Let’s Get Digital: More New Books and More New Collections

The hits just keep on coming. It’s been another big week here at HQ and with NYCC just a day away, it pretty safe to say that the week is not over yet! However it is Wednesday and you know what that means. New Comics! This week the list continues to grow with over  40 titles released on comiXology the Same Day as Print. Now let’s take a look at what’s hot this week.

Let’s Get Digital:

Amazing Spider-Man #671- ‘Spider-Island’ PART FIVE Now the moment you’ve been dying to see, Tiger! Mary Jane Watson finally spiders-up! Plus a giant battle pitting brother against brother. But let’s face it, you just care about that cover!

Batwoman #2- Can Batwoman stop the new evil rising from the damp back alleys of Gotham’s barrios? And overcome the many challenges she faces as both Batwoman and Kate Kane? 2011′s most anticipated new series intensifies in this exciting second issue!

Pigs #2- ‘WAYWARD SON’ Who is the White Russian? Why do the Pigs need him? And how deep does loyalty go when the ones you love are terrorists? Witness the ongoing saga of a second generation KGB Cuban sleeper cell by NATE COSBY (Jim Henson’s Storyteller), BEN McCOOL (MEMOIR, CHOKER) & BRENO TEMURA.

Collected Editions and Graphic Novels:

From Hell- NOTE: This comic contains mature content. From Hell features the story of Jack the Ripper, the most infamous serial murderer of all time. Alan Moore names Dr. Gull as the villain and creates the most compelling and terrifying psychological study ever undertaken. All the conspiracies and cover-ups are considered and bound together in this vortex of terror. A gripping crime noir masterpiece of historical fiction.

Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter & The Outfit: Darwyn Cooke, Eisner-Award-winning writer/artist, sets his artistic sights on bringing to life one of the true classics of crime fiction: Richard Stark’s Parker. Stark was a pseudonym used by the revered and multi-award-winning author, Donald Westlake. The Hunter, the first book in the Parker series, is the story of a man who hits New York head-on like a shotgun blast to the chest. Betrayed by the woman he loved and double-crossed by his partner in crime, Parker makes his way cross-country with only one thought burning in his mind – to coldly exact his revenge and reclaim what was taken from him!

New and Noteworthy:

Moonlighting #1 & #2- Billy is your average teenage girl. She lives in a trailor with her drunk mom, she has a high school boyfriend, and oh yeah, she’s a superhero when she sleeps. Will Billy find true love, or will she end up at the bottom of a lake?

Power Play #1- Extreme sports just got an upgrade! No more skateboards, rollerblades or BMX bikes, when these superpowered kids take to the streets, there’s no telling what they can and will do in this underground, full contact, no-holds barred sports league. From all across NYC they come to do battle, pitting their powers against one another in do-it-yourself style Olympics. They fight for fame, they fight for glory, they fight to be the the Power Play champion–and in the middle of all of this is Mac, a college student looking for direction and purpose in the big city. Who will be crowned King of the Five Boroughs? Power Play, the super-powered street games starts here!

Don’t forget to check out all the latest releases from comiXology and ALL your favorite publishers. Be sure to check out the latest from IDW and the all-new Marvel comics addition to The Android comics app. Remember it’s only Wednesday so keep an eye out for more big news from comiXology as we gear up for NYCC and all the great things to come!

The comiXologist Episode 2: Action Philosophers

Jake and Slim broadcast from comiXology HQ and chat about a tad of news, the books they’ve read, an amazing in-studio interview, and some golden oldies!

Let’s Get Digital! (4:30):Titles included Red Lanterns, The Sword, Action Comics, Chew, Schism, and Last of the Greats.

Interview of DOOM! (23:00) Fred Van Lente and Crystal Skillman stopped by the studio and chatted about Action Philosophers coming to the stage, life in general, turtle-back, Space Ghandi, bars, and even some movies. Oh, and don’t miss the chance to get some discounted tickets!

Golden Oldies! (49:00) Grant Morrison’s Planet X arc inside of New X-Men, and the very first book Jake ever authored for our apps, Adrenaline!

