Friday, November 29, 2013

ComiXology Black Friday Sale

ComiXology's Black Friday Sale starts today with two big sales that run through Cyber Monday. First up, there's Marvel's Avengers vs. X-Men Sale running from 11/29 - 12/2 and also a sale on Image trades that also runs 11/29 - 12/2. Complete details are below. Stay tuned for another email late Sunday night as we will have additional sales debuting on Cyber Monday!

11/29 - 12/2 - Avengers vs. X-Men Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale:

All the following issues are marked down to $0.99 each

Avengers vs X-Men #0-12
AVX: VS #1-6
AVX: Consequences #1-5
Avengers vs X-Men Infinite #1, 6, 10
Avengers Academy #29-33
Secret Avengers #26-28
Avengers #25-30
New Avengers #24-30
X-Men Legacy #266-270
Wolverine & The X-Men #9-16, 18
Uncanny X-Men #11-20
A-Babies vs. X-Babies #1

Avengers vs. X-Men: Collected Edition - marked down from $39.99 to $19.99

11/29 - 12/2 - Image Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale:

East of West Vol. 1 $4.99
Fatale Vol. 1 $5.99
Fatale Vol. 2 $5.99
Five Ghosts Vol. 1 $4.99
Five Weapons: Making the Grade $7.99
Great Pacific Vol. 1 4.99
Happy! 3.99
It Girl & The Atomics Vol. 1 4.99
Lazarus Vol. 1 4.99
Mind the Gap Vol. 1 3.99
Mind the Gap Vol. 2 4.99
Mind the Gap Vol. 3 5.99
Peter Panzerfaust Vol. 1 3.99
Prophet Vol. 1 4.99
Revival Vol. 1 3.99
Saga Vol. 1 4.99
Saga Vol. 2 4.99
The Legend of Luther Strode 7.99
The Manhattan Projects Vol. 1 3.99
The Manhattan Projects Vol. 2 4.99



About comiXology
ComiXology has revolutionized the comic book and graphic novel industry by delivering a cloud-based digital comics platform that makes discovering, buying, and reading comics more fun than ever before. ComiXology’s Guided View™ reading technology transforms the comic book medium into an immersive and cinematic experience, helping comiXology become one of iTunes top 10 grossing iPad apps in both 2011 and 2012. Offering the broadest library of comic book content from the top 75 publishers, and including independent creators as well, comiXology will not stop until everyone on the face of the planet has become a comic book fan. A privately held company, comiXology is based in New York City. For more information visit www.comixology.com.

BOOM! Studios Announces Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday Sales

Nov. 26, 2013 - Los Angeles, CA - BOOM! Studios is happy to announce several sale promotions in its webstore for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday to kick off the 2013 holiday shopping season! The BOOM! Studios webstore can be found at boom-studios.com.

The promotions are as follows:

ALL WEEKEND LONG (starts Thursday, Nov. 28, 8:00 p.m. PST; ends Monday, Dec. 2, 11:59 p.m. PST)

· Every order over $25.00 qualifies for free domestic shipping

· All trade paperbacks of licensed titles (i.e. ADVENTURE TIME, ROBOCOP, PEANUTS, BRAVEST WARRIORS, PLANET OF THE APES, and more) in stock are 15% off

· Several bundle packs will be discounted (check the site for details)

BLACK FRIDAY (starts Thursday, Nov. 28, 8:00 p.m. PST; ends Friday, Nov. 29, 11:59 p.m. PST)

· Get 25% off all orders from $60.00 to $99.99

· Get 35% off all orders from $100.00 and up

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY (Nov. 30, starts 12:00 a.m. PST; ends 11:59 p.m. PST)

· All leather-bound Archaia editions in stock are 50% off

· All other Archaia items in stock are 25% off

BONUS BOOM! SUNDAY (Dec. 1, starts 12:00 a.m. PST; ends 11:59 p.m. PST)

· All trade paperbacks of licensed titles* in stock jump to 25% off (*Excludes ADVENTURE TIME products)

CYBER MONDAY (Dec. 2, starts 12:00 a.m. PST; ends 11:59 p.m. PST)

· Free mystery gift packed with every order

· Buy one, get one free for all main covers (A or B) to single issues in stock

· Any order over $50.00 is automatically entered into a raffle to win THE ULTIMATE GIFT PACK, featuring one copy of every single issue** BOOM! Studios and KaBOOM! has released in 2013 to date (**Some issues may be filled with variant covers)


BOOM! Studios wishes everyone a happy and safe holiday season!

