.  It is entitled Obi-Wan and Anakin.  It is written by Charles Soule; drawn by Marco Checchetto; colored by Andres Mossa; and lettered by Joe Caramagna.

Obi-Wan and Anakin #1 (“Part 1”) finds Obi-Wan and Anakin on the planet Carnelion IV, located in the farthest reaches of the galaxy.  This world was not part of the Republic, so there was nothing to stop the denizens of that far-reaching planet from destroying themselves.  However, a distress call was broadcast, using “archaic phrasing,” so Obi-Wan and Anakin have been sent to help.  To the extent that it may be needed, however, is Jedi help wanted?  Meanwhile, Anakin's behavior has drawn the interest of a powerful figure, even as that behavior concerns the Jedi Council.

I liked Charles Soule's work on the five-issue miniseries, Lando, and I liked Marco Checchetto art on the four-issue miniseries, Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Shattered Empire.  I am intrigued by Obi-Wan and Anakin, although this first issue is mostly introduction, but the creative team makes me look forward to it.  What gives me hope that this will be an exceptional comic book is the flashback that takes place on Coruscant.  This leads me to believe that Obi-Wan and Anakin will be an important chapter concerning the development of Anakin Skywalker, leading up to Attack of the Clones.

There is not much else to say.  Still, I think that Star Wars fans that read Star Wars novels and comic books should consider Obi-Wan and Anakin a publishing event not to be missed.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Dark Horse Rolls Out "World of Tanks" Comic Books

Wargaming and Dark Horse Comics Form Alliance to Publish Epic “World of Tanks: Roll Out!” Comic Book Series

Garth Ennis and Carlos Ezquerra Unite for Ultimate Tanker Tale

MILWAUKIE, OR— Wargaming, the award-winning online game developer and publisher of the globally successful World of Tanks combat series, today announced a partnership with comic book publisher Dark Horse Comics. This agreement will see the creation and publication of the “World of Tanks: Roll Out!” comic book series inspired by the hit video game with over 120 million registered players globally. “World of Tanks: Roll Out!” will be a five issue series, rolling into comic book stores across the US and European territories and digital distribution in the fall of 2016.

“World of Tanks: Roll Out!” will be written by fan-favorite Garth Ennis (Preacher, War Stories, The Punisher), who brings a unique, historically-informed approach to tell a hard-hitting war tale focused on the daring tank crews of  World War II. The legendary Carlos Ezquerra (Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, War Stories Vol. 2) will bring his decades of skill to depict the tanks of WWII and the men who commanded them. Covers will be gorgeously illustrated by Isaac Hannaford (HALO: Reach, The Punisher) and will burst with all the intense tank-on-tank combat to be found in the pages of “World of Tanks: Roll Out!”

World of Tanks: Roll Out!” is set during the tank battles of the summer 1944, featuring British versus German armored units in post D-Day Normandy. It’s the German Panthers vs. British Cromwells, as the British tankers push deeper into France and toward the might of the Germans.

“World of Tanks: Roll Out!” comic issue #1 will be available digitally in the fall of 2016 in comic book shops across North America and Europe, and will follow a monthly cadence of release for five issues of brutal tank combat.

World of Tanks (PC, Xbox One, PS4 and Mobile) is the first free-to-play massively multiplayer online action game dedicated to armored warfare. With hundreds of vehicles from a variety of countries at your disposal, the path to victory is achieved through team work, strategy and expert combat skill.


About Wargaming
Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher and one of the leaders in the free-to-play MMO market. Founded as a privately held company in 1998, Wargaming has shipped more than 15 titles. Currently, Wargaming is focused on its team-based MMO war series dedicated to the mid-20th century warfare that will include the armored World of Tanks, the flight combat World of Warplanes, and the naval World of Warships. The three intertwined titles will form a common gaming universe integrated within the portal www.wargaming.net.
As part of its multiplatform line-up, the company has introduced World of Tanks on Xbox and World of Tanks Blitz on mobiles, tablets and Windows 10 PCs. Launched in 2014 and 2015, World of Tanks on Xbox introduced epic tank-on-tank battles to console gamers and offers the first cross-platform gaming experience between Xbox 360 and Xbox One. In 2016, Wargaming released World of Tanks for Sony’s PlayStation®4, continuing its console campaign.

About Dark Horse
For 30 years, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, the company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent, such as Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Geof Darrow, Brian Wood, Gail Simone, Stan Sakai, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Milo Manara, Kazuo Koike, Neil Gaiman and Frank Miller, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, X and Barb Wire. Its successful line of comics, manga and products based on popular properties includes Dragon Age, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Tomb Raider, Halo, The Witcher, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading entertainment publishers.

