Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Devin Grayson talks to Comic Foundry about her experiences in the industry:
"[T]here’s a huge difference between working in the comics medium and working in the comics industry. The medium, when you begin to explore it, quickly reveals itself to be capable of handling almost any kind of storytelling. It’s great for pulling readers into the emotional life of a story and has a powerful, interactive aspect not precisely mirrored in any other type of fiction. I really feel like it’s still evolving as an art form and is open to a tremendous amount of redefinition and growth. The industry, on the other hand – by which, by the way, I always mean the mainstream industry, since that’s where my experience lies – is one of the most limiting and circumscribed producers of fiction going. Though richly layered with decades of creator contributions and sometimes so archetypally pure as to survive almost any embarrassing mutilation, most mainstream superhero characters work not at crime-fighting or entertainment so much as at marketing. At the end of the day, Superman has to go sell Underoos and Batman gets his head planted on the top of a Pez dispenser. It is difficult to even begin to explain the ways in which this fundamental truth necessarily dominates and regulates character and story development. No one ever mentions it, but it is the financial driving force of the industry and ultimately influences every decision ever made about a superhero comic book. The next time you catch yourself balling your fists in frustration over a story line and yelling 'Why don’t they just – ' I can almost guarantee you that the answer is 'toothpaste.'"
"[T]here’s a huge difference between working in the comics medium and working in the comics industry. The medium, when you begin to explore it, quickly reveals itself to be capable of handling almost any kind of storytelling. It’s great for pulling readers into the emotional life of a story and has a powerful, interactive aspect not precisely mirrored in any other type of fiction. I really feel like it’s still evolving as an art form and is open to a tremendous amount of redefinition and growth. The industry, on the other hand – by which, by the way, I always mean the mainstream industry, since that’s where my experience lies – is one of the most limiting and circumscribed producers of fiction going. Though richly layered with decades of creator contributions and sometimes so archetypally pure as to survive almost any embarrassing mutilation, most mainstream superhero characters work not at crime-fighting or entertainment so much as at marketing. At the end of the day, Superman has to go sell Underoos and Batman gets his head planted on the top of a Pez dispenser. It is difficult to even begin to explain the ways in which this fundamental truth necessarily dominates and regulates character and story development. No one ever mentions it, but it is the financial driving force of the industry and ultimately influences every decision ever made about a superhero comic book. The next time you catch yourself balling your fists in frustration over a story line and yelling 'Why don’t they just – ' I can almost guarantee you that the answer is 'toothpaste.'"
The San Francisco Bay Guardian profiles local creator Justin Hall:
"I moved here because the Bay Area has such an incredible comics history... And there's a huge breadth of stuff going on – the Alternative Press Expo, SF Zine Fest, WonderCon, you name it. There's the opportunity to work with other cartoonists, go to comics jam sessions, get to know other work. It's a great place to be, not only for artists, but also for people who just love comics. And comics are available everywhere here. There's not many places left in the country where you can walk into a bookstore and see comics on display. Retailers willing to take a chance on locally produced pieces of narrative illustration – that's pretty powerful."
The article also previews the upcoming gallery show by SF comic creators, Ink, which Hall is involved in:
"I'm obsessed with that ever-shifting line between 'high' and 'low' art... and how it is that comics are always somehow positioned on the 'low' end. I want to see if a movement like that of photography or lithographs or the 'art of the book' can be started with cartoons, to bring them into the fine arts world, or allow them to move freely between the two worlds of 'low' and 'high' as they do in Japan or France, so they feel equally at home on a magazine stand or hung in a gallery."
"I moved here because the Bay Area has such an incredible comics history... And there's a huge breadth of stuff going on – the Alternative Press Expo, SF Zine Fest, WonderCon, you name it. There's the opportunity to work with other cartoonists, go to comics jam sessions, get to know other work. It's a great place to be, not only for artists, but also for people who just love comics. And comics are available everywhere here. There's not many places left in the country where you can walk into a bookstore and see comics on display. Retailers willing to take a chance on locally produced pieces of narrative illustration – that's pretty powerful."
The article also previews the upcoming gallery show by SF comic creators, Ink, which Hall is involved in:
"I'm obsessed with that ever-shifting line between 'high' and 'low' art... and how it is that comics are always somehow positioned on the 'low' end. I want to see if a movement like that of photography or lithographs or the 'art of the book' can be started with cartoons, to bring them into the fine arts world, or allow them to move freely between the two worlds of 'low' and 'high' as they do in Japan or France, so they feel equally at home on a magazine stand or hung in a gallery."
The current Ultimates creative team talk about the Ultimates creative team to come. Mark Millar:
"What Joe's done here is as radical and interesting as Frank Quitely and I being hired to replace Warren and Bryan on The Authority. It's not a team you might expect, but they're absolute quality and, having spoken with them, I know they're bursting with ideas and enthusiasm. Jeph's a very versatile writer. Superman/ Batman is a great, fun, kinetic book, but he can also do atmospheric and subtle better than almost anyone else as we saw on The Long Halloween. My only real interest was seeing the book in good hands. I genuinely think this was an inspired choice and the online interest in this thing is so super-charged I have a horrible feeling the buggers might even outsell us."
Bryan Hitch:
"Jeph and Joe have a solid base here and can bring something really fresh now that we two tired old hacks are done. It will be faster and bigger, I bet and much more explosive. I can't see how they can disappoint given their pedigree."
"What Joe's done here is as radical and interesting as Frank Quitely and I being hired to replace Warren and Bryan on The Authority. It's not a team you might expect, but they're absolute quality and, having spoken with them, I know they're bursting with ideas and enthusiasm. Jeph's a very versatile writer. Superman/ Batman is a great, fun, kinetic book, but he can also do atmospheric and subtle better than almost anyone else as we saw on The Long Halloween. My only real interest was seeing the book in good hands. I genuinely think this was an inspired choice and the online interest in this thing is so super-charged I have a horrible feeling the buggers might even outsell us."
Bryan Hitch:
"Jeph and Joe have a solid base here and can bring something really fresh now that we two tired old hacks are done. It will be faster and bigger, I bet and much more explosive. I can't see how they can disappoint given their pedigree."
Continuing August's theme of Everyone Overreacting To Everything, Millarworld continues to forsee the end of the world with the coming of Jeph Loeb and Joe Mad to The Ultimates:
"Ultimates is about ultra realistic art and politics just one superhero step away from the real world. Nothing this pair has even done in their careers indicates that they can deliver this particular 'flavour' to the ultimates. Thats me down to three marvel books next year. And a big sour taste left in my mouth."
"This is a total pisser. I don't think I've ever been this dissappointed with a creative team taking over a book in over 20 years of reading comics, as this is the most vocal I've ever been about something like this. Goodbye Ultimates."
"This is worse news than the book getting cancelled."
"the only thing that bothers me is that i really enjoy the current tone of paranoia and mistrust of american foreign policy in the book. jeph loeb's writing strikes me as the polar opposite of this. it seems more kinda flag waving mom and apple pie type storytelling. joe mads art is also less subversive than hitch's realistic ripped from the headlines kind of art."
"Ultimates is more of a creator driven project. And I think thats the essence of most peoples problems with 'this' creative team. This is not the 616 Avengers which are character driven as is most of the 616 universe. But the Ultimates are a different animal. And personally I do not see the book working with a different vision and a 'new' direction."
"I would love an Ultimate Hulk series written by the Ghost world writer, I would love the Ultimates to be written by some fantastic unknown talent. Someone with edge, someone with great new ideas. I don't care about 'fight comics', I don't care about super-powers, I just want a nice strong story that lasts longer than the time it takes to read the book itself. Loeb is not going to supply that, and MAD is not going to inspire me with his artwork, and that's before the insistence of returning to more traditional costumes."
"I wanted to quit comics for a while because it cost me too much. Hey it`s as good a time as any to do this now. Wow that is so depressing. Since i`m not the sort to hold grudges, I won`t toward Joe and the 'Powers-That-Be', I won`t say negative things after this one in message boards. But one thing I will do out of protest is stop being a Marvel fan. Consiser this: I buy 20 Marvel titles every months. And i`m dropping them all because of this Ultimates 3 decision. Since 2000 it`s been real. A Hell of a ride. I guess i`ll come back to the house when a new bankrupcy rears its head just to see what`s up."
"Ultimates is about ultra realistic art and politics just one superhero step away from the real world. Nothing this pair has even done in their careers indicates that they can deliver this particular 'flavour' to the ultimates. Thats me down to three marvel books next year. And a big sour taste left in my mouth."
"This is a total pisser. I don't think I've ever been this dissappointed with a creative team taking over a book in over 20 years of reading comics, as this is the most vocal I've ever been about something like this. Goodbye Ultimates."
"This is worse news than the book getting cancelled."
"the only thing that bothers me is that i really enjoy the current tone of paranoia and mistrust of american foreign policy in the book. jeph loeb's writing strikes me as the polar opposite of this. it seems more kinda flag waving mom and apple pie type storytelling. joe mads art is also less subversive than hitch's realistic ripped from the headlines kind of art."
"Ultimates is more of a creator driven project. And I think thats the essence of most peoples problems with 'this' creative team. This is not the 616 Avengers which are character driven as is most of the 616 universe. But the Ultimates are a different animal. And personally I do not see the book working with a different vision and a 'new' direction."
"I would love an Ultimate Hulk series written by the Ghost world writer, I would love the Ultimates to be written by some fantastic unknown talent. Someone with edge, someone with great new ideas. I don't care about 'fight comics', I don't care about super-powers, I just want a nice strong story that lasts longer than the time it takes to read the book itself. Loeb is not going to supply that, and MAD is not going to inspire me with his artwork, and that's before the insistence of returning to more traditional costumes."
"I wanted to quit comics for a while because it cost me too much. Hey it`s as good a time as any to do this now. Wow that is so depressing. Since i`m not the sort to hold grudges, I won`t toward Joe and the 'Powers-That-Be', I won`t say negative things after this one in message boards. But one thing I will do out of protest is stop being a Marvel fan. Consiser this: I buy 20 Marvel titles every months. And i`m dropping them all because of this Ultimates 3 decision. Since 2000 it`s been real. A Hell of a ride. I guess i`ll come back to the house when a new bankrupcy rears its head just to see what`s up."
DC Comics and Brad Meltzer - or, as he's known in the wonderful world of publishing, New York Times Bestseller Brad Meltzer - has an offer for those who might be interested in picking up Identity Crisis in hardcover next month - buy one, get one free:
"Brad Meltzer has written a graphic novel murder mystery that has all the critics talking. And you don't need to know anything about comics to enjoy it! When death hits too close to home, Superman, Batman and their costumed allies race against the clock to uncover the identity of a vicious killer...and end up uncovering a shocking event that will change the way you look at super heroes forever! And now, in a special offer for Brad Meltzer fans, when you buy Identity Crisis, you will also get a free copy of Brad’s Green Arrow: The Archer's Quest graphic novel! No strings attached – we're talking free book here!"
Details at the link. Interesting outreach effort, though.
"Brad Meltzer has written a graphic novel murder mystery that has all the critics talking. And you don't need to know anything about comics to enjoy it! When death hits too close to home, Superman, Batman and their costumed allies race against the clock to uncover the identity of a vicious killer...and end up uncovering a shocking event that will change the way you look at super heroes forever! And now, in a special offer for Brad Meltzer fans, when you buy Identity Crisis, you will also get a free copy of Brad’s Green Arrow: The Archer's Quest graphic novel! No strings attached – we're talking free book here!"
Details at the link. Interesting outreach effort, though.
The Comics Journal can be somewhat verbose, don't you think?:
"To me, it seems that comics have been deemed an 'inferior' form of art/entertainment through recent history primarily due to its close relation to the tradition of written literature, or perhaps more accurately, the illustrated children’s book. To render image alongside text is often associated with some sort of ineptitude on the part of its audience to adequately tap into the imaginative processes necessary to generate one’s own mental imagery, as one would when reading a novel. Now, this perception is only applicable when the written word is present in comics, it being the fundamental common element between the two. Remove the written word, and suddenly, the connection to literature seems to evaporate entirely, disregarding the basics of storytelling of both that transcend language. In this new scenario, we find comics as they truly are: the complete polar opposite of written literature, complete with a wholly different approach to reading and imaginative participation. Here, instead of generating imagery in response to text, as found in literature, the comics reader is invited to invent the narrative itself. The imagery provides the base scenario, but the reader’s participation is in the generation of their own mental dialogue, sound effects, even music, effortlessly elevating the medium as an equal sibling to traditional written literature. It is here that the question should be asked, does the written word really belong in comics, and if not, has its inclusion in the medium been to its own misfortune? ...To read text-laden comics, to me, is to miss the pure beauty of visual storytelling in its purest form, as we instantly gravitate towards the written elements, then work our way down the hierarchy towards the visual elements, ultimately synthesizing the two in our minds only after the initial viewing, engaging in a counterintuitive struggle that does little except slow the entire experience down. It’s after thinking on these ideas lately that I’ve decided to devote my own work exclusively to silent comics, and I am eager to hear others opinions on this. Keep in mind that I’ve spent my entire life reading comics with text, and this is only a recent development of opinion."
See what I did there? I made a joke about verbosity as an introduction to someone writing about verbosity. Me am so clever. Not that I'm the only one who couldn't resist cheap jokes:
"The next time you post on this board, you might want to be more brief in your writing. It's good writing, but a little overwhelming as a block of text. You know, like those text-heavy comics?"
Anyway, the rest of the thread engages the subject matter with slightly more weight...
"To me, it seems that comics have been deemed an 'inferior' form of art/entertainment through recent history primarily due to its close relation to the tradition of written literature, or perhaps more accurately, the illustrated children’s book. To render image alongside text is often associated with some sort of ineptitude on the part of its audience to adequately tap into the imaginative processes necessary to generate one’s own mental imagery, as one would when reading a novel. Now, this perception is only applicable when the written word is present in comics, it being the fundamental common element between the two. Remove the written word, and suddenly, the connection to literature seems to evaporate entirely, disregarding the basics of storytelling of both that transcend language. In this new scenario, we find comics as they truly are: the complete polar opposite of written literature, complete with a wholly different approach to reading and imaginative participation. Here, instead of generating imagery in response to text, as found in literature, the comics reader is invited to invent the narrative itself. The imagery provides the base scenario, but the reader’s participation is in the generation of their own mental dialogue, sound effects, even music, effortlessly elevating the medium as an equal sibling to traditional written literature. It is here that the question should be asked, does the written word really belong in comics, and if not, has its inclusion in the medium been to its own misfortune? ...To read text-laden comics, to me, is to miss the pure beauty of visual storytelling in its purest form, as we instantly gravitate towards the written elements, then work our way down the hierarchy towards the visual elements, ultimately synthesizing the two in our minds only after the initial viewing, engaging in a counterintuitive struggle that does little except slow the entire experience down. It’s after thinking on these ideas lately that I’ve decided to devote my own work exclusively to silent comics, and I am eager to hear others opinions on this. Keep in mind that I’ve spent my entire life reading comics with text, and this is only a recent development of opinion."
See what I did there? I made a joke about verbosity as an introduction to someone writing about verbosity. Me am so clever. Not that I'm the only one who couldn't resist cheap jokes:
"The next time you post on this board, you might want to be more brief in your writing. It's good writing, but a little overwhelming as a block of text. You know, like those text-heavy comics?"
Anyway, the rest of the thread engages the subject matter with slightly more weight...
Apologies are for the weak, claim the Bendis Board:
"Rob Liefield/Gail Simone apologized for [Teen Titans] #27 [on the official DC boards; it was an "I'm sorry if it didn't work for you" apology, as opposed to an apology for something in particular.] Even though they have nothing to apologize for in my opinion."
"For once I'd like the creators to give a big FUCK YOU to the audience saying that if you don't like it then TOO FUCKING BAD. What's w/ all the apologizing latley?"
"They didn't have to apologize. People are going to not like some books. Okay, the feedback was poor, so what could they do? Rob's had his day, and Gail is currently kicking all kinds of ass all over the place. (Anyone read Birds of Prey? Well you should be readin' it.) So they dropped a clunker. Everyone has 'em."
"Dude, it is part of being an adult. Saying 'fuck you'....well, in the professional world, it just doesn't help to say that to your purchasing community. I actually appreciate it, as someone who was let down by the overall story. I didn't hate it, but with their combined talents...I did expect something better than what I purchased. Thanks to Rob & Gail...I'm honestly more of a fan because of their honesty."
"Rob and Gail shouldn't have to apologize. The people who didn't like are not owed an apology. If you don't like it, don't buy it. If you tried it out just don't buy the second issue and wait for Geoff to return."
"Once Liefield begins appologizing for his work in the comics industry, how will he know when to stop?"
"Rob Liefield/Gail Simone apologized for [Teen Titans] #27 [on the official DC boards; it was an "I'm sorry if it didn't work for you" apology, as opposed to an apology for something in particular.] Even though they have nothing to apologize for in my opinion."
"For once I'd like the creators to give a big FUCK YOU to the audience saying that if you don't like it then TOO FUCKING BAD. What's w/ all the apologizing latley?"
"They didn't have to apologize. People are going to not like some books. Okay, the feedback was poor, so what could they do? Rob's had his day, and Gail is currently kicking all kinds of ass all over the place. (Anyone read Birds of Prey? Well you should be readin' it.) So they dropped a clunker. Everyone has 'em."
"Dude, it is part of being an adult. Saying 'fuck you'....well, in the professional world, it just doesn't help to say that to your purchasing community. I actually appreciate it, as someone who was let down by the overall story. I didn't hate it, but with their combined talents...I did expect something better than what I purchased. Thanks to Rob & Gail...I'm honestly more of a fan because of their honesty."
"Rob and Gail shouldn't have to apologize. The people who didn't like are not owed an apology. If you don't like it, don't buy it. If you tried it out just don't buy the second issue and wait for Geoff to return."
"Once Liefield begins appologizing for his work in the comics industry, how will he know when to stop?"
Mike Allred talks about his future work - his DC Solo issue, the Golden Plates, and a return to X-Statix:
"The [replacement of Princess Diana] hit me hard. Maybe even harder than Peter [Milligan, writer], but I doubt it. I just complained a lot louder after it took me out at the knees after drawing three whole issues and having them nixed. There's probably no moral to this story. I've been fully aware of the treatment of artists and writers my entire career. I've just been spoiled by enjoying most of my successes with my own creations and the freedoms that going along with that. And with the exception of that one crazy situation, my experience with Marvel, Axel, Joe, and all the terrific supporting players and co-stars was 100% killer. It's like winning a billion dollar lottery and complaining that the air conditioning isn't working on my private jet."
"The [replacement of Princess Diana] hit me hard. Maybe even harder than Peter [Milligan, writer], but I doubt it. I just complained a lot louder after it took me out at the knees after drawing three whole issues and having them nixed. There's probably no moral to this story. I've been fully aware of the treatment of artists and writers my entire career. I've just been spoiled by enjoying most of my successes with my own creations and the freedoms that going along with that. And with the exception of that one crazy situation, my experience with Marvel, Axel, Joe, and all the terrific supporting players and co-stars was 100% killer. It's like winning a billion dollar lottery and complaining that the air conditioning isn't working on my private jet."
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Anyone looking for confirmation of a rumor from this week's LiTG?:
"Pascual Ferry was to have drawn the Mister Miracle series, part of Grant Morrison's 'Seven Soldiers' arcing series. Well, he's only doing the first issue, with Bill Dallas Patton taking over the remaining three issues, with Michael Bair inking and Dave Macaig on colours."
Well, you should look at Mr. Patton's website for a fairly big hint:
"Bdp has agreed to take on a major project, finishing up a mini-series for DC Comics. Details are sketchy, though, and no planned announcements can be made until solicitations are released. Just know that miracles DO happen."
"Pascual Ferry was to have drawn the Mister Miracle series, part of Grant Morrison's 'Seven Soldiers' arcing series. Well, he's only doing the first issue, with Bill Dallas Patton taking over the remaining three issues, with Michael Bair inking and Dave Macaig on colours."
Well, you should look at Mr. Patton's website for a fairly big hint:
"Bdp has agreed to take on a major project, finishing up a mini-series for DC Comics. Details are sketchy, though, and no planned announcements can be made until solicitations are released. Just know that miracles DO happen."
James Sime provides niceness:
"With handfuls of cardboard box sections at the ready, sharpies in hand, and pipe clenched firmly in his teeth, [Dave] Johnson whipped out amazing sketch after amazing sketch which he handed out for free to those in attendance. The Isotope scanner ran hot trying to keep up with and document Mister Johnson's sketching prowess. While not all of Mister Johnson's sketches were recorded before the eager fans ran home to frame their very own Dave Johnson Originals, a selection of ten of his best have been preserved. And now the archive has been opened to the public and these sketches are available to peruse on-line at your leisure."
"With handfuls of cardboard box sections at the ready, sharpies in hand, and pipe clenched firmly in his teeth, [Dave] Johnson whipped out amazing sketch after amazing sketch which he handed out for free to those in attendance. The Isotope scanner ran hot trying to keep up with and document Mister Johnson's sketching prowess. While not all of Mister Johnson's sketches were recorded before the eager fans ran home to frame their very own Dave Johnson Originals, a selection of ten of his best have been preserved. And now the archive has been opened to the public and these sketches are available to peruse on-line at your leisure."
Wizard spills their own beans at their website, previewing tomorrow's issue:
"JEPH LOEB MOVES TO MARVEL [...] The DC writer heads to the House of Ideas to do Ultimates with Joe Madureira!"
I really hope that Ultimates 3 is more similar in tone to Superman/Batman than anything else, just to see the reactions.
"JEPH LOEB MOVES TO MARVEL [...] The DC writer heads to the House of Ideas to do Ultimates with Joe Madureira!"
I really hope that Ultimates 3 is more similar in tone to Superman/Batman than anything else, just to see the reactions.
A retailer writes:
"Many of you long time comic geeks I am sure are familiar with this event. Someone finds out you are into comics, and immediately goes into how they have a bunch of comics from when they were kids that they are 'POSITIVE' are worth money, and they want you to help them price them. Almost always it turn out to be a giant pile of crap, worth absolutley nothing, but they proudly shout they have Spawn Number one and The Death Of Superman issue, still in the black bag. And with thier proud faces they look at you for reassurance, claiminfg 'surely these are worth money?' I used to hate it, because after hearing them go on about how great their collection was, it was so dissapointing. But now I realize I love it, when these poor deluded suckers come to me, expecting me to tell them they are sitting on a financial goldmine, and I can CRUSH all their little hopes by informing them that I spent more on gas coming to look at their books than their entire collection was worth, and I only live a block away. Does anyone else derive any sick pleasure from this?"
"Many of you long time comic geeks I am sure are familiar with this event. Someone finds out you are into comics, and immediately goes into how they have a bunch of comics from when they were kids that they are 'POSITIVE' are worth money, and they want you to help them price them. Almost always it turn out to be a giant pile of crap, worth absolutley nothing, but they proudly shout they have Spawn Number one and The Death Of Superman issue, still in the black bag. And with thier proud faces they look at you for reassurance, claiminfg 'surely these are worth money?' I used to hate it, because after hearing them go on about how great their collection was, it was so dissapointing. But now I realize I love it, when these poor deluded suckers come to me, expecting me to tell them they are sitting on a financial goldmine, and I can CRUSH all their little hopes by informing them that I spent more on gas coming to look at their books than their entire collection was worth, and I only live a block away. Does anyone else derive any sick pleasure from this?"
Millarworld is worried about Superman:
"Lately, the never-ending battle has turned into the never-ending need for more kleenex to dry the big guy's wet ones. Is he going to have an emotional breakdown during the infinite crisis? He hasn't been going to the shrink much, anymore. Personally, I think the poor guy's headed for a crash. He's just been burning the candle at both ends for too long. What's everyone else think? Before last week, I thought he'd NEVER KILL anyone, but he will, now. How long until he starts drinking rocket feul to get a buzz? I don't know if I like this Superman, but you have to admit, he's unpredictable."
"He'll bounce back. He killed three people in the Phantom Zone, starred in a porno with Jack Kirby's wife, and starred in a TV series with Delta Burke as a supervillain. If that doesn't wipe out the big lug I doubt anything can. Worst off, in-continuity Superman'll be a mess and we'll have to stick to All-Star. I'm not sobbing too hard over the idea of having to only spend my super-money on Grant & Frank, y'know? I'd like more good stories than just that but I'll soldier on."
"Will it make him stop acting like the biggest pussy in the DCU? If so, I'm all for it."
"Lately, the never-ending battle has turned into the never-ending need for more kleenex to dry the big guy's wet ones. Is he going to have an emotional breakdown during the infinite crisis? He hasn't been going to the shrink much, anymore. Personally, I think the poor guy's headed for a crash. He's just been burning the candle at both ends for too long. What's everyone else think? Before last week, I thought he'd NEVER KILL anyone, but he will, now. How long until he starts drinking rocket feul to get a buzz? I don't know if I like this Superman, but you have to admit, he's unpredictable."
"He'll bounce back. He killed three people in the Phantom Zone, starred in a porno with Jack Kirby's wife, and starred in a TV series with Delta Burke as a supervillain. If that doesn't wipe out the big lug I doubt anything can. Worst off, in-continuity Superman'll be a mess and we'll have to stick to All-Star. I'm not sobbing too hard over the idea of having to only spend my super-money on Grant & Frank, y'know? I'd like more good stories than just that but I'll soldier on."
"Will it make him stop acting like the biggest pussy in the DCU? If so, I'm all for it."
