New Superman 75th Anniversary Logo Revealed

Warner Bros. Entertainment & DC Entertainment Celebrate Superman’s 75th with New Logo and Company-Wide Commemoration for Beloved Iconic Character’s Milestone Anniversary

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In celebration of the 75th anniversary of Superman, Warner Bros. Entertainment and DC Entertainment have revealed plans befitting one of the most popular and enduring Super Heroes of all time.

To honor Superman—the world’s first Super Hero—for reaching such an incredible milestone, the companies are kicking off a year of celebration including a new commemorative Superman 75th anniversary logo as well as an animated short tribute chronicling the rich 75-year history of the character, it was announced today by Kevin Tsujihara, Chief Executive Officer, Warner Bros. Entertainment.

First appearing in the comic book Action Comics #1, dated June 1938, Superman quickly became a cultural icon, winning fans around the world in live-action and animated form in nearly every known entertainment medium. In feature films, TV shows, radio, video games, publishing and merchandise, he has battled some of the greatest villains ever created in his endless pursuit of truth, justice and the American way.

Tsujihara stated, “Warner Bros. is privileged to be home to the global Superman brand, which has had an unparalleled impact on popular culture for 75 years. We are proud to commemorate this milestone with exciting entertainment across the entire Studio and across the globe, ensuring this enduring icon reaches new generations of audiences.”

DC Entertainment and the Studio’s various divisions, including Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Consumer Products, will mark this extraordinary anniversary with a range of highly anticipated events and products, kicking off with the release of the much anticipated summer-blockbuster “Man of Steel.”

The new animated short, currently in production, is being produced by Zack Snyder and pays homage to Superman and many iterations of the Super Hero throughout his 75 years. A sneak peek of this short is planned for Comic-Con International: San Diego in July and the finished version will debut late summer.

The new commemorative logo takes its cue from the iconic Superman costume, featuring predominantly blue coloring with a splash of red and highlights a bold silhouette of the Man of Steel with his cape waving behind him and the block-style lettering of “75 Years.” The mark will be rolled out by all the divisions on Superman-related promotions, products and initiatives. DC Entertainment will be the first to feature the new logo on the upcoming Superman Unchained comic book by artist Jim Lee and writer Scott Snyder, on sale Wednesday, June 12.

“Superman is undeniably the greatest Super Hero in the world and likely the most influential comic book character of all time,” according to Diane Nelson, President, DC Entertainment. “In addition to being an enduring presence in pop culture for the last 75 years, he continues to be a commanding global icon. DC Entertainment and all of Warner Bros. look forward to celebrating this important, year-long anniversary for Superman.”

In tandem with the various special celebrations comes the release of this summer’s tent pole action adventure feature “Man of Steel,” opening in theaters nationwide June 14.

Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, stated, “Superman is a larger-than-life figure, making the big screen the perfect place to experience his adventures, and ‘Man of Steel’ delivers with first rate story-telling that is broadly entertaining. It couldn’t be more fitting that the centerpiece of our summer slate hits theaters during this commemorative year.”

“It’s a great honor for all of us involved in ‘Man of Steel’ to carry on the tradition of Superman for longtime fans as well as a new generation of moviegoers,” director Zack Snyder said. “I’m so excited to share the movie with them and to be a part of this celebration.”

Superman enthusiasts can also look forward to much more, including:

•“Injustice: Gods Among Us,” a new fighting game franchise that allows players to experience the power, gadgetry and unparalleled strength of some of the most popular DC Comics Super Heroes and Super-Villains such as Superman and Lex Luthor, was released on April 16 from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

•“Superman: Unbound,” an all-new DC Universe Animated Original Movie that pits Superman against Brainiac—a devastating force of flesh and machine with Earth squarely in his sights—was released on May 7 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

•“Man of Steel” and Superman products are available for fans of all ages, including toys, costumes, apparel, party goods and publishing from Warner Bros. Consumer Products.

•“Superman Unchained,” the much anticipated new comic book series that centers on a mystery that is frustrating the hero in both the Superman and Clark Kent aspects of his identity ultimately revealing a brand-new villain, debuts on June 12 from DC Entertainment.

