One Card Short...

Amazing and Spectacular

The most anticipated comic-book movie of the year is around the corner and has been getting rave reviews. Variety's chief film critic, Todd McCarthy, writes "Spider-Man 2" "improves in every way on its predecessor and is arguably about as good a live-action picture as anyone's ever made using comicbook characters." Bags and Boards has seen the movie too and has to agree that it is a very well-written movie that is exciting and satisfying on most every level. The film had its premiere in L.A. on Tuesday, filling three theaters in Westwood to watch the movie before hosting a party on the Santa Monica Pier, with rides and all.

Rumors swirl about the impending casting of the Fantastic Four film, with The Shield star Michael Chiklis seemingly having a lock on the role of Ben Grimm, a.k.a. The Thing. Marvel Studios' chief Avi Arad has said Rachel McAdams ("Mean Girls") could play Susan Storm, the Invisible Girl, though we've heard at least one other name mentioned for the part in the past 24 hours.

Dark Horse has signed a deal with DVD producer Image Entertainment to produce and distribute genre movies and music. John Landis, Bruce Campbell and Neil Gaiman are among the talent on board for upcoming productions.

We're eight days away from the third annual Free Comic Book Day. Don't forget to visit your local comics shop on Saturday, July 3, for a nice sampling of comics from a lot of different publishers.

DC Comics announced its manga line, called CMX, will debut in October. According to a DC press release, the first three to be released are "Madara," by Tajima Sho-u and Otsuka Eiji, "Mekakushi no Kuni," by Tsukuba Sakura, and Eroika yori Ai wo Komete, " by Aoike Yasuko. The books will be published in the standard manga graphic novel format and will be overseen by group editor Jake Tarbox, who worked in Japan the past 14 years for Coamix, publishers of Raijin Comics.

Speaking of Gaiman, he confirmed on his blog that DC will produce a comic book adaptation of "Neverwhere," which was both a novel by Gaiman and a TV series for the BBC. Gaiman also will appear at the first ever Sandman convention, called Fiddler's Green, in Minneapolis Nov. 12-14. Other comics guests will include DC/Vertigo executive editor Karen Berger, letterer Todd Klein, artist Charles Vess and "The Dreaming" writer Caitlin R. Kiernan. Proceeds will benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

Penultimate Spidey

"Knife to the Eye!"

The Goon #7

Creators: Eric Powell and Mike Mignola

Dark Horse, 32 pages, $2.99

So? This may not seem like the most obvious teamup in comics, but after reading it the only thing left to say is "Why didn't they do this sooner?" Mignola contributes three pages of art as a framing sequence to get Hellboy into the much-stranger world of The Goon, who — in case you don't know — is a tough-talking hulk of a guy who has a serious mad-on for zombies and giant octopi and hangs out with his smart-mouthed and violent pal Frankie, who has blank eyes a la "Little Orphan Annie." This part, written and drawn by "The Goon" creator Powell, makes for a hilarious story full of the strangeness and humor that makes "The Goon" one of the best and funniest reads on the stands. Grade: A

Batman: Broken City

Creators: Brian Azzarello, writer; Eduardo Risso, artist; Dave Johnson, cover artist

DC Comics, 144 pages, $24.95

So? A Batman story from the creators of "100 Bullets" naturally delves into some of the seedier elements of Gotham City. Batman starts out investigating the death of a gangbanger's sister and runs into a scene where a child witnesses the death of his parents — just as Bruce Wayne once did. Batman's trail winds through a Gotham both ugly and beautiful under Risso's exquisite pen. The women are seductive and dangerous; the usual fisticuffs are hard like street brawls amid concrete and steel. Azzarello pens a solid mystery with more than a few interesting character ticks for Batman and his usual rogue's gallery. And Risso, with colorist Patricia Mulvihill, make art that really pops in this hardcover collection of the serial from Batman #620-625. All in all, it's a book that's lush, bright, hard and beautiful all at once. The only drawback is that for all its sexiness and seediness, it's still Batman. And readers of "100 Bullets" will find it hard to put this in the same league as that groundbreaking and more satisfying series. Grade: B+

Angel Delight

A Legal Chapter

According to legal documents posted at Newsarama, CrossGen Entertainment, the Florida-based comics publisher that made a splashy debut in 2000, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The filing is unsurprising given the long trail of reports of financial difficulty and the recent cancellation of most of the company's comics line. The legal documents show the company has about $3 million in debt, with about half of that owed to printer Quebecor. The company also owes more than $22,000 to Publisher's Weekly, which like Variety is owned by Reed Business Information.

