San Diego catch up!!!

It's all over, and everyone's pretty much settled down, so it's time to look at some of the San Diego Comic Con stuff that was awesome, and that you're going to be hearing a lot about from me in coming month. Enough rambling, let's get down to business. In NO particular order at all:

Sheena/Tarzan crossover: That's right, Dynamite acquired the right to Sheena Queen of the Jungle and is kick off her arrival by teaming her up with Tarzan Lord of the Jungle!!! I have to admit, I'm SUPER surprised that this team-up didn't take place years ago, but I think it's gonna be super fun to read. And, you guys know that I can't mention Tarzan without including a YouTube video of one of my favorite cartoons ever. Filmation's 1980's Tarzan cartoon! Enjoy:

JAMES BOND!!!! Wow, HOW long did we have to wait for this? Too long, in my opinion! Dynamite announced that they had acquired the license awhile ago, but had been playing coy for quite some time about when the book would launch and what the creative team would be. Well, the wait is over and the new Bond comic will be brought to us by writer Warren Ellis and artist Jason Masters. While you all know I'm not the biggest Warren Ellis fan out there, I really think this book is going to be a home run. You can read a great interview with Dynamite Senior Editor Joe Rybandt right here.

Thundercats!: OUTTA NOWHERE Mattel announced that they would be producing a line of Thundercats figures in scale with their Masters of the Universe Classic figures! Yes, these are the figures that we've been waiting for.

Ghostbusters: 2016 is gonna be a big year for Ghostbusters. And hey, I'm not even talking about the new film! We're going to get a NEW on-going Ghostbusters series from Erick Burnham and Dan Schoening,(and an annual this fall), but wait, there's more! Diamond Select is doing Ghostbusters figures of everybody from the first film, and I. MEAN. EVERYBODY! OK, no Larry King figure, but who knows? Stranger things have happened!...ok, not really.

Back to the Future: An honest to God, movie related, Back to the Future comic book! What's even better? It's co-written by Back to the Future co-creator (and no stranger to comics himself) Bob Gale and Erik Burnham, with art by Dan Schoening!!! I don't think there's anything you could want more from a Back to the Future comic.

Atari Force: Dynamite Entertainment is going to republish the DC Atari Force series, and they're doing new comics based on Atari properties. I'm hoping, with maybe some strong sales and some letter writing, we can get them to launch a brand new Atari Force series!

OK, I'm running outta steam with this post. There's a lot of :honorable mentions" that I wanted to make, but you'll see them later in the year (and next year) as they come closer. Let's get to the money shot:

ROM/The Micronauts: NOBODY saw this coming. NOBODY. Not even me. About 2 second after it was announced at the Hasbro panel, this image hit the internet:

We all know how much this meant to IDW's Chris Ryall, and frankly, there is NO WAY that I could be happier for him. I've known Chris for a long time, and I know how hard he's worked to get ROM and believe me, to call this a labor or love would be THE understatement of all time. There's a little life lesson hidden in this one-hard work, determination and passion PAY OFF.
-As much as for Chris, this is a dream come true for me as well. I've always been a huge fan of both properties, and to get the chance to sell these books is just incredible. I truly never thought that it would happen.

So, consider this a preview of the things to come here. I'll be covering/reviewing/promoting all of these things, and many more, in the months to come. You think you've seen electrifying before? You ain't seen nothin' yet, baby!!!!!!

2012! That year that was.......

....ok-ish. First off, I HATE HATE HATE year end review shit. Seriously. Why? Because I have the patented Hayes memory. I can't remember anything. Yes, I know my wedding date. Yes, I know dates of important events in my life. I remember stuff that's important to me and a lot of stuff that isn't. But, when pressed, I always come up WAY short on lists. So, this isn't so much a list, as much as it is a "I DO remember that this happened this year" type of thing. And I'm gonna TRY and come up with 12, but, well, we'll see what happens.

Skyfall: OH MY GOD SKYFALL!!!! I am a huge Bond fan, but I never thought that a James Bond movie would be as perfect as this. Never. It's got everything. All the classic hallmarks of a Bond film cranked up to 11. What surprised me most, was that this was an ENDING to the origin of James Bond. And I didn't even know I was watching it until the very last few minutes. Easily, my favorite movie of 2012.

REVIVAL: OK, I'll admit it. I'm the guy that hates Image Comics. SUPER hates them. I hate them so much, I'm totally indifferent to them. Except for one other comic that will come up later. So, what in the hell would make me even look at this book? First, it was the creators, Mike Norton and Tim Seeley. Then, I found out that it takes place in a town about 45 minutes north from where I grew up. You know what I found out? NOT ALL IMAGE COMICS SUCK!!! I absolutely LOVE this comic!! I'm not gonna go into a long diatribe about why here, but trust me when I tell you-it's fucking AWESOME!!! If you get the chance, seriously, read it-you're going to love it. Art is great, story is great, just an all around solid, comic. THE best ongoing title released this year, hands down.