•“Infinite Crisis,” an all-new multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game that delivers a heart-pounding competitive player vs. player battle experience set in the legendary DC Multiverse, a world in which familiar DC Comics characters such as Superman have been reimagined in startling ways, debuts in fall of 2013 from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

•“DC Nation” Superman Shorts, a series of all-new Superman-themed animated shorts produced by Warner Bros. Animation and airing on Cartoon Network’s DC Nation block throughout the year.

•DC Entertainment’s “We Can Be Heroes” giving campaign launches its second crowdfunding initiative in June focused on Superman and featuring one-of-a-kind experiences and limited edition merchandise to engage, excite and empower legions of fans. Get something good. Do something great.

To stay up-to-date on all things Superman and the celebration activities, please visit www.Superman75.com.


About Warner Bros. Entertainment:
Warner Bros. Entertainment is a global leader in all forms of entertainment and their related businesses across all current and emerging media and platforms. A Time Warner Company, the fully integrated, broad-based Studio is home to one of the most successful collections of brands in the world and stands at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry from feature film, television and home entertainment production and worldwide distribution to DVD and Blu-ray, digital distribution, animation, comic books, video games, product and brand licensing, and broadcasting.

About DC Entertainment:
DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating its content across Warner Bros. Entertainment and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world. In January 2012, DC Entertainment, in collaboration with Warner Bros. and Time Warner divisions, launched We Can Be Heroes—a giving campaign featuring the iconic Justice League super heroes—to raise awareness and funds to fight the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.

Tegami Bachi: A District Called Kagerou

I read Tegami Bachi, Vol. 13 (Tegami Bachi, Letter Bee)

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phones apps and comics).

Valiant Comics Shipping in June 2013

VALIANT Solicitations for JUNE 2013

HARBINGER WARS #3 (of 4)
Written by JOSHUA DYSART & DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Art by CLAYTON HENRY
Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER (APR131270)
Pullbox Exclusive Variant by TREVOR HAIRSINE (APR131271)
Variant Cover by KHARI EVANS (APR131272)
Variant Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER (APR131273)

Introducing…H.A.R.D. Corps!

Las Vegas is burning, and the situation on the ground is about to go from bad to worse. With the firefight between the Harbinger Foundation, Bloodshot and the Renegades spiraling out of control, Project Rising Spirit has only one desperate option left to prevent the conflagration from spreading. It's time to bring the deep-black weapons development project – designation H.A.R.D. Corps – back online. But are they a scalpel or a sledgehammer? And can they be trusted with the enormous power they wield? What happens in Vegas may just destroy the rest of the Valiant Universe!

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE JUNE 12th!
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HARBINGER #13 (HARBINGER WARS)
Written by JOSHUA DYSART
Art by KHARI EVANS
Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER (APR131274)
Variant Cover by KHARI EVANS (APR131276)
8-Bit Variant also available (APR131275)

HARBINGER WARS tie-in! The Renegades vs. Bloodshot!

At last, the battle you've been waiting for! But the Harbinger hunter called Bloodshot is a much more dangerous – and much more clever – foe than Peter Stanchek and the Renegades ever could have anticipated. Plus: what is the secret of Toyo Harada's first Harbinger War?

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE JUNE 19th!
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BLOODSHOT #12 (HARBINGER WARS)
Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Art by BARRY KITSON
Cover by KALMAN ANDRASOFSZKY (APR131277)
Variant Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER (APR131279)
8-Bit Variant also available (APR131278)

HARBINGER WARS tie-in! It's payback time!

After Dr. Emanuel Kuretich freed Bloodshot from Project Rising Spirit, he promised Bloodshot that the answers to his identity would be found inside PRS' secret Nevada facility. He lied. Instead, Bloodshot discovered two dozen super-powered psiot children – children that Kuretich then manipulated him into setting free. Now that the kids are out and have ignited a Harbinger War in the middle of the Vegas strip, Bloodshot is all that stands between them and the opposing forces of Toyo Harada and Peter Stanchek. But Bloodshot hasn't forgotten about Kuretich. And he's about to reap his revenge.

