October 31, 2005
Siegel's Son Speaks
Michael Siegel, the son of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel and his first wife Bella, has ended his media silence and spoken to "Men of Tomorrow" author Gerard Jones about his relationship with his father for the first time. Jones told Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter Mike Sangiacomo that Siegel makes a compelling case against a long-standing story that that Siegel and his collaborator Joe Shuster based Lois Lane on the woman who became Siegel's second wife as they didn't meet until after World War II. Jones used some of the material Siegel provided to update the paperback edition "Men of Tomorrow," the Eisner-nominated history of the early days of the comicbook business.
DIDIO UPPED: DC Comics has promoted Dan Didio to senior VP-executive editor. Didio oversees the DC Universe line and has overseen Identity Crisis, Infinite Crisis and the All-Star line of comics. He will continue to report to prexy-publisher Paul Levitz.
ON THE WALLS: Marvel Comics editor in chief Joe Quesada has contributed some of the company's top characters to the caricature-adorned walls at New York's famous The Palm restaurant. The mural will be unveiled tomorrow afternoon, Nov. 1, at the restaurant, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary.
ADDENDUM: One addition to Friday's post about novelists writing comics for Marvel: David Morrell, author of the novel that became the first Rambo movie, is slated to write a Captain America project for the publisher.
Oct 31, 2005 at 04:44 PM by Tom McLean in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 30, 2005
Scooooorrre!!!
Peng
Creator: Corey Lewis
Oni Press, 72 pages, black and white, $5.95
So? Like Rey's "Sharknife," "Peng is all about the energy. Describing this well is nearly impossible. The story is nominally about the advanced kickball championships, in a world where this is so supreme a sporting event that spectators have to take a pill that slows their perception of time enough for them to follow the game. This sport is infinitely cool (the title comes from the sound those red rubber school balls make when kicked), with teams so far ahead of the curve as to be straight. This is ripped straight from the videogame/music/anime/manga subculture and this reads almost like a videogame on paper and gives many of the same kicks. There's little in the way of story or character -- aside from how damn cool everyone is -- and that leaves "Sharknife" as the more satisfying read. But there is definite charm in reading a single original comic that at 72 pages feels like a mini graphic novel and has so bizarre and fun a vibe as to be irresistible. Grade: B+
Giant Monster #1
Creators: Steve Niles, writer; Nat Jones, artist
Boom! Studios, 48 pages, color, $6.99
So? A pilot flying a solo space shuttle re-entry finds his ship breached by an alien lifeform that turns him into a monster. When the shuttle crashes into the ocean, the pilot begins to walk across the ocean and begins to grow into a giant monster. And it works pretty well, in the mold of "Godzilla," "Mothra" or "Gamera." Given the number of comics Niles writes, you have to wonder if he ever sleeps long enough for nightmares such as this to flash before his eyes. Jones' art is well-suited to the material, though there is a slightly rough look to it that seems to come from his pencils being darkened into a printable version via a computer instead of being inked in the traditional way. The color and production values are slick, making the rough edges on the art stand out a bit. On top of that, it's a bit pricey and that makes the book feel a bit light on story and thrills for so high a price. Fans of monster pics and Niles' writing will definitely be pleased — the rest of us may find it lacking in value. Grade: B-
Spawn #150
Creators: David Hine, Brian Holguin and Todd McFarlane, writers; Angel Medina, Philip Tan, Danny Miki, Victor Olazaba, Allen Martinez, Edgar Tadeo, artists
Image Comics, 48 pages, color, $4.95
So? There's something kind of comforting about Spawn. It's something of an old-fashioned comicbook, the type of thing where you can come back and read an issue after a long absence and still get what's going on and there being just enough changes to make you wonder what you've missed. This is intended as a jumping on and revival point for Spawn, which hits a milestone of 150 issues that almost no contemporaries can match. The story really is in media res, with all the gross but cool imagery that's always made Spawn cool. The art is unapologetic comicbook art: it's only intended to work as a comicbook and has some fine ink work and some striking images to go with the occasionally convoluted storytelling that's an equally essential ingredient in the old Image formula. The book is nicely inked and has a slick sheen. The overall effect is one of something that could be a lot of fun to dig into, even while at the same time not really evoking the passion needed to do just that. Grade: B-
Oct 30, 2005 at 07:53 PM by Tom McLean in Reviews | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 28, 2005
Marvel Hails King
First it was screenwriters, now it's novelists invading comics.
Marvel has announced that Stephen King will produce an original comic book series based on the author's "Dark Tower" novels, with the first issue to be published in April and a hardcover collection of the first six issues planned for holidays 2006. The book will supplement and expand on the seven Dark Tower novels, with artist Jae Lee providing the visuals.