Fox News - Fair, Balanced, and their finger on the pulse of comics:
"It's invaded the comic book world and children's entertainment. But can manga make it at the movies? Simply, manga (rhymes with 'bang-a') is Japanese for 'comics.' Dishpan-sized eyes, samurai-like movements and girls in microscopic miniskirts are a few of its tell-tale elements. Technically, you can bring a Superman comic to Japan, and it will be referred to as 'manga.' But nobody's bringing Superman comics to Japan. And everybody's bringing manga to America."
But not content with introducing Sean Hannity to what The Kids want, Fox looks to the future. But not the future you'd expect:
"Slated for 2007, Dreamworks' as-yet-untitled 'Transformers' movie will be the closest thing we'll see to a major mainstream attempt at bringing manga to the big screen. Though it didn't follow the traditional manga path (comic-anime-movie), producer Don Murphy makes the link. 'Just the whole idea of giant robots is a very manga-type thing,' he said. The 'Transformers' movie will be an interesting test of whether the current hunger for manga — combined with the box office's lust for superheroes — can go one step further. If giant robots can't conquer American audiences, then, what can?"
"It's invaded the comic book world and children's entertainment. But can manga make it at the movies? Simply, manga (rhymes with 'bang-a') is Japanese for 'comics.' Dishpan-sized eyes, samurai-like movements and girls in microscopic miniskirts are a few of its tell-tale elements. Technically, you can bring a Superman comic to Japan, and it will be referred to as 'manga.' But nobody's bringing Superman comics to Japan. And everybody's bringing manga to America."
But not content with introducing Sean Hannity to what The Kids want, Fox looks to the future. But not the future you'd expect:
"Slated for 2007, Dreamworks' as-yet-untitled 'Transformers' movie will be the closest thing we'll see to a major mainstream attempt at bringing manga to the big screen. Though it didn't follow the traditional manga path (comic-anime-movie), producer Don Murphy makes the link. 'Just the whole idea of giant robots is a very manga-type thing,' he said. The 'Transformers' movie will be an interesting test of whether the current hunger for manga — combined with the box office's lust for superheroes — can go one step further. If giant robots can't conquer American audiences, then, what can?"
The John Byrne forum reflects on the state of the industry:
"if you look at sales on an individual comic things look pretty grim but there are some good things compared to when I started reading comics in 1980. 1. There are a huge number of comics being produced. I think there are more Batman comics produced in a month than DC used to produce across their line. If you like Batman you are set. 2. If you do not like the current batman there are more trade papaerbacks being created than ever. You can read the version of Batman you like since there is a trade for it. 3. There is more variety. If you only look at the top of the charts you won't see it but there is a comic now being prodused for any taste. Look at the size of Previews if you cannot find something you like in there you do not like comics. There are three series just by Byrne this month. 4. Many artists and writers are making good money. Kirby had to work really long days to make enough money while many artist now make plenty on one book that does not even come out very often. 5. Anybody can start a comic and get it distributed. This was much more difficult in the past."
"Keep in mind that the combined sales of all the Batman titles sold today probably don't equal the sales of the Batman title, alone, 20-30 years ago."
"What can we do about it, though, except continue to buy comics?"
"There is something else to be done other than we, the readers, continuing to buy comics, and that's to go out and convert! In recent months I've slowly suckered a friend into the dark, murky world of comics. He's 28 and he's now picking up at least 3 books a month! Now I'm casting about for the next mark!"
"We need the BIG TWO to expand into EVERY genre...we need comic book shops and comic book READERS that will support other genres... BUT...mostly...we need NEW READERS...the KIDS need to come back...and we really, really need BETTER DISTRIBUTION."
"It is assumed by and large on this board that the number of people actually buying comics regularly has declined. But has it? From 73 through to 83 I brought regularly 20 or more comics a month both Marvel and DC, and often more. Now I buy 2 regularly. I rarely see people at my local shop buying more than 2 or 3 at a time. Is it the case now that we have lots of peoople who buy a few comics each month as compared to the old days when we had roughtly the same number of buyers reader but they bought a lot each month? I don' t know but from what others have posted on other threads I think it may have some basis in fact. Other than anecdotal evidence, can anyone give information that either supports this or not?"
"In my opinion, most comics should be produced as cheap as possible, distributed to as many outlets as possible, and be save for readers of all ages. Leave the lesbian assassian comics to the comic shops, but I want to see spinner racks in convenience stores again. Let's find a way to get more people reading them in the first place, then they can discover the depth the industry can reach."
"What does this Manga stuff sell anyway? What percentage of kids are reading it? Why won't it be a fad like GI Joe or TMNT or Smurfs or Image or Transformers, He-man, etc, when this generation grows up/gets tired of it, and their younger brothers and sisters look for their own things, as I did and then my sister and brother?"
"I'll put it very bluntly: the reason manga has beaten the pants off American comics is because it's better and appeals to more people. I'll take a single Crying Freeman over a thousand stories like 'Sins Past.' Even their immature wanking material is better than ours. What's amazing is how material written and drawn for a different culture is outselling domestic stuff here; the foreign companies are that good and the domestic ones are that clueless. If American publishers don't like how they're getting slaughtered, they should improve their material and their distribution. On the other hand they really don't seem to be bothered, as the bad behavior just keeps getting worse."
"if you look at sales on an individual comic things look pretty grim but there are some good things compared to when I started reading comics in 1980. 1. There are a huge number of comics being produced. I think there are more Batman comics produced in a month than DC used to produce across their line. If you like Batman you are set. 2. If you do not like the current batman there are more trade papaerbacks being created than ever. You can read the version of Batman you like since there is a trade for it. 3. There is more variety. If you only look at the top of the charts you won't see it but there is a comic now being prodused for any taste. Look at the size of Previews if you cannot find something you like in there you do not like comics. There are three series just by Byrne this month. 4. Many artists and writers are making good money. Kirby had to work really long days to make enough money while many artist now make plenty on one book that does not even come out very often. 5. Anybody can start a comic and get it distributed. This was much more difficult in the past."
"Keep in mind that the combined sales of all the Batman titles sold today probably don't equal the sales of the Batman title, alone, 20-30 years ago."
"What can we do about it, though, except continue to buy comics?"
"There is something else to be done other than we, the readers, continuing to buy comics, and that's to go out and convert! In recent months I've slowly suckered a friend into the dark, murky world of comics. He's 28 and he's now picking up at least 3 books a month! Now I'm casting about for the next mark!"
"We need the BIG TWO to expand into EVERY genre...we need comic book shops and comic book READERS that will support other genres... BUT...mostly...we need NEW READERS...the KIDS need to come back...and we really, really need BETTER DISTRIBUTION."
"It is assumed by and large on this board that the number of people actually buying comics regularly has declined. But has it? From 73 through to 83 I brought regularly 20 or more comics a month both Marvel and DC, and often more. Now I buy 2 regularly. I rarely see people at my local shop buying more than 2 or 3 at a time. Is it the case now that we have lots of peoople who buy a few comics each month as compared to the old days when we had roughtly the same number of buyers reader but they bought a lot each month? I don' t know but from what others have posted on other threads I think it may have some basis in fact. Other than anecdotal evidence, can anyone give information that either supports this or not?"
"In my opinion, most comics should be produced as cheap as possible, distributed to as many outlets as possible, and be save for readers of all ages. Leave the lesbian assassian comics to the comic shops, but I want to see spinner racks in convenience stores again. Let's find a way to get more people reading them in the first place, then they can discover the depth the industry can reach."
"What does this Manga stuff sell anyway? What percentage of kids are reading it? Why won't it be a fad like GI Joe or TMNT or Smurfs or Image or Transformers, He-man, etc, when this generation grows up/gets tired of it, and their younger brothers and sisters look for their own things, as I did and then my sister and brother?"
"I'll put it very bluntly: the reason manga has beaten the pants off American comics is because it's better and appeals to more people. I'll take a single Crying Freeman over a thousand stories like 'Sins Past.' Even their immature wanking material is better than ours. What's amazing is how material written and drawn for a different culture is outselling domestic stuff here; the foreign companies are that good and the domestic ones are that clueless. If American publishers don't like how they're getting slaughtered, they should improve their material and their distribution. On the other hand they really don't seem to be bothered, as the bad behavior just keeps getting worse."
Monday, August 29, 2005
Who can follow Mark Millar? CB Cebulski offers hints:
"C.B. Cebulski, standing in for Joe Quesada at the 'Cup ‘O Joe' panel seemed to confirm that Jeph Loeb and Joe Madureria are the new team on the recently announced Ultimates v3. Cebulski was asked 'What are Jeph/Joe doing?' and answered 'See Wizard in four days'. He was then asked 'Who’s the next team on Ultimates?' and answered 'See Wizard in four days,' and then added 'I think you guys can put two and two together.'"
Mr. Cebulski is singing a slightly different tune at Millarworld, though:
"I don't work at Marvel anymore. I sat in on the Cup O' Joe as a favor to answer any questions I may know the answers to. I do not know what Joe Mad's next project is. I do not know who is taking over Ultimates 3. I just gave the same answer I heard Joe give to these questions when I was at his panel in Chicago. 'Wait for the new Wizard.' I'll be picking it up this Wednesday to read the news myself."
The Millarworld response to the rumor in general is somewhat as you'd expect:
"God, and that's how I stop buying The Ultimates."
"If this is true, I'm totally dropping this book, and I'm totally disgusted at Marvel for picking such a poor replacement for one their best creative teams on one of the best books. Millar's and Hitch's legacy just got crapped on."
"Personally, I don't want to see what these guys do with the book. I've always found Loeb's work boring and sometimes pretentious, and I despise Madureira's work. It most definetly is not my cup of tea. So I see no reason whatsoever to drop a sigle cent towards a book done by these guys."
"Loeb and Mad doing Ultimates 3 just means I save money each week. Not a fan of either, and I'm of the opinion that they don't have the chops to keep that book as good as it's been."
"Looks like I will start saving three dollars soon."
"C.B. Cebulski, standing in for Joe Quesada at the 'Cup ‘O Joe' panel seemed to confirm that Jeph Loeb and Joe Madureria are the new team on the recently announced Ultimates v3. Cebulski was asked 'What are Jeph/Joe doing?' and answered 'See Wizard in four days'. He was then asked 'Who’s the next team on Ultimates?' and answered 'See Wizard in four days,' and then added 'I think you guys can put two and two together.'"
Mr. Cebulski is singing a slightly different tune at Millarworld, though:
"I don't work at Marvel anymore. I sat in on the Cup O' Joe as a favor to answer any questions I may know the answers to. I do not know what Joe Mad's next project is. I do not know who is taking over Ultimates 3. I just gave the same answer I heard Joe give to these questions when I was at his panel in Chicago. 'Wait for the new Wizard.' I'll be picking it up this Wednesday to read the news myself."
The Millarworld response to the rumor in general is somewhat as you'd expect:
"God, and that's how I stop buying The Ultimates."
"If this is true, I'm totally dropping this book, and I'm totally disgusted at Marvel for picking such a poor replacement for one their best creative teams on one of the best books. Millar's and Hitch's legacy just got crapped on."
"Personally, I don't want to see what these guys do with the book. I've always found Loeb's work boring and sometimes pretentious, and I despise Madureira's work. It most definetly is not my cup of tea. So I see no reason whatsoever to drop a sigle cent towards a book done by these guys."
"Loeb and Mad doing Ultimates 3 just means I save money each week. Not a fan of either, and I'm of the opinion that they don't have the chops to keep that book as good as it's been."
"Looks like I will start saving three dollars soon."
The Bendis Board gets ready for Engine, Warren Ellis's new message board:
"Yay! Finally a new place where introverted American high school and college students can go and awkwardly speak British slang! They've been so lost for so long..."
"Yay I can finally dump this place."
"Okay, it's not trying to be the Bendis Board, it's not trying to be Millarworld, and he'd rather we didn't come to discuss his more disseminated works, Planetary being part of this list of undesired topics of conversation. Speaking as a huge Ellis fan, what's the bloody point here?"
"A place for speficially talking about non-superhero, creator-owned work? A read-only pro forum? Sounds great to me. These things are pretty lacking in the current online community. Also, hopefully it'll keep the rape-o's out."
Millarworld also prepares.
"Yay! Finally a new place where introverted American high school and college students can go and awkwardly speak British slang! They've been so lost for so long..."
"Yay I can finally dump this place."
"Okay, it's not trying to be the Bendis Board, it's not trying to be Millarworld, and he'd rather we didn't come to discuss his more disseminated works, Planetary being part of this list of undesired topics of conversation. Speaking as a huge Ellis fan, what's the bloody point here?"
"A place for speficially talking about non-superhero, creator-owned work? A read-only pro forum? Sounds great to me. These things are pretty lacking in the current online community. Also, hopefully it'll keep the rape-o's out."
Millarworld also prepares.
Millarworld reacts to the preview design of Ultimate Galactus:
"GAH LAK TUS AS A DISGUSTING, PLANET CONSUMING SPACE BUG. I CAN SEE IT. f.y.i.-I WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO COIN THE PHRASE "GAH LAK TUS INTOLERANT" FOR ALL FUTURE USE."
"That Galactus design will look as dated as some people think the original version looks. It's totally a product of the Matrix/Mecha era. Ooh, a mechanical bug with LED eyes. I don't care if it came from the mind of Warren Ellis or not. It just looks awful. Then again, this is just a preliminary image, so I can't bitch too much yet. For all I know the bug is going to come to rest on the shoulders of a big Mecha syle robot..with tentacles. Oof."
"THAT'S Ultimate Galactus? You know.....this is exactly why I prefer the originals to the 'keweled up' Ultimate versions. There's this spirit of 'we can top that' at work with alot of these updated Ultimate versions of characters, no more evident than with this absurd 'improvement' over Lee and Kirby's giant space-god. How is a Geiger-esque bug head inherently 'kewler' than 'a guy with a bucket on his head'? Or how about this, Oh Mighty Ultimate Writers: How about something entirely original that doesn't involve sticking mag wheels on 'old school' ideas and characters? How 'new school' can you guys actually be if you can't put these archetypes behind you and strive for something truly new and original?"
The Bendis Board reacts to the same:
"Pretty cool. Looks kinda like Brainiac's skull ship from the front."
"Doesn't really strike fear in your heart though does it?"
"Did a Giant man wearing a purple helmet with antlers with a big G on his belt and chest do that? Pretty neat design if you ask me."
Brandon Peterson, artist of the sketches, responds to the comments:
"Hey guys, those are my prelims for the 'Ultimate Galactus' project. Those images are prelims, as in quick developmental ideas that may or may not be used. I am actually very surprised that those prelims were shown as they were a couple of ideas that were bashed out quickly by me early in the development process. They are rough ideas to visualize some specific things Joe, Warren, Ralph and I were talking about over e-mails. I would say folks should wait until the book comes out before they make up their minds about it and to not judge the final product based on a couple of 20 minute prelims and a little heresay. I mean it's entertaining and all, but it's also a little silly."
"GAH LAK TUS AS A DISGUSTING, PLANET CONSUMING SPACE BUG. I CAN SEE IT. f.y.i.-I WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO COIN THE PHRASE "GAH LAK TUS INTOLERANT" FOR ALL FUTURE USE."
"That Galactus design will look as dated as some people think the original version looks. It's totally a product of the Matrix/Mecha era. Ooh, a mechanical bug with LED eyes. I don't care if it came from the mind of Warren Ellis or not. It just looks awful. Then again, this is just a preliminary image, so I can't bitch too much yet. For all I know the bug is going to come to rest on the shoulders of a big Mecha syle robot..with tentacles. Oof."
"THAT'S Ultimate Galactus? You know.....this is exactly why I prefer the originals to the 'keweled up' Ultimate versions. There's this spirit of 'we can top that' at work with alot of these updated Ultimate versions of characters, no more evident than with this absurd 'improvement' over Lee and Kirby's giant space-god. How is a Geiger-esque bug head inherently 'kewler' than 'a guy with a bucket on his head'? Or how about this, Oh Mighty Ultimate Writers: How about something entirely original that doesn't involve sticking mag wheels on 'old school' ideas and characters? How 'new school' can you guys actually be if you can't put these archetypes behind you and strive for something truly new and original?"
The Bendis Board reacts to the same:
"Pretty cool. Looks kinda like Brainiac's skull ship from the front."
"Doesn't really strike fear in your heart though does it?"
"Did a Giant man wearing a purple helmet with antlers with a big G on his belt and chest do that? Pretty neat design if you ask me."
Brandon Peterson, artist of the sketches, responds to the comments:
"Hey guys, those are my prelims for the 'Ultimate Galactus' project. Those images are prelims, as in quick developmental ideas that may or may not be used. I am actually very surprised that those prelims were shown as they were a couple of ideas that were bashed out quickly by me early in the development process. They are rough ideas to visualize some specific things Joe, Warren, Ralph and I were talking about over e-mails. I would say folks should wait until the book comes out before they make up their minds about it and to not judge the final product based on a couple of 20 minute prelims and a little heresay. I mean it's entertaining and all, but it's also a little silly."
Larry Young talks about his secret origin, his future and AiT/PlanetLar:
"You have to adapt or die, man. Even though some observers of the scene think I make absolute pronouncements about doctrine and dogma and whatnot, I think that's just a reaction to my passion and focus. Honestly, the one bit of dogma anyone could accuse me of and be correct is that we zig when you think we're gonna zag. Look at the history: think we're self-publishers? Astronauts In Trouble: Live From The Moon, was published by the Snell Brothers' Gun Dog Comics. Think we only do graphic novels? Enjoy AiT: Space: 1959, DEMO, and The Black Diamond. Getting used to us pitching our editorial slate the week before San Diego? Not this year; we're rolling out things individually. What can I tell you? I'm just not one of those guys who enjoys the familiar. I like the new thing, around the corner. I like to innovate or trail-blaze. I'm not going to repeat myself or do something again, because it's familiar. That's a good way to get stale."
"You have to adapt or die, man. Even though some observers of the scene think I make absolute pronouncements about doctrine and dogma and whatnot, I think that's just a reaction to my passion and focus. Honestly, the one bit of dogma anyone could accuse me of and be correct is that we zig when you think we're gonna zag. Look at the history: think we're self-publishers? Astronauts In Trouble: Live From The Moon, was published by the Snell Brothers' Gun Dog Comics. Think we only do graphic novels? Enjoy AiT: Space: 1959, DEMO, and The Black Diamond. Getting used to us pitching our editorial slate the week before San Diego? Not this year; we're rolling out things individually. What can I tell you? I'm just not one of those guys who enjoys the familiar. I like the new thing, around the corner. I like to innovate or trail-blaze. I'm not going to repeat myself or do something again, because it's familiar. That's a good way to get stale."
So, as we've seen even here, there's some upset at the recent events in the Batbooks. One LiveJournal poster sums said upset up in one long post:
"See, the thing is? When it comes right down to it, for me... it's not about the actual plot-points. Not Steph-as-Robin, not Steph's death, not even Leslie's character being raped for the sake of, apparently, sales-increasing outrage. I've been around this comics block a few times, after all, and I completely do get how many of these cracked-out and massively world-shaking decisions either come down from on-high or are actively *approved* by those on-high.
"'Cripple the bitch,' said the DC editorial staff in response to Alan Moore's questions about what he could and couldn't do to Babs. I know this. *We* know this, yes? At this point, I'm not actually finding all that many people who seriously believe that all of the nutty things that have been happening in Willingham's issues are, in fact, all Willingham's fault. If there are still people who believe that? Stop. Stop. Because a) it wasn't, and b) it's so completely not about that.
"How many of you have some story somewhere which you loved to bits despite the fact that it killed off a favorite character? How many of you have *written* stories like that? Stories where heroes do crazy and morally wrong things, stories where heroes legacies' are tarnished... you know, the sort of thing that, once it makes it into canon, often causes us to freak the hell out. Now, meta could most assuredly be written -- and has, in terms of 'Identity Crisis,' at least -- about how it *is* the divide between fan-fiction and canon which makes the difference, and I do think that there's a *point* there that should be considered. After all, we're talking about a canon which cannot -- will not -- actually *end*, and so every decision which comes down the pike must have consequences, and those consequences must ripple down the timeline now and forever -- or be edited out in some offensive universe re-set or another.
"Killing Anya off in the last episode of BtVS is both more and *less* meaningful than, say, killing off Stephanie in 'War Games.' It was the last freaking episode, you know? We, as fans, don't have to gird our collective loins and live on tenterhooks to see how the writers will try -- and possibly fail -- to handle the aftermath of that death correctly. In comics-land... this is a) a big ol' open wound which must be considered, and b) a big ol' open wound which we frankly have very little reason to believe will be treated with the care it deserves and requires in order not to fester. [Insert Jason Todd-related rant here.]
"When you have an open-ended -- and neverending -- canon, there is virtue in conservatism. There are things which simply cannot be done in the Batverse -- or the rest of the DCU -- which can be done on the Vertigo side of the fence. As a fan of both DC and Vertigo titles? I'm on board with that. I think it's ass-stupid that Bruce can't be allowed to have his fortieth birthday, but, you know, I'm *not* a DC fan for the Great! Big! Shakeups! I don't think I actually *know* anyone who *is*. It's not the 'Identity Crisis'-type storylines which bring us to the proverbial yard -- even though I, for one, quite enjoyed IC -- it's the generations of history, it's the legacies, it's the decades of slow, cautious character-building. It's the *world*, and the way it turns quite slowly, indeed. Five years of real time for every year -- at most -- of comics-time. THAT is what does it for me. Break Gotham to bits? Fine! *Spend* that year-and-change exploring the ramifications of an earthquake and, yes, rebuilding. It wasn't the quake which did it to us, collectively, it was the reactions to it, the family, the coming-together, and, yes, the rebuilding.
"It was the ways in which destroying a city which meant so much to people both fictional and not, and the GIANT OBVIOUS METAPHOR OF ETERNITY which informed the rebuilding which was just as important as the tearing down. It's that, in the end, we all know that Bruce isn't truly a Murderer, at all. What we're *here* for is what it does to the characters and their universe before they -- yes -- *rebuild*, once more. It's the fact that Batman and Robin's relationship could never be the same after issues like Gotham Knights #26 and BATMAN #600, but that, because they're Batman and Robin as much as they're Bruce and Tim, they have to *try*, they have to live with it and they have to *try*.
"So what's the deal now? What happened to the other half of the process, DC? Where's the rebuilding? Where's the reshaping of what had been broken into something both ultimately changed from the original but still recognizable as the -- perhaps inevitable -- *child* of the original? Where's the *legacy*? There are any number of fans who will hate you, DC -- or claim to hate you -- every time you do something negative (or even 'negative') to their favorite characters. Frankly, people like that *should* be ignored, because there's a difference between respecting the legacy and letting the proverbial swamp stagnate.
However, there are any number of areas of overlap between *that* sort of fan and, well, a fan like me. I loved 'Identity Crisis,' you know?
"Frankly, I think the only problem with "Emerald Twilight" was that you, in your infinite wisdom, failed to give it to a creative team who would handle your editorial edicts with the respect and care that they deserved. I think your recent decision to 'redeem' Hal Jordan via offensively stupid retcons and a careful removal of all blame is, well, offensively stupid. NIGHTWING #93 made me gasp and moan and rock back and forth. ROBIN #100 made my eyes try to remove themselves from my head in shocked joy -- and I will never, ever get over 'A Boy and His Mask.' So what's so different about these issues and storylines? What makes the one fantastic and brave storytelling and the other offensive extremism and disrespect?
"Well, you know, it's sticky, O Editorial Ones, but I think, in the end, you can boil it down to one damned word: RESPECT. Here, I'll say it again, just in case it wasn't clear: RESPECT [...] For whatever reason, you tend to hire writers who fall into two distinct camps: Camp One: Giant fanboys and fangirls who love the universe and want to honor it as much -- if not more -- as they want to tell their own stories. Camp Two: Men and women who want to tell their own stories.
"Frankly, DC? It's dead fucking obvious which writers fall into the former camp and which fall into the latter. It doesn't matter if every 'major' plot point in Willingham's storylines was a decision made by *you*, you really should've known better than to give it to a man who has actively expressed contempt of the very idea of superhero comics -- and the fans who love them -- and who has flat-out said that he never read them before. Especially once it became clear that he didn't exactly bend over backwards to catch *up* on those superhero comics he hated so much before he set pen to ROBIN paper.
"I'm a fangirl, DC. I'm a professional writer sometimes, but, in the end, I'm *mostly* a fangirl. That *kind* of fangirl who believes that there are no objective limits to the kind of story you can tell about a given set of characters -- and the content of those stories -- so long as you start from a place of respect, if not flat-out love and adoration. Kill my woobies. Maim my woobies. Make my woobies do things that make me weep. But, for the love of all that's holy -- remember that they *are* woobies. That they're people, too -- if not to you, o DC editors, then to their fans. Babs might have been just a useless 'bitch' to you, but she was *your* bitch. You put her out there. You gave her *to* us. And if we failed to find her superfluous, then, you know, perhaps you should be congratulating yourself on a job well done... rather than getting pissy with us, as fans, for not going with the program. [Insert additional Jason Todd-related rant here.]
"The reason *why* 'Identity Crisis' worked for so very, very many of us -- even for those of us who violently disagreed with the things Meltzer said about Barry, and who will never forgive him for killing Sue -- is that it was rather abundantly clear that we were dealing with a writer from Camp One. The reason *why* "Red Hood" is working for so very, very many of us -- even for those us who violently disagree with the things Winick is saying about Jason Todd, and who think he's smoking the bad crack, besides... the reason why we're *not* up in arms against Winick is that it remains abundantly clear that we are, again, dealing with a writer from Camp One. So why isn't it clear to you, hunh?
"What are you *doing* that the nature of fannishness, of love and respect for legacies and fictional characters seems so alien and so strange? Take a step back, people. Breathe. And remember that *without* the insane fanboys and fangirls -- the ones who love so wildly and strangely, so intensely and so illogically -- you wouldn't be getting *paid*.
