The Ghouly Boys #1-2

Creator: Christopher, writer/artist

SLG Publishing, black and white, 25 pages

So? The rhyming narratives that begin the first two issues ofThe Ghouly Boys set the tone for the series. An Aesop fable of sorts, The Ghouly Boys whimsically reminds us that appearances aren't always what they seem and real monsters tend to come in human form.

The story follows a boy resurrected as a zombie by his gypsy mother after an accidental fall from a tree. She exchanges her life for his leaving him in the care of an orphanage. Kids can be cruel, especially when you're blue-skinned with a mouth sewn shut. The poor boy must constantly withstand name-calling and his daily gruel. Heap a bitter headmistress on top of that, and you have a pretty miserable existence even for someone undead. Friendship arrives in the overweight form of a flight-challenged bat. Hope soon follows when a good-hearted couple, Norman and Maggie, adopt the boy and his bat.

The second issue opens with a mad dash through a forest by a werewolf couple running from a mob of hunters. The she-wolf deposits a swaddled bundle in the forest as she and her mate lure the hunters away. The twist on this werewolf tale is that the boy-pup turns into a human during the full moon. In true "Bambi" fashion, a BLAM echoes through the forest. The boy and his bat witness the selfless sacrifice and take in the boy-pup. His happy family takes on this new member who is both little brother and family pet.

Christopher creates tales that are two parts cute, one part comedy, a dash of melancholy and all heart. Upcoming issues will bring the other "members" of The Ghouly Boys into this misfit fold. Grade: B

Indie Babes Cross Swords

Arcana Studio and Alias have teamed together to pit their super-heroines against each other in a special cross-over event. Ezra, an assassin trained by the Order of the Black Sun, has been tasked to off Medusa. Surprisingly, the 10th Muse comes to the aid of her archenemies and crosses swords with Ezra. Arcana will release "Ezra vs. 10th Muse" #1 in August.

To promote this special event, Arcana conducted a model search to find the real-life Ezra. After poring over all of submissions, model Alexandra Janicek was selected as the winner.  Ms. Janicek will appear on an upcoming cover of "Ezra vs. 10th Muse" and will be photographed alongside Cindy Margolis -- the current 10th Muse model.

Foggy Nelson, director!

Marvel at long last attached some names to the slate of films it is self-financing, adding the long-in-development "Iron Man" to the mix with Jon Favreau in the director's chair.

Marvel also announced creatives attached to a "Hulk" sequel and other superhero pics including "Captain America," "Ant Man," "Thor" and "Nick Fury." All the films will be financed through a $525 million credit line Marvel established last year through Merrill Lynch, putting up theatrical rights to a slate of characters as collateral. The list has changed somewhat, with "Hulk" and "Thor" joining the mix. All the pics will distributed by Par except for "Hulk," which will go out through Universal, the studio that made the original Ang Lee pic.

Favreau's made a successful transition into directing with hits such as "Elf" and last summer's "Zathura." His relationship with Marvel includes playing Franklin "Foggy Nelson, attorney sidekick to Ben Affleck's Matt Murdock in the 2003 pic "Daredevil." Writing the script are Arthur Marcum and Matt Hollaway. "Iron Man" was in development at New Line with Nick Cassavetes set to direct, but Marvel took back the rights when the project stalled and the option expired.

The other names attached to projects are:

Screenwriter Zak Penn will write the "Hulk" sequel, tentatively called "Incredible Hulk." Penn has done plenty of work for Marvel, having worked on the scripts for "X2" and the upcoming "X-Men: The Last Stand," and "Elektra." He's also lent a hand to various Marvel movie-based videogames including "Fantastic Four" and an upcoming "X-Men" game.

David Self will write a script for "Captain America." Self's credits include "Thirteen Days" and "Road to Perdition." He's also been attached to a few other Marvel properties, including "Deathlok" and "Sub-Mariner."

Edgar Wright of "Shaun of the Dead" fame is set to tackle "Ant-Man," which will be more of a comedic take on superheroes. Wright is set to direct and co-write with Joe Cornish. He'll also co-produce the pic. Wright also is attached to direct "Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little LIfe," based on the Oni Press comic by Bryan Lee O'Malley.

Tackling Marvel superspy "Nick Fury" will be Andrew Marlowe, writer of "Air Force One" and "Hollow Man."

Mark Protosevich is set to script "Thor." The scribe of "The Cell" and the upcoming "Poseidon" has also been attached to "John Carter: Warlord of Mars."

Marvel Studios chief Avi Arad says "Iron Man" and "Hulk" are closest to starting production and could hit theaters in 2008.

What's clear from these announcements is that Marvel isn't messing around and rushing anything into production before it's ready. Favreau has an increasingly solid pedigree as a director; Penn and Self are well-respected for their work, though Self's credits are more cerebral than action-oriented; and Wright's got enough geek cred thanks to "Shaun" to make a film that could be both funny and appealing to comicbook fans.

"War" Games

Marvel’s big crossover is set to officially begin next week, when Civil War #1 hits stores. As with most big superhero universe crossovers, there’s some backstory to get through that will set this up. While not as extensive as DC’s One Year Later, Civil War will touch on most of the main Marvel characters and is being plugged heavily with corner boxes asking “Whose side are you on?”

