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THE UKs LARGEST INDEPENDENT COMICS PUBLISHER Between 1984-1994 I worked freelance as a writer/artist/editor/agent in comics as well as comics journalism for MU Press,Blue Comet Press,Fantagraphic Books,Eros Comics,Dorne,Fleetway,IPC and others in the United States,UK and Europe. During this period I also produced large numbers of single panel gag cartoons for agencies in Germany such as Boiselle-Lohmann and Baaske Agency –these going to magazines and publications around Europe. I also worked as a freelance editor in comics and publications ranging from wildlife,astronomy and science fiction magazines. From 1984 to present I've been self publishing comics as well as publications on a wide variety of subjects under the Black Tower banner. I have also produced packages of work for companies in India,Hong Kong and China. I have also been working as an industry advisor for smaller companies in countries such as India,Canada,Singapore,China,Europe and the US. hoopercomicsuk@yahoo.com

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Friday, 24 July 2015

Vote for the New Hasbro Marvel Legends Figure And Win

Quick up-date. The micro Ant Man figure is being sold on Ebay for between $19-45. The other figures are taken from the packs and going for $65-100 and the case as shown below for $110-130. THAT is 'fan' greed.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Firstly, Hasbro is releasing these anyway.  Their greed and disdain for figure buyers as anything other than piggy banks to exploit for their "bucket" (of cash) items was proven at the San Diego Comic Con -and I hope you watched THAT video?

Oh, here are "your" choices":

Pick between Darkhawk, Angela, Symbiote Spider-Man and Mysterio!

The fans at San Diego Comic-Con have spoken. Sixteen Marvel Heroes were up to become the new Marvel Legends figure, but now only four remain! The champions are Darkhawk, Angela, Symbiote Spider-Man and Mysterio and now it is up to you to vote for your favorite and choose who becomes Hasbro’s next Marvel Legend!

The decision is in your hands. And to sweeten the deal, you could win a Hasbro SDCC 2015 Exclusive Ant-Man Figure Set signed by Stan Lee!

Yes, they took huge trailer trucks full of free figures for SDCC and had so many even that event was not big enough to throw them all away.  Seriously, That is how 'exclusive' they were.  I do see these freebies on Ebay with asking prices of anywhere from $25-$90.00.  Greed is contagious.
 SDCC 2015 Ant-Man Figures Box Set Hasbro Exclusive
 Scale is mostly irrelevant when it comes to the size-shifting superhero, this set’s Hank Pym figure is in the 3.75″ Marvel Infinite scale and features swappable heads with and without the Ant-Man helmet. On the larger side of things, there’s both a 6″ Goliath and a 12″ Giant Man (the latter wearing the more recent comic book version of the costume) while, in a smaller scale, there’s both 1.5″ Scott Lang Ant-Man and a tiny 1″ version of the original Hank Pym Ant-Man costume. The 1.5" version is the one the money is being asked for NOT the larger figures.

You can see the actual set here: http://marveltoynews.com/hasbro-sdcc-2015-exclusive-ant-man-figures-box-set/
 Look at several different comic book iterations of Marvel's newest movie star with our gallery of Hasbro's Comic-Con Exclusive Ant-Man action figure set.
If you are that dumb and want to just contribute to making Hasbro more money See rules below.

Alex Ross Sneaks Superman Into Marvel Comic Cover

Well, according to IGN who seem to have no real story just a very blurry "something" that even when pointed out could be anything...including...well...anything.

Check it out: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2015/07/22/alex-ross-sneaks-superman-into-marvel-comic-cover

Of course, it could just be another way to con morons out of cash for ANOTHER "hot" comic -in a series that ain't selling that well? 

I'm a professional cynic but my heart ain't in it.
secretwars

NEW Costumes For The Flash and Arrow..on TV of course!

More DC news so you know CBO isn't biased...meh.

Anyway, over to DC Comics news...

Change is coming to The Flash and it includes an update to Barry Allen’s signature suit. Best of all, we’ve got your first look at it. Check it out!


Click to view full-sized. (Photo: Jordon Nuttall/The CW © 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved.)

