Tyrese Gibson's Mayhem Breaking Records

13 July 2009 (Berkeley, CA) - TYRESE GIBSON's MAYHEM and Image Comics announce their presale efforts through a partnership with Los Angeles, CA's Meltdown Comics have exceeded single store records not seen since the early 90s with over 10,000 units sold.

"The success of MAYHEM is a golden opportunity for all retailers to tap into this new influx of readers and in-store foot traffic that Tyrese brings with him," Meltdown owner, Gaston Dominguez, said. “Tyrese is a 2.0 celebrity who is a marketing workhorse and whose brand spans across movies, music, and TV. Team MAYHEM are in it to win it! They are sincere and want to put out good products that cater to their fanbase and beyond. Believe me when I tell you that if Tyrese Twitters your store name, you will get calls and in-store orders.”

Image Comics President and SPAWN creator, Todd McFarlane, added, "With the current state of the comic book industry, any new infusion of excitement or customers would be a welcome relief. Tyrese brings both of those to the table along with his unbridled enthusiasm. Image is looking forward to having a long sustained run with him on MAYHEM and some of the other ideas he's talked about for the future."

TYRESE GIBSON'S MAYHEM has not only been pushed by Gibson's own efforts through Twitter and his personal outreach to comics retailers, but it's also been the center of a worldwide publicity campaign tied into his starring role in the recent blockbuster film, Transformers 2. Thus far, MAYHEM has been featured by CNN, MTV, The Today Show, Complex, USA Today, E!'s Chelsea Lately, Access Hollywood, Essence, and many others.

The tour continues as Gibson, along with MAYHEM's artist, Tone Rodriguez, and co-writers, Mike Le and Will Wilson, will be in attendance during this month's San Diego Comic Con International at Image Comics, booth #2729. He will also be discussing the future of MAYHEM, along with the long-awaited unveiling of the eventual collection's cover by Image Founder and the superstar artist of ALL-STAR BATMAN & ROBIN, Jim Lee, during The Image Comics Show on Friday, July 24^th at 11:30 in Room 5AB.

Lee added, "There's nothing more compelling about a bold, original character than an impassioned team of creators. MAYHEM's boundless energy starts from the top as whirlwind dynamo creator Tyrese Gibson singlehandedly makes you love the character as if he were your very own betrayed, tragic son, seeking redemption. MAYHEM is fresh, fun and most importantly, from the heart."

“I am humbled by the love and support MAYHEM has received from all the legendary comic veterans and trend-setters,” Gibson said. “To have the personal endorsements of Jim Lee, Avi Arad, Todd McFarlane, Robert Kirkman, Grant Morrison, and so many others... it just blows my mind. I am excited to bring MAYHEM to the die-hard comic book fans, but I am most excited at this opportunity to expose this world to the new generation of comic book fans, who, like me, until now have never read a comic book in their lives. They will find new heroes to embrace and enjoy escapism at it's best! This is only the beginning!"

TYRESE GIBSON'S MAYHEM #1 (JUN090321), a 32-page, full color comic book for $2.99, will be in-stores August 5^th, 2009

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Dark Horse Revives Creepy

Dark Horse is reviving famed horror anthology, Creepy. Originally published by Warren, Creepy was a black and white, magazine-style anthology of horror tales without the Comics Code. It started back in 1964, almost a generation after EC Comics and other comics publishers lost their horror titles to Conservative pressure, and cinematic monsters were pop-culture fluff.

Short stories of darkness and despair - and mostly murder - have proven popular in the comics field time and again over the years (the most recent of which, that I am familiar with, being IDW's Doomed), and they are often done in magazine format, largely thanks to Creepy's influence. Dark Horse is bringing it back in a 48-page comic format, after reprinting many of the magazines in hardcover.

