Death of Spider-Man Issue Sells Over 159k

Driven by press coverage (see “Ultimate Spider-Man Death Issue Gets Advance Press”), the “Death of Spider-Man” storyline brought big sales in June, with the polybaged Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #160 selling over 159,000 copies to comic stores, according to our estimates of comic sales number based on sales indexes released by Diamond Comic Distributors. That was best sales number for the top comic in over a year; Avengers #1 sold 163,000 last May (see “Avengers Launch Is Over 163K”). This issue increased sales on Ultimate Comics Spider-Man by over a factor of three.

Marvel’s Fear Itself was the #2 book at around 96,000, the #3 issue holding strong at only slightly less the sales on #2. DC’s Flashpoint event came in behind Fear Itself, but sales on Flashpoint #2 actually came in higher than the first month sales on #1 (and issue #1 picked up another 8,864 copies this month).

Despite the strong sales on the books at the very top of the chart, over-all sales were down from the year ago period (see “Comics Slide Continues in June”).

DC had only eight of the top 25 issues this month; not shipping the titles Green Lantern or Green Lantern Corps hurt.

Top 25 decliners outnumbered advances by a significant margin in June; 14 of the top 25 titles declined in sales; eight increased.

On the graphic novel chart, The Walking Dead Vol. 14 was the top title with over 20,000 copies in first month sales, a great performance when compared to other top graphic novels in recent months. And if you needed more than the continuing sales on The Walking Dead Vol. 1 to show the series is gaining new readers, the 6% increase between first month sales of Vol. 14 and Vol. 13 (see “Top 300 Graphic Novel s Actual—November 2010”) should help.

Here are ICv2’s estimates for the sales by Diamond Comic Distributors to comic stores on the Top 25 comic titles in June of 2011:

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Marvel Digital Comics – Free Mondays (3/15/2010)

Welcome to FREE Mondays! Each week we focus on all of the newly digitized books you can read for FREE inside the greatest collection of Marvel comics available online: Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited! Plus, we’ll let you know what’s coming up next week for FREE, too! With each book, not only are you getting a free peek inside Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, but each free Digital Comic either gives you a look at a book featured in a recent collection or a comic that’s in stores now.

How would you like to have five free digital comics to help get you through the school and work week? Here ya go!

SPIDER-MAN: LEGEND OF THE SPIDER CLAN #1
SPIDER-MAN: LEGEND OF THE SPIDER CLAN #2
SPIDER-MAN: LEGEND OF THE SPIDER CLAN #3
SPIDER-MAN: LEGEND OF THE SPIDER CLAN #4
SPIDER-MAN: LEGEND OF THE SPIDER CLAN #5

Find out what next week’s five free digital comics will be below!

ULTIMATE X-MEN #63
ULTIMATE X-MEN #67
ULTIMATE X-MEN #68
ULTIMATE X-MEN #69
ULTIMATE X-MEN #70

‘Amazing Spider-Man’ Releases Issue #600

“The Amazing Spider-Man” hit another milestone this week-the publication of its 600th issue.

As a celebration, the issue features the return of Doctor Octopus, a guest spot by Daredevil, a wedding and the return of Mary Jane Watson.   In addition, there are several short stories by some of the iconic writers for everyone’s favorite web-slinger, including a new story by Stan Lee.

This milestone in the making will feature four different covers by father and son artists John Romita Sr, John Romita Jr, master painter Alex Ross and Marvel Editor in Chief, Joe Quesada.

The issue weighs in at 104 pages and is currently available at a comic store near you.

More ‘Spider-Man 4′ Villain Speculation

New York Post blogger Reed Tucker has been speaking to producer Todd Black. Their chat was ostensibly about Tony Scott’s The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 rehash though Tucker valiantly swung in with a few Spider-Man 4 questions too. Black gamely discussed the involvement of Kirsten Dunst, the villain they have in mind for the movie (what? only one?), and the rumoured wedding between Peter Parker and MJ. But what did he reveal? It’s all coming up, right after this break…

The most solid revelation is that Tucker learned how Kirsten Dunst is “definitely on board”. This is hardly a shocker, despite Sam Raimi recently stoking up suspicions and doubts around the actress’ involvement. Doesn’t sound like she’ll be donning a frilly meringue and veil, though – Black denied any knowledge of the rumoured marriage subplot.

