Comic Attack Attends SDCC's Berserker Signing

Little did I know that the creators of Top Cow’s Berserker would be in attendance too, signing copies of the book’s hardcover volume which collects the first 6 issues of the bad ass series! I got myself a copy and had it signed by writer/creator Rick Loverd, artist Jeremy Haun, letterist Troy Peteri, and producers Russ Cundiff and Milo Ventimiglia. Yes, THE Milo Ventimiglia of Heroes fame. I actually met Milo last June when he and the same crew (minus Loverd and Lucas) signed at- you guessed it- Collector’s Paradise for the Berserker #1 release. We had people out the door for that party and it was a treat to see these dudes again. Even though I arrived at the tail end of the signing, Milo was cool enough to take some pictures with me. He even remembered me from Collector’s Paradise. Yeah, he’s the man.

Read the full article here.
Source: comicattack.net

Drive Thru Comics Spotlights Berserker in This Week's Newsletter

What is happening to these men? They are Berserkers, descendants of an ancient Norse bloodline that grants them incredible, feral strength, a strength that comes at the direst of costs.

Read the full article here.
Source: comics.drivethrustuff.com

Flames Rising Reviews Berserker #0

With Norse history and mythology as a base, BERSERKER explores the idea of seemingly normal, modern day human beings transforming into merciless killing machines, unable to stop themselves from destroying anyone in their vicinity. They have no knowledge of what’s happening as it occurs, but they are left to deal with the aftermath. Milo Ventimiglia of HEROES is attached to the project.
The covers by Dale Keown are eye-catching, and the plot is accentuated by the artwork of Jeremy Haun and colors by Dave McCaig. There’s a depth and chaos to the panels that works well for the subject matter, even though the color scheme is limited—which is a good thing because of the desert setting. When things go wrong, as the no doubt do in war, the artwork takes the events to another realm, bringing out the high-octane nature of the situations by using a stark contrast of minimal colors.

Read the full review here.
Source: flamesrising.com

Graphic Policy Reviews Berserker #6

One of the best thing about running a comic book blog is that you get a chance to check out comics that you otherwise would skip over on the shelf. And every so often you find gems that you wish some clerk would of put in your hands. Top Cow seems to produce a lot of the comics I feel this way about. Case in point is Berserker #6, written by Rick Loverd and art by Jeremy Haun. Overall: I never even heard of this series before today and am looking forward to catching up with the first five issues. While the subject seems familiar the mix of Odin, Asgard, Midgard, etc., was enough to keep it original. I’d imagine as a whole the six issues will be a great and entertaining read. It says something of a strength of an issue that it makes you want to go back and check out the five issues that came before. Pick up this one issue and see what I mean or wait until the trade and catch it all at once. I think you’ll be entertained. Overall Rating: 8

Read the review here.
Source: Graphic Policy

Newsarama Exclusive Preview: Berserker #6

Berserker #6
(W) Rick Loverd (A) Jeremy Haun (Cov) Dale Keown, Jeremy Haun

The first story arc of the brutal new series produced by Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia and DiVide Pictures concludes this month! The battle you've been waiting for is here as Farris and Aaron collide in a brutal all out brawl, which threatens to bring Asgaard to rubble. If you thought things were bloody before, wait until you get your hands on this issue!

Featuring variant covers by series artist Jeremy Haun (Battle for the Cowl: Arkham Asylum) and Dale Keown (The Darkness/Pitt).

Full Color 32 pages $3.99

To see more preview pages, go here.
Source: Newsarama

Industry News: Free Comic Book Day Top Cow-Style

Christine Dinh at Marc Silverstri’s Top Cow Productions was kind enough to share with us a few pictures of the Free Comic Book Day 2010 signing at Collector's Paradise Comics & Gallery in Canoga Park, California.

The store hosted Silvestri (Cyberforce), Marv Wolfman (Tomb of Dracula), Bill Morrison (Simpsons Comics), Michael Broussard (The Darkness), Joe Benitez (Soulfire), Peter Steigerwald (Soulfire), Ray Friesen (Another Dirt Sandwich) and Rick Loverd (Milo Ventimiglia Presents Berserker), as well as having other attractions and specials to celebrate the event.