"Please.
"Or don't... and continue to watch those sales numbers of yours fall."
Bill Willingham? Would you like to respond?
"After this issue came out, I took a rare tour of other message boards to try to gauge what the general reaction might be. As expected, it was overwhelmingly negative, with lots of 'how dare Willingham do this!' What I didn't expect is how much message traffic this book would generate. Message boards that might have one or two regulars post every few days, or so, suddenly exploded with five and six pages of new messages per day.
"Here's something you readers need to realize: Though we generally hope readers will like our stories, hating them is almost as good. Hating them so much that yours is the one book everyone is talking about now -- well that's golden. One can't hate without passion and involvement. The one reaction we most fear is indifference. Yes, I'm a little put out by the (at least three and counting) reputedly male readers who posted testimony that they wept after reading this issue (one claiming it was for the loss of innocence). Not that I believe they actually did. But I'm still from an early enough American generation to find men claiming to act like overly dramatic little girls just a little bit cringe-making.
"And of course there were scores of those claiming that this incident was the last straw and they're giving up my books, or the Bat books, or all comic books, forever. Here's a splash of water for everyone who ever has or ever will make such an hysterical claim on a message board: We never believe you. If you're the type to indulge in 'how dare they do that!' we know you'll always be back for further outrages. Those addicted to indignation need constant indignation feeding.
"But, that aside, all is good. Feel free to blame me for ruining Batman. I could claim that editorial mandates were in force here and thereby split the blame a bit, but I think this time I won't. I willingly took the job, and I'm too greedy to want to share the credit this time.
"How do you like them apples?"
(Thanks, Libby and Ollie.)
"See, the thing is? When it comes right down to it, for me... it's not about the actual plot-points. Not Steph-as-Robin, not Steph's death, not even Leslie's character being raped for the sake of, apparently, sales-increasing outrage. I've been around this comics block a few times, after all, and I completely do get how many of these cracked-out and massively world-shaking decisions either come down from on-high or are actively *approved* by those on-high.
"'Cripple the bitch,' said the DC editorial staff in response to Alan Moore's questions about what he could and couldn't do to Babs. I know this. *We* know this, yes? At this point, I'm not actually finding all that many people who seriously believe that all of the nutty things that have been happening in Willingham's issues are, in fact, all Willingham's fault. If there are still people who believe that? Stop. Stop. Because a) it wasn't, and b) it's so completely not about that.
"How many of you have some story somewhere which you loved to bits despite the fact that it killed off a favorite character? How many of you have *written* stories like that? Stories where heroes do crazy and morally wrong things, stories where heroes legacies' are tarnished... you know, the sort of thing that, once it makes it into canon, often causes us to freak the hell out. Now, meta could most assuredly be written -- and has, in terms of 'Identity Crisis,' at least -- about how it *is* the divide between fan-fiction and canon which makes the difference, and I do think that there's a *point* there that should be considered. After all, we're talking about a canon which cannot -- will not -- actually *end*, and so every decision which comes down the pike must have consequences, and those consequences must ripple down the timeline now and forever -- or be edited out in some offensive universe re-set or another.
"Killing Anya off in the last episode of BtVS is both more and *less* meaningful than, say, killing off Stephanie in 'War Games.' It was the last freaking episode, you know? We, as fans, don't have to gird our collective loins and live on tenterhooks to see how the writers will try -- and possibly fail -- to handle the aftermath of that death correctly. In comics-land... this is a) a big ol' open wound which must be considered, and b) a big ol' open wound which we frankly have very little reason to believe will be treated with the care it deserves and requires in order not to fester. [Insert Jason Todd-related rant here.]
"When you have an open-ended -- and neverending -- canon, there is virtue in conservatism. There are things which simply cannot be done in the Batverse -- or the rest of the DCU -- which can be done on the Vertigo side of the fence. As a fan of both DC and Vertigo titles? I'm on board with that. I think it's ass-stupid that Bruce can't be allowed to have his fortieth birthday, but, you know, I'm *not* a DC fan for the Great! Big! Shakeups! I don't think I actually *know* anyone who *is*. It's not the 'Identity Crisis'-type storylines which bring us to the proverbial yard -- even though I, for one, quite enjoyed IC -- it's the generations of history, it's the legacies, it's the decades of slow, cautious character-building. It's the *world*, and the way it turns quite slowly, indeed. Five years of real time for every year -- at most -- of comics-time. THAT is what does it for me. Break Gotham to bits? Fine! *Spend* that year-and-change exploring the ramifications of an earthquake and, yes, rebuilding. It wasn't the quake which did it to us, collectively, it was the reactions to it, the family, the coming-together, and, yes, the rebuilding.
"It was the ways in which destroying a city which meant so much to people both fictional and not, and the GIANT OBVIOUS METAPHOR OF ETERNITY which informed the rebuilding which was just as important as the tearing down. It's that, in the end, we all know that Bruce isn't truly a Murderer, at all. What we're *here* for is what it does to the characters and their universe before they -- yes -- *rebuild*, once more. It's the fact that Batman and Robin's relationship could never be the same after issues like Gotham Knights #26 and BATMAN #600, but that, because they're Batman and Robin as much as they're Bruce and Tim, they have to *try*, they have to live with it and they have to *try*.
"So what's the deal now? What happened to the other half of the process, DC? Where's the rebuilding? Where's the reshaping of what had been broken into something both ultimately changed from the original but still recognizable as the -- perhaps inevitable -- *child* of the original? Where's the *legacy*? There are any number of fans who will hate you, DC -- or claim to hate you -- every time you do something negative (or even 'negative') to their favorite characters. Frankly, people like that *should* be ignored, because there's a difference between respecting the legacy and letting the proverbial swamp stagnate.
However, there are any number of areas of overlap between *that* sort of fan and, well, a fan like me. I loved 'Identity Crisis,' you know?
"Frankly, I think the only problem with "Emerald Twilight" was that you, in your infinite wisdom, failed to give it to a creative team who would handle your editorial edicts with the respect and care that they deserved. I think your recent decision to 'redeem' Hal Jordan via offensively stupid retcons and a careful removal of all blame is, well, offensively stupid. NIGHTWING #93 made me gasp and moan and rock back and forth. ROBIN #100 made my eyes try to remove themselves from my head in shocked joy -- and I will never, ever get over 'A Boy and His Mask.' So what's so different about these issues and storylines? What makes the one fantastic and brave storytelling and the other offensive extremism and disrespect?
"Well, you know, it's sticky, O Editorial Ones, but I think, in the end, you can boil it down to one damned word: RESPECT. Here, I'll say it again, just in case it wasn't clear: RESPECT [...] For whatever reason, you tend to hire writers who fall into two distinct camps: Camp One: Giant fanboys and fangirls who love the universe and want to honor it as much -- if not more -- as they want to tell their own stories. Camp Two: Men and women who want to tell their own stories.
"Frankly, DC? It's dead fucking obvious which writers fall into the former camp and which fall into the latter. It doesn't matter if every 'major' plot point in Willingham's storylines was a decision made by *you*, you really should've known better than to give it to a man who has actively expressed contempt of the very idea of superhero comics -- and the fans who love them -- and who has flat-out said that he never read them before. Especially once it became clear that he didn't exactly bend over backwards to catch *up* on those superhero comics he hated so much before he set pen to ROBIN paper.
"I'm a fangirl, DC. I'm a professional writer sometimes, but, in the end, I'm *mostly* a fangirl. That *kind* of fangirl who believes that there are no objective limits to the kind of story you can tell about a given set of characters -- and the content of those stories -- so long as you start from a place of respect, if not flat-out love and adoration. Kill my woobies. Maim my woobies. Make my woobies do things that make me weep. But, for the love of all that's holy -- remember that they *are* woobies. That they're people, too -- if not to you, o DC editors, then to their fans. Babs might have been just a useless 'bitch' to you, but she was *your* bitch. You put her out there. You gave her *to* us. And if we failed to find her superfluous, then, you know, perhaps you should be congratulating yourself on a job well done... rather than getting pissy with us, as fans, for not going with the program. [Insert additional Jason Todd-related rant here.]
"The reason *why* 'Identity Crisis' worked for so very, very many of us -- even for those of us who violently disagreed with the things Meltzer said about Barry, and who will never forgive him for killing Sue -- is that it was rather abundantly clear that we were dealing with a writer from Camp One. The reason *why* "Red Hood" is working for so very, very many of us -- even for those us who violently disagree with the things Winick is saying about Jason Todd, and who think he's smoking the bad crack, besides... the reason why we're *not* up in arms against Winick is that it remains abundantly clear that we are, again, dealing with a writer from Camp One. So why isn't it clear to you, hunh?
"What are you *doing* that the nature of fannishness, of love and respect for legacies and fictional characters seems so alien and so strange? Take a step back, people. Breathe. And remember that *without* the insane fanboys and fangirls -- the ones who love so wildly and strangely, so intensely and so illogically -- you wouldn't be getting *paid*.
"Please.
"Or don't... and continue to watch those sales numbers of yours fall."
Bill Willingham? Would you like to respond?
"After this issue came out, I took a rare tour of other message boards to try to gauge what the general reaction might be. As expected, it was overwhelmingly negative, with lots of 'how dare Willingham do this!' What I didn't expect is how much message traffic this book would generate. Message boards that might have one or two regulars post every few days, or so, suddenly exploded with five and six pages of new messages per day.
"Here's something you readers need to realize: Though we generally hope readers will like our stories, hating them is almost as good. Hating them so much that yours is the one book everyone is talking about now -- well that's golden. One can't hate without passion and involvement. The one reaction we most fear is indifference. Yes, I'm a little put out by the (at least three and counting) reputedly male readers who posted testimony that they wept after reading this issue (one claiming it was for the loss of innocence). Not that I believe they actually did. But I'm still from an early enough American generation to find men claiming to act like overly dramatic little girls just a little bit cringe-making.
"And of course there were scores of those claiming that this incident was the last straw and they're giving up my books, or the Bat books, or all comic books, forever. Here's a splash of water for everyone who ever has or ever will make such an hysterical claim on a message board: We never believe you. If you're the type to indulge in 'how dare they do that!' we know you'll always be back for further outrages. Those addicted to indignation need constant indignation feeding.
"But, that aside, all is good. Feel free to blame me for ruining Batman. I could claim that editorial mandates were in force here and thereby split the blame a bit, but I think this time I won't. I willingly took the job, and I'm too greedy to want to share the credit this time.
"How do you like them apples?"
(Thanks, Libby and Ollie.)
There's an admittedly odd, throwaway line in Robert Kirkman's interview at Newsarama:
"Darkhawk's appearance in Marvel Team-Up will tie-in with his appearance in Runaways. So fans of that book will see the connection. I won't be ignoring anything set up there, I'm a fan of that book, I'm just not a fan of Brian K. Vaughan as a person."
Of course, gets what gets the most commentary in the follow-up posts?
"What beef does Robert Kirkman have with Vaughan???"
"I didn't know Kirkman had issues with Vaughn. Anyone care to enlighten me?"
"Hopefully it was just a playful jest. I've heard there's been too much of this writer-on-writer hate going around."
"He's being facetious. All those Marvel writers like to make jokes that they hate each other. Vaughn picks on Millar's height. Bendis prints Kirkman's phone number in a letter column. Everyone picks on Bendis and Vaughns lack of hair. Etc."
"Well that did not sound facetious,because it did not have a punchline........i mean to say i do not like someone as a person is pretty upfront and no veiled humor in that."
"Darkhawk's appearance in Marvel Team-Up will tie-in with his appearance in Runaways. So fans of that book will see the connection. I won't be ignoring anything set up there, I'm a fan of that book, I'm just not a fan of Brian K. Vaughan as a person."
Of course, gets what gets the most commentary in the follow-up posts?
"What beef does Robert Kirkman have with Vaughan???"
"I didn't know Kirkman had issues with Vaughn. Anyone care to enlighten me?"
"Hopefully it was just a playful jest. I've heard there's been too much of this writer-on-writer hate going around."
"He's being facetious. All those Marvel writers like to make jokes that they hate each other. Vaughn picks on Millar's height. Bendis prints Kirkman's phone number in a letter column. Everyone picks on Bendis and Vaughns lack of hair. Etc."
"Well that did not sound facetious,because it did not have a punchline........i mean to say i do not like someone as a person is pretty upfront and no veiled humor in that."
The Kirby Museum opens its virtual doors:
"The Jack Kirby Museum and Research Center is organized exclusively for educational purposes; more specifically, to promote and encourage the study, understanding, preservation and appreciation of the work of Jack Kirby by... illustrating the scope of Kirby's multi-faceted career, communicating the stories, inspirations and influences of Jack Kirby, celebrating the life of Jack Kirby and his creations, and building understanding of comicbooks and comicbook creators. To this end, the Museum will sponsor and otherwise support study, teaching, conferences, discussion groups, exhibitions, displays, publications and cinematic, theatrical or multimedia productions."
(Via Newsarama.)
"The Jack Kirby Museum and Research Center is organized exclusively for educational purposes; more specifically, to promote and encourage the study, understanding, preservation and appreciation of the work of Jack Kirby by... illustrating the scope of Kirby's multi-faceted career, communicating the stories, inspirations and influences of Jack Kirby, celebrating the life of Jack Kirby and his creations, and building understanding of comicbooks and comicbook creators. To this end, the Museum will sponsor and otherwise support study, teaching, conferences, discussion groups, exhibitions, displays, publications and cinematic, theatrical or multimedia productions."
(Via Newsarama.)
James Kochalka explains Superfuckers:
"It's a real superhero book. It's just filtered through me, which makes it all Kochalka-y. Basically, I began by meditating for several years on the nature of the universe, and how every creature exists in conflict with every other creature. Humans can't exist without killing (even vegetarians kill countless thousands of bacteria and viruses every day, unconsciously). These meditations eventually formed what I call my 'Evil Universe Theory.' However, when I sat down and started writing and drawing the book, it turned into this superpowered animal house-type thing. I guess it's a silly book about a bunch of nineteen-year-old kids living in a clubhouse, or like a co-ed dorm, doing drugs and playing video games, and being obnoxious to each other. But I think there is a hidden depth underneath it all, which refers back to two years of contemplation on the evil nature of the universe."
"It's a real superhero book. It's just filtered through me, which makes it all Kochalka-y. Basically, I began by meditating for several years on the nature of the universe, and how every creature exists in conflict with every other creature. Humans can't exist without killing (even vegetarians kill countless thousands of bacteria and viruses every day, unconsciously). These meditations eventually formed what I call my 'Evil Universe Theory.' However, when I sat down and started writing and drawing the book, it turned into this superpowered animal house-type thing. I guess it's a silly book about a bunch of nineteen-year-old kids living in a clubhouse, or like a co-ed dorm, doing drugs and playing video games, and being obnoxious to each other. But I think there is a hidden depth underneath it all, which refers back to two years of contemplation on the evil nature of the universe."
"Stop me if you've heard this one. Man walks into a bar. And the barman says to him, what can I get you? So the man orders a copy of SCOTT PILGRIM."
Paul O'Brien gets the last word (well, probably not) at Ninth Art.
Paul O'Brien gets the last word (well, probably not) at Ninth Art.
Friday, August 26, 2005
Fantagraphics' Kim Thompson on timeliness:
"The most frequent reason for a book's lateness is simply that the artist blew his deadline. (Sorry, Fantacartoonists, we love you, but you know it's true.) Because of the way distribution (both comics-shop and bookstore) works, we as publishers have to announce books before they're completed, or in some cases even begun --four months for comics, up to a year for books (we're nailing down our August 2006 releases even as I type this)-- and as a result, cartoonists' schedules are sometimes no more than educated guesses, or distant, foolish hopes."
More explanation at the link, as well as a guide to some currently-delayed Fanta books and when to (possibly) expect them.
"The most frequent reason for a book's lateness is simply that the artist blew his deadline. (Sorry, Fantacartoonists, we love you, but you know it's true.) Because of the way distribution (both comics-shop and bookstore) works, we as publishers have to announce books before they're completed, or in some cases even begun --four months for comics, up to a year for books (we're nailing down our August 2006 releases even as I type this)-- and as a result, cartoonists' schedules are sometimes no more than educated guesses, or distant, foolish hopes."
More explanation at the link, as well as a guide to some currently-delayed Fanta books and when to (possibly) expect them.
Hang on, Leslie Thompkins is killing sidekicks and now this? What's going on in Gotham City these days? Larry Young, fill us in:
"I'm nearly 42, so kids' adventure comics don't really appeal to me much, because I'm 1. not a kid and 2. don't get much out of adolescent power fantasies not being an adolescent, so much, anymore. But, you know, I check out the superheroes every once in a while and I stay informed on the latest outrage sweeping the biz. Crossover this, gotta-buy-that-to-understand-the-other, etc. Everybody's got an issue to bellyache about. It's human nature.
"Anybody read Batman: Gotham Knights #67? Dig the end?
"Why isn't the 'Internet cracking in half' about Alfred (Alfred!) murdering someone to protect Batman's secret identity?
"This is Alfred, everyone. Loyal manservant to a beloved pop culture icon. It's not an episode of The Shield, or something. Alfred killed somebody.
"Dang."
"I'm nearly 42, so kids' adventure comics don't really appeal to me much, because I'm 1. not a kid and 2. don't get much out of adolescent power fantasies not being an adolescent, so much, anymore. But, you know, I check out the superheroes every once in a while and I stay informed on the latest outrage sweeping the biz. Crossover this, gotta-buy-that-to-understand-the-other, etc. Everybody's got an issue to bellyache about. It's human nature.
"Anybody read Batman: Gotham Knights #67? Dig the end?
"Why isn't the 'Internet cracking in half' about Alfred (Alfred!) murdering someone to protect Batman's secret identity?
"This is Alfred, everyone. Loyal manservant to a beloved pop culture icon. It's not an episode of The Shield, or something. Alfred killed somebody.
"Dang."
Eric Stephenson is at Newsarama again, talking to Matt Brady about Marvel and DC's Summer O'Crossover:
"NRAMA: It’s been said that the events, such as House of M and the Infinite Crisis buildup are good for the entire industry – a rising tide lifts all ships and all that. Is that the story from where you’re sitting?
"ES: Who says this? Is that seriously the spin on this stuff?
"NRAMA: That more people are coming into stores with more excitement about comics in general...
"ES: It's a lovely notion and all, but I'm not sure it's grounded in any kind of reality."
"NRAMA: It’s been said that the events, such as House of M and the Infinite Crisis buildup are good for the entire industry – a rising tide lifts all ships and all that. Is that the story from where you’re sitting?
"ES: Who says this? Is that seriously the spin on this stuff?
"NRAMA: That more people are coming into stores with more excitement about comics in general...
"ES: It's a lovely notion and all, but I'm not sure it's grounded in any kind of reality."
Via Kevin, news of DC moving into a new (well, old, but one they haven't been in for awhile) area:
"Black Industries, the role-playing game division of U.K-based game and comics publisher Black Library, has entered into a licensing deal with DC Comics to develop a role playing game and book series based on DC Comics super heroes [...] Vincent Rospond, global sales and marketing manager for Black Library, says the agreement gives BI 'free range' to create a game based on any of the characters from the DC Comics universe. BI will publish at least 6 books, launching the series with a game rule book that will be released at the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2006. After the initial six books, says Rospond, BI will follow with a new book each month beginning in late 2006."
"Black Industries, the role-playing game division of U.K-based game and comics publisher Black Library, has entered into a licensing deal with DC Comics to develop a role playing game and book series based on DC Comics super heroes [...] Vincent Rospond, global sales and marketing manager for Black Library, says the agreement gives BI 'free range' to create a game based on any of the characters from the DC Comics universe. BI will publish at least 6 books, launching the series with a game rule book that will be released at the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2006. After the initial six books, says Rospond, BI will follow with a new book each month beginning in late 2006."
Chris Butcher has some thoughts about the state of the manga market, prompted by the following:
"I heard a fairly well-sourced rumour yesterday. It was about ADV and GENEON, two large anime publishers, who were just hit with a terrifyingly large set of returns thanks to a U.S. chain store ceasing to distribute manga. I'm hearing multiple solid tractor-trailers full, with several studios being shut down and cost-cutting measures across the board? Apparently, there's no money in anime or something, despite radical growth in both sales and popularity. Really, I think there's just so far they're willing to let the cost be cut and that's not low enough for the deep-discount chain stores. I picked up a volume of LAIN for $8 Canadian a few months back at Walmart, for example.... In short, popular product line hit with huge returns and market correction. It sounds an awful lot like the black & white boom in comics, 20 years ago."
Much more at the link.
"I heard a fairly well-sourced rumour yesterday. It was about ADV and GENEON, two large anime publishers, who were just hit with a terrifyingly large set of returns thanks to a U.S. chain store ceasing to distribute manga. I'm hearing multiple solid tractor-trailers full, with several studios being shut down and cost-cutting measures across the board? Apparently, there's no money in anime or something, despite radical growth in both sales and popularity. Really, I think there's just so far they're willing to let the cost be cut and that's not low enough for the deep-discount chain stores. I picked up a volume of LAIN for $8 Canadian a few months back at Walmart, for example.... In short, popular product line hit with huge returns and market correction. It sounds an awful lot like the black & white boom in comics, 20 years ago."
Much more at the link.
Millarworld is not so happy with current events in the Batbooks:
"It was the worst kind of shock twist, the kind that's created in artifice instead of naturally coming out of the characters. It's as if they thought to themselves, 'We'll make the killer Leslie Thompkins! NO ONE will expect that!' Well, of course no one will expect that, because IT MAKES NO SENSE. And now a perfectly good character is ruined, because you can't really come back from negligent homicide. Unless it was really Clayface."
"It could be one of two things: As part of one pre crisis mini (JLA 115-119), Batman is the moral compass. 'How dare you mind wipe me and take preventative measures against me'. In another mini (OMAC), he's created the engine (Brother Eye, who i think will eventually become Grant Morrison's Solaris)that has been responsible for killing a bunch. So he just seems like a dick. It could also be that Barbara Gordon wiggled her toes in Birds of Prey. Everybody hates when you fuck with something Alan Moore has done."
"that Leslie thing is totally shit [...] such a great character wasted with such a stupid thing, goign totally agianst her personality and her oath as a doctor, it doesn't make sense at all"
"nex t thing we know is Bruce has repressed memories of Alfred molesting him"
"Don't go there. Please."
"that's what Bruce said"
"It was the worst kind of shock twist, the kind that's created in artifice instead of naturally coming out of the characters. It's as if they thought to themselves, 'We'll make the killer Leslie Thompkins! NO ONE will expect that!' Well, of course no one will expect that, because IT MAKES NO SENSE. And now a perfectly good character is ruined, because you can't really come back from negligent homicide. Unless it was really Clayface."
"It could be one of two things: As part of one pre crisis mini (JLA 115-119), Batman is the moral compass. 'How dare you mind wipe me and take preventative measures against me'. In another mini (OMAC), he's created the engine (Brother Eye, who i think will eventually become Grant Morrison's Solaris)that has been responsible for killing a bunch. So he just seems like a dick. It could also be that Barbara Gordon wiggled her toes in Birds of Prey. Everybody hates when you fuck with something Alan Moore has done."
"that Leslie thing is totally shit [...] such a great character wasted with such a stupid thing, goign totally agianst her personality and her oath as a doctor, it doesn't make sense at all"
"nex t thing we know is Bruce has repressed memories of Alfred molesting him"
"Don't go there. Please."
"that's what Bruce said"
The enjoyable First Second blog - from First Second Books, who launch next year with a pretty fucking stunning line up of talent, although I may be biased by the presence of Eddie Campbell and Nick Abadzis in their ranks, considering those two are two of my comic heroes - has been introducing the creators of their upcoming books by letting them select some of their favorite comic moments. Joann Sfar, whose Pantheon book The Rabbi's Cat has been getting just a wee bit of critical praise lately, picks a nice eclectic selection, including one of the greatest splash pages of all time (The Spirit one, if you're wondering)...
While I'm on about blogs I like, I've been meaning to link Sean Maher for awhile. Not that we share that much of a taste in comics - he thinks that The Infinity Gauntlet was the last good superhero crossover, for the love of God, when everyone knows that that title belongs to DC One Million - but any man who spends a week writing about what comics you should read on the toilet deserves more of an audience.
Given what normally happens when I mention other blogs, this may be a very bad idea, but I just want to tell everybody that if you're not reading Dave's Long Box, then you're missing out on the very joy of comics itself. The latest thing to emerge from Mr. Campbell's impossibly long box is a look back at The Official Handbook of The Marvel Universe, from the '80s. But not just any issue of TOHOTMU, my friends. Dave's talking about the issue that was all about the gadgets:
"The Book of Weapons, Hardware, and Paraphernalia was an appendix of sorts to the regular Official Handbook of The Marvel Universe, the nearly-comprehensive catalogue of Marvel heroes and villains... Presented in a dry, technical style by writer Eliot R Brown, the BoWHP gave an air of plausibility to wacky shit like Stilt-Man’s armor and The Ringmaster’s hypnotic top hat. It was presented with such a straight face that you would start thinking, 'You know, that actually makes sense, the Stilt Man thing! He has microprocessors in his suit which handle flat, inclined, and broken surfaces, and he has foot pad actuator rams which compensate for terrain. I guess it really would work!'"
This presses so many geek nostalgia buttons for me it should be illegal.
