Thursday, June 28, 2007

Check Out The New Witchblade #107- In Stores This Week



Witchblade #107
(W) Ron Marz (A) Stjepan Sejic (Cov) Chris Bachalo
Danielle Baptiste, the new bearer of the Witchblade, realizing that the Witchblade can be a bit of a "weirdness magnet." On her trip home to visiting her ailing father she begins having horrific, ghostly encounters with the unquiet dead, their graves destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Only Danielle can return them to their rest. Meanwhile an old foe of Sara returns to haunt her and now she doesn't have the Blade to protect her...or her unborn child.
Fan-Favorite Ron Marz (Ion, Samurai: Heaven & Earth) and Croatian sensation Stjepan Sejic ( First Born, The Darkness Level 1) team up for this Witchblade milestone!!
Full Color 32 pages $2.99

The Mac Attack

Just a quick line to introduce myself to those of you who don’t know me and say a BIG HELLO to those of you who do…I’ve joined the Top Cow blog herd and will be bringing you the latest updates on all that’s Rockin’ at the Cow! -Mandy "Mac" McMurray







Wednesday, June 27, 2007

GamePlasma.com and 2K Games Giving Away "The Darkness" on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with Comic Book

Fans can win a free copy of the game releasing today on their choice of Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 formats along with a comic book in a fan fiction contest.

Richmond, VA - June 26th, 2007 - In collaboration with the release of "The Darkness", GamePlasma.com is offering free copies of "The Darkness" on either the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 platforms and "The Darkness: Level 0" comic book courtesey of 2K Games.

What is the Darkness? Where did it come from? What are its origins? What are the limitations of the powers of the Darkness, if any? GamePlasma and 2K Games are giving fans the opportunity to win a copy of "The Darkness" and a comic book by Top Cow Productions in a Fan Fiction Contest. Fans must submit a short story telling their idea of the origins of the Darkness.

The contest will be running until July 2nd, 2007 and the winners will be announced at www.gameplasma.com on July 6th. The five best short stories chosen by a panel of editors at GamePlasma will be selected and each winner will receive "The Darkness" video game in addition to "The Darkness: Level 0" comic book. One of those five winners will have the opportunity for their short story to be published on GamePlasma.com.

For contest rules and restrictions and further information, check out the official contest page at www.gameplasma.com/contest.html.


Rob Levin Talks Pilot Season with Newsarama


VP of Editorial and infrequent blogger Rob Levin chats with Chris Arrant over at Newsarama to give the lowdown on Pilot Season!

The Reviews are In... And They Are Good!


The Darkness video game arrived in stores yesterday and the positive reviews are coming in left and right. We're averaging eights and nines across the board. Here's a rundown of some of the more prominent reviews online now!

IGN by Hilary Goldstein
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/799/799624p1.html
“The Darkness is a wonderfully gruesome adventure.”
7.7 rating overall

Play UK
“The Darkness combines the best bits of mafia and war films, producing one complete, intriguing experience...Few licensed games go beyond the realms of their source material, but The Darkness does it in a fun, gritty and engaging way.” [Issue#154, p.62]

1UP by Matt Leone
http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3160485
“By the time you earn the black hole ability late in the game, you feel like a total badass walking into a room”
9.0 rating overall

Game Informer by Andrew Reiner
http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/28A41E98-DAB8-403F-995A-4756361A8CF7.htm
“Interactive storytelling is rarely this good, and there are few game endings that make you sit back and think, “Man, what if I did this instead?” like this one does.”
8.75 rating overall

Game Informer by Matt Miller
http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/28A41E98-DAB8-403F-995A-4756361A8CF7.htm
“For emotionally packed storytelling, it’s hard to beat Starbreeze’s latest effort.”
8.75 rating overall

Gamepro.com by Ouroboros
http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox360/games/reviews/118351.shtml
“The last thing you can say about The Darkness is that it's just like every other first-person shooter. Based on the comic book series by Top Cow Productions, it's a refreshing change of pace in a genre marked by copy-cat design and been-there-done-that gameplay.”
7.5 rating overall