The Chapter 11 filing will allow the company to attempt to reorganize its debts and produce a new plan to become profitable. The volatile comics business of the past decade forced Marvel to file for bankruptcy in 1996. It emerged in 1998 and the success of the films based on its characters has allowed the company to retire its debt from those years.

CrossGen was founded by Mark Alessi, who funded the company with millions he had made in the technology business in the 1990s. CrossGen sought to do business differently, hiring writers and artists on staff and bringing them to a collaborative office environment in Florida that included everything from a rec room to a locker room and showers.

The company's comics, designed to be an interwoven universe revolving around powers called sigils, have never challenged DC and Marvel at the top of the comics biz. Reports began to filter out in the past year that the company was having troubles with its finances, starting with reports from freelancers that they had not been paid as promised for their work.

Bull Markets

From recent editions of Variety comes news of Circle of Confusion, a Sony-based management and production company that is searching for a comic-book publisher partner to develop new properties for film, games and TV. "I think, clearly, the big-name, iconic (comicbook) titles are almost gone," Circle of Confusion founder Lawrence Mattis told Variety's Nicole LaPorte. "After you go beyond those big titles, it's just about good material. What we're doing, beyond tapping the independents and the smaller labels, is building things from the ground up." The firm already has comicbook roots in clients such as Brian Michael Bendis, Dan Brereton and James Hudnall.

Rob Liefeld has sold his third pitch in the past year with "Spin," a coming-soon online comic about a woman whose life is turned upside down when a curse is put on her. Spyglass picked it up in a mid-six against seven figure deal. Liefeld's other recent sales are sci-fi pic "Planet Terry" to New Line and "The Mark" to Paramount.

Marvel is seeing a sort of financial success that was almost unthinkable a few short years ago when the company was in bankruptcy and in danger of liquidation. The strength of the company's licensing efforts is complemented by its retirement of the last of the company's debt this week.

On the DC side, the build up to the new animated "Batman" show and next year's "Batman Begins" feature includes the announcement that a new line of toys from Mattel will receive information encoded in the TV broadcast of the show that makes the toys light up and move around. And Newsweek has a sneak peek at the film in last week's issue.

The long-awaited new Superman feature got a boost toward a 2004 start this week as WB is in talks with Neal Moritz and Gilbert Adler to produce the film. McG is still attached to direct though hasn't signed a deal, though he did screen test six actors for the lead role this week.

And Diamond Comics released its sales rankings for May. There's the usual rundown of the top 300 selling comics and top 100 graphic novels at Comic Book Resources. Newsarama provides its monthly analysis of what it all means. Not surprisingly, Joss Whedon and John Cassaday took the top spot for Astonishing X-Men #1, followed by the second issue of Brian Azzarello and Jim Lee's Superman in issue 205. DC had seven of the top 20 spots with the rest going to Marvel.

DC has announced the return of Johnny DC for its all-ages line of comic books. The redesigned character will first appear on the Free Comic Book Day edition of Teen Titans Go! DC also signed artist Leonardo Manco to a 2-year exclusive contract.

Neil Gaiman's graphic novel "The Sandman: Endless Nights" won a Bram Stoker Award for best illustrated narrative. The awards are given by the Horror Writers Assoc.

Dark Horse has teamed up with educational researchers from Columbia University for The Comic Book Project, a literacy, health and social awareness venture where children write and draw comics related to important themes to be read by other children around the company. Dark Horse will publish the students work in July as part of its participation.

