Today, Marvel sent around this teaser image featuring Valkyrie, Emma Frost, Hellcat, She-Hulk, Agent Brand, and Monica Rambeau fighting dinosaurs, zombies, and an old man. What could it mean?

We’ll supposedly find out the full scoop on Heralds tonight’s Attack of the Show on G4, but from the looks of it, I’d say Marvel’s unleashing yet another “Grrrrl” comic on the world. Listen, I’m all for promoting strong female characters. I love Renee as the Question. Tara Chace is one of my favorite characters of all time. I dig Manhunter and Catwoman, as well as pretty much all of the characters in this teaser image. However, the publisher’s recent string of female-centric books being released solely on the premise that the books have women in them is getting to be a bit much. That said, I’ll reserve final judgment for the actual book.

BOOM! Studios and POW! Entertainment have revealed a deal for a new line of superhero comics presented by Stan Lee.

POW! Entertainment and BOOM! Studios announced a deal has been struck that will see the production of a series of three superhero titles presented by Stan Lee. These series will premiere from BOOM! Studios later this year.

BOOM!’s Editor-in-Chief Mark Waid, creator of BOOM!’s runaway hit series IRREDEEMABLE and its smash sister book INCORRUPTIBLE, will be writing one of the series. Two other series will follow, featuring A-list writers as a part of the creative team. Further announcements will clarify the teams and the timing for the roll-out.

This past December, POW! announced that Walt Disney Studios had entered into a first-look deal with POW! and currently has a number of projects in development where it is working closely with the world-renowned Lee.

The revelation of Stan Lee’s presenting a series of three superhero titles at BOOM! follows on the heels of a viral marketing campaign announcing “Stan’s Back” that hit the internet early last week. Across major comic book news sites and blogs last week, ads appeared teasing “Stan’s Back.” The L.A. Times’ Hero Complex & L.A. Times’ Brand-X also got in on the action, running the “Stan’s Back” campaign in print and on their respective website. All the banner ads linked back to www.stansback.com, a site which had only the “Stan’s Back” logo and nothing else disclosing additional information.

For one week, the internet was in a frenzy with comic fans everywhere trying to figure out what could the “Stan’s Back” teaser campaign mean. Today it has finally been revealed - Stan Lee is back, presenting a comic book series for the Direct Market comic specialty market that Lee was instrumental in fostering.

POW! Entertainment and BOOM! Studios had no further details at this time. More forthcoming.

Top Cow has just announced that Angelus #3 will be out on March 17, 2010, and that’s not all–the issue will have a special guest star from the Top Cow universe.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., January 25, 2010 – Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today the March 17, 2010 release of Angelus #3, guest-starring The Darkness.

Featuring the series’ critically acclaimed duo of writer Ron Marz and artist Stjepan Sejic, the 32-page Angelus #3 addresses the long-established relationship between the Angelus and the Darkness, who have been diametrically opposed since the beginning of time.  Once confronted by sometimes ally Jackie Estacado, bearer of the Darkness, in the midst of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Danielle Baptiste, the newest bearer of the Angelus, will see if she can choose her own path.

“Dani already knows that Jackie Estacado is a good friend to have,” said Marz.  “She’s about to learn he’s a much worse enemy to have.  The Angelus and the Darkness are eternal opposites, eternal enemies.  Jackie’s not the sort to let friendship stand in the way of business, and letting the Angelus live is bad business.”

The series follows the origin of the newest bearer of The Angelus, the primal force of Light in the Top Cow Universe, Dani as she struggles to rectify the Artifact she embodies with her private life. Dani attempts to find solace in her hometown of New Orleans and has brought her friend/romantic interest Finch with her, but forces around her may conspire against the fledgling Angelus bearer. The series also serves as a lead in to next year’s Artifacts event series.

Angelus #3 will carry a cover price of $2.99.

Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray team with Giancarlo Caracuzzo and Image for Splatterman, a new original graphic novel due this April.

Two comic book creators discover what happens when their newest creation becomes all too real in the all-new graphic novella, SPLATTERMAN, by THE PRO and BACK TO BROOKLYN’s Jimmy Palmiotti, Jonah Hex’s Justin Gray and The Last Resort’s Giancarlo Caracuzzo!