"The Book of Weapons, Hardware, and Paraphernalia was an appendix of sorts to the regular Official Handbook of The Marvel Universe, the nearly-comprehensive catalogue of Marvel heroes and villains... Presented in a dry, technical style by writer Eliot R Brown, the BoWHP gave an air of plausibility to wacky shit like Stilt-Man’s armor and The Ringmaster’s hypnotic top hat. It was presented with such a straight face that you would start thinking, 'You know, that actually makes sense, the Stilt Man thing! He has microprocessors in his suit which handle flat, inclined, and broken surfaces, and he has foot pad actuator rams which compensate for terrain. I guess it really would work!'"
This presses so many geek nostalgia buttons for me it should be illegal.
Mark Millar talks about The Ultimates, as part of Newsarama's Ultimate Fifth week:
"I love writing adult stuff, but the restrictions on the Ultimate line is very interesting to work with on a creative level. People never, ever notice this, but we get away with much less than the regular MU books. We aren't allowed to use loads of words Marvel U books can use, make any kind of sexual innuendo or anything. It's actually quite tricky sometimes. But I like to push things when I can because, as a five or six year old, I was thrilled and scared when I read my Marvel UK reprints of the Death of Norman Osborn. We live in a world where the most dangerous thing kids see is recess and their parents drive them to and from school every day. I think a little danger prepares them for the real world."
"I love writing adult stuff, but the restrictions on the Ultimate line is very interesting to work with on a creative level. People never, ever notice this, but we get away with much less than the regular MU books. We aren't allowed to use loads of words Marvel U books can use, make any kind of sexual innuendo or anything. It's actually quite tricky sometimes. But I like to push things when I can because, as a five or six year old, I was thrilled and scared when I read my Marvel UK reprints of the Death of Norman Osborn. We live in a world where the most dangerous thing kids see is recess and their parents drive them to and from school every day. I think a little danger prepares them for the real world."
Marvel announces a new ongoing Mary Jane series, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane. Created by Sean McKeever and Takeshi Miyazawai, the team behind the previous MJ series, the press release has some interesting comments:
"The new Mary Jane Vol.2: Homecoming Digest is teen drama at its finest. The Mary Jane series have been garnering tremendous support from fans and critics, with Vol.1: Circle of Friends making it onto Entertainment Weekly’s Must List. Now look for that drama to continue this December as Mary Jane gets her own ongoing series, tentatively titled Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane... Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane will also be making a grand introduction to the world of comics with a strong presence in newsstands as well as being available for subscription orders. But before that happens, don’t forget Mary Jane Vol.2: Homecoming Digest... For compelling teen angst and high school romance in the mighty Marvel manner with a guest appearance or two by Spider-Man, don’t miss Mary Jane Vol.2: Homecoming Digest. Look for Mary Jane’s ongoing title to debut in December."
Playing up the digest collections and the non-direct market outlets, huh? Interesting...
"The new Mary Jane Vol.2: Homecoming Digest is teen drama at its finest. The Mary Jane series have been garnering tremendous support from fans and critics, with Vol.1: Circle of Friends making it onto Entertainment Weekly’s Must List. Now look for that drama to continue this December as Mary Jane gets her own ongoing series, tentatively titled Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane... Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane will also be making a grand introduction to the world of comics with a strong presence in newsstands as well as being available for subscription orders. But before that happens, don’t forget Mary Jane Vol.2: Homecoming Digest... For compelling teen angst and high school romance in the mighty Marvel manner with a guest appearance or two by Spider-Man, don’t miss Mary Jane Vol.2: Homecoming Digest. Look for Mary Jane’s ongoing title to debut in December."
Playing up the digest collections and the non-direct market outlets, huh? Interesting...
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Eric Stephenson talks about Image Comics:
"B. Clay Moore used to compare Image to HBO in that you look at the programs they've come out with – comedies, dramas, you name it – and the thing linking them together is that they're all good. That's the goal here. The goal is to do good comics that, hopefully, you haven't seen before and that brings me back 'round to your original question and that thing I wrote in Previews last month. If you want to know what Image Comics is, it's pretty simple: new comics. New ideas, new characters, new creators."
"B. Clay Moore used to compare Image to HBO in that you look at the programs they've come out with – comedies, dramas, you name it – and the thing linking them together is that they're all good. That's the goal here. The goal is to do good comics that, hopefully, you haven't seen before and that brings me back 'round to your original question and that thing I wrote in Previews last month. If you want to know what Image Comics is, it's pretty simple: new comics. New ideas, new characters, new creators."
Poor Tom Spurgeon's letter column has taken on a life all of its own this week, mostly due to its playing host to Alan David Doane's latest seeming-breakdown. Why, if it's not people writing in to respond to Alan's misunderstandings or wilful ignorance of how the industry works - like this, from Brian Hibbs: "Look, it sure seems to me that you don't know nothing about comics retailing. I have face-out display of Embroideries and Summer Blonde, while I sell a whole lot of that yummy material, what pays the rent on a week-to-week basis is the habitual serialized fiction that you so deride. See, what we want you to understand is that it is often the SAME PERSON buying House of M and Optic Nerve, really, really it usually is!" - or people responding to Alan in general - "Much as I've heard artists talk about buying Liefeld books to chuckle at the proportions and panel continuity, I now read Doane's hyperbole-laden rants and just laugh at them. There is always a possibility he's purposefully obtuse, looking to stir up controversy (or in the jargon of Usenet, 'trolling' for a fight). It would explain a number of things." - then it's Alan himself, finding all new holes to dig himself. Here, realizing that his emails to Tom probably gain him a wider audience than his own blog, he summarizes his week so far. After linking to a few blog posts and comments, he writes:
"What do all these have in common? They are all the fruit of the poison tree of O'Brien's original filler-as-column piece on how bored (yawn!) he is with what he thinks is comics, i.e., those pesky, spandex-clad North American superhero comics. The sub-genre of the defunct boy's adventure genre that continues to exclude an unheard, unseen majority of potential comics readers by virtue of its stranglehold on an entire industry that shuts its eyes, plugs its ears, and yes, wishes it into the cornfield. Jimmy."
It's like he's the blog Bill Jemas, going out of his way to say outrageous things just to get attention and feel superior; he's the alt-comics Omar. Long may he rain on everyone's parades.
"What do all these have in common? They are all the fruit of the poison tree of O'Brien's original filler-as-column piece on how bored (yawn!) he is with what he thinks is comics, i.e., those pesky, spandex-clad North American superhero comics. The sub-genre of the defunct boy's adventure genre that continues to exclude an unheard, unseen majority of potential comics readers by virtue of its stranglehold on an entire industry that shuts its eyes, plugs its ears, and yes, wishes it into the cornfield. Jimmy."
It's like he's the blog Bill Jemas, going out of his way to say outrageous things just to get attention and feel superior; he's the alt-comics Omar. Long may he rain on everyone's parades.
Erik Larsen sings Herb Trimpe's praises:
"Herb Trimpe made it all work. His Hulk looked like the Hulk to me. 'Incredible Hulk' #185 was a masterpiece (and no, I'm not going to spoil it for you-- go get your own copy). I couldn't imagine how they could top this! Somehow-- it all just clicked, seamlessly-- even with a string of rotating writers, it worked. Herb kept it grounded in reality and each writer kept the amazing soap opera elements rolling, year after year."
I am a massive fan of the way that Trimpe used to draw mouths. It's the strangest thing, I know, but he had this surreal, sub-Kirby way of doing teeth...
"Herb Trimpe made it all work. His Hulk looked like the Hulk to me. 'Incredible Hulk' #185 was a masterpiece (and no, I'm not going to spoil it for you-- go get your own copy). I couldn't imagine how they could top this! Somehow-- it all just clicked, seamlessly-- even with a string of rotating writers, it worked. Herb kept it grounded in reality and each writer kept the amazing soap opera elements rolling, year after year."
I am a massive fan of the way that Trimpe used to draw mouths. It's the strangest thing, I know, but he had this surreal, sub-Kirby way of doing teeth...
Bored of hearing about how Stephanie Fierman's appointment at DC has shaken things up, Dark Horse makes some personnel changes of their own:
"Dark Horse Comics has announced that Dirk Wood has been named Marketing Director, and Michael Gombos has been appointed Japanese Licensing Manager. Wood, an Oregon native, spent eight years as the Operations Manager for Dark Horse's retail chain Things From Another World and then a four-year stint at Dark Horse Comics where his duties have ranged from trade show coordination to international distribution."
"Dark Horse Comics has announced that Dirk Wood has been named Marketing Director, and Michael Gombos has been appointed Japanese Licensing Manager. Wood, an Oregon native, spent eight years as the Operations Manager for Dark Horse's retail chain Things From Another World and then a four-year stint at Dark Horse Comics where his duties have ranged from trade show coordination to international distribution."
We start this day of pushing comics sideways by directing your attentions to the Isotope Communique, where James Sime is offering a 30-page preview of Paul Sizer's Moped Army:
"The future's pugnacious youth revive a legendary organization of the distant past... the Moped Army rides again! With great art and a book full of speeding down cyberpunk city streets on two wheels of discontented fury, the Moped Army riders live their breakneck lives in a full throttle world of danger, intrigue, young love, and screaming blacktop."
Also for those of you who like the preview action, Speakeasy Comics have provided Newsarama with the entire first issue of Elk's Run for you to sample, as a preview of their upcoming Elk's Run Bumper Edition.
"The future's pugnacious youth revive a legendary organization of the distant past... the Moped Army rides again! With great art and a book full of speeding down cyberpunk city streets on two wheels of discontented fury, the Moped Army riders live their breakneck lives in a full throttle world of danger, intrigue, young love, and screaming blacktop."
Also for those of you who like the preview action, Speakeasy Comics have provided Newsarama with the entire first issue of Elk's Run for you to sample, as a preview of their upcoming Elk's Run Bumper Edition.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
More Tom Spurgeon talking sense:
"We're certainly in the age of the graphic novel or trade paperback format, but comics people think so often in binaries, one option or the other, that it's a pleasure to see older options being explore. I like buying a giant spined book in a Barnes and Noble and I also like buying three or four stapled pamphlets in a comics shop."
It's at the end of an interesting article about the re-emergence of the comic series as a format from "alternative" creators that's well worth your time.
"We're certainly in the age of the graphic novel or trade paperback format, but comics people think so often in binaries, one option or the other, that it's a pleasure to see older options being explore. I like buying a giant spined book in a Barnes and Noble and I also like buying three or four stapled pamphlets in a comics shop."
It's at the end of an interesting article about the re-emergence of the comic series as a format from "alternative" creators that's well worth your time.
Eric Stephenson's explaining Long Hot Summer to Newsarama:
"I'd wanted to do something about Mods for a while, but I wasn't sure exactly what. I'd just read some great books about 60s London – Stoned and 2Stoned by former Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham and Ready, Steady, Go! by Shawn Levy – along with a couple more Mod-specific books by Paolo Hewitt, The Sharper Word and The Soul Stylists, and at first I was kind of toying with the idea of doing something about the early days of the Mod scene in London, but after finishing an early draft of my story for Four-Letter Worlds, I started thinking about other things I could do in that vein, things that were kinda sorta autobiographical. I guess I kind of gradually came around to the idea of doing something about my experiences with the fringes of the SoCal Mod scene in the mid-to-late ‘80s."
"I'd wanted to do something about Mods for a while, but I wasn't sure exactly what. I'd just read some great books about 60s London – Stoned and 2Stoned by former Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham and Ready, Steady, Go! by Shawn Levy – along with a couple more Mod-specific books by Paolo Hewitt, The Sharper Word and The Soul Stylists, and at first I was kind of toying with the idea of doing something about the early days of the Mod scene in London, but after finishing an early draft of my story for Four-Letter Worlds, I started thinking about other things I could do in that vein, things that were kinda sorta autobiographical. I guess I kind of gradually came around to the idea of doing something about my experiences with the fringes of the SoCal Mod scene in the mid-to-late ‘80s."
CBR is having a week of Fear Agent, Rick Remender's new Image book. Remender talks about the plan behind the book:
"Let's not mince words-- science fiction has lost its stones... it became the stomping ground of nerds who would rather know exactly how the warp engines actually work than have high adventure. They focused on trade federations and on the intricacies and politics of alien worlds. However, when done right, this offered us a momentary reflection on our own society, but it wasn't very fun. They took away the tooth and grit and made it sterile. Though in some circles 'Star Wars' and 'Star Trek' are loved by people whose love of the genre allows them to overlook their lowered expectations, sci-fi has long since lost the collective mainstream conscience and it lost me. 'Fear Agent' is our attempt to return sci-fi to its proper place-- to do it the way we think Mr. [Wally] Wood would have wanted it. We're here to tell big stories packed full of over-the-top monsters and high adventures where the stakes are as simple and primal as basic survival."
"Let's not mince words-- science fiction has lost its stones... it became the stomping ground of nerds who would rather know exactly how the warp engines actually work than have high adventure. They focused on trade federations and on the intricacies and politics of alien worlds. However, when done right, this offered us a momentary reflection on our own society, but it wasn't very fun. They took away the tooth and grit and made it sterile. Though in some circles 'Star Wars' and 'Star Trek' are loved by people whose love of the genre allows them to overlook their lowered expectations, sci-fi has long since lost the collective mainstream conscience and it lost me. 'Fear Agent' is our attempt to return sci-fi to its proper place-- to do it the way we think Mr. [Wally] Wood would have wanted it. We're here to tell big stories packed full of over-the-top monsters and high adventures where the stakes are as simple and primal as basic survival."
Klaus Janson talks at Comic Foundry, and makes me love him
"There's a trend in comics right now that seems to work with the audience and that is a riff on being 'realistic' - using photos and such as a basis to get closer to reality. Although, personally, that just makes me absolutely vomit... I don't think that comics are about photorealism, and I tell you that if I had one wish for this medium it would be to pull back from that. I think it's the thing that's going to kill comics. Don't get me wrong, there have always been artists and comics that rely on photorealism including myself, I might add, but it's going too far. The problem is that the attempt to mimic realism in comics results in work that is very limited and constrained... Comics are not about reality, it's about reality plus."
And this is only part one!
"There's a trend in comics right now that seems to work with the audience and that is a riff on being 'realistic' - using photos and such as a basis to get closer to reality. Although, personally, that just makes me absolutely vomit... I don't think that comics are about photorealism, and I tell you that if I had one wish for this medium it would be to pull back from that. I think it's the thing that's going to kill comics. Don't get me wrong, there have always been artists and comics that rely on photorealism including myself, I might add, but it's going too far. The problem is that the attempt to mimic realism in comics results in work that is very limited and constrained... Comics are not about reality, it's about reality plus."
And this is only part one!
Ryan Higgins answers questions on Ghost Rider #1, JSA Classified #2 (including spoiling Power Girl's new origin, which is... um... an interesting twist), and provides a retrospective of Power Girl's breasts:
"As Power Girl continued to appear in various Justice League and All-Star Squadron comics, more and more people began to comment on her breasts. By the time Crisis on Infinite Earths was over and Karen Starr was a member of the Justice League again, they became one of the time’s longest running in-jokes, next to 'Bwa-hah-hah' and the pies-in-the-face from Suicide Squad."
"As Power Girl continued to appear in various Justice League and All-Star Squadron comics, more and more people began to comment on her breasts. By the time Crisis on Infinite Earths was over and Karen Starr was a member of the Justice League again, they became one of the time’s longest running in-jokes, next to 'Bwa-hah-hah' and the pies-in-the-face from Suicide Squad."
Talking of Spurgeon, the "Smalltown Comic Stores" conversation is continuing in his personal digital post office. If you'll remember from yesterday, Alan David Doane wanted the comic industry to die, while others wanted it to evolve and grow. William Binderup of Elite Comics isn't convinced by ADD's credentials:
"Come on, you're a fucking blogger!! Tarot card reading is a more legitimate industry."
ADD, in turn, isn't convinced by William's credentials:
"http://www.elitecomics.com/ [...] Well, I can see why my letter got this guy all defensive about an exclusionary, hostile-to-non-superhero-fan readers letter."
Only problem is, ADD's looking at the wrong Elite Comics, as Matt Fraction explains. Rob Schamberger elaborates:
"William Binderup's Elite Comics is one of the better-stocked, indy-friendly shops in the KC area, actually, and he even publishes indy comix. I worked for William several years back, and I can say first-hand that he actively cares about the industry and isn't someone whose shop I would want to see, as some ill-informed person put it, 'DIE'."
Evan Dorkin chips in, trying to drag the conversation back onto the original topic:
"Comics are a luxury, and still an outdated, backwards medium most people can and do live without (whatever they're priced at and no matter how many recent mainstream articles are written that extoll their virtues). There's a reason why, when a comic book bull session turns to the idea of opening a store of one's own, someone always has to mention that it's a crazy fucking idea. And it is. And I guess that's why nobody opens shops. A few folks I know who looked into the idea couldn't get any capitol, nobody wanted to put their dough on a perceived loser. Maybe only people as succesful as Kevin Smith or wrestler Rob Van Dam can afford to open a comic book shop, people who don't necessarily need the income from such an operation. If opening a shop is so daunting and seemingly lunatic, doesn't that speak volumes about the commercial viability of the product, of the medium? Or at least the perceived viability?"
Meanwhile, Nat Gertler responds to Robert Boyd and Alan David Doane:
"I have seen signs that some retailers who consider getting into manga simply choose not to -- and not due to racism, misogyny, and whatever other scurrilous reason that ill-informed and logic-impaired pundits may choose to invent. Yes, it is competition from other sources carrying manga, as Robert points out, but it's not just because these other sources are conveniently placed rather than destination stores, and thus draw the new customers. It's also because some of the chain stores that carry manga discount the books heavily... That's the sort of business considerations that businessfolk have to face. People seeking to make comics better may wish to educate themselves on such situations. Presenting ill-founded assumptions as fact and then telling those who correct them to 'shut up' wouldn't seem to serve the goals of improving comics (or any other worthwhile goal, for that matter.)"
"Come on, you're a fucking blogger!! Tarot card reading is a more legitimate industry."
ADD, in turn, isn't convinced by William's credentials:
"http://www.elitecomics.com/ [...] Well, I can see why my letter got this guy all defensive about an exclusionary, hostile-to-non-superhero-fan readers letter."
Only problem is, ADD's looking at the wrong Elite Comics, as Matt Fraction explains. Rob Schamberger elaborates:
"William Binderup's Elite Comics is one of the better-stocked, indy-friendly shops in the KC area, actually, and he even publishes indy comix. I worked for William several years back, and I can say first-hand that he actively cares about the industry and isn't someone whose shop I would want to see, as some ill-informed person put it, 'DIE'."
Evan Dorkin chips in, trying to drag the conversation back onto the original topic:
"Comics are a luxury, and still an outdated, backwards medium most people can and do live without (whatever they're priced at and no matter how many recent mainstream articles are written that extoll their virtues). There's a reason why, when a comic book bull session turns to the idea of opening a store of one's own, someone always has to mention that it's a crazy fucking idea. And it is. And I guess that's why nobody opens shops. A few folks I know who looked into the idea couldn't get any capitol, nobody wanted to put their dough on a perceived loser. Maybe only people as succesful as Kevin Smith or wrestler Rob Van Dam can afford to open a comic book shop, people who don't necessarily need the income from such an operation. If opening a shop is so daunting and seemingly lunatic, doesn't that speak volumes about the commercial viability of the product, of the medium? Or at least the perceived viability?"
Meanwhile, Nat Gertler responds to Robert Boyd and Alan David Doane:
"I have seen signs that some retailers who consider getting into manga simply choose not to -- and not due to racism, misogyny, and whatever other scurrilous reason that ill-informed and logic-impaired pundits may choose to invent. Yes, it is competition from other sources carrying manga, as Robert points out, but it's not just because these other sources are conveniently placed rather than destination stores, and thus draw the new customers. It's also because some of the chain stores that carry manga discount the books heavily... That's the sort of business considerations that businessfolk have to face. People seeking to make comics better may wish to educate themselves on such situations. Presenting ill-founded assumptions as fact and then telling those who correct them to 'shut up' wouldn't seem to serve the goals of improving comics (or any other worthwhile goal, for that matter.)"
Tom Spurgeon is listing eight worthwhile stories from the year so far over at The Comics Reporter. Yesterday, he reached the current state of Marvel and DC's infinite crisis:
"In a way, what's going on across entire lines now is something akin to the creative impulse behind those recent mini-series or runs in a regular title where a hero fights all of their foes and answers all of their fundamental questions -- the Mark Millar stuff, or the Jim Lee Batman thing from a couple years back. The problem with the whole line being in play like that is that if everything is exhausted all at once, there's no place for anyone to go but away."
"In a way, what's going on across entire lines now is something akin to the creative impulse behind those recent mini-series or runs in a regular title where a hero fights all of their foes and answers all of their fundamental questions -- the Mark Millar stuff, or the Jim Lee Batman thing from a couple years back. The problem with the whole line being in play like that is that if everything is exhausted all at once, there's no place for anyone to go but away."
Not that True Story Swear To God's Tom Beland is excited about working on Spider-Man or anything...:
"Marvel Comics asked me to write a Spidey book back in January. After I came out of my shock-induced coma, I tried to figure out how you write a story about a character I've been reading since I was a kid in the late 60's/early 70's. So, I came up with story that I enjoyed writing and, hopefully, you'll all like. The story is issue #12 and, I believe, it ships in November. Check the upcoming PREVIEWS just to make sure. Doing the art chores will be none other than Sean Phillips, from SLEEPER fame!! After coming off my second shock-induced coma (from hearing Sean is going to draw one of my stories), I began to talk with him online and the dude's a class act and sweetheart.
"BUT WAIT.. THERE'S MORE!!! ALSO in this issue is a story penned by Brian Reed and drawn by none other than Michael Lark! Brian let me take a peek at some of the pages and, well, wow. Incrdible stuff. So... enjoy. I hope you'll like it. I'm a barely high-school graduate who worked hard on his craft. I was doing mini-comics seven years ago and now my name is giong to be on a Spidey book. It's surreal beyond words and if you're sitting there at home, working on YOUR mini comics, thinking they're going to go nowhere, trust me... dreams happen. You just have to bust your asses to produce the best work you can until your name is called. Seven years seems long, but it was a blur to me. If I can do it, anyone can."
"Marvel Comics asked me to write a Spidey book back in January. After I came out of my shock-induced coma, I tried to figure out how you write a story about a character I've been reading since I was a kid in the late 60's/early 70's. So, I came up with story that I enjoyed writing and, hopefully, you'll all like. The story is issue #12 and, I believe, it ships in November. Check the upcoming PREVIEWS just to make sure. Doing the art chores will be none other than Sean Phillips, from SLEEPER fame!! After coming off my second shock-induced coma (from hearing Sean is going to draw one of my stories), I began to talk with him online and the dude's a class act and sweetheart.
"BUT WAIT.. THERE'S MORE!!! ALSO in this issue is a story penned by Brian Reed and drawn by none other than Michael Lark! Brian let me take a peek at some of the pages and, well, wow. Incrdible stuff. So... enjoy. I hope you'll like it. I'm a barely high-school graduate who worked hard on his craft. I was doing mini-comics seven years ago and now my name is giong to be on a Spidey book. It's surreal beyond words and if you're sitting there at home, working on YOUR mini comics, thinking they're going to go nowhere, trust me... dreams happen. You just have to bust your asses to produce the best work you can until your name is called. Seven years seems long, but it was a blur to me. If I can do it, anyone can."
Tony Caputo tips his hand for continually suggesting that Marvel license out their comic production:
"Sell me (or anyone) the license to ANY one of your 4000+ intellectual properties - anyone - and I'll publish it for you, following your licensing guidelines and show you a royalty check somewhat the same, or better than if you published it yourself, but I'll take the risk and headaches to produce it, thus giving you 100% gross margin. The IP can be obscure; in fact, I'd prefer it. I'm willing to prove to Marvel Enterprises that there is nothing to fear and that licensing your IP to even the likes of my little company will: (1) Not reduce your potential revenues, because it's the IP and creators that sell the books (2) The quality will not degrade (3) You will not lose control over the editorial process, as every step of production will go through the proposed approval process (4) Save the comic book, because smaller comic book companies make their bread and butter from publishing licensed titles, not licensing titles, thus they will handle the IP carefully. This is my personal challenge to Marvel Enterprises."
"Sell me (or anyone) the license to ANY one of your 4000+ intellectual properties - anyone - and I'll publish it for you, following your licensing guidelines and show you a royalty check somewhat the same, or better than if you published it yourself, but I'll take the risk and headaches to produce it, thus giving you 100% gross margin. The IP can be obscure; in fact, I'd prefer it. I'm willing to prove to Marvel Enterprises that there is nothing to fear and that licensing your IP to even the likes of my little company will: (1) Not reduce your potential revenues, because it's the IP and creators that sell the books (2) The quality will not degrade (3) You will not lose control over the editorial process, as every step of production will go through the proposed approval process (4) Save the comic book, because smaller comic book companies make their bread and butter from publishing licensed titles, not licensing titles, thus they will handle the IP carefully. This is my personal challenge to Marvel Enterprises."
Brian Michael Bendis gets nostalgic about the birth of the Ultimate books:
"I got the call. It was Joe, and instead of telling me they didn’t need my services anymore, he asked dif I was a fan of Spider-Man. I asked him if he was kidding, and he explained to me that Marvel was thinking of starting Spider-Man all over from scratch, and I didn’t hear that from him, but if Bill Jemas called me, to just say yes."
"I got the call. It was Joe, and instead of telling me they didn’t need my services anymore, he asked dif I was a fan of Spider-Man. I asked him if he was kidding, and he explained to me that Marvel was thinking of starting Spider-Man all over from scratch, and I didn’t hear that from him, but if Bill Jemas called me, to just say yes."
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
As it seems that the comic internet becomes ever more angry and divided - Really, what is with this current "You disagree with me? Then fuck off and die!" thing? - we finally find something to unite everyone in happiness: Heidi MacDonald's dreams come true at Otakon.
