New comics Dec. 22, 2010

Batman: The Dark Knight Archives Vol. 7 (Archive Editions)
Batman: The Dark Knight Archives Vol. 7 (Archive Editions)

Gulliver's Travels
Gulliver's Travels IDW Publishing

Jeffrey Jones: A Life in Art
Jeffrey Jones: A Life in Art

Marvel Universe Vs. the Punisher
Marvel Universe Vs. the Punisher

Spider-Man: The Real Clone Saga
Spider-Man: The Real Clone Saga

Thor Vs. Seth, the Serpent God (Thor (Graphic Novels))
Thor Vs. Seth, the Serpent God (Thor (Graphic Novels))

X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain
X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain

Art of Vampirella HC
Art of Vampirella HC

 Vampirella Archives Volume 1 HC
Vampirella Archives Volume 1 HC

DC's Young Justice 'toon debuts as weekly series Jan. 7

After a preview in November, DC's latest superhero cartoon will air Fridays weekly at 7 p.m. ET/PT. Here's a description:

"In Young Justice, being a teenager means proving yourself over and over -- to peers, parents, teachers, mentors and, ultimately, to yourself. But what if you're not just a normal teenager? What if you're a teenage super hero? How much harder will it be to prove yourself in a world of super powers, super villains and super secrets? Are you ready to come of age in such a world? Are you ready for life or death rites of passage? Are you ready to join the ranks of the great heroes and prove you're worthy of the Justice League? That's exactly what the members of Young Justice -- Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis -- will found out ... whether they have what it takes to be a proven hero."

Abbey Road crossing given historical status

The famed intersection outside Abbey Road Studios where the Beatles where photographed for the cover of their final album has been named a British Heritage Site.

DC Comics March 2011 solicitations

Highlights from DC's March offerings:

SUGAR AND SPIKE ARCHIVES VOL. 1
Written by SHELDON MAYER
Art and cover by SHELDON MAYER
DC’s cult favorite comic about a pair of precocious babies is collected at last in this volume.
Hot-tempered Sugar Plumm and shy Cecil “Spike” Wilson may be toddlers, but they know more about getting into trouble than most grown-ups. And while they can understand each other perfectly, all their parents seem to hear when they speak is “Glx sptzl glaah!”
Now, DC Comics collects their classic series for the first time, starting with issues #1-10, in this hardcover showcasing stories and art by the talented Sheldon Mayer, inspired by the hijinks of his own children.
ADVANCE SOLICITED • On sale AUGUST 31 240 pg, FC

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: GREEN LANTERN VOL. 5

Written by DENNIS O’NEIL and ELLIOT S. MAGGIN
Art by NEAL ADAMS, DICK GIORDANO, MIKE GRELL, VINCE COLLETTA and others
Cover by NEAL ADAMS
Green Lantern’s SHOWCASE PRESENTS series continues with issues #76-100, including the famed stories that teamed Green Lantern with Green Arrow, in which the two heroes face issues of the day including women’s rights, political corruption, religious intolerance and more — all while battling evil. This volume also includes adventures from GL’s 1976 relaunch, collected here for the first time!
On sale APRIL 20 • 496 pgs

DC COMICS PRESENTS: NIGHT FORCE #1
Written by MARV WOLFMAN
Art by GENE COLAN & BOB SMITH
Cover by GENE COLAN & DICK GIORDANO
The acclaimed creative team behind Tomb of Dracula reunited in 1982 for DC’s NIGHT FORCE! Now, DC reprints issues #1-4 of this cult favorite series that taps into the lore of Dracula. The series begins as the mysterious sorcerer Baron Winter assembles a team to take on an occult evil. But can the granddaughter of Dracula’s greatest foe, a powerful parapsychologist and a timelost warrior from the court of King David tackle these threats?
On sale MARCH 23 • 96 pg, FC, $7.99 US

OUR ARMY AT WAR

Written by DARWYN COOKE, B. CLAY MOORE, MATT STURGES and others
Art by DARWYN COOKE, PHIL WINSLADE, JUSTINIANO and others
Cover by DARWYN COOKE
Collecting 2010’s five unforgettable one-shots that took a modern look at warfare courtesy of some of today’s top comic talents. Includes G.I. COMBAT #1 featuring The Haunted Tank, OUR ARMY AT WAR #1 starring Sgt. Rock, WEIRD WAR TALES #1, OUR FIGHTING FORCES #1 spotlighting The Losers, and STAR-SPANGLED WAR STORIES #1 focusing on French Resistance icon Mademoiselle Marie!
On sale APRIL 6 • 128 pg, FC

OTHER LIVES
Written by PETER BAGGE
Art and cover by PETER BAGGE
“This is prime Bagge that will surprise readers with its artistic maturity and a plot that is in no way predictable.” — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“I can count on one hand the number of comic artists whose work is as strong . . . maybe on two or three fingers.” — ROBERT CRUMB
Meet three certified geeks: a self-loathing journalist who has a seemingly normal girlfriend, a conspiracy theorist who still lives with his mother and an unemployed gamer who lives in his car. While the past unites this group of neurotic thirty-somethings, the future will hit them harder than a (insert your favorite gaming metaphor here) when their all-too-real fantasy existence threatens to destroy them in OTHER LIVES, an original graphic novel from award-winning creator Peter Bagge (Hate). Zelig meets Dr. Strangelove by way of The Big Bang Theory in this hilarious and heartless exploration of identity - both real and created.
On sale APRIL 27 • 136 pg, FC, MATURE READERS

Fouth Asterix film goes into production

Will any of these things ever be released in the states? From Variety:

"Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia is the fourth installment in Gaul's biggest French-language franchise of the last decade, both at home and abroad.

The movie adapts Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo's "Asterix in Britain," published in 1966, in which Asterix crosses the channel to help British second-cousin Anticlimax face down Julius Caesar and invading Romans.

Gerard Depardieu will reprise his role as Obelix. Fabrice Luchini ("Potiche") will play Caesar. Remaining key cast has yet to be announced.

Stunt actor falls during performance of Spidey musical

The problems keep piling up for "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark":

Theatergoers...said they saw either the actor playing the title character or his stunt double fall about 8 to 10 feet during the closing minutes of the show, and that some equipment fell into the audience when this occurred.

A police spokesman confirmed that a male actor was injured at about 10:42 p.m. and taken to Bellevue Hospital Center. No other information was immediately available.

Journalista blogger laid off

Sad news: Dirk Deppey, writer of the long-running Journalista blog from Fantagraphics has been laid off.  Dirk has helped shape coverage of comics news and criticism online. Here's hoping he finds a new -- and good -- gig soon.

New Robert E. Howard series from Dark Horse out tomorrow

From the release:

Continuing our tradition of bringing Robert E. Howard's incomparable characters to life, Dark Horse is proud to present the inaugural issue of Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword!

Each eighty--page, perfect--bound issue will showcase the exploits of Howard's heroes in new comic adventures and restored reprints of classic tales, and include a wide range of bonus material too! Some of these characters have never before appeared in comics--you'll see them here first, folks! Featuring the work of industry legends and today's top talent and hottest rising stars, this is a can't--miss series for fans of action--packed adventure comics!

* Featured in this issue: Paul Tobin (Spider--Man & the Secret Wars), Wellinton Alves (Nova), Marc Andreyko (Manhunter), Robert Atkins (G.I. Joe), Tim Bradstreet (Punisher), Barry Windsor Smith (Conan), and more!

* Inaugural issue of a brand--new anthology series!

* Includes Roy Thomas, Tim Conrad, and Barry Windsor--Smith's acclaimed Savage Sword of Conan epic, "Worms of the Earth," recolored and reprinted in its entirety!

New PJ Harvey video