A comic book reprinting the popular "Hellboy" story "The Corpse" will be included in the DVD release of the film, set for July 27, in an exclusive deal with Blockbuster Video.

The nominees for the Russ Manning Award, given at Comic-Con Intl. San Diego to the industry's most promising newcomer, have been announced. They are Bosch Fawstin, writer/artist of "Table for One"; Derek Kirk Kim, writer/artist of "Same Difference, And Other Stories"; Ryan Otley, artist of "Invincible"; Phil Singer, artist of "Stonehaven"; and Eric Wight, artist of "The Passing of the Key," in "Michael Chabon Presents The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist" #1.

The Amazing Spider-Man: 500 Covers

Written by: Jonathan Couper-Smartt & Kit Kiefer

Marvel; 304 pages; $49.95

So: On the surface, this seems like a "can't miss" project for Marvel... well they don't. The 304-page volume delivers in more ways than expected.

Despite not running each cover at full size, there's plenty of room to ensure that no key issues get slighted, frequently running three and four consecutive full-pagers to see that all the greats get their due.

Beyond that however, the book gives us chapter dividers for each year to give readers a sense of historical perspective, both in Spidey's world and our own. Each has a top paragraph with a synopsis of the wall-crawler's escapades over the 12 issues (so you can find out exactly what happened during that clone-saga you skipped) as well as a second paragraph which recaps the current and cultural events of the year. It's great to get a sense of just what Spidey was doing when Texas Instruments introduced the pocket calculator, when Fernando Valenzuela led the Dodgers to the World Series, and even when 1989’s Batmania ran wild at the B.O.

The book's print quality was a welcome surprise, with Marvel using scans of actual comics instead of attempting to recolor the covers as with other reprint volumes (a process which damages line quality in lettering and detail areas). So yes, we see all the "dots" in the color. I'm glad. The choice only contributes to the sense of history the book evokes so well. Grade: A

Daydream Believers

Secrets and Farewells

Identity Crisis #1

Creators: Brad Meltzer, writer; Rags Morales and Mike Bair, artists; Michael Turner, cover artist.

DC Comics, 48 pages, $3.95

So? This kickoff to DC's summer event has been shrouded in mystery, as a long-standing character dies in this issue. Having written thriller novels and co-creating this fall's "Jack & Bobby" TV skein for the WB, Meltzer manages to bring tension and a sense of forboding to this story. A long-running character does indeed die (we won't say who here, though) and the choice will certainly spark some debate among fans, many of whom will be shocked while others will just shrug. What really makes the story interesting are the emotional funeral scenes, the mystery over the killer's identity and the (heavily implied) sense that there will be more deaths and secrets revealed before the end of this seven-issue run. Morales has been around the block in the comics biz and, with this being his most high-profile work to date, shows he can tell a story well in a style that should please most readers. While not a complete knock-out, it's a solid first chapter that could blossom into something really special, and therefore deserves a look. Grade: B+

Identity Disc #1

Creators: Robert Rodi, writer; John Higgins and Sandu Florea, artists

Marvel, 32 pages, $2.99

So? The similarity in title between this series and DC's Identity Crisis had a lot of people puzzled. Marvel editor in chief Joe Quesada said at Wizard World L.A. this spring that the idea came first and the similar titles and identical release dates are coincidence. Now that the book is out, it turns out to be a likeable story that bears little resemblance to DC's series. In this book, a mysterious woman blackmails on behalf of a mystery crime lord a group of Marvel villains (and Deadpool) into retreiving a disc with the secret identities of every superhuman in the U.S. The villains, their own loved ones threatened, agree to do this so they can have first shot at their archenemies and protect their own identities. Not much more than that happens this issue, but the villains get some rare characterization and sympathetic protrayals, especially classic Spidey foes Sandman and Vulture. Higgins' art is appropriately gritty for the New York underworld scene, though sometimes uses awkward camera angles and odd facial expressions. What will keep this one interesting is whether the human interest in the villains can be maintained; if it degenerates into a typical slugfest, it'll be a disappointment. Grade: B-

One last thing ...