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE JUNE 19th!
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ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #10
Written by FRED VAN LENTE
Art by PERE PEREZ
Cover by CLAYTON HENRY (APR131281)
Pullbox Exclusive Variant by JUAN DOE (APR131282)
Variant Cover by ANDREW ROBINSON (APR131284)
8-Bit Variant also available (APR131283)

ALL-NEW ARC! Archer and Armstrong and Aliens. Oh my!

Mary-Maria, Archer's arch-nemesis/love interest/adopted sister is back, ready to take over The Sect – by any means necessary. And what better way to seize control of the secret society of secret societies than by unlocking their most secretive of secrets on the secretest place on Earth? And who but the Valiant Universe's premiere team of conspiracy-busters can possibly stop her? Just when you thought this book couldn't get any weirder, Archer & Armstrong storm Area 51…and things get weirder still!

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE JUNE 5th!
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X-O MANOWAR #14
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art by CARY NORD
Cover by ARTURO LOZZI (APR131288)
8-Bit Variant also available (APR131289)

He has conquered. He has killed. But can he reign over PLANET DEATH?

Aric of Dacia came to Loam to exact his revenge against the alien race that captured and tortured his people. Now, Aric must make a choice that will affect both him and the future of the Valiant Universe forever. Don’t miss the jaw-dropping conclusion of PLANET DEATH and this monumental moment for the ongoing saga of X-O Manowar!

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE JUNE 26th!
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SHADOWMAN #7
Written by JUSTIN JORDAN
Art by NEIL EDWARDS
Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER (APR131285)
Variant Cover by DAVE JOHNSON (APR131287)
8-Bit Variant also available (APR131286)

There’s a dark light dawning over New Orleans.

Doctor Mirage talks to the dead. And right now, the dead are screaming, caught between the sinister will of Master Darque and the power of Baron Samedi. Will Shadowman and Mirage be able to defeat them both, or will New Orleans fall to the dead?

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE JUNE 5th!
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BLOODSHOT VOL. 2: THE RISE & THE FALL TPB
Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Art by MANUEL GARCIA, ARTURO LOZZI & MATTHEW CLARK
Cover by ARTURO LOZZI (APR131280)

Assault on Project Rising Spirit!

Bloodshot is finally free of the memories that have haunted him since his awakening – but now even greater mysteries remain. Who was he before he was transformed into a walking weapon of mass destruction? And does he have a real family out there somewhere? Unfortunately, the only man with the answers is the former mastermind of Project Rising Spirit, the quasi-governmental science division that created him – and he’s just struck a devil’s bargain with Bloodshot. “Destroy your creators and I’ll reveal everything.” Well, almost everything…

Collecting BLOODSHOT #5-9 by acclaimed writer Duane Swierczynski (Birds of Prey) and artists Manuel Garcia (Black Widow), Arturo Lozzi (Immortal Weapons), and Matthew Clark (Avenging Spider-Man), Bloodshot's brutal, bullet-riddled tour of duty through the Valiant Universe continues right here in the second shock-inducing volume of the series that Complex calls "hard and heavy with each issue."

“A damn fine read…” – Ain’t It Cool News

“Beautiful… Bloodshot has proven its mastery.” – PopMatters

$14.99/T+/128 pgs.
ISBN: 978-1-939346-03-2
Collecting BLOODSHOT #5-9
ON SALE JUNE 26th!

I Reads June 2013

It's June 2013, so a big Welcome Back! to I Reads You, a ComicBookBin blog (www.comicbookbin.com). We blog about the things we read: mostly comic books, comics, and related books. Sometimes, we’ll write about or link to other topics: typically books, politics, and entertainment.

All images and text appearing on this blog are copyright © and/or trademark their respective owners.

And we can always use help in funding:

Review: THE SHADOW: Year One #3

THE SHADOW: YEAR ONE #3
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

WRITER: Matt Wagner
ARTIST: Wilfredo Torres
COLORS: Brennan Wagner
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
COVERS: Matt Wagner (A), Alex Ross (B), Chris Samnee (C), Howard Chaykin (D)
The Shadow created by Walter B. Gibson
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Rated T+

Dynamite Entertainment returned The Shadow to comic books. The Shadow: Year One is Dynamite’s latest comic book series featuring the dark avenger who knows what fear lurks in the hearts of men.

