<p><i>Official Press Release </i></p>
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<p><i>Official Press Release </i></p>
<p>The first-ever comic book store in Nigeria has opened. The outlet, called PLANET COMICS, is situated in the heart of Kaduna GRA, beside mega-popular video club VIDEO MARS. The official opening of the store took place at 2pm on the 2nd of September on the store premises. </p>
<p>“We are proud of the fact that the very first comic book store in the nation was opened in Kaduna. In Lagos, Abuja and other places, there are shops or bookstores which sell a handful of comics, and only by the side or corner or whatever. But here at PLANET COMICS, we are a bona fide comic book store,” said Ben Bonet, a co-owner of the store. </p>
<p>The interior of the store, a lushly carpeted and air-conditioned environment, was filled to the brim, right from opening hour to 9pm, where customers snacked on sandwiches and drank soft drinks while snapping up monthly titles ranging from X-Men, Bat Man, Legion of Superheroes and hardcover editions like Astonishing X-Men, Identity Crisis and Runaways, among others. </p>
<p>“Sure, they love some of them, but comics aren't just for kids anymore. A comic book once won a Pulitzer prize for crying out loud,” Bonet stressed. Said book, MAUS, by Art Spiegelman is a highly respected literary work. “But don't get me wrong: we have [comic] books for all here,” Bonet added, who also mentioned that PLANET COMICS also stocks the finest European publications, like Hergé's Tintin and Asterix. He said “We'll also stock, in the coming weeks, the very best of Nigerian comics by aces like Lantern Books, Imperial Creations, Pandora Studios, Homemade Cookies and more. It's an intercontinental feast here.” </p>
<p>Like most firsts, the duo behind PLANET COMICS intend to slowly expand to Lagos, Abuja and “wherever there's a demand for the funnybooks,” joked Abdulkareem Baba Aminu, the shop's other co-owner, knowing fully well the teeming fans of comics around Nigeria would be pleased to have an outlet within reach. As the night closed to an end, the crowd thinned out slowly, satisfied. </p>
<p>“I hate you, PLANET COMICS,” yelled one customer, playfully, clutching the stack of TPBs he'd just bought, groaning: “There goes themoney for my university education!” </p>

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Chloe Sullivan has her say, Optimus Prime sees the light of day, Johnny Blaze knows the score and from the new metahuman drama we've got more -- there's rhyme and reason in today's news wrap.

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<p><i>Official Press Release </i></p>
<p></p>
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</p>
<p>STAN LEE MEETS SPIDER-MAN (JUL061992) <br>
Written by STAN LEE & JOSS WHEDON <br>
Penciled by OLIVIER COIPEL & MICHAEL GAYDOS <br>
Cover by OLIVIER COIPEL <br>
48 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99 <br>
FOC – 9/7, On Sale – 9/27/2006</p>

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Marvel's released further information and the cover for "Civil War: Choosing Sides," a one-shot with five stories shining the spotlight on the wildcards of the war like Daredevil, Venom and even Howard the Duck!

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It's God's Rapture, do you know where your children are? Writer Rick Remender does, as he updates us all on "Strange Girl," and shares with us a massive previews of #10 & the Ashcan, out today.

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<p><i>Official Press Release </i></p>
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<p><i>Official Press Release </i></p>
<p>After more than five years, Michael Turner will be heading back to the <a href="http://www.comicon.com/baltimore" target="_blank">Baltimore Comic-Con</a> to promote <a href="http://www.AspenComics.com" target="_blank">Aspen Comics</a> and its upcoming line of books for the remaining 2006 and into 2007. Along with Aspen VP and his Shrugged co-creator Frank Mastromauro, both Turner and Mastromauro are excited to make their Aspen Comics debut at the Baltimore show this coming weekend, and look forward to enjoying some one-on-one time with fans and retailers alike. </p>
<p>“We're definitely thrilled to be returning to the Baltimore ComicCon and to give everybody a taste of what Aspen has in store for the rest of 2006 and next year,” Michael Turner states. “From my Ultimate Wolverine series to several brand new Aspen series, 2007 is going to be a big year for us!” </p>
<p>Aspen Comics will be exhibiting at the show and both Michael Turner and Frank Mastromauro will be available for signings both Saturday and Sunday, check the Aspen Comics booth for more information. Along with an exclusive Baltimore ComicCon Print available only at the convention, Aspen will also be bringing a host of this summer's past convention exclusive books, prints, and one of a kind original artwork available for purchase only at the Aspen Comics booth. </p>
<p>Even when the convention ends, the fun still continues, as both Turner and Mastromauro will also be on hand to discuss information on future Aspen products and more with retailers at the Diamond Retailer Summit taking place Monday and Tuesday, September 11 th and 12 th . Turner and Mastromauro will be available to answer all and any questions regarding Aspen's line of books and products, and are looking forward to the chance to meet the retailers: </p>
<p>“I've always enjoyed the chance to talk with our retailers and to get honest feedback on our products and company. The information they provide is vital to how we look to move forward with our company plans, while always keeping the retail community in mind,” said Mastromauro. “We get to meet so many of our fans while signing at conventions, that this summit will be a great chance to sit down with our retail partners and find out how we can help them better serve their customers. I'm really looking forward to it. Plus, we have something pretty special planned for those retailers in attendance, so we'll see you all there!”   </p>

