The reports started circulating yesterday that Virgin Comics, founded by Sir Richard Branson and Indian based Gotham Comics were shutting the print comic division down.  Today the news is clarified as Virgin released the following statement pertaining to the New York offices:

NEW YORK, NY, August 26, 2008 ” Virgin Comics announced today that it will be reorganizing its operations and closing its New York office to consolidate in an LA base.

The Company is currently working with management to restructure the business and will release its future plans in the next few weeks.

Sharad Devarajan, CEO, said, “We remain excited about the business and partnerships we have built through Virgin Comics and are working towards a restructuring that properly takes the business forward. The decision to scale down the New York operations and concentrate on core activities is due to the current macro-economic downturn and is in no way a reflection on the dedicated and valuable employees we have had the privilege to work with.”

While many think the world revolves around New York, considering the company is moving and restructuring to the L.A. offices seems like a smart move - especially with the number of movie properties it is trying to develop. Of course no word was given on the state of any of the projects announced at SDCC, except for the vague open-ended statement by Devarajan.

On further reflection, I wonder if the company would be doing any better had we not blasted the company’s Jenna Jameson Shadow Hunter when it first came out.

via Comic Book Resources

Virgin Comics has sent Major Spoilers a sneak peek of Blade of the Warrior: Kshatriya #1 that arrives in stores this week.

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Virgin Comics is teaming with Hugh Jackman, Marc Guggenheim  and Paul Gulacy to give five randomly selected winners a chance to be drawn into an upcoming Nowhere Man issue.

Nowhere Man takes place 500 years in the future, when the Earth’s population has been infected with a virus that allows an oppressive government to monitor their thoughts.  It’s the Patriot Act gone haywire. But a group of rebels have engineered the ultimate weapon: a genetically altered child, born immune to the virus.  He’s the only one on the planet who can bring some semblance of privacy and individuality back to the world.  He is the Nowhere Man.

You can enter the contest at the Virgin Comics website, but hurry, you only have until September 15, 2008.  If you aren’t selected as one of the lucky five, ten runner-ups receive a copy of the first issue autographed by Hugh Jackman.

via Virgin Comics

Virgin Comics has announced it has formed a collaboration with Grant Morrison on MBX  a new intellectual property and animation franchise based on India’s iconic myth The Mahabharata.

Morrison’s re-imagining of the epic tale of two families at war and the fate of the universe that hangs in the balance features an ancient world fused with incredible technology and super beings.  At San Diego Comic-Con 2008, animation for the project will get its first public look.

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Virgin Comics has announced its plans for San Diego Comic Con, including a panel with Stan Lee, Grant Morrison and more.

PANELS

Stan Lee and Grant Morrison talk Virgin Comics
(Thursday, July 24th, 10:45-11:45 am in Ballroom 20)
Two of the most important creators in the history of comic books team up to discuss the bold new frontiers being explored in the art of storytelling.  Legendary creator Stan Lee (Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron Man, X-Men) shares his insights on the world of comics, and presents never-before-revealed hints of his new superhero universe with Virgin Comics.  Joining Stan is prolific creator Grant Morrison, contemporary comics’ most active mind, who will discuss his new Virgin Comics animated on-line series MBX, while offering his own insights on comics and engaging with Stan in a once-in-a-lifetime conversation about the long history and boundless future of their beloved medium.  Virgin Comics is proud and excited to bring these two unique luminaries together for this unprecedented event.

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Virgin Comics stopped by and dropped of a sneak preview of the conclusion to the Devi/Witchblade crossover, and the second issue of Depak Chopra’s Beyond.

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Virgin Comics has sent Major Spoilers a sneak peek of two upcoming series - Project: Kalki and Beyond.

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It’s the crossover event of the century! Ok, it may not be that, but it does mark an interesting crossover between Top Cow and Virgin Comics.

Top Cow has sent Major Spoilers a sneak peek of the series that arrives April 30, 2008.

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The Sci Fi Channel and Virgin Comics teamed up previously for the Stranded series, and yesterday, the two announced their next joint venture Superbia.