Fans might remember that Cisco commented on the Flash’s emblem in a key scene in Season One, so maybe it’s not so surprising to see it updated here. Of course, before there are any costume changes, Barry will first have to find a way out of the interdimensional vortex he created in the Season One finale. To see how he does that, we’ll have to wait until The Flash returns to The CW on Tuesday, October 6th at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. CST).

Also, in case you missed it, Grant Gustin’s Flash isn’t the only #DCTV super hero sporting a new look next season. During San Diego Comic-Con, we were given our first look at Stephen Amell’s new Arrow costume as well.

In case you have not seen that...please, do NOT become overwhelmed, here it is:
 
I fell asleep. Who got a choc chip muffin??

Michael Chiklis Joins Gotham

News from DC Comics
Gotham’s newest cast member knows his way around a shield.

As announced this evening on TVLine, veteran actor Michael Chiklis will be joining Gotham as a series regular in the role of Captain Nathaniel Barnes.

Captain Barnes is an original character, but fortunately, the Gotham producers have provided an intriguing description. The GCPD’s new captain “lands on the GCPD like a tornado, ripping out the dead wood of Gotham’s police force. He is a law and order zealot; unafraid of making enemies – on either side of the law. For Gordon (Ben McKenzie), Barnes is a hero and a mentor, someone with whom he can share the burden of heroism. Captain Barnes proves himself to be a strong ally to Gordon… but one day he will make an equally powerful enemy.”
Michael Chiklis at event of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011)
If you’ve seen Chiklis on The Shield or more recently on American Horror Story, you know that he’s a solid actor who can be an intimidating presence on screen. He not only has plenty of experience playing a cop, but has also dabbled in the world of super heroes on the show No Ordinary Family and in the original Fantastic Four movie and its sequel. In short, he’s absolutely perfect for a show like Gotham.

X-Men: Age of Apocalypse

 http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53323bb4e4b0cebc6a28ffa2/t/55b0ea3ce4b03ff9d3b83ed5/1437657661629/

Apparently, quite a few fan boys were annoyed at the "quality"of the images from Entertainment Weekly -I think they have drifted into a fantasy world where 3D flesh-and-blood like images are projected!

The film itself will consist of younger versions of the core X-Men team that includes actors Tye Sheridan as Scott Summers/Cyclops, Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, Alexandra Shipp as Ororo Munroe/Storm, Lana Condor as Jubilation Lee/Jubilee and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler.

"X-Men: Apocalypse" is directed by Bryan Singer from a screenplay written by Simon Kinberg.
The film is set to hit theaters on May 27, 2016.



Cast  


Jennifer Lawrence ...
Sophie Turner ...
Jean Grey
Olivia Munn ...
Betsy Braddock / Psylocke
Rose Byrne ...
Moira MacTaggert
Oscar Isaac ...
En Sabah Nur / Apocalypse
Hugh Jackman ...
Logan / Wolverine (rumored)-he had two memorable lines in First Class
Michael Fassbender ...
Erik Lensherr / Magneto
Evan Peters ...
Nicholas Hoult ...
Hank McCoy / Beast
James McAvoy ...
Charles Xavier
Alexandra Shipp ...
Ororo Munroe / Storm
Tye Sheridan ...
Scott Summers / Cyclops
Kodi Smit-McPhee ...
Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler
Stan Lee
Lana Condor ...
Jubilation Lee / Jubilee
Lucas Till ...
Alex Summers / Havok
Josh Helman ...
William Stryker
Ben Hardy ...
Warren Worthington III / Angel
Tómas Lemarquis ...
Caliban
x-men-apocalypse-jennifer-lawrence-evan-peters

x-men-apocalypse-jennifer-lawrence-james-mcavoy

x-men-apocalypse-michael-fassbender

x-men-apocalypse-alexandra-shipp

x-men-apocalypse-tye-sheridan

x-men-apocalypse-sophie-turner

x-men-apocalypse-lana-condor

x-men-apocalypse-kodi-smit-mcphee

Monday, 20 July 2015

This Is Just One Example Of The Numerous Comments I get on CBO

"Kill yourself. If you dislike DEADPOOL, you have no soul. Die, burn in hell, ressurect, die again and burn forever. "
Joaquim barbosa
 
I'm usually very tolerant of people with mental health issues but this was a response to a posting from August 2014... he's a bit slow.

Sadly, these people are all too prevalent in EVERY internet community.  The fact that he's a Deadpool fan says a lot.