Game Trailers
http://gametrailers.com/gamereview.php?id=1762
“The Darkness is an ambitious game that provides an extremely unique experience.”
8.2 rating overall

Eurogamer by Kristan Reed
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=78377&page=1
“It's a game which offers thrills arguably as intense as anything the genre has to offer. It is, for the most part, an extraordinarily entertaining game with precious little fat around the edges, and often technically stunning. Not only that, it's complemented by a wonderfully engaging script, great (although sometimes cod amusing in the case of Mike Patton's attempt at voicing The Darkness with gravely malevolence) voice acting, and some of the best presentation you'll ever see in a first-person shooter.”
8.0 rating overall

Gamer TV (video review)
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/76577.html
8.0 rating overall

XBL Radio
“Overall: I was completely immersed by the presentation, loved the action, and compelled to finish the story. I didn’t want it to end. Play it.”

MS X-Box World.com by Robert Cram
http://www.msxbox-world.com/xbox360/reviews/review/114/The-Darkness.html
“Mixing first person shooting with conventional arms and the powers of the Darkness; the game offers a heady mix of adventuring and intense combat.”
9.0 overall rating

Jolt Online Gaming
http://www.jolt.co.uk/index.php?articleid=9025
“if you want to get your hands on the extra content, which ranges from simple screenshots to scans of full comic books, expect to be looking behind every billboard and under every trashcan.”
8.5 overall rating

Game Daily by Chris Buffa
http://www.gamedaily.com/the-darkness/xbox-360/game-reviews/5039/
The Darkness offers a fun, bloody romp through New York City.
8.0 overall rating

Gamespy
http://xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/the-darkness/799255p1.html
The Darkness is primed to be one of the great hits of 2007

As The Gaming World Turns
http://springsgamer.blogspot.com/2007/06/thirst-quenching.html
"Now we're cooking with gas!"

Joo-See.com
http://www.joo-see.com/thedarknessgamereview.html
"
The Darkness is an original and quirky title that succeeds in keeping you
interested in the story, and builds anticipation for what’s around the corner."

Mark Millar reports from the set of Wanted

Original series author and creator Mark Millar reports from the set of Wanted in Prague and gives a big thumbs up!

Madame Mirage reviewed on Comic Addiction


Still on the fence about Madame Mirage #1? Heavens, why?
Comic Addiction.com chimes in with another positive review for Mr. Dini's femme fatale and yet another reason for you to go out and pick up a copy of the over-sized issue #1!

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Ron Marz talks with Comics Radar!

Ron Marz chats with JM Campbell over at Comics Radar about First Born and Witchblade along with a ton of other cool projects he's working on. Give this cool podcast interview a listen!

Wizard Covers First Born


Wizard Universe and Wizard Magazine zoom in on First Born, the big summer event for the Top Cow Universe!

The Darkness In Stores Today!


The Darkness video game is in stores TODAY, Tuesday June 26th!
You can buy it at places like Best Buy, Target, or head over to Gamestop to get your exclusive Darkling with your order! Or check out EB Games for an exclusive in game character when you purchase the game!

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

First Born First Look Reviewed on AICN!



Prof. Challenger over AICN admits that he wasn't a fan of the Witchblade... until he read it for the first time with Ron Marz's stellar run on our flagship title. And as a result, he's really excited about First Born, our big summer event. Check out the review on
Ain't It Cool News and then run down to the comic shop and pick up First Born First Look in stores today!

The Darkness ad running on TV now!

Hey Everyone,

Check out the cool new The Darkness ad that's currently running on cable channels like Spike, Comedy Central, and others!



Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Wizard World Philly 2007!


Hey Everybody!

A few pics from WWPhilly 2007!

Beware the Dark Side, Live Long and Prosper
Phil


The new 20 foot by 20 foot booth!


writer:
Ron Marz and artist: Michael Broussard


The new The Darkness statue on display and pre-orders taken.


Witchblade "schoolgirl" statue variant.

Plus we had exclusive variants, creators and merch.

See you in San Diego!
B,L
-P.

