Coming Soon: Captain Action

As announced in this week’s CAPTAIN ACTION: FIRST MISSION, LAST DAY, I will be doing some work with the gentlemen at Captain Action Enterprises, LLC & Moonstone Books. What I’m doing hasn’t been announced, so I’ll keep that under my hat. But here’s what Joe & Ed had to say in the Introduction:

“Captain Action is a party that everyone wants to join. Some of the other top talent you’ll see gracing our pages in upcoming months includes Dick Giordano, Beau Smith, Paul Kupperberg, Eduardo Barreto, Tom Yeates, Vito Delsante…the list goes on and on.”

Pick up the book this week. A cool story by Fabian Nicieza and fantastic illustrations by Ruben Procopio!

Up To Bat: Savage Tales #8

The Savage Tales from DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT continue in issue #8! This month, Red Sonja and Quatermain continue! Plus: the return of the Hunter from the pages of Red Sonja and the return of Savage Tales Atlantis!
* Red Sonja (part 2) By Vito Delsante and Lui Antonio: the conclusion of an all-new Red Sonja short!

And check it out! A preview on Comic Book Resources!

This WEDNESDAY, JULY 2!

Out There: Pop! Summer Reading

Wanna know what to read this summer at the beach? George Khoury asked and I tell…along with some other comic notables, like Alan Moore, JM DeMatteis and many others!

Here’s my entry:

VITO DELSANTE (The always enthusiastic writer of “Before They were Famous,” “Superman” and “The Chemistry Set”)

“Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book” - I’m just getting to this now (after 3 years of it being out!) and I’m completely taken by it. I originally grabbed it because Tom [Spurgeon] is a friend of mine, and because Ditko referenced it in his new “Avenging Mind” comic, but I’m learning a lot about someone I ignored as a “shameless huckster.” Stan is a fascinating character!

“The Ten-Cent Plague” - It seems like the perfect follow up to the Stan Lee book. Can’t wait to jump into it.

“The Search for the Red Dragon” - I read the first book, “Here There Be Dragons,” and I really want to get to this one as soon as I get off my comics history kick. This one will be read for pure fun.

Click on the logo up top! Thanks to George and CBR!

On Deck - Some Updates and Some Fun Stuff

WHERE: This year, the only convention I will be attending is Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC. If you’ve ever attended, you know why it’s a must on the summer convention circuit, and if you haven’t, you should do yourself a favor and see how comic conventions can be. Shelton Drum and crew throw a great shebang, and I hope you’ll come down. I’ll be sharing a table with three fantastic artists: Alberto Ruiz, Tracy Mark Lee, and Joe Pekar. Find me and tell me what you thought of any of the work I’ve done so far this year! UPDATE: We’ll be at Booth AA-216 in Artists Alley!

Project: Rooftop presents Superman: Man of Style:
Ready to tug on Superman’s cape? Heck, tear it off and take the tights back to the drawing board! Project: Rooftop is teaming up with Pulp Secret and Jim Hanley’s Universe for a new drawing contest that breaks even our own guidelines. That’s right, Jimmy Olsen, in honor of the 70th anniversary of Superman’s first appearance in Action Comics #1 way back in 1938, P:R, P.S., and JHU are putting out the call for redesigns of the first superhero with Superman: Man of Style! Jim Hanley’s Universe has provided these incredible prizes:

Grand Prize (1) - The Superman No. 14 statue, Superman: Birthright TPB signed by writer Mark Waid, and Superman #676 signed by our own Vito Delsante, who wrote the issue!

Second Prize (1) - Justice League Animated Superman mini maquette and a signed copy of Superman #676.

Third Prize (1) - Superman #676 signed by Vito!

Along with our usual P:R Staff roundtable reviews, fan-favorite writer and DCU expert, Mark Waid (Kingdom Come, Superman: Birthright), will be joining in to guest judge the finalists! The winners will be announced on Pulp Secret the following day with commentary from the P.S. crew.

