Doug Schmell, President and CEO of Pedigree Comics, Inc., proudly reports a phenomenal new, mostly 9.6, CGC certified consignment of early 1970s Marvels on his web site (www.PedigreeComics.com) beginning on Monday, March 2nd. This unbelievable collection of comics, well over 400 in total, is all CGC certified and most of the books are in 9.6 grade. There are also a bunch of 9.8s and 9.4s to choose from, plus a few Silver Age beauties and some choice ultra high grade DC's. The collection is also noted as being perhaps the absolute finest early Marvel Bronze Age "picture frame" collections in the world, as the consignor concentrated heavily on obtaining the highest certified Marvel picture frame, 20 cent issues of the period of November, 1971 through December, 1972.  

Almost every major Marvel title is included in the collection, with almost complete CGC graded 9.6 "picture frame" runs of Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Captain America, Conan the Barbarian, Creatures on the Loose, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Marvel Feature, Monsters on the Prowl, Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, Sub-Mariner, Thor, and Where Monsters Dwell. There are over 50 different titles to choose from and many of the individual comics are the highest CGC certified ones to date. Plus, there are books from some of the most famous Bronze Age pedigrees in the world, including Oakland, Golden State, Winnipeg, Bowling Green, and Diamond Run.

Here are just some of the highlights of the collection: 

Amazing Spider-Man #39 CGC 9.6
Amazing Spider-Man #101 CGC 9.6
Amazing Spider-Man #102 CGC 9.6
Avengers #93 CGC 9.6
Chamber of Chills #1 CGC 9.6
Creatures on the Loose #10 CGC 9.6
Daredevil #43 CGC 9.6
Defenders #1 CGC 9.6
Fantastic Four #116 CGC 9.6
Fear #1 CGC 9.4
Hero For Hire #1 CGC 9.6
Incredible Hulk #146 CGC 9.8
Incredible Hulk #152 CGC 9.8
Incredible Hulk #154 CGC 9.8
Incredible Hulk #155 CGC 9.8
Iron Man #48 CGC 9.8
Iron Man #49 CGC 9.8
Iron Man #50 CGC 9.8
Marvel Feature #1 CGC 9.6
Marvel Feature #4 CGC 9.8
Marvel Premiere #1 CGC 9.6
Marvel Spotlight #5 CGC 9.6
Sub-Mariner #47 CGC 9.8
Supernatural Thrillers #1 CGC 9.6
Swamp Thing #1 CGC 9.6
Thor #193 CGC 9.6
Tomb of Dracula #1 CGC 9.6
Tower of Shadows #1 CGC 9.6
Warlock #1 CGC 9.6
Werewolf By Night #1 CGC 9.6
Western Kid #1 CGC 9.6
Witching Hour #1-20 CGC 9.4-9.6 

The listing starts Monday afternoon, March 2nd in the New Arrivals section of the Pedigree comics web site with the Amazing Spider-Man group. Other titles will appear thereafter. Please make sure you check the site daily as well as the Latest News feature for all upcoming information and announcements on this consignment. This is one Marvel Bronze Age Collection you do not want to miss.  

Samuel L. Jackson, the Oscar-nominated actor who made a cameo as S.H.I.EL.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division) Director, Nick Fury, in 2008's Iron Man, is currently in negotiations with Marvel Studios for a nine-picture deal that will ensure his role as Nick Fury in the Marvel movie universe for the foreseeable future.

According to an article from Yahoo! News, a rep from Marvel Studios to E! Entertainment News that "if all goes according to plan, the actor could wind up in Thor, Captain America, The Avengers and their sequels, as well."

The article also mentions that Jackson's role in Iron Man 2 is a sure thing and that a possible S.H.I.EL.D.-centric film could also be involved in the deal.

Director Julie Taymor will bring Marvel Comics' friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to the Broadway stage in 2010. Set to open on February 18, 2010, "Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark," will feature a score by pop superstars Bono and The Edge, both of U2 fame.

Taymor, who is probably most famous as the driving creative force behind the two-decade-spanning Broadway musical, "The Lion King," will also co-write the "Spider-Man" book with Glen Berger.

No casting has been announced, as of yet, but the musical will be produced by Hello Entertainment/David Garfinkle, Martin McCallum, Marvel Entertainment/David Maisel, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Jeremiah Harris.

For more information, please visit http://spidermanonbroadway.marvel.com. 

Matt Nelson of Classics Incorporated will be set up at Wondercon in San Francisco this coming weekend, Feb 28-March 1. He will be located at booth #1209, 1211 and 1213 with Worldwide Comics, proscreening books for pressing, restoration check, removal, and restoration. The proscreen includes an evaluation as one of the many services Classics Incorporated offers. The fee for proscreen is $3 per book, and usual rates apply for the service chosen.

For more information regarding Classic Incorporated’s services, please visit: www.classicsincorporated.com. Questions about on-site proscreening can answered via email to comics@classicsincorporated.com or by calling 972-980-8040.

The Hero Initiative has announced their plans for MegaCon, taking place in Orlando, FL at the Orange County Convention Center from February 27 – March 1, 2009. Fan-favorite artist George Perez (Crisis on Infinite Earths, Avengers) and writer/artist, Dan Jurgens (Action Comics, Countdown) will both be appearing and signing at The Hero Initiative booth (#525) over the course of the show.

"For far too long, we, as an industry, failed to come together as a group to help those who needed it. The Hero Initiative has changed all that and it really is an honor to chip in and offer assistance to our friends and colleagues who have shared so much of their talent and creative energy over the years," said Jurgens in a recent press release.