Creepy Comics #1 premieres this Wednesday, with a panel signing the following week at Comic-Con, which includes Berni Wrightson! The cover price is $4.99.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Marvel Comics Shipping 07-15-09

Here you go guys, your Rundown of Marvel Comics shipping this Wednesday, July 15th, 2009:

Comics On-Sale:
AGENTS OF ATLAS 8
ALL SELECT COMICS 70TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
ALL SELECT COMICS 70TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL MARTIN VARIANT
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #599 (DR)
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #599 70S DECADE VARIANT (DR)
BETA RAY BILL: GODHUNTER #2
CAPTAIN AMERICA #600 2ND PRINTING VARIANT
CAPTAIN AMERICA #601
CAPTAIN AMERICA #601 BLACK AND WHITE VARIANT
CAPTAIN AMERICA #601 DJURDJEVIC 70TH
ANNIVERSARY VARIANT
DARK AVENGERS #7 (DAX)
DARK AVENGERS #7 BIANCHI VARIANT (DAX)
DARK REIGN: MISTER NEGATIVE #2
DEADPOOL #12 (DR)
DEADPOOL #12 60S DECADE VARIANT (DR)
DEADPOOL: SUICIDE KINGS #1 2ND PRINTING VARIANT
DEADPOOL: SUICIDE KINGS #2 2ND PRINTING VARIANT
DEADPOOL: SUICIDE KINGS #3 2ND PRINTING VARIANT
FRANKLIN RICHARDS: SCHOOL'S OUT!
INCOGNITO #5
IRON MAN: ARMORED ADVENTURES ONE-SHOT
IRON MAN: ARMORED ADVENTURES ONE-SHOT YOUNG VARIANT
LOCKJAW AND THE PET AVENGERS #3
LOCKJAW AND THE PET AVENGERS #3 HENRICHON VARIANT
MARVEL ADVENTURES THE AVENGERS #38
MIGHTY AVENGERS #27
MIGHTY AVENGERS #27 50S DECADE VARIANT
NEW MUTANTS #2 2ND PRINTING VARIANT
NEW MUTANTS #3
NEW MUTANTS #3 50S DECADE VARIANT
NEW MUTANTS #3 PIERFEDERICI VARIANT
PUNISHER #7
TIMESTORM 2009/2099 #3
X-FACTOR #46
X-MEN FOREVER #1 2ND PRINTING VARIANT

Collections On-Sale:
ANNIHILATION CLASSIC TPB
CAPTAIN BRITAIN BY ALAN MOORE & ALAN DAVIS OMNIBUS HC CLASSIC COSTUME COVER
CAPTAIN BRITAIN BY ALAN MOORE & ALAN DAVIS OMNIBUS HC ORIGINAL COSTUME COVER (DM ONLY)
DOCTOR DOOM AND THE MASTERS OF EVIL GN
ENDER'S GAME: BATTLE SCHOOL PREMIERE HC
ENDER'S SHADOW: BATTLE SCHOOL PREMIERE HC
ESSENTIAL MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE VOL. 3 TPB
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: THE POWER OF STARHAWK PREMIERE HC
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: THE POWER OF STARHAWK PREMIERE HC (DM ONLY)
INCREDIBLE HERCULES: SMASH OF THE TITANS HC
SPIDER-MAN: TORMENT PREMIERE HC
SPIDER-MAN: TORMENT PREMIERE HC (DM ONLY)
THUNDERBOLTS: BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE PREMIERE HC
WAR MACHINE VOL. 1: IRON HEART PREMIERE HC

*DAX = Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men:Utopia tie-in
*DR = Dark Reign tie-in
*MW = Messiah War tie-in
*WOK = War of Kings tie-in

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Strange Tales #2 - Red Hulk Variant

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Car Parts Warehouse

These days, the adage, "You can find anything on the Internet" is pretty much true, but when it comes to shopping online, you always have to consider shipping costs. Yes, one can save a lot of dough buying stuff on the Web, but once you add shipping and handling costs, those savings quickly fade. This is especially true for large and heavy items. That is why few people shop for things like car parts online.

