Yearly Archives: 2018
DC Black Label to Overhaul Batman, Superman & More
DC is expanding its comic book lineup again in 2018. Today the publisher revealed first details about DC Black Label, a new line that will feature top-name creators crafting unique, standalone takes on characters like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. The line will be overseen by executive editor Mark Doyle and feature creators like Frank Miller, Scott Snyder and Kelly Sue DeConnick.
DC is already drawing comparisons between Black Label and classic graphic novels like Batman: The Killing Joke and Watchmen. The goal is for creators to leave their personal stamp on these iconic characters and tell accessible, "edgy" stories set outside of mainline DC continuity. Each project will follow its own publishing format and schedule based on what best serves the story in question, meaning that we'll probably see a mix of traditional miniseries, prestige format limited series and graphic novels.
5 Streaming Shows You Should Watch (But Probably Missed in February)
We are in the middle of a streaming frenzy with Netflix alone releasing 700 original series in 2018 and let’s not forget, other streaming platforms like Hulu and Amazon are offering up their own unique lineups. With all of this exciting new content, some shows are inevitably going to be overlooked. Here are 5 streaming shows you might have missed in February.
Let’s start with Netflix’s Tamborine, Chris Rock’s first comedy special in ten years. The hour-long set is a brutal self-examination of Rock’s struggles as a parent and husband, touching on his divorce and what it was like to fight for custody of his daughters with unflinching honesty. He also touches on topical issues like gun control, police brutality, and race. If that sounds too depressing for you, fear not, even when Chris Rock is being serious, he can still make you laugh.
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Announced
Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft have announced Tom Clancy's The Division 2.
No real details of the game have been revealed, but we know the sequel will run on an updated version of the Snowdrop engine that powered the original Division two years ago, as well as Mario + Rabbids.
As ever, several Ubisoft studios will support the lead developer - in this case Ubisoft Annecy, Redstorm, Reflections, Ubisoft Bucharest and Ubisoft Shanghai.
On an official Division stream today, Massive said that there would be no further details until E3 2018.
The Division 2's logo.
10 Classic Books That Are Also Comics
One of the many things to love about comic books is that they’re one of the most democratic forms of literature: easily-distributed, quick to understand and share, using images to cut through the fat of written narrative. But they’re so much more than just dumbed-down books, MOM. The images in a comic book are literature in their own right, telling stories that have the ability to transcend written language (you could say cave paintings are the first recorded stories, after all).
There are a lot of reasons why someone might choose to adapt a classic written work into a graphic novel. It could be an attempt to convince The Youth™ that reading can be cool, or maybe it’s the desire to refresh an older work and remind contemporary audiences why that work still matters. It could serve to reinforce the power of sequential arts and comic books as legitimate literary forms, or as an ambitious experiment in illustrating complex prose and themes. Whatever the motivation, the results are frequently spectacular, as seen in the examples ahead.
Iron Man Director to Write and Produce Star Wars TV Series
Jon Favreau, director of Iron Man and The Jungle Book, will executive produce and write a live-action Star Wars TV series for Disney's upcoming streaming service.
Although Disney hasn't made this specifically clear, we'd assume that this is the already-announced series coming in 2019, which will be a part of the launch of Disney's unnamed new streaming platform.
That's not definitely the case, however. Disney CEO Bob Iger previously said that the company is "developing not just one, but a few Star Wars series specifically for the Disney direct-to-consumer app."
Nintendo Filed a Switch Patent That Includes the Donkey Konga Drums
Nintendo has filed a patent for the Switch that includes Donkey Konga drums.
The patent was filed in the US in August of 2017 and pertains to a set of "extended input devices" for the Nintendo Switch. It has only been made public today.
Examples shown include a keyboard peripheral and a pair of bongo drums that look similar to the device used in 2004's Donkey Konga for the Nintendo GameCube.
Patent Image for the Extended Input Devices
What Did You think of This Week’s Comics?
As you probably saw last week, we're ending our old approach to comic book reviews going forward. The goal now is to to deliver a handful of weekly reviews paired with critical analysis pieces and editorials. But even though the old weekly review round-ups are no more, we still want IGN Comics readers to have a place to discuss new releases and their favorite books of the week.
Head down to the comments section to join in on the discussion. But before you do, check out this week's new reviews and a couple of our latest analysis pieces to get a feel for the new approach.
Torn Is The Twilight Zone Mixed With Black Mirror in Virtual Reality
Aspyr Studio's Torn is coming to all three virtual reality platforms, bringing a dark science fiction world in which players can fully immerse themselves.
Created by BioShock, Stranglehold, Tomb Raider, and Middle-earth: Shadow of War veterans, Torn follows a vlogger who discovers a forgotten mansion riddled with evidence of "disturbing experiments."
Apsyr Studio released a gameplay trailer showing off what it calls a "VR tourist destination built for fans of classic science fiction."
Through exploring the mansion, players piece together clues about an alternate dimension known as "The Parallel," where the mansion's owner, Dr. Talbot, is trapped.
The main tool for exploring and deconstructing the mansion is a Half-Life-like gravity tool that lets you pick up and "fling pianos with the flick of a wrist."
Layers of Fear Dev Partners With Friday the 13th Publisher for New Game
A new game is in the works from Bloober Team and Gun Media, code-named Project Méliès, and the spooky submarine-y teaser has us intrigued.
The teaser came alongside the announcement that Gun Media has entered a publishing agreement with development studio Bloober Team, whose past titles include psychological horror Layers of Fear, and Observer. This new project looks like it won't be straying far from the genre either.
The teaser begins with an old film reel countdown, with the numbers presented in a jumbled order, before plunging us into the midst of an underwater wreck, surrounded by debris - which includes a film reel.
Interestingly, George Méliès is the French director behind the famous 1902 film, A Trip to the Moon, whose story revolves around a group of scientists who travel to the moon, kill the aliens they find there, and inadvertently kidnap one, before returning home to a parade.
Mario Tennis Aces Box Art and Release Date Reportedly Leaked
Mario Tennis Aces' release date may have just been revealed thanks to leaked box art that places the launch on June 22.
The box art and some leaked screenshots were posted over on ResetEra, seemingly coming from a now-deleted Rakuten Books entry for the game. Listings often appear ahead of official release date reveals, and today's Nintendo Direct seems a likely place for that.
Mario Tennis Aces was announced earlier this year, with a Spring 2018 release window. The official last day of Spring falls on June 21, so it's entirely possible that the date is serving as a placeholder.