THE AVENGERS: What can I say about this movie? Everyone, includiing me, LOVED IT! And, with good reason. I'm not a Joss Whedon fan, but this was GREAT!! Perfect amount of action, dead-on, true to the character dialogue, what more could you ask for? Nick Fury was a LITTLE too much of an asshole for my taste, but that was really the only complain that I had. And, it's a VERY minor one. Best summer movie, by far!

FRIENDS: In 2012 I found out who my TRUE friends were....and it was a giant kick in the ass. People that I THOUGHT were my friends, turned out not to be. Sad, but true. And, they made me appreciate my REAL friends even more. And for that, I am very grateful and blessed.

ERNIE CHAN: Sadly, we lost Ernie Chan this year. From Batman to Conan to Captain Carrot, he was one of my favorites. Both him and his work will be missed.

SCARLET SPIDER: Chris Yost and that A-Hole Ryan Stegman brought an all new Scarlet Spider to life!! And he's AWESOME!!!! The book is still going strong, but sadly, with out artist Stegman who has moved on to a great gig on the upcoming Superior Spider-Man!

GI JOE RETALIATION: Earlier this year, I and other GI Joe fans had the rug pulled out from under us when Paramount and Hasbro announced just WEEKS before it's release date that GI Joe: Retaliation was being pulled for 3-D conversion and that we'd have to wait almost an entire YEAR to see it. Well, that year is about 90 days from being up and I'm still excited about seeing it, but that was the day that all of us GI Joe fans collectively flipped out shit for 1 day.

CALL ME MAYBE: No comment.

DISNEY BUYS LUCASFILM: In what came as a HUGE shock to most people, The Walt Disney Company aquired Lucasfilm AND announced that Star Wars: Episode 7 would be out in theaters in less than 3 years. A great day for all Star Wars fans, true. With Disney owning Marvel, Lucasfilm as well as it's OWN treasure trove of characters, this is the year that Disney pretty much took over as the top studio in Hollywood.

MACGYVER: THE COMIC BOOK: In October, Image Comics released MacGyver: The Fugitive Gauntlet #1. Written by series creator Lee David Zlotoff & Tony Lee and illustrated by Will Sliney, this book is AWESOME!!!!

SIX MILLION DOLLAR EVERYTHING!!!!: This year, Entertainment Earth released a TON of Six Million Dollar Man merchandise!!! Figures, coffee mugs, t-shirts, all this and more on the way. That, combined with Dynamite Entertainment's excellent comic book series made this year pretty damn Bionic!!! Still, part of me wishes for a 3&3/4 inch scale set of action figures. But, I'm not complaining. :)

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!! This year on March 2nd, after 2 long years spent on the Legally Prohibited from Selling Comics in a Store Tour, I was honored to join the team at Challengers Comics + Conversation in Chicago, IL. Run by two long time friends, it has been nothing but a pleasure spending the past 9 months as a Challenger. Thanks to them for the opportunity.

Bonus: I can't believe I came up with 12, let alone a 13th, item. Wow. I guess my memory isn't nearly as bad as I thought! Also, huge thanks to google. This one may be the most important one. This was the year, that I decided to go back to school to get a degree in Personal Fitness Training. It's something that I've been passionate about for awhile, and I decided that this was something that I could do to HELP people become better. As of today, it's not looking good for me to make the January classes for a number of reasons, but here's hoping I will. If not, then I will FINALLY start school in April. Here's hoping!!!

The SKY is FALLING!!!!

No one is more excited for the new James Bond film, Skyfall, than myself and my good friend Wendi(who you should follow on twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/DFWendi ) for her(and you)I've scoured the internet to put together everything we know so far about the new movie opening here in the US on Friday, November 9th, 2012.

First, the official Press Release about the film:

Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli today presented the cast of the 23rd James Bond adventure, entitled SKYFALL. The film, from Albert R. Broccoli's Eon Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment, is directed by Academy Award® winner Sam Mendes and stars Daniel Craig, who returns for his third film as James Bond 007. The screenplay is written by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and John Logan. SKYFALL, which goes into production on Monday, November 7th, will begin its worldwide roll-out in the UK and Ireland on October 26th 2012 and in North America on November 9th 2012.