“Every creator can tell you their best characters take on a life of their own, and SPLATTERMAN shows how it can happen in the most frightening of ways,” Palmiotti explained. “SPLATTERMAN is definitely a worst case situation of life imitating art and we’re lucky enough to have an illustrator like Giancarlo who can combine a setting everyone can relate to with a twist everyone can fear.”

SPLATTERMAN is the blood soaked story of two comic creators and their ultimate horror character creation gone very bad. After receiving the publishing deal they’ve long sought after, they soon find a strong enough imagination can be twisted for chilling purposes. For this done-in-one graphic novella that truly lives up to its title, Palmiotti, Gray and Caracuzzo are joined by WANTED’s Paul Mounts, letterer Bill Tortolini and famed cover artist Tim Bradstreet.
SPLATTERMAN, a 72-page full color with a cover price of $6.99, will be available for order in the February issue of Previews and goes on sale April 28.

Brett Weldele and Nathan Edmondson team with Image for a new horror comic, The Light, this April.

This April Surrogates illustrator Brett Weldele and OLYMPUS writer Nathan Edmondson warn you to close your eyes in their five-issue tale of survival horror, THE LIGHT!

“THE LIGHT is everything I love about horror combined into one story,” Edmondson explained. “From a terror rooted in something everyone can relate to and broken protagonists doing their best to overcome absolute despair, this is the comic I’ve been wanting to read. Brett brings it to life with stunning visuals that grow in intensity as the story progresses.”

In THE LIGHT, a mysterious virus infects anyone that looks into an electric light. The few survivors include a father escaping town with his blindfolded daughter as the infected burn alive from the inside out. A fierce, action-packed and gritty tale of survival, THE LIGHT is 28 DAYS LATER meets 30 DAYS OF NIGHT.

THE LIGHT #1, a 24-page full color comic book with a cover price of $2.99, will be available for order in the February issue of Previews and goes on sale April 14.

Warner Bros. Home Video has unleashed the first clip from the upcoming feature showcasing the Justice League taking on the Crime Syndicate.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is an original story from award-winning animation/comics writer Dwayne McDuffie (Justice League) rooted in DC Comics’ popular canon of “Crisis” stories depicting parallel worlds with uniquely similar super heroes and villains. Bruce Timm (Superman Doomsday, Green Lantern) is executive producer. Lauren Montgomery (Wonder Woman, Green Lantern) and Sam Liu (Superman/Batman: Public Enemies) are co-directors.

In Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, a “good” Lex Luthor arrives from an alternate universe to recruit the Justice League to help save his Earth from the Crime Syndicate, a gang of villainous characters with virtually identical super powers to the Justice League. What ensues is the ultimate battle of good versus evil in a war that threatens both planets and, through a diabolical plan launched by Owlman, puts the balance of all existence in peril.

The movie features an all-star voice cast led by Mark Harmon (NCIS) as Superman, James Woods (Ghosts of Mississippi) as Owlman, Chris Noth (Sex and the City, Law & Order) as Lex Luthor, William Baldwin (Dirty Sexy Money) as Batman, Gina Torres (Serenity, Firefly) as Super Woman and Bruce Davison (X-Men) as the President.

There’s a new behind the scenes video for the Astonishing X-Men motion comic featuring John Cassaday. Give it a look.

Get a behind the scenes look at the chart-topping Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic with this all new video! Based on the acclaimed story by superstars Joss Whedon (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and John Cassaday (Captain America), the X-Men are faced with a mysterious new villain and a possible cure for the mutant gene! Now Cyclops, Wolverine and all your favorite mutants must face the greatest threats of their lives and, before it’s all done, experience one of the most jaw-dropping moments in Marvel history!

Broken Trinity may be long over, but the repercussions are still being felt in the Top Cow U. Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box kicks off a new storyline dealing with those mysterious artifacts next February.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., December 22, 2009 – Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today the February-release of Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box, a limited series dealing with the aftermath of last year’s blockbuster event, Broken Trinity, marking the beginning of the road to Artifacts.

Last year’s Broken Trinity established the Witchblade, the Darkness and the Angelus as the three primary forces, as well as Artifacts, in Top Cow’s universe.  By the end of Broken Trinity, it was made known that 13 artifacts existed in the world.  Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box centers on Michael Finnegan and Glorianna Silver, the bearers of the Artifacts known as the Glacier Stone and Ember Stone, respectively, who return for a pulse-pounding, world-spanning adventure series.  When a fanatic cult embarks on a quest to remake the world with the mythical Pandora’s Box, Finn and Glori’s individual goals of gathering the 13 Artifacts are kicked into overdrive.

Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box is co-written by newcomers Rob Levin (The Darkness: Shadows and Flame, The Darkness: Butcher) and Bryan Edward Hill (Broken Trinity: Aftermath), with art from Alessandro Vitti (Secret Warriors).  The six-issue mini-series will feature covers by Tommy Lee Edwards (1985).

“Comics are the most exciting form of genre storytelling right now, and Top Cow leads the pack,” said Hill.  “I’m thrilled to co-write this with Rob because he’s as crazy as I am and that should mean readers will get their money’s worth out of this mini-series.”

“Top Cow has a history of working with writers who grab comics by the balls,” said Levin.  “They did it with Mark Millar on WANTED, Ron Marz on WITCHBLADE, and Phil Hester on THE DARKNESS.  Now they’ve gone and hired two folks who are going to grab and squeeze until everyone is begging for mercy, or is it for more? Either way, with four hands involved, people are going to take notice once again.”

Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box will lead up to the 2010 summer event, Artifacts, penned by Broken Trinity and Witchblade writer Ron Marz.  The 13-issue mini-series will focus on the 13 artifacts hinted at through the Top Cow Universe.

Golden Apple is celebrating its 30th anniversary this weekend, and Top Cow will be among the publishers in attendance. They are also bringing an exclusive variant for Angelus #1, and fans are encouraged to attend. More details below.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., December 8, 2009 – Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today that they, along with a number of Los Angeles-based comic book publishers, will be participating in Golden Apple’s All-Star Holiday Spectacular celebrating Golden Apple’s 30th anniversary.  The event, co-hosted by Comic Book Resources, takes place this Saturday, December 12th, 2009, from 11am – 5pm.  Fans are encouraged to stop by for creator signings, free giveaways, huge sales, and pick up the Angelus #1 event-exclusive variant.  Admission is free.

Among the artists appearing at Golden Apple All-Star Spectacular will be pencillers Eric Basaldua (Witchblade Annual, Hunter-Killer), Michael Broussard (The Darkness), Sheldon Mitchell (Trinity: Blood on the Sands, Witchblade Annual), and Nelson Blake II (Pilot Season: Murderer, The Darkness); inker Rick Basaldua (Witchblade Annual) and writers Rick Loverd (Berserker) and Joshua Hale Fialkov (Alibi, Cyblade)

The publisher will be offering an exclusive Golden Apple Exclusive variant cover to Angelus #1 for the event by Eric Basaldua. The variant will be available for $10 for attendees and is limited in quantity. In addition, Top Cow will have numerous bargain-priced comics including “dollar boxes” and free giveaway comics, bookmarks, and posters.

Golden Apple is located at 7018 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038.

For more information, please visit www.goldenapplecomics.com.

Aphrodite IV will be shaking things up in the Top Cow U when she returns in Witchblade #134, due out next month.

LOS ANGELES, Calif., December 3, 2009 – Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today that Witchblade #134 will begin a three-part story arc, guest-starring Aphrodite IV, with the first in the series hitting comic book stores January 6, 2010.

From the series’ critically acclaimed team of writer Ron Marz and artist Stjepan Sejic, Witchblade #134 finds Detective Sara Pezzini, bearer of the Witchblade, back in New York City, still struggling to come to grips with her inhuman actions during “War of the Witchblades.”  Introspection, however, might just get Sara killed when she finds herself in the crosshairs of the mysterious and deadly Aphrodite IV, who is on a mission to recover a valuable piece of technology for her hidden masters.

“We got a great response to Aphrodite’s appearance in Witchblade #119,” said Marz.  “I’ve been anxious to her back into the book and back into Sara’s life. The storyline that ramps up starting in issue #134 will give some real juicy hints about Aphrodite IV’s origins. And, of course, we’ll blow up a lot of stuff.”

Aphrodite IV, a modern variation of the character originally created by David Finch, previously in Witchblade #119 and The Darkness Vol. 3 #8.

The 32-page Witchblade #134 issue will ship with two covers—one by regular series’ artist Sejic and another from digital painter Michael Ivan.  The issue will carry a cover price of $2.99.