King has written more than 40 novels and is one of the most popular writers of all-time. This is the first time King has contributed original stories for an ongoing comic book project. Those with long memories will recall King contributed a few pages of script to the X-Men: Heroes for Hope famine benefit comicbook in the mid 1980s.
The King annoucement comes on the heels of Marvel announcing New York Times bestselling author Eric Jerome Dickey will write a six-issue miniseries starring Storm of the X-Men, with the first issue set to appear in February and art by David Yardin. The series will tell the epic romance story between Storm and the Black Panther, set in Africa. Dickey's novels include Liar's Game, Between Lovers, Thieves' Paradise, The Other Woman, Naughty or Nice, Drive Me Crazy, and Genevieve and "Storm" is his first venture into comics.
King and Dickey are the two most visible signs of the novelists in comics trend, which also includes Brad Meltzer, writer of last year's hit DC book Identity Crisis, and Walter Mosley, who's contributing to Marvel's upcoming Maximum Fantastic Four art book.
Oct 28, 2005 at 01:38 PM by Tom McLean in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
A hero is 'born'
Wraithborn #1-2
Creators: Marcia Chen, writer; Joe Benitez, artist
Wildstorm, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? Joe Benitez ("Weapon Zero," "Darkness," "Magdalena: Blood Lines") and Marcia Chen ("Magdalena: Bloodlines," "Ascension") have done it again. Their new title, "Wraithborn," seamlessly blends the supernatural with the modern to create a dark, dangerous realm that coexists with our world. With the ancient power of the Wraithborn, Melanie — a kick-ass female lead — chases down the demons, ghosts and ghouls that plot to regain control of the human world. Of course, normal mortals are none the wiser of this dark war, even though the apocalypse looms around the corner should she fail. Issue #1 jumps right into the action with Melanie as the Wraithborn coolly dispatching a horde of demons and the unsuspecting girl who summoned them. Although we meet a cold-blooded killer in these first few pages, the story quickly takes us to simpler times where Melanie is just an awkward teen trying to fit in and keep her family together. While visiting her mom’s grave, everything changes. Melanie unexpectedly inherits a Wraithborn relic from a dying warrior and stumbles her way into the study of the occult. Issue # 2 introduces us to the demon Brijit, who hopes to obtain the Wraithborn relic, and Kiara, the hired gun sent after Melanie to take it by force. The issue ends with an untested Melanie standing face-to-face with three demon-hounds following her trail.
Benitez brings back his signature style from "Weapon Zero" and "Magdalena" to keep longtime fans and new readers more than happy with the pencils. The demons have a slick techno-organic look (think H.R. Giger) but come outfitted in gothic armor and accouterments. The action is big and framed nicely in over-sized panels. Studio F does a great job making the scenes pop with their lighting and glow effects. Chen creates a complex, vulnerable character in Melanie with plenty of emotional baggage and skeletons in her bedroom closet to reveal some juicy back story in the next four issues on the mini-series. Plus, we get to see how a meek, misunderstood girl turns into a woman-warrior. Grade: A-
Oct 28, 2005 at 12:51 AM by Rick Hernandez in Reviews | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 27, 2005
McFarlane honored at NY Comic-Con
Spawn creator Todd McFarlane will be a guest of honor at the New York Comic-Con, Feb. 24-26 in New York City. McFarlane also will attend a preview night reception Feb. 24 at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art for a retrospective exhibit featuring artwork and items from the McFarlane Companies archives such as toy prototypes and animation cels. The exhibit opens to the public the next day and runs through May 1. McFarlane joins Marvel editor in chief Joe Quesada as a guest of honor at the inaugural show, which is managed by Reed Exhibitions, a sister company to Variety parent Reed Business Information. Variety is a sponsor of the show.
Oct 27, 2005 at 12:23 PM by Tom McLean in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 25, 2005
Faith-Based Pic
Platinum Studios chief Scott Mitchell Rosenberg and producer Gale Anne Hurd have teamed up to produce a feature based on Top Cow comicbook "The Magdalena." Screenplay will be by Kevin Taft, who co-wrote the upcoming pic "Alone" with Josh Olson, who adapted "A History of Violence" from comic to screen. Pic is second venture for Rosenberg and Hurd, producer of such pics as "Terminator," "Hulk" and "Aeon Flux," after "Atlantis Rising." Marc Silvestri will exec produce and Matt Hawkins will co-produce for Top Cow.
'LAW' ONLINE: Forgot to mention that Batton Lash's Supernatural Law comicbook has hit the web. Lash will produce new color webcomics on Mondays and Thursdays. The webcomics will be separate from the print version of the comic, which will continue as before.