Car Parts Warehouse knows this. That's why all orders over $50.00 get free shipping. Yes, a car parts website which offers free shipping on orders over just $50.00! And if they don't have it in-stock, they'll make every effort to find it for you or have it rebuilt to your specifications. You just can't beat that - though they welcome you to try!

Follow the link provided to check them out, or call them at 1-800-565-5021, Mon-Fri, from 6-5p, Pacific.

Timberlake to Take the Lantern!?

This one's kinda weird, because it makes no sense. According to some sources, Warner Brothers has narrowed its choice of actors to portray Green Lantern (Hal Jordan, that is) to three: Ryan Reynolds, Bradley Cooper, and... Justin Timberlake.

Now, I have not seen Alpha Dog and though I've heard Timberlake turns in a good performance, and I actually find him funny on SNL, let's be for damn real for just a minute, can we?

I mean, just... No. Just no.

Anyway, Ryan Reynolds is already attached to Deadpool. Even though that certainly doesn't put him out of the running for Hal Jordan, I don't see them casting the same actor in two potentially long-lived franchises being released concurrently. Neither company would go for it, because it could cause serious scheduling conflicts, not to mention the whole actor-recognized-as-a-character thing. This Bradley Cooper guy I've only just barely ever heard of and he doesn't have the superhero look, but he was in a big hit movie recently, so that's all that really matters. Ah, Hollow-wood...

Nathan Fillion apparently isn't going to get the part, even though he isn't a bad choice. Of course, none of this is 100%; we were already told that Ryan Gosling had the part, remember? And what happened to Angel? David Boreanaz looks like frigging Hal Jordan - I mean, he looks like the guy who posed for the foundation sketches!

With a reputed $200 million budget and a space-based script, Green Lantern sounds like it's going in every wrong direction available. It's a real shame too, because Green Lantern is one of those superheroes who's really more of a sci-fi sort of thing. Sure, he wears the tights and pals-around with the JLA, but that was more because his story was told in the sequential art medium at a time when superheroes ruled the roost. If they're going to kind of overlook the superhero thing by keeping the whole movie in space (or most of it, anyway), then I guess any actor who connects with the character will work.

Of course the actor is all-important in a character-based film, but in this particular case, they could go a lot of different ways; that importance could be almost completely tempered by the script - and, subsequently, the director, et.al. There's a whole lot of story there, and that's one thing they have yet to truly focus on in any superhero flick of late. It's kind of hard to find one ever, when you think about it:

Superman had to work the story because Supes is the most one-dimensional dude in the multiverse, ad infinitum (though a "Dark" Wolverine means there's at least one more in the running, now...); and Batman (Burton) went straight for the total immersion/melange angle - and did it perfectly, I'll mention. Batman may be the way Green Lantern goes - with an eye toward every detail and the focus on no single element.

And if these three are all we got, let's hope it does.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Spreety TV on Yo PC

Even as network TV moves into the digital realm, more TV watchers are moving on to TV on their PC. As regular readers know, my satellite was turned-off before I moved and I have yet to have it turned back on, even though I am now unable to watch any TV at all! That's because I can watch Burn Notice online now. And that's really all I need, most weeks.

Check out Spreety TV Online : Watch TV Shows Online Free, when you want to see them. Pause them, rewind, replay scenes, and more - all the convenience of DVD/DVR without the expense or hassle! Check it out now - for free!

CGC Now Grading Sports Illustrated, Playboy

As of June 16th, CGC now grades Sports Illustrated (SI) and Playboy. While the Certified Guaranty Company has been grading magazine-sized sequential art periodicals (Mad Magazine, Epic, Heavy Metal, et.al.) for more than five years, it is just now starting to extend into magazines not normally associated with collectors. A thicker version of their patented "slab" cover has been introduced to accommodate Playboy Christmas issues and Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, both of which are larger than usual.