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<p><i>Official Press Release </i></p>
<p>Saint Paul, MN - For the 18th consecutive year, a celebration of a singular and unique art form will take place here in the Twin Cities. This art form is one of a handful, like jazz, recognized as being purely American in origin. It has been an effective means of generating support and national pride in times of war and crisis. It has been a platform for civil rights, equal rights for women, and education on topical, relevant social issues. It has brought compassionate attention to the problems of drug abuse, alcoholism, homelessness, and depression. It has allowed people to explore various sides of philosophical and moral questions and to draw their own conclusions. It has shown us what heroes are and how we can each be one. This art form is a graphic novel, more commonly referred to as the comic book.<br>
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The 18th annual Midwest Comic Book Association (MCBA) FallCon Comic Book Convention is scheduled for October 7th & 8th, 2006, 10AM to 5PM both days. FallCon will take place at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, in the Education Building, at 1372 Cosgrove Avenue, Saint Paul, Minnesota.<br>
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FallCon is the Midwest’s largest convention that exclusively focuses only on comic books, graphic novels and the creators that make them a reality. Over the years FallCon has become one of the most preferred comic book conventions among the creative community, dealers and especially fans. FallCon presents a relaxed interactive atmosphere where people can relax and enjoy themselves, network and talk about comic books. All guest creators are available and accessible for the entire convention offering all attendees the opportunity to engage in meaningful interactions with FallCon guests. <br>
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“An event like FallCon showcases the creative side of the comic book industry” said Nick Postiglione, Co-Director of the MCBA “featuring over 175 guest creators and show that comics offer something for everyone. Including material ranging in subject matter from high-flying super-hero adventures to intense slice-of-life to crime noir to kid-friendly humor and much more.”<br>
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Special events and activities will abound. Including an comic book art & collectibles show, extensive guest creator Q&A panels, a huge comic book marketplace, portfolio review, how to sessions, a gigantic comic book marketplace, door prizes, giant grab bags, free creator autographs, and much more. <br>
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The two day event is an old fashioned celebration of a truly original American art-form created in the depression era as an affordable entertainment for the masses,” Nick Post continued. “In decades since, comics’ unique blend of words and pictures has thrived, matured, and changed with the times, while providing us with some of the most enduring characters and stories in our popular culture.”<br>
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In addition, this years featured charities include the Minnesota Lupus Foundation, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Minnesota Food Shelf. All of the charity efforts will be topped off by a charity art auction on Sunday afternoon with 100% of the proceeds going to the designated charities.<br>
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The MCBA is the largest event of its type in the upper Midwest and is sponsored by the Midwest Comic Book Association an all volunteer, non-profit group dedicated to promoting the world of comic books and all of the creators who make their magic become our reality.</p>

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<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=82888">http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=82888</a><!-- m -->

With news of Marvel’s plans for the post-Civil War/2007 Omega Flight ongoing series finally being revealed at this week’s Comic Book Expo, Newsarama thought it was time to catch-up with one half of the creative team of Mike Oeming and Scott Kolins for Oeming’s early thoughts.