ON THE ROAD: Steven T. Seagle, writer of such comics as "It's a Bird," "Sandman Mystery Theater," "Uncanny X-Men" and the upcoming Vertigo series "American Virgin," is taking his play "N*gger Wetb*ack Ch*nk" on a yearlong national tour. Seagle and Liesel Reinhart wrote and directed the comedy, and Seagle is offering to sign comics for fans who check out the show. "Just find me afterwards, you can ask for me at our merchandise stand, show me your ticket stub for that night’s performance, and I’ll sign whatever you want to bring," he says. The play has November dates set in Kirkland, Wash.; Olympia, Wash.; Collegeville, Minn.; Elgin, Ill.; and Glen Ellyn, Ill. The show's site has more details and will post more dates as they are set.
Oct 25, 2005 at 03:09 PM by Tom McLean in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 24, 2005
Tough Town on TV?
Today's Daily Variety had an interesting tip in a story about The Weinstein Co.'s TV plans, which include a skein based on "Sin City." The Weinstein Co. is the new home of Harvey and Bob Weinstein of Miramax and Dimension fame. The TV skein would pick up after the events of the "Sin City" sequel, which is still slated to come out next year.
STAKED OUT: Marvel ran a double-page ad today's Daily Variety, celebrating $321 million in worldwide b.o. for "Fantastic Four" and staking out July 4, 2007, as the release date for the sequel.
HELLISH HOMECOMING: Todd McFarlane is contributing a cover to Spawn #150, which is the big jumping-on anniversary issue for the long-running series. You can see McFarlane work on the art for the cover here.
BACK STORY: Entertainment Weekly digs into the story behind the comicbook classic Watchmen in its latest issue. It seems as though the book is getting at least as much press now as it did when it first came out 20 years ago. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times on Sunday looked at the long-standing tension between the comics world and the art world, and how that relationship may be changing in advance of two comics exhibitions coming to L.A.-area museums next month.
AWARDS SPLIT: The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art announced it will no longer administer the Harvey Awards, which came to the museum in 2003.
TV EVENT: "Painkiller Jane," a pilot movie based on the Event Comics title, will air on the Sci Fi Channel on Dec. 10 at 9 p.m. Event was the company founded by current Marvel editor in chief Joe Quesada and prominent writer and inker Jimmy Palmiotti in the 1990s.
Oct 24, 2005 at 05:57 PM by Tom McLean in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
I Wanna be a Cowboy
Loveless #1
Creators: Brian Azzarello, writer; Marcello Frusin, writer
DC/Vertigo, 40 pages, color, $2.99
So? Vertigo goes out West, with this new ongoing series that hits stores this week. Azzarello tells the tale of Wes Cutter, a Civil War vet who fought for the South and returns after serving a sting in prison to find his friends turned on him and his land stolen. He's got a few surprises up his sleeve when it comes to getting back what he wants, with the final few pages of the issue serving up a cool surprise ending that shows this could turn to be more of a love story in the vein of Garth Ennis' and Steve Dillon's excellent Preacher series. Many will see the influence of "Deadwood" in this comic, with the coarse language, violence and sex, even though tough-as-nails Westerns are nothing new for comics or DC. Comparisons to Azzarello's other Vertigo book, 100 Bullets, also are inevitable. But Loveless feels different and Frusin, despite some similarites to Bullets artist Eduardo Risso, is no clone and he evokes the roughness of a country both wild and scarred by war. There are sequences where it's hard to tell characters apart (at least in the black-and-white preview edition) and the action may not be spectacular enough to appeal to superhero fans. But there is something cool happening here and it's going to be interesting to see if Azzarello can make Westerns as cool as he did crime comics. Grade: B+
Black Mane
Creator: Michael V. LaRiccia
One Time Press, 96 pages, black and white, $10
So? When cartoonists do stories about themselves, readers often are subjected to tales of tedium and boredom. Not so with LaRiccia's "Black Mane." Less a cohesive narrative than a string of incidents in which Boston art student LaRiccia deals with gender, race and violence in real life. At the core of most of them is the question of how and when to act in the face of ugliness. Is it OK to get involved in arguments that could turn violent? Is it OK to hurt someone who's actions are hurting someone else? The art has a cool urban cartooning vibe that's in places messy and energetic and restrained and well-crafted in others. Thankfully, LaRiccia's style is his own and the art can't be easily described as being superhero-like or manga-esque. LaRiccia won a grant from the Xeric Foundation to put out this book, which hits shelves in December and is a thoughtful and memorable read. Grade: A-
The King
Creator: Rich Koslowski
Top Shelf Productions, 262 pages, black and white with blue tones, $19.95