See more photos here.

Source: Diamond Galleries

Top Cow is Collector's Paradise's Local Publisher of the Month for the Month of May

Top Cow Productions is Collector's Paradise's May Local Publisher of the Month! We work with a lot of publishers, and are friends with all of them, but none offer the support in both product and talent like Top Cow. Our customers have gotten to meet at our Release events people like Milo Ventimiglia, Jeremy Haun, Joe Benitez, Nelson Blake, Sal Regla, and this past weekend, Rick Loverd, Michael Broussard and the Top Cow founder himself, the tallest person in comics, Marc Silvestri. Top Cow is gearing up for a company-altering event, ARTIFACTS, which will re-focus the company’s titles and create a very convincing and entertaining mythology that will make fans want to pick up all the Top Cow titles. A 12 issue mini-series that will redefine the way you see Top Cow’s characters and create a cohesive reason for them to co-exist together as part of a shared universe. If you are an X-men fan, this is an event for you. If you like high concept fantasy and sci-fi, this is an event for you. Give ARTIFACTS a shot with the free FCBD ARTIFACTS primer, ask us for a copy, we have plenty in stock.

Source: Collector's Paradise

FCBD: COLLECTOR'S PARADISE CELEBRATES FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, SATURDAY, MAY 1

Come and celebrate with us the biggest event of the year (every year), the worldwide FREE COMIC BOOK DAY. We will be giving away a plethora of comics, many of which will be ALL AGES rated. In addition to the free comics, we’ll have Special Guests (list below) as well as Spider-Man in costume and an INCREDIBLE Balloon Artist. Our Special Guest Artists will do sketches for our favorite charity HERO Initiative.

JUST ADDED: We can finally confirm and reveal our SPECIAL GUEST OF HONOR – Image founder and one of the most influential artist in the history of the medium – Top Cow’s Marc Silvestri. Marc is going to be signing at the store between 1pm and 3pm.

This year Collector's Paradise is presenting their best line-up of comic book creators to date, including:

Marc Silvestri - Founder, Top Cow Productions, Creator and Artist - Cyberforce, Witchblade, Darkness, Hunter/Killer

Marv Wolfman - creator - Teen Titans, Blade, Bullseye, Tim Drake, Black Cat, Nightwing, Deathstroke, Anti-Monitor and many more...

Bill Morrison - co-creator Bongo Comics, artist - Simpson Comics and more

Michael Broussard - artist - Darkness, FCBD 2010 Top Cow Artifacts comic, Artifacts 1-6

Joe Benitez - artist - Teen Titans, Soulfire, creator - Weapon Zero, Magdalena, Wraithborne

Peter Steigerwald - colorist, artist - Soulfire, Fathom, and more from Aspen Comics

Ray Friesen - kids graphic novel author - Another Dirt Sandwich, Cupcakes of Doom...

Rick Loverd - writer - Milo Ventimiglia Presents Berserker

In addition to the great creator line up, the event will feature the annual "Sketches for HERO Initiative" fundraiser, where most of the artists featured will do $10 sketches for the fans, with 100% of the proceeds directly going to HERO Initiative, a wonderful charity that helps comic book creators in need. Collector's Paradise has been working with HERO for the last four years to make sure that those creators who need financial and medical help are taken care of.

Kids are a big focus of Collector's Paradise' effort on FCBD. The event will feature an excellent Spider-Man in costume, a fantastic Balloon Artist, and several thousand kid-friendly comic books given away to all fans in attendance.

The event will be held at Collector's Paradise Comics & Cards from Noon to 7:00pm, with creator signings, Spider-Man and Balloon Artist from noon to 3:00pm.

Collector's Paradise Comics & Gallery is located at 7131 Winnetka Ave, on the corner of Winnetka Ave and Sherman Way, in Canoga Park.