The Road to Civil War really gets started in The Amazing Spider-Man #529, in which writer J. Michael Straczynski and artists Ron Garney and Bill Reinhold unveil the new armor Tony Stark has created for Spider-Man. The close working relationship between Tony and Peter leads to Peter agreeing to become Tony’s protégé and second set of eyes — a task Tony hints will require an extraordinary bond of trust between them. The reasons why spill into issue #530 (drawn by Tyler Kirkham), as Peter and Tony head to Washington where they’re to appear at a Senate hearing about a Superhero Registration Act. The act would require all superheroes to reveal their identities to the government, which would give them a legal structure and framework within which they could continue to be superheroes as agents of SHIELD. Those who don’t register will be in violation of the law and stopped by a special new SHIELD unit. All this comes in the midst of the usual angst, fighting and introduction of the new spider-duds, all of which is done with an unexpected dose of humor in the script from JMS. Grade: B-

The second aspect of this story has its roots in Brian Bendis’ The New Avengers, where as far back as #7 we saw a group of Marvel’s biggest brains having a clandestine meeting. The reasons for which become clear in The New Avengers: Illuminati #1, by Bendis and his Daredevil collaborator Alex Maleev. It turns out that this group — Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Professor X, Reed Richards, Black Bolt and Namor — has for many years agreed to secretly coordinate their efforts to protect the Earth from menaces too big for one super group to handle. This secret cabal ends up behind the events that lead into another Marvel event, the Planet Hulk storyline. And when Iron Man brings news of the Registration Act, he urges the group to come out in support of it to prevent a worse situation from developing. Maleev does a good job with what is mostly a story of talking heads — exactly the sort of thing that Bendis does especially well. Unusual for most superhero comics, the debate and discussion of this issue gets into a lot of the subtleties and sets up the upcoming conflict as one where superheroes will have to decide to obey the new law or go it alone and risk death or prison. Grade: B

The third element kicks off in Fantastic Four #536, by JMS and artists Mike McKone and Andy Lanning when a strange object plummets to Earth and attracts interest from the likes of Doctor Doom. The object turns out to be Thor’s hammer, hinting that the thunder god is in some kind of trouble. Thor has been without a regular series for a while now and this may (or may not) be the first step toward bringing him back. JMS also scripts this series, and again retains the humor in the concept where appropriate – mainly with the rivalry between the Thing and Human Torch. Grade: B

This all leaves an interesting set-up. Unlike DC's massive and careful ramp-up to Infinite Crisis, Civil War has so far been more typical of large crossovers. That doesn't bode well, but the potential is here to do an interesting story as long as it maintains its focus — something that may be hard given the number of spinoff miniseries the tale will unfold in. While Bendis penned last year's somewhat anticlimactic House of M, the writing chores on the seven-isseu Civil War miniseries fall to Mark Millar with art by Steve McNiven. It'll be interesting to see if Marvel can find a way to make this compelling enough to boost interest in its entire universe line the way DC has with Infinite Crisis.

Continuity

Continuity
Creators: Jason McNamara, Tony Talbert
AiT-PlanetLar, 110 pages, black and white, $12.95
So? This isn’t appearing in print until June, but to spread the word AiT-PlanetLar chief Larry Young has made the entire book available as a digital download. That’s not inappropriate, given the kind of cyberpunkish vibe of this tale, which starts out with a strange disjointed action sequence before settling into a tale about teenage Alicia, a girl whose dreams — both good and bad — can change the world. Once the book settles into her story it becomes a cool science-fiction story with plenty of paradigms and plot twists of the kind found in good time travel stories. There are some rough patches here and there, especially in the plot. Talbert’s art, however, is polished and detailed in the tradition of the best mainstream comics of the 1980s. Like the writing, the art also gets a lot better as the book progresses, which makes this a book you may have to have some patience to get into with the knowledge that the outcome of the occasionally bumpy ride is a good one. Grade: B-

Once around the DCU

A lot’s going on in the DC Universe as the second issues of the One Year Later titles trickle onto the stands. Since we rarely take a look into the depths of the Big Two universes, it’s time to round up what’s exactly is going on DC land. The main thing to remember about One Year Later, is that Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman have all been missing for this year. Superman and Batman are getting eight-part re-intros in their respective, trimmed-down line of books, while Wonder Woman is set to return in a few months with a brand new series. That leaves the rest of the DCU to pick up the pieces, and the results are pretty solid and consistent.

With Superboy gone, another Kryptonian steps in to take his place in the retitled Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #16, by Mark Waid, Barry Kitson and Mick Gray. Most of the issue sets up the eventual arrival of the Maid of Might in a streak from the 21st century to the 31st. But when she’s there, she drops a major bombshell on Legion leader Cosmic Boy that will at the very least be interesting to see how Waid resolves it. Grade: B+

Over in Green Arrow #60 and #61, writer Judd Winick puts an interesting twist on the perpetual rebel by having Green Arrow take his fight against the man to a whole new level by becoming the man. Newly elected as the mayor of Star City, Oliver Queen still looking out for the little guy and tweaking the interests of greedy corporations. And after a year away, he’s resumed his activities as Green Arrow — even as the connection between Queen and GA remains unknown to the public. The concept and conflicts set up here bode very well for Star City. Grade: B

