Action-adventure series We The People set for August release

Outlaw Entertainment has tapped into the past to bring readers a compelling story of redemption and social reform, set against a modern American city where corruption has become the norm. Scheduled for an August release, We The Peoplewill introduce the world to a new team of heroes... One where the only power they wield comes from their unrelenting desire for change.

In reality, the legendary characters of Zorro, Robin Hood, and Sinbad the Sailor are not just the stuff of fiction, but instead, a long lineage of skilled protectors who vow justice for the innocent. Now the mask, the bow, and the sea will call out a to a new generation, and in the process a group of unlikely heroes will arise, one that promises to clean up a city where the streets have run rampant with corruption and injustice.

"We The People is exactly the right story at exactly the right time," states We The People co-creator and Outlaw Entertainment COO, Rick A. Villa. "Given the state of the world right now, it's a thrilling thought to imagine a real life group of heroes banding together to make a difference. They don't do it with super powers or fancy gadgetry... They do it because it's the right thing to do. It really is an old school-style story for a very new school-style audience."

Read more and find cover art here.

(Courtesy of www.comicrelated.com)

 

Introduction

I recently had the pleasure of Interviewing Army of Darkness writer, Mike Raicht. Mike's became a pretty good mate of mine over the last couple of months and has given me valuable advice on my aspirations to becoming a writer.

Not too long ago Mike gave me a sneak read at his upcoming book "The Stuff of Legend" to review. I looked at the cover and fell in love with the artwork; I read it and fell in love with the story and characters. Now that The Stuff of Legend is almost ready to be released, I thought now would be a good a time as any to get a sly interview with the awesome Mike Raicht. Here's what he had to say...

Interview

Liam Bradley: Before we start the official interview, Mike, could you tell us a bit about yourself?

Mike Raicht: I'm a husband to Nancy and father to Austin. I don't envy either of them. I enjoy Halo 3 and zombies way too much. I am a big fan of Syracuse University sports due to going to all their basketball and football games with my dad as a kid. And I have an undergrad degree from LeMoyne College in English/Creative Writing and a Masters in Creative Writing/Fiction from Long Island University. I worked for a time in journalism covering local government and sports.

LB: Were you a big comics fan as a kid? If so, then what was your favourite comic?

MR: I was a really big fan. My mom and dad tended to pick comics up for me all the time. From Star Wars to the Hulk. I became completely hooked on X-Men at about the age of 8 at the local news stand. The lady there allowed kids to get a pull list before they were really fashionable. Mine got a little large and I eventually had to trim it a bit. Sixty cents to Seventy-five cents was steep for a kid with no job. I did however get very thin from saving my lunch money.

LB: What made you decide to write comics?

MR: I think I always knew it was something I wanted to be involved in but I didn't believe it was a realistic possibility. I loved the stories as a kid. I played GI Joe, Dungeon and Dragons, and X-Men with my friends on my street. In high school I did the jock thing for a bit and had a girlfriend so I was kind of a closet comic reader. But I always kept up with the books. I graduated high school in '93 so I was hip deep in all of the X-Men and Image craziness.

I originally went to college to become some kind of doctor, which is frightening. When I realized I was horrible in science and math, or at least really didn't care about them, I found a new path and really got into writing. Mostly fiction but also some journalism stuff. I was good at it. I won some awards for fiction and received a scholarship to attend grad school. From there it made sense to write in the industry I loved the most. Simple, right?

LB: You mentioned to me before that you had an internship at Marvel. How did that come about?

MR: After getting accepted to LIU for my Masters I decided I would kick myself if I didn't try to get into comics. I researched getting an internship at Marvel. As luck would have it, an alumni of LIU was an assistant editor at Marvel and hooked me up with an interview. I interviewed with Bobbie Chase and Brian Smith and scored the internship.

I interned for a semester with Bobbie Chase and Brian Smith who were in charge of a lot of the Marvel Heroes including Iron Man, the Hulk and Fantastic Four. (Most importantly, Brian and I are great friends and collaborators to this day. I am currently working on multiple projects with him including THE STUFF OF LEGEND). Then the second semester, I was in the office of Jason Liebig and Lysa Hawkins. They were the secondary X-office.

Read the rest of the interview and find more preview images here.

(Courtesy of www.comicrelated.com)

The first footage from the upcoming horror film, The Graves can be seen in the all-new video by horror-punk icons Calabrese posted here: http://www.youtube.com/thegravesmovie

The Graves is about sisters Megan and Abby whose visit to Skull City Mine turns into a mind bending fight for survival against menaces both human, and supernatural.

"We'll launch The Graves official trailer on July 20th, right before Comicon International, but we wanted to give everyone a sneak peek," says writer / director Brian Pulido. "We feature Calabrese early on in The Graves and this video is a natural extension of that scene."

Read the rest here.

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THE GRAVES TRAILER TO LAUNCH JULY 20TH!

Seeing a major motion picture spring out of a Top Shelf series is exciting to us on any day and the Surrogates is clearly shaping up to be a very interesting film. Add to that mix Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Radha Mitchell and Rosamund Pike and we're in!

The story? The year is 2054, and life is reduced to a data feed. The fusing of virtual reality and cybernetics has ushered in the era of the personal surrogate, android substitutes that let users interact with the world without ever leaving their homes. It's a perfect world, and it's up to Detectives Harvey Greer and Pete Ford of the Metro Police Department to keep it that way. But to do so they'll need to stop a techno-terrorist bent on returning society to a time when people lived their lives instead of merely experiencing them.

As we count down September 29th release, here's a look at the latest film poster featuring Willis...

Read more here.

(Courtesy of www.comicrelated.com)

Publisher Summary:
A humorous and poignant 'slice of super life' graphic novel, THE DEADBEAT revolves around a down-on-his-luck former superhero and his long-lost daughter. As tempers flare and they come to terms with one another, they realize that the events that drove a wedge between them years ago were just the tip of the iceberg.

Review:
Jeremy Massie shows us that even the greatest of super heroes can make bad choices when faced with tragedy. Through a tongue and cheek vision of the super hero genre, we follow a fallen hero who demonstrates that just because you have strength and power doesn't mean you always show strength of character. Embarking on a new chapter in his life when his daughter, thought lost forever, turns up with powers of her own and a life scarred by his lack of responsibility, is now having to learn to make her own choices and the consequences that go along with them.

Super heroes who misuse their powers or neglect their responsibilities is nothing new to the super hero genre, just pick up almost any Dark Horse or Marvel title and you'll probably find that. That being said I liked Massie's spin on it, his satirizing approach to the characters and the genre is well done without feeling too campy with a plot that has a real back bone to it. His fallen hero is very relatable leading you to develop sympathy for the tragic loss in his life as well as irritation and anger for the fact that he dug the hole he is in himself. Which of course directly affects the kind of life and issues his daughter grows up with and carries in her life. Their interaction and emotion behind it feels real and unforced supporting the straight-forward language of the script, making them feel like ordinary people who just happen to have extraordinary powers.

Massie's artistic style for this project harkens back to a more classic style of comic art, reminding me of something you might see in a Sunday serial. I found this escape from the high gloss and polish that you find in most main stream works refreshing, drawing attention to the story being told and not the latest digital effects available. I am definitely interested in seeing where Massie takes this project and I look forward to reading more. I would also encourage anyone who enjoys a good satire to pick it up and judge for your self.

Rating the Issue
Overall: 7

Read more and find preview pages here.

(Courtesy of www.comicrelated.com)