Just Click the image below to download this weeks comiXologist right now!

Part Two of The Power Play Pre-NYCC Scavenger Hunt

Okay people! You’ve LIKED The Power Play Facebook Page as part of the first challenge. Many thanks to you good people.

Okay that first one was pretty easy. And this one is easy too, as all we ask today is that you have a friend/loved one/mortal enemy who doesn’t read comics OR only reads print comics check out the FREE PREVIEW on Comixology.

Then just leave a comment on Comixology, on the Facebook Fan Page, or via Twitter letting us know what they/you like, didn’t like, or just which character they like best. Leaving a message on all three (and a fair rating on Comixology would help) will earn you bonus points.

PRIZES! With each task we put up on here I will announce another prize for those that complete all the missions. With our first one I mentioned that completing them all gets you a free copy of the first issue guaranteed!

For the first person to have successfully completed ALL the tasks before NYCC we will give you a lifetime subscription to POWER PLAY! That’s right, every time a digital comic comes out, when it goes to print, when it’s collected, you will receive a free copy because of your support from the very beginning.

Check back soon for another task and another prize announcement!

Let’s Get Digital with 42 same-day-as-print digital comics!

This week 42 is the magic number. As in 42 Same Day as Print Digital Comics hitting the app! 42 New Reasons to update and download! 42 of the best comics around from all your favorite publishers! Today not only are we breaking the digital release record we are also introducing a new weekly segment in which we highlight a handful of the awesome comics available on comiXology!

The DC relauch readies for Round 2! while Marvel Mixes it up with Mystic, X-Men Schism, Spider-Island Heros for Hire and a FREE sneak peek at their upcoming Season One line! Plus Image Comics goes full on digital with a full release of all the best creator owned comics around! Its our biggest week yet so let’s get digital!

X-Men: Schism #5- The Final chapter in this years big X-Men Event! On one side, X-Men team leader, Cyclops. On the other, X-Men mainstay, Wolverine. Between them lies the fate of mutant-kind, and surrounding them, the foes who want to end them forever!

Action Comics #2- In his weakest moment, Superman is taken down – but by whom? And if the world wasn’t ready for a man with super powers, they’re utterly unprepared for the rage of a Superman cornered! The cornerstone character of the new DCU continues his debut adventure!

Sweet Tooth #26- Who is Captain James Thacker and what are he and his crew doing in the far northern reaches of Alaska? As Thacker and his crew man a deadly expedition, they will uncover secrets centuries old, but what does any of this have to do with Gus and Jepperd? The answers will shock you and change the course of SWEET TOOTH forever! A bold new storyline begins! Featuring special guest artist Matt Kindt (REVOLVER, Super Spy).

The Strange Talent of Luther Strode- Luther Strode is just your average nerd until he sends away for a bodybuilding course from an old comic book, one that works a whole lot better than he ever imagined. His newfound strength and strange talents make school a lot easier, but they’ve also caused some very, very bad people to take a very, very keen interest in him. Things will never be the same for Luther Strode…if he survives

Also of Note: The Walking Dead #89, Stormwatch #2, Detective Comics #2, Mystic #3, Severed #3, Moriarty #5, Betty #194

Collected Trades and Graphic Novels: The Complete Essex County, Abiding Perdition, Green Wake Vol. 1, Morning Glories Vol. 2, The Engineer: Konstruckt, Chew vol. 4, Tales From the Crypt Vol. 9

New & Noteworthy: I Rule the Night #7, Red Skull #3, Mega Man #4 Stan Lee’s The Traveler #10, In Maps and Legends #9, Wayward Sons #4, Detective Comics #871, Fear itself: The Fearless.

These are of course, just a few of the awesome comics out digitally this week from comiXology. Take a look at the full list on The Web, iOS and Android devices out today!

Let The Games Begin!

WHAT’S UP POWER PLAY FANS?

Power Play and comiXology are teaming up!

Want to win a free copy of the first issue as well as other prizes?

We’ll be hosting a contest for the next week, all leading up to NEW YORK COMICON!

Every other day we’ll be posting a challenge for you to complete, nothing too outlandish or too impossible a task, but if you do complete all the missions you will AUTOMATICALLY win a free copy of the first issue!

The first challenge is easy! Just jump on over to the Power Play Facebook Fan Page and hit LIKE. If you’re already following @powerplaycomic, then just retweet this contest listing!

That’s it! One step closer to getting a free copy of the digital comic that will reinvent comic books!

And don’t forget to check out the Free Power Play Preview

Thanks for playing!

We’ve Named Our Podcast Now Find Out What It Is!

It’s here! The podcast finally has a name! What is it? Well you’ll have to listen in on this week’s All-New #1 broadcast to find out.  Jake and Slim join forces to talk about the books that tickled their fancy this week. Titles included Venom, Spider-Man, Justice League: Dark, and, yes, Aquaman!

They were then joined by comiXology’s own Kevin as he talked about being honored to be in the running for MTV Geek’s contest to join forces with Stan Lee! (17.29)

A chat about Journey into Mystery closed the very first show (24.30). Feel free to email the show at podcast@comiXology.com.

Click on Aquaman for the Podcast!

And don’t forget to Check out Kevin’s Entry in MTV and Stan Lee’s The Seekers Contest!

Top Shelf’s Robert Venditti Brings The Homeland Directive to comiXology

It’s been a busy few weeks here at comiXology HQ. We’ve upgraded, expanded and even added a few new books to the collection along the way. Earlier last month comiXology teamed up with Top Shelf Productions to bring some of the best comics around to the digital market. This week We’ve got a whole new slew of quality Top Shelf books coming out alongside the week’s other releases.

In honor of the occasion we got the chance to sit down with Top Shelf creator Robert Venditti, whose thrilling Graphic Novel The Homeland Directive is now available on comiXology. In this first part of our latest two part interview Robert was nice enough to talk about his early experiances in comics as well as some of the inspiration behind The Homeland Directive. Check out part one below:

So The Homeland Directive is an excellent addition to the Top Shelf library. What was it that drove you to purse such an in-depth project?

VENDITTI: In the months and years after 9/11, it occurred to me that Americans are somewhat paradoxical when it comes to the demands we place on government. We ask that our elected leaders protect us from the terrorist threat, but if government attempts to do so in a way that we perceive as intrusive, we rebel against it. If we were to be attacked again, however, the first thing we’d do is look for someone in government to blame. Added to that is the fact that often the very same freedoms we defend so stridently when faced with government intrusion, we’ll willingly trade for the sake of mere convenience. I’m not passing judgment on anyone, and I’m not suggesting that I’m any different. I just think that our contradictory nature puts government in a no-win situation. The Homeland Directive is about what happens when government tries to win anyway.

Any chance you could shed some light on your own government experience?

VENDITTI: I’ve never worked in government, so my interaction with it has for the most part been limited to filing annual tax returns and waiting to renew my license at the DMV. Oh, and I was on an airline flight where a pair of air marshals drew their sidearms and held the cabin under guard for about an hour (with good cause, in my opinion). But that’s happened to everyone, right?

How did you get into comics?

VENDITTI: I didn’t start reading comics until I was well into my twenties, so when it finally dawned on me that I wanted to write them, I had no idea how to make that happen. In 2002, I volunteered to work in the warehouse at Top Shelf Productions, with the goal of acquiring a better understanding of the industry and maybe making a few contacts, too. I gave Chris Staros, Top Shelf’s editor, my script for The Surrogates, hoping he would introduce me to a publisher that might be interested in a sci-fi detective story, which at the time was unlike anything Top Shelf had done. Chris ended up liking it, though, and I was thrilled to have the book become Top Shelf’s first genre miniseries. So I literally started out in the mailroom.

What drew you to analyze the interaction between politics and scientific research?

VENDITTI: It’s difficult to say where ideas come from. One minute you’re having a typical day, and the next you have an idea for a political/medical thriller that involves the surveillance state and a weaponized bacterium loosed on an unsuspecting population. I will say, though, that I’ve long had an interest in politics (one of my college degrees is in political science). And when it comes to sheer terror, I’d be hard pressed to think of something scarier than a microscopic killer than can be anywhere, anytime. Those two things bouncing around in my subconscious probably led in some way to the conspiracy at the heart of The Homeland Directive, but the exact dots are impossible to connect.