The Darkness Trailers on GameTrailers.com!


Check out the badass trailers now up on GameTrailers.com for The Darkness! I highly recommend the "Heart of The Darkness" and the GT Exclusive trailers!
Plus check out the reviews as they are coming flooding in from game magazines left and right!

IGN.com -
“Four hours into The Darkness and it's living up to its larger-than-life billing. There are a few concerns, including some AI issues and the aforementioned snake-control troubles. But overall, these problems can be overlooked in favor of some of the sweet executions.”

Team X-Box -
“When we heard that 2K was doing a comic game, we weren’t sure how to feel about it. Now that we’ve had some time in Jackie’s shoes, it seems that The Darkness could end up one of the sleeper hits of 2007”

Game Informer -
“If you’re on the market for something different, and you have the stomach for it, you might want to look into the Darkness. It’s always fun to play as an anti-hero, which the game lets you do and more. Its tone might scare some players away, as will its comic-book roots, but fans of FPSs who aren’t afraid of trying new things should give it a shot.”

Eurogamer -
“So, the vital question; should you be quivering in anticipation of The Darkness' launch at the end of this month? In simple terms, if you enjoyed Riddick, or if you have ever liked first-person shooters, or horror games, or both, then yes, The Darkness is a fascinating prospect. In even more simple terms, quickly popping this game onto the Xbox 360 debug unit to check that it worked turned into a lost weekend, a remorseful 4am bedtime, and watching the credit screen roll past at some ungodly hour on Sunday night. This, believe me, doesn't happen very often around here. Call it the lure of the Darkness”

Monday, June 18, 2007

Paul Dini Talks with The Comic Collective


Check out the cool Dini interviews on The Comic Collective HERE!

FUNimation announces first Witchblade Anime release date!



FUNimation Entertainment will release the first DVD volume of the
Witchblade anime series in both Regular (MSRP $29.98) and Starter Set ($44.98) editions on September 25th. Woo-hoo! I've seen the first few episodes and FUNimation has done a phenomenal job translating the original series to English for an American audience. Click HERE for more info!

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Timur Bekmambetov Talks to MTV About Wanted!


Director Timur Bekmambetov of Nightwatch and Daywatch fame and the director on the feature film adaptation of Mark Miller & JG Jones ground breaking series, Wanted spoke with MTV about his excitement for the project. "This is 'Night Watch' and 'Day Watch' but four times together," said Bekmambetov. Read the full interview HERE!

Monday, June 11, 2007

Editorial in the house

I thought it was about time someone else posted on here, so I figured, might as well be me. I do have access to all kinds of coolness.

Like this
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Or this
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Even this...
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Hi.

The Darkness Gets Mad Attention!

The Darkness video game is getting all sorts of attention from the video game community including such high profile magazines as Game Informer, Spanish Maxim, Hardcore Gamer, and Play Magazine in June! Plus X-Box Magazine Australia!
Plus The Darkness will be featured on Spike TV's Game Head this week!








We're Burning Up!

We've added options for you to subscribe to The Top Cow blog through Feedburner! You can now subscribe to the blog through most newsfeed services or by email. So when we post breaking moos, you get updated immediately!

Friday, June 08, 2007

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

The Darkness Video Game In Stores June 25th!

The Darkness Video Game will be released by 2K Games and Starbreeze on June 25th and we couldn't be more psyched about it! This game kicks some major ass and doesn't bother to take names!
Ain't It Cool News says it looks "fun as hell"!
Cnet.com calls it "one of the most anticipated shooters of the year" and interviews Jens Matthies from Starbreeze.
Plus 2K shows off another element from the game nicknamed "The Black Hole" in a badass new trailer on YouTube!

You can pre-order the game at Gamestop right now!

Monday, June 04, 2007

It's great just to be nominated!



Top Cow received 5 nominations for this year's Harvey Awards and we are thrilled! For more information on the awards and how you can vote go to the official website, http://harveyawards.org/!

Paul Dini on PopCultureShock!

Check out Paul Dini's interview on PopCultureShock.com from his Midtown Comics signing.