Things are a little more confusing over in Birds of Prey #92 and #93. Writer Gail Simone and the art team of Paulo Siqueira and Robin Riggs change things up by having Black Canary and archenemy Lady Shiva swap “life experiences,” with Shiva joining the Birds of Prey and Canary being trained in martial arts in Asia by Shiva’s cruel “mother.” The story’s a little disjointed and the changes seem unlikely to be permanent, which is a shame given the opportunity they had to get Barbara Gordon out of the wheelchair and back into her Batgirl suit, now that the current series with a different character has come to an end. Grade: C

Speaking of Batgirl, the fate of the current version is up in the air in Robin #148 and #149. New writer Adam Beechen kicks off with Robin finding what appears to be the corpse of Batgirl and being framed for the crime in the eyes of the police. Turns out the body in the Batgirl costume is not Cassandra Cain, and finding out what happened to her is the crux of the story. Robin also gets a revamped costume and there’s some nice action, though the youth of the character makes Robin’s escape from the police station in #149 a little unlikely. Grade: B

The excellent Manhunter puts a nice twist in the daily life of Kate Spencer in issues 20 and 21 by switching from a D.A. to a defense attorney. Her first client is Dr. Psycho, who’s far from squeaky clean. Kate also finds out a bit about her family history that leads her to the JSA. Writer Marc Andreyko continues to make this one of the cooler books out there with its mix of superheroics and courtroom drama. Grade: A-

But those changes are nothing compared to what awaits in Catwoman #53, as Selina Kyle gives birth to a baby girl while a new Catwoman returns to protect the streets of Gotham’s East End. There’s some nice art here from David and Alvaro Lopez, but the social visit from Batman is worth the price of admission alone. Grade: B-

With his former base-city of Bludhaven destroyed in Infinite Crisis #4, Nightwing heads to New York City to rebuild his superhero career in issues 118 and 119. But another ex-Robin, Jason Todd, also wants the mantle. Bruce Jones writes a satisfyingly complex story, though the ease which with Dick Grayson falls into bed with a high-fashionista may prompt some cries of outrage from fans. Grade: B+

Bludhaven’s fate serves up the return of Silver Age DC heroes The Atomic Knights in the otherwise unremarkable The Battle for Bludhaven #1. Grade: C

With the changes wrought by the ending of Infinite Crisis #6, the Teen Titans have a new lineup in issue #34 that Cyborg wakes up to after a year of being repaired. The lineup includes former foes Kid Devil and Ravager and a lot of familiar faces are missing, though writer Geoff Johns and artist Tony Daniel appear to have changed little else. And what Robin has stored in the cave at the end of the issue will surely lead only to heartbreak. Grade: B-

It’s a lot harder to tell what’s going in Green Lantern #10, also written by Johns (when does he sleep?), which appears to be the point. Some bad stuff has happened, though exactly what remains mysterious, and longtime GL foe Sinestro forms his own corps of aliens dedicated to evil. The art remains solid on this title despite plenty of artists taking turns; this issue was by the underrated Ivan Reis. Grade: B

The big new debut so far is Blue Beetle #1. This Blue Beetle is nothing like the wisecracking Ted Kord, whose murder was the event that set the clock ticking on the whole Crisis. This time, Blue Beetle is a kid from El Paso who is fused with an alien scarab. There’s plenty of modern teenage angst here from writers Keith Giffen and screenwriter John Rogers. The art from Cully Hamner is another plus. It’ll be interesting to see if the boost Infinite Crisis has given DC will be enough to give this series a chance at a longer life than most new series have had the past few years. Grade: B+

Whew. And that’s not all. There’s still a few OYL series out there, but that covers the bulk of them. Next, we’ll take a look at the Marvel Universe as it prepares to launch next month its much-hyped Civil War.

Anne Freaks, Vol. 1

Anne Freaks, Vol. 1
Creator: Yua Kotegawa
ADV Manga, 184 pages, black and white, $9.99
So? Like any good thriller, this slick and sophisticated manga begins with a murder – as teenage Yuri tries to dispose of the body of his mother, whom he’s accidentally killed. Lucky for him, a beautiful girl shows up who knows how to take care of such things, and Yuri quickly finds her running his life and asking sweetly for his help in killing her father. A third, Mitsuba, joins the team and things take a twist toward stopping a terrorist plot, but that doesn’t matter by this point because this story is both creepy and seductive – much like the mysterious Anna herself. With dialogue and artwork grounded as much as possible in reality, Kotegawa has created a manga with the right combination of sleek, sexy and exciting to please manga die-hards and any superhero fans who give it a chance. Grade: A-

Super Ventriloquism

The cast of "Superman Returns" will lend its voices to the upcoming Electronic Arts videogame based on the picture. Star Brandon Routh is lending his likeness to the game while cast members Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Parker Posey and Sam Huntington only doing voices for their characters.

The game, set to come out in conjunction with the film, draws on elements from both the new film as well as the Man of Steel's decades-long comicbook lore. A trailer up at the game's official site shows Superman battling what looks like a giant version of Metallo and features the classic John Williams theme from the 1978 film.

Lightning Strikes

"Shazam!" has found a feature film director in Peter Segal, who's signed on to a script at New Line by screenwriting icon William Goldman, a longtime fan of the comics. Segal directed the Adam Sandler comedies "50 First Dates" and "The Longest Yard." He will complete another pic before starting on "Shazam!"