People who don't like Heidi need to have their throats slit by chickens. Or something.
People who don't like Heidi need to have their throats slit by chickens. Or something.
Amanda Conner talks Power Girl:
"Power Girl isn’t too sure of what’s going on inside of her right now, but the one thing she can be sure of is that killer bod of hers. She might as well run with it. I’ve only had one person express concern about her body and her costume, and I explained that’s just the way the character is. I also mentioned that I draw each character differently, ‘cause just like real people, they’re all not going to look the same. If you look at Saturn Girl, she is much more slender and wiry than Power Girl. Power Girl is Power Girl... Actually, there is a scene in #2 where she explains her costume, so I won’t tell you. I’ll let you read it. Although in my circus of a brain, I don’t know if it has any other meaning than ‘WOW! Nice ones! … and thanks for lettin’ them breathe!’"
"Power Girl isn’t too sure of what’s going on inside of her right now, but the one thing she can be sure of is that killer bod of hers. She might as well run with it. I’ve only had one person express concern about her body and her costume, and I explained that’s just the way the character is. I also mentioned that I draw each character differently, ‘cause just like real people, they’re all not going to look the same. If you look at Saturn Girl, she is much more slender and wiry than Power Girl. Power Girl is Power Girl... Actually, there is a scene in #2 where she explains her costume, so I won’t tell you. I’ll let you read it. Although in my circus of a brain, I don’t know if it has any other meaning than ‘WOW! Nice ones! … and thanks for lettin’ them breathe!’"
After Tom Spurgeon wrote about the closing of a local comic store on Sunday - "I'm now three hours from a comic shop, more than four hours to one I would actually choose to visit once a month if I lived in city limits. It can't be healthy for an industry that presumes an international audience for its offerings to leave large stretches of the country without reasonable access to even its most popular product. Is there anything that can be done about this? Is anyone else concerned?
" - his virtual mailbag has been filled with people commenting on the state of small town retailers.
Alan David Doane:
"While I continue to question how many comics shops truly exist in the United States -- average the usual figure out between 50 states and something smells fishy to me, and it's not the sushi -- more and more I feel that the 90 percent of the comics industry that is curring it's own throat with clean stores and friendly clerks and nothing but superheroes -- CANNOT DIE FAST ENOUGH FOR ME. DIE, AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY OF THE FUTURE.
"If there's not enough left of the industry that the only comics that are left are manga and homemade North American mini-comics, man, that's FINE. If the industry as it exists today can only maintain itself by being a network of olive loaf -- I mean, male-dominated superhero boutiques -- this shambling, undead monster I've watched kill itself now for 30 years that laughingly calls itself an 'Industry' cannot die fast enough for me. In my darkest moments, I must say that the comics industry cannot die fast enough for me."
T. Campbell:
"So much has been written about the DM's fan-centered, change-resistant culture that I don't think there's anything I can add. But if it dies, we'll feed on its corpse and metabolize something better. Webcomics, bookstore comics, some new market not yet even imagined. Maybe even a new form of comic-book store, minus the detritus that the current stores have accumulated. Maybe the comic-book store *needs* to die before it can be reborn. The death of the pulps was not the death of pulp, and the last store closing will not be the end of comics."
Christopher Duffy:
"For years I wished the comics stores would just all die so the industry would be forced to deal with the reality of the world outside of their hobby and appeal to new (and mass) markets again...But lately I've been thinking that so many good comics and publishers came out of the direct market, I'd rather see the stores get better and survive... [U]nless some other viable model of comics shop presents itself (and I'd love to think these hip new stores in Brooklyn, Penn., and L.A. are the answer--but I doubt it)and catches on like wildfire to a new generation of possible store-owners, I think the direct market the will limp along more lamely every year and finally crawl into its deathbed around 2012. (I thought it would be fun to suggest a final date.) I guess I'm concerned but pessimistic."
Brian Hibbs:
"I think if you point it out to most anyone involved in publishing comics, they'll be found to be concerned as well, but in a 'save the whales!' kind of concern, not a 'holy shit! We're chronically under-stored!' way. Can anything be done? To a large extent, yes. One of ComicPRO's chief aims is to establish a thriving 'mentoring' program where prospective retailers have a resource to draw upon, so that's something the retail community is going to try and step up to the plate to handle... I think any real hope of any of that coming into fruition is probably 3-5 years though, if we can actually get our shit together. I want to believe it, though. We've got a lot of genius-level brain power in comics, and it's clearly possible that we can harness it."
EDITED to add Nat Gertler's response to ADD's letter:
"Obviously, Alan David Doane hates the comics industry. His wishes of death for it and resorting to cussin' make that clear. But it doesn't justify his making up stuff, as he appears to do. When he claims 'People /are/ buying comics in huge numbers, but the 'industry grits its teeth and closes its eyes and redefines 'comics' so that Frank Miller and Jim Lee or Brian Bendis and whoever is drawing House of M can falsely claim their comics are best-sellers' he neither provides a pointer to where anyone has redefined 'comics' in the wake of manga's entry (I suspect he's thinking of the icv2 figures, which are clearly specified in their articles as 'the number sold to North American comic shops by Diamond Comic Distributors'). Nor, more importantly, does he point to any reliable figures on comics that are outselling these... Doane hates the comics industry, but then many folks hate that which they do not understand."
Another EDIT as ADD responds to Nat:
"I do hate the part of the industry that actively and with racism, misogyny and prideful ignorance excludes women, children, and non-superhero 'fans' from participating in a storytelling medium with limitless possibilities, yes, I do. If those stores were only ten percent of the industry, there'd be no problem. The problem is, the vast majority of 'comics shops' are indeed superhero-only he-man woman-hater clubs, which is why the artform is finding new and interesting ways around this vile 'industry' of yours, infiltrating libraries and real, clean, well-lit bookstores with comics that appeal to everyone. I hate the comics industry, and I love comics. If that bothers you, Nat, make a better comics industry, or shut up."
Also, Robert Boyd responds to ADD and Nat Gertler, as well.
" - his virtual mailbag has been filled with people commenting on the state of small town retailers.
Alan David Doane:
"While I continue to question how many comics shops truly exist in the United States -- average the usual figure out between 50 states and something smells fishy to me, and it's not the sushi -- more and more I feel that the 90 percent of the comics industry that is curring it's own throat with clean stores and friendly clerks and nothing but superheroes -- CANNOT DIE FAST ENOUGH FOR ME. DIE, AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY OF THE FUTURE.
"If there's not enough left of the industry that the only comics that are left are manga and homemade North American mini-comics, man, that's FINE. If the industry as it exists today can only maintain itself by being a network of olive loaf -- I mean, male-dominated superhero boutiques -- this shambling, undead monster I've watched kill itself now for 30 years that laughingly calls itself an 'Industry' cannot die fast enough for me. In my darkest moments, I must say that the comics industry cannot die fast enough for me."
T. Campbell:
"So much has been written about the DM's fan-centered, change-resistant culture that I don't think there's anything I can add. But if it dies, we'll feed on its corpse and metabolize something better. Webcomics, bookstore comics, some new market not yet even imagined. Maybe even a new form of comic-book store, minus the detritus that the current stores have accumulated. Maybe the comic-book store *needs* to die before it can be reborn. The death of the pulps was not the death of pulp, and the last store closing will not be the end of comics."
Christopher Duffy:
"For years I wished the comics stores would just all die so the industry would be forced to deal with the reality of the world outside of their hobby and appeal to new (and mass) markets again...But lately I've been thinking that so many good comics and publishers came out of the direct market, I'd rather see the stores get better and survive... [U]nless some other viable model of comics shop presents itself (and I'd love to think these hip new stores in Brooklyn, Penn., and L.A. are the answer--but I doubt it)and catches on like wildfire to a new generation of possible store-owners, I think the direct market the will limp along more lamely every year and finally crawl into its deathbed around 2012. (I thought it would be fun to suggest a final date.) I guess I'm concerned but pessimistic."
Brian Hibbs:
"I think if you point it out to most anyone involved in publishing comics, they'll be found to be concerned as well, but in a 'save the whales!' kind of concern, not a 'holy shit! We're chronically under-stored!' way. Can anything be done? To a large extent, yes. One of ComicPRO's chief aims is to establish a thriving 'mentoring' program where prospective retailers have a resource to draw upon, so that's something the retail community is going to try and step up to the plate to handle... I think any real hope of any of that coming into fruition is probably 3-5 years though, if we can actually get our shit together. I want to believe it, though. We've got a lot of genius-level brain power in comics, and it's clearly possible that we can harness it."
EDITED to add Nat Gertler's response to ADD's letter:
"Obviously, Alan David Doane hates the comics industry. His wishes of death for it and resorting to cussin' make that clear. But it doesn't justify his making up stuff, as he appears to do. When he claims 'People /are/ buying comics in huge numbers, but the 'industry grits its teeth and closes its eyes and redefines 'comics' so that Frank Miller and Jim Lee or Brian Bendis and whoever is drawing House of M can falsely claim their comics are best-sellers' he neither provides a pointer to where anyone has redefined 'comics' in the wake of manga's entry (I suspect he's thinking of the icv2 figures, which are clearly specified in their articles as 'the number sold to North American comic shops by Diamond Comic Distributors'). Nor, more importantly, does he point to any reliable figures on comics that are outselling these... Doane hates the comics industry, but then many folks hate that which they do not understand."
Another EDIT as ADD responds to Nat:
"I do hate the part of the industry that actively and with racism, misogyny and prideful ignorance excludes women, children, and non-superhero 'fans' from participating in a storytelling medium with limitless possibilities, yes, I do. If those stores were only ten percent of the industry, there'd be no problem. The problem is, the vast majority of 'comics shops' are indeed superhero-only he-man woman-hater clubs, which is why the artform is finding new and interesting ways around this vile 'industry' of yours, infiltrating libraries and real, clean, well-lit bookstores with comics that appeal to everyone. I hate the comics industry, and I love comics. If that bothers you, Nat, make a better comics industry, or shut up."
Also, Robert Boyd responds to ADD and Nat Gertler, as well.
Ethan Van Sciver knows his limits, and explains them at The Pulse:
"I can't do anything on a tight schedule, clearly... I honestly just can't. It's not worth it to me. I have a family that likes to see me now and then. And people tell me, 'Oh, you should be making so much more money, you ought to learn to cut corners' and so on. But look, I'm not here to clutter up the shelves with product that wastes anyone's time and money. I work for DC comics, and I hold them in high esteem. They'll get my best work, or I won't do anything. And if that makes me less important in anyone's eyes, well, that's the price I pay. I have high standard for my work, and it hurts to lower them. Six issues a year, that's what I have to offer. And they'll be great."
"I can't do anything on a tight schedule, clearly... I honestly just can't. It's not worth it to me. I have a family that likes to see me now and then. And people tell me, 'Oh, you should be making so much more money, you ought to learn to cut corners' and so on. But look, I'm not here to clutter up the shelves with product that wastes anyone's time and money. I work for DC comics, and I hold them in high esteem. They'll get my best work, or I won't do anything. And if that makes me less important in anyone's eyes, well, that's the price I pay. I have high standard for my work, and it hurts to lower them. Six issues a year, that's what I have to offer. And they'll be great."
The Comics Journal board looks beyond the credits:
"today I ran into a comic artist who has worked for Wildstorm and (ISTR) the mainline DC line (though not Marvel). he happened to casually mention that he had ghosted the work of at least one other artist (who I had never heard of...) and I wonder how often (and why) this happens. the concept of ghosting fascinates me in general. why would they simply not simply say they had a fill-in artist, like in the old days?"
"I know the Kubert brothers have been using ghost artists for years. The reason for that is usually because of the contracts they've signed.
They have a huge ghost artist talent pool - its called the Joe Kubert School. They usually pick talented artists to ghost their work."
"This is true. I graduated from Kubert a few years ago, and during my time there one or two of my classmates assisted the Kubert bros. From what I understand the contribution from their assistants is actually not really ghosting in the true sense of the word, so much as finishing up backgrounds and such. Or at least it was at the time. Since Adam and Andy are teaching now, they could have an entire army of students drawing their pages for all I know. I was taught directly by Joe, and I know him much better than I know his sons, but they're all stand-up guys. I don't think that there's any shame in them using an assistant if they so choose (although I know that Joe STRONGLY prefers not to); in fact, artists have used assistants since time immortal."
"today I ran into a comic artist who has worked for Wildstorm and (ISTR) the mainline DC line (though not Marvel). he happened to casually mention that he had ghosted the work of at least one other artist (who I had never heard of...) and I wonder how often (and why) this happens. the concept of ghosting fascinates me in general. why would they simply not simply say they had a fill-in artist, like in the old days?"
"I know the Kubert brothers have been using ghost artists for years. The reason for that is usually because of the contracts they've signed.
They have a huge ghost artist talent pool - its called the Joe Kubert School. They usually pick talented artists to ghost their work."
"This is true. I graduated from Kubert a few years ago, and during my time there one or two of my classmates assisted the Kubert bros. From what I understand the contribution from their assistants is actually not really ghosting in the true sense of the word, so much as finishing up backgrounds and such. Or at least it was at the time. Since Adam and Andy are teaching now, they could have an entire army of students drawing their pages for all I know. I was taught directly by Joe, and I know him much better than I know his sons, but they're all stand-up guys. I don't think that there's any shame in them using an assistant if they so choose (although I know that Joe STRONGLY prefers not to); in fact, artists have used assistants since time immortal."
Brian Wood talks to Chris Arrant at Newsarama about comic book design:
"A lot of this [mainstream superhero comic] style of design is classic, timeless stuff, and regardless of the fact that its not breaking any new ground, design-wise, still holds up. I think the more successful covers are the ones that are able to use the classic comic book layout but bring a level of maturity and sophistication to it that wouldn't have existed a couple decades ago. I have a copy of The Winter Men #1 on my desk, and this is a good example of what I mean. Title across the top, company logo box in the upper left, UPC on the bottom. But stack this up next to the standard Marvel or DCU stuff, and you just know instantly that something is different about this book. It also passes the 'squint test' - you squint at something and it hold up in terms of composition, color, and balance.
"And by mature and sophisticated, I don't mean for adults only, but rather than the cover design was approached in a serious manner, some time was spent thinking about how the image would work with the text, and it was designed as a whole, as opposed to a a pin-up piece of art with a garish logo slapped on top, assembly-line style. I also think, to quote a classic rule, that 'less is more'. I learned that early on in college and its become a rule I've adopted for myself in everything creative I do. When you look at a crowded shelf of single issue comics, and everything is crazy and busy with lots of contrasting colors and images, its the cleaner, simpler, clearer cover that will always stand out."
"A lot of this [mainstream superhero comic] style of design is classic, timeless stuff, and regardless of the fact that its not breaking any new ground, design-wise, still holds up. I think the more successful covers are the ones that are able to use the classic comic book layout but bring a level of maturity and sophistication to it that wouldn't have existed a couple decades ago. I have a copy of The Winter Men #1 on my desk, and this is a good example of what I mean. Title across the top, company logo box in the upper left, UPC on the bottom. But stack this up next to the standard Marvel or DCU stuff, and you just know instantly that something is different about this book. It also passes the 'squint test' - you squint at something and it hold up in terms of composition, color, and balance.
"And by mature and sophisticated, I don't mean for adults only, but rather than the cover design was approached in a serious manner, some time was spent thinking about how the image would work with the text, and it was designed as a whole, as opposed to a a pin-up piece of art with a garish logo slapped on top, assembly-line style. I also think, to quote a classic rule, that 'less is more'. I learned that early on in college and its become a rule I've adopted for myself in everything creative I do. When you look at a crowded shelf of single issue comics, and everything is crazy and busy with lots of contrasting colors and images, its the cleaner, simpler, clearer cover that will always stand out."
You may have read about the low orders for Corey Lewis's Peng and wondered if there was only some way that you, dear reader, could sample said book risk free. Joe Keatinge provides that way:
"So, here's the deal -- If you're reading this pre-order a copy of Peng. Once you receive it, read it, and if you feel like it's the biggest piece of crap on the planet, I'll BUY IT from you. That's right - I'll put my hard earned dollars where my mouth is just so I can read this comic."
Go to the link for details, and thank Joe while you're at it.
"So, here's the deal -- If you're reading this pre-order a copy of Peng. Once you receive it, read it, and if you feel like it's the biggest piece of crap on the planet, I'll BUY IT from you. That's right - I'll put my hard earned dollars where my mouth is just so I can read this comic."
Go to the link for details, and thank Joe while you're at it.
Monday, August 22, 2005
If there's one thing that the Isotope Lounge is known for, it's James Sime. If there're two things, it's possible that the other one is the Toilet Seat Art:
"The Isotope is proud to feature the world's only museum dedicated to original art on toilet seats by comic creators. These lids were offered to the many comic artists and authors who have visited the Isotope for special events. Seats are only given out to those who visit the store in person and most were drawn in-house with our assortment of Sharpies."
A gallery of said toilet seats is now online for your entertainment, amusement and wonder.
"The Isotope is proud to feature the world's only museum dedicated to original art on toilet seats by comic creators. These lids were offered to the many comic artists and authors who have visited the Isotope for special events. Seats are only given out to those who visit the store in person and most were drawn in-house with our assortment of Sharpies."
A gallery of said toilet seats is now online for your entertainment, amusement and wonder.
Via Brian Wood, Khepri offers a nice incentive to pre-order 1000 Steps to World Domination creator Rob Osborne's new book:
"The Sunset City deal just got sweeter! Everyone who pre-orders Sunset City @ Khepri.com before Tue 30 Aug gets (1) free full-color sketch by Rob Osborne."
"The Sunset City deal just got sweeter! Everyone who pre-orders Sunset City @ Khepri.com before Tue 30 Aug gets (1) free full-color sketch by Rob Osborne."
Matt Brady gets into his time machine to celebrate five years of Marvel's Ultimate line, rerunning some Newsarama stories from before the launch of the imprint. Interesting in retrospect is Mark Millar's quote from before he was known to be involved in the line:
"Kids generally aren't interested in the kind of comics that their parents are going to approve of. Marvel, I hope, are savvy enough to realize this and aim the books at teenagers instead of the under-12s. This is what I call trickle-down comic-book economics; aim the books at older kids and the younger kids will bite their own arm off to get at them. Ever seen a kid's face when he sees a South Park keyring for the bargain price of ten bucks? Brian Bendis is a really nice choice for the first two titles. He's smart enough to keep these books cool... As for who I'd like to write? Cap, FF, Avengers, Iron Man... They're all great toys. It's like a bartender asking an alcoholic what he'd like to drink?"
"Kids generally aren't interested in the kind of comics that their parents are going to approve of. Marvel, I hope, are savvy enough to realize this and aim the books at teenagers instead of the under-12s. This is what I call trickle-down comic-book economics; aim the books at older kids and the younger kids will bite their own arm off to get at them. Ever seen a kid's face when he sees a South Park keyring for the bargain price of ten bucks? Brian Bendis is a really nice choice for the first two titles. He's smart enough to keep these books cool... As for who I'd like to write? Cap, FF, Avengers, Iron Man... They're all great toys. It's like a bartender asking an alcoholic what he'd like to drink?"
As referenced in the Bendis Board thread I just linked to, the comments thread for Matt Brady's last Joe Quesada interview has some creators talking about their experience of whether Marvel is more creator-friendly than DC. Gail Simone is first:
"I'm not interested in company bashing...I just don't see the point. But the DC being described here doesn't match the reality for the vast majority of DC writers. I only say majority because I don't want to speak for everyone...but if you've talked to a DC writer lately, I suspect you already know how jazzed we are about what's coming up. And since it's highly unlikely that either Dan or Paul would spend an interview on why Marvel isn't creator friendly, I think a slight correction is in order, from someone who actually works at DC."
Peter David:
"In the case of HoM, the new editor of 'Hulk' was told about HoM and decided that it was something he WANTED to become involved with. It was not, to the best of my knowledge, pushed upon him by a mandate from Joe. The editor decided it would be good for the book from a sales point of view...and, by the way, considering the 10,000 copy jump and the back-to-press orders, it's hard to refute his belief. Anyway, the editor said it was something he really wanted to do, and felt that I was in first position in terms of who should be asked to do it. As with all creative matters, I decided first and foremost whether it was interesting to me. I felt it was. So I did it. I think people should know me well enough by now to know that if I was not interested, I wouldn't hesitate to step aside and have someone else do it."
"I'm not interested in company bashing...I just don't see the point. But the DC being described here doesn't match the reality for the vast majority of DC writers. I only say majority because I don't want to speak for everyone...but if you've talked to a DC writer lately, I suspect you already know how jazzed we are about what's coming up. And since it's highly unlikely that either Dan or Paul would spend an interview on why Marvel isn't creator friendly, I think a slight correction is in order, from someone who actually works at DC."
Peter David:
"In the case of HoM, the new editor of 'Hulk' was told about HoM and decided that it was something he WANTED to become involved with. It was not, to the best of my knowledge, pushed upon him by a mandate from Joe. The editor decided it would be good for the book from a sales point of view...and, by the way, considering the 10,000 copy jump and the back-to-press orders, it's hard to refute his belief. Anyway, the editor said it was something he really wanted to do, and felt that I was in first position in terms of who should be asked to do it. As with all creative matters, I decided first and foremost whether it was interesting to me. I felt it was. So I did it. I think people should know me well enough by now to know that if I was not interested, I wouldn't hesitate to step aside and have someone else do it."
Millarworld has a long memory:
"I have one of the shittiest memories out there, but I don't recall seeing Blade or Bullseye or whoever won that Marvel.com poll a long time ago in the book yet. I had forgotten all about that until I realized that there's only one JR Jr. issue left. Maybe Mark forgot?"
"Shit, you're right. Wasn't that supposed to happen? Heck, I remember reading in a Wizard interview that said that the reason Millar got on Wolverine was because he wrote a Blade proposal."
"I've been thinking about posting ths for weeks. I think that it was just more 'get excited for nothing' Millar / Marvel style."
Mark Millar appears to explain:
"The Bullseye thing just didn't fit. I had a choice of squeezing a character I like into a story he ended up not really working in because of a Marvel poll or doing what was right for the story. Apologies to any Bullseye fans, but I ended up just going with what felt right for the story. As a consolation for anyone who wants to see this, I'm going to use Bullseye in another project at some point in the future and already have the story plotted. Ditto Blade. I have a plan for Blade (whom I love)."
"I have one of the shittiest memories out there, but I don't recall seeing Blade or Bullseye or whoever won that Marvel.com poll a long time ago in the book yet. I had forgotten all about that until I realized that there's only one JR Jr. issue left. Maybe Mark forgot?"
"Shit, you're right. Wasn't that supposed to happen? Heck, I remember reading in a Wizard interview that said that the reason Millar got on Wolverine was because he wrote a Blade proposal."
"I've been thinking about posting ths for weeks. I think that it was just more 'get excited for nothing' Millar / Marvel style."
Mark Millar appears to explain:
"The Bullseye thing just didn't fit. I had a choice of squeezing a character I like into a story he ended up not really working in because of a Marvel poll or doing what was right for the story. Apologies to any Bullseye fans, but I ended up just going with what felt right for the story. As a consolation for anyone who wants to see this, I'm going to use Bullseye in another project at some point in the future and already have the story plotted. Ditto Blade. I have a plan for Blade (whom I love)."
The Bendis Board is split down the middle about Matt Brady's last interview with Joe Quesada:
"Matt Brady pulled no punches and asked some hard questions that I'm glad Joe Q answered about editorially driven products. First time i've been impressed with a Newsarama interview."
"His comments sort of flipped around on him. At first he said that Marvel was more focused on creator-initiated storylines than DC did, but then we saw proof that the House of M tie-ins weren't necessarily everyone pitching in, and that DC is going creator-pushed stories with Rucka, Johns, Morisson, etc."
"i dunno. seemed to me that matt was pushing just to be pushing after a certain point. there is a very distinct difference between M and the milliion mini (with crossovers between issues!) march."
"Agreed. This week's Joe Friday was a big waste. If Matt hadn't asked the same question for half the interview, we might've been able to read about some other topics."
"Yeah I know what Matt was getting at, but at a certain point you have to realize that you're talking to a brick wall (at least with this issue). Bottom line is that each company is in it for the money. DC knows that these type of events sell well. And if Marvel thought they could make money off of a line wide crossover I'm sure they would jump on the chance too. But Marvel hasn't had a cohesive universe in a long time. Certainly nothing like DC's. At this point they're too fragmented to pull something like this off, so they do intra-franchise crossovers. X-titles crossover with X-titles, Spider titles with other spider titles, etc. Calling DC editorially driven is really pointless. Ultimately it doesn't matter where the story comes from, the writer and artists still have to execute it. Good comics are good comics whether an Omac pops up in them or not. Its kind of hypocritical in a way. I mean what does Joe pay his editors to do, spell check and moral support?"
"I didn't care for the tone of the most recent Joe Friday. Reminded me a bit of a time when Rich Johnson and Joe exchanged words in an interview."
"Matt Brady pulled no punches and asked some hard questions that I'm glad Joe Q answered about editorially driven products. First time i've been impressed with a Newsarama interview."
"His comments sort of flipped around on him. At first he said that Marvel was more focused on creator-initiated storylines than DC did, but then we saw proof that the House of M tie-ins weren't necessarily everyone pitching in, and that DC is going creator-pushed stories with Rucka, Johns, Morisson, etc."
"i dunno. seemed to me that matt was pushing just to be pushing after a certain point. there is a very distinct difference between M and the milliion mini (with crossovers between issues!) march."
"Agreed. This week's Joe Friday was a big waste. If Matt hadn't asked the same question for half the interview, we might've been able to read about some other topics."