Source: Collector's Paradise

Nfamous Gamers Reviews Berserker #5

Picking up from a side story in a previous issue, Aaron is introduced to Midgard International with hopes that they can help him control the berserker instincts inside of him. But Aaron is still having visions of his dead girlfriend Courtney that may be leading down a dangerous and deadly path. Seduced away from his father and those trying to help him, he finds his way back to Locke and his group of fanatics just in time to see Farris tear through the camp to rescue his girlfriend.

This is another solid issue from Rick Loverd and company. The issue, while not picking up exactly from where the previous one left off, was solid from start to finish. Loverd’s writing in this story is simply amazing, and the dialogue fits the story and characters wonderfully. As with the art, again, I am not a big fan of Jeremy Huan, but I find myself warming up to it a bit more, especially having gone back and reread past issues. Solid story, solid art, this is definitely a pick up for most comic fans.

Story: 4/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Source: Nfamous Gamers

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USA Today Dips Into The Rage-Fillled Passion of Berserker

Milo Ventimiglia discusses his rage-fueled passion
By John Geddes, USA TODAY

Milo Ventimiglia is best known for his starring role as Peter Petrelli in the NBC series Heroes. What many don't know about him, however, is that the actor harbors a much more sinister side to his creativity.

Top Cow Productions launched a comic book series in 2009 called Berserker. It is arguably one of, if not the most violent, over-the-top gory, blood-splattered, and carnage-filled series available today. Don't let the description fool you, though. The series is also extremely entertaining, well-written and addictive, luring fans with its excessive violence but enticing them to return with its complex and compelling story. As co-producer of the title, Ventimiglia is one of the key people responsible for bringing Berserker to life.

The comic follows the brutal story of two men (a military veteran and an athlete) who discover they are modern-day incarnations of berserkers — mythological Norse warriors fueled by blinding rage and superhuman strength. Both are subsequently drafted into a secret battle that has been raging for thousands of years. Series creator Rick Loverd describes how Ventimiglia became involved in the project.

"I had written Berserker as a TV spec script and handed it to my agent at William Morris. My agent said it was too violent and there was no way it would ever get made, but ended up giving a copy to Milo. Milo read it and agreed that there was no way it would ever be a TV property but he instantly saw it as a great comic."

The actor/producer describes his first reaction to the story," It was one of those projects that (co-producer Russ Cundiff) and I read and absolutely loved from the very beginning,"Ventimiglia says."I immediately said 'what can we do with this?' "

Read the full article here.

Issue #5 of the series will be available March 31.


Source: USA Today

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ComicNewsi Reviews Berserker #4

Pardon me, are these your innards?

Berserker #4 continues the tale of Farris (the Berserker)’s pursuit of his girlfriend’s kidnappers and his disemboweling of the surrounding countryside. Ferris’ power is a genetic gift of the ancient race of the titular Berserkers. He is possessed of incredible strength and a very, very short fuse.

Think a human-looking Hulk with Wolverine’s emotional problems.

The story is fairly straightforward, and the dialogue flows well despite a stretch of exposition of the long and Norse variety. The villain seems a little too straightforward – mirror-image powered, bring about the prophesy… yadda, yadda, yadda. However, most characters, even the smaller roles, feel real and compelling.

The real star here though is the gore. Top Cow does seem to like their intestines. If you’re into some graphic with your violence, you’ll be in luck. If not, this comic will read like a pile of raw tripe. The comic is sound, a good read. The ooey-gooey-gopher guts are just a little distracting. I’m not sure if the story needs them.

Rating:

Source: ComicNewsi

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Spring Fan Expo's Signing Times

Hey Herders,

Tomorrow, Saturday, February 20th, is a one-day comic event put on by Long Beach Comic Con. It starts at 10 am and will run til 7pm.

Meet the fine folks that keep Top Cow functioning at booth #302.

The tentative signing schedule for tomorrow is:

[Update]
11:00 - 12:30 pm Eric Basaldua (Witchblade Annual, Hunter-Killer)

1:00 - 2:30 pm Rob Levin (Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box, Darkness: Shadows & Flame) and Joshua Hale Fialkov (Pilot Season: Alibi, The Crazies) with special guest Rahsan Ekedal (The Crazies).

