After years in the making, Marvel’s The Avengers has been released and continues to break record after record. William and Dane sit down to discuss the movie in our spoiler-free review.

You can stream the episode below or subscribe in iTunes.

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I wouldn’t describe Shooters as a comic that’s an easy read.

I don’t mean that in the sense that the words on the page are too difficult to read, or the panel structure is too complex or that it has narrative problems in any way. In fact that’s far from the truth. What I mean to say is this – the emotional content displayed throughout Shooters isn’t easy to handle.

And that’s a damn good thing.

As writer Eric Trautmann states in the opening pages of the graphic novel, the story and inspiration for Shooters comes from the death of his brother-in-law, who was working for a private military contractor. Needless to say, it’s a very personal story for Trautmann and one that I don’t imagine was easy to handle to to loosely adapt for a comic. Perhaps that’s the reason Trautmann brought in Brandon Jerwa to help with co-writing the book. Regardless of the reasoning, I think the team is able to pay respects to Trautmann’s brother-in-law, while creating a story that still has a good, stable, and emotional personal core.  Often, personal stories make for the best types of stories because of their relatable nature.

There are few stories in the comic industry that take real risk in crafting a narrative with a deep emotional core. Shooters is the exception to this rule, developing a tale that is absolutely chilling and powerful. The story becomes grounded in a reality that 21st century Americans know far too well – the Iraq War.

Yet the war and what happens is only a part of Chief Warrant Officer Terry Glass’s story. And what happens throughout the book is truly special because of how unique and personal the events seem.

While the story is strong on its own merits, Steve Lieber‘s gorgeous art provides a perfect partnership in crafting Trautmann and Jerwa’s script. The Eisner award-winning artist brings his all, providing incredibly detailed moments for the story. Fans of Lieber’s previous work won’t be disappointed.

Trautmann, Jerwa and Lieber are all at their best here, creating something that’s incredibly real. I keep coming back to the word real, but it’s a valid descriptor. I’ve felt that so much fiction written about the Iraq War plays on stereotypical beats and clichés seen in many other war stories, just repacked and reskinned for a more modern era.

Not this time. Not at all.

It’s a brutal story. It’s a sad story. It’s a powerful story.

But it feels raw and real. And that’s what really matters.

Shooters is a 144-page, black and white hardcover that will retail for $22.99. It releases tomorrow.

And I think it’s well worth your time and money.

For more information on Shooters, visit Steel River Security.

As part of end of season press, The Walking Dead‘s show runner Glen Mazzara sat down with journalists today to answer questions about the show. After the jump, we have a horde of details about the past, present and future of Rick and his group. Warning: there are spoilers for both Season Two of the television series and Robert Kirkman‘s comic, so proceed with caution.

The conference call got off to quick start after Mazzara thanked the group for joining him. Throughout the call, Mazzara stressed his desire to keep the show “grounded and real” along with looking to dive into the heart of Kirkman’s story. Here are some more of the interesting tidbits that the call revealed:

On Season 3 and the Prison: Mazzara stated the infamous prison storyline will be a “significant part” of both Season 3 and Season 4 of the show. He considers it to be a “major storyline,” but does not want to fall into the “claustrophobic” nature of the farm and plans to open things up a little bit more, including showing the Governor and his town of Woodbury. Mazzara also views the first two seasons as prologue and that Season 3 will be a “reset of sorts.” Production on the third season is well underway, as scripts for the first six episodes have been outlined and turned into AMC already, with outlines for episodes 7 and 8 currently being worked on. After the outlines are approved, all eight episodes will be written at once, instead of the normal way of breaking down episodes one by one. Shooting for Season 3 will begin in May.

On Michonne, her casting, and how she’ll play into the future of the show: Mazzara calls her a dynamic, important and kick-ass, lead character, who they are excited to introduce into the world. Actress Danai Gurira went through a normal casting process (unlike the Governor, who I’ll touch on in a minute), but Mazzara is looking forward to taking her and “fucking her up,” while having her carry lots of story. He also stressed that Michonne’s ‘theatricality’ will be real and grounded in order to fit in with the overall tone of the series.

On the casting for The Governor:  Actor David Morrissey owes a lot to Andrew Lincoln for his casting, as Mazzara said that Lincoln talked up Morrissey and the entire team was impressed with what he brought to the table. Morrissey was a name of a list of names that were considered for the role, but ultimately, he won out over everyone else.