Playboy has a circulation of 3 million monthly (U.S.), which is interesting, since I'd been hearing Playboy was worried about the continued popularity of print... But though I have a modest collection of Playboy and really dig eyeballing super-hot, completely nekkid chicks, I don't have the time to research the whole thing. I'd love to hear from some collectors/experts who could run it down for us. SI has a weekly circulation of about the same (3 million) and apparently has collectibility merit. I assumed some people collected SI, but I did not know it was popular enough to break into the collectibles field.

CGC seems to think they might have had at least a little to do with these magazines becoming more popular as collectibles, and note their magazine-handling capacities are set to expand in the near future.

Given the nature of these periodicals, I'm going to guess a -0.01 for pages stuck together? After all, it's going to be a common flaw.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Dark Wolverine #75 - Second-Printing

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Bendis & Quesada Swing-In to Amazing Spider-Man #601

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

New Tragic Toys from Tim Burton and Dark Horse!

The fertile imagination of Tim Burton is one of the most interesting creative resources in pop-culture today. While his many films are stamped with his unique vision, cinema is an inherently collaborative process. It was therefore with great excitement and pride that Dark Horse Deluxe brought forward a merchandise program based on Burton’s most personal work – the delightfully twisted characters who populate his book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories.

Springing from Burton’s sketchpads and notebooks, these charming little characters have taken on a life of their own. They are his strange little children, and although some have described them as twisted or odd, as Burton himself has observed, "One person's craziness is another person’s reality."

Dark Horse has collaborated closely with Burton in making many of these characters "real," most notably in a series of faithfully sculpted miniature figures sold in boxed sets. After finding wide acceptance in the specialty market, these have been perennial sellers over the last several years.

Dark Horse Deluxe now proudly introduces large-size vinyl versions of these characters for the collector market. While the same faithful attention to detail is present, this new 6"+ size brings forward the special nuance of each individual creation, and fits very nicely into the ever-growing popularity of "designer vinyl" collectible toys. Three releases are planned for the end of 2009: Oyster Boy, Stain Boy, and Toxic Boy.

In conjunction with this, Dark Horse is refreshing the packaging of the original boxed sets, giving it a new graphic-design look and, in a reluctant bow to the increased cost of just about everything, a new suggested retail price (SRP).

The Tim Burton program is also being updated with a variety of new releases, including two heat-sensitive coffee mugs, a pull-tab journal that animates a Burton watercolor scene, a new light-up journal, playing cards, T-shirts, and note cards in light-up boxes.

"Dark Horse Deluxe has been privileged to work with many of today's [pop-culture] giants," VP of Product Development, David Scroggy, remarked, "But there is no one we get excited about more than Tim Burton. These characters are almost like his little children, and we are grateful that he trusts us with them. We have always told Tim that our mission with this program is to bring forward his artistic vision, and we take that responsibility seriously. The new items are a step forward on that journey, and while we don’t know exactly where it will lead us, we are certainly having some fun along the way."

As a capstone to a storied, ongoing career, Tim Burton is to be recognized with a career retrospective show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The exhibit will run from November 2009 through March 2010. Dark Horse Deluxe products will be available at the museum, and the original sculpture maquettes for the figures will be part of the installation. With previously unseen characters being exhibited, it is likely that selected pieces will find their way into the merchandise line as Burton deems appropriate.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

The End is Nigh for the Luna Brothers' The Sword

July 9 2009 (Berkeley, CA) - Yesterday evening on G4TV's Fresh Ink, Blair Butler announced The Luna Brothers have officially begun work on the final arc of their long running action-packed revenge epic, THE SWORD.

THE SWORD tells the story of Dara Brighton, a young woman who witnesses the murder of her family at the hands of three very powerful elemental beings who are after a sword in her father's possession. In the aftermath, Dara attains the sword which gives her incredible abilities beyond her wildest beliefs. While the sword has thus far protected Dara in her quest for revenge, the final arc reveals even this great power has a shocking limitation - one that may be her undoing!