"Shazam!" is the adventures of the original Captain Marvel, who flew into the comics pages back in the 1940s to challenge Superman for top spot on the superhero sales chart. National Periodicals, the forerunner of today's DC Comics and publishers of Superman, sued Captain Marvel publisher Fawcett Publications claiming infringement on their copyright. DC won the long-running legal battle and Fawcett closed up shop, taking Captain Marvel with it. The rights to the character remained in limbo for about 20 years until DC itself bought the rights to the character. DC had to publish the character under the title of "Shazam!" because Marvel had trademarked the title Captain Marvel for one of its characters in the interim.

"Shazam!" is probably best known to many from a live-action TV show version that ran in the early to mid 1970s on Saturday morning TV.

Of Mouse and Man...

Bags & Boards wraps up its in depth look at Archaia Studios Press with our interview with David Petersen, creator of "Mouse Guard." Issue #1 of "Mouse Guard" has already sold-out its initial run of 8,000 copies which hit shelves this past February. As David deals with new found popularity, Bags & Boards sits down with him before he really blows up.

Bags & Boards: When and how did you first decide to approach Archaia Studios Press and Mark Smylie?

David Petersen: It was suggested to me in San Diego last year that I should talk to Mark about publishing "Mouse Guard." I was familiar with his book "Artesia" and had spoken with him at a convention years back about my portfolio, but didn't know that Archaia was starting to publish other fantasy type work. After hearing that, I went right over to the Archaia booth and reintroduced myself.

BB: I was quite taken by the black and white version. Did you originally intend
to realize the series in color?

DP: I self published the black and white mostly because of budget. When I drew it, I intended it to be black and white, but I have always thought of the story and characters as a world with color.  The first images I ever made of the mice were in color so it wasn't a stretch in my mind. I'm very pleased with the color results.

BB: How have people responded to "Mouse Guard?"

DP: Very well. It's pretty amazing. Everyone from little kids to the elderly has said they enjoy it. Comic collectors or not, everyone who contacts me about it is pretty positive. The book has received some great reviews, and I could not be more pleased with the response.

BB: In your introduction to "Mouse Guard: Belly of the Beast," you reveal some of the history of the "Mouse Guard." Will you explore the winter of war in a prequel mini-series?

DP: It's a story I decided not to tell when I started Mouse Guard. I didn't want the first story to have weasels at all. I also didn't want the first story to introduce the characters mired in a war.  It's something that I would plan on exploring at some point though. I have verbally told the war plot to a comic artist friend of mine, he made me promise to do that story eventually.

BB: You have Mouse Guard sculptures on your personal website. Did you sculpt and paint those yourself?

DP: Yes, I did. They travel with me to some of the conventions I attend and they are received well. I hope that we can do something similar as a product for the "Mouse Guard" audience.

BB: What other artists have inspired your work as a writer? As an illustrator?

DP: I'm fond of Mike Mignola's straightforward story approach to "Hellboy". It has a great face value. While you can read into it, at that point what you see is what you get. When I 'write' "Mouse Guard," I'm really typing up an outline of a story I have told verbally to myself or close friends. Like a good joke, it gets honed the more it's told. As an Illustrator, I am a fan of the visuals of Rick Geary, Mike Mignola, Arthur Adams, Maurice Sendak, John Tenniel, and E. H. Shepard.

BB: Do you feel Baby Boomers and Gen-X'ers will respond to the material since they've grown up with "Watership Down," "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" and "Red Wall"?

DP: To some degree, yes, I think it runs deeper than that, though. There are no shortage of books and stories with animals as the main characters. Rudyard Kipling, Kenneth Grahame, Aesop, and many Native American tales are great examples of this being an ongoing tradition. You can imply volumes about who a character is by using an animal to represent them.

BB: These three novels eventually came to life as animated films ("Watership Down" and "The Secret of NIMH") and a TV series ("Red Wall Abbey"). Do you hope to see a similar adaptation of "Mouse Guard"?

DP: I think it would be a good fit.

BB: Have you put together a script?

DP: I'm focusing all my energy on the comic right now. I think the 6 issue story arc would be a great outline for a movie script. It introduces the main characters, explains who the Guard is, what they do, what they don't do, and shows you where and how they live.

Reprints of issue #1 and the new issue #2 are available at your local comic book shop this month.

CLAMP coming to Anime Expo

The all-female supergroup of manga creators known as CLAMP, which is responsible for such hits as Card Captor Sakura, Magic Knight Rayearth, Legal Drug and Chobit,s is making its first U.S. appearance at Anime Expo July 1-4 at the Anaheim Convention Center. The group, which rarely makes public appearances, will be appearing courtesy of FUNimation, Del Rey Books and TOKYOPOP.

Isotope Honors "Freeze"

Danica Novgorodoff's "A Late Freeze" was presented with the Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics at a post-APE bash at James Sime's hip SF shop last Saturday night. The New York-based writer and artist accepted the award in person. Isotope's site has video from the party, which looks like it was a real blast.

Rising from the grave

It seems deals for pics based on comics are popping up every day:

* U's adaptation of Dark Horse's "R.I.P.D." has found a director in David Dobkin, whose previous credits include "Wedding Crashers." Writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, who wrote "Crazy/Beautiful," Jackie Chan starrer "The Tuxedo" and "Aeon Flux," are set to write. Peter Lenkov, who wrote the comicbook, is on as an executive producer, while Neal Moritz and Dark Horse chief Mike Richardson are producing.