What kind of stories did you read growing up?

VENDITTI: The first grown-up novel I remember reading is Watership Down, which I read when I was in elementary school. From there I moved on to Tolkien, and in middle school and high school I was into Stephen King and Tom Clancy.

We’ll be back with more from Robert a little later in the week. In the meantime be sure to check out a FREE ten page preview of The Homeland Directive, pick up the full 136 page Graphic Novel and keep an eye out for the latest releases From Top Shelf Productions and comiXology!

CYBERFORCE 3-DAY SALE

The Original Top Cow Superhero team is back! With all-new upgrades, attitude and more cyber based bad guys than ever before. For the next three days grab issues #0-6 at half price. It’s a modern day classic worthy of an epic digital collection. Don’t wait download CYBERFORCE today!

The book that started it all finally makes its long-awaited comeback, as Cyberforce is born anew with a revamped, restyled take! Writer Ron Marz (Witchblade, Ion) and artist Pat Lee (Batman, X-Men) turn the team on its ear! As Cyberforce relaunches, the team is no more, and Ripclaw has become an evil, twisted reflection of himself. Only Velocity, Cyblade and Ballistic can hope to stop Ripclaw, as they lure him into a final, bloody confrontation with a shocking outcome! Meanwhile, an alien menace sets its sights on Earth… Deadly drama comes from Ron Marz, while hi-tech, jaw-dropping art flows from Pat Lee and the Dream Engine crew!

Now you can see the prequel to the current Cyberforce story arc for yourself! The origins of the entire Cyberforce universe are revealed here….. Marc Silvestri and David Wohl prove themselves a formidable team once again!

Wanted 3-Day Half Off Sale

Everyman Wesley Gibson just discovered that his father is dead and that he is in line to take his place in a secret fraternity of super villains. And Wesley’s life will never be the same!

Get ready for superheroes as you’ve never seen them before. Forget The Authority. Forget The Ultimates. Mark Millar has taken the genre to a whole new level with his first American creator-owned book. Find out what happens when white-collar worker Wesley Gibson discovers the truth behind his origins and who’s REALLY been running organized crime since 1986, in a story that takes place in the world outside your own window. Described by the London Sunday Times as “Watchmen for super-villains”, WANTED is Millar’s finest work to date with astonishing pencils and inks by artist JG Jones (Black Widow) and colors by Paul Mounts (The Ultimates). Sex. Money. Super-powers. Costume. You know you want it.

The Fox has opened Wesley’s eyes in a hail of bullets and blood, and Wesley learns he is heir to incredible powers and incredible fortune. All he has to do to claim them is become a killer, and one of the most vile supervillains the world has ever seen. You know you want it.

This week get the first issue for FREE then pick up the rest of this rocking creator owned series for half-off the normal price! It’s a mid-week sale that will blow you away. Whatever you do don’t miss out, add WANTED to your digital collection today!

It’s Shark Week!…You’re going to need a bigger boat.

You could call them the vultures of the ocean, but really they are far more majestic than that. Often terrifying, sometimes delicious and always respected there is perhaps no other creature as diverse in it’s influence on popular culture as The Shark. From movies to comics to even video games and internet memes the Shark is one powerful predator and now Shark Week is once again upon us thanks to The Discovery Channel, and the this time… It’s going digital.

This week comiXology is teaming up with The Discovery Channel to brave the predator infested waters of Shark Week with a one of a kind digital comic book featuring over 107 pages of deadly shark information. Get The Top Ten Deadliest Sharks book. Consider it your survival guide to Shark Week, packed with more undersea art than all the great barrier reefs in Australia.

Sharks are one of the world’s oldest and most ferocious predators. For as long as man has entered the ocean, sharks have struck fear in their hearts. This groundbreaking graphic novel examines the world’s deadliest sharks and sheds light on their true nature, refuting the notion that they are mindless killing machines but in reality among the most amazing and well adapted creatures on earth.