In the following interview, Oeming discusses the origin of the series, explains what distinguishes Omega Flight from other team books in the Marvel Universe, and for the first time, talks about this promo image to your right…

Newsarama: Well Mike, we’re going to have to ask you about that preview image Marvel released, but before that … first of all, being that our comic book industry is U.S.-based and the Marvel Universe largely based in New York City, why a Canadian super-team? Why not a South American one? Or an Australian team?

Is it the history of the previous Alpha Flight you’re playing off of? Is it because Canada in an English (in addition to French) speaking country? It’s proximity to the U.S.? All of the above?

Mike Oeming: Well, I couldn’t see taking Alpha Flight outside of Canada, you know? Maybe international, that might be interesting. But it’s set in Canada and within Canadian culture because those are the roots of the team. Even with a mixture of Americans, they are still serving under the Canadian flag, primarily for the Canadian people, but clearly as we have learned from real-life terrorism, border concerns quickly overlap. I think we'll be seeing a team in Flight that works hand in hand, yet completely autonomous with America and the rest of the world.

NRAMA: So Omega Flight will be a Canadian national superhero team, as opposed to simply a “global” team happened to be based in Canada?

MO: First and foremost they must protect their borders, Canada in general, but clearly they are not restrained to such borders. I'd assume they would need some permission to enter U.S. airspace and all, but there are world concerns for sure, especially in Asia, which is very close to Canada.

NRAMA: In the Vietnam era, draft dissenters famously fled to Canada. Given we know this title spins out of Civil War, is that an angle that will play a part in this title?

MO: No. All I can say is that these guys are not dodging the Registration Act. We will see some of that, but not in the members of Omega Flight. A big part of the new book is a reaction or commentary on Civil War - how does the average American react to that? What about the villains? We'll be dealing with that here. When Mark Millar first sparked the idea of Omega Flight, it was never about "running to Canada" it was about a reaction to Civil War, especially from a world point-of-view.

NRAMA: We’ll follow up on this in a few moments, but first why “Omega” Flight, as opposed to “Alpha”? Does the title and its Latin translation play any significance?

MO: A bit. A few of us tried pitching “Alpha Flight” a few times before they died, and frankly no one was biting. The name leaves a bad taste in people’s mouth, there’s a bit of a giggle effect on some level even. If Flight was to come back and come back in a big way, we need to show people the old baggage is left behind. And yet, we are trying to be clear to past fans that while we are moving forward, we are not forgetting the past. While not “retconning” anything, think of it like the new Battlestar Galactica many old fans were pissed at first, but after a bit, they saw the respect and love for the old through the new. We want to do the same.

Marvel wants to give this the big push, they aren’t just bringing back Flight for the hell of it, and this isn’t a mini-series or some series they are tossing to the wall to see if it sticks. Marvel wants Flight to be a player in the Marvel Universe, which is why we felt the best way to do that was to start fresh. The name does a lot for that. Its done out of love and hope for the new book, not disrespect for the old. It is in many ways, "Alpha Flights" last chance for the foreseeable future.

NRAMA: Post Civil War, we assumed there will be two Avengers teams, a Heroes for Hire, a Fantastic Four of some line-up or another, and a host of other Marvel super-teams like the Runaways and Young Avengers. What role will Omega Flight fill in the big picture? What’s unique about their role or reason for being that distinguishes them from other teams?

MO: One of the things I want to do is comment on how America is perceived from the outside in the real world. Not to criticize it or be controversial, but to simply show some reaction to how we are seen by others. I think having a mixture of Americans and Canadians in Flight is a great way to do that, to comment on what is happening in the Marvel Universe from the outside and from their intermingling with U.S. teams in the future.

Also, while I promise every issue will have its fair share of superhero action, guys fighting in tights and such, I want to deliver more than that. I think it has to be more “character” based than “action” based. There has to be action in every issue, but it has to revolve around character. Flight at its best has always been about the characters. When [John] Byrne first did Flight, that’s what made it special.

Much like my run on Red Sonja isn’t about a girl in chainmail bikini killing men, anyone who has read it from the start can tell you that. The subtext to Sonja is more about humanity, about what it means to be a woman with power, about revenge and living in a world with highly different sets of morality than ours. Yet you still get your fill of girl-killing-men-in-chainmail-bikini each issue. I hope to do the same with Omega Flight, deliver a strong subtext the Marvel Universe as well as superhero action.