* German studio Stallion Film is set to adapt manga title "Wicked City" into a live-action, English-language pic to be directed by "Spawn" helmer Mark A.Z. Dippe. Pic is set with a budget of $50 million to $60 million, with Dippe and Johnny Hartmann penning the script and shooting set for next year. The manga was created by Hideyuki Kikuchi and had a successful run in Japan in the early 1980s. It was made into the anime "Yoju toshi." Interesting side note for those who read to the bottom of the Variety story: Tim Kwok of Convergence Entertainment, which is co-producing the pic, is exec producing "Lone Wolf & Cub" at Par.

* "X-Men" film producer Lauren Shuler Donner tells Superhero Hype.com that she's developing DC's Metal Men as a light-hearted CGI-heavy feature.

New Line gobbles up "Power"

New Line has picked up the film rights to Howard Chaykin's "Power & Glory," and has set the project up at Benderspink with Damien Shannon and Mark Swift set to adapt. "Power & Glory" was part of the short-lived Bravura imprint at Malibu Comics in the early 1990s. Chaykin wrote and drew four issues and a special starring a pair of dim patriotic heroes who were in way over their head when it came to the realities of politics.

Judging "Superboy"

I've been trying to find something to add to the judge's ruling that the copyright to Superboy was relcaimed in 2004 by the widow and daughter of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel -- a move that raises questions about the ongoing WB TV skein "Smallville." But not being an attorney, i'll just point to some of the more interesting reports:

Variety's own Dave McNary does a good job of getting the details of the long dispute over Superman into a few paragraphs:

The dispute over who owns Superboy goes back to 1938 -- the same year the first Superman comicbook, based on the story originated by Siegel and illustrator Joseph Shuster, was published.

A few months later, Siegel agreed to provide Detective Comics with a new Superboy comicstrip and submitted a plan that was turned down. Siegel unsuccessfully attempted several more times to pique Detective's interest in Superboy before entering the Army in 1943.

But Detective began publishing Superboy comics in 1944 while Siegel was stationed in the Pacific, resulting in a 1947 lawsuit in which New York state court Judge Addison Young found Siegel to be the sole owner of Superboy. In 1948, Siegel reached a settlement with National Comics Publications (predecessor of DC Comics) in which he sold ownership of Superboy and Superman to National.

E! Online also has a good article, talking to the likes of Neal Adams and Mark Evanier, who writes about the situation in a couple of excellent posts on his blog and even links to a fascinating document that includes Jerry Siegel's original 1975 press release in which he put a curse on the 1978 Superman movie.

I'm sure it wasn't planned, but it is interesting in light of this to take a peek at the Superboy goings on in DC's Infinite Crisis #6, which just came out this week.

Eisners by the numbers, part 2

Looking at the nominations by title, its obvious that comics has swung back to being a writer's medium as the works of Warren Ellis, Brian K. Vaughn, Alan Moore and Grant Morrison dominate the top of the chart.

Nominations by Title*

Desolation Jones 6
Ex Machina 5
Fell 5
Promethea 5
Acme Novelty Library #16 4
Top Ten: The Forty-Niners 4
All Star Superman 3
Astonishing X-Men 3
Fables 3
Rocketo 3
Seven Soldiers 3
Solo 3
The Goon 3
Wimbledon Green 3
Acme Novelty Library Annual Report to Shareholders 2
Age of Bronze 2
Flight, Vol. 2 2
Franklin Richards, Son of a Genius 2
Hip Flask: Mystery City 2
Little Nemo in Slumberland 2
Nat Turner 2
Ocean 2
Planetary 2
Pyongyang 2
Recidivist 2
Runaways 2
Spiral-Bound 2
The Bakers 2
The Rabbi’s Cat 2
True Story, Swear to God 2
Walt and Skeezix 2
Y: The Last Man 2
Young Avengers 2
1602: New World 1
24 Hour Comics Day Highlights 2005 1
Absolute Watchmen 1
Amelia Rules! 1
Black Hole 1
Bone: The Great Cow Race 1
Buddha, Vols. 5-8 1
Cavalcade of Horror 1
Comic Art 1
Comic Book Artist 1
Conan 1
Copper 1
Cromartie High School 1
DC Comics Rarities Archives, Vol. 1 1
Digger 1
Doomed 1
Down 1
Draw! 1
Dungeon: The Early Years, Vol. 1 1
Eisner/Miller 1
Embroideries 1
Epileptic 1
Fantastic Four Omnibus 1
Feast of the Seven Fishes 1
Following Cerebus 1
Foul Play: The Art and Artists of the Notorious 1950s EC Comics 1
Godland 1
Gunpowder Girl and the Outlaw Squaw 1
Hawaiian Dick: The Last Resort 1
Heartbreakers Meet Boilerplate 1
House of M 1
Ice Haven 1
Jane’s World 1
Jellaby 1
Justice 1
Krazy and Ignatz: The Komplete Kat Komics 1
Little Red Hot 1
Masters of American Comics 1
Mome 1
Ojingogo 1
Optic Nerve 1
Ordinary Victories 1
Otherworld 1
Owly: Flying Lessons 1
Plastic Man 1
PVP 1
Ravenous 1
Revelations 1
RGK: Art of Roy G. Krenkel 1
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World 1
Shaolin Cowboy 1
Six Hundred Seventy-Six Apparitions of Killoffer 1
Smoke 1
Teen Titans 1
The Clouds Above 1
The Comics Journal 1
The Comics Journal Library: Classic Comic Illustrators 1
The Complete Calvin & Hobbes 1
The Complete Peanuts 1
The Contract with God Trilogy 1
The Dark Horse Book of the Dead 1
The Fountain 1
The Innocents 1
The Losers 1
The Ultimates 2 1
Tomorrow Stories Special 1
Tricked 1
True Story, Swear to God: This One Goes to Eleven 1
Ultimate Iron Man 1
Universal Monsters 1
Wanted 1
War’s End 1
Wonder Woman 1

*This is counting each mention of a title in the nominations, counting works for which individual creators were nominated.