"We cannot wait to reveal what happens in the final arc," Illustrator, Jonathan Luna, said.

Writer, Joshua Luna, added, "From the moment we started working on this series, we’ve always had a very specific ending in mind. So, it’s been incredibly fun, dropping little hints and working towards the payoff, issue by issue. I think readers will be surprised to see how it ends."

THE SWORD #19 (APR090395), a 32-page, full-color comic book for $2.99, will be in stores August 2009.

The Weirding and The Rundown reviewed issue #12 of The Sword last October and enjoyed it very much. Check out our review, then check out The Sword at your local comics dealer's (or find one by clicking on the link to the right).

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Skottie Young, Marvel Podcast Not in Kansas Anymore

(Pictured) THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ #8 (of 8) (MAY090438)
Written by ERIC SHANOWER
Pencils & Cover by SKOTTIE YOUNG
All Ages …$3.99
On-Sale 7/22/09

Acclaimed Wonderful Wizard of Oz artist, Skottie Young, takes The Mighty Marvel Podcast down the yellow brick road and you’re invited to join! Jeff Suter, fan favorite host & Marvel Senior Art Director, sits down with Young to talk about The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the sequel (The Marvelous Land of Oz), and more! What’s Young’s art process? And what’s it like working with Editor Nate Cosby?

Hear more about your favorite Marvel Comics artists, writers, creators, characters, and titles; go behind-the-scenes to learn more about their creative processes and the steps it takes to get a comic book from one guy's brain onto 32+ pages; as well as more about the big, upcoming events WHICH WILL CHANGE THE MARVEL UNIVERSE FOREVER - every month. Subscribe on iTunes to never miss an episode!

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Weird Schedule

Sorry for the way things have been posted lately. There's generally a rush of early to mid -morning posts, followed by a few stragglers later in the afternoon/evening. It makes it hard to follow and kinda... just weird. Like I run out of steam or something and just give-up halfway through the day. Then, stories which broke yesterday - or even a few days earlier - pops-up sometime down the road.

The truth is that I have been giving-up about halfway through the day:

I am living in a hole, the tenant of a real, live slumlord like the ones that used to appear in 1980's sit-coms when they were sentenced to live in their own rental units. I would love if this guy were sentenced to the same! Of course, I live in Decatur County, TN - a notoriously corrupt county - and this guy's dad used to be mayor. He, himself, holds a chair on many city boards (though I've no idea if it is due to his own prominence or yet another holdover from his dad's political weight). So this whole "slumlord" thing will never happen.

No matter how much, how long, nor how hard I fight, neither my landlord nor his vulgar, accursed, 90+ year-old "mama" will ever be held responsible for their negligence nor forced to bring their rental properties up to code. Further, since they rent to a lot of people who would otherwise have no place to to stay (for all sorts of reasons, but largely because they can't afford one), I don't want to just "drop hammers" and get the guy's entire operation shutdown (though it should be); I'm pretty sure I could start complaining to state-run bodies and eventually, someone would check it out.

Anyway, 90°+ weather is a regular thing here in Tennessee, and the proximity to the river means humidity is a factor. This place has no insulation and too many holes to even mention (even after a heavy round of caulking and another using that canned spray foam), as well as a huge, sliding glass patio door; it generally gets up to at least 85° or so by noon - by 1pm, I have to lie down. It's bad when you get up to use the restroom and your forehead breaks into a sweat, but the worst thing is how hot it makes my core body temperature - it's usually almost 6p before my body begins actually cooling down, and it starts with the chills. I've developed a cough which can get quite forceful, though it's non-productive; I hope I'm not coming down with pneumonia!

This being so close to the weekend, I can tell you that I am moving tomorrow. Yes, I am moving this entire house in two days (1¹/₂, really, because I'll be out of here before it gets that hot, Sunday!). This is part of the reason things have been put on-hold and done half-assed, lately. And if it seems like this has been the case for some time now, it's because it has; I've been telling you that Decatur County, TN is truly a blight on American society and the American South, specifically - and I was never lying!