ABOUT BOOM! STUDIOS
Founded by Ross Richie in 2005, Diamond Gem Award-winning “Best Publisher” BOOM! Studios (boom-studios.com) generates a constellation of best-selling Eisner and Harvey Award-winning original and licensed comic books and graphic novels with the industry’s top talent. BOOM! Studios is the home of Mike Carey’s SUICIDE RISK, Clive Barker’s NEXT TESTAMENT and HELLRAISER, Paul Jenkins and Humberto Ramos’ FAIRY QUEST, PLANET OF THE APES, Max Bemis’ POLARITY and Mark Waid’s IRREDEEMABLE. Steven Grant’s graphic novel 2 GUNS was recently released as a feature film from Universal Pictures, starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. BOOM!’s all-ages imprint KaBOOM! publishes Charles Schulz’ PEANUTS, Jim Davis’ GARFIELD, Cartoon Network’s ADVENTURE TIME and REGULAR SHOW, Mike Kunkel’s HEROBEAR AND THE KID, and Roger Langridge’s Eisner Award-winning SNARKED. In June 2013, BOOM! acquired Archaia Entertainment (archaia.com). Archaia is the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning graphic novel publisher of MOUSE GUARD, COW BOY, GUNNERKRIGG COURT, RUST, SPERA, JIM HENSON’S TALE OF SAND, RETURN OF THE DAPPER MEN, and many other great titles. In October 2013, BOOM! Studios entered into a unique first-look relationship with 20th Century Fox, giving the studio access to its library of titles and giving the publisher access to Fox's vast catalog of films.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Polar: Came from the Cold HC Preview


Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Creator: Victor Santos
Page Count: 160
Cover Price: $17.99
Release Date: November 27th, 2013


Ripped out of retirement by an assassination attempt, the world’s most deadly spy—Black Kaiser—is on a collision course with a stab-happy torture expert and a seductive but deadly redhead. His mission only ends if he dies or kills everyone out to get him, and he’s not in the habit of dying. This webcomic hit has been rescripted for print!

* A guns-blazing espionage action-adventure in the grand tradition of Jim Steranko and Frank Miller.

* By Victor Santos (Mice Templar)!

Dark Horse Presents: STAR WARS BLACK FRIDAY!

For 72 hours, Dark Horse Digital will offer 150 single-issue Star Wars comics for $100! A savings of over $300!

November 22, MILWAUKIE, OR—Dark Horse Comics is rocking Black Friday madness with a very exclusive limited offer for its digital-comics readers . . .

Feast your optic sensors on this year’s Black Friday MegaBundle. For one weekend only, you can get over 150 digital Star Wars comics for the crazy-low price of only $100.

Get classics like The Clone Wars, The Old Republic, and all three arcs of Crimson Empire. Get a taste of Brian Wood’s critically acclaimed Star Wars series. Your favorite Sith friends are here too, with Darth Maul and Darth Vader series, plus the latest series, Lost Tribe of the Sith. Your favorite bounty hunter, Boba Fett, is here, plus the Imperial spy comic Agent of the Empire. Go back in time to the origins of the Jedi in Dawn of the Jedi, travel to hundreds of years after the films end with Legacy, and more!

Over 3,500 pages of Star Wars goodness! This sale goes live at midnight (PST), Friday, November 29, and runs through midnight, Sunday, December 1.

Get this MegaBundle here: http://goo.gl/bZwZpM, before Chewie punches it, and it jumps to hyperspace!

The free Dark Horse Digital comics app is now available worldwide through all modern web browsers and features cloud storage in both the Android and iOS apps.

Stop by Dark Horse Digital and get all the Star Wars comics you could want and more!

About Dark Horse Digital
Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has grown to become the third-largest comics publisher in the United States and is acclaimed internationally for the quality and diversity of its line. In 2011, the company that revolutionized the comic industry proudly presented its groundbreaking digital-publishing program, Dark Horse Digital.

Having launched with hundreds of titles, Dark Horse Digital offers its most popular titles at an unprecedented value, while providing the highest-quality reading experience possible. Single-issue comics are priced as low as just $0.99, and there is also an extensive list of free introductory #1 issues. Additionally, DH Digital’s “bundles” group together story arcs spanning multiple issues into affordable packages, allowing readers to get the three or four issues that comprise a complete narrative, starting at just $3.99 and up. And through cloud-based technology, Digital Store purchases can be read and enjoyed on your laptop, desktop, mobile browser, and Dark Horse Bookshelf app, available now on iTunes.

To get started, simply log on to Digital.DarkHorse.com or download the app to create an account, and begin building your collection today. ***

Monday, November 18, 2013

ComiXology Unveils eGift Cards Just In Time For The Holidays

November 18th, 2013 – New York, NY. – Want to give the gift of comics, but don’t know which to buy? ComiXology makes it easy with today’s debut of our new eGift Card. With over 40,000 comics and graphic novels to give this holiday season or any time, comiXology – the revolutionary cloud-based digital comics platform – lets you give that special someone eGift Cards ranging from $10 to $500 redeemable at www.comixology.com with no hidden fees or expiration dates.