Eisners by the numbers, Part 1

OK, let’s take a look at how everyone did in the Eisner Awards yesterday.

Nominations by publisher*

WildStorm/DC 13
DC 12
Image 11
Drawn & Quarterly 9
Marvel 9
Pantheon 8
Vertigo/DC 8
ABC 6
Fantagraphics 6
Top Shelf 5
ACME Novelty 4
Dark Horse 4
Kyle Baker Publishing 4
Speakeasy 4
IDW 3
Active Images 2
Clib’s Boy Comics 2
Dark Horse Books 2
La Mano 2
NBM 2
Sunday Press Books 2
Top Cow/Image 2
Aardvark-Vanaheim/Win-Mill Productions 1
About Comics 1
ADV 1
AiT/Planet Lar, 1
Allegheny Image Factory 1
Andrews McMeel 1
Burlyman 1
Comic Art 1
Fantagraphics/Coconino Press 1
Girl Twirl 1
Hammer Museum/MOCA Los Angeles/Yale University Press 1
Harper Design 1
Norton 1
Oni 1
Renaissance Press 1
Scholastic Graphix 1
Sofawolf Press 1
TwoMorrows 1
Typocrat 1
Vanguard 1
Vertical 1
www.boltcity.com/copper 1
www.comingupforair.net/comics/ojingogo.html 1
www.pvponline.com 1
www.secretfriendsociety.com/archive.php?cat=2 1

*This is counting each mention of a publisher in a nomination. If more than one publisher is cited in a nomination (e.g., creators nominated for work at several publishers) each publisher is counted once.

Obviously, DC and its various divisions make that company the big winner.

WildStorm/DC 13
DC 12
Vertigo/DC 8
ABC 6
Total 39

Pantheon did the best for a mainstream book publisher, while ACME Publishing and Kyle Baker Publishing made a strong showing for self-publishing, tying with minimajor Dark Horse and the now-defunct Speakeasy.

The Eisner's continue to struggle with how to handle the manga phenomenon, with ADV getting a nom but such major publishers as Tokyopop, Viz and CPM being shut out.

2006 Eisner nominations

The nominations for the Eisner Awards in 27 categories and the Hall of Fame were announced today, with Warren Ellis, Chris Ware and Brian K. Vaughan leading the pack.

A few changes were made in the categories this year, with the addition of an award for Best Reality-Based Work, and the splitting of the archival project into two categories, one for comicbooks and one for comic strips. The best humor publication category was dropped.

The full press release can be read at the website for Comic-Con Intl., where the winners will be announced.

Best Short Story
“Blood Son,” by Richard Matheson, adapted by Chris Ryall and Ashley Wood, in Doomed #1 (IDW)
“Monster Slayers,” by Khang Le, in  Flight, vol. 2 (Image)
“Nameless,” by Eric Powell, in The Goon #14 (Dark Horse)
“Operation” (story #5), by Zak Sally, in The Recidivist #3 (La Mano)
“Teenage Sidekick,” by Paul Pope, in Solo #3 (DC)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
The Bakers, by Kyle Baker (Kyle Baker Publishing)
Ex Machina #11: “Fortune Favors” by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, and Tom Feister (WildStorm/DC)
The Innocents, by Gipi (Fantagraphics/Coconino Press)
Promethea #32: “Wrap Party” by Alan Moore and J. H. Williams III (ABC)
Solo #5, by Darwyn Cooke (DC)

Best Serialized Story
Desolation Jones #1-5: “Made in England,” by Warren Ellis and J. H. Williams III (WildStorm/DC)
Fables #36-38, 40-41: “Return to the Homelands,” by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, and Steve Leialoha (Vertigo/DC)
Ex Machina #12–14: “Fact v. Fiction,” by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, and Tom Feister (WildStorm/DC)
Y: The Last Man #37-39: “Paper Dolls,” by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, Goran Sudzuka, and Jose Marzan Jr. (Vertigo/DC)

Best Continuing Series
Age of Bronze, by Eric Shanower (Image)
Astonishing X-Men, by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday (Marvel)
Ex Machina, by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, and Tom Feister (WildStorm/DC)
Fell, by Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith (Image)
Rocketo, by Frank Espinosa (Speakeasy)
True Story, Swear to God, by Tom Beland (Clib’s Boy Comics)

Best Limited Series
Nat Turner, by Kyle Baker (Kyle Baker Publishing)
Ocean,  by Warren Ellis, Chris Sprouse, and Karl Story (WildStorm/DC)
Seven Soldiers,  by Grant Morrison and various artists (DC)
Smoke, by Alex de Campi and Igor Kordey (IDW)

Best New Series
All Star Superman, by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (DC)
Desolation Jones, by Warren Ellis and J. H. Williams III (WildStorm/DC)
Fell, by Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith (Image)
Rocketo, by Frank Espinosa (Speakeasy)
Young Avengers, by Alan Heinberg, Jim Cheung, and John Dell (Marvel)