So? Elvis is back from the dead, entertaining boatloads of fans who flock to Las Vegas to see the King rock again, just for them. Or is he? This is essentially an old-fashioned mystery with a one-time tabloid reporter getting the chance at the story of his career — if only he can figure out what's actually going on. Koslowski does a great job of defining realistic characters through his writing and expressive artwork. He also keeps the reader and the characters guessing with a mystery that, when it finally unfolds, is intelligent and satisfying. There's a lot of colorful people and events in this book, and they really pop out through the excellent art, which is black and white with blue color tones from Adam Wallenta. This is a substantive and astonishing fun read, regardless of whether you like Elvis or believe he really died all those years ago. Grade: A
Armageddon & Son
Creators: John Layman, writer; Dave Dumeer, artist
Oni Press, 96 pages, black and white, $9.95
So? The spy genre seems to be in one of those ruts where it's so hard to take its conventions seriously that parody proliferates. Layman and Dumeer obviously have a lot of fun with this tale of a worldbeater whose minions steal his plan for world domination, forcing him to team up with his slacker son to stop them. There's some cool stuff and a few chuckles to be had here, but it's difficult to be too enthusiastic about it when the likes of Austin Powers have so thoroughlly skewered spy fiction (and flamed out itself). Dumeer's art is nice, though the cheap production values leave a bit to be desired. All in all, a decent diversion but nothing that demands to be read. Grade: C
Oct 24, 2005 at 05:22 PM by Tom McLean in Reviews | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 19, 2005
Cool and Creepy
Doomed #1
Creators: Chris Ryall and F. Paul Wilson, writers; Ashley Wood, Ted McKeever, Eduardo Barretto and Kristian Donaldson, artists.
IDW, 72 pages, black and white, $6.99
So? It's been a while since we've seen much of the black-and-white horror mags pioneered way back when by old Warren mags such as Creepy, Eerie and the original Vampirella. Wrapped under a pair of really cool covers (the one pictured is by Jeremy Geddes), Doomed features a quartet of comics stories, with Ryall adapting tales from renowned horror writers Richard Matheson, David J. Schow and Robert Bloch and Wilson adapting his own story. There's also an article on Schow to round things out. Horror in comics has always been more about the cool and clever twist than bone-chilling scares, and these stories are no different. Ryall and Barretto's "Blood Rape of the Lust Ghouls" is the most successfully creepy, though each story has at least one moment of cool and a varying degree of success. The art in this book is really terrific to look at, and the big, inky images printed on rough paper is a real reminder of the way comics used to feel and even smell so great. A fun first issue, Doomed faces some serious challenges, as recent attempts to do anthologies have been plagued by inconsistent storytelling and shipping, and in attracting enough big name talent consistently to draw in readers. This debut may not be earth-shattering, but it is funky, cool and creepy. Grade: A-
Super F*ckers
Creator: James Kochalka
Top Shelf Productions, 32 pages, color, $7
So? Kochalka remembers one of the facts of teenage life that's easy to forget once you're past it: Kids can be jerks. And he applies that to superheroes with good effect. Super F*ckers is funny, but the cruelty is in no way hidden or covered up by the humor or the everyday-life quality of Kochalka's writing and art. Beautifully drawn and produced, this is a funny, sad and awkward little book that's nonetheless a little underwhelming. Grade: B-
Johnny Ryan's Comic Book Holocaust
Creator: Johnny Ryan
Buenaventura Press, 28 pages, black and white, limited edition of 300 copies, $10
So? If you like Ryan's work on Angry Youth Comix, then you know to expect extremely gross and very funny comics from him. And in this book, he takes aim at the indie comics scene, collecting a bunch of single-page parodies with titles such as "American Splendouche," "P. Fagge's Taint" and "Ghost Turd." The coarse humor is not for the faint-hearted and even those us who can't help but laugh at this stuff might want to avoid reading it all in one sitting. The book comes with a very cool letterpressed and embossed cover. And given that the book's a limited edition, grab one if you see it (I got mine at the swanky new Secret Headquarters store on Sunset) or head over to Ryan's web site and order one asap if you want a copy. Grade: B+
Oct 19, 2005 at 04:27 PM by Tom McLean in Reviews | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 18, 2005
'X-Men' Mutate Back to TV
"X-Men" is coming back to TV in a new animated series that will focus on Wolverine and be produced by First Serve Toonz in India. Marvel and First Serve are set to produce 26 episodes set to debut in 2007, with Marvel handling domestic distribution and First Serve taking on the international and DVD duties. Series is the third toon outing for "X-Men," after the 1990s Fox Kids version and "X-Men Evolution." Meanwhile, the website for next spring's "X-Men 3" has gone live with a short web teaser that offers very little except for the long-confirmed news that Phoenix will be part of the plot.