Black also swatted off stories of Morbius being locked in place as the picture’s villain. Let’s just assume we can believe this claim – though, really, official word is never any more reliable the unofficial – and accept that The Living Vampire is well and truly out of the frame. This starts to make Sam Raimi look like the least acceptable source on what is, indeed, his own film. What do you think of Raimi’s pot-stirring? Does it just make for jolly japes, is it a good way to garner publicity, or will you get tired of being steered up dead ends, time after time?

What Black did say regarding the proposed antagonist is really just another flame-fanning clue. Here’s the quote:

We’re just coming up with who the villain’s going to be now. We’ll be shooting in New York again. Trust me, people will appreciate who we pick, because it’ll be a big part of New York.

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Sam Raimi Teases ‘Morbius’ as Spider-Man 4 Villain

CHUD have been lucky enough to receive a clip of Sam Raimi talking to FearNET about the villain for his fourth Spider-Man film. While Raimi’s reaction isn’t so plain and simple that we can take it as a 100% guarantee of the character they have in waiting in the wings it does make one player a clear front runner. You might argue that Raimi is playing games with us here, but that doesn’t seem to be his style at all.

The FearNET interviewer asks Raimi about the possible role in Spider-Man 4 for a vampire – by which they mean Morbius, I’m sure. Raimi then responds in a deliberately mannered style, ironically turning his “What? I don’t know anything about that” into a virtual wink at the camera. You won’t fail to get what he’s driving at with the tone he uses.

Raimi then goes on to discuss the appeal of vampires and his reading of the archetype is certainly interesting. He’s talking about vampires in a very traditional sense, with reference to bat transformations, crucifixes and garlic as well as the sensual nature of a vampire attack. Not the typical nemesis for a costumed superhero.

The early appearances of Morbius in the comics were interwoven with a storyline featuring The Lizard, following a plot which suits the progressing arc of Dr. Curt Connors in the film series. I’m now as near to convinced as I ever could be that we will have Morbius and The Lizard confirmed for key roles in the film before the end of the year. Mary Jane Watson, on the other hand… I guess so, but there’s definitely something up there. Is Kirsten Dunst playing hardball in contract negotiations?

When Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell opens next week, we’ll all have a current reminder of his skill with the horror genre. Folding vampires into Spider-Man might be a slightly off-mainstream play but I think there’s every chance Raimi and screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire willl pull it off with flair, giving us something accessible as well as smart and rich and full of colour and depth. In other words, I’m thinking Spider-Man 4 could end up being the next… well, Spider-Man 2.

Source

Spider-Man ‘Venom’ Spinoff Film Is Being Developed

Sony is officially moving forward with its Spider-Man spinoff movie focusing on Venom and has hired Zombieland writing team Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese to pen the script, the writers told a group of reporters.

“We had a really great relationship with Sony on [Zombieland], and so that was a nice in for us there,” Reese said in a group interview. “It gave us a leg up.”

The duo is already working on the script, but they are sworn to secrecy on the details. “We’re under strict orders on Venom,” Wernick said. “We can’t talk about it. It’s just super secret.”

Source

Marvel’s Updated Movie Release Schedule

There’s been some rumblings about “Iron Man 2″ and “Thor” in the news lately.  If things go according to plan, Marvel is going to become a movie powerhouse with all the projects they have coming out.

Marvel has just released a press release stating the new dates.
Iron Man 2 on May 7, 2010 (unchanged)
Thor on June 17, 2011 (changed from July 16, 2010, that makes sense)
Spider-Man 4 on May 6, 2011
Captain America on July 22, 2011 (changed from May 6, 2011)
The Avengers on May 4, 2012 (changed from July 15, 2011)

The plan is to have all the movies (except most likely the Sony produced Spider-Man) interwoven together for the release of The Avengers.  We will get a Marvel superhero movie each summer from 2010 to 2012.