EUROPE COMICS coming soon


Mediatoon Licensing Announces Launch of Digital Venture EUROPE COMICS
PARIS, FRANCE (July 20, 2015) – Mediatoon Licensing, a subsidiary of Média-Participations, the largest comics and graphic novel publisher in Europe, has officially confirmed the launch this fall of EUROPE COMICS, as recently announced at the the San Diego Comic Con and BEA. The joint digital initiative will encompass the online distribution of European works in English, the international promotion of European authors and the creation of a European comics online directory
Behind EUROPE COMICS is a coalition of 13 European comics and graphic novel companies: the publishers Ballon (Belgium), BAO (Italy), Cinebook (UK), Darkwood (Serbia), Dibbuks (Spain), Dargaud (France), Dupuis (Belgium), Le Lombard (Belgium), Tunué (Italy) and Timof (Poland)the Turkish agent Akan Ajans and the French audiovisual company Ellispanime. EUROPE COMICS is coordinated by Mediatoon Licensing and co-funded by the European Union. 
The overall objective of the venture is to bring European comics and their authors closer to an international audience of readers and comics professionals. A diverse catalog of mainstream series, fiction and non-fiction graphic novels for adults and children’s titles will be made available in English and in digital format, while European authors will be promoted at live events across Europe and the USA. The www.europecomics.com website will aspire to become a reference for international comics professionals as it will provide useful information regarding European publishers, trade events, academic studies, etcAlso, a number of comics properties will be developed into animated series. 
The EUROPE COMICS catalogue will be distributed to all major online retailers and libraries by French digital comics platform izneo.com.
 

Eye Problems -I'll Be Back...soon.

Thanks To Scotty, Stransky, Sepp and whoever I've forgotten!

I went to the eye hospital today and I found out that my opticians are useless (Specsavers are clowns -NEVER use them -they even told me in 2014 I had "nearperfect eye sight" which I've never had since I was 11 years old!).

I have bad Dry Eye -Blepharitis which is one reason for the pain but my optical glands were blocked and I had caking under the eye lids.  So, two lots of eye treatment plus hot flannel on my eyes each morning.

This SHOULD have been taken care of by Spec savers.  But 1.5 hours wait at the eye hospital with my Number 13 patient card was no real problem.

Resting eyes today and seeing what I can do tomorrow.

Saturday, 18 July 2015

Return Of The Gods & The Cross-Earths Caper Parts 1 & 2 Of The "Invasion Earth" Trilogy



The Return Of The Gods:Twilight of the Super Heroes

Terry Hooper-Scharf
A4
Paperback, 
Black & White
331 Pages
Price: £20.00
It begins slowly with Earth’s heroes going about their daily tasks –fighting a giant robot controlled by a mad scientist’s brain , attackers both human and mystical -even alien high priests of some mysterious cult and their zombie followers and, of course, a ghost and a young genius lost in time. 
 
Pretty mundane. But there is a huge alien Mother-ship near the Moon and strange orange spheres chase some of Earth’s heroes who vanish into thin air –are they dead?
 
 Then black, impenetrable domes cover cities world-wide. 
  
Alien invasion of Earth! 
 
A war between the Dark Old Gods and the pantheons that followed! 
  
Warriors from Earth’s past having to battle each day and whether they die or not they are back the next day!
 
 And no one suspects the driving force behind the events that could cause destruction and chaos throughout the multiverse —assaulted on all fronts can Earth’s defenders succeed or will they fail...is this truly the end?

THE CROSS EARTHS CAPER

 Terry Hooper-Scharf
Paperback, 
Black & White
107 Pages 
A4 
Price: £12.00
Following the events on Neo Olympus and the Boarman invasion of Earth, many heroes and crime-fighters have withdrawn from activity. 
 
 Some are trying to recover from injuries while others are fighting the mental scars left by the events. 
 
 As heroes from other parallels who helped during the events return home, members of the Special Globe Guard are shocked at the sudden appearance of Zom of the Zodiac. 
 
Very soon, a group of heroes find a quick rescue mission turn sour as they become lost between parallel Earths and threats. Sometimes one Earth just is not enough. 
  
The complete story published in issues 7-10 of Black Tower Adventure now in...one handy dandy book!