Upcoming Sci Fi Movie Comics

Sci Fi Wire has a new article detailing comic books that are set to be released alongside some of this year's big movie releases. Along with the Astro Boy comics planned by IDW are fellow robot franchises Terminator and Transformers, along with Underworld, Star Trek, and more.

About Astro Boy, they say:

Comic Info: IDW has plans for two direct tie-ins for the fall animated family film, but Astro Boy will appear in a few other comic series before his big-screen debut.

Rumors continue to circulate about whether Imagi Animation Studios will remain a production company through the rough financial waters of the credit crunch, but everyone is certain that their CGI adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's classic manga and anime Astro Boy will be completed for its fall release. And as with so many other movies on our list, IDW nabbed the rights for both a prequel series and an adaptation whose format and release dates remain undetermined just yet. Although more than likely they'll resemble the company's efforts in the Terminator franchise.

However, since Astro Boy has been appearing in manga and other comics for more than 40 years, several other publishers have releases on tap for 2009 that capitalize on the movie's impending release and should prove entertaining for curious viewers. Dark Horse Comics already publishes 23 volumes of Tezuka's manga series and will combine the first two collections into one trade paperback book in September for an easily digestible introduction to the character and his creator. Perhaps more interestingly, American manga giant Viz plans on releasing Pluto—an acclaimed sci-fi manga set in Astro Boy's world by Monster artist Naoki Urasawa—in February, which should appeal to adult readers interested in taking their kids to the new film.

Worth a pick up?: You'd be better off getting the originals for your kids.

Read the full article "Will Star Trek and other blockbuster-based comics be worth your time?" on Sci Fi Wire.

There is some info here about what IDW might have up their sleeve. While I don't necessarily disagree with this article's final assessment, since people really should be getting the original Astro Boy manga for their kids, but it's a little early to be passing judgment on comics that we haven't even seen yet, isn't it?