LITERARY GREATNESS: "Watchmen" has been named one of the 100 greatest English-language novels published since 1923 by Time magazine. The 1985-86 graphic novel, by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, is the only graphic novel to make the list. It's also the most popular book on the list according to reader's votes, beating out the likes of "The Lord of the Rings," "1984" and "To Kill a Mockingbird." The series marks its 20th anniversary this year with DC having published just this month an oversize hardcover "Absolute Edition" of the series that features new coloring supervised by original colorist John Higgins.
MOSLEY MAXED OUT: Bestselling author Walter Mosley will contribute an extensive introduction and afterward to Marvel's upcoming coffee-table art book "Maximum Fantastic Four." A longtime FF fan, Mosley — best known for his Easy Rawlins novels — proposed the book to Marvel, which has made this its first in-house book project. The book will reproduce Fantastic Four #1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby panel by panel, with commentary from comics and Kirby expert Mark Evanier. The panels will be digitally mastered and presented in high resolution that Marvel says will let fans read the story in a whole new light. The 224-page book isset to hit stores Nov. 2 and sell for $49.99.
NO SALES SURPRISES: Sales estimates for September are out, with All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder #2 topping the charts for DC with about 178,000 copies sold to the direct market. Marvel and DC predictably split the top ten with five spots each, with House of M and Infinite Crisis books doing well. Ghost Rider #1 had a strong debut at No. 8 with 92,500 copies, which bodes well for next summer's film version. This month, Dynamic's Red Sonja #2 broke up the Marvel-DC monotony on the chart by placing at No. 37 with about 55,000 copies. In all, there were seven non-Marvel/DC books in the top 100. Market share was again typical with Marvel having a slight edge in unit share (44% to 37%) and dollar share (39% to 36%).
STOCK UP: Top Shelf is having a giant fall sale, with many of their graphic novels prices as low as $1. Minimum total sale is $30 and the sale runs through Oct. 25.
Oct 18, 2005 at 06:53 PM by Tom McLean in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (2)
October 13, 2005
Day of 'Crisis'
Infinite Crisis #1
Creators: Geoff Johns, writer; Phil Jimenez and Andy Lanning, artists
DC Comics, 40 pages, color, $3.99
So? The big event of the fall is here at last — let the fanboy rampage begin! Months of preparation have been leading up to this issue — more specifically the last page of this issue. There's been an intergalactic war, the DC Universe's villains are really pissed off and, for once, organized. Batman's Omac Project is out of control, and magic as it's been known in the DCU has been radically changed. There's also a general public furious with superheroes in the wake of Wonder Woman's brutal though justified public murder of Maxwell Lord, and the suspicions and doubts that started in "Identity Crisis" have the JLA on the ropes and Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman at each other's throats. Again, all this is leading up to the final page of this first of seven issues, and it's one that will have die-hard DC fans freaking out one way or another and leave anyone else who made it that far scratching their head and wondering what exactly happened in this story. (Such is the double-edged sword of continuity-heavy superhero crossover comics.) That leaves much of this issue filled with lots of recap, setup and tone-setting, with the plot advancing in very small increments. Geoff Johns does a good job with an extremely difficult task and the book looks good, if a little dark and cluttered in spots, thanks to the hardworking art of Jimenez and Lanning. The ending here does make it hard for those who "get it" to not want to see where this goes next, especially with such big changes as the entire DCU jumping ahead a year in time somewhere in the middle of this series and big changes promised for some top characters. How well all this is handled will determine whether this becomes a classic like "Crisis on Infinite Earths" or one of the countless also-ran crossovers that have tried to follow in its footsteps. Grade: B
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1
Creators: Peter David, writer; Mike Wieringo, artist
Marvel, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? Meanwhile, across town at Marvel Comics, another crossover steps into the light of day in the first issue of a new Spider-Man title that marks the return of writer Peter David to the character. This crossover is called "The Other," and it's a 12-parter that will run through a trio of Spider-Man titles over the next few months. What's interesting here is that Marvel's taking a slightly different approach than it has in the past, with writers dividing up the story chronologically instead of by title. That means David's also penning parts two and three in Marvel Knights Spider-Man #19 and Amazing Spider-Man #525 before handing off parts four to six to Reginald Hudlin and parts seven to nine to J. Michael Straczynski before everybody comes together for the final three parts. This first issue has a lot that event comics often lack, with some decent and fun character bits between Peter and MJ. There's also a touch of humor that offsets the dread that we assume will follow the appearance of the villain on the last page. Again, startling revelations and big changes are promised, though knowing how it's almost impossible to permanently change an icon like Spider-Man, it's unlikely that anything will be too radical or stick too long. But with a single character to focus on and the control these writers appear to have over the story, there should at least be a few pleasant bits and a story that lets you spend some time with a likeable characters. Grade: B+
Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #11
Creators: Marv Wolfman, Len Wein, Chris Bonham and Steve Ringgenbert, writers; Gene Colan, Bernie Wrightson, James Lloyd, Angelo Torres, John Severin, Mark Schulz, Steve Steere Jr. and Al Williamson, artists
Bongo Comics, 56 pages, color, $4.99
So? Like clockwork every October, comes this comicbook version of the famed "Simpsons" Halloween special. This book usually attracts some interesting talent, and this year is no exception. Fans of 1970s horror comics will be pleased to see Wolfman and Colan, the team behind Marvel's much-loved "Tomb of Dracula," and Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson of "Swamp Thing" fame reuniting to spoof themselves. It's cool to see these artists bring a tint of their famous styles to the Simpsons characters. Colan's expressive pencils and dramatic angles are especially cool, and Wrightson's inking is as unmistakable as ever. Wein and Wolfman have a good time poking fun at themselves and some of their most beloved stories. Flipping the book over reveals another story with a bunch of subsections that parody EC Comics. There's more fine art for fans of old comics to dig, with John Severin drawing a war comics chapter and the team of Schulz and Williamson doing a great job on the weird sci-fi bit. While not side-splittingly funny, there's some good chuckles to be had here and while knowledge of old comics is not necessary to enjoy this book, those who do will get an extra kick out of reading it. Grade: B
Oct 13, 2005 at 04:23 PM by Tom McLean in Reviews | Permalink | Comments (1)
October 12, 2005
'1602' wins a Quill
The inaugural Quill Awards for books have been announced, with "1602, Vol. 1" by Neil Gaiman, Andy Kubert and Richard Isanove winning the graphic novel category. The Marvel-published book beat out for the honor "American Splendor: Our Movie Year" by Harvey Pekar; "Bone: One Volume Edition" by Jeff Smith, "In the Shadow of No Towers" by Art Spiegelman and "Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return" by Marjane Satrapi. The awards were meant to reflect popular tastes and the project is supported by Reed Business Information, parent company of Publishers Weekly and Variety. The awards were given out at a gala awards show hosted by NBC News anchor Brian Williams on Tuesday in New York. The awards will be broadcast on NBC stations on Oct. 22.
NYT ON 'CRISIS': DC Comics' Infinite Crisis #1 hit the stands today, prompting a look at the project from The New York Times, which interviewed execs Dan Didio and Paul Levitz, as well as writer Greg Rucka.
Oct 12, 2005 at 03:23 PM by Tom McLean in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 11, 2005
Girls, Ghouls and Nazis
Dramacon, Vol. 1
Creator: Svetlana Chmakova
TOKYOPOP, 192 pages, black and white, $9.95
So? You know manga is sweeping the world when a 25-year-old woman born and Russia and now living in Canada writes and draws a popular English-language manga about romance at a Japanese anime convention. There may be ways that die-hard manga fans can tell from the art and writing alone that Chmakova's not Japanese, but she's obviously so thoroughly absorbed the style of writing and drawing shojo manga as to completely fool the rest of us. This is an unabashedly girly book that's sweetly romantic, full of authentic teenage angst and at times very funny. Story follows a young girl who writes a manga that her boyfriend draws. At her first con, her boyfriend flirts with every girl he can find and she's overwhelmed by the crowds and strangeness of it all until she meets a mysterious and handsome cosplayer. I have to admit that as a 36-year-old married man, I'm not the target audience for this book and that "dirty old man" feeling crops up a bit while reading this sort of thing. But Chmakova stays firmly in PG-13 territory and there's nothing in here that crosses any kind of line. It's just good, frilly, girly fun. Grade: A-
Steady Beat, Vol. 1
Creator: Rivkah
TOKYOPOP, 192 pages, black and white, $9.95
So? Rivkah is another young woman writing and drawing original English-language manga for girls, though she goes more for drama with her first full-length series. Story follows teenage Leah Winters, a high school soccer star who finds a love letter addressed to her older sister that is surprisingly signed "Love, Jessica." Leah tries to figure if her sister is or isn't gay and along the way meets an attractive boy named Elijah. Rivkah's art is the real standout of this book; it's elegant, polished and lovely. There's more of a Western flavor to the art here, though it's impossible to place that impression on a anything specific. It's almost impossible for me to judge the story as I'm still not a teenage girl, but the plot did feel a little light as though Rivkah was waiting for Vol. 2 to really put the story in motion. (There also is definitely a lot more in this book to justify the "dirty old man" feeling, though it's still all things considered very innocent.) This seems destined to be a big hit with the middle-school crowd. Grade: B+
