Tag Archive: Mike Johnson


First look–New chapter begins for Blade Runner sequel/prequel

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September 23, 2020

Review by C.J. Bunce

It’s the sequel to Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and prequel to Blade Runner 2049, giving fans of either or both a look into the world created by Philip K. Dick in his novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?  Blade Runner stories continue as Titan Comics looks to the parallel Earth future in Blade Runner 2019.  The first nine issues introduced us to ex-Blade Runner Ash and Cleo, daughter of business magnate Alexander Selwyn.  It’s now 2026.  On returning to Los Angeles, Ash sleuthed out the location of Selwyn, but Selwyn knows Ash is after him, and has created a new Blade Runner.  Of course the ghosts of Tyrell are always in the shadows.

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IDW’s Star Trek: Picard prequel comic arrives in trade edition this summer

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April 29, 2020

 

If you’ve finally caught up with the CBS All Access series Star Trek: Picard, now would be a good time to go back and check out IDW Publishing’s three-part prequel comic book series, which is scheduled to be released in trade paperback form this summer.  Star Trek Picard: Countdown is IDW’s latest Star Trek prequel series, following series like the stellar Star Trek: Countdown, where comic book readers first (and last) saw retired Admiral Jean-Luc Picard in the Star Trek canon, and Star Trek Discovery: The Light of Kahless, the lead-in to the Star Trek: Discovery TV series.

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Preview–Captain Pike bridges season gap in new Star Trek Discovery series

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September 3, 2019

 

Fans of CBS All Access’s Star Trek Discovery have a new series interlude to check out, and it follows the continuing exploits of a fan-favorite character.  IDW Publishing launches the new comic book mini-series Star Trek Discovery: Aftermath this Wednesday.  The series follows the ongoing exploits of Captain Christopher Pike.  The “aftermath” of the title?  The story looks into the crew of the Enterprise in the aftermath of the season two finale, featuring other series regulars including young Spock and Number One.

The three-part story is written by Star Trek Voyager novelist Kirsten Beyer and IDW’s longest-running Star Trek writer, Mike Johnson, with artwork by one of IDW’s top Star Trek artists, Tony Shasteen (his likenesses of Rebecca Romijn as Number One in particular are excellent) and colors by JD Mettler.  Old Federation rivals the Klingons take center stage in a bit of an homage and callback (call forward?) to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, “A Matter of Honor.”  The art of Angel Hernandez is featured on the standard covers for the series, with an alternate cover for the first issue by George Caltsoudas, plus a photo cover.

 

Here is a preview of Star Trek Discovery: Aftermath, courtesy of IDW Publishing:

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First look–Blade Runner gets its first movie tie-in series and a perfect first chapter

Filed under: Comics & Books, Movies, Retro Fix, Sci-Fi Café — Leave a comment
July 10, 2019

Review by C.J. Bunce

It’s what Blade Runner fans have been waiting for, and if your appetite was whetted by the movie Blade Runner 2049, then you’re going to want to check our the next era of Blade Runner stories as Titan Comics goes back to a parallel Earth future in Blade Runner 2019.  The future is now.  It’s been worth the wait, as the new story looks and feels like we’re back inside Philip K. Dick’s original vision in his novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?  In the neo-noir city of Los Angeles, 2019, Ash, a veteran Blade Runner, is working the kidnapping of a billionaire’s wife and child.  Is the CEO of the new Canaan Corporation any better than those behind the Tyrell Corporation?  Written by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Michael Green (Logan, Blade Runner 2049), with co-writer Mike Johnson (Supergirl, Star Trek), get ready for Blade Runner to experience the treatment we’ve seen in recent years for franchises like Firefly, Planet of the Apes, and Alien, as another new world of science fiction storytelling opens up.  Green and Johnson have written a perfect first chapter.

This very first original, in-canon story set in the Blade Runner universe is illustrated by Andres Guinaldo (Justice League Dark, Captain America) with brilliant color work by Marco Lesko.   You’re going to see something surprising in Guinaldo’s artwork–not only is this the world of Philip K. Dick, Ridley Scott, and Syd Mead′s neo-noir future, readers will see influences from cyberpunk and tech-noir classics like John Carpenter′s Escape from New York, Luc Besson′s The Fifth Element and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, Neill Blomkamp′s Elysium, James Cameron′s The Terminator and Aliens, Robert Rodriguez′s Alita: Battle Angel, and the other futureworlds adapted to film from Philip K. Dick′s stories.  It all probably comes down to the versatility, breadth, and influence of concept artist Syd Mead, but the creators do give due credit to Dick, Scott, Hampton Fancher, David Peoples, Michael Deeley–and Mead–for the look and feel of their new story.