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Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast"

“BE OUR GUEST” FOR THE ACADEMY’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF “BEAUTY AND THE BEAST”

Eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken and three-time Oscar nominee and Honorary Academy Award recipient Angela Lansbury will join voice actors Paige O’Hara, Richard White and Robby Benson, supervising animators Andreas Deja, Mark Henn and Glen Keane, key story artist Brenda Chapman, Oscar-nominated producer Don Hahn, and director Gary Trousdale onstage for a 25th anniversary celebration of “Beauty and the Beast” on Monday, May 9, 2016, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Part of the Academy’s Marc Davis Celebration of Animation, the event will include a screening of the 1991 film from a pristine 70mm original theatrical release print from the Academy Film Archive.  There will also be an onstage discussion about the film’s lasting impact and its place in motion picture history as the first animated feature to be nominated for Best Picture.  The film won two Oscars®, for its original score by Menken and the original song “Beauty And The Beast,” music by Menken and lyric by Howard Ashman.  It also received two additional nominations in the Original Song category for “Be Our Guest” and “Belle,” as well as a nomination for Sound.

Tickets for the “25th Anniversary Screening of Beauty and the Beast: A Marc Davis Celebration of Animation” are $5 for general admission and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID, and may be purchased online at www.oscars.org.  The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.  For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.

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Recommending Nominees for the 2016 Harvey Awards? Well, Deadline Approaching

2016 HARVEY NOMINATION BALLOT DEADLINE IS MAY 9

PLEASE VOTE

BALTIMORE, MD -- With just under two weeks before nomination ballots are due, the Executive Committees of the Harvey Awards and the Baltimore Comic-Con want to ensure all comics professionals have taken the opportunity to submit their recommendations at http://harveyawards.org/2016-nomination-ballot/ for the final Harvey Awards ballot! If you have already voted, THANK YOU -- if you have not, there is still time!

Historically, the bulk of final nominations comes in during the final week leading up to the deadline, so don't feel like it's too late to reach out to the comics community and suggest your work for nomination or submit your own ballot for the works that you feel merit distinction in the industry.

The Harvey Awards honor work published in the 2015 calendar year. Named in honor of the late Harvey Kurtzman, one of the industry's most innovative talents, they recognize outstanding work in comics and sequential art. The 29th Annual Harvey Awards will be presented Saturday, September 3rd, 2016 as part of the Baltimore Comic-Con.

Ballots are due for submission by Monday, May 9th, 2016. 

The Harvey Awards may be voted on exclusively by Comic-Book creators, those who write, draw, ink, color, letter, design, edit, or are otherwise professionally involved in the creative aspect of comics, online or in print. The Harvey Awards are the only industry awards both nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals.  

Please help us encourage your peers to complete the nomination process by posting the attached "I Voted!" Harvey Awards graphic to your website, blog, and social media sites. Once you submit your nominations, let your peers know by tagging us on Facebook (like us at https://www.facebook.com/theharveyawards) and Twitter (@HarveyAwards hashtag #harveys2016).

The Harveys would not be possible without the generous sponsors of the Awards. Sponsors for the last year's 2015 Harvey Awards included Presenting Sponsors Cards, Comics & Collectibles and the Baltimore Comic-Con; Gold Sponsors BOOM! Studios, Comic WOW!, DC Entertainment, Diamond Comic Distributors, and Geppi's Entertainment Museum; Silver Sponsors Akuna Entertainment, ComicMix, Insight Studios Group, Painted Visions Comics, and Valiant Entertainment; and Gift Bag Sponsors Abrams ComicArts, Archie Comic Publications, Book Blaze, BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse Comics, DC Entertainment, Diamond Select Toys, Dynamite Entertainment, Harper Collins, IDW, Legendary, Popfun Collectibles, Joe Staton/Tribune Media Services, and Valiant Entertainment. 

Companies and individuals interested in sponsoring the 2016 Harvey Awards may do so by contacting us at harveys@baltimorecomiccon.com.

This year's Baltimore Comic-Con will be held September 2-4, 2016. The ceremony and banquet for the Harvey Awards will be held Saturday night, September 3rd, 2016. Additional details about the Harvey Awards and the awards ceremony will be released over the next few months.


About The Harvey Awards
The Harvey Awards are one of the comic book industry's oldest and most respected awards. With a history of over 29 years, the last 10 in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con, the Harveys recognize outstanding achievements in 22 categories. They are the only industry awards nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals.  For more information, please visit www.harveyawards.org

About The Baltimore Comic-Con
The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 17th year of bringing the comic book industry to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area.  With a guest list unequaled in the industry, the Baltimore Comic-Con will be held September 2-4, 2016.  For more information, please visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com.

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May the First Be with Negromancer

It's May 2016.  Welcome to Negromancer 2.0.  This is the rebirth of Negromancer, the former movie review website as a new movie review and movie news site.

Please support me on Patreon, especially those of you who borrow my original content.  It's for a noble cause, yes!

All images and text appearing on this blog are © copyright and/or trademark their respective owners.

Image's Invincible So Invincible, Issue 127 Gets Second Printing

INVINCIBLE BACK TO PRINT, CORY WALKER FANS REJOICE

Issue #127 is fast-tracked to a second printing

INVINCIBLE #127 by writer/co-creator Robert Kirkman (THE WALKING DEAD, OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA) and artist/co-creator Cory Walker is being fast-tracked to a second printing by Image/Skybound Entertainment in order to keep up with customer demand. The issue marked original series artist Walker’s long-awaited return and first full story arc since Ryan Ottley took up art for the book in 2004.

