Gaiman: King of Comic-Con

There's a reason Neil Gaiman is the dominant figure at the upcoming Comic-Con convention. I had a lovely time trawling Barnes and Noble, boning up on Gaiman's books, graphic novels, and comics before our interview. We sat outdoors on the sunny Paramount lot Wednesday. He's charming, and fun to talk to--even if I barely scratched the surface in half an hour. When I have time, I'll try to post some of the Q &A.

In the meantime, check out his blog, a Publisher's Weekly round-up, and here's my column. I cannot wait to see the 20 minutes of Beowulf and five minutes of Coraline at Comic-Con.

Because I'm an Anglophile romantic, I enjoyed Stardust the movie; much of the charm of the original fairy tale is on-screen. But the movie isn't nearly as rich and satisfying. It doesn't take you off to another world in the same way, a place that has its own logic and is utterly believeable. Somehow in a live-action universe you find yourself asking the question, why did Claire Danes as the fallen star hurt her leg when she hit the earth? (I'm such a Narnia fan that I didn't like the movie, which was a success by any measure. On the other hand, I love the Harry Potter films. I'm not as invested in my idea of how those characters are supposed to be.)

My instinct is that Stardust won't take off in a big way. But if Gaiman's many fans show up, would that make it a hit? First, I think it will appeal mainly to women, which makes studio marketers crazy. Paramount's selling this movie like an action adventure to get the boys. They're not capturing the charm and sweetness of the movie in their materials. They're making it look like everything else. I asked Nora what she thought of the Robert DeNiro flying pirates billboard and she said it was "dumb."

While Stardust won't be a tiny art-flick like MirrorMask, it could wind up another cult flick like Serenity.

I suspect that Gaiman's unfettered imagination will fly free in the more stylized fantasy universe of the animated Beowulf and Coraline.