Best Publication for a Younger Audience
Amelia Rules! by Jimmy Gownley (Renaissance Press)
The Clouds Above, by Jordan Crane (Fantagraphics)
Franklin Richards, Son of a Genius, by Chris Eliopoulous and Mark Sumerak (Marvel)
Owly: Flying Lessons, by Andy Runton (Top Shelf)
Spiral-Bound, by Aaron Renier (Top Shelf)

Best Anthology
The Dark Horse Book of the Dead, edited by Scott Allie (Dark Horse Books)
Flight, vol. 2, edited by Kazu Kibuishi (Image)
Mome. edited by Gary Groth and Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
Solo, edited by Mark Chiarello (DC)
24 Hour Comics Day Highlights 2005, edited by Nat Gertler (About Comics)

Best Digital Comic
Copper, by Kazu  www.boltcity.com/copper
Jellaby, by Kean Soo  www.secretfriendsociety.com/archive.php?cat=2
ojingogo, by matt forsythe  www.comingupforair.net/comics/ojingogo.html
PVP, by Scott Kurtz  www.pvponline.com

Best Reality-Based Work
Embroideries, by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon)
Epileptic, by David B. (Pantheon)
Nat Turner, by Kyle Baker (Kyle Baker Publishing)
Pyongyang, by Guy Delisle (Drawn & Quarterly)
True Story, Swear to God (Clib’s Boy Comics), True Story, Swear to God: This One Goes to Eleven (AiT/Planet Lar), by Tom Beland

Best Graphic Album—New
Acme Novelty Library #16, by Chris Ware (ACME Novelty)
The Rabbi’s Cat, by Joann Sfar (Pantheon)
Top Ten: The Forty-Niners, by Alan Moore and Gene Ha (ABC)
Tricked, by Alex Robinson (Top Shelf)
Wilmbledon Green, by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint
Acme Novelty Library Annual Report to Shareholders, by Chris Ware (Pantheon)
Black Hole, by Charles Burns (Pantheon)
Feast of the Seven Fishes, by Robert Tinnell, Ed Piskor, and Alex Saviuk (Allegheny Image Factory)
Ice Haven, by Dan Clowes (Pantheon)
War’s End, by Joe Sacco (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Strips
The Complete Calvin & Hobbes, by Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel)
The Complete Peanuts, 1955–1956, 1957–1958, by Charles Schulz (Fantagraphics)
Krazy and Ignatz: The Komplete Kat Komics. by George Herriman (Fantagraphics)
Little Nemo in Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays, by Winsor McCay (Sunday Press Books)
Walt and Skeezix, by Frank King (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books
Absolute Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (DC)
Buddha, vols. 5-8, by Osamu Tezuka (Vertical)
The Contract with God Trilogy, by Will Eisner (Norton)
DC Comics Rarities Archives, vol. 1 (DC)
Fantastic Four Omnibus, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (Marvel)

Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material
Cromartie High School, by Eiji Nonaka (ADV)
Dungeon: The Early Years, vol. 1, by Joann Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, and Christophe Blaine (NBM)
Ordinary Victories, by Manu Larcenet (NBM)
The Rabbi’s Cat, by Joann Sfar (Pantheon)
Six Hundred Seventy-Six Apparitions of Killoffer, by Killoffer (Typocrat)

Best Writer
Warren Ellis, Fell (Image); Down (Top Cow/Image); Desolation Jones, Ocean, Planetary (WildStorm/DC)
Alan Heinberg, Young Avengers (Marvel)
Alan Moore, Promethea, Top Ten: The Forty-Niners (ABC)
Grant Morrison, Seven Soldiers, All Star Superman (DC)
Brian K. Vaughan, Ex Machina (WildStorm/DC); Y: The Last Man (Vertigo/DC); Runaways (Marvel)

Best Writer/Artist
Geof Darrow, Shaolin Cowboy (Burlyman)
Guy Delisle, Pyongyang (Drawn & Quarterly)
Eric Shanower, Age of Bronze (Image)
Adrian Tomine, Optic Nerve #10 (Drawn & Quarterly)
Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library #16 (ACME Novelty)

Best Writer/Artist—Humor
Kyle Baker, Plastic Man (DC); The Bakers (Kyle Baker Publishing)
Paige Braddock, Jane’s World (Girl Twirl)
Bryan Lee O’Malley, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Oni)
Eric Powell, The Goon (Dark Horse)
Seth, Wimbledon Green (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Penciller/Inker
John Cassaday, Astonishing X-Men (Marvel); Planetary (WildStorm/DC)
Gene Ha, Top Ten: TheForty-Niners (ABC)
J. G. Jones, Wanted (Top Cow/Image)
Frank Quitely, All Star Superman (DC)
J. H. Williams III, Promethea, Desolation Jones (WildStorm/DC)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)
Paul Guinan, Heartbreakers Meet Boilerplate (IDW)
Ladronn, Hip Flask: Mystery City (Active Images)
Ben Templesmith, Fell (Image)
Kent Williams, The Fountain (Vertigo/DC)

Best Cover Artist
Frank Espinosa, Rocketo (Speakeasy)
Tony Harris, Ex Machina (Wildstorm/DC)
James Jean, Fables (Vertigo/DC); Runaways (Marvel)
Jock, The Losers (Vertigo/DC)
Eric Powell, The Goon; Universal Monsters: Cavalcade of Horror (Dark Horse)