On the departure of Frank Darabont: “We wouldn’t be here without Frank,” Mazzara said flat out. He also stated that the pacing issues that plagued the first half of Season 2 were a concern of Frank’s when the season started. Also, he debunked any rumor that audience reaction played a role in how the second half of the season, saying that when the show premiered last October, production was drawing to a close.

On Lori: Mazzara was asked about the character’s “annoyingness” and he responded saying they do not want to provide any “false beats” for the character. “We want her to be realistic and compelling.” Mazzara also stated that Lori’s reaction scene at the end of Season 2 was all shot in one take and that character is a “control freak. She tried to control Rick and it backfired.” She is now horrified by her role in the events and that she now has “a lot going on” and is “fucked up” because of the events.

On T-Dog: Mazzara admits that the character has “been off to the side” but had to be in order for Rick to develop. However, he has plans to “develop the character in a significant way” in Season 3.

On Carl and places he shouldn’t be: “He’s a kid. He’s going to be mischievous. He’s bored and he wants to give his parents the slip. That’s real to me.”

On characters old and new: There are plans to bring in Tyreese along with returning to Morgan and Dwyane. Mazzara also wants to continue to bring in new and original characters.

With Season 3, the human threat will increase, but the zombies are still here. However, there will be more of a balance between the two.

Some other facts of note included the admission that set leaks have become a problem. This was something that Mazzara has never had to deal with, but referenced a high-popularity show like Lost as an example of how they were looking to contain spoilers better in the future. “No one cared about it [spoilers] on Crash.” Mazzara also stated that part of the shootout in the episode ‘Triggerfinger’ was influenced by a similar situation in The Wire.

Merle’s return is “on the horizon. We’re figuring out what to do with him,” said Mazzara.

Any possibility of Stephen King and Joe Hill writing an episode is dead. “That was Frank’s connection. I haven’t approached them.”

All in all, Mazzara made it clear that the show will be getting closer to the heart of Kirkman’s work, while staying true to the tone set forth by the show thus far. It sounds like Mazzara and the rest of the writing and production team have learned from this season and are really looking to apply those lessons moving forward.

Look for our reaction about Season 2 later this week, but until then, what did you think of Season 2 of the show and what excites you about the future of the show? Sound off in our comments below.

Tonight’s Super Bowl didn’t bring much in the way of Comic Book movie trailers, but Marvel’s spot certainly brought it. This extended trailer for The Avengers shows off tons of new footage including a money shot of the team assembled for the first time. You can check out the spot below:

The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon, stars Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Tom Hiddleston and Samuel L. Jackson. The team is set to assemble on May 4, 2012.

Click for Large Version

Each of the seven prequels being printed under the banner “Before Watchmen” will feature a different character from the bestselling graphic novel. The plan is to publish one book every week over the summer with a one-shot epilogue completing the event. The creative teams announced were as follows:

- RORSCHACH (4 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: Lee Bermejo
- MINUTEMEN (6 issues) – Writer/Artist: Darwyn Cooke
- COMEDIAN (6 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: J.G. Jones
-  DR. MANHATTAN (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artist:  Adam Hughes
- NITE OWL (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artists: Andy and Joe Kubert
- OZYMANDIAS (6 issues) – Writer: Len Wein. Artist: Jae Lee
- SILK SPECTRE (4 issues) – Writer: Darwyn Cooke. Artist: Amanda Conner

There will also be a serialized back-up from Len Wein and John Higgins titled “Curse of the Crimson Corsair” running throughout the books.

“It’s our responsibility as publishers to find new ways to keep all of our characters relevant,” said DC Entertainment Co-Publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee in a statement released this morning. “After twenty five years, the Watchmen are classic characters whose time has come for new stories to be told. We sought out the best writers and artists in the industry to build on the complex mythology of the original.”

Watchmen writer Alan Moore

When contacted by the New York Times original series writer and creator Alan Moore called the move “completely shameless” saying it was reminder of the “draconian contracts” he signed with DC back in the 1980s. “As far as I know, there weren’t that many prequels or sequels to ‘Moby-Dick’. ”

Some people may remember  back in 2010, Alan Moore told Wired that DC offered him the rights to Watchmen if he would give his blessing on prequel and sequel projects. At the time Moore told Wired “… I don’t want Watchmen back. Certainly, I don’t want it back under those kinds of terms.”