I Luv Halloween, Vol. 1
Creators: Keith Giffen, writer; Benjamin Roman, artist
TOKYOPOP, 192 pages, black and white, $9.95
So? At last, fart jokes! Keith Giffen shows just how funny he can be, even when he's not making fun of superheroes in this little gem that has more than a handful of laugh-out-loud moments. Story follows a weird group of "South Park"-style pals for whom Halloween means only one thing: Candy. But it's a lot weirder than it sounds, as the kids wear their masks throughout the entire story and there's more than a few strange things going on in town around them. These kids talk more like smartass youths than little kids, but they're still kind of pure in their simple cynicism and witty banter. Roman's art looks like a demented version of the Klasky-Csupo "Rugrats" style, and is funny all on its own. The best bits in the story involve a lusty teen's attempt to get back her bra from a little girl who's turned it into a rather deadly sling shot. There's not much more to it, but it's definitely weird and definitely funny. Grade: B+
Wolverine #32
Creators: Mark Millar, writer; Kaare Andrews, artist
Marvel, 32 pages, color, $2.50
So? Fantasy and reality don't always mix well, and you could say telling a story about Wolverine wreaking havoc in a Nazi Death Camp is in really bad taste. But Millar makes it work, thanks to a suggestion from Will Eisner to not have Wolverine speak at all in the story. He would be a silent presence, killed over and over by Nazi guards only to heal and drive the camp commandant to the edge of insanity. Millar's recounting in the back of the comic of his meeting with Eisner at a Barcelona comics convention last year is great reading in and of itself. Eisner, who confessed he had no idea who Wolverine was, nevertheless came up with perhaps the only way to keep this story from being embarassing. Andrews does an excellent job on the artwork, bringing a sophisticated sensibility to the book that conveys the darkness and horror of the camp. In the end, this story still may not be in the best taste, but it is all other things considered a good comic book. Grade: B
Oct 11, 2005 at 03:22 PM by Tom McLean in Reviews | Permalink | Comments (0)
Catching up
Blogging has been on the light side of late as other projects have hogged up all my time. So here's what's going on in comics-land:
SANDAL GAMBLE? Pamela McClintock looks at the risks and rewards Warner Bros. faces with its upcoming adaptation of Frank Miller's "300" in the most recent edition of weekly Variety. Here's a few highlights:
But whether Warners can play the genre game is the question. It's no surprise that studio honchos would want to lock up the hard-core comicbook crowd, whose reach spans the globe. Dimension Films' "Sin City," based on Miller's graphic-novel series of the same name, pulled in $78 million overseas and $74 million Stateside.
Warners, the same studio that turned out "Alexander" and "Troy," is sure to play down the historical-epic aspect in marketing the film -- at least Stateside.
U.S. auds have soured on such fare, perhaps explaining why two other projects regarding the battle of Thermopylae -- one at Universal and one at Fox -- are languishing on the shelf.
SPAWN'S NEW MASTER: Todd McFarlane Productions has appointed Brian Haberlin of Haberlin Studios as editor of the comic book. Haberlin, a longtime member of the "Spawn" creative team, will now run the whole show for the comicbook.
TOGETHER AGAIN AT LAST: Marvel has been busy sending out press releases with the following announcements from the House of ideas:
- "Sentinel," a critically acclaimed comic from Marvel's Tsunami efforts, will be coming back in a five-issue series starting in December. Eisner Award-winner Sean McKeever will return to write the series and UDON will be back on the artwork.
- Robert Kirkman's creator-owned superhero "Invincible" will co-star with Spider-Man in Marvel Team-Up #14, which comes out Nov. 9. Kirkman will pen the issue and "Invincible" co-creator Cory Walker will provide the art.
- Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle will take over the writing chores on New X-Men: Academy X starting with issue 20. They replace the departing team of Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis, who will bow out with a double-size New X-Men Yearbook Special.
NEW DIRECTION: Image Comics has hired Laurenn McCubbin as the company's art director. McCubbin is the creator of the comics "Rent Girl" and "XXX Live Nude Girls."
REVISIONS AND TIE-INS: DC Comics has more going on than this week's release of the long-awaited Infinite Crisis #1. News from 1700 Broadway includes:
- There will be a new trade paperback edition of "DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore" that will include the stories "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" and "The Killing Joke."
- The Batman Strikes #15 will tie-in to the animated DVD movie release of "Batman vs. Dracula."
- Artist Neal Adams will provide an alternate cover to All-Star Superman #1, due to arrive in stores Nov. 16. Retailers will be able to order one copy of the Adams cover for every 10 copies of the regular edition.