Lastly, we'd like to bid a fond farewell to Jevon Phillips, who's the man responsible for this blog existing in the first place. As he says, he's off to new pastures, though not necessarily greener ones, at another publication. We'll miss him.

Fond Farewell

Bone #55

Creator: Jeff Smith

Cartoon Books; $2.95

So? Jeff Smith's fantasy epic reaches its conclusion with this double-size issue. "Bone" stands as one of the great creator-owned series in the history of comics, along with "Sin City," "Hellboy" and "Cerebus." The series, which Smith single-handedly writes, draws and letters, has won virtually every American industry award, including nine Eisner and seven Harvey awards. All the while being published in 13 different languages. Like the best Disney movies, "Bone's" widespread appeal has transcended age, race and gender.

I have to admit upfront: I'm not one for endings, usually preferring the journey to the destinaton. Our hero, Fone Bone, has little to do in the events of the issue's ultimate climax. The conflict with the dragons resolves itself quickly with Bone clinging to the Red Dragon's mane the whole time. From there it's 10 pages of denouement. A la another recently ended fantasy epic, it's back-to-back pages of sad goodbyes, tearful decisions, a funeral, a new queen crowned ...

The book ends on a strong note, though. The second half is a welcome return to the light humor and fun that initially endeared readers. "Bone" has seldom been better than when Phoney, Smiley and Fone Bone are bantering back and forth, which is exactly what we get as they travel for the border. As a kind of bonus, Smith deftly weaves a great Christmas story from years past (originally published as the "Hero Magazine Christmas Special") right into the final pages of this remarkable series.

It will be sad to see Bone gone. Despite the gloomy tone the book had taken in recent years, the storytelling, artwork and characters were always as good as could be found anywhere. As a longtime reader, I definitely got a lump in my throat when I came to the words "The End" on the final page.

Those unfamiliar with Bone will soon be able to pick up the story in its entirity in a 1,300-page complete collected edition that will sell for about $40.

Grade: B

Conspirators and Conjurers

Odds and Ends

Carmine Infantino has filed a lawsuit against DC Comics over ownership of the silver age Flash and Batgirl characters. Infantino, who was the company's publisher from the late 1960s through the mid 1970s, was the artist who drew the 1956 relaunch of The Flash in Showcase #4 that is usually cited as the start of the Silver Age of comics. Infantino's claim states he created the character (who is different from the original Flash character) as a freelance artist and wants the court to award him the rights to both Flash and Batgirl. The suit states Infantino gave DC permission to use the characters in comic books, but not in other media.

ICV2 reports the North American market for graphic novels reached $164 million for 2003, an increase of more than 50 percent from 2002. Two-thirds of graphic novel were sold at stores other than comics specialty shops and manga made the biggest jump of all types of graphic novels. The site also reports that graphic novels' visibility at the weekend's BookExpo America in Chicago was up significantly, with the graphic novel pavilion covering more than twice the floor space of last year's inaugural effort.

Lots of exclusive contracts announced this week, with Marvel signing Mark Millar and X-father Chris Claremont; DC signed Dave Gibbons, inker Mick Gray and artist Josh Middleton. Gray's partner on Alan Moore's "Promethea," J.H. Williams will be providing the art for Warren Ellis' new ongoing series Desolation Jones, according to the writer's mailing list. And IDW signed deals to publish John Ostrander and Tim Truman's 1980s indie classic "Grimjack" and the official comic book for CBS' upcoming "CSI: New York."

DC Comics will handle ad sales for Archie Comics under a new agreement. Both companies denied this was the first step toward a merger.

Artist Kate Worley, best known as writer of the indie erotica comics series "Omaha the Cat Dancer," died from cancer last weekend.

