- NYCC: DC Comics Announce 2015 Mortal Kombat X Series



Mortal Kombat Online has espoused the importance of comics to Mortal Kombat for quite some time - all the while knowing there may just be something in the pipeline. The long wait finally ends with DC Comics announcing a brand new Mortal Kombat X series at this weekend's New York Comic Con!

Launching as a digital first series in January, 2015: Mortal Kombat X will follow the path established by previous NetherRealm Studios fighting game tie-in: Injustice: Gods Among Us.

More pics and details in the article.

- "Dark Knight Returns" Sequel In Talks with Miller & Snyder

Bleeding Cool reported on Wednesday that a sequel to "The Dark Knight Returns," one of comics' most influential superhero stories, is in early stages of discussion at DC Comics, and that original "Dark Knight" writer/artist Frank Miller plans to co-write the story with current "Batman" writer Scott Snyder. After speaking with a source close to the situation, CBR News can confirm that such a project is indeed being discussed in early stages. DC Comics did not respond to an inquiry by press time.

According to Bleeding Cool's report, the story will focus on an older Carrie Kelley -- the female Robin of the "Dark Knight Returns" timeline -- in a similar position to Bruce Wayne in "Dark Knight Returns," choosing her successor. Bleeding Cool states that Miller will not illustrate the series, and it may by drawn by multiple artists, with Greg Capullo, Andy Kubert, Jim Lee, Sean Murphy and Marc Silvestri all listed as possibilities.

Oh, man. In this decade - I can't think of a better premise!

I'm glad Lord Death Man is making the crossover.

Did we talk about this here? I'm really excited for this.

Another classic costume bites the dust for casual clothes Friday.
I can't say I've ever been a big fan of Spider-Woman's costume, so it seems like a valid experiment, to me. A little dismayed by the ever-growing obsession with "realistic" civilian clothes as costume stand-ins, but this one is still very iconic and graphically interesting. Not as effective as the Batgirl update, but still good enough for a solid run. Might need some tweaks to make it in the long run, but the basics work.


I'm a little resistant. The X-Men has been in such a rut for so long, I think opening up the schism with a literal X-Men '92 book is asking for trouble. I think this kind of regressive approach has been a big part of the problems the corporate publishers are facing. They aren't moving forward. They aren't selling the strengths of the medium. They're propagating internet-era myths that were started by the people they should have been educating and selling to. If the X-books needed anything right now, it was a contemporary commitment, rather than a side-winding retro stunt. Being wrapped up in the Secret War reboot soup is extra unattractive.

Personally, I think it's been all downhill since they started unpicking Morrison's New X-Men work. That was the definition of modern, progressive and logical. It was the evolution the franchise was waiting for and, because of the regressive approach, still looks like the future.

It's been a rough run ever since. In 2014, I don't necessarily think reverting to favoured periods of the past is necessarily a bad thing, but the approach is key. Part of the struggle since Whedon has been the endless churn through half-in/half-out referential, but stubbornly bland streaks of stagnancy. When they have tried to move it one way or the other, it's been heavy on reference (bordering on redundancy), arbitrary in nature, and at times quite tone deaf.

Finessing more of those early 90s stylistic strokes into the mix seems like a good idea. It probably would've been a better use of the last 10 years. The challenge remains creating something that works for the present, rather than against. Some of the 80s/90s character-driven simplicity could do them good.

- UNCANNY AVENGERS Teaser Keeps 'QUICKSILVER, SCARLET WITCH Aren't Mutants' Theory Going



Meanwhile, in other design revamp news... As much as I have affection for the classic lightning bolt designs, this is another one that seemed like fair game. I really like it. Again, I don't know that it screams longevity - at some point it might need to get away from the generic reality of panels and stitching, but with minor tweaks I could see it improving.

Interesting the way they've kinda bridged the gap between what we've seen of the Days of Future Past and Age of Ultron movie designs. Somewhere between the athletic running suit of Avengers and the eye-geared, modern silver streak of X-Men.

The story that goes with it: less appealing. Past indiscretions aside, you're not gonna win me over with a 180 degree flip 50 years after-the-fact. It was too settled, too ingrained to get value out of that kind of change. Par for the course in the mercenary times of an industry no longer in charge of itself, even if there's a glimmer of the old philosophy of picking up a timely idea and running with it [no pun intended].

Semi-related.

Anyone have any advice on poster framing? I've accumulated a few signed posters, and I've pretty much just left them in their tubes out of fear of destroying them during framing. I check on them from time to time, they're all in good shape, but I'd like to actually display them.

I've thought about going to a framing shop, but even then (due to their value being a little more sentimental than financial) I worry they'll be framed in such a way that future removal could damage them.

Any advice on what to do or what to ask for?

- Review: Mortal Kombat X #1 Chapter 1

After months of anticipation, Mortal Kombat X comics have finally arrived!

Only the first digital chapter is available thus far [purchase], which Mortal Kombat Online will be reviewing here. For the full print issue, you'll have to hit up your local comic shop January 14th! If you haven't pre-ordered, make sure you show your interest for future issues!

DC Comics' first foray into the Mortal Kombat comics business has had a lot of time to build interest since it was announced at October's NYCC. If you download Chapter One looking for all the answers to your every question - you're not playing with fair expectations. That said, if you pay the 99c expecting some substantial answers, it may be the comic that comes up short of the title on the cover.

In case anybody somehow missed it! (Mind the spoilers).

- Preview: Amazing X-Men #15




THE ONCE AND FUTURE JUGGERNAUT 1 of 4

• We've all heard the phrase "those are big shoes to fill."
• That's especially true when those are the massive boots of the unstoppable Juggernaut.
• So when the Gem of Cyttorak reappears, the X-Men must ask themselves: Who's going to wear those boots?

Talking earlier about juggling current and classic influences with the X-Men. This preview shows a lot of promise. The recap segment maybe makes it feel a little detached from things, which can make it feel lightweight, but I think it's got a good workman sensibility to it. Legit comics. Getting the monthly story kicked off, getting ideas and info out there.

I dig the variant cover, with a blend of throwback/modern designs. I think Jorge Fornes has a pretty good classically inspired line, and Rachelle Rosenberg's colors are a really nice compliment to something that feels a little 80s/90s, but modern. Which gels well with a story that, by anchoring to the history, feels less like a stunt introduction of a new version of an old character (Juggernaut), and more like a legit monthly issue.

- Meta-Messages – Spawn Tries to Save Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Wolverine and More



Today, based on a suggestion by Stephen M, we take a look at a famous meta-message by Dave Sim and Todd McFarlane in Spawn #10...

I’m really kind of surprised I haven’t gotten around to this one yet, as it is a very notable one.

Todd McFarlane has a stretch early in his run on Spawn where he took four of the most acclaimed writers in comics at the time – Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Dave Sim and Frank Miller – and had them each write a single issue of Spawn for a crazy large sum of money.

In Sim’s issue, #10, Sim decided to make the whole issue one big meta-message about the evils of corporations owning comic book characters and why creator-owned comics are the best.

An MK forum probably isn't the place to speak ill of the surface elements of Spawn (Hell, chains, spikes), but it's always good comics when pop serial icons can be applied in interesting, more nuanced ways. This is a really effecting fictionalized narrative about the mission statement of Image Comics and McFarlane's creator-owned work. Great stuff. Worth a look.

Mick you're a legend for keeping this going. I've read a lot here thank you bud!

- Our Lives Together – The Living Laser Makes a Classic What If...? Cameo



In this feature, I will spotlight some of the more interesting examples of shared comic book universes. You know, crossovers that aren’t exactly crossovers.

In this one, we’ll take a look at a “crossover” I featured in an old Comic Book Legends Revealed that I realized fit so perfectly here that I had to use it again.

So that is the set-up for January 1990’s Quasar #6, where Quasar follows the Living Laser to the moon (in an Acts of Vengeance crossover, so Quasar fights villains he wouldn’t normally fight, including Venom), we see where the Laser heads...

In my opinion, one of the great failings of corporate comics in the internet age has been the decision to abandon its fictional history and pander to a young audience who got worked up in a tither about 'not being able to read' because of prior existence. The fact is, the constant stream of pulp publishing has always been a virtue of these types of comics, a unique and special feature that few mediums can even attempt, let alone successfully execute. [Pro wrestling and soaps tend to struggle over time].

When What if...? was in its heyday, that extensive history was a selling point - as it should be. The series really hit its groove when it was used to revisit classic moments in Marvel history, and tweak them in strange, often grim ways. This was one of the rare examples when the "real" Marvel Universe clashed with a What if...? alternate reality. Very cool!


Thanks, dude. Would love to see more people throwing stuff in here!


Forgot about this. Just start a new thread about framing, man. Could be a useful topic.

- Our Lives Together – Superman Overhears the Rest of the DC Universe



In this feature, I will spotlight some of the more interesting examples of shared comic book universes. You know, crossovers that aren’t exactly crossovers.

In this one, suggestion by reader Jim S., we take a look at another bit I did in an old Comic Book Legends Revealed, where Superman’s hearing is increased to the point where he hears the rest of the DC Universe, with snippets from over a DOZEN other DC books that came out that same month!

In issue #10 of John Byrne’s Superman run (released with a cover date of October 1987), Superman’s powers are acting weird. They are increasing in power at seemingly random intervals.

Another great example of the shared corporate universe. Full break down in the article. Very fun.

I'm cold as a stone on most of the Convergence/Secret War stuff, but it does warm my heart just to see the legit JSA pictured on a cover, back in action.

Jubilee looks really cute on that cover.

- I Love Ya But You’re Strange – That Time Daredevil Defeated Ultron With a Stick



In honor of the latest trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron, we look at the time that Daredevil defeated Ultron...with a stick.

In Daredevil #275 (by Ann Nocenti, John Romita Jr. and Al Williamson), Doctor Doom collects all the various Ultrons and merged them together to form one Ultron with conflicting thoughts. Ultron-12 (the one who liked humans) was basically put in charge, but all the other human-hating Ultrons still lived in his thoughts. As part of the Acts of Vengeance (where a bunch of top villains, including Doom, Red Skull, Loki, Magneto and Mandarin, organized villains to attack heroes that were unfamiliar with them, figuring that that would make them easier to defeat), Doom set this newly-created Ultron after Daredevil.

Daredevil, at the time, was traveling the country with two Inhumans (Gorgon and Karnak) and a genetically-altered woman known as Number Nine.

Number Nine has been captured by Ultron, but she finds Ultron-12 endearing, even as he struggles with his programming (this is where we are as #276 begins, by the same creative team)...

If you don't know Ann Nocenti's DD, you're definitely missing out. It's got the 80s gloom of Miller, but a rain of super-villains and wackiness washes away the grit. So many great issues.

- Interview: Erik Larsen Goes In-Depth on CostumeGate, Costume Design, and the State of Comics

Last week, Image co-founder Erik Larsen found himself in the center of a social media scandal after commenting on the recent costume re-designs of female characters. Erik agreed to come on The Outhouse, where we were critical of his comments in our usual style, and answer all of our questions about the events and his positions. We didn't hold back, and neither did he. Enjoy.

Couldn't be less interested in the social politics of chumps with a keyboard, but when this became about comics [as it primarily is in this interview] it got more interesting. Don't entirely agree with Larsen's perspective, but I really appreciate a perspective informed by the art form and medium. Something that often seems lacking from the current lay of the land.

- First Look: DC's CONVERGENCE Character Profiles - HAWKMAN and More



Not really interested in Convergence, but I loves some Hawkman, and I dig that cover!

Iceman is gay now, apparently

This seems forced, awkwardly inserted, and is temporally confusing. Does future Iceman have to come out again and admit he's been lying to himself, now? This whole thing reeks of an attention grab.

Also, what the hell Jean?! That's a hell of a line to cross. We're expected to just ignore that? They continue to make her unlikeable.

This does the X-Men no favors and it does the gay community no favors. It makes it seem like rather than put in the work and develop a new gay character, they just reached into the bag of X-Men and chose a character they thought would get the smallest amount of fan backlash.

Make a new, strong, gay X-Man, ya lazy bums!

I've been trying to save the energy of my reaction (which is mostly one of disinterest) for an article, but I think this is a good sentiment. The current trend of appropriating 60 year old characters for a cheap headline and some focus group buzz is embarrassing and insulting. Whichever group it may be directed at the time has the most right to be the bemused and/or insulted, and I know some certainly are.

I don't like fans who were outraged by the content. I think it's amazing that a so-called die hard X-Men fan could be upset about a story dealing with someone who is inherently different and vilified. It's a great story to tell. They just need to do it for the right reasons and with the right tools. Deciding Iceman's homosexual after 50 years of stories is creatively flawed, and dubiously motivated. A hallmark of Marvel (and DC), at the moment.

For me, creative must come first. The rest should come from that.

Meanwhile, any excuse to rummage through the back issues:

- Fabian Nicieza’s Five Favorite Justice League Issues

Fabian Nicieza is re-visiting the Justice League Detroit era of the Justice League with his Convergence: Justice League America series (the first issue came out earlier this week). As Fabian looks to the past for the writing of this new project, I thought it would be interesting for him to look back at his history with Superboy as a reader. So here are five of Fabian’s favorite issues of Justice League. Everything from this point on is Fabian’s recollections of five of his favorite Justice League issues.



I think I mentioned JLA #200 earlier in the thread. I've got a well worn black and white reprint, and caught up with the proper issue many years later. Definitely a fun one from the hero versus hero file.

Miles Morales to stay with Earth-616 and take on the role of Spider-Man

At this point, I'm not really sure how everything is going to shake out once Secret Wars finishes, but we have been made aware that Miles will take on the role of Spider-Man.

I'm not too big into the Spider, I mean I enjoy it, but its always been sort of off and on for me. I also was never big into the Ultimate Universe, it just rubbed me the wrong way. This decision is interesting, however, because it has quite a bit of weight to it.

Miles is a well liked character, it's easily justifiable that he enter the mainstream universe. However, by entering into the role of Spider-Man it creates a potential PR problem for Marvel if (and lets face it when) they restore Peter Parker to the role of the Spider-Man. Parker's return to the suit in the mainstream is an inevitability, even at this point, because Peter Parker is who is associated with that role. Bucky and Sam have both stepped into the role of Captain America, and while Sam is currently (kind of, I guess. Wibbly-Wobbly-Secret-Warsy) Cap, there is no doubt that Steve will return to the role as we've actually already had teases of Steve returning to the role. Now, while Miles Morales is a pretty strong character, it's impossible to deny that Parker has the name recognition, which I do think is very important. If Mar-Vell returned to life, I could actually see him taking a different identity because of how popular Carol Danvers has become in the public eye. It's hard for me to imagine that scenario with Peter Parker. In my opinion, it is more likely that Miles will be the character given a name change when Parker returns, which I think could look bad for Marvel in these ridiculously race-baity times we live in.

But, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

- John Vogel Spins Tangled Tales in Webcomic Skitter

Chances are you know John Vogel best as one of the stalwarts of the Mortal Kombat design team. As a developer, he's helped steer the course of Kombat through multiple generations, including his well remembered role as writer for 2002's Deadly Alliance.

As of April; your pal and mine has turned his impeccable skills as writer and artist to the world of webcomics with Skitter!

Follow the link for the full story and show some support!

I picked up my 1st comic in over 15+ years. I picked it up for about 5 bucks or little under 5.

I picked it up cause it had really nice cover. Street Fighter 2 Turbo 6a issue. Got Cody punching glass and bunch of other Street Fighter characters on the pieces of glass.

I'm not sure but I'm thinking its issue number 6.

I'm keeping it upstairs instead of putting it downstairs with the rest of my comics.

I read it once and put it back in its sleeve. Safely tucked away in my room. The quality of the art in the comic is top notch. Think it came out in 09.

I was looking for a MKX Comic but they didn't have any.

- TOYING AROUND: X-Men, Boba Fett, Thundercats & More!



Oh, man! Marvel's X-Men merch freeze out makes this Sabretooth statue all the more special. That is one bad ass sculpt! It looks really good opposite the brown costumes Wolverine, but the quality of workmanship on Sabretooth is superior. I love a good villain. This is awesome!


Nice one! I always had a love/hate relationship with UDON's SF comics.
On the one hand, I love Street Fighter and it was great to be able to just jump in that world and have fun with all the characters. On the other hand, it's an art driven project, and the stories and characters often felt very underdone. Turbo did some great things, though. I can see why it grabbed you!