Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Diana Jones Shortlist

SHORTLIST FOR 2009 DIANA JONES AWARD ANNOUNCED

Two RPGs, a card-game, a mystery and a Scandinavian collective vie for hobby-gaming's most exclusive trophy

The committee of the Diana Jones Award has released the shortlist for its 2009 award. This year the shortlist contains five nominees that in the opinion of the committee exemplify the very best that hobby-gaming has produced in the last twelve months. In alphabetical order, they are:

Dominion, a card game by Donald X. Vaccarino (published by Rio Grande Games)
Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition, a role-playing game by Rob Heinsoo, Mike Mearls and James Wyatt (published by Wizards of the Coast)
Jeepform, a game-style from Scandinavia (fostered by the Vi åker jeep collective: http://jeepen.org/)
Mouseguard, a role-playing game by Luke Crane (published by Archaia Studios Press)
Sweet Agatha, a mystery game by Kevin Allen Jr (self-published)

The winner of the 2009 Award will be announced on Wednesday 12th August, at the annual Diana Jones Award and Freelancer Party in Indianapolis, the unofficial start of the Gen Con Indy convention.

ABOUT THE AWARD
The Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming was founded and first awarded in 2001. It is presented annually to the person, product, company, event or any other thing that has, in the opinion of its mostly anonymous committee of games industry luminaries, best demonstrated the quality of “excellence” in the world of hobby-gaming in the previous year. The winner of the Award receives the Diana Jones trophy.

The short-list and eventual winner are chosen by the Diana Jones Committee, a mostly anonymous group of games-industry alumni and illuminati.

Past winners include Peter Adkison, Jordan Weisman, the role-playing games Nobilis, Sorcerer, and My Life with Master, and the board-game Ticket to Ride. This is the ninth year of the Award.

CONTACT
For more information, see the website www.dianajonesaward.org or contact the committee directly: committee@dianajonesaward.org

Friday, July 24, 2009

MARVELman Belongs To Marvel Comics


The biggest news of Comic Con International in San Diego was revealed moments ago and jaws are still on the floor-the world-renowned super hero MARVELMAN is now part of the Marvel Comics family! Marvel Comics has purchased the rights to MARVELMAN from creator Mick Anglo and his representatives, finding a home for one of the most sought after heroes in graphic fiction!

'It is an honor to work with Mick Anglo to bring his creation to a larger audience than ever before,' said Dan Buckley, CEO & Publisher, Print, Animation & Digital Media, Marvel Entertainment Inc. 'Fans are in for something special as they discover just what makes Marvelman such an important character in comic book history.'

Originally created in 1954 by Mick Anglo and appearing in some of the most celebrated comic stories of all time, MARVELMAN is Micky Moran, a young reporter gifted with the power to save the world by simply uttering the word 'kimota!'

'I did not think it would ever happen,' said Mick Anglo. 'It's a wonderful thing to see my creation finally back.'

MARVELMAN is back and he's found a new home at Marvel Comics! What's next for Mick Anglo's legendary creation? Stay tuned to Marvel.com for all the news on Marvelman and this exciting new addition to the Marvel family!

And to join in the celebration, visit the Marvel Shop to purchase limited edition MARVELMAN t-shirts! Plus, this September, don't miss the MARVELMAN BY QUESADA POSTER exclusively at comic shops everywhere!

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Court Rules DC & WB Didn't Violate Superman Licensing Agreement w/ Siegels

Another court decision has been made in the Siegel family’s tense relationship with DC Comics. By virtue of previous decisions, the heirs of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel have been co-owners with DC Comics of the Superman copyright from 1999 until now. In 2008, the Siegels alleged that DC, in licensing the Superman characters to Warner Bros. Entertainment for audiovisual projects including 'Smallville' and 'Superman Returns,' violated the terms of their profit-sharing agreement.

The plaintiffs felt that because Warner Bros. Entertainment and DC Comics are both part of the same corporate entity, the licensing fees paid to DC Comics in the period between 1999 and 2002 (for the aforementioned 'Smallville' and 'Superman Returns' projects) were below market value. Essentially, the Siegels argued that DC Comics gave Warner Bros. Entertainment a 'sweetheart deal,' which would result in DC (and due to their co-ownership, the Siegels) not receiving as much money as they would in a traditionally 'fair market deal.'

In today’s decision, the court ruled that DC and Warner Bros. Entertainment did indeed participate in a 'fair market deal,' and that the Siegels are not entitled to any payments beyond the terms of the audiovisual licenses as they presently stand.

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Braveheart writer will revise McG's Captain Nemo script

Disney is bringing in Braveheart writer Randall Wallace to rewrite Captain Nemo: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, a new movie based on the classic Jules Verne novel. Terminator Salvation's McG will direct.

Friday, July 03, 2009

Warner Bros. seals up Midway acquisition

With no other bidders emerging for Midway Games, Warner Bros. has bought most of the company’s assets for $33 million, including the “Mortal Kombat” franchise as well as the company’s legacy arcade games, such as “Joust” and “Spy Hunter”.Mkvsdc

The bankruptcy judge overseeing the sale apparently wasn’t swayed by Threshold Entertainment’s argument that film producer Larry Kasanoff was the driving creative force in the franchise. (The Chicago Tribune quotes the judge as saying the objections, as well as those of Vin Diesel-owned development studio Tigon Games were ‘resolved’.