"Yeah I know what Matt was getting at, but at a certain point you have to realize that you're talking to a brick wall (at least with this issue). Bottom line is that each company is in it for the money. DC knows that these type of events sell well. And if Marvel thought they could make money off of a line wide crossover I'm sure they would jump on the chance too. But Marvel hasn't had a cohesive universe in a long time. Certainly nothing like DC's. At this point they're too fragmented to pull something like this off, so they do intra-franchise crossovers. X-titles crossover with X-titles, Spider titles with other spider titles, etc. Calling DC editorially driven is really pointless. Ultimately it doesn't matter where the story comes from, the writer and artists still have to execute it. Good comics are good comics whether an Omac pops up in them or not. Its kind of hypocritical in a way. I mean what does Joe pay his editors to do, spell check and moral support?"
"I didn't care for the tone of the most recent Joe Friday. Reminded me a bit of a time when Rich Johnson and Joe exchanged words in an interview."
"Mark Millar's Wolverine run is a one-trick pony, which is fine so long as it's a good trick that doesn't outstay its welcome. But it isn't a trick that requires to be reviewed twelve times in a row. Whedon and Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men is rather similar. Beautiful as it may be, there simply isn't enough content in 'Dangerous' to merit six reviews. There just isn't that much to say about it. And it goes without saying that almost every miniseries from the last two or three years falls into this category as well. The upshot is that the X-Axis, in its current format, is becoming a chore to write."
Paul O'Brien writes about the future of The X-Axis. He also launches a new, non-comics, blog, If Destroyed, Still True, which may give a bit more insight into where his head is at:
"Feedback from the X-Axis tells me two things. One, a lot of my readers don't even read, or care about, the actual comics being reviewed. Bluntly, they don't much care what I write about. These people should be happy, because If Destroyed... will probably also feature me writing at length about things they don't care about. Two, a lot of my readers actively lobby for me to write about other things. If Destroyed... will feature me writing about other things. Although not necessarily the other things they had in mind."
Paul O'Brien writes about the future of The X-Axis. He also launches a new, non-comics, blog, If Destroyed, Still True, which may give a bit more insight into where his head is at:
"Feedback from the X-Axis tells me two things. One, a lot of my readers don't even read, or care about, the actual comics being reviewed. Bluntly, they don't much care what I write about. These people should be happy, because If Destroyed... will probably also feature me writing at length about things they don't care about. Two, a lot of my readers actively lobby for me to write about other things. If Destroyed... will feature me writing about other things. Although not necessarily the other things they had in mind."
Peter David explains his new X-Factor:
"There's a fundamental theme to X-Factor that arises from the Madrox series: Namely that no one is ever what they appear to be. That there are always layers, always more things to discover. And the unexpected is always there to thwart expectations. Just when Jamie thinks he's got a bead on his new status, it changes. Just when readers think they have a bead on our team or the team's opponents, they will discover that, no, here's this aspect that they didn't know about or hadn't considered. The issue that everyone remembers from my previous X-Factor run was #87. Why? Because it was 22 pages of upending people's perceptions - I can't tell you how many people read that and said to me, 'NOW I totally 'get' Quicksilver!' - My goal with the new series is to do that to some degree with every single issue. That at least once, maybe twice each issue, readers will hit a point in the story where they say, 'Whoa. Okay. I have to reconsider what I've seen up until this point.' Every issue will feature some aspect of the unexpected, the unanticipated, the element that throws things for a loop: In short, the X-Factor."
"There's a fundamental theme to X-Factor that arises from the Madrox series: Namely that no one is ever what they appear to be. That there are always layers, always more things to discover. And the unexpected is always there to thwart expectations. Just when Jamie thinks he's got a bead on his new status, it changes. Just when readers think they have a bead on our team or the team's opponents, they will discover that, no, here's this aspect that they didn't know about or hadn't considered. The issue that everyone remembers from my previous X-Factor run was #87. Why? Because it was 22 pages of upending people's perceptions - I can't tell you how many people read that and said to me, 'NOW I totally 'get' Quicksilver!' - My goal with the new series is to do that to some degree with every single issue. That at least once, maybe twice each issue, readers will hit a point in the story where they say, 'Whoa. Okay. I have to reconsider what I've seen up until this point.' Every issue will feature some aspect of the unexpected, the unanticipated, the element that throws things for a loop: In short, the X-Factor."
Dan Buckley is at ICv2, talking about Marvel's business plans:
"[W]e are doing digest-formatted books because that's where we think the manga reader is. I'm know I'm not making manga, I'm not professing that, but we do think we have some products that the manga reader or demographic might be comfortable with. Runaways is the flagship of that... The most important thing we need to do right now is to develop product that works there. Runaways is a good example, Spellbinders, and Machine Teen are products that we definitely feel if you look at it you're going to realize [the teen girl market is] what they're designed for. I know I'm missing one...Mary Jane... We need to develop some depth, a backlist, something where we can develop some presence. A year ago we didn't have anything that we could walk into anybody to develop any kind of presence. I think we have enough product now that we can go in and start talking to people about developing a presence where it's not just one-off books off to the left or to the right. And one of the richest categories for us to date is still X-Men, how we tap into that."
"[W]e are doing digest-formatted books because that's where we think the manga reader is. I'm know I'm not making manga, I'm not professing that, but we do think we have some products that the manga reader or demographic might be comfortable with. Runaways is the flagship of that... The most important thing we need to do right now is to develop product that works there. Runaways is a good example, Spellbinders, and Machine Teen are products that we definitely feel if you look at it you're going to realize [the teen girl market is] what they're designed for. I know I'm missing one...Mary Jane... We need to develop some depth, a backlist, something where we can develop some presence. A year ago we didn't have anything that we could walk into anybody to develop any kind of presence. I think we have enough product now that we can go in and start talking to people about developing a presence where it's not just one-off books off to the left or to the right. And one of the richest categories for us to date is still X-Men, how we tap into that."
Mike Richardson, Dark Horse's founder and president, talks to CBR about his new project Cravan, and the state of the comic industry in general:
"One of the things that's happened recently that's also fueling graphic novel growth is something that's unforeseen: the introduction of teenage girls into the market by Shojo Manga. That's the biggest single element fueling graphic novel growth and getting bookstores to pay attention... The real growth in the comic market as shown by the sales of Shojo is not superheroes. People who want to read superhero books know where to get them, and the people that want them go there. There's not like some hidden clientele for superhero comics. That market is well-served. It's trying to figure out how to serve the much larger market out there with comic material that they'll be interested in.
"I always point to one book of ours in particular as an example of this: we had Andrew Vach's book 'Another Chance to get it Right' held up by Oprah on her show for about six seconds with our phone number under it, and we got 150,000 phone calls trying to buy the book. But all the people who went to traditional bookstores to buy that book couldn't get it because none of them had any. If you figure that most people aren't going to call, we could've probably sold half a million books that week if bookstores had taken a position on it. So it just shows that there is a market out there, it's just a matter of figuring out ways to get the right product to the right market."
"One of the things that's happened recently that's also fueling graphic novel growth is something that's unforeseen: the introduction of teenage girls into the market by Shojo Manga. That's the biggest single element fueling graphic novel growth and getting bookstores to pay attention... The real growth in the comic market as shown by the sales of Shojo is not superheroes. People who want to read superhero books know where to get them, and the people that want them go there. There's not like some hidden clientele for superhero comics. That market is well-served. It's trying to figure out how to serve the much larger market out there with comic material that they'll be interested in.
"I always point to one book of ours in particular as an example of this: we had Andrew Vach's book 'Another Chance to get it Right' held up by Oprah on her show for about six seconds with our phone number under it, and we got 150,000 phone calls trying to buy the book. But all the people who went to traditional bookstores to buy that book couldn't get it because none of them had any. If you figure that most people aren't going to call, we could've probably sold half a million books that week if bookstores had taken a position on it. So it just shows that there is a market out there, it's just a matter of figuring out ways to get the right product to the right market."
Friday, August 19, 2005
Following up from last week's Newsarama Spin Zone, Joe Quesada tries to convince Matt Brady that Marvel really is the creators' friend:
"Look, do you think it’s any surprise that there is this wave of creators who are all of a sudden returning to Marvel. Now, do I insist that Marvel is perfect? Of course not, it’s not the perfect company for everyone and I’m sure some people have and will be disappointed by something we do. But, with respect to lack of editorial interference, purity of vision, respect, promoting and managing of our creator’s careers, there’s no one better... This isn’t brain surgery and I’m not pointing out something that everyone doesn’t know within comics, I’m just the only person who’s saying it out loud at the moment. It’s not tough to see, when DC claims that every title but four or five tie into Crisis which is then followed by their 'One Year Later' line-wide crossover, it’s not a stretch to say that at first blush, over 90% of their DCU output over the next year is corporately created. Unless of course the info given out isn’t accurate in which case I’m completely wrong... Dude, I know you want to play Devil’s Advocate here, but just look in Previews. Heck read your own site and let me know if I’m being subjective. What is it like over 170 tie-ins and still growing?"
"Look, do you think it’s any surprise that there is this wave of creators who are all of a sudden returning to Marvel. Now, do I insist that Marvel is perfect? Of course not, it’s not the perfect company for everyone and I’m sure some people have and will be disappointed by something we do. But, with respect to lack of editorial interference, purity of vision, respect, promoting and managing of our creator’s careers, there’s no one better... This isn’t brain surgery and I’m not pointing out something that everyone doesn’t know within comics, I’m just the only person who’s saying it out loud at the moment. It’s not tough to see, when DC claims that every title but four or five tie into Crisis which is then followed by their 'One Year Later' line-wide crossover, it’s not a stretch to say that at first blush, over 90% of their DCU output over the next year is corporately created. Unless of course the info given out isn’t accurate in which case I’m completely wrong... Dude, I know you want to play Devil’s Advocate here, but just look in Previews. Heck read your own site and let me know if I’m being subjective. What is it like over 170 tie-ins and still growing?"
So, we started the week off with Paul O'Brien feeling apathy towards mainstream comics, something that set off commentary alarms all across the comics internet and got peoples talking on the comments thread here a wee bit, as well. Things got kind of heated for awhile, huh? What better way to celebrate Friday than with a calm, subtle, nuanced response to Paul's column that - instead of taking the "You aren't reading the right comics!" approach that some have put forward so far - celebrates the diversity of people's opinions and champions Paul's right to (a) read what he wants, and (b) feel disappointed with the current quality of what he previously enjoyed reading? You know, something to show that people have spent the week reflecting on the discussion and learnt from it.
Alternatively, there's Chris Allen's commentary at Comic Book Galaxy:
"Those who falter in their purpose, or who find the entirety of current comics unsatisfactory need to politely offer to be upended and cut along the throat to bleed out like kosher chickens, as they have no just reason to clog my Internet with their mewling... The point is simple: if you don’t like what’s going on, don’t change the system from within, don’t elaborate on where everything’s gone wrong. Just die. Die and die again. For me. Please. And failing that, as you’re wont to do, get this through your head: the majority of any media sucks. How many movies come out each year? 100? 200? How many were you interested to see? 5? 10? And how many of those were any good? 3? 4? That’s just the way it is. There’s no great creative depression in any medium, and really no renaissance, either. There’s always some good stuff, and plenty of bad. If you can’t be poopered enough (I refuse to use the UK variant 'arsed,' which came along much later in a pathetic attempt to diverge from the established American form) to find it, then again, I say thee end that blah de vivre and just kick it. I can use the extra oxygen."
Alternatively, there's Chris Allen's commentary at Comic Book Galaxy:
"Those who falter in their purpose, or who find the entirety of current comics unsatisfactory need to politely offer to be upended and cut along the throat to bleed out like kosher chickens, as they have no just reason to clog my Internet with their mewling... The point is simple: if you don’t like what’s going on, don’t change the system from within, don’t elaborate on where everything’s gone wrong. Just die. Die and die again. For me. Please. And failing that, as you’re wont to do, get this through your head: the majority of any media sucks. How many movies come out each year? 100? 200? How many were you interested to see? 5? 10? And how many of those were any good? 3? 4? That’s just the way it is. There’s no great creative depression in any medium, and really no renaissance, either. There’s always some good stuff, and plenty of bad. If you can’t be poopered enough (I refuse to use the UK variant 'arsed,' which came along much later in a pathetic attempt to diverge from the established American form) to find it, then again, I say thee end that blah de vivre and just kick it. I can use the extra oxygen."
The Center for Cartoon Studies announces its Grand Opening:
"Join The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) students, staff, faculty and board for our Grand Opening, Saturday, September 10th, 2p.m. - 4p.m., at CCS, 94 South Main Street, in the village of White River Junction. Get a piece of ORIGINAL ART made by The CCS SKETCH FACTORY! All Ages Welcome! Fun for the entire family!"
Good luck to them, says I.
"Join The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) students, staff, faculty and board for our Grand Opening, Saturday, September 10th, 2p.m. - 4p.m., at CCS, 94 South Main Street, in the village of White River Junction. Get a piece of ORIGINAL ART made by The CCS SKETCH FACTORY! All Ages Welcome! Fun for the entire family!"
Good luck to them, says I.
Mike Oeming talks to Comic Foundry about his artwork, his writing and his influences:
"Lots of writing skills from Bendis. I’m not anywhere in his league, but working with him has made me understand writing much better. There are no rules but there are guidelines and he helped me find them. He's very good at subtext, not just in his writing, but in life. I’ve learned to carry that over in my observations of people, not just in my writing."
"Lots of writing skills from Bendis. I’m not anywhere in his league, but working with him has made me understand writing much better. There are no rules but there are guidelines and he helped me find them. He's very good at subtext, not just in his writing, but in life. I’ve learned to carry that over in my observations of people, not just in my writing."
The Geoff Johns board is beginning to ponder Infinite Crisis:
"when i was young, on earth 2... superman was married to lois... batman and catwoman were a couple...and then batman retired... replaced by...an adult robin... powergirl was superman's cousin... seem familiar??"
"And didn't Earth-2 Batman have a falling out with the JSA... right before his death? Curiouser and curiouser."
"Yes, but in that case, there was some mind-controlling aspect to th- wait, nevermind."
"hmmm - y'know what else..... earth two Robin moved on to have a costume with long pants! this thing has been creeping in for a long time!"
"Does this mean what I think it means?!?!?!!? That all this time, ever since Crisis on the Infinite Earths, that all the stories being told in DC comics we've been reading................are actually taking place on Earth 2 and we didn't know it?!?!?!?!?! This is gonna rank up there with that Dallas Bobby Ewing's wife's dream thingy and the Spiderman clone revelation as one of the greatest story and plot twists.....EVER!"
"To be honest i think IF they go this route, it won't be the post crisis stories happened on Earth-Two, but more like the Multi-Verse is trying to correct it's self. and that is affecting the way time flows [...] COnsdier this: Pre-Crisis E1 & E2 Batman's partner is supposed to be an orphan [...] Pre-Crisis E1 Batman's First Partnere quits the Robin Identity & his Second Partner is supposed to die [...] Post-Crisis: Batman's Original Parner is orphan who quits being a sidekick. Batman's Second Partner dies. Batman's Third Partner isn't an orphan but does quit being a sidekick. Batman's next partner dies. Third Partner returns and becomes an orphan. (Notice a pattern?) The Multi Verse is trying to 'right' It's self. Unfortunately it is using Contradictory guidelines from the various Earths. This sometime sresults in the Mutiverse causing a 'Reset'. Inshort the Multiverse is trying reestablish it's self but doing so on only one earth. If a solution to this cannot be found the DCU may very well be facing a Crisis without end...some might say one of Infinite magnatude"
"when i was young, on earth 2... superman was married to lois... batman and catwoman were a couple...and then batman retired... replaced by...an adult robin... powergirl was superman's cousin... seem familiar??"
"And didn't Earth-2 Batman have a falling out with the JSA... right before his death? Curiouser and curiouser."
"Yes, but in that case, there was some mind-controlling aspect to th- wait, nevermind."
"hmmm - y'know what else..... earth two Robin moved on to have a costume with long pants! this thing has been creeping in for a long time!"
"Does this mean what I think it means?!?!?!!? That all this time, ever since Crisis on the Infinite Earths, that all the stories being told in DC comics we've been reading................are actually taking place on Earth 2 and we didn't know it?!?!?!?!?! This is gonna rank up there with that Dallas Bobby Ewing's wife's dream thingy and the Spiderman clone revelation as one of the greatest story and plot twists.....EVER!"
"To be honest i think IF they go this route, it won't be the post crisis stories happened on Earth-Two, but more like the Multi-Verse is trying to correct it's self. and that is affecting the way time flows [...] COnsdier this: Pre-Crisis E1 & E2 Batman's partner is supposed to be an orphan [...] Pre-Crisis E1 Batman's First Partnere quits the Robin Identity & his Second Partner is supposed to die [...] Post-Crisis: Batman's Original Parner is orphan who quits being a sidekick. Batman's Second Partner dies. Batman's Third Partner isn't an orphan but does quit being a sidekick. Batman's next partner dies. Third Partner returns and becomes an orphan. (Notice a pattern?) The Multi Verse is trying to 'right' It's self. Unfortunately it is using Contradictory guidelines from the various Earths. This sometime sresults in the Mutiverse causing a 'Reset'. Inshort the Multiverse is trying reestablish it's self but doing so on only one earth. If a solution to this cannot be found the DCU may very well be facing a Crisis without end...some might say one of Infinite magnatude"
The Bendis Board stands up for their lord and master:
"To all the people out there on the net bitching about the USM/FF issue record [a]bout how Kirby did more stories, or the art was smaller and more, or how there were more panels to a page, or Kirby did his own annuals, or it was harder back then: For fuck's sake, can't you let Bendis and Bagley enjoy the accomplishment without having to find ways to tear it down? It's times like these I understand why people like John Byrne and Warren Ellis can not stand you all; you bitch bitch bitch about everything."
"Well, by the time they're through they'll probably have obliterated the record anyway."
"let us all not forget the frequency of his releases too. Bendis and co. produce like what? 5 comics a month? I say the man deserves a raise, especially since he's able to give us solid stoytelling and inventive plots and awesome dialogue. Which, by the way. is something that I find many far slower creators have a hard time with."
"To all the people out there on the net bitching about the USM/FF issue record [a]bout how Kirby did more stories, or the art was smaller and more, or how there were more panels to a page, or Kirby did his own annuals, or it was harder back then: For fuck's sake, can't you let Bendis and Bagley enjoy the accomplishment without having to find ways to tear it down? It's times like these I understand why people like John Byrne and Warren Ellis can not stand you all; you bitch bitch bitch about everything."
"Well, by the time they're through they'll probably have obliterated the record anyway."
"let us all not forget the frequency of his releases too. Bendis and co. produce like what? 5 comics a month? I say the man deserves a raise, especially since he's able to give us solid stoytelling and inventive plots and awesome dialogue. Which, by the way. is something that I find many far slower creators have a hard time with."
Batman Begins to package comics with DVDs:
"[C]ollectors will want the 2-disk Deluxe Edition (MSRP $30.97), which includes seven documentaries about the making of the film as well as a 72-page comic book containing the very first Batman story from Detective Comics #27 as well as 'Batman: The Man Who Falls' and [presumably, given the length, an excerpt from] 'Batman: The Long Halloween,' two stories that inspired the Batman Begins movie."
"[C]ollectors will want the 2-disk Deluxe Edition (MSRP $30.97), which includes seven documentaries about the making of the film as well as a 72-page comic book containing the very first Batman story from Detective Comics #27 as well as 'Batman: The Man Who Falls' and [presumably, given the length, an excerpt from] 'Batman: The Long Halloween,' two stories that inspired the Batman Begins movie."
Comic Buyers' Guide's John Jackson Miller looks at July's sales figures (via Newsarama):
"More copies of All-Star Batman and Robin #1 were ordered by comics shops in July than any other comic book since 2003’s Batman #619, also from DC – and more were sold in a single month than any comic book since Top Cow’s Darkness #11 back in 1997, according to CBG’s analysis of the sales reports released by Diamond Comic Distributors on Aug. 12... Thanks to All-Star and a strong line of new series launches, July sales of comic books and trade paperbacks to comics shops increased 3% over the same month in the previous year, keeping alive a year that’s flirting with double-digit growth overall. Sales of comic books and trade paperbacks to comics shops have increased 8% in the first seven months of 2005 to $192 million."
"More copies of All-Star Batman and Robin #1 were ordered by comics shops in July than any other comic book since 2003’s Batman #619, also from DC – and more were sold in a single month than any comic book since Top Cow’s Darkness #11 back in 1997, according to CBG’s analysis of the sales reports released by Diamond Comic Distributors on Aug. 12... Thanks to All-Star and a strong line of new series launches, July sales of comic books and trade paperbacks to comics shops increased 3% over the same month in the previous year, keeping alive a year that’s flirting with double-digit growth overall. Sales of comic books and trade paperbacks to comics shops have increased 8% in the first seven months of 2005 to $192 million."
Brian Hibbs writes about ComicsPRO, the retailers' version of the Avengers:
"I believe there are several fundamental things wrong with the ways comics are solicited and sold that ill-serve the Direct Market retailer, and hold the market back from achieving its full potential. And I believe that we absolutely hold the power to begin changing those things, but only if we organize and speak together. Look, I understand that there’s a basic trust hurdle to get over here – virtually all Direct Market retailers are Entrepreneurs and Mavericks, and just plain used to Being Their Own Boss – and so most will take a 'wait and see' attitude before joining. I understand this feeling. I’m a Lone Wolf, too – but I know, through my experience with the Marvel lawsuit, that we collectively have way more power than we have individually."
"I believe there are several fundamental things wrong with the ways comics are solicited and sold that ill-serve the Direct Market retailer, and hold the market back from achieving its full potential. And I believe that we absolutely hold the power to begin changing those things, but only if we organize and speak together. Look, I understand that there’s a basic trust hurdle to get over here – virtually all Direct Market retailers are Entrepreneurs and Mavericks, and just plain used to Being Their Own Boss – and so most will take a 'wait and see' attitude before joining. I understand this feeling. I’m a Lone Wolf, too – but I know, through my experience with the Marvel lawsuit, that we collectively have way more power than we have individually."
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Gail Simone wants you to buy the latest issue of Birds of Prey:
"It's gonna sell out, I predict, and it's GOOD FUN, plus WEIRD THING at the end! HOORAY!"
There is, indeed, a weird thing at the end that I'm not going to spoil, even though I'm fanboyishly upset about it while still expecting that all is not what it seems. There are also guest stars and cameos a-plenty, as well as ass-kicking and an old man with a gun. What else could you want?
"It's gonna sell out, I predict, and it's GOOD FUN, plus WEIRD THING at the end! HOORAY!"
There is, indeed, a weird thing at the end that I'm not going to spoil, even though I'm fanboyishly upset about it while still expecting that all is not what it seems. There are also guest stars and cameos a-plenty, as well as ass-kicking and an old man with a gun. What else could you want?
Neil Kleid takes us to a wonderful world where J. Jonah Jameson updates readers with all the gossip in the Marvel Universe through his online rumor column Bugle In The Gutters:
"UPDATE: This reporter was just contacted by Henry Gyrich, Avengers liaison to the United States government and kindly requested to remove this article. This reporter kindly told Mr. Gyrich where he could stick his request. I don't care if he's Nick Freaking Fury with a helicarrier and a missile launcher – nothing will stand in the way of the Bugle and the Pulse delivering G-d's honest truth to the good people of this fair city!
"UPDATE: This reporter was just contacted by Jasper Sitwell, S.H.I.E.L.D. Press Liaison, and kindly requested to remove the "helicarrier" comment. There is no secret government helicarrier in the clouds above New York. Right — and I don't have a second hand Spider Slayer locked up in my basement."
"UPDATE: This reporter was just contacted by Henry Gyrich, Avengers liaison to the United States government and kindly requested to remove this article. This reporter kindly told Mr. Gyrich where he could stick his request. I don't care if he's Nick Freaking Fury with a helicarrier and a missile launcher – nothing will stand in the way of the Bugle and the Pulse delivering G-d's honest truth to the good people of this fair city!
"UPDATE: This reporter was just contacted by Jasper Sitwell, S.H.I.E.L.D. Press Liaison, and kindly requested to remove the "helicarrier" comment. There is no secret government helicarrier in the clouds above New York. Right — and I don't have a second hand Spider Slayer locked up in my basement."
Jim Lee talks about his Chicago experience at Newsarama:
"Run into Frank Miller and Bob Schreck in the bar (surprise!) and then later Charles Brownstein and Matt Brady. We drink some tequila in celebration of the first issue’s success. Dan toasts to blown deadlines! Frank replies that we’ll be drinking a lot then tonight. Matt drinks a shot and makes a funny face. I’m sure he’s regretting his decision to shadow me for an entire con."
"Run into Frank Miller and Bob Schreck in the bar (surprise!) and then later Charles Brownstein and Matt Brady. We drink some tequila in celebration of the first issue’s success. Dan toasts to blown deadlines! Frank replies that we’ll be drinking a lot then tonight. Matt drinks a shot and makes a funny face. I’m sure he’s regretting his decision to shadow me for an entire con."
Geoff Johns is teasing again:
"I just spent a week with some of the best writers in the business as we gear up for '06 and it was the best time I've had in comics. There's a new team of us, one I couldn't be happier to be a part of, working on a very interesting project. Dan would kill me if I said anything else but I will say -- I was blown away by each and everyone."
The very interesting project... 52, or something else? Curious minds wonder...
"I just spent a week with some of the best writers in the business as we gear up for '06 and it was the best time I've had in comics. There's a new team of us, one I couldn't be happier to be a part of, working on a very interesting project. Dan would kill me if I said anything else but I will say -- I was blown away by each and everyone."
