Fans Get Word Of New Titles At Wizard World Convention
When most people think hear the term "mythology," they usually think of history-class lessons on Greek gods. However, for fanboys, "mythology" implies a different sort of god -- a hero who goes by the name Superman, Spider-Man, or Batman.
June 15 to 17, Wizard Entertainment held a convention about precisely that type of mythology at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. Representatives from each of the major comic publisher were there, along with "Hereos"' Haden Panettiere and Coheed and Cambria front man Claudio Sanchez, who was promoting his comic "The Armory Wars," a companion piece to C&C's albums. "The Armory Wars" comic is available at Hot Topic stores nationwide.
Marvel Comics, who gained national media attention from the recent death of Captain America, attended the event, with Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis ("Ultimate Spider-Man," "New Avengers," "Powers") as the convention's guest of honor.
Announcements were made regarding major changes in Marvel's lineup, including the myriad Spider-Man books being condensed into one weekly title, an unprecedented move for Marvel.
Marvel also discussed two crossovers from their line. The first, occurring now, is "World War Hulk" ("WWH"), running through several of their titles. "WWH" features a Hulk who has spent the last year trapped on a planet against his will, and has come back to Earth to get revenge on those who sent him there -- Iron Man, Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic Four, and Professor X of the X-Men. The second crossover, coming this fall, is "The Messiah CompleX," an X-Men comic. It tells of the first mutant born after the mutant population was cut by ninety percent, and the various groups that seek to control it.
Also in attendance was DC Comics, the home of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. DC came to the convention with two major announcements: First, that Dwayne McDuffie -- the head writer of Cartoon Network's "Justice League Unlimited" -- will be following novelist Brad Meltzer (author of the best-selling "The Book of Fate") as writer of "Justice League of America," starting with September's issue #13. Second, fan-favorite writer Mark Waid will be returning to "The Flash" with a special issue titled "All Flash #1" this fall, and will be continue writing for "The Flash" monthly. The final focus of DC was "Countdown," a weekly series lead by Paul Dini, whose work on both the Batman and Superman animated series of the '90s is fondly remembered by many.
It is a great time to be a fan of comics right now. To find a comic shop near you, visit csls.diamond.com or dial 1-888-COMICBOOK.
(Originally published 6/25/07 by UWire.com)