The truth is that Decatur County, TN has received millions in grant money in just the three years that I've been here, yet there are no social programs which help the poor. You can get commodities once every three months and it used to be little more than a few cans of soup, some bags of rice, and 30 jars of peanut butter. Because I complain so loudly and vehemently, we found out some of the little, old women in charge of distributing the food had been "dipping-in" and pulling out some of the choicer items. Some of them disappeared - were "misplaced," as were some $200k of taxpayers' money - but these thieving, lying whores said most of it was given to the various churches and services around town which provide for poor families and people.

Yes, apparently they thought it a good idea to remove good food - like large cans of tuna fish and pork, cans of fruits, boxes of crackers, and more - from the general commodities which are distributed to everyone whose income is below the poverty line and redistribute it to places like the churches, who only provide to their flock and those families and individuals specifically referred to them throughout the months. This same practice goes on with clothing, household items, and the like; the "barebones," inexpensive stuff is left to be distributed to the unwashed masses, while the "good" stuff is sent elsewhere, either to be resold (of course that money's going to help people - there's "just not enough money to help anyone") or better distributed (you know, to God's people [not the Jews - stay with me here!]). That's how Decatur County, TN is run.

So I'm being forced-out of this shithole, which is no skin off my nose, just a lot of sweat off my back...

Anyway, it's going to be another few weeks of "weird" scheduling until I get settled. And Blogger's scheduling errors have helped NO one.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Last Surviving Silent Film Pianist Passes at 96

96-year old Bob Mitchell was the last surviving silent film accompanist, but that job actually lasted just four, short years - from the time he was 12 to age 16 - the musical legacy he left throughout the rest of his life remained intertwined with the silver screen, and touched lives all over the world.

Bob Mitchell began playing the organ for silent films in 1924, but quit in 1928, when talkies began taking over. He is credited with reviving the art of silent film organ accompaniment in 1992 at Los Angeles' Silent Film Theater and this time, he kept the job all the way up to this summer - he gave his last performance at the Silent Film Theater in May.

Along the way, he started a little choir at Los Angeles' St. Brendan's Catholic Church, where he worked as an organist from 1934 to 2000. That little choir began appearing in films two years later. The Robert Mitchell Boys Choir sang Ave Maria with Bing Crosby in 1944's Best Picture Oscar Winner, Going My Way, and a 1941 documentary on the choir, Forty Boys and a Song, was nominated for an Academy Award. They eventually appeared in some 100 movies.

Mitchell was born in 1912 and learned accompaniment by playing the organ at church services. In 1932, he won a scholarship to the Eastman School of music. Over the years, he continued to work in the church, even while holding down jobs in bars, speakeasies, and the movies (which his mother found "vulgar"). He served as musical director for many churches in and around the Hollywood and Los Angeles areas, and when Dodgers' Stadium opened in 1962, Bob Mitchell was the one playing the organ. He kept that job for only four years. But by this point, Bob Mitchell was an institution - a true, living, local (to L.A.) legend.

Mitchell was renowned as a true artist and even called a "genius" by some, and collected many prestigious awards throughout his career in recognition. His silent film accompaniment performances were widely critically-acclaimed. Mitchell always played published music - a point of which he was proud - he did not "make it up" on the fly, as many silent film accompanists were known to do. Of course, by 1992, silent accompaniment was an art form, not a day job - and, again, an art form Mitchell is credited for pioneering.

A consummate professional, Bob hated missing a performance. One close friend said he tried sneaking out of the hospital to perform at the theater shortly before his death. Bob Mitchell passed away fittingly on the 4^th of July.