NRAMA: Where in Canada will the team be based, and are you doing research to make your depiction of the country seem authentic?

MO: I’m not going to lie, I don’t have a handle on that yet. I have a good Canadian friend who will stay on top of these things, editors, Scott Kolins who does lots of research and in time, I'll learn more and make the geography a stronger part of the book.

NRAMA: Before we get to the image, you mentioned Mark Millar’s role in the creation of this series a few moments ago. We interviewed Millar a few months ago and he told us, “There's some truth in the other rumor floated recently about the origins of the new Alpha Flight team. I pitched the idea to Marvel just as they were preparing a new Alpha Flight book (with an excellent writer I really like) and they were incredibly accommodating, working all my plans into their series and launching the whole thing from Civil War.“

Now assuming that writer was you, can you tell readers about your original pitch and how it’s changed and evolved due to Mark’s pitch and Civil War? What was the basic non-post-Civil-War pitch, and much has that changed since?

MO: Hmm, I'll try. I’m not sure if I remember correctly because things have changed a bit.

I owe Mark a ton, because it was he and Bendis who immediately named me to write the book and I was blown away. Basically, Mark had the idea, and said we can do anything we want with it. The basic idea was after Flight was killed, there clearly became a Hawkeye-Disassembled-like reaction to it, bring them back!

Actually, Alpha Flight fans need to thank Bendis. Sometimes, killing characters are the best things that can happen to them. Flight was dead in the water metaphorically, but once he really killed them, it sparked a whole new interest in the group. I pitched a Flight series before they were killed and was told flat out "no way". But kill ‘em off and suddenly there’s interest again. And that’s a good thing.

Mark thought that out of Civil War, there would be those heroes who for one reason or another, did not fit on either side, either because they became fugitives or they hated what’s happened to their superhero culture, or they were being deported, all kinds of reasons. But "running to Canada Vietnam style" was never in the picture. There will be characters like that, but they wouldn't be in Flight, you don’t put cowards on your team.

I haven’t said it enough publicly - thank you Mark!

NRAMA: Okay, we have to get to that line-up now...

MO: Alright, I'll do what I can, but I can’t give solid answers yet. The main reason is that fans and doubters alike are having a great time guessing and coming up with great reasons to why their guesses are right and I don’t want to ruin that yet. Also, I'll give a scoop here and now - some minor changes are still taking place that could affect the line up. Not in taking people out, but adding someone not in the promo already done!

NRAMA: Fair enough… So starting from the right, Joe Quesada told us straight away just a few weeks ago in New Joe Fridays that you’d be writing Beta Ray Bill again in a title (as opposed to a Beta Ray Bill), so that one is a lock and we’re not letting you off the hook.

What can you tell readers about his inclusion on the team? Was he someone you enjoyed writing so much you just wanted to include him, or does he have some sort of other logical connection to this team?

MO: Okay, I'll give this one up because I love you and Beta Ray Bill. Plus, 90% of the posts I read already guessed it and the other were thinking it was something like Thunderstrike or a robot Thor, no one fell for it as being Thor himself, however he is returning- so yes, that clearly is Beta Ray Bill!

Bill is a character I want to see become a mainstay in the Marvel Universe, not a C-level character who is treated as a joke. My god, he beat up Thor at his strongest!!! And he did it with his own hammer! Sure, he's from space and he has an orange horse skull, but Namor lives under the sea with wings on his ankles and Captain America wears his underwear outside of his tight! So what?

In Stormbreaker, the mini-series we last saw Beta Ray Bill (co-written by Daniel Berman of Blood River) I thought a good step to bring him more "in" the Marvel Universe was by giving him a partial human identity. That identity will bring him into Flight in some way.

Also, think of what he shares with Alpha Flight’s past? Beta Ray Bill’s people were nearly destroyed by an inter-dimensional demonic threat- Flight has the Great Beasts, both have mythological ties. I’m not saying they are the same, but there are more themes there than people realize when they see Beta Ray Bill standing in Omega Flight and go "What the f…?"

NRAMA: Okay, the character to his left obviously is supposed to remind us of Captain America, or “The Captain”, or U.S. Agent…can you tell readers anything about who this may be (Steve Rogers, John Walker, Clint Barton, someone else), and why he’d be based in Canada?

