PREVIEW: ULTIMATE IRON MAN II #4

Trapped on a plane with a live nuke and his Iron Man armor hundreds of miles away…Tony Stark has seen better days! The critically-acclaimed origin of Ultimate Iron Man continues with Ultimate Iron Man II #4 (of 5), from Nebula award-winning author Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game) and fan-favorite artist Pasqual Ferry (Ultimate Fantastic Four) presenting the penultimate chapter of a thrill ride so action-packed, we had to add another issue! As Tony Stark continues on a collision course—literally!—with destiny, what does the future hold for War Machine, Howard Stark, and the creepy Obadiah Stane?
An IGN.Com Editor’s Choice, reviewer Jesse Schedeen gushed, “I'm having a ball with Card's story. The beautiful Pasqual Ferry art never hurts either.”
As Tony Stark fights for his very survival, what will be the cost to him and those he loves? And just how close is he to the discovering the truth behind the man called Dolores? Find out in Ultimate Iron Man II #4 (of 5)!
Written by: ORSON SCOTT CARD
Cover by: PASQUAL FERRY
Pencils by: PASQUAL FERRY
Colors by: DEAN WHITE & CO.
On sale: March 26, 2008
Price: $2.99

"ULTIMATE IRON MAN" VOLUME 2 WITH CARD COMING IN DECEMBER

With Marvel gearing up for the "Iron Man" movie in 2008, a second highly anticipated Tony Stark-fuelled project was announced today at Baltimore Comic Con: "Ultimate Iron Man" Volume 2.
Science fiction legend Orson Scott Card ("Ender's Game") returns as the writer for the second volume, as does artist Pasqual Ferry. Series Editor Bill Rosemann told CBR News that the debut issue of "Ultimate Iron Man" Volume 2 would "rocket off shelves in December."
With the final book of the five-issue Volume 1 being released in February, 2006, Rosemann explained, "Some projects just need the proper stars to align before they leap to life. So consider the stars known as Orson Scott Card, Pasqual Ferry and Iron Man all aligned!"
In the closing pages of "Ultimate Iron Man" #5, Tony Stark dons an immense, 20-foot Iron Man prototype to stop a terrorist plot, and while successful in quashing the threat, a bomb detonates prematurely and completely destroys the super-sized suit. Rosemann revealed "Ultimate Iron Man" Volume 2 picks up the pieces (and the plot threads) left on the floor at the "explosive ending" of Volume 1 - both literally and figuratively. "This story opens mere moments after the events of that story's explosive ending," said Rosemann. Read Full Article