The very interesting project... 52, or something else? Curious minds wonder...
An excerpt of the interview with Jessica Abel from the latest Comics Journal is up at their website:
"You can be taught how to write. You can be taught how to draw. You can teach somebody how to draw from life and how to draw from their imagination. I don't plan to do that, but it can be done. I think saying it can't be taught has a destructive influence on our world of art. It's a bad idea, that everybody has to individually struggle along on their own, and end up wherever they end up. For hundreds of thousands of years, artists have worked as apprentices. It's only in the last 50 that they haven't. And working as an apprentice is learning from the master -- copying, nothing wrong with copying for a while. I don't teach my students as if they're apprentices. I don't have them copy me and just do my grunt work, but I think that's one model for education that works. If somebody had said to me when I was 21, when I knew I wanted to be a cartoonist, 'Hey, there's a place where they're good teachers and you could really learn,' like [James Sturm's] school, that would have been magic. I don't know if I could have or would have done it in terms of money and so on, but it could have gotten me to where I am now, six years earlier. Why should I suffer? Why should I have to reinvent the wheel over and over again?"
"You can be taught how to write. You can be taught how to draw. You can teach somebody how to draw from life and how to draw from their imagination. I don't plan to do that, but it can be done. I think saying it can't be taught has a destructive influence on our world of art. It's a bad idea, that everybody has to individually struggle along on their own, and end up wherever they end up. For hundreds of thousands of years, artists have worked as apprentices. It's only in the last 50 that they haven't. And working as an apprentice is learning from the master -- copying, nothing wrong with copying for a while. I don't teach my students as if they're apprentices. I don't have them copy me and just do my grunt work, but I think that's one model for education that works. If somebody had said to me when I was 21, when I knew I wanted to be a cartoonist, 'Hey, there's a place where they're good teachers and you could really learn,' like [James Sturm's] school, that would have been magic. I don't know if I could have or would have done it in terms of money and so on, but it could have gotten me to where I am now, six years earlier. Why should I suffer? Why should I have to reinvent the wheel over and over again?"
Brian Azzarello talks about Loveless:
"I'm kind of referring to it as '100 Bullets' nasty little brother... It's a much darker tone than '100 Bullets.' The story itself is a bit more straightforward than '100 Bullets.' But the structure of the story is not. There's going to be a lot of flashbacks. You'll see people in different times of their lives behaving differently."
"I'm kind of referring to it as '100 Bullets' nasty little brother... It's a much darker tone than '100 Bullets.' The story itself is a bit more straightforward than '100 Bullets.' But the structure of the story is not. There's going to be a lot of flashbacks. You'll see people in different times of their lives behaving differently."
Purely because Ed asked me to...
1. Ten years ago: I was in art school, in Aberdeen, in Scotland. Well, ten years ago exactly, I was on summer break, and getting to know someone that I had an incredible crush on who I'd later get together with, split up with, and then spend a weekend in Paris just before Christmas with. We arrived at the end of a strike by public workers and parts of the city were left without any electricity, so everything was lit by the moon and snow.
2. Five years ago: Skating between freelance work and unemployment, and Kate had just appeared in my life. I was writing my first blog at the time, as well.
3. One year ago: Kate and I were thinking about leaving San Francisco we didn't), and I was thinking about killing the blog (obviously, I didn't).
4. Yesterday: Lots of work, me managing to split my left thumb open so that it spurted blood all over the place like a bad horror film, and finally managing to get to the Isotope again for the first time in, what, six weeks or something, where I met fellow blogger and Nellie McKay fan Ian Brill.
5. Today: God knows, it's seven in the morning.
6. Tomorrow: Hooray for Friday, to misquote Elliott Smith.
7. Five snacks I enjoy: Anything chocolatey, as much as it drives Kate mad. Strawberry ice cream. Trader Joe's Molasses Chew cookies. Skips crisps. The oatmeal and raisin cookies from the place around the corner from my work.
8. Five bands I know the lyrics of most of their songs: The Beatles, Elliott Smith, Super Furry Animals, Blur, and... um... the Zombies.
9. Five things I would do with $100,000,000: Travel extensively, buy a house (Or, in San Francisco, buy a small apartment. Sob), buy myself a laptop (something that I've really wanted to do for some time now, but just can't justify in my frugal head), give it to Kate to start her own business, and/or get Kate that massively big flatscreen TV that she's wanted for aaaaaaages.
10. Five locations I'd like to run away to: Iceland, St. Petersburg, Prague, Barcelona, home.
11. Five Bad Habits: Admitting defeat far too easily, lethargy, watching shitty TV, forgetting to eat, veering between having a massive ego and self-loathing at great speeds.
12. Five things I like doing: Reading, drawing, writing, sleeping, talking random nonsense with people I like.
13. Five TV shows I like: Rescue Me, The Daily Show, Battlestar Galactica, Mythbusters, Debbie Travis' Facelift. And yes, you did read that last one right.
14. Famous People I'd like to meet, living or dead: Good lord. Um. John Lennon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Joseph Cornell, Terry Southern and Sarah Vowell. Off the top of my head.
15. Biggest joys at the moment: The idea that the weekend starts in less than 48 hours, and that Kate and I don't have anything planned for it, for a change.
16. Favorite toys: I don't really have any... I am sad and pathetic.
17. Five people to tag: Heidi, Johanna, Gail Simone if she's reading the blog today, David Campbell, and Beaucoup Kevin whose last name I don't know.
1. Ten years ago: I was in art school, in Aberdeen, in Scotland. Well, ten years ago exactly, I was on summer break, and getting to know someone that I had an incredible crush on who I'd later get together with, split up with, and then spend a weekend in Paris just before Christmas with. We arrived at the end of a strike by public workers and parts of the city were left without any electricity, so everything was lit by the moon and snow.
2. Five years ago: Skating between freelance work and unemployment, and Kate had just appeared in my life. I was writing my first blog at the time, as well.
3. One year ago: Kate and I were thinking about leaving San Francisco we didn't), and I was thinking about killing the blog (obviously, I didn't).
4. Yesterday: Lots of work, me managing to split my left thumb open so that it spurted blood all over the place like a bad horror film, and finally managing to get to the Isotope again for the first time in, what, six weeks or something, where I met fellow blogger and Nellie McKay fan Ian Brill.
5. Today: God knows, it's seven in the morning.
6. Tomorrow: Hooray for Friday, to misquote Elliott Smith.
7. Five snacks I enjoy: Anything chocolatey, as much as it drives Kate mad. Strawberry ice cream. Trader Joe's Molasses Chew cookies. Skips crisps. The oatmeal and raisin cookies from the place around the corner from my work.
8. Five bands I know the lyrics of most of their songs: The Beatles, Elliott Smith, Super Furry Animals, Blur, and... um... the Zombies.
9. Five things I would do with $100,000,000: Travel extensively, buy a house (Or, in San Francisco, buy a small apartment. Sob), buy myself a laptop (something that I've really wanted to do for some time now, but just can't justify in my frugal head), give it to Kate to start her own business, and/or get Kate that massively big flatscreen TV that she's wanted for aaaaaaages.
10. Five locations I'd like to run away to: Iceland, St. Petersburg, Prague, Barcelona, home.
11. Five Bad Habits: Admitting defeat far too easily, lethargy, watching shitty TV, forgetting to eat, veering between having a massive ego and self-loathing at great speeds.
12. Five things I like doing: Reading, drawing, writing, sleeping, talking random nonsense with people I like.
13. Five TV shows I like: Rescue Me, The Daily Show, Battlestar Galactica, Mythbusters, Debbie Travis' Facelift. And yes, you did read that last one right.
14. Famous People I'd like to meet, living or dead: Good lord. Um. John Lennon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Joseph Cornell, Terry Southern and Sarah Vowell. Off the top of my head.
15. Biggest joys at the moment: The idea that the weekend starts in less than 48 hours, and that Kate and I don't have anything planned for it, for a change.
16. Favorite toys: I don't really have any... I am sad and pathetic.
17. Five people to tag: Heidi, Johanna, Gail Simone if she's reading the blog today, David Campbell, and Beaucoup Kevin whose last name I don't know.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Here's a time sensitive one:
"Fanboy Radio is bringing Joe Quesada on to their 250th episode this afternoon to field questions from hosts Scott Hinze & TJ Colligan and live caller’s questions. Hinze plans to cover Quesada’s new role a Chief Creative Officer at Marvel, his publishing philosophy, art-'swiping', tease-marketing, the return of silly Marvel comics & annuals, the Marvel/DC relationship, his favorite books on the rack today as well as reliving some highlights of his past seven appearances on the program... Today at 2pm EST, 11am PST tune into http://www.fanboyradio.com and give them a call at (817) 257-7631 [...] For those of you looking for a less direct way to have your questions answered, you can leave Joe a text post which the hosts can access via this link - http://www.fanboyradio.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4084"
So you have just under an hour to prepare, all of you who want to give Joe a piece of your mind.
"Fanboy Radio is bringing Joe Quesada on to their 250th episode this afternoon to field questions from hosts Scott Hinze & TJ Colligan and live caller’s questions. Hinze plans to cover Quesada’s new role a Chief Creative Officer at Marvel, his publishing philosophy, art-'swiping', tease-marketing, the return of silly Marvel comics & annuals, the Marvel/DC relationship, his favorite books on the rack today as well as reliving some highlights of his past seven appearances on the program... Today at 2pm EST, 11am PST tune into http://www.fanboyradio.com and give them a call at (817) 257-7631 [...] For those of you looking for a less direct way to have your questions answered, you can leave Joe a text post which the hosts can access via this link - http://www.fanboyradio.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4084"
So you have just under an hour to prepare, all of you who want to give Joe a piece of your mind.
Best Buy is offering a free comic with your Frank Miller DVD purchase:
"With each purchase of the DVD, 'while supplies last,' consumers will receive a copy of the first issue of the A Dame to Kill For Sin City comic series. The movie release had a huge impact on Sin City graphic novel sales because of its close connection to the books and the press coverage that made that connection clear. This promotion reinforces that connection, and samples consumers that may not previously have read the comic with a taste of the comic format Sin City product."
"With each purchase of the DVD, 'while supplies last,' consumers will receive a copy of the first issue of the A Dame to Kill For Sin City comic series. The movie release had a huge impact on Sin City graphic novel sales because of its close connection to the books and the press coverage that made that connection clear. This promotion reinforces that connection, and samples consumers that may not previously have read the comic with a taste of the comic format Sin City product."
The Bendis Board goes to war over Greg Land:
"Greg Land--why the haters? So I do notice that sometimes I can tell what movie or sports star was used from his files for a pick...but I still really enjoy his art. How come he seems to have a small but very vocal group of folks who can't stand him?"
"Why is the sky blue? Honestly, I can't stand his art because, as an artist, I can't respect what he does."
"Over-reliance on photo reference makes for stiff art and carries with it a cheesy air of fumetti (those photo comics popular in some other countries). Plus, while his old stuff looked better (thinking of BIRDS OF PREY). Same grounding in realism, but without being ruled by it. He's a talented artist who's wasting his potential with a crutch he doesn't need."
"I dont like the fact that when Im reading a comic and two scientists are talking i sit and think where i've seen them before and look at the copies of something like Narc and Chasing Amy and figure it out..."
"I'm kind of annoyed that his characters don't look consistent from panel to panel. It keeps you from becoming totally immersed in the comic. Otherwise his stuff is alright."
"The splash where Magneto hurls hundreds of cars into the city makes up for any other shortcoming he's had as an artist, if you ask me."
"Greg Land--why the haters? So I do notice that sometimes I can tell what movie or sports star was used from his files for a pick...but I still really enjoy his art. How come he seems to have a small but very vocal group of folks who can't stand him?"
"Why is the sky blue? Honestly, I can't stand his art because, as an artist, I can't respect what he does."
"Over-reliance on photo reference makes for stiff art and carries with it a cheesy air of fumetti (those photo comics popular in some other countries). Plus, while his old stuff looked better (thinking of BIRDS OF PREY). Same grounding in realism, but without being ruled by it. He's a talented artist who's wasting his potential with a crutch he doesn't need."
"I dont like the fact that when Im reading a comic and two scientists are talking i sit and think where i've seen them before and look at the copies of something like Narc and Chasing Amy and figure it out..."
"I'm kind of annoyed that his characters don't look consistent from panel to panel. It keeps you from becoming totally immersed in the comic. Otherwise his stuff is alright."
"The splash where Magneto hurls hundreds of cars into the city makes up for any other shortcoming he's had as an artist, if you ask me."
Dirk Deppey pops over to Millarworld to apologize:
"While in production, [staff at The Comics Journal] sometimes leave information blank and fill it in during the proofreading process. It usually works, but sometimes my incompetence gets the better of me. Case in point: In a bullet review for Wanted #1-4 (The Comics Journal #270, on sale today), the creator credits are listed as, and I quote, 'Mark Millar and Some Artist.' Hoo boy. Does the Journal ever regret the error..."
"While in production, [staff at The Comics Journal] sometimes leave information blank and fill it in during the proofreading process. It usually works, but sometimes my incompetence gets the better of me. Case in point: In a bullet review for Wanted #1-4 (The Comics Journal #270, on sale today), the creator credits are listed as, and I quote, 'Mark Millar and Some Artist.' Hoo boy. Does the Journal ever regret the error..."
Why are the New Avengers Avengers, asks Newsarama:
"why couldn't we just have had a new team title featuring Spider-Woman, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Wolverine, Sentry and Iron Man or Captain America - and whoever the heck Ronin turns out to be -- and still kept the old Avengers relatively intact? after reading the 8 issues of New Avengers, that, for the life of me, is what i don't get. it's not a bad book -- it's not the worst i read each month, especially the art. and Bendis is certainly a popular writer, even with those who don't like his writing/style, so i've got to think, if Marvel said: hey, we're publishing a new team book with Spider-Man, Wolverine, Sentry and whoever else, people would have read that in large numbers, too. it's just for the life of me, i just don't get what Marvel gained, exactly, by irritating a good chunk of people with Disassembled, when they could've kept the regular Avengers intact and simply started a new book. that one makes no sense to me."
"You can't have a book called 'NEW AVENGERS' and have it feature the same old team, can you? that's why."
"By creating a huge buzz with Disassembled, Marvel drastically revived interest in the team, then retained that interest with a new title, complete with a new issue #1. I think marketing was the primary reason behind the whole thing. And it's worked so far. The 'New' part of the Avengers' title has attracted younger fans & older fans who never cared for the old team. And in recent years, Avengers spinoffs haven't done so well, but the Avengers name still carries some weight, which may be why they decided to keep the reconfigured team as the main Avengers & not a spinoff."
"Regardless of what anyone thinks of the direction the Avengers took from a creative standpoint, you can't deny that Dissasembled and New Avengers have been a huge success in terms of sales. I've been reading Avengers since 1986 and there is far more discussion surrounding the book now than there ever was during all that time with the possible exception of Heroes Reborn. I'm almost positive that the book was never the top selling monthly comic on a regular basis like it is now."
"why couldn't we just have had a new team title featuring Spider-Woman, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Wolverine, Sentry and Iron Man or Captain America - and whoever the heck Ronin turns out to be -- and still kept the old Avengers relatively intact? after reading the 8 issues of New Avengers, that, for the life of me, is what i don't get. it's not a bad book -- it's not the worst i read each month, especially the art. and Bendis is certainly a popular writer, even with those who don't like his writing/style, so i've got to think, if Marvel said: hey, we're publishing a new team book with Spider-Man, Wolverine, Sentry and whoever else, people would have read that in large numbers, too. it's just for the life of me, i just don't get what Marvel gained, exactly, by irritating a good chunk of people with Disassembled, when they could've kept the regular Avengers intact and simply started a new book. that one makes no sense to me."
"You can't have a book called 'NEW AVENGERS' and have it feature the same old team, can you? that's why."
"By creating a huge buzz with Disassembled, Marvel drastically revived interest in the team, then retained that interest with a new title, complete with a new issue #1. I think marketing was the primary reason behind the whole thing. And it's worked so far. The 'New' part of the Avengers' title has attracted younger fans & older fans who never cared for the old team. And in recent years, Avengers spinoffs haven't done so well, but the Avengers name still carries some weight, which may be why they decided to keep the reconfigured team as the main Avengers & not a spinoff."
"Regardless of what anyone thinks of the direction the Avengers took from a creative standpoint, you can't deny that Dissasembled and New Avengers have been a huge success in terms of sales. I've been reading Avengers since 1986 and there is far more discussion surrounding the book now than there ever was during all that time with the possible exception of Heroes Reborn. I'm almost positive that the book was never the top selling monthly comic on a regular basis like it is now."
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Okay, so I should obviously check Image's solicitations more often. Because, sure, there are plenty of things to make fun of. But much more importantly, November sees Image putting out an English language version of Fabio Moon, Gabriel Ba and their mates' absolutely wonderful Rock'N'Roll, which should be bought and enjoyed by everyone.
No, really.
Other things of note:
* Image rip off Vertigo's cheap first issue trade format with Image Firsts: "If you missed out on the first issues of THE WALKING DEAD (written by ROBERT KIRKMAN with art by TONY MOORE), GIRLS (written by JOSHUA LUNA with art by JONATHAN LUNA), SEA OF RED (written by RICK REMENDER & KIERON DWYER with art by KIERON DWYER & SALGOOD SAM and STRANGE GIRL (written by RICK REMENDER with art by ERIC NGUYEN), now's your chance to sample each in a specially-priced introductory volume." $6.99 gets you all of that fun, so now you have no excuse not to take a curious glance, at least.
* The entire solicit for Walking Dead #25: "Everything is different now."
* Witchblade celebrates a tenth anniversary with guest artists including Darwyn Cooke, George Perez and Terry Dodson.
* Warren Ellis's Down launches: "Five years ago, a narcotics cop was sent undercover, down into the criminal substructure of the city. He never came back. He went native. Five years later, he's running the city's prime drug gang. Today, a second cop, Detective Deena Ransome, in the midst of career flameout, is sent undercover with orders to pull the first one out-In a body bag if necessary. But when she finally reaches down far enough to confront her target, does she kill him where he stands? Or does she take his place?"
* The long-awaited Image Comics hardcover - once the Image Comics Tenth Anniversary Hardcover, about, what three years ago? - finally is resolicited. The end of the new solicitation: "ALL PREVIOUS ORDERS HAVE DECOMPOSED"
No, really.
Other things of note:
* Image rip off Vertigo's cheap first issue trade format with Image Firsts: "If you missed out on the first issues of THE WALKING DEAD (written by ROBERT KIRKMAN with art by TONY MOORE), GIRLS (written by JOSHUA LUNA with art by JONATHAN LUNA), SEA OF RED (written by RICK REMENDER & KIERON DWYER with art by KIERON DWYER & SALGOOD SAM and STRANGE GIRL (written by RICK REMENDER with art by ERIC NGUYEN), now's your chance to sample each in a specially-priced introductory volume." $6.99 gets you all of that fun, so now you have no excuse not to take a curious glance, at least.
* The entire solicit for Walking Dead #25: "Everything is different now."
* Witchblade celebrates a tenth anniversary with guest artists including Darwyn Cooke, George Perez and Terry Dodson.
* Warren Ellis's Down launches: "Five years ago, a narcotics cop was sent undercover, down into the criminal substructure of the city. He never came back. He went native. Five years later, he's running the city's prime drug gang. Today, a second cop, Detective Deena Ransome, in the midst of career flameout, is sent undercover with orders to pull the first one out-In a body bag if necessary. But when she finally reaches down far enough to confront her target, does she kill him where he stands? Or does she take his place?"
* The long-awaited Image Comics hardcover - once the Image Comics Tenth Anniversary Hardcover, about, what three years ago? - finally is resolicited. The end of the new solicitation: "ALL PREVIOUS ORDERS HAVE DECOMPOSED"
The Marvel solicits are out for November. Of interest:
* Marvel want you to know that House of M is, like, really really important. The solicit for Decimation, the House of M epilogue book, tells you so: "It was the worst day in X-Men history. Now it's the day after. The House of M is over, but the effects will be felt for the rest of their lives. How do the X-Men pick up the pieces in a world that has completely changed? This special one-shot is the world's first real glimpse into the entire Marvel Universe, post-House of M. It also gives a special preview of the titles that come out of that event, such as New Excalibur, X-Factor, Generation M, and a few we can't name here! We said the world was changed. You've been warned!"
* Worrying words at the end of the Hulk solicit: "This arc sets up next year's huge event involving a certain Jade Giant." Jeez. Everything's an event these days, isn't it?
* Talking of events, it's the "first phase" of the Captain Universe event, which is a nice way of saying that there are lots of oneshots where Marvel characters get the cosmic Captain Universe powers this month.
* Talking of events again, X-Men: Deadly Genesis launches: "In the wake of the tragic events of House of M, the mutant community is in turmoil, and the X-MEN are bearing the brunt of this New World Order. Amidst the chaos, a new enemy awakens, one whose very existence will haunt the founding members of the X-Men like nothing has before. Who is this new threat? How is he tied to Professor X's darkest secret? Cyclops, Wolverine and the others must find out soon, before they and those closest to them go mad!"
* Wolverine starts a new, nostalgic, storyarc, unsurprisingly in the "wake" of House of M: "Left shaken at ground zero after the cataclysmic events of HOUSE OF M, Logan has no choice but to soldier on, as he has done so many times before - but has the burden now become too great? In his lifetime, Logan has been both a hero and a villain, a player and a pawn... but what is he now?"
They forgot to add that he's also been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king. He's been up and down and over and out and he knows one thing - Each time he find himself flat on his face, he picks himself up and gets back in the race. But I'm sure you get the picture.
(Will Ed Cunard be the only person who gets that reference?)
* Amazing Fantasy #15 - the anthology issue - appears: "In the tradition of the original Marvel classic that debuted everyone's favorite wall crawler, we introduce a new generation of heroes in this 48-page special featuring five new stories by our hottest new writers. Will lightning strike twice? Is Marvel's next superstar in these very pages? A guaranteed blast of comic book fun!"
* I've already posted about Karl Kesel's Fantastic Four: The Wedding Special today, but it's not the only FF book launching this month. Dan Slott's Thing series makes its debut, as well, as well as an Essential Marvel Two-in-One collection.
* But that's not all for your potential Fantastic Four DVD tie-ins! Ed Brubaker's Books of Doom begins: "A dark and revealing examination of how an innocent boy grows up to be a tyrant, a new twist on an old legend -- the Books of Doom is a sweeping epic of tragedy, madness, and destiny, and unlike any other Marvel Comic you will buy this year!" The cover's nice, too.
* From the She-Hulk solicit: "Some stories are SO big, they crack the internet in half. This one? It's gonna seal it back up-and kiss it to make it better." I love Dan Slott.
* Peter David and Ryan Sook's new X-Factor spins out of David's Madrox miniseries. To tie in, Essential X-Factor, collecting issues of the previous series with the same title that have no connection to the current series, is released, as is X-Factor Visionaries: Peter David, which collects the start of his run on the first version of the title, which does have a connection to the current series. Or something.
* Marvel want you to know that House of M is, like, really really important. The solicit for Decimation, the House of M epilogue book, tells you so: "It was the worst day in X-Men history. Now it's the day after. The House of M is over, but the effects will be felt for the rest of their lives. How do the X-Men pick up the pieces in a world that has completely changed? This special one-shot is the world's first real glimpse into the entire Marvel Universe, post-House of M. It also gives a special preview of the titles that come out of that event, such as New Excalibur, X-Factor, Generation M, and a few we can't name here! We said the world was changed. You've been warned!"
* Worrying words at the end of the Hulk solicit: "This arc sets up next year's huge event involving a certain Jade Giant." Jeez. Everything's an event these days, isn't it?
* Talking of events, it's the "first phase" of the Captain Universe event, which is a nice way of saying that there are lots of oneshots where Marvel characters get the cosmic Captain Universe powers this month.
* Talking of events again, X-Men: Deadly Genesis launches: "In the wake of the tragic events of House of M, the mutant community is in turmoil, and the X-MEN are bearing the brunt of this New World Order. Amidst the chaos, a new enemy awakens, one whose very existence will haunt the founding members of the X-Men like nothing has before. Who is this new threat? How is he tied to Professor X's darkest secret? Cyclops, Wolverine and the others must find out soon, before they and those closest to them go mad!"
* Wolverine starts a new, nostalgic, storyarc, unsurprisingly in the "wake" of House of M: "Left shaken at ground zero after the cataclysmic events of HOUSE OF M, Logan has no choice but to soldier on, as he has done so many times before - but has the burden now become too great? In his lifetime, Logan has been both a hero and a villain, a player and a pawn... but what is he now?"
They forgot to add that he's also been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king. He's been up and down and over and out and he knows one thing - Each time he find himself flat on his face, he picks himself up and gets back in the race. But I'm sure you get the picture.
(Will Ed Cunard be the only person who gets that reference?)
* Amazing Fantasy #15 - the anthology issue - appears: "In the tradition of the original Marvel classic that debuted everyone's favorite wall crawler, we introduce a new generation of heroes in this 48-page special featuring five new stories by our hottest new writers. Will lightning strike twice? Is Marvel's next superstar in these very pages? A guaranteed blast of comic book fun!"
* I've already posted about Karl Kesel's Fantastic Four: The Wedding Special today, but it's not the only FF book launching this month. Dan Slott's Thing series makes its debut, as well, as well as an Essential Marvel Two-in-One collection.
* But that's not all for your potential Fantastic Four DVD tie-ins! Ed Brubaker's Books of Doom begins: "A dark and revealing examination of how an innocent boy grows up to be a tyrant, a new twist on an old legend -- the Books of Doom is a sweeping epic of tragedy, madness, and destiny, and unlike any other Marvel Comic you will buy this year!" The cover's nice, too.
