by A.J. Focht

When we left off last week, Gamescom 2011 was just starting over in Germany. Most of the major publishers were present to show off what they’ve done since their last junket (E3 for most them). Some favored highlights include updates on Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, with developers Bethesda offering up details on a whole new crafting concept for the game. Blizzard was also on the scene with information on upcoming Cataclysm patches and the announcement of a new “Inferno” difficulty mode being added to Diablo III.

!–more–>
For more details from the event, check out Kotaku’s Gamescom 2011 recap.

Gamescom was just the start of a round of gaming conventions. This weekend the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) takes place in Seattle, Washington. Any games that weren’t showcased at Gamescom are bound to show up here, including the debut of the next game from Portal developers. For a full PAX schedule check here.

One last bit of news from the gaming world; apparently Nintendo shareholders are impressed with the company’s plans for the 3DS. The night after Nintendo revealed its plans for a 3DS-focused closed-to-public event at the Tokyo Game Show, their stocks jumped 9%. Let’s hope that the fans who are actually going to be playing the updated system are just as impressed.

Video games didn’t hold all the convention news last week, as D23 2011 (the Disney expo) took place last weekend as well. This meant more Avengers teasers, and lots of them. Early footage of the film was shown where Loki has been captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. While I am pretty sure this will be part of the start of the movie and ultimately inconsequential, I was more intrigued to hear about his “army.” He could be referring to the Ice Giants, but I’ve got an odd feeling (maybe more of a desire) that it’s the Skrulls. MTV has cast interviews you can check out here.

Other superhero related news this week includes the iTunes-released trailer for the forthcoming Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance film. Nicolas Cage is back as Johnny Blaze, and the new CGI is looking wicked.



There have also been reports coming out about Iron Man 3. President of Robert Downey Jr’s production company, Schmoes Know, had a lot to say on the matter, including the transition from Jon Favreau to new director Shane Black. The third movie in a trilogy is always tricky, and Downey recently mentioned there are still element of the movie he is not satisfied with.

Marvel also unveiled its next big thing: Shattered Heroes. Once Fear Itself has ended (most likely coinciding with the ends of Spider Island and Schism), we’re told the Marvel world will see its heroes trying to pick up the pieces of their lives post-catastrophe.

A last bit of comic news; ComiXology digital storefronts launched Tuesday, with over 100 comic book retailers participating in the program. The digital storefront allows you to purchase your digital copies, and support local stores. It’s not the most practical thing –– since you can purchase exactly the same content direct from the publishers –– but I’m all for helping out mom and pop comic shops.

By Alex Dueben

Alan Robert is best known as a musician and singer/songwriter of the bands Life of Agony and Spoiler NYC, but he was first and foremost a comic guy. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City where he studied cartooning under Walt Simonson and others, the rock star is now in the midst of his second career as a comics artist and writer. At a time when celebrities will put their names on a comic but let others do all the work, Robert is creating comics that are written, drawn, colored and even lettered by him and include back page material taking readers through his process and workspace and have some fun along the way.

After the success of last year’s miniseries Wire Hangers, IDW is releasing a new miniseries from Robert starting this month. Crawl To Me is a strange dark tale that was created in just a matter of months and shows growth and experimentation over his work published just a year ago. Talking with the budding horror icon is a real inspiration and it’s clear that Robert is having the time of his life.

Read our exclusive interview with Alan Robert on SuicideGirls.com.

by A.J. Focht

Superheroes swarmed the geek news again this last week with several major announcements from all sides. Warner Bros kicked the week off revealing Laurence Fishburne would be playing the role of Perry White in Man of Steel. Shortly thereafter, they released the first look at Henry Cavill as Superman. Despite the recent script problems, Superman is set to fly back into theaters on June 14, 2013.

Warner Bros didn’t stop there. The first official photo of Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises was released soon after the Superman photo. The outfit pays some homage to the more ‘tactical’ look of the comic books, but gives absolutely no feline resemblance. This has only fueled the theory that Hathaway will actually be playing the role as Selina Kyle, and may not become Catwoman at all.

[..]

by Daniel Robert Epstein

Dame Darcy is best known for her Fantagraphics comic book series Meatcake. But now she has taken on the ambitious project of adding illustrations to the Charlotte Bronte classic Jane Eyre for The Illustrated Jane Eyre. I got a chance to talk with Dame as she was traveling the country doing signings and shows with her band Death By Doll.

Read our exclusive interview with Dame Darcy on SuicideGirls.com.

by Daniel Robert Epstein

Over the past 15 years Jae Lee has become one of the most stylish and innovative comic book artists in recent memory. He burst onto the scene with a stint on Namor the Sub-Mariner and since then has worked on dozens of other books from Fantastic Four to The Sentry to his creator owned Hellshock.

But recently Jae Lee has a wild time throwing himself headfirst into the horror genre by working with two of the great horror creators, by proxy. I use that word because currently he is working on a series of comic book miniseries based on the Stephen King novels The Dark Tower with the legendary Peter David doing the dialogue. But I was lucky enough to get to talk with Lee about his work creating the pictures for The Illustrated Dracula.

Read our exclusive interview with Jae Lee on SuicideGirls.com.

by A.J. Focht

Strange things are happening over at Marvel Comics as a Doctor Strange movie is in motion. Marvel Studios already exploited their rights to most of the mainstream heroes, and, as they look toward the studio’s future, they’re going to have to start pulling from the lesser known source material. It looks like Doctor Strange is going to be the first of them, tentatively seeing a 2013 release date.

[..]

by A.J. Focht

It was the comic world that ruled geek news this last week as San Diego Comic Con was in full swing. Major players from all realms of nerdom gathered to share their latest updates. With such a huge event, I can’t possibly cover all the announcements, but here’s a full recap for your convenience.

Marvel Studios made a good call releasing Captain America: The First Avenger along with all the con hype. It took the box office this weekend making $65.1 million, but still shy of Thor’s $65.7 million opening weekend. And while Comic Con may have helped boost Captain America’s sales in America, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 continues to enchant the rest of the world.

Out of all the videos released at this year’s Comic Con, the trailer for The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra was one of the most anticipated (see above). The brand new video gives just over a minute’s look at the world of Avatar some 70 years after Aang.

[..]