3:00 - 4:30 pm Rick Loverd (Berserker)

4:30 - 6:30 pm Rick Basaldua (Witchblade Annual)

Herders who drop by the booth will be treated two early sneak peeks. Get a glimpse at the lead-in series to this summer's Artifacts, Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #1 and at American Original/Top Cow's The Crazies. Both will arrive in stores on February 24th.

The Spring Fan Expo will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center is located at 300 Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, California 90802.

See you there,
Top Cow

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Broken Trinity: Top Cow at Spring Fan Expo

Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today that they will be exhibiting at Long Beach Comic Con’s Spring Fan Expo.

The one-day event will open to the public at 10am on Saturday, February 20th, with festivities lasting until 7pm. Fans are encouraged to stop by the Top Cow booth (#302) to meet their favorite creators and shop for limited edition convention exclusives as well as their favorite Top Cow comics.

Among the creators appearing at the Top Cow booth will be penciler Eric Basaldua (Witchblade Annual, Hunter-Killer), writers Rob Levin (Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box, The Darkness: Shadows & Flame) and Rick Loverd (Berserker) and inker Rick Basaldua (Witchblade Annual). Fans are encouraged to check the Top Cow booth for signing times.

Fans who stop by the Top Cow booth will be treated to an exclusive first look at the lead-in series to this summer’s Artifacts, Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #1 by Levin, Bryan Edward Hill and Alessandro Vitti.

Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #1 will arrive in stores on Wednesday, February 24th. Fans will also be able to pick up numerous free promotional items, posters and comics at the booth.

The Spring Fan Expo will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center is located at 300 Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, California 90802, United States of America.

Source: Broken Trinity

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Comic Book News: Top Cow at Spring Fan Expo This Saturday!

Official Press Release:

LOS ANGELES, Calif., February 16, 2010 – Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today that they will be exhibiting at Long Beach Comic Con’s Spring Fan Expo. The one-day event will open to the public at 10am on Saturday, February 20th, with festivities lasting until 7pm. Fans are encouraged to stop by the Top Cow booth (#302) to meet their favorite creators and shop for limited edition convention exclusives as well as their favorite Top Cow comics.

Among the creators appearing at the Top Cow booth will be penciler Eric Basaldua (Witchblade Annual, Hunter-Killer), writers Rob Levin (Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box, The Darkness: Shadows & Flame) and Rick Loverd (Berserker) and inker Rick Basaldua (Witchblade Annual). Fans are encouraged to check the Top Cow booth for signing times.

Fans who stop by the Top Cow booth will be treated to an exclusive first look at the lead-in series to this summer’s Artifacts, Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #1 by Levin, Bryan Edward Hill and Alessandro Vitti. Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #1 will arrive in stores on Wednesday, February 24th. Fans will also be able to pick up numerous free promotional items, posters and comics at the booth.

The Spring Fan Expo will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center is located at 300 Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, California 90802.

Source: Comic Book News

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Quarter Bin Reviews Berserker #4

The Quarter Bin's Sarah LaBeouf reviews Berserker #4:

Berserker #4 is finally out. Finally, four issues in, I’m getting an idea where this story is going. This particular issue only focused on one super-powered rage machine, Farris. In the last issue, the dual protagonists’ storylines stopped running parallel to each other, and this week Farris takes the wheel, with Aaron making only a brief cameo. This gave writer Rick Loverd enough time to actually push the story forward.

It’s becoming clear now that the awakening of these Berserker powers aren’t just a bloody inconvenience–it could mean so much more for the entire human race. Farris potentially holds the fate of the world in his bloodstained hands. Yet there is a glimmer of hope that his curse can be controlled, though the cliffhanger ending leaves that remaining to be seen.

I’ve been enjoying this series, and all of the gory violence that went with it, but in the last issue it seemed like Berserker was on the verge of getting too into the decapitations and images of brutality, and not focusing enough on a complete story arc. This issue has assuaged those worries, and shown that Rick Loverd knows where the series is going and is in control of his characters. Artist Jeremy Haun, meanwhile, has almost outdone himself, splattering each page with blood, brains, and entrails.

With only two issues left in this story, I now have some more ideas about where it’s going, though I’m still completely unsure of how it will all end. See what I’m talking about in Berserker #4, in stores now.