* From the She-Hulk solicit: "Some stories are SO big, they crack the internet in half. This one? It's gonna seal it back up-and kiss it to make it better." I love Dan Slott.
* Peter David and Ryan Sook's new X-Factor spins out of David's Madrox miniseries. To tie in, Essential X-Factor, collecting issues of the previous series with the same title that have no connection to the current series, is released, as is X-Factor Visionaries: Peter David, which collects the start of his run on the first version of the title, which does have a connection to the current series. Or something.
Karl Kesel writes something for us softies in the audience:
"It all began when [editor] Tom Brevoort asked me to do a few fill-in issues of Fantastic Four... I sent him a number of springboards for possible stories, but nothing grabbed him. Then I thought of an idea that I knew was a real winner, a story that would look across Reed and Sue’s life together in a unique and special way that could only happen in the FF. Tom loved the idea. Now, it just so happened that he had already been thinking of putting together a special one-shot to celebrate Reed and Sue’s 40th Wedding Anniversary... and my story, with very little tweaking, fit the bill perfectly. So before I knew it, my one-issue FF fill-in had become a 30-page lead feature in an FF Special!"
"It all began when [editor] Tom Brevoort asked me to do a few fill-in issues of Fantastic Four... I sent him a number of springboards for possible stories, but nothing grabbed him. Then I thought of an idea that I knew was a real winner, a story that would look across Reed and Sue’s life together in a unique and special way that could only happen in the FF. Tom loved the idea. Now, it just so happened that he had already been thinking of putting together a special one-shot to celebrate Reed and Sue’s 40th Wedding Anniversary... and my story, with very little tweaking, fit the bill perfectly. So before I knew it, my one-issue FF fill-in had become a 30-page lead feature in an FF Special!"
Aaron Reiner is over at Comic Foundry, talking about Spiral Bound and the bigger picture:
"You always see things, like this article in the New York Times, I think the headline was 'Wham, Bam, Comics Aren’t For Kids Anymore,' but they haven’t been for kids for SO long. I don’t know why they’re making it into a phenomenon now. They haven’t been for kids for a really long time. I don’t know why it’s like that. I think it’s sad, and I think that authors who are working on these things who are in their ’20s, ‘30s and ‘40s, and have problems that those people have, they’re writing for who they are, for their age group. For someone to do something for kids, it always seems it has to be mainstream, like, 'I want to do something for Cartoon Network.' At least for independent comics, I think that’s the reason why there’s not much there."
"You always see things, like this article in the New York Times, I think the headline was 'Wham, Bam, Comics Aren’t For Kids Anymore,' but they haven’t been for kids for SO long. I don’t know why they’re making it into a phenomenon now. They haven’t been for kids for a really long time. I don’t know why it’s like that. I think it’s sad, and I think that authors who are working on these things who are in their ’20s, ‘30s and ‘40s, and have problems that those people have, they’re writing for who they are, for their age group. For someone to do something for kids, it always seems it has to be mainstream, like, 'I want to do something for Cartoon Network.' At least for independent comics, I think that’s the reason why there’s not much there."
Matt Fraction and Joe Casey are talking superheroes:
"Imagine you're a twelve year old kid (while we're at it, let's imagine that 12-yr olds still read comicbooks)... you pick up the latest issue of GENERIC SUPERHERO or, even worse, GENERIC SUPERHERO TEAM and the critical moment of the story, the moment where your young mind should be galvanized because the hero (or heroes) in question finally take that decisive action that either solves the problem, defeats the enemy or saves the day... but instead you read as that same hero (or heroes) stand by as the resolution of the story just seems to happen. I dunno... I'm a firm believer in rule-breaking whenever possible, but maintaining the Idea that superheroes aren't passive characters seems to be one worth preserving. Shouldn't superheroes be active participants in their stories, not either pawns or spectators?"
"Imagine you're a twelve year old kid (while we're at it, let's imagine that 12-yr olds still read comicbooks)... you pick up the latest issue of GENERIC SUPERHERO or, even worse, GENERIC SUPERHERO TEAM and the critical moment of the story, the moment where your young mind should be galvanized because the hero (or heroes) in question finally take that decisive action that either solves the problem, defeats the enemy or saves the day... but instead you read as that same hero (or heroes) stand by as the resolution of the story just seems to happen. I dunno... I'm a firm believer in rule-breaking whenever possible, but maintaining the Idea that superheroes aren't passive characters seems to be one worth preserving. Shouldn't superheroes be active participants in their stories, not either pawns or spectators?"
Christian Dery talks about what he's going to do now that he owns Dreamwave:
"Obviously the Dreamwave name has been tarnished in the last few months, but at the same time it still has a great deal of resonance with a number of fans and retailers. As anyone in any business will tell you creating a brand identity is an extremely hard thing to do, and, even with the hits it has taken, the Dreamwave brand is still strong and extremely recognizable. It would be foolish for me to abandon that. All that said, we plan to make it clear from the beginning that this is a new Dreamwave, one that will continue the positive things the old company did, while at the same time dealing honestly with freelancers. As a matter of fact, we've already been in talks with some former Dreamwave creators about bringing them back, and everyone seems to be very enthusiastic about the opportunities ahead. The bottom line is that we feel the changes we’re making and (most important) the books we’ll be producing will outweigh any negative sentiments... The business models I’m looking at aren’t Marvel’s or DC’s, but Warner Bros’ and Sony’s. There’s no reason why a great, high quality comic book can’t have the same global appeal and commercial success as a great, high quality Hollywood movie."
"Obviously the Dreamwave name has been tarnished in the last few months, but at the same time it still has a great deal of resonance with a number of fans and retailers. As anyone in any business will tell you creating a brand identity is an extremely hard thing to do, and, even with the hits it has taken, the Dreamwave brand is still strong and extremely recognizable. It would be foolish for me to abandon that. All that said, we plan to make it clear from the beginning that this is a new Dreamwave, one that will continue the positive things the old company did, while at the same time dealing honestly with freelancers. As a matter of fact, we've already been in talks with some former Dreamwave creators about bringing them back, and everyone seems to be very enthusiastic about the opportunities ahead. The bottom line is that we feel the changes we’re making and (most important) the books we’ll be producing will outweigh any negative sentiments... The business models I’m looking at aren’t Marvel’s or DC’s, but Warner Bros’ and Sony’s. There’s no reason why a great, high quality comic book can’t have the same global appeal and commercial success as a great, high quality Hollywood movie."
Really, was anything more Rampage!!!-worthy than yesterday's comments thread about Paul O'Brien's Ninth Art column? It was like a surreal game of "You Don't Love Comics Like I Do, So Let's Fight", and despite multiple considered, well thought out, posts from Kurt Busiek, winning as ever, that seemed like Final Words On The Subject at the time, it still continues. If anyone ever asks "At what point did you know for sure that Fanboy Rampage!!! had to die for the good of mankind and/or your sanity?", I now have something to point to...
Monday, August 15, 2005
DC! In! November! Now!:
* Grant Morrison becomes a launching machine. All Star Superman begins, as does Seven Soldiers: The Bulleteer and Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein:
"A bizarre butterfly store opens its doors in a small American town. Pretty, popular teenagers are mysteriously transformed into self-loathing, awkward nerds. A boy with the power to see human thoughts becomes the unwitting vessel of an ancient curse, and deep beneath the sunny sidewalks, something stirs and wakes and opens ancient eyes. Witness the triumphant return to the DCU of one of fiction's most enduring characters as Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnke introduce a steam-powered, gun-totin', Milton-quotin' Frankenstein monster you'll never forget! Meet time's executioner as he hunts down the impossible menaces that threaten humanity from beyond reality!"
Yeah, like you don't want to buy that.
* If you're a Jonah Hex fan, this is your lucky month. His new ongoing launches - "Saddle up and ride shotgun with the original bad man of the Wild West during an age of plunder, greed and lawlessness. When a millionaire's only son is kidnapped, Hex is called on to track down and recover the boy. But a simple missing person case turns into a hunt for vengeance as Hex unleashes his special brand of justice on the unsuspecting culprits." - and he gets a Showcase collection of his early adventures.
* Kyle Baker's Plastic Man knows how to sell itself:
"After the buzz created by last issue's 'Edwina Crisis,' hot inker Kyle Baker teams with himself to unleash the second chapter of the 'Edwina Crisis!' This single issue explores the period in which Woozy Winks disappeared from the DCU!"
* Brian Wood's DMZ launches at Vertigo:
"In the near future, America's worst nightmare has come true. With military adventurism overseas bogging down the Army and National Guard, the U.S. government mistakenly neglects the very real threat of anti-establishment militias scattered across the 50 states. Like a sleeping giant, Middle America rises up and violently pushes it way to the shining seas, coming to a standstill at the line in the sand — Manhattan or, as the world now knows it, the DMZ."
* Well, something is happening in Infinite Crisis that involves space, as the solicits for Firestorm - "Merged with an unexpected partner, Jason (Firestorm) Rusch heads out into space with Donna Troy for a rendezvous with his cosmic destiny!!" - Superman - "Supergirl breaks the news to Kal that she's heading off into space with Donna Troy." - and Infinite Crisis itself show. Interesting guest-stars in Infinite Crisis, too:
"Guest-starring Supergirl, Alan Scott, Metamorpho, Animal Man, Firestorm, Power Girl and dozens of others!"
Animal Man? Metamorpho?
* Bad news - Gotham Central crosses over into Day of Judgement. Good news - Steve Lieber art.
* Grant Morrison becomes a launching machine. All Star Superman begins, as does Seven Soldiers: The Bulleteer and Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein:
"A bizarre butterfly store opens its doors in a small American town. Pretty, popular teenagers are mysteriously transformed into self-loathing, awkward nerds. A boy with the power to see human thoughts becomes the unwitting vessel of an ancient curse, and deep beneath the sunny sidewalks, something stirs and wakes and opens ancient eyes. Witness the triumphant return to the DCU of one of fiction's most enduring characters as Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnke introduce a steam-powered, gun-totin', Milton-quotin' Frankenstein monster you'll never forget! Meet time's executioner as he hunts down the impossible menaces that threaten humanity from beyond reality!"
Yeah, like you don't want to buy that.
* If you're a Jonah Hex fan, this is your lucky month. His new ongoing launches - "Saddle up and ride shotgun with the original bad man of the Wild West during an age of plunder, greed and lawlessness. When a millionaire's only son is kidnapped, Hex is called on to track down and recover the boy. But a simple missing person case turns into a hunt for vengeance as Hex unleashes his special brand of justice on the unsuspecting culprits." - and he gets a Showcase collection of his early adventures.
* Kyle Baker's Plastic Man knows how to sell itself:
"After the buzz created by last issue's 'Edwina Crisis,' hot inker Kyle Baker teams with himself to unleash the second chapter of the 'Edwina Crisis!' This single issue explores the period in which Woozy Winks disappeared from the DCU!"
* Brian Wood's DMZ launches at Vertigo:
"In the near future, America's worst nightmare has come true. With military adventurism overseas bogging down the Army and National Guard, the U.S. government mistakenly neglects the very real threat of anti-establishment militias scattered across the 50 states. Like a sleeping giant, Middle America rises up and violently pushes it way to the shining seas, coming to a standstill at the line in the sand — Manhattan or, as the world now knows it, the DMZ."
* Well, something is happening in Infinite Crisis that involves space, as the solicits for Firestorm - "Merged with an unexpected partner, Jason (Firestorm) Rusch heads out into space with Donna Troy for a rendezvous with his cosmic destiny!!" - Superman - "Supergirl breaks the news to Kal that she's heading off into space with Donna Troy." - and Infinite Crisis itself show. Interesting guest-stars in Infinite Crisis, too:
"Guest-starring Supergirl, Alan Scott, Metamorpho, Animal Man, Firestorm, Power Girl and dozens of others!"
Animal Man? Metamorpho?
* Bad news - Gotham Central crosses over into Day of Judgement. Good news - Steve Lieber art.
Marvel release black and white variant comic:
"Wolverine #32 by Mark Millar and Kaare Andrews - the 13th and last issue of Millar’s run on the title - will be offered in both a standard and 'Black & White Variant Edition'. Entitled 'Prisoner Number Zero', according to Diamond, ...'Kaare Andrews' haunting art is even more chilling in black-&-white and fans will now have the chance to experience this story like never before.'"
The reason Marvel are releasing the color version at all is because they were concerned that the black and white version was actually too chilling, and they wanted a version with less chill. But if you think this is something, wait until the November solicits come out - I've heard that House of M's epilogue book is going to have a variant consisting of entirely blank pages. "Nothing will compare with your own imagination!" the solicits read, apparently.
"Wolverine #32 by Mark Millar and Kaare Andrews - the 13th and last issue of Millar’s run on the title - will be offered in both a standard and 'Black & White Variant Edition'. Entitled 'Prisoner Number Zero', according to Diamond, ...'Kaare Andrews' haunting art is even more chilling in black-&-white and fans will now have the chance to experience this story like never before.'"
The reason Marvel are releasing the color version at all is because they were concerned that the black and white version was actually too chilling, and they wanted a version with less chill. But if you think this is something, wait until the November solicits come out - I've heard that House of M's epilogue book is going to have a variant consisting of entirely blank pages. "Nothing will compare with your own imagination!" the solicits read, apparently.
To everyone arguing themselves 'round and 'round in circles in the Paul O'Brien thread, calm the fuck down, download the Superfuckers theme song, and go outside for awhile.
Ray Tate reviews Zatanna #3, but apparently a different Zatanna #3 from the one that I read:
"Whereas previous issues of Seven Soldiers of Victory successfully banked on subtlety, this issue of Zatanna uses sledge-hammer type writing that I'm used to seeing from the usual band of hacks in DC's stable. Zatanna keeps referring to Misty as 'babe.' I mean, we're one step away from her being referred to as 'girlfriend.'"
(Thanks, Matt.)
"Whereas previous issues of Seven Soldiers of Victory successfully banked on subtlety, this issue of Zatanna uses sledge-hammer type writing that I'm used to seeing from the usual band of hacks in DC's stable. Zatanna keeps referring to Misty as 'babe.' I mean, we're one step away from her being referred to as 'girlfriend.'"
(Thanks, Matt.)
The Bendis Board takes another step-towards self-policing:
"The *grope*-ing, *hugs*, *manly handshake*, all of it, needs to steop [...] It's gone on for far too long and is totally unnecessary. It's not funny, it's not cute, it's creepy and sad and it needs to go now. There, I said it."
"*HUGZ* and a *GROPE* all for you all at once."
"Yeah, complaining just means you get it, bitch."
"I agree with the grope bit at least... New posters come and get creeped out by it. Bendis has asked a few times to not do it when he's expecting a few more posters to appear IIRC."
"Seriously, Adrian, what's the problem here? They're just words. It's not like somebody's reaching through your monitor screen and touching you against your will in your bathing suit area."
"A 50 year old man typing that he wants to anally violate a 13 year old boy while covered in dog piss may only be words on a screen, but that doesn't make it acceptable and not creepy."
"Actually, that's confessing to wanting to perform a criminal offence. Just typing the word 'hug' is not."
"Be honest, if the hot chicks (Yano, Taki, etc) on this board where the ones doing the groping and hugging, would you have as much of a problem with it?"
"Probably, if I weren't cool with them before they did it. I get more irked at stupid behavior from the females of this board ( and there's a lot of it, unfortunately) than I do from the males, cos the women ought to fucking know better, and know what people should and shouldn't do to strangers."
Alysha, a BB moderator closes the thread - "I'm closing this thread for the same reason I closed Moonspider's last night...people are demanding that a behavior be stopped when it's apparent that their own needs to be held in check. *hugs* and *hugz* and *omg super-de-duper mega hugs* aren't hurting anybody. They're not pervading the board or causing fights or making us look bad. They're hugs. They're not just handed out to females, they're equal opportunity. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that *hugs* are one of the least creepy things about this board." - only for another one to spring up in its wake:
"So wait... You can post all the 'pro' behavior stuff like 'I love groping' or 'Everyone gets HUGS!' but no one can post things that question it? That's totally ridiculous, and I'm more than glad to take a suspension for speaking out against this ridiculous rule that is NOT Bendis' because HE HASN'T SAID A THING ABOUT IT ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. Just because those in power don't think it's creepy, disturbing, annoying, what have you, doesn't mean that a lot of us don't either. They're just too scared to say something because Alysha (yes, I'm calling you on this) is so willing to give suspensions over things that many boarders have problems with and that we must be mute to. Frankly, that's not right and that's NOT the board I've grown to now. My panties are hardly in a bunch, I'm just expressing a concern that many of us have and very few would actually say. So suspend me if you must, but I have not singled out a single person or called names or anything. I am following the rules and am posting a concern that I and others have."
"What confuses me is that most of the negatives in the thread didn't care about the hugs, but disliked the groping. The thread ended with a summary on.....the hugs."
"The *grope*-ing, *hugs*, *manly handshake*, all of it, needs to steop [...] It's gone on for far too long and is totally unnecessary. It's not funny, it's not cute, it's creepy and sad and it needs to go now. There, I said it."
"*HUGZ* and a *GROPE* all for you all at once."
"Yeah, complaining just means you get it, bitch."
"I agree with the grope bit at least... New posters come and get creeped out by it. Bendis has asked a few times to not do it when he's expecting a few more posters to appear IIRC."
"Seriously, Adrian, what's the problem here? They're just words. It's not like somebody's reaching through your monitor screen and touching you against your will in your bathing suit area."
"A 50 year old man typing that he wants to anally violate a 13 year old boy while covered in dog piss may only be words on a screen, but that doesn't make it acceptable and not creepy."
"Actually, that's confessing to wanting to perform a criminal offence. Just typing the word 'hug' is not."
"Be honest, if the hot chicks (Yano, Taki, etc) on this board where the ones doing the groping and hugging, would you have as much of a problem with it?"
"Probably, if I weren't cool with them before they did it. I get more irked at stupid behavior from the females of this board ( and there's a lot of it, unfortunately) than I do from the males, cos the women ought to fucking know better, and know what people should and shouldn't do to strangers."
Alysha, a BB moderator closes the thread - "I'm closing this thread for the same reason I closed Moonspider's last night...people are demanding that a behavior be stopped when it's apparent that their own needs to be held in check. *hugs* and *hugz* and *omg super-de-duper mega hugs* aren't hurting anybody. They're not pervading the board or causing fights or making us look bad. They're hugs. They're not just handed out to females, they're equal opportunity. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that *hugs* are one of the least creepy things about this board." - only for another one to spring up in its wake:
"So wait... You can post all the 'pro' behavior stuff like 'I love groping' or 'Everyone gets HUGS!' but no one can post things that question it? That's totally ridiculous, and I'm more than glad to take a suspension for speaking out against this ridiculous rule that is NOT Bendis' because HE HASN'T SAID A THING ABOUT IT ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. Just because those in power don't think it's creepy, disturbing, annoying, what have you, doesn't mean that a lot of us don't either. They're just too scared to say something because Alysha (yes, I'm calling you on this) is so willing to give suspensions over things that many boarders have problems with and that we must be mute to. Frankly, that's not right and that's NOT the board I've grown to now. My panties are hardly in a bunch, I'm just expressing a concern that many of us have and very few would actually say. So suspend me if you must, but I have not singled out a single person or called names or anything. I am following the rules and am posting a concern that I and others have."
"What confuses me is that most of the negatives in the thread didn't care about the hugs, but disliked the groping. The thread ended with a summary on.....the hugs."
So, I get an email from Heidi Macdonald, telling me that while The Beat is down, you can find here here - but then I go to The Beat and it seems to be there... I am confused.
Paul O'Brien is bored. No really, ask him:
"God, I'm bored. Every couple of weeks I sit down to write one of these columns, and I ask myself: what's the comics industry been doing lately that was interesting? Or, if not actively interesting, at least not totally dull? If something genuinely exciting has happened, I tend to remember it and write about that. If not, I search the news sites in case something moderately worthwhile has slipped my mind. You never know.
"This has not been a vintage year for comics news, to put it mildly. Pop quiz: what was the most exciting thing to happen in comics in 2005? No checking.
"No, me neither. Not only is this one of the least eventful years in comics that I can remember, but what little is happening tends to be simultaneously depressing and dull. Big shifts in the industry? Not really. Major publishers going bust? Well, I suppose if you can bring yourself to care about DreamWave. Big new launches? Not really. Unless you count ALL-STAR BATMAN & ROBIN, which sold a ton of copies but was utterly mediocre and seems to have been greeted with a collective bored shrug."
"God, I'm bored. Every couple of weeks I sit down to write one of these columns, and I ask myself: what's the comics industry been doing lately that was interesting? Or, if not actively interesting, at least not totally dull? If something genuinely exciting has happened, I tend to remember it and write about that. If not, I search the news sites in case something moderately worthwhile has slipped my mind. You never know.
"This has not been a vintage year for comics news, to put it mildly. Pop quiz: what was the most exciting thing to happen in comics in 2005? No checking.
"No, me neither. Not only is this one of the least eventful years in comics that I can remember, but what little is happening tends to be simultaneously depressing and dull. Big shifts in the industry? Not really. Major publishers going bust? Well, I suppose if you can bring yourself to care about DreamWave. Big new launches? Not really. Unless you count ALL-STAR BATMAN & ROBIN, which sold a ton of copies but was utterly mediocre and seems to have been greeted with a collective bored shrug."
Top Cow do a promotional event apparently with next to no promotion itself:
"Top Cow has announced that 17 Top Cow creators will do 19 signings this Wednesday, in an event called 'Cows across the World!' While nine of the coordinated events will be held in California, the locations also include five other states, two Canadian provinces, and the UK. Creators range from Mark Waid (appearing in Sherman Oaks, California at Earth 2 Comics for Hunter Killer) to Ron Marz (appearing in New York at Midtown Comics for Witchblade) to David Nakayama (for City of Heroes at Golden Apple in Los Angeles)."
"Top Cow has announced that 17 Top Cow creators will do 19 signings this Wednesday, in an event called 'Cows across the World!' While nine of the coordinated events will be held in California, the locations also include five other states, two Canadian provinces, and the UK. Creators range from Mark Waid (appearing in Sherman Oaks, California at Earth 2 Comics for Hunter Killer) to Ron Marz (appearing in New York at Midtown Comics for Witchblade) to David Nakayama (for City of Heroes at Golden Apple in Los Angeles)."
Dan Jurgens, the man who killed Superman, on DC's current stories:
"DC certainly has decided to go on a search and destroy mission for any character that ever cracked a smile... It’s remarkable to me that while Keith Giffen is doing his Justice League stories that everyone absolutely loves and has great fun with, it’s search and destroy time. Of course under any publishing umbrella there should be room for grim and gritty character. Is Blue Beetle the most beloved character in DC history and because of that nothing should happen to him? No. Clearly there were things about Beetle that didn’t work, but when you take everything in and sit back you raise an eyebrow and say ‘okay, what kind of mission is driving this?’ I didn’t have problems with Identity Crisis when Jean Loring being a killer, but getting to the point where Jean Loring burns up a pregnant woman is such a huge leap in logic that makes no sense. Do you dismiss the series because of that? No. There are conflicting things going on for me, let’s put it that way."
"DC certainly has decided to go on a search and destroy mission for any character that ever cracked a smile... It’s remarkable to me that while Keith Giffen is doing his Justice League stories that everyone absolutely loves and has great fun with, it’s search and destroy time. Of course under any publishing umbrella there should be room for grim and gritty character. Is Blue Beetle the most beloved character in DC history and because of that nothing should happen to him? No. Clearly there were things about Beetle that didn’t work, but when you take everything in and sit back you raise an eyebrow and say ‘okay, what kind of mission is driving this?’ I didn’t have problems with Identity Crisis when Jean Loring being a killer, but getting to the point where Jean Loring burns up a pregnant woman is such a huge leap in logic that makes no sense. Do you dismiss the series because of that? No. There are conflicting things going on for me, let’s put it that way."
The Luna brothers offer up a quick Q&A about their upcoming Spider-Woman series at Newsarama:
"I won’t lie -- Spider-Woman is relatively new to me. The first time I saw Jessica Drew was in Alias. I’ve read all the research that Brian and Tom Brevoort have sent me, so I’d like to think I know her well enough... Jessica’s got a misty past, but she’s very strong. I think it’s become pretty apparent that Josh and I like strong-willed female characters. If Spider-Woman becomes anywhere as huge an icon as Spider-Man, I would be so proud."
"I won’t lie -- Spider-Woman is relatively new to me. The first time I saw Jessica Drew was in Alias. I’ve read all the research that Brian and Tom Brevoort have sent me, so I’d like to think I know her well enough... Jessica’s got a misty past, but she’s very strong. I think it’s become pretty apparent that Josh and I like strong-willed female characters. If Spider-Woman becomes anywhere as huge an icon as Spider-Man, I would be so proud."
Friday, August 12, 2005
Joe Quesada is back at Newsarama, asking questions and spinnin' like the Tasmanian Devil. Apparently, the new thing for Marvel is that they're the creator's friend, as the following two quotes show:
"For a company which is mostly work for hire, I can truly say that I believe we are the most creator friendly company out there and we work very hard at trying to keep it that way."
"Marvel is loading up again with big name talent (remember, a while back when I said that at Marvel we don’t rebuild, we reload) and these cats are dying to get their hands on the biggest characters to do historic runs driven by their imagination and creative juices. Across town [DC is] loading up with massive, year plus long, line-wide crossovers that are corporately/editorially driven with the help of two or three lead writers. I’m not saying one philosophy is better than another - though of course I root for the home team, it’s just fascinating to me how radically different both approaches will be over the next 12 to 18 months and it