The first issue arrives next Wednesday, and you can pick from four cover options, from Stanley “Artgerm” Lau, Andreas Guinaldo, John Royle, and an original concept piece by Syd Mead.

Check out our sneak preview of the first issue of Blade Runner 2019, courtesy of Titan Comics, plus a new trailer for the series released just today:

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Not just a meme–Blade Runner 2019 title is locked in, with first look at characters in new series

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February 22, 2019

As we first previewed here at borg last July, Titan Publishing and Alcon Media Group, the producer behind more than 30 films over the past 20 years, announced a partnership that will mean the beginning of an expanded universe of stories for Rick Deckard, Replicants, and the world of Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049.  Today Titan Comics released its first look at the new comic book series, and revealed its title, Blade Runner 2019.  The original film and this year have been the subject of millions of shared memes commenting on the fact that the real 2019 looks little like Ridley Scott’s 1982 vision of 2019.

The new series will be “in canon” comics and graphic novels that dive deeper into the Blade Runner world.  According to an Alcon representative, “The Blade Runner universe has barely been explored; there is so much more there.  It’s an honour to be bringing this world to life in new ways for a new audience – and to reveal tales from that universe that you’ve never seen before.”  Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner was adapted from the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, a novel by science fiction legend Philip K. Dick, who endorsed the original film project in 1982, but died before its release.

New character concept drawings for Blade Runner 2019.

Launching this summer, Titan Comics’ new series will be set during the exact timeframe of the original 1982 Blade Runner film, and feature a mostly new set of characters and situations.   Artist Andres Guinaldo (Justice League Dark, Captain America) created the above first looks at characters featured in the new story.  He joins Oscar-nominated Blade Runner 2049 screenwriter Michael Green (Logan) and Mike Johnson (Star Trek, Super­man/Batman) on the series.

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Preview–Star Trek Discovery comic book series is heading your way tomorrow

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November 28, 2017

A Star Trek Discovery comic book series is coming your way tomorrow from IDW Publishing.  A lead-in prequel to the events of this year’s new television show, this four-part limited series delves into the warrior culture of the Klingons, and hones in on T’Kuvma, the Klingon leader played by actor Chris Obi, who stands apart from the other members of the Klingon Empire.

The series is written by TV series episode writer Kirsten Beyer and IDW Kelvin timeline story writer Mike Johnson.  Artwork is supplied by fan favorite cover and interior artist Tony Shasteen, well known for his work on several Star Trek series.  All three are recent veterans of the popular Star Trek: Boldly Go monthly.

The Star Trek Discovery universe begins in comic form with “The Light of Kahless,” a story that will ring familiar for fans of Klingon-centric episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation like “Redemption,” “Birthright,” “Rightful Heir,” and “Firstborn.”  Tony Shasteen’s artwork and the color work by J.D. Mettler provide a striking recreation of the newly updated Klingons from the television series, with clear cultural callbacks to the Klingons of past series.  So expect to see some bat’leths and d’k tahgs along the way.

Sneak preview of future artwork from the series.

Check out this preview of Issue #1 of Star Trek Discovery, “The Light of Kahless,” courtesy of IDW Publishing:

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IDW’s Star Trek: Boldly Go tells the stories beyond Star Trek Beyond

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February 14, 2017

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IDW Publishing writer Mike Johnson continues to take Star Trek where no one has taken Star Trek before.  As he did successfully in Star Trek Countdown and Star Trek: Nero, Johnson continues the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and his crew in the Star Trek “Kelvin” timeline–the new timeline begun by J.J. Abrams beginning in 2009.  Johnson is breaking new grounds along with artist Tony Shasteen in Star Trek: Boldly Go, a monthly comic book series featuring a standalone story issue hitting comic book stores tomorrow.

In the first four issues of Star Trek: Boldly Go, Johnson and Shasteen take readers beyond last summer’s hit movie Star Trek Beyond.  Kirk and his crew are divided now, serving aboard separate vessels.  Kirk leads the USS Endeavour, with Bones as second rank under another medical chief.  Chekov serves with them.  Spock and Uhura are on sabbatical on New Vulcan with Sarek.  Scotty is teaching at the Academy back on Earth.  Commander Sulu is serving under Captain Terrell (played by Paul Winfield in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) aboard the USS Concord.  And then a nemesis encountered much later in the Prime Universe pursues the Concord.  Why? Is resistance truly futile?  Find out when The Borg seize Spock.

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Fortunately instead of being merely a gimmick to bring the key villains from Star Trek: The Next Generation into the realm of the original series, the change-up in the timeline is nicely tied to a logical occurrence in Kirk and Spock’s past, while further binding the ex-Enterprise crew together.