This new miniseries imagines the beginnings of The Shadow’s campaign against crime and is written by Matt Wagner and drawn by Wilfredo Torres. The adventure begins in Cambodia, 1929 and moves to New York City on October 30, 1929. That’s when wealthy, world traveler and adventurer, Lamont Cranston, becomes The Shadow and begins a war on evil in America.

As The Shadow: Year One #3 opens, an insurance broker named Fellowes is summoned before crime boss, Carlo Luppino, AKA “the Dandy Don.” Luppino wants a new agent for his criminal enterprise, but The Shadow is also seeking agents. Meanwhile, after inviting herself into his home, Margo Lane confronts Lamont Cranston.

Because it emphasizes confrontation and violence (of course), The Shadow: Year One #3 is the best issue of the series since the first issue. In fact, this third issue is a big improvement over issue #2, which writer Matt Wagner used to establish what are likely to be the dominate plot lines of this miniseries. That was a dialogue-heavy issue, with an emphasis on establishing the personalities, conflicts, motivations, etc. of the cast – besides The Shadow. There is not a thing wrong with that; it simply came across as flat in its execution.

Issue #3, however, is about bad guys, the kind of fictional violent, remorseless killers that deserve to have the sword of justice brought down on them. Thank goodness that Matt Wagner finally, really unleashes The Shadow’s pistols. Honestly, I didn’t know that I was that crazy about cap-popping in comic books; after all, I haven’t read The Punisher in years. Wagner also has some fun with the Lamont Cranston/Margo Lane dynamic; it’s good to see them go at each other.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Cross Game: The Final Volume

I read Cross Game, Vol. 8

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Review: B.P.R.D. VAMPIRE #3

B.P.R.D. VAMPIRE #3 (OF 5)
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

STORY: Mike Mignola, Gabriel Bá, Fábio Moon
ART: Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon
COLORS: Dave Stewart
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Fábio Moon
EDITOR: Scott Allie
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S. (May 2013)

Mike Mignola, Gabriel Bá, and Fábio Moon have united for B.P.R.D.: Vampire, a five-issue miniseries. The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (the B.P.R.D. or BPRD) protects America and the rest of the world from the occult, the paranormal, and the supernatural. Beginning with its own title, B.P.R.D.: Hollow Earth, the B.P.R.D. series focuses on the team and sometimes individual agents.

B.P.R.D.: Vampire is a direct sequel to B.P.R.D.: 1948 and is separate from the main B.P.R.D. series. Set in 1948, Vampire follows Agent Simon Anders and his quest for revenge against a clan of vampires and its Gorgon-eyed queen, Hecate. After consulting “witch maps,” Anders travels to Cesky Krumlov, Czechoslovakia. There, he and his guide, Hana Novarov, who is from the Krumlov History Museum, begin a quest to find Krumlov Castle.

As B.P.R.D.: Vampire #3 opens, Anders and Hana find the castle, or actually, they fall into it. Once inside, Anders meets the conniving sisters, Katharina and Annaliese. His big meeting is with the master of the castle, who tells him of a horrific bargain he made centuries ago. It turns out, however, that both Anders and the master have things to learn, but will the bloodthirsty Anders stay calm long enough to learn anything?

Individual issues of the B.P.R.D.: Vampire series are quick reads. There is not a lot of dialogue and little exposition, but the main reason this is a quick read is because the story is so engaging it just demands to be read.

I can’t help but race through the pages to view the visually arresting art by Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, with its graphically striking colors by Dave Stewart. Stylistically and visually, this series recalls the early black and white horror films of Italian filmmaker, Mario Bava (Black Sunday).

Also, the story twists and turns like a reptile in clumsy hands, waiting to strike the unprepared, but attracted reader with revelations and with changes in character. B.P.R.D.: Vampire is heading for a smashing ending.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux