Video Games

Okay, now it's video games that are using comics to revive their dormant properties; only, fittingly, they're using webcomics, because those are two great tastes that go great together. Clever. Namco/Bandai has launched ShiftyLook with SKY KID, by Jim Zub and Jeffrey “Chamba” Cruz, via UDON, and XEVIOUS by Mike Costa and Mike Norton via Cryptozoic Entertainment, with a third title imminent, as shown by a big empty spot on the website. Both are old '80s console games long unseen.

As we told you EXCLUSIVELY a few weeks ago, there are a few new Angry Birds games coming along, notably Angry Birds Space, which will debut on March 22:

THE WALKING DEAD continues to be a media sensation, with a video game from Telltale Games based on the comics due for release this spring. The game just launched a new website which features a new talk show, "Playing Dead," with host AJ LoCascio chatting up creator Robert Kirkman and Gary Whitta (The Book of Eli).

A little birdie in the sky has alerted us to four Angry Birds tie-in books due out in July—and they appear to be space-themed...and include comics.

The video game company behind the popular PROTOTYPE series -- NOT the comics company. Dark Horse will create a three-part story bridging the gap between the original Prototype and PROTOTYPE 2 which comes out this year. The series will be released digitally, starting February 15th. Creators include Paco Díaz, Chris Staggs, and Victor Drujiniu.

by Dave Castelnuovo-- Just like the Arab Spring that changed much of the Middle East, It seems like Arkham Spring is upon us and will soon change the comics industry. Tensions are finally coming to a head as the comic industry continues to transition to the digital era. Creators are starting to speak out more about their potential opportunities in digital and are questioning why the industry is holding onto old practices that are preventing their comic from being accepted by more people. A good example of this comes from writer and illustrator Brian Wood in his blog post “The Digital Question Mark”. In it I think he presents a solid case as to why this dance between publishers and retailers is screwing up opportunities to give his book the best possible chance of success. It doesn’t matter whether the industry will eventually get to cheaper digital content in the next couple years, his book will be canceled unless readers buy it today. He has a good plan for making this happen but politics are getting in the way.

Did you think I was going to miss this one? The noisy birds from the world's most popular mobile game are back with a new Christmas comic which is rolling out a page a day. See how the blue bird functions as the triplicate chorus, a la Huey Dewey and Louie?

Diamond has signed with Rovio, maker of the game sensation Angry Birds, to distribute their growing line of books -- presumably by launching them from a slingshot through the windows of comics shops, bookstores and mass market retailers around the world. A worldwide sensation, the Angry Birds game has been downloaded over 400 million times. Angry Birds costumes were the top pick for this Halloween, and their merch is showing up everywhere. The book line thus far includes doodle books, and a cookbook for -- what else? -- eggs. There's been a lot of talk over when Angry Birds would enter the comics market -- one of the creators of the game is a former webcartoonist -- so far they have a webcomic based on the recent Harvest Moon game online.

As if we needed more proof that superheroes in any medium other than their original one sell more units, BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY, the new video game featuring you-know-who has sold 4.6 million units in its first week, WB Interactive has announced.

Do you even NEED to go inside the convention hall any more? Besides Tr!ckster, the comic book pavilion, Cirque Du Soleil, a South Park carnival and all the other hoohah, video games are setting up camp on the streets of San Diego big time, Forbes reports:

In case you missed the memo, offsite events are a fast-growing aspect of the Comic-Con experience. This year the creator-focused Tr!ckster event joined the line-up but there's also a video-game focused event, Gam3rCon running July 19-24th at the 10th Street Theatre in downtown. A ticket is $5 for the day or $10 for the week but you can also register for a free one day pass. Events includes gaming -- both tabletop and video, panels, rooftop parties and a Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: WAR IN THE NORTH is a new video game for multiple platforms which, as we've excitedly mentioned before, covers the war in the north between the various races of Middle Earth. They'll be marking a major presence Comic-Con with a big event Saturday night in the Gaslamp district.