When the newest residents of Woodshire Village, a pair of young newlyweds, moved to the quaint cul-de-sac, they expected life to be strange. But “strange” doesn’t quite cover it. A residential community for superheroes, Woodshire Village boasts affordable housing and easy commutes to all major crime scenes. And when the heroes are away, the spouses play.

One would expect Woodshire Village to be the safest community imaginable however it’s not without its share of secrets, scandal, mystery and murder. With the superheroes off saving the world – their “day job” – it’s up to their partners at home to solve the crimes occurring in their own backyards and preserve the safety of their protected enclave.

Oh boy, it sounds like the superhero version of Desperate Housewives. Not that that is a bad thing, DH is still one of the hot shows on ABC, and heck, I’d probably actually watch a television series with that premise.

Superbia, the comic book, will be written by Lisa Klink and Jordan Gorfinkle, and will be available this summer.

via Virgin Comics

If you tried to keep up with the myriad of announcements coming from the New York Comic Con, you might have missed the announcement that Stan Lee is forming a new partnership with Virgin Comics.

“What a dream assignment!” enthused the always-ebullient Lee. “I can’t wait to start pitting my newest, most exciting superheroes against comicdom’s most powerful, diabolical super villains and then have the fun of tossing them into far-out, thrill-a-minute adventures to challenge the readers’ imagination! And who better to share in the fun, creating wondrous new worlds without limit, than the incredibly talented and dedicated guys at Virgin Comics!”

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As if the zombie genre can’t get any more weird, we now have Virgin Comics releasing a zombie tale from David Harris and Christine Schenley set in the bright lights, big city of New York.

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Virgin Comics has announced Hugh Jackman and Marc Guggenheim are teaming to create the original comic series Nowhere Man to comics.

Story details are being kept under wraps but Virgin officials describe the story as a Sci Fi odyssey set in a groundbreaking vision of the future in which mankind has traded privacy for safety.

Jackman cites his work as Wolverine for inspiring him to get into comics.

“I am so excited to work with Virgin and Marc and create a compelling character and story that hopefully will also make it to the big screen,” said Jackman in a prepared statement.

While Jackman and his Seed Productions production company will create the series, Amazing Spider-Man scribe Marc Guggenheim will write the series.

“Virgin Comics is focused on pairing the best comic book talents with icons in the entertainment industry to develop original stories,” said Sharad Devarajan, Virgin Comics CEO. “Hugh Jackman and Marc Guggenheim working together on Nowhere Man is a perfect combination that promises a great story for everyone.”

via Virgin Comics

“I think the garbage cans and toilet brush are a nice touch…”

After the bad experience I had with Jenna Jameson’s Shadow Hunter, I was a little hesitant to review yet another new title from Virgin Comics. But not everything from Virgin is bad. The company’s Dan Dare series is actually quite good. So with two titles on opposite ends of the spectrum weighing in, I sat down to read The Megas by Jonathan Mostow and John Harrison, wondering where it would fall on the scale of good to bad.

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Yes, another SciFi programming story from the meet and greet Tuesday night. The network has picked up Virgin Comics’ The Stranded for a possible series.

Creator Mike Carey will be developing the story for the Sci Fi Channel.

With The Stranded, Mike challenges ordinary people to face the extraordinary – their lives are lies. Every memory is false. Startling events cause them to confront the truth, that they are, in fact, “stranded” on Earth after a horrific genocide in another galaxy.

“From day one,” Carey says in a prepared statement, “working on The Stranded has felt like being at a nexus point of creativity. Virgin and SCI FI created the perfect platform, and then supported the book and the creative team through all the stages of development. This feels like something we all own, and we all love. I can’t wait to take it forward into its next incarnation.”

via Virgin Comics

If you flipped through the last Previews, you probably saw the solicitation for the Top Cow/Virgin Comics Devi/Witchblade crossover. The company is finally making the announcement official, with a press release from the company.

“The crossover seemed like a perfect connection,” said Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik. “It was a natural fit to have the Witchblade and Devi meet each other. And to have writer Ron Marz at the helm for us was by far the logical choice.”

If nothing else, take the jump for the huge desktop sized image of the duo.

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