MARVEL, DABEL BROTHERS RELEASE DETAILS ON ORIGINAL ENDERVERSE STORY

Official Press Release
Following on the heels of their announcement about the planned publication of an original comic book story written by Orson Scott Card that takes place in the universe popularized by his Hugo and Nebula winning novels Ender’s Game and Speaker for the Dead, Marvel Comics and the Dabel Brothers have released additional details about the story due to the overwhelming response they’ve received from readers and media.
The story, entitled Gold Bug, begins just after the Formic Wars (also known as the “Bugger Wars”), when Andrew “Ender” Wiggin arrives in a colony ship on one of the former formic worlds as the new governor.
The story follows a former pilot named Sel Menach, a xenobiologist who has spent the bulk of his life after the war in the fledgling colony working with the terrestrial plants the colonists brought along, learning to protect them from parasites and helping them to adapt to the climate patterns of the new world. Eventually, he is elected governor, until a replacement arrives – Ender Wiggin.
Due to the technical aspects of relativistic space travel, fourteen-year-old Ender finds himself in charge of a colony that has existed for decades without him, and many of the younger colonists resent the fact that the Fleet has sent a “mere child” to be their governor. But the older generation, comprised of former pilots and ships’ officers who fought under Ender’s command during the war, ensures that the younger colonists know that this is the mind who made everything possible.
Upon Ender’s arrival, Sel realizes that there is still much to learn about the rest of the planet, and obtains permission from Ender to explore past the reaches of the colony and see what lies beyond in the cold reaches of the south. But what Sel finds in his journey is something that may change the way the formics are understood by human scientists… and something that may give him a lifetime of new frontiers to explore.
“Part of the reason the Enderverse stories are so beloved is because they offer more than just great science fiction,” said Ernst Dabel, President of Dabel Brothers Productions. “Orson Scott Card has used books like Ender’s Game and Speaker for the Dead as a platform to explore some fascinating concepts, and ‘Gold Bug’ is very much in the spirit of offering a fresh new perspective on the evolution of an unnatural sort of creature that is quite useful as a tool, but unable to survive on its own when it’s abandoned by its masters.”
"I thought I was just writing a good adventure story with an interesting character," said Mr. Card, "but it got away from me a little."
Gold Bug will be produced by Dabel Brothers Productions and published by Marvel Comics as a bonus story in the back of the hardcover edition of the comic book adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s The Tales of Alvin Maker: Red Prophet, available at bookstores and comic book retailers in North America in the summer of 2007. The story will be written by Orson Scott Card, scripted by Jake Black (Wyrms, TMNT, Smallville) and drawn by Jin Han, a conceptual artist personally hand-picked by Mr. Card. Currently, the Dabel Brothers are also planning to adapt additional short stories that will take place in the Enderverse; details will be released as they become available.
“I’m a huge fan of Mr. Card’s novels, and Ender’s Game in particular,” said Jin Han while hard at work laying out the pages. “The story of The Gold Bug offers an intriguing look into the ongoing saga of Ender Wiggin, and Mr. Card continues to build upon an already legendary framework. He’s found an exciting and innovative way of telling this new story from the Enderverse, and it’s been an absolute thrill to be a part of it all! I’m very pleased to be working alongside Mr. Card in bringing the world of Ender Wiggin to life in an illustrated format, and I’m sure the fans will enjoy what we have in store for them!"
“I’m excited to be working on the Enderverse with Mr. Card and the Dabel Brothers after all the fun we’ve had with Wyrms,” added adapter Jake Black, “and I hope that readers will enjoy reading the story as much as I’ve enjoyed scripting it!”
The Dabel Brothers also produce two other comic books adapted from the writing of New York Times bestselling author Orson Scott Card: the aforementioned The Tales of Alvin Maker: Red Prophet, which is a fantasy story set in an alternate history of the American frontier where folk magic actually works, and Wyrms, an epic story about a girl named Patience on a world where survivors from a spaceship crash have long since formed their own unique society. Patience is a child of prophecy, with a unique tie to a creature called Unwyrm, and she embarks on a quest that will result in her either becoming Unwyrm’s mate or destroying him entirely.

DABEL BROTHERS ANNOUNCE FIRST FORAY INTO ORSON SCOTT CARD'S 'ENDER'S UNIVERSE'

Starting in spring, 2007, Dabel Brothers invite readers to experience an original story featuring Card’s Ender Wiggin.
In January, 2006, the Dabel Brothers stunned the comic book world with their faithful and lavishly illustrated adaptation of New York Times Bestselling author Orson Scott Card's epic novel, The Tales of Alvin Maker: Red Prophet. Later that spring, they released the initial issue of Wyrms, yet another adaptation of another popular novel by Orson Scott Card.
They were just getting warmed up.
The Dabel Brothers and Marvel Comics recently announced at the New York Comic Con that beginning in the Spring of 2007, they will be bringing the universe of Ender Wiggin, the central character of Card's beloved, multi-Hugo and Nebula winning novels Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead, into the visual medium with an original story written by Orson Scott Card specifically for comics.
"We're all huge fans of the Enderverse, and we can't wait to see what our readers think of this project," said Ernst Dabel, President and CEO of Dabel Brothers Productions. "Ask any fan of Orson Scott Card what novel made him become one of their favorite writers, and most will tell you, without hesitation, that Ender's Game is not only their favorite book that he has written, but one of their favorite books of all time!"
"We've enjoyed adapting Orson Scott Card's other novels, and we're tremendously thrilled to be working with him so closely on this project. Bringing the Enderverse to life will be the next step in a fantastic partnership, and we know that fans and critics are going to love what we produce."
The original Enderverse story will be titled Gold Bug and will take place sometime near the end of Ender's Game, as Andrew "Ender" Wiggin arrives on a new colony world as its first governor. It will be written by Orson Scott Card and published as part of the hardcover collection of the first volume of the comic book adaptation of his own The Tales of Alvin Maker: Red Prophet, published by Marvel Comics and produced by Dabel Brothers Productions. The new Enderverse story will feature art by Jin Han, a professional conceptual artist and sculptor hand-picked by Mr. Card himself. It will be scripted by Jake Black (who also adapted Orson Scott Card's Wyrms for Dabel Brothers Productions). Additional Enderverse projects are planned for the future, and will be announced by Dabel Brothers Productions later in the year.
Card wrote the 11,000-word short story, which will not be published anywhere until after the comic book adaptation appears, giving Dabel Brothers Productions the first appearance of this story anywhere, in any form.
"I'm thrilled to continue to work with the Dabel Brothers to expand the Enderverse with this new story," remarked Orson Scott Card. "Jin Han is my artist of choice for all Ender's Game material, and Jake Black is a writer I rely on to do excellent work; it doesn't hurt that I also regard them both as friends. My work has never been in better hands."
For more information about Dabel Brothers Productions, LLC, its partners and its projects, please visit http://www.dabelbrothers.com and http://www.marvel.com.