Also signing at the booth will be several artists who contributed to The Hero Initiative's Hulk 100 Project, including Jim Cheung (New Avengers), Mike Perkins (Captain America) and Andy Smith (Project Superpowers).

In addition to the signings at MegaCon, The Hero Initiative is currently auctioning off the chance for lucky fans to have lunch with some of their favorite creators, including Jurgens, Pérez, Darwyn Cooke (DC: The New Frontier, Catwoman) and DC Executive Editor Dan DiDio through their eBay auction. Fans who win the auction will also receive an exclusive sketch from the creator. Interested fans can place their bids and view what's up for auction here.

For more information, please visit www.megaconvention.com. For more information on The Hero Initiative, please visit www.heroinitiative.org.

The Hero Initiative has announced their plans for this year's WonderCon, the second largest comics convention on the West Coast, being held February 28 - March 1, 2009 in San Francisco, CA. The charitable organization that creates a financial safety net for aging comic creators announced that artist Darick Robertson (The Boys, Transmetropolitan) will be appearing at the Hero Initiative booth (#913) for five signing session over the course of the weekend.

"As always, I'm looking forward to helping The Hero Initiative for aging and needful creators," said Robertson, in a recent press release. "They do great work, and I’m always happy to be a part of it."

In addition to Robertson, The Hero Initiative booth will also feature signings by Matt Fraction (Invincible Iron Man, Punisher War Journal), and comic legends Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich.

For more information on WonderCon, please visit www.comic-con.org/wc. For more information about The Hero Initiative, please visit www.heroinitiative.org.

All Star Auctions' Joe and Nadia Mannarino have announced that they have added new items to their current eBay Auction, including items acquired from the New York Comicon and late additions to the auction.

Featuring work from Dave Gibbons, Winsor McCay, Neil Adam, Jack Kirby, George Perez, John Buscema, Gene Colan, Walt Simonson and many others, the auction is set to begin closing February 22, 2009 and will continue through February 25, 2009.

Interested bidders can see everything up for sale at http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/allstarauctions.net and can find more information by visiting www.allstarauctions.net.

In the same tradition as Wizard Entertainment’s Twisted Toyfare Theatre, Marvel.com has just announced an all-new online video satire series called Marvel Super Heroes: What the--?! As with its predecessors, Not Brand Echh and What The--?!,  the new video series takes a look at the funnier side of the Marvel Universe.

Set to launch on Marvel.com in early spring, fans can check out a trailer for the new series at http://marvel.com/news/comicstories.6766. For more information, please visit www.marvel.com/videos.

The Executive Committee for the Harvey Awards announced today that the official nomination ballads for this year's awards, presented at the Baltimore Comic-Con, are now available for download. The award, named after the late Harvey Kurtzman, recognizes creators for outstanding work in comics and sequential arts and is the only industry award that is both nominated and selected exclusively by industry professionals.

Serving as Master of Ceremonies for this year's awards banquette will be cartoonist and webcomic creator, Scott Kurtz. Kurtz, who is most known for his work in his creator-owned webcomic, PvP (www.pvponline.com), is a former Harvey Award nominee for Best Online Comics Work in 2006 and 2007, and winner of the Eisner Award for Best Digital Comic in 2006. Kurtz also co-wrote the book How To Make Webcomics along with several other webcomic creators.

"Scott [Kurtz] has been a part of the Harvey Awards since they have been in Baltimore. As both a nominee and presenter, Scott brought his unique sense of humor and fun to the ceremony. We are all looking forward to him bringing the same energy to the stage as the host of the show," said Marc Nathan, promoter of the Baltimore Comic-Con., in a recent press release.

This year's Harvey Awards will be presented on Saturday, October 10, 2009 in Baltimore, MD as a part of the weekend's show. Creators interested in submitting nominations for work done in 2008 can download a copy of the nomination ballad at www.harveyawards.org and completed forms can be submitted via email to harveyballads@hotmail.com. Ballads must be received by March 27, 2009 for consideration.

For more information on the Harvey Awards, please visit www.harveyawards.org. For more information on the Baltimore Comic-Con, please visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com.

Last weekend, the New York Comic Con (NYCC) kicked off this year’s convention season with a myriad of panels, screening and workshops that offered fans a plethora of information on comics and other popular culture, including film, television and video games.  Among the seemingly endless list of programs being presented over the course of the three-day show, one set of panels, geared toward education and helping aspiring creators, really stood above the rest.

Presented by the Comicbook Artists Guild and hosted/moderated by Buddy Scalera, these NYCC Classes delved into the “nuts and bolts” of being a comic professional. From instruction on Penciling, Inking, Writing and Digital Coloring to discussions on breaking into the industry and talking with Editors, the panels provided valuable, firsthand experience from some of the industries most celebrated creators.

Some of the most notable classes offered included: The Dos and Don’ts of Being a Comic Professional; Story Structure; The Business of Webcomics; Page Layout; How Not to Break into Comics; Writing Beyond Comics; Meet the Editors; Creator Connection; Breaking In and Staying In; and Computers and Comics.  Featuring in-depth instruction, candid panelists and industry-exclusive information, these classes offered aspiring creators the opportunity to learn how to improve their craft and potentially make a career out of creating comics.

One of the few show throughout the year to offer such panels, the NYCC’s list of such classes has continued to grow and evolve each year by offering new classes and updating the most popular key subjects. To learn more about these classes or about the Comicbook Artists Guild, please visit their website at www.comicartguild.org.