Source: The Quarter Bin

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Pendragon's Post Previews Berserker #4. Out This Week!

Top Cow is pleased to offer a preview of Berserker #4, which will arrive in stores on Wednesday, February 3rd.

Berserker #4
(W) Rick Loverd (A) Jeremy Haun (Cov) Dale Keown, Jeremy Haun

The bone-crushing new series produced by Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia and DiVide Pictures continues this month! Both Aaron and Farris have been courted, hunted and manipulated by Midgard and Asgaard since they manifested their powers. But have they been pushed too far? And what path have they chosen? Featuring variant covers by series artist Jeremy Haun (Battle for the Cowl: Arkham Asylum) and Dale Keown (The Darkness/Pitt).

Cover A – Dale Keown
Cover B – Jeremy Haun

See more preview pages here.

Source: Pendragon's Post

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Broken Frontier Previews Berserker #4

Berserker #4 arrives in stores this Wednesday, February 3. Broken Frontier has the first six pages for you to preview over on their site.



To see the previews, go here.

Source: Broken Frontier

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Newsarama Exclusive: Berserker #4

Newsarama has the exclusive preview pages to Berserker #4, and they've decided to share it with all you special readers.



Berserker #4
(W) Rick Loverd (A) Jeremy Haun (Cov) Dale Keown, Jeremy Haun

The bone-crushing new series produced by Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia and DiVide Pictures continues this month! Both Aaron and Farris have been courted, hunted and manipulated by Midgard and Asgaard since they manifested their powers. But have they been pushed too far? And what path have they chosen? Featuring variant covers by series artist Jeremy Haun (Battle for the Cowl: Arkham Asylum) and Dale Keown (The Darkness/Pitt).

Cover A – Dale Keown Cover B – Jeremy Haun

To see more pages, go here.

Source: Newsarama

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GeekWeek's I Thought You'd Never Ask: Rick Loverd

In this week's edition of GeekWeek's I Thought You'd Never Ask, Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik sits down with friend and Berserker writer Rick Loverd.

Filip Sablik: What genre or type of show do you think is missing from network television?

Rick Loverd: Ha! It's pretty clear to me that a gritty face-ripping serialized horror show (ideally, with closed-ended 3-4 season storyline) really needs to get made but that the major American networks are too afraid to break their generic programming molds. Just take a look at the success of THE DEAD SET in England and it's obvious that this is a starving market in the US. Shows like LOST and TRUE BLOOD hint and what's possible, but someone needs to get a show on the air with serious edge. Stop living in fear and dive in. It'll be interesting to see what AMC and Frank Darabont can do with WALKING DEAD. I have my fingers crossed for success there because it'll open the door to a sizable audience that wants more. Of course, living up to Kirkman's comics, that's a seriously unenviable task. I'm also intrigued to hear that PUSH may be made into a TV show. We'll see if anyone can fill the void in the next year or two...

To read some more about Rick Loverd, go here.

Source: GeekWeek

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Berserker makes Fangoria's Top 10 of the Year

It's time once more to take a look back at another year in the world of horror in four-colors. With a seemingly endless array of new genre titles hitting the racks of your favorite comic shop each Wednesday, picking can be hard - and this list was no different.



BERSERKER

Top Cow Productions http://www.topcow.com/

If the top ten list deserves a blood and guts award, BESERKER takes the cake. Every issue features a person getting ripped apart. Arms, legs, heads, and torso, the blood splatters across the page with no shame. Even better is how the mystery surrounds these beings that are able to let loose with crazy and be able to do these impossible things with their bare hands. The characters are intriguing yet familiar, and the supporting cast of haunting loved ones adds a chilling effect to the pacing and subtext. Some great dialogue by writer Rick Loverd that feels very much like a cable TV show not unlike THE SHIELD or DURHAM COUNTY, and the art is messy good from Jeremy Haun. Add in some secret agents, family matters, and horrific killing sprees, and you’re all set with a chaotic book that lives and breathes horror. A guilty pleasure with a long lifespan ahead of it.


READ MORE.

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