Start saving your money for popcorn…

Source

Amazing Spider-Man #583 (Obama Cover) Gets Third Printing

It’s the story you’ve seen everywhere from CNN to the New York Times to Fox News: Spider-Man and United States President-Elect Barack Obama meet for the first time—and to meet the unprecedented demand, Marvel is going back to press with AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #583 THIRD PRINTING OBAMA VARIANT.

The first two printings sold out immediately and Marvel urges retailers to place their orders by Monday, January 19, using Diamond Code NOV088141.

Also: New York Times reports on lines for AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #583 featuring the Spidey/Obama Team-Up and ABC’s Nightline features Spidey/Obama!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #583 THIRD PRINTING OBAMA VARIANT (NOV088141)
Written by MARK WAID & ZEB WELLS
Pencils by BARRY KITSON & TODD NAUCK
Cover by PHIL JIMENEZ
40 PGS./Rated A …$3.99
FOC—1/19/09, ON-SALE—1/28/09

Sam Raimi Discusses The Future Of Spider-Man

Although things weren’t looking too good for awhile, “Spider-Man” has overcome adversities tougher than a Green Goblin-Doc Ock team-up, and now once again has Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi in his corner. But what about Kirsten Dunst?

“Kirsten, I’d love to work with her again,” Raimi explained to us this week, making it sound as if current plans to include Dunst for “Spider-Man 4” and “Spider-Man 5” are still up in the air, despite recent statements that she wants to remain with the franchise. “I hope she’ll be written into it. I couldn’t imagine making one without her, and I think she’s an important part of the movies.”

Nevertheless, Raimi admitted that the very nature of an episodic series requires that characters come and go. “I wish I could work with James Franco again,” said the man who directed the first three hit movies. “But his character died in the last one; same with Uncle Ben. Fortunately, we’ve been able to bring back all the dead characters [like Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn or Cliff Robertson as Ben Parker]. I can’t let them go, in each and every picture; but it gets harder and harder.”

Now things are about to get hard yet again for Raimi, as he’s making plans to continue the cinematic tale of Peter Parker. “I’m really excited about Spider-Man, and I’m hoping to direct it,” he cautioned. “I don’t have a script yet, but production would start probably by March of 2010, I’m guessing. It sounds like a long time away, but we need a script first, and a lot of pre-production has to take place.”

The filmmaking legend also revealed to us that there is a lot of truth behind rumors that he might shoot the next two “Spider-Man” films at the same time. “That had been talked about,” he said, deferring to the head of his studio. “It’s Amy Pascal’s decision. I don’t think it has been decided yet, and she’s the one that’s really going to make that decision; I’m really curious myself.”

By his own admission, “Spider-Man 3” was an exhaustive film to shoot, but Raimi is confident he can handle the double duty. “It would be a real endurance test, probably only Peter Jackson knows how hard something like that would be,” he marveled, hinting that “4” and “5” would be very closely linked in storyline. “If Tobey and me, and all the producers, like the story for two pictures and Amy wanted to do it, then we would do it. It just hasn’t been written yet.”

Finally, Raimi offered comment on the wishes of fans (and yours truly) to finally let Dylan Baker’s storyline come to fruition. “He’s a great actor, and I think one day The Lizard’s story will be told,” he teased, referring to Baker’s Curt Connors character. “I don’t know if it will be this one or not. I just don’t know. I’m definitely hoping to work with Dylan in the picture. I just don’t know who the villain is yet.”

Which characters do you feel need to return for the next two “Spider-Man” films? Mary Jane, The Lizard, or neither?

Source: mtv.com

Spider-Man: Web Of Shadows Full Trailer

New York City has been invaded and only Spider-Man can save it.

Control everything. “Spider-Man: Web of Shadows” gives you an unprecedented level of gameplay choice, including, for the first time, control over the game’s direction and outcome. Choose how Spider-Man fights, which powers to upgrade, who in the Marvel Universe to fight with or against, and the fate of New York City itself. Read more