“Shopping for friends, family and loved ones is hard, especially if they’re comic fans, so the comiXology eGift Card takes out the guess work and makes it easy to be a comics gifting hero,” says comiXology co-founder and CEO David Steinberger. “The comiXology eGift Card is another way we’re making it easy for comics fans to get and give the comics they love. “

Getting a comiXology eGift Card is easy! Just visit www.comixology.com/egift-cards, choose the value of the eGift Card, from $10 to $500. Next, specify who will be receiving the eGift Card and decide if you want your gift to go out same day or on a later date. That means you can shop now and have it delivered just in time for the Holidays. You can even purchase multiple eGift Cards at the same time! No need to worry about hidden fees or expiration dates – there are none.

When delivered, recipients of your comiXology eGift Card will receive an email confirmation with a code to redeem the gifted amount via their comiXology account on www.comixology.com and purchases can be read there or sync to any device. If your recipient doesn’t have a comiXology account they’ll be prompted to create one and then their eGift Card credit will show up in their account.

For more info about comiXology eGift Cards take a look at the FAQ.

With over 40,000 comics and graphic novels from more than 75 publishers, comiXology offers the widest selection of digital comics in the world. ComiXology’s immense catalog and unique Guided View reading experience is available across the iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows 8 and the Web—making it the best digital platform for comic and graphic novel fans worldwide.

About comiXology
ComiXology has revolutionized the comic book and graphic novel industry by delivering a cloud-based digital comics platform that makes discovering, buying, and reading comics more fun than ever before. ComiXology’s Guided View™ reading technology transforms the comic book medium into an immersive and cinematic experience, helping comiXology become one of iTunes top 10 grossing iPad apps in both 2011 and 2012. Offering the broadest library of comic book content from the top 75 publishers, and including independent creators as well, comiXology will not stop until everyone on the face of the planet has become a comic book fan. A privately held company, comiXology is based in New York City. For more information visit www.comixology.com.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Is the Call of Duty Going Straight to Voicemail?

As gamers, likely numbered in the millions, gather online to shred each other in a stream of gunfire in Call of Duty: Ghosts, the reviews fall a few rounds short of a full mag. We all know reviews are opinions of fellow gamers, so they're expected to fall within a range. The annualized Call of Duty franchise maintains a unique place in the industry because of its perception. If you visit the comments on any Call of Duty article on IGN, you know what I mean. That sentiment can be found on other sites as well including GameTrailers and GameSpot.

IGN reviews tend to stand out because they're radically different from other reviews in terms of scoring. It's become a humorous among their followers. This is especially true for the Call of Duty series. The site's readers often expect them to rate each entry with a score in the mid-9 to 10 range. IGN gave Ghosts an "8" and called it "great." They added the comment "old dog, new tricks" to go along with the introduction of sidekick German Shepherd, Riley. Over at Destructoid, the reviewer called it mediocre, scored it a "5" and labeled it "old dog, old tricks."

Here are scores from some other sites:
Game Informer: 8/10
Giant Bomb: 3/5
GameSpot: 8/10
GameTrailers: 7/10
OXM: 8/10
Polygon: 6.5/10

By themselves, the scores aren't all bad. Some of them are decent in fact. What's important to note is the decrease across the board from previous entries. While many players use the scores as a guide, I find the review content to be the most informative. A common theme running through these reviews details how Ghosts doesn't bring anything new to the genre. This isn't (just) about highlighting the flaws in the yearly series such as "dynamic events" which are actually just scripted sequences, lackluster narratives or the technical deficiencies. No, this is more about the perception from the gaming community. I enjoy the campaigns for their fast-paced, intense shoot-outs and playing with a group of friends online is always a fun experience, so I'll play it to find out for myself.

There seem to be two big camps: those who play and love it and the people who don't and see it as a yearly re-hash. A portion of the latter is comprised of people who gave up on the series for the lack of innovation. It seems some of the gaming sites are just now acknowledging this and it's reflected in the reviews. Is it as simple as Ghosts just being inferior to previous games? Or has fatigue spread to the gaming media? I'm looking forward to early December when it's been in rotation for a couple weeks and Xbox One owners have it to see how people feel about it then.

Could this be the point where it changes? Until the numbers come in, it's too early to tell. Knowing how much of an entertainment monster Call of Duty has become, it's going to SELL. There certainly isn't anything wrong with high sells. The issue comes from the lack of pressure to make any changes to the formula.

What do you think about the reviews? Did you pick it up or plan to? What are your thoughts on the series overall? Let me know below.