Best Coloring
Jeromy Cox, Teen Titans (DC); Otherworld (Vertigo/DC)
Steven Griffen, Hawaiian Dick: The Last Resort (Image)
Steve Hamaker, Bone: The Great Cow Race (Scholastic Graphix)
Jose Villarrubia, Desolation Jones (WildStorm/DC)
Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library #16 (ACME Novelty)

Best Lettering
Chris Eliopolis, Ultimate Iron Man, Astonishing X-Men, Ultimates 2, House of M, Franklin Richards (Marvel); Fell (Image)
Todd Klein, Wonder Woman, Justice, Seven Soldiers #0 (DC); Desolation Jones (WildStorm/DC); Promethea, Top Ten: The Forty-Niners, Tomorrow Stories Special (ABC); Fables (Vertigo); 1602: New World (Marvel)
Richard Starkings, Conan, Revelations (Dark Horse); Godland (Image); Gunpowder Girl and the Outlaw Squaw, Hip Flask: Mystery City (Active Images)
Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library #16 (ACME Novelty)

Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition
Dawn Brown (Ravenous, Little Red Hot)
Aaron Renier (Spiral-Bound)
Zak Sally (Recidivist)
Ursula Vernon (Digger)

Best Comics-Related Periodical
Comic Art, edited by M. Todd Hignite (Comic Art)
Comic Book Artist, edited by Jon Cooke (Top Shelf)
The Comics Journal, edited by Gary Groth and Dirk Deppey (Fantagraphics)
Draw!, edited by Michael Manley (TwoMorrows)
Following Cerebus, edited by Craig Miller and John Thorne (Aardvark-Vanaheim/Win-Mill Productions)

Best Comics-Related Book
The Comics Journal Library: Classic Comic Illustrators, edited by Tom Spurgeon (Fantagraphics)
Eisner/Miller, interviews conducted by Charles Brownstein (Dark Horse Books)
Foul Play: The Art and Artists of the Notorious 1950s EC Comics, by Grant Geissman (Harper Design)
Masters of American Comics, edited by John Carlin, Paul Karasik, and Brian Walker (Hammer Museum/MOCA Los Angeles/Yale University Press)
RGK: Art of Roy G. Krenkel,  edited by J. David Spurlock and Barry Klugerman (Vanguard)

Best Publication Design
Acme Novelty Library Annual Report to Shareholders, designed by Chris Ware (Pantheon)
Little Nemo in Slumberland, designed by Philippe Ghuilemetti (Sunday Press Books)
Promethea #32, designed by J. H. Williams III and Todd Klein (ABC)
Walt and Skeezix, designed by Chris Ware (Drawn & Quarterly)
Wimbledon Green, designed by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)

Hall of Fame

Judges’ Choices: Floyd Gottfredson, William Moulton Marston

Voters will choose four from among:
Matt Baker
Vaughn Bode
Wayne Boring
Reed Crandall
Creig Flessel
Ramona Fradon
Harold Gray
Graham Ingels
Robert Kanigher
Russ Manning
Mort Meskin
Marty Nodell
Gilbert Shelton
Jim Steranko

Vote on HeroClix

Wizkids has opened voting for HeroClix Collector's Set #4.  On the ballot are: Mike Mignola's "B.P.R.D." and Matt Wagner's "Grendel" from Dark Horse; Wildstorm's "Astro City;" DC's "Metal Men" and Marvel's "2099."  These Collector's Sets feature five to seven characters that otherwise may not have been featured in DC HeroClix, Marvel HeroClix or Indy HeroClix lines.  Voting ends on April 5th.

Blaylock and Devil's Due give helping hand

Aspiring publishers and editors-in-chief now have a shot to make their comic book a reality.  Devil's Due Publishing has announced the Make a Comic Book with Josh Blaylock Contest as a companion program to its "How to Self-Pulish Comics: Not Just Create Them" four issue limited series

The Grand Prize winner will receive one-on-one consultation from Mr. Devil's Due himself in the form of weekly phone calls for two months and additional follow-up thereafter.  The goal is to assist the creator in setting up a production infratructure, developing a marketing plan and getting the book to press.  It's every creators's dream... and nightmare.  Don't expect to get by with a pitch and some sketches.  Devil's Due is looking for well thought out and presented business plans.  More info about the contest can be found here.

Devil's Due also plans to host a workshop at the Pittsburgh Comic Convention (April 21-23) on Saturday.  Get educated and learn some fundamentals before you enter the contest.

New Directions

Frank Coraci is attached to direct a film adaption of "Hawaiian Dick," the 1950s tiki/noir detective Image comic created by B. Clay Moore and Steven Griffin. Coraci is wrapping up "Click," an Adam Sandler comedy set for a June 23 release through Sony/Revolution.

Meanwhile, AICN is reporting that Zack Snyder, who's directing the adaptation of Frank Miller's "300," is in talks with WB to direct "Watchmen." The Alan Moore-Dave Gibbons classic has gone through a number of iterations, including a screenplay back in the early 1990s by "Batman" screenwriter Sam Hamm and a draft by "X-Men" screenwriter David Hayter. The pic was in preproduction at Par before the project was shut down and landed at WB, where it was starting over.

And since we forgot to mention it previously, "V for Vendetta" took in $12.9 million at the b.o. in its second weekend in release, bringing its domestic cume to $46.2 million.