Send in your Superman redesigns to editors@projectrooftop.com, with the subject line, “Superman: Man of Style!” Please include your full name, age, website, and mailing address for prize shipment. International winners may be responsible for prize shipment. All the usual P:R Guidelines apply…except for #7, of course.

All entries must be received by June 15th, 2008!

Albert & the Babe: According to the Simon & Schuster website, Before They Were Famous: Albert Einstein has been moved to September 2008. BTWF: Babe Ruth, however, will be out on February 24, 2008. Art will be by the incredible Andrés Vera Martínez. I’ve seen some pages and they look phenomenal!

SAVAGE TALES #8!

The conclusion of Memento Mori, a Red Sonja tale! With artist Lui Antonio!

Social Networking: If you’re on Facebook or MySpace, feel free to add me to your friends list. I mean, if you’re already visiting this site, you must be a friend of mine, right?

In the Future: Some possible big news, and a redesign of the site. Bookmark me, RSS me, and stay tuned!

On Deck - NO FORMULA: Stories from The Chemistry Set (Vol 1)

WEBCOMICS COLLECTIVE ‘THE CHEMISTRY SET’ JUMPS TO BOOKSHELVES IN AUGUST WITH DESPERADO’S ‘NO FORMULA’

August 2008 marks the print debut of the webcomics collective The Chemistry Set in an anthology collection from Desperado Publishing entitled ‘NO FORMULA: STORIES FROM THE CHEMISTRY SET, VOL.1′ (Diamond Order Code JUN083849), just in time for the Set’s two-year anniversary. “There’s no better way to celebrate our Terrible Twos than with a big release like this,” said Jim Dougan, an original ChemSetter approached by Desperado publisher Joe Pruett to edit the anthology. “The only problem was choosing from among the literally hundreds of pages of great comics we’ve got on the site. Joe wanted only self-contained stories, though, so while that unfortunately left out a lot of great stuff, it helped me narrow it down. Are these the best 120 pages of comics ever to appear at the ChemSet? No. Are they the 120 pages that fit together best as a book? I think so.”

NO FORMULA will feature 12 stories from the two-year history of the ChemSet, in both black-and-white and color, all under a gorgeous color cover by Hyeondo Park. The story contents, most of which can be previewed online at www.chemsetcomics.com, are:

“The System” by Tony Goins and Tom Williams

“Night’s Plutonian Shore” by Neil Kleid and jamesmith3

“Rest Stop” by Jim Dougan, Dean Haspiel and Michel Fiffe

“Red” by Elizabeth Genco and Kevin Colden

“Snowblind” by Chris Arrant and Jessica Hickman

“The Legend of Caraboy” by Andrew Drilon

“Yes, Mother” by Elizabeth Genco and Sami Makkonen

“I’m Madly in Love” by Vito Delsante and Michel Fiffe

“Grinwit” by Andrew Drilon

“Dinner Date #9″ by Steven Goldman and Rami Efal

“Come the Dawn” by Jim Dougan and Hyeondo Park

“Rosa” by Steven Goldman and Rami Efal

“Joe Pruett has been an extraordinary supporter of the ChemSet virtually since its inception, and NO FORMULA is just an outgrowth of that,” said Dougan. “At least half a dozen issues of NEGATIVE BURN have featured ChemSetters, and in July we’ve got the graphic novel BLUE (Diamond order code MAY083778) coming from Elizabeth [Genco] and Sami [Makkonen], who also have a short story together in NO FORMULA. The relationship with Desperado is something we’re thankful for, and hope will continue to grow (thus the perhaps-optimistic ‘Vol.1′ in the title). For that to happen, folks need to go out and buy the books, though – so please pre-order your copies!”

NO FORMULA is found on page 256 of the June PREVIEWS (for comics shipping in August) - conveniently right next to the short order form.

Official Solicitation Text:

Haunting. Humorous. Harrowing. Those are just some of the words to describe the short stories compiled in this inaugural collection from the international comics collective the Chemistry Set. Founded in 2006, the Chemistry Set has served as the breeding ground for tomorrow’s comic all-stars and includes three Xeric Award winners. Combining talents from America, Australia, Europe and Asia, their chemistry together is seen in stories that range from the heartfelt to the horrifying, from the mythological to the macabre.