PREVIEW: The Alternate America History of Red Prophet

Marvel and the Dabel Brother's thrust into the realm of Sci-Fi and Fantasy continues with a look at the alternate America history of best-selling author Orson Scott Card's (ENDER'S GAME, ULTIMATE IRON MAN) Red Prophet: Tales of Alvin Maker.
Card's critically-acclaimed Hugo and Nebula finalist novel is brought to life by Roland Bernard Brown with incredible realism by illustrators Renato Arlem (Silver Surfer) and Miguel Montenegro. Red Prophet: Tales of Alvin Maker shows a rich and imaginative landscape with such powerful conflict and such pervasive realism as only Scott Card could create.
Red Prophet: Tales of Alvin Maker is set in an America where magic works, hex signs are powerful, good and evil presences roam the land, and many people have special talents. The tale focuses on a young boy named Alvin Miller who is the seventh son of a seventh son, with the power to shape the world around him. Alvin finds himself caught in a war between the Red men and the Whites on the American frontier.
Owen Jones of sffworld.com said "Red Prophet: Tales of Alvin Maker #1 is promising. Brown and Arlem have tapped into the spirit of the material, condensing the early pages of Card's book accurately and enjoyably into a good-looking comic."
Brant W. Fowler of Silverbulletcomics.com said "In their usual fashion, the Dabel Brothers have churned out another great installment of another great adaptation. The long awaited third issue now under the Marvel umbrella was well worth the wait."
Red Prophet: Tales of Alvin Maker is a tale of high fantasy and history woven into an incredible blend, and it's a wonderful story that anyone who knows even a little about American history can enjoy!
Retailers are advised that the Collected Edition, containing the first two issues of the series, is still in stock for fans looking for the beginning of Alvin's quest to become a Maker.
Also check out these other great Marvel/Dabel Bros. titles:
Magician Apprentice
Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter in Guilty Pleasures
Ptolus: City By The Spire
And coming soon, Orson Scott Card's Wyrms
RED PROPHET: THE TALES OF ALVIN MAKER #5 (of 12) (NOV062341)
Written by ORSON SCOTT CARD
Adapted by ROLAND BERNARD BROWN
Penciled by MIGUEL MONTENEGRO
Cover by NOVA STUDIO
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99
FOC – 12/14, On-Sale – 1/4/2007
RED PROPHET: THE TALES OF ALVIN MAKER #4 (of 12) (OCT062199)
Written by ORSON SCOTT CARD
Adapted by ROLAND BERNARD BROWN
Penciled by MIGUEL MONTENEGRO
Cover by NOVA STUDIO
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99
On-Sale – 12/6/2006
RED PROPHET: THE TALES OF ALVIN MAKER #3 (of 12) (JUL068387)
Written by ORSON SCOTT CARD
Adapted by ROLAND BERNARD BROWN
Penciled by MIGUEL MONTENEGRO
Cover by NOVA STUDIO
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99
On-Sale Now
RED PROPHET: THE TALES OF ALVIN MAKER COLLECTED EDITION (JUL068388)
Written by ORSON SCOTT CARD
Adapted by ROLAND BERNARD BROWN
Pencils & Cover by RENATO ARLEM
48 PGS./Rated T+ .$3.99
On-Sale Now