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Tomorrow with Issue #5 Johnson and Shasteen set their focus on Jaylah, the heroine from Star Trek Beyond, and our nominee for the most kickass heroine of all the Star Trek films.  It’s a great, personal story, providing backstory showing how Jaylah ended up where she encountered the Enterprise crew at the beginning of Star Trek Beyond, and where the character is now.  Here is a preview of Star Trek: Boldly Go, Issue #5, courtesy of IDW Publishing:

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Review–Star Trek/Green Lantern #1, a well-executed crossover opener

Filed under: Comics & Books, Fantasy Realms, Movies, Retro Fix, Sci-Fi Café, Superheroes — Leave a comment
July 21, 2015

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Who doesn’t like a good crossover series? 

This month IDW Publishing, the licensee holder for Star Trek comics, and DC Comics teamed up to release the first issue of Star Trek/Green Lantern: The Spectrum War.  The burden of any crossover is successfully combining two well-known worlds in a way that is true to them both, while forging ahead on a combined path that makes them better together.  It’s a tall order with Star Trek and Green Lantern.  Yet, writer Mike Johnson and artists Angel Hernandez get this new series not only off on a good start, they created a fun read true to their source material that will keep readers around for Issue #2.

First, they made an interesting choice of players.  They combined the new, Star Trek reboot crew with the classic, original lantern, Hal Jordan.  We don’t get a big dose of Hal in issue #1, but the mannerisms of the crew from the 2009 movie and Star Trek Into Darkness are spot on.  With Hernandez’s renderings of the actors behind each character the result is a seamless believable blend of worlds.  Even better, they select one of the top five all-time best Star Trek villains for their first bad encounter.

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The story begins with a Watcher from the DC Universe and a quick fantasy set-up as true to the classic Hal stories as you’d find anywhere.  Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk and Karl Urban’s Doctor McCoy couldn’t be better–both as their new incarnations and in their play on the original 1960s versions of themselves.  That sounds strange, but read it, it really works and it’s really well done.  A villainous vessel, and a handful of power rings, and BAM!  We have the set up for a solid series here.

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Comic Book Wednesday previews: Masks 2, Reanimator, Jungle Girl, Sleepy Hollow

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April 8, 2015

Sleepy_Hollow_Origins_001_B_WonderCon_Variant   JGSea3-01-Cov-A-Cho

Plenty of new titles are hitting comic book store shelves today.  We have previews for you of four series with good jumping-on points.  From BOOM! Studios, check out the new Sleepy Hollow: Origins series, which takes a look back at the early days of Crane and Abbie (and some other familiar “faces” from the show).  From Dynamite Comics, a new Masks series begins, as well as the Frankensteinian series Reanimator, and the return of Frank Cho’s Jungle Girl with the new Season Three.

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Sleepy Hollow: Origins, Issue #1 is written by Mike Johnson with art by Matias Bergara.

Masks 2, Issue #1 is written by Cullen Bunn with art by Eman Casallos.

Jungle Girl Season Three, Issue #1 is written by Frank Cho and Doug Murray, with art by Jack Jadson.

Reanimator, Issue #1 is written by Keith Davidsen with art by Randy Valiente.

You’ll also find some great variant covers for these issues, shown above and below, including Jae Lee covers, a new Francesco Francavilla horror cover, a Tim Seeley cover, and a Frank Cho cover.  Check out previews for all four of these new titles after the break, courtesy of BOOM! Studios and Dynamite Comics:

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Captain Kirk’s crew to encounter Green Lantern Hal Jordan in new crossover series

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April 5, 2015

Star Trek Green Lantern The Spectrum War

So what would a Klingon do with a Green Lantern Corps power ring?  We’ll find out in July when IDW Publishing, CBS Consumer Products, and DC Comics team up to present the reboot Star Trek Enterprise crew and Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps in Star Trek/Green Lantern: The Spectrum War.

Set in the 23rd century of the “new” Star Trek universe, the Federation and the “entire” Green Lantern Corps will team-up to protect the universe when some power rings gets in the hands of some familiar Star Trek antagonists.  Boldly going where no one has gone before…in brightest day, in blackest night… IDW revealed this weekend at WonderCon in Anaheim that the six-part monthly mini-series will be written by veteran Star Trek comic writer Mike Johnson with interior art by Arrow artist Angel Hernandez.

Green Lantern Star Trek The Spectrum War Francesco Francavilla

Look for some great variant covers in the series by artists Francesco Francavilla, Gabriel Rodriguez, Else Charretier, Garry Brown, Declan Shalvey, and Marc Laming.

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