Vespa Love

Scooter Girl

Creator: Chynna Clugston-Major

Oni Press, 168 pages, $14.95

So? Chynna Clugston-Major is in many ways a 21st century, comics version of John Hughes. Best known for the teen comedy series "Blue Monday," Clugston-Major has carved a unique niche for herself with stories of high-school hijinks and romance that are both funny and true. The story is pretty standard stuff: Ashton has it all — girls, money, a cool scooter — until he meets the beautiful Margaret, who is immune to his charms and thinks he's a jerk. He sets out to change that and the result is some pretty funny stuff, though the story does get bogged down with a bit too much repetition and the use of profanity cuts the potential to reach younger readers. Clugston-Major keeps the book fresh by playing up the funky fashions and musical connections. She even includes a soundtrack of sorts, putting footnotes through the story with songs to go with the story. Even though it feels a bit padded, this is a fun bit of comics in the vein of Archie, but hipper, more relevant and much more charming. Grade: B-

A bit of news

In Variety: Universal Pictures has bought screen rights to the DC graphic novel "The Psycho," and the studio has set "The Day After Tomorrow" co-scribe Jeffrey Nachmanoff to write it. "The Psycho" is an action-thriller about a government agent who uncovers a technology being used to genetically turn people into super-humans.

The Diamond National Comics Awards of 2004 were handed out across the Pond this week, with 2000AD named comic of the year over titles that include Judge Dredd, Sleeper and Fables. And the Borders Books Award for Graphic Novel of the year was awarded to Necronauts (Gordon Rennie and Frazer Irving) ­ Rebellion 200AD over the popular Sandman: Endless Nights and others. This was announced at the the recently wrapped 6th Annual Official Comic Festival..

Not new, but interesting ... Prepare to be mobbed, Ms. Gellar, or Prinze (?). Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar, is set to appear at this year's San Diego Comicon, promoting her upcoming thriller "The Grudge."

The Hawaii Advertiser has an interesting article by Bill Muller about the current crop of movies and its relation to "hero worship."

... Experts suggest that our current brand of hero worship — taking refuge in imaginary characters — is no accident.

On June 5, Wildguard will launch it's online comics so that fans can keep abreast of the team. Todd Nauck is also prepping a one-shot for later this year.

Angels and ammo

In Memory of our Memory

This year, Memorial Day refers to Bags and Boards' lack of memory, as we forgot to post the weekly news roundup and missed two days last week. So let's catch up:

Variety is reporting details of the settlement between Sony and Marvel over the licensing of the "Spider-Man" movies. Under the settlement, announced last week, Marvel will take charge of a joint venture the two companies will set up to handle licensing for the movies and will continue to handle all non-movie licensing.

Rosario Dawson is the latest to join the cast of "Sin City," still shooting in Texas.

ESC was tapped as the lead f/x house on WB's next "Superman" movie. F/x guru Stan Winston also is consulting on the pic, which has yet to be greenlit but is planned for a 2006 release.

Animation and comics writer Paul Dini announced on his website he's leaving Warner Bros. Animation after 15 years. Dini, best known for his work on "Batman: The Animated Series" and various DC comics, says he will explore writing live-action features and more comic books.

At the comics publishers this week, prose publishing was the big news. Dark Horse announced two imprints, M Press and DH Press: M Press will publish literary fiction and nonfiction titles; DH Press will showcase genre fiction and pop culture. Details courtesy ICV2. Marvel also announced a prose line, called Marvel Press, that will publish novels featuring Marvel characters, along the lines of last year's successful "Mary Jane" book. Details courtesy CBR.

And in case you think we forgot about comics, Diamond's list of the top 300 selling titles for April in comics stores has Marvel dominating the top 10, but DC taking the top two spots with Superman #204 and Superman/Batman #9. Some estimates put Superman #204 as selling more than 230,000 copies, which makes it the biggest selling single comic book since last fall's Batman #619. Both are drawn by Jim Lee. ICV2's analysis shows an increase in comics sales over the same month last year. The Ultimates, Vol. 2 was the top selling graphic novel in comics stores for April. A good analysis of the numbers can be found at the Pulse, which breaks down numbers for Marvel and everyone else.

Meanwhile, Wizard World Philadelphia drew a record crowd of more than 25,000, up nearly 16 percent from last year and more than the 19,000-plus Wizard World Los Angeles drew last March in Long Beach.