NO FORMULA: STORIES FROM THE CHEMISTRY SET, VOL.1
Color / B&W, 120 pp. 6in x. 9in.
Price: $16.99
Diamond Order Code: JUN083849
ISBN-10: 1935002090
ISBN-13: 978-1935002093

Out Now: Superman #676

TODAY, May 14, marks my first work on a major title (a true franchise title). SUPERMAN #676 is in stores NOW!

Over on zee Facebook, I started a group called “Help Sell Out SUPERMAN #676.” The point of it is to create awareness among the comic book buying/reading public and also, to send a statement to DC and, you know, maybe help me get some more work up there :). If you’re on Facebook, please join the group and add me to your friends. This is a true grass roots movement, and I need everyone’s help. If you’re already in the group, thanks! To get to the group, just click the cover image above.

I really appreciate the help. If we all mobilize, we can make a real difference in this industry. Let’s show them what we can do.

Titans Together!

Tonight in NYC, I’m doing a signing at Jim Hanley’s Universe with Joe Kubert, among others. I hope you’ll stop by!

Out Now: Learn Spanish with Batman: Shadows and Masks

Learn Spanish with Batman

Not a hoax!  Not an imaginary tale!  You too can learn Spanish courtesy of Batman, Dan Slott, Gabe Soria and myself.

Ok, we wrote it in English, but you can pick this up for your niños  y niñas and teach them some Español!

…or, if you prefer…

¡No una trampa! ¡No un cuento imaginario! Usted puede aprender también la cortesía española de Ordenanza, de Dan Slott, de Gabe Soria y de yo mismo.

¡Bueno, nosotros lo escribimos en inglés, pero usted esto puede recoger para sus chicos y chicas y les enseña algún Spanishl!

Up To Bat: Cartoon Network Block Party #42

Almost missed this one, but here’s another kid’s comic for all you kids out there:

Written by Robbie Busch, Vito Delsante, and Scott Cunningham ; Art by Robert Pope, Christopher Cook, Dan Davis, Mike DeCarlo and Jeff Albrecht; Cover by Stephanie Gladden

A new dance craze is shaking up Camp Kidney! But the prizes may be more trouble than they’re worth. Plus, the Powerpuff Girls and Johnny Bravo (JB helps Suzy build a go-cart, laughs ensue).

On Sale February 27, 2008 (THIS WEDNESDAY!)

Review - Scooby Doo #128

Scooby Doo #128

Yep, they review Scooby’s too.

Comics Bulletin has weighed in on Scooby-Doo #128…and they loved it!  Check it out!  Thanks to Ray Tate and Comics Bulletin!

On Deck: Savage Tales #7

Savage Tales

SAVAGE TALES #7

PRICE: $4.99
DIAMOND ORDER CODE: JAN083513
Covers: STJEPAN SEJIC (50%) and FABIANO NEVES (50%)
Publication Date: March, 2008
Format: Comic Book
Dynamite continues to present the most the most savage stories that comic creators have ever told! Each issue of the bi-monthly Savage Tales will feature a rotating cast of characters and creators featuring the savage and brutal worlds of Red Sonja, Thulsa Doom and more!
Issue #7 Features:
* Red Sonja By Vito Delsante and Lui Antonio: an all-new Red Sony short by regular series writer Brian Reed!
* Hercules: The Unnamed Task (Part 2) By Doug Murray and Fabiano Neves; History tells us of the 12 Tasks of Hercules, but writer Doug Murray and artist Fabiano Neves continue to tell us of the very first, untold task of the legendary demi-god!
* Thulsa Doom: Age of Doom (Part 3) By Luke Lieberman and Noah Salonga; concluding the explosive origin of Red Sonja villain Thulsa Doom!
* Quartermain (Part 1) — A new adventure featuring the dynamite tales of the legendary adventurer! Written by Entourage writer Matt Wolpert!

All the action and excitement (and sex and violence) under two “savage” covers, one by Stjepan Sejic and the other from artist Fabiano Neves