While Alan Moore has always been adamant about not wanting other creators to touch the world of Watchmen he may not have always been against the idea of a sequel. Moore stated back in 1985 before the original series was published that if Watchmen were to do well, he and Gibbons might create a twelve issue prequel series titled “Minutemen” but that idea never come to fruition. After falling out with DC Entertainment over the ownership rights to his work Moore has since become a constant criticizer of the mainstream comic book industry as a whole.

Though also not involved in the new series, Watchmen co-creator and artist Dave Gibbons had a more positive approach. having this to say; “The original series of WATCHMEN is the complete story that Alan Moore and I wanted to tell. However, I appreciate DC’s reasons for this initiative and the wish of the artists and writers involved to pay tribute to our work. May these new additions have the success they desire.”

Rorschach Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: Lee Bermejo

After over 100 issues, William and Dane sit down and welcome writer Matt Fraction back to the show as they close out 2011. This one has it all: Casanova, Fear Itself, variant endings, the inner workings of Marvel editorial retreats and more: there’s plenty of Fraction-related-awesome for everyone.

You can stream the episode or subscribe in iTunes.

Full show notes after the break.

Between the Between the Panels: Issue #135 – Matt Fraction Interview 
Run time: 1:02:42

• Episode start
• 6:09 – Defenders
• 21:56 – Casanova
• 41:49 - Invincible Iron Man
• 48:05 – Avengers vs. X-Men
• 52:44 – For God and Country

Here’s our first interview with Matt as well as our Casanova special from earlier this year.

GQ has the entire ‘For God and Country‘ comic in case you missed it. Also, you can pre-order Mike Doughty‘s The Book of Drugs on Amazon.

Remember to join our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, and visit Instock Trades to get your copy of The Mighty Thor!

What did you think of the episode? Sound off in our comments below!

In the heat of the New 52 relaunch, we had the pleasure of sitting down with writer Sterling Gates to chat for over a hour about his work. From Hawk & Dove to Captain Victory, there’s plenty of great stories and insights into Gates’ career. Also, we discuss a little book we enjoyed called Supergirl. Don’t miss this one folks!

You can stream the episode or subscribe in iTunes.

Hit the jump for the full show notes.

Between the Panels: Issue #133 – Sterling Gates Interview
Run time: 1:28:54

• Episode start
• 1:07 – Hello and Welcome
• 24:04 – On Getting into Comics
• 41:44 – Supergirl
• 56:01 – On Characters and the New 52
• 1:13:25 – Captain Victory

Remember that time Rob Liefeid was in a Levi’s ad?

Also, if you haven’t checked out last week’s release of Captain Victory, here’s a preview.

Remember to join our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, and visit Instock Trades to get your copy of Who is Superwoman?

What did you think of the episode? Sound off in our comments below!

Is this thing still on?

I am not sure how many of you are still paying attention to us. I know it’s only been a bit over a month since we posted anything here, but it feels much longer than that. Maybe that’s because the last time we posted an episode was about three months ago, outside of this appearance on Media Junkyard from a couple of weeks ago.

It always seems that Fall has a habit of just derailing anything Dane and I try to do podcast wise. It happened to us a little bit last year, but it has been bad this year. More on that later.

So. How do you start back into the process of running a website and a podcast after you’ve had the year I’ve had? Short answer? I’m not quite sure. For now, I just have all these random thoughts in my head related to comics, music and other general things (however, I’ll just stick to comics this time around). I haven’t had the time or the venue to really sit down and talk them out. I found myself with some free time this evening and decided it would be best to write it all it, if not for anyone but myself.

Here’s some context on where I’ve been, what I’ve been doing and what’s next.

You’re still here? Okay. Here we go.

I’ve been reading a lot of 4th Letter recently. Gavok, David Brothers, and the rest of the fine folks at the site have inspired me to consider my writing style and how I approaching the running and maintaining of this site. I’m not going to transform the site in any major way, but depending on how this post is received may determine the future of some content I have been thinking about. I’m tired of copy and paste ‘journalism.’ I think that’s part of the reason I’ve been reluctant to come back and write. I started Between the Panels to do comics differently. I never had plans to be the Lester Bangs of comics, I’m not that talented enough to do that, but I did want to bring something unique to how we covered the industry.

And I feel I’ve failed in that aspect. And yet I don’t know how I would go about fixing that. But I’m not going to let that stop me.