Joining Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Director Sam Mendes were members of the cast of SKYFALL, including: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Dame Judi Dench, Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe. The filmmakers also announced Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney and Ben Whishaw.

In SKYFALL, Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

"We're so delighted to have Sam Mendes direct SKYFALL and be working once again with Daniel Craig. We've a great script, an extraordinary cast and an incredibly talented creative team for this latest James Bond adventure," said Wilson and Broccoli.

The Director of Photography is Roger Deakins, a nine-time Oscar® nominee who previously shot the films Jarhead and Revolutionary Road for Mendes. The Production Designer is Oscar® winner Dennis Gassner, who previously designed Quantum of Solace and collaborated with Mendes on the films Road to Perdition and Jarhead. The Editor is Stuart Baird, A.C.E., whose many credits include Casino Royale. Jany Temime, whose many credits include the Harry Potter series, In Bruges, and Children of Men, is the Costume Designer. Action specialist Alexander Witt is the 2nd Unit Director. Gary Powell is Stunt Co-ordinator, Chris Corbould is SFX Supervisor and Steve Begg is Visual Effects Supervisor, all of whom have worked on previous Bond films.

-Next, here are some pictures from the press conference. OK, a LOT of pictures.

-Here's the complete video of the press conferance

-And finally, here's some soundbites from the cast and crew of the film.

-The countdown is on! 368 days to go!!!

I'm SUPER excited for...............

A book.

But, it's not just ANY book. After 2009's less than awesome Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks, I was looking forward to a new Bond novel by ANYONE ELSE, and Flemming Publications did not disappoint by choosing Jeffery Deaver to pen not just any Bond novel, but basically a reboot of the literary Bond.

“The book will be set in mid-2011, which is when the book will be coming out. Bond is a 29- or 30-year-old agent for British security, doing what he did in the original books. And he will be a veteran of the military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. You’ll see the cast of characters readers are familiar with – Miss Moneypenny and M – but updated for the present day.”

Here's the formal press release from Flemming Publications:

Press Release

The new James Bond book, due to be published later this year and written by best-selling thriller writer Jeffery Deaver, is to be called Carte Blanche. Its title and cover artwork are unveiled today (Monday 17th January), at a special launch event at the InterContinental Hotel in Dubai.

Like Fleming, Jeffery Deaver takes inspiration from exotic locations around the world, and after visiting Dubai for the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature last year he decided to set part of Carte Blanche in the United Arab Emirates City.

Carte Blanche is due to be published by Hodder and Stoughton in the UK, a few days before Fleming’s birthday, on 26th May 2011. It has been commissioned by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.

Jeffery Deaver comments, “I’m really excited about being back in Dubai. It is an inspirational and awe-inspiring city and makes a perfect Bond location—especially for a novel that pushes our hero to new extremes.”

Regarding the book’s title, Deaver added, “In the world of espionage, giving an agent carte blanche on a mission comes with an enormous amount of trust and constantly tests both personal and professional judgement. Part of the nonstop suspense in the novel is the looming question of what is acceptable in matters of national and international security. Are there lines that even James Bond should not cross?”

Unlike the most recent James Bond book, Sebastian Faulks’ period piece Devil May Care, Jeffery Deaver’s Bond will have a contemporary setting. As part of his latest assignment, the modern-day secret agent travels with Emirates Airline and spends a number of thrilling hours in Dubai both meeting up with an old friend and tracking a very disturbing villain.

The novel’s setting encompasses Deira and Port Saeed, and the history of the Emirates provides an exciting backdrop for some heart-stopping action.

Bond is renowned for visiting the most exotic and glamorous of cities and this is the first time Dubai has featured in a James Bond novel.

Jeffery Deaver will be making a special appearance at Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, on Tuesday 18th January, when he will be speaking about his love of Bond and his experience of writing Carte Blanche.

Carte Blanche also features Fleming’s favourite car – a Bentley. Historically, Bond owned three Bentley cars in the course of the fourteen original novels written by Ian Fleming and, bringing the plot completely up to date, Bond drives a Bentley Continental GT in the new book.

Jeffery Deaver has written 28 novels and sold more than 20 million books worldwide. He is best known for his Kathryn Dance and Lincoln Rhyme books, most notably The Bone Collector, which was adapted for film in 1999, starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Before becoming a full-time author, Deaver was a journalist, like Fleming, and attorney. He started writing suspense novels on the long commute to and from his office on Wall Street. His books are now translated into 25 languages and he lives in North Carolina.

-Man, this 108 day wait is gonna drive me nuts!!! I'm really hoping that they'll be a girl with a sexually suggestive name and a henchman with a trademark way of killing, but I'm not holding my breath.