- DC/Vertigo has put out a free minicomic of the first chapter of "A History of Violence" to lure moviegoers back to the original graphic novel. The comic features the first part of the graphic novel with a cover using the movie poster image from the movie. It's about the same size as the Hellblazer minicomic inserted in the deluxe edition DVD of "Constantine," so it would be no surprise if the minicomic showed up in the eventual "History" DVD as well.
- "The Flash" TV series is coming to DVD on Jan. 10 in a six-disc boxed set that includes all 22 episodes of the 1990-1991 series.
SIGN UP: Golden Apple has announced a number of cool in-store signings for the next few weeks:
- Tomorrow (Oct. 12) from 5-7 p.m. will be Batton Lash ("Supernatural Law"), Dawn Brown ("Ravenous," "Little Red Hot") and Todd Livingston ("The Black Forest").
- Saturday, Oct. 15, will see Len Wein ("Swamp Thing," the new "X-Men"), Marv Wolfman ("New Teen Titans"), Berni Wrightson ("Swamp Thing") and Bill Morrison ("The Simpsons") signing copies of the new Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror from 1-2 p.m. at the Valley store and 3-5 p.m. on Melrose.
- Wednesday, Oct. 19, will see David Mack ("Kabuki") and Brian Michael Bendis ("Ultimate Spider-Man") signing from 7-9 p.m. at Melrose.
- Wednesday, Oct. 26, will be Satan's Three-Ring Circus of Hell, with Robert Steven Rhine, Jim Smith, Vincent Waller and many more.
Oct 11, 2005 at 01:27 PM by Tom McLean in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 06, 2005
'300' Marches On
The pieces are falling into place for the film adaptation of Frank Miller's "300," with Lena Headey joining the cast as Queen Gorgo, wife to Gerard Butler's King Leonidas. The Zach Snyder-helmed pic begins shooting Oct. 17 in Montreal and the cast features David Wenham, Dominic West, Vincent Regan and Rodrigo Santoro.
HEADING WEST: "Lucky Luke," the beloved Euro comicbook created by Rene Goscinny and Morris, will come to the bigscreen in 2007 as an animated pic titled "Tous a l'ouest" by French toon house Xilam. The company had previously produced a popular TV series based on the comic and has a budget of about $14 million. Pic will be directed by Olivier Jean-Marie from a script by Jean-Marie and Jean-Francois Henry. Producing will be Dargaud-Marina and Lucky Comics.
B.O. WRAP: While not a comicbook movie, Joss Whedon's connections to comics and fandom in general make "Serenity" almost an honorary comicbook flick. The pic opened this past weekend to $10 million at the domestic b.o., good enough for second place behind "Flightplan," which held the top spot for the second week in a row with $14 million. "Mirrormask," the Dave McKean-directed fantasy pic penned by Neil Gaiman, pulled in $126,449 on 18 screens last weekend. That made for a strong per-screen average of just over $7,000. Gaiman was in West Hollywood this past weekend at the WeHo Book Fair, appearing courtesy of Golden Apple with other comics celebs including Reggie Hudlin of Black Panther fame.
MARVEL MOVES: Marvel Studios prexy David Maisel has been promoted to exec VP corporate development for parent company Marvel Enterprises. Maisel also will be co-chairman of Marvel Studios.
BATMAN-WOLVERINE TEAM UP! (KIND OF): Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale are in talks to star in helmer Christopher Nolan's next project, "The Prestige," for WB and Touchstone. Looks like DC has home court on this one, with Nolan and Bale both coming off "Batman Begins" while Jackman's finishing up "X-Men 3."
WIZARD BY THE NUMBERS: Wizard's inaugural Boston convention drew 8,800 attendees last weekend. Plenty of pros were there (accounting for some of the empty offices I saw last Friday at DC Comics during a short tour of their offices while visiting NYC) but no huge annoucements.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: Actor Nicolas Cage, who took his surname from Marvel comicbook character Luke Cage (a.k.a. Power Man), has named his son Kal-el Coppola Cage in honor of Superman. The actor's wife, Alice Kim Cage, gave birth to a boy on Oct. 3. Kal-el is Superman's given Kryptionian name. Cage, who once was up for the role of Superman, will play the lead in Marvel's Ghost Rider pic next year.
IDW RESHUFFLES: Growing publisher IDW announced some organizational changes, with co-founder, prexy and publisher Ted Adams taking on the new title of VP business development. Co-founder and head designer Robbie Robbins will become president, while editor in chief Chris Ryall will add the duties of publisher to his portfolio and Matt Ruzicka joins the company as controller. The company's upcoming Transformers #0, set to hit shelves Oct. 19, is the most successful title in the company's short history, with retailers ordering 100,000 copies of the comicbook.
Oct 6, 2005 at 03:30 PM by Tom McLean in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