Rick Remender‘s Uncanny X-Force is quietly having one of the best story arcs of the year. After reading a bunch of issues of X-Force for a X-Men related episode that was supposed to happen over the summer, I found myself incredibly interested in what Remender was building and jumped into the Dark Angel arc. I never expected Archangel to be such a compelling villain, but he is. Using the Age of Apocalypse world as backdrop has created some truly compelling storytelling that is creating a true sense of consequence.  I never expected to find myself so compelled by the relationship of Fantomex and Psylocke, but I’m constantly rooting for them. The arc is coming to a close soon, so grab the issues if you can still find them and check it out. Also, Jerome Opeña‘s art is darkly beautiful and fits the tone perfectly.

Over the past couple of months, I find that I keep coming back to two books over and over again. I’ve tried getting into Starman several times, but the first three omnibi sit on my shelf and taunt me. I’ve heard so many amazing things about the series that I wanted to put it away until I could give it the proper time it deserves, but life continues to get in the way. I sat down a couple of weeks ago and read through the first couple of issues and was completely drawn in. I think what I love the most about the series is how James Robinson turned Opal City into a living, breathing city. Growing up in South Carolina, I’ve never had the knowledge of what it’s like to live in a big, sprawling city like Opal and thus held this notion that my surroundings weren’t good enough. This lead into an idea that I had to leave where I was from in order to attain this ‘big city’ desire. A large portion of that has gone away with age and maturity, but I’d like to think that these first issues of Starman had a role in play in that as well. Opal isn’t Gotham or even Metropolis, but it isn’t trying to be. Opal is Opal. The people that live in that city love it and would, in the case of Ted Knight, die to defend it.

The other book is Casanova. We’ve talked a bit about Casanova on the show, but Matt Fraction‘s work on Avaritia, the third arc in the series, has impacted me in a unexpected way. Again, David Brothers has an excellent analysis on just what in the first issue works so well, but here’s a quick outline of the first two issues:

Casanova is having to go around extinguishing complete timelines in order to correct the mistakes of Newman Xeno. Since there’s no good way to find him, it’s just easier to destroy the entire timeline in order to save everyone. That works until Cass discovers the true identity of Xeno, and then is dropped in to kill him at which point it becomes personal. And here’s where Avaritia becomes personal to me:

Cornelius Quinn is dying. Of cancer.

Just a little over a month ago, my father passed way. Of cancer.

Towards the end of Avaritia I, Cass begins to truly  process and understand what’s going on around him. There’s this amazing panel were Cornelius and the rest of E.M.P.I.R.E. are discussing what to do next. The word balloons are there, but are totally empty. People are talking but Cass isn’t listening. He pulls out Sasa Lisi’s domino mask and looks at it. It’s a reminder that he’s not alone.

And that’s what I connected with. That’s the part that killed me. That’s why keep coming back to this issue. Sometimes it does feel like I’m alone, that no one has a true handle how I’m feeling, but that’s not the case. And sometimes it’s the little momentos and moments that remind me of that.

To wrap this up and bring it back to Between the Panels, Dane and I had a conversation last night about what we want Between the Panels to be. We feel that recently we’ve been playing to what the people want and not producing a podcast we want to listen to. Over the past year I’ve realized that if I’m going to do something creativity, it needs to be on my terms. Anytime a project begins to play to the masses, it historically hasn’t ended well.

Where do we go from here? Again, I don’t know, but I do know I want it to be something that I’m interested and engaged in doing. Some people may stop listening. Some people may start listening.

But at the end of the day, I know Dane and I will be making something we’re interested in doing. And frankly, that’s all that matters.

Paramount Pictures has released a shorter version of The Avengers trailer that runs in theaters after the Captain America credits. While the full trailer contains more footage from the Joss Whedon helmed superhero team-up, this teaser does give us our first chance to get a real good look at Captain America and Thor’s new costumes. We also catch quick glimses of Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner and Jeremy Renner‘s Hawkeye. So what are you waiting for? Check out the trailer and screenshots after the break!

:::SPOILER WARNING:::

The following video contains major spoilers for the ending of Captain America, proceed at your own risk.

Click here to go watch the HD version over at Yahoo! Movies

The Avengers Assembled

Chris Evans as Captain America

Chris Hemsworth as Thor

Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man

Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow

Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury

Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner

The Dark Knight Rises stars Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Josh Pence, Michael Caine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, and Nestor Carbonell. The film is set to release on July 20, 2012.