MO: Can’t say right now, too much speculation. I can promise his involvement is integral to the meaning of the book, and his presence in Flight becomes the glue in more ways than simply tossing this cool character into the book.

NRAMA: Again, in that interview with Mark Millar a few months back, we asked about the then rumors of Captain America fleeing to Canada in the wake of Civil War to be part of Alpha Flight, and he said, “Well, the two big questions are whether Cap flees for Canada and whether I'm writing the Alpha Flight spin-off book. To answer the first, no, Cap doesn’t flee for Canada because that's just bloody stupid and completely out of character.”

Now, you’re already addressed this subject somewhat, but just to be sure. Guess the question we have to ask here is, do you agree with Mark? Any thoughts on this subject?

MO: Well, Cap's future is still in the air... Will he win the war? Will he loose? I can’t say much about him without accidentally commenting on what happens with Civil War. I do agree that the idea of Cap picking up his skirt and running away is way out of character and silly.

NRAMA: All right, moving along… Is that Guardian, Vindicator? Is it James Hudson, or someone else?

MO: It’s the Guardian/Vindicator outfit that’s for sure [laughs])

NRAMA: So what can you tell readers about this character?

MO: I’m not sure the timetable. Things are way early. I’ve been mostly working on research with Scott, writing outlines and doing lots of research. We don’t have a release date yet either. Once those things line up, I'll be more free to talk about things and won’t be so secretive. A big problem now is that many of these questions either answer or hint way too strongly the outcome of Civil War and what the Marvel Universe will look like after, and no one wants me accidentally saying that Darth Vader is Luke’s father.

NRAMA: All right, but still moving through the characters in the image…How about the next one over…We’re assuming its a Spider-Woman-ish character..? Julia Carpenter? Mattie Franklin? Tell us what you can and why you choose her?

MO: I can give this one away too - it's actually Aunt May. Doctor Octopus shoots her up with some crazy stuff, trying to use Parker DNA to reverse engineer Spider-Man and actually creates a stronger, younger Aunt May in this new incarnation of Spider-Woman. Aunt May will finally kick ass!

NRAMA: Finally, the last character… speculation has ranged from Storm, to Talisman, to Snowbird…what can you say at this juncture?

MO: I'll say that she is the strongest link to Flight’s past, spiritually inheriting the team... Oh crap, that could be either character, cant it? Or maybe that’s really the Aunt May character?

NRAMA: Now, assuming this is the line-up – though perhaps minus an addition or two - a lot of characters associated with Alpha Flight in the past aren’t present. What role – if any – will characters line Heather Hudson, Puck, Sasquatch, Northstar, and Aurora, etc… play in this series?

MO: Oh, we will be seeing them again soon enough. I will say this - part of the idea of moving on is that they are done with Flight. Imagine being in an epic rock band, and a few of your members dies. A year later people demand your reunion and the group is being reformed... you might not like that. Your band is gone, young memories lie in the past, for you, its time to move on and hope the new band either falls off a cliff or they carry on and honor the name. We'll see both reactions.

NRAMA: And how about Marvel’s most famous Canadian?

MO: I’m sure I'll drag Wolvie into the book at some point... the best thing would be that his appearance would actually be called for [laughs].

NRAMA: Okay, any parting thoughts, first impressions you want to leave readers with for the next few months while they await the debut of the series?

MO: I guess I just want to impress on the reader that Marvel is really behind this. They don’t just want another Alpha Flight book, this isn't about nostalgia, they want Flight to be a success, be as strong as their strongest books, not just a strong “filler” series.

So keep in mind, if you don’t pre-order at least 25 copies, Joe Quesada will come down to my part of Jersey and break my typing fingers [laughs].

Seriously, everyone on board is very jazzed about this, and its being done with reverence for the past and excitement for the future. Excelsior..! Or something like that!


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What the ?

As a Canadian, I am not really happy to have a spacester, Cap-rip-off or Spider-Woman-ish in any Flight team...

the Vindicator/Guardian and the Talisman/Snowbird characters are fine, but what would a patriotic character like US.Agent or any other Cap-simile do in a CANADIAN team? And I'm really tired of seeing Spiders everywhere... someone in th MU should invent a really strong bug spray, it's getting urgent. As fas as BRB, I don't care much fro the character, but I guess that if someone can find a plausible and somewhat entertaining reason for him being in OF, why not?