Two Books Join the New 52 in February

Last month we reported that DC was canceling four of its lower selling titles in January - Frankenstein, Grifter, Blue Beetle, and Legion Lost. That means the company will need to launch four new books in February to keep the overall number of ongoing DC books at 52.

Geoff Johns and David Finch's Justice League of America has already announced. Today, two more of these new titles were revealed by MTV Geek - Katana and Justice League of America's Vibe.

Katana spins out of Duane Swiercynski's Birds of Prey series and features the assassin who wields a sword she believes houses her late husband's soul. The series will be written by Ann Nocenti (Catwoman) and drawn by Alex Sanchez (JSA Classified).

As the title suggests, Justice League of America's Vibe is tied to Johns' new team book and focuses on the former gang leader-turned-superhero. The series will be written by Andrew Kreisberg (creator of the TV series Arrow) and illustrated by Pete Woods (Legion Lost). Additionally, Johns will serve as co-plotter for the first issue.

"We've done a lot of great things with the 'New 52," co-publisher Dan DiDio told MTV Geek, "and now we're putting the focus back on Justice League, with the launch of Justice League of America. We want to make people realize that this is one of our key franchises, and we plan to build it out not just with the main Justice League titles, but other books that tie into them as well."

Speaking of Arrow, DC also revealed a new creative team for Green Arrow starting with February's issue #17. Jeff Lemire (Justice League Dark) will begin writing the series, while Andrea Sorrentino (I, Vampire) will be the new penciller. Presumably the series will begin incorporating elements from the TV series. No word yet on whether we'll see any issues devoted to a shirtless Ollie Queen doing pull-ups on a salmon ladder.

Those worried what this new assignment means for Lemire's other DC books can rest easy. Lemire tweeted today, "Thanks for all the kind words about Green Arrow. Still writing Animal Man and Justice League Dark for a long haul too!" It was revealed at NYCC last month that Ray Fawkes will be co-writing Justice League Dark with him.

Finally, DC revealed that they'll be publishing 52 variant covers for Justice League of America #1. Each will feature a background flag from a different US state or territory.

There's still (presumably) one new title left to be revealed for February. We'll update you when that news hits, as well as when we have more information on Vibe and Katana.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Two Books Join the New 52 in February

Last month we reported that DC was canceling four of its lower selling titles in January - Frankenstein, Grifter, Blue Beetle, and Legion Lost. That means the company will need to launch four new books in February to keep the overall number of ongoing DC books at 52.

Geoff Johns and David Finch's Justice League of America has already announced. Today, two more of these new titles were revealed by MTV Geek - Katana and Justice League of America's Vibe.

Katana spins out of Duane Swiercynski's Birds of Prey series and features the assassin who wields a sword she believes houses her late husband's soul. The series will be written by Ann Nocenti (Catwoman) and drawn by Alex Sanchez (JSA Classified).

As the title suggests, Justice League of America's Vibe is tied to Johns' new team book and focuses on the former gang leader-turned-superhero. The series will be written by Andrew Kreisberg (creator of the TV series Arrow) and illustrated by Pete Woods (Legion Lost). Additionally, Johns will serve as co-plotter for the first issue.

"We've done a lot of great things with the 'New 52," co-publisher Dan DiDio told MTV Geek, "and now we're putting the focus back on Justice League, with the launch of Justice League of America. We want to make people realize that this is one of our key franchises, and we plan to build it out not just with the main Justice League titles, but other books that tie into them as well."

Speaking of Arrow, DC also revealed a new creative team for Green Arrow starting with February's issue #17. Jeff Lemire (Justice League Dark) will begin writing the series, while Andrea Sorrentino (I, Vampire) will be the new penciller. Presumably the series will begin incorporating elements from the TV series. No word yet on whether we'll see any issues devoted to a shirtless Ollie Queen doing pull-ups on a salmon ladder.

Those worried what this new assignment means for Lemire's other DC books can rest easy. Lemire tweeted today, "Thanks for all the kind words about Green Arrow. Still writing Animal Man and Justice League Dark for a long haul too!" It was revealed at NYCC last month that Ray Fawkes will be co-writing Justice League Dark with him.

Finally, DC revealed that they'll be publishing 52 variant covers for Justice League of America #1. Each will feature a background flag from a different US state or territory.

There's still (presumably) one new title left to be revealed for February. We'll update you when that news hits, as well as when we have more information on Vibe and Katana.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Daniel Radcliffe May Star in Frankenstein

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe may play the monster in Sherlock director Paul McGuigan's revisionist Frankenstein movie.

TheWrap claims Radcliffe is interested in playing the role of "Hunchback" in the Fox-based project scripted by Chronicle's Max Landis. Hunchback? No, this film apparently isn't some kind of a Mary Shelley/Victor Hugo mashup.

The site says this version of Frankenstein "puts a sci-fi take on this classic story about a creature produced through a scientific experiment. Hunchback is described as pathologically dirty and dressed in old clowns clothing."

"Serious talks" with potential actors will begin once the script is finalized.

Source : ign[dot]com

Daniel Radcliffe May Star in Frankenstein

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe may play the monster in Sherlock director Paul McGuigan's revisionist Frankenstein movie.

TheWrap claims Radcliffe is interested in playing the role of "Hunchback" in the Fox-based project scripted by Chronicle's Max Landis. Hunchback? No, this film apparently isn't some kind of a Mary Shelley/Victor Hugo mashup.

The site says this version of Frankenstein "puts a sci-fi take on this classic story about a creature produced through a scientific experiment. Hunchback is described as pathologically dirty and dressed in old clowns clothing."

"Serious talks" with potential actors will begin once the script is finalized.

Source : ign[dot]com

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #0 Review

Frankenstein is a series I enjoyed as the New 52 relaunch kicked off but eventually fell behind on. Luckily, Matt Kindt's approach to issue #0 is one that welcomes new and lapsed readers. This completely standalone tale focuses on the creation of Victor Frankenstein's monster and the early battles that shaped him into the sword-slinging hero he is today.

Kindt works to subvert the original Frankenstein text a bit by portraying the inventor as a deranged, mad scientist and his creation as a noble hero from the beginning. I would have liked a bit more nuance in Victor's portrayal. While his vendetta against the monster is understandable, his personality is a bit one-note. Luckily, Frankenstein the monster is well-written and perfectly identifiable as the tragic lead. Readers are shown all they really need to know about the character over the course of the book, with some narration courtesy of Father Time to fill in the gaps. The script offers up just the right blend of tragedy and kooky monster action.

Alberto Ponticelli's artwork generally serves the script well. There were instances where a heavier use of blacks and shadows might have been beneficial. However, Ponticelli offers up an effective blend of moody settings and surreal character designs. The scenes set in the Amazon jungle stand out as particularly eye-catching.

I'm pleased to see that the series hasn't suffered from the shift in writers, and I may have to add Frankenstein to my regular slate of New 52 books once again.

Source : ign[dot]com