A Florida woman by the name of Rosa Rio is now the only "original" silent film accompanist (that is, one who actually worked during the silent film era) alive. She still performs regularly at the Tampa Theater. She is 106.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Beckinsale Wins Barbarella Libel Suit

Kate Beckinsale has been awarded some $40k in damages stemming from a libel suit she brought against Express Newspapers. The Daily Express ran an "entirely false" story which said Beckinsale had been dropped from a remake of the classic sci-fi/fantasy movie, Barbarella. Her lawyer said the story caused her "considerable embarrassment," as it suggested her career was "in decline." The story, which was also carried online, contained a line which read:

[The Barbarella remake is] expected to be a big commercial hit so it will be a real blow to Kate

In fact, not only did Mrs. Beckinsale not lose the role to Barbarella star and Charmed alum, Rose McGowan, she was never even considered for the film! Beckinsale was never in talks to appear in the film in any capacity.

The paper offered its sincerest apologies and the editor said they were "happy" to pay damages and court costs for their error.

Kate Beckinsale is fine as fuck, though she's just as married as hell.

What?

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Image's Existence 2.0 Lives Again, Online

8 July 2009 (Berkeley, CA) – After EXISTENCE 2.0’s first issue faced a complete distribution-level sell-out Image Comics, writer Nick Spencer and illustrator Ronald Salas bring their noir crime-thriller online, thanks to a partnership with Comic Book Resources.

"EXISTENCE 2.0 is a very different book, combining crime noir with hard-edge science-fiction that's an absolute must-read for any fan of TRANSMETROPOLITAN and CRIMINAL," Image Comics Partner, Jim Valentino, said. "When the news of the sell-out came in, we knew we had to get the book in front of as many eyes as possible. Luckily, the people at Comic Book Resources were very enthusiastic and gave our first issue a home."

EXISTENCE 2.0 is set in motion when less-than-ethical physicist, Sylvester Baladine, is assassinated and has his consciousness transferred into the body of his killer. Life isn’t all bad, considering his new body is younger, better-looking, and still possesses all the talents of a life-long trained killer. That is, until he finds out that the same group of assassins that plotted his death have taken the one thing he held dear in his previous life: his daughter. Now, Sylvester must return to his past to find out who ordered his assassination and what they want with his daughter. There’s only one problem – a lot of people wanted him dead!

EXISTENCE 2.0 #1 is online on Comic Book Resources today. EXISTENCE 2.0 #2 (JUN090380), a 32-page, full-color comic book for $3.50, will be in stores August 5^th, 2009.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Harry Potter Stars All Wet at Premiere

The Harry Potter stars and fans alike got soaked by torrential rains at the Leicester Square premiere of the latest installment in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - the BBC pronounced it "Harry Potter and the Half-Flood Prince." However, the premiere went over quite well, and both stars and fans remained excited, despite the downpour.

While author, JK Rowling, signed autographs in the rain, the stars wore white ribbons in remembrance of fallen co-star, Rob Knox (Marcus Belby), who was stabbed to death outside a pub just over a year ago. Another co-star, Jamie Waylett (Vincent Crabbe), will stand accused of growing marijuana one day after the film's release (July 16^th). One was even mentioned in conjunction with a New Zealand burglary! But it isn't as though the cast is "cursed," the way some movies and casts are said to be in superstitious Hollywood; the cast is so large, that it's really just a matter of statistics. "Rob would have loved to be here tonight," remarked co-star, Jessie Cave (Lavender Brown), "it's just a shame that he's not."

Star, Emma Watson, the 19-year old actress who has portrayed Hermione Granger throughout the franchise and made news recently when she announced her decision to leave acting, dispelled rumors of inter-cast romance: "We have grown-up together from the age of 10... we are just like siblings. There is nothing between the three of us. Even among the other cast members, there hasn't been anything like that."

Harry Potter himself (Daniel Radcliffe) expressed remorse over the franchise's conclusion, but also excitement. The final book in the series has been split into two films. And Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) recovering nicely from the Swine Flu, braved the rain like a champ to make the premiere.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is wide-released on July 15^th.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009