In INVINCIBLE #127, Mark has returned from the past... to a very different future. Now he has to pick up the pieces of his life and try to put them back together. 

INVINCIBLE #127 remains available for purchase across all digital platforms, including the Image Comics website (imagecomics.com), the official Image Comics iOS app, Comixology’s website (comixology.com), iOS, Android, and Google Play.

INVINCIBLE #127, 2nd printing (Diamond Code MAR168716) will arrive in stores on Wednesday, May 25, 2016. The Final Order Cutoff deadline for retailers is Monday, May 2, 2016.

INVINCIBLE #128 (Diamond Code MAR160570) will arrive in stores on Wednesday, May 18, 2016.


ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

ABOUT SKYBOUND ENTERTAINMENT
Founded in 2010, Skybound Entertainment is a multiplatform entertainment company specializing in television, comics, film, digital content, interactive, gaming, and merchandise. The company is led by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and his longtime producing and business partner David Alpert.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from April 24th to 30th, 2016 - Updated #33

Support Leroy on Patreon.

COMICS - From CBR:   See Batman's costume redesign for the comic books.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Director Seth Grahame-Smith has left Warner Bros.'s film, "The Flash," over "creative differences."

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MOVIES - From DarkHorizons:  After nearly killing their lead in a stupid stunt, Fox puts the final "Maze Runner" film, "The Death Cure" on indefinite hold.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Will Ferrell backs out of playing Reagan.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  John Krasinski will play the lead in Amazon's "Jack Ryan" series.

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ECO - From RSN:  Bianca Jagger asks, Will the Paris Climate agreement deliver?

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ANIMATION - From Variety:  NBCUniversal to acquire DreamWorks Animation for $3.8 billion. Chris Meledandri, head of Universal’s Illumination Entertainment animation wing, will oversee operations, but the DreamWorks Animation brand will remain intact as an imprint.

From Variety:  Also, is Chris Meledandri the new John Lasseter (the co-founder of Pixar)?

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MOVIES/BOOKS - From TheTrackingBoard:  People fight over publishing and film rights for a YA book , The Final Six, that hasn't even been written.

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MOVIES - From Collider:  New images from "Alien: Covenant" (Alien 5), which has supposedly started filming.

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COMICS - From TheWrap:  Stephen Merchant joins "Wolverine 3.

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  Oscar winner Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl) will replace Angelina Jolie as "Lara Croft" in the Tomb Raider film series reboot.

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BLACK LIVES MATTER - From BuzzFlash:  The history of racism and slavery in Washington D.C.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Will Ferrell to play Ronald Reagan.

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COMICS - From YahooMovies:  Marvel Studios releases a statement defending the casting of Tilda Swinton as "The Ancient One" in "Doctor Strange."  The character was originally a Tibetan-type.  The casting does not bother me.  I'm all for color-blind casting, especially when it's that fine-ass Tilda Swinton.

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MUSIC - From YahooNews:  Laolu Senbanjo, the Nigerian artist who did the body art in Beyonce's new visual album, talks.

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COMICS - From YahooMovies:  Spider-Man takes on The Winter Soldier in new "Captain America: Civil War" clip (#10).

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COMICS - From BleedingCool:  The sexual harassment spotlight on DC Comics/Entertainment continues to grow.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Our Star wars heroine, Daisy Ridley, to star in a Holocaust drama, "The Lost Wife."

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MOVIES - From CinemaBlend:  Some concept art from "Alien: Covenant" (or Alien 5) reveal the return of a fan favorite character.

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MOVIES - From CinemaBlend:  This deleted scene from "A Nightmare on Elm Street" changes the story.

MOVIES - From CinemaBlend:  Wesley Snipes sighs a two-picture deal with WWE Studios.

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TELEVISION - From TVLine:  See the 200+ crazy cast from the "Twin Peaks" revival.

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MUSIC - From Vulture:  "Lemonade" shows Beyonce the "brilliant filmmaker."

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COMICS - From Vulture:  Nathan Fillion has been cast as "Simon Williams" (sometimes known as "
Wonder Man") in "Guardians of the Galaxy 2."

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BLACK LIVES MATTER - From YahooNews:  Cleveland settles a lawsuit brought against the city by the family of Tamir Rice, a minor killed by city police officers.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 4/22 to 4/24/2016 weekend box office is "Jungle Book" with an estimated take of $60.8 million.

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LGBT - From NYTimes:  Finding love again, this time with a man - Former Senator Harris Wofford.

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  A catch-up guide to "Game of Thrones."

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MUSIC - From ABCNews:  Beyonce has released a new album, "Lemonade," available for streaming on Tidal.

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COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Rich Johnston knew it - Marvel's proposed Inhumans movie was destined to be done away with.

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ECO - From EcoWatch:  Leonardo DiCaprio on the Paris Agreement.

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TRAILER:

From YouTube:  The final trailer for "X-Men Apocalypse."

From YouTube:  A making of featurette concerning Stephen Frears upcoming "Florence Foster Jenkins" starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant.