Broken Frontier

This year's 11th annual show was the second that I'd had the pleasure of attending and I'm glad to report that the focus of the show is most certainly on the comics.

This week the True Blood episode S0309 showed again how exciting vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters and Sookie's can be. Get a recap and the inside look into True Blood S0309 right here.

Guy Salvatore is mourning the death of his beloved girlfriend Sith. Hallucinations of monsters invade his mind, and Guy soon discovers he may just be able to save Sith from her existence in the Dream Worlds. Enter a strange, old man who offers his assistance. A man named Satan.

Welcome to the realm of writer/artist Chandra Free’s The God Machine. Archaia Entertainment released a preview book of the project last fall, which gave readers a look at the larger story that Free wanted to tell: one of love, loss and the supernatural. Broken Frontier spoke to Free as her full story is revealed.

Read the full article now in The Frontiersman #9. Get our digital comics magazine here:

iPad: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-frontiersman/id382206249?mt=8
PDF: http://www.brokenfrontier.com/frontiersman-download

Rising from the ashes of Brian Michael Bendis’ redefining Avengers: Disassembled story, Young Avengers #1 debuted in April of 2005. With little to no expectations of the title, being written off as a “mini-Avengers” style book, writer Allan Heinberg was given the freedom to define this next generation of superheroes.

With artist Jim Cheung, then still relatively unknown, Heinberg created a new voice in the Marvel Universe, as well as a new generation of heroes that really could take over for their big gun counterparts. With Marvel’s Avengers: The Children’s Crusade off to a hot start, let’s have a look at where these young heroes came from.

Read the full article now in The Frontiersman #9. Get our digital comics magazine here:

iPad: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-frontiersman/id382206249?mt=8
PDF: http://www.brokenfrontier.com/frontiersman-download

I've never seen anything like Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. Hands down, this may be the most original piece of commercial filmmaking ever made for our demographic. It’s a fresh, funny, inventive, adorable, action-packed, special effects, musical extravaganza. It’s intimate and epic, all in the same breath. There’s so much going on during this movie that a repeat viewing can only enhance the value of the film.

Read the full article now in The Frontiersman #9. Get our digital comics magazine here:

iPad: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-frontiersman/id382206249?mt=8
PDF: http://www.brokenfrontier.com/frontiersman-download

Who decides who joins the pantheon of the greatest creative teams of all time? And why aren’t Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev included yet? Broken Frontier makes the case for their inclusion.

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Marv Wolfman and George Pérez. Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams. These are just some of the many pairs brought up when speaking of the greatest creative teams in comic book history. They form the best examples of what the collaborative medium has to offer.

But how does a team get on this list? What are the qualifications? And why aren’t Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev mentioned more often in this regard?

Read the full article now in The Frontiersman #9. Get our digital comics magazine here:

iPad: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-frontiersman/id382206249?mt=8
PDF: http://www.brokenfrontier.com/frontiersman-download

With Shadrach Stone, Stuart Moore (Namor: The First Mutant) and Jon Proctor (The Black Diamond) have weaved an intricate web of intrigue, drama and paranormal adventure in a story that shows how deep lies can put one man’s world upside down. The protagonist, carrying the same name as this OGN’s title, is a literary agent who’s made a living feeding other people with lies. That is, until he’s struck by a mysterious trauma and he can no longer tell anything but the truth.

Read the full article now in The Frontiersman #9. Get our digital comics magazine here:

iPad: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-frontiersman/id382206249?mt=8
PDF: http://www.brokenfrontier.com/frontiersman-download

As you no doubt will have noticed, Marvel spent all of last week releasing tantalising teasers regarding who would take over the Man Without Fear mantle. You may also have noticed that Andy Diggle is pushing Murdock through the wringer in the pages of the Daredevil and Shadowland comics. While we all assumed Matt could emerge a changed man, maybe even a villain … I’m not sure dead ever crossed anyone’s mind.

Take a look at this teaser Marvel released at the start of this week:

Titled “The End”, apart from being a gorgeous piece of art, it shows Daredevil’s current, old and even original yellow suits burning in flames. A bit of detective work later and it’s easy to see that this could be the big Brian M. Bendis and David Mack farewell Daredevil story they were teasing back in April.

Titled Daredevil: End Of Days, this story was meant to be Daredevil’s final chapter. It was going to be the last and biggest story for the man without fear – and most importantly, it was due to arrive this winter… coinciding ever so slightly with the “November” timeframe printed across the teaser.  

Even the name of the teaser, “The End” has major significance. In the early 2000’s Marvel published a line of “The End” comics, which showed the possible endings for some of its various characters. Many of the big characters had been covered, even the Marvel Universe was brought to its knees by Thanos, but the books took a slightly “What If?” stance, being non-cannon. This book however has promised to be different.

“It goes a little further than most of ‘The End’ stories.” Bendis explained to CBR News back in April. “This is in continuity.”

By making the story in continuity that would put Matt Murdock out of commission, permanently. Sure characters get brought back to life all the time, but the tone conveyed by Bendis seems to indicate that this is literally the end,

"There's only two ways out of that world. You leave or you let it take you over. That's what this story is about.”

This Daredevil: End Of Days story is being seen looked upon by Marvel as, “Not only the last Daredevil story, it's a valentine to all that Daredevil represents in the Marvel Universe." With an all-star team assembled for the book, including some of the best artists to ever grace the pages of Daredevil, we are looking at the very real possibility of Shadowland setting up a very big exit for the one of Marvel’s most celebrated heroes. 

While this is all speculation at this point in time, the two books quite clearly link up – what better time could the final Daredevil story arrive? Murdock is at his lowest, a borderline villain after murdering his arch-nemesis and has already turned his back on his friends…

Are these the last days for Daredevil? 

“In a world of unlikely heroes, Dennis Sykes is about to become Marvel’s unlikeliest, in an event that brings together the entire Marvel Universe! This September, Heroic Age: One Month To Live #1 begins a five-issue weekly event and each issue will debut the following week on the Marvel Comics app!”

This is One More To Live, Marvel's following up on their promise that the Heroic Age would see the smaller events with tighter stories being brought in after the behemoth Secret Invasion and Siege stories met with much criticism. With some of the companies finest at the helm, is this the opportunity Marvel have been waiting for to introduce a new hero (or hopefully villain) into the Marvel U… We can hope; the Avengers can only fight Kang the Conqueror so many times. 

For the time being we can be certain of only one thing; now is the time to jump back into Marvel if you have been outta the game.  One Month To Live is being pushed by David Gabriel (Senior Vice President of Sales & Circulation Marvel) as the perfect jumping on point for not only new readers, but also those acquainting themselves with Marvel’s digital comics app.

“With so many major Marvel heroes guest-starring, this is the perfect book for current fans and new readers, which made it a natural to fit on the Marvel Comics app shortly after it hits stores.”

The creative team attached to this book is undoubtedly one of the draws to this title, with four writers splitting the story; it’s bound to be one of the most explosive books of the year.

“The story of an accident which gives Sykes incredible super powers…and a 30-day death sentence. Now, Sykes will leave his mark on the world, and he’s prepared to go through Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and Avengers to complete his final journey!”

Rick Remender is taking issue #1 and #5, Rob Williams is #2, Stuart Moore is taking the reigns for #3 and John Ostrander for issue #4. The artists on the weekly month long book include Andrea Mutti, Shane White and Jamie McKelvie.

For those of you expecting anything less than a masterfully crafted story should be ashamed of yourselves. With writers like Remender on board expect big ideas and an even bigger execution. These guys are masters of pushing everything to breaking point and with the first issue on sale September 1st ($2.99) you still have plenty of time to clear space in your pull list!

“Everyone is the hero of their own story…but not every hero is a good guy”

Season 2 premiere of the TV-series Bored to Death, about a writer who turns PI, starring Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis (returning September 26)!  The show's creator, Jonathan Ames, has a background in graphic novels and comics..and actually created a comic to go along with the series. 

Ames, along with Dean Haspiel, created THE BIRTH OF SUPER RAY, which was distributed at Comic-Con via IDW Publishing.
To download the comic book, visit: http://www.hbo.com/bored-to-death/inside/extras/download/super-ray.html

Bored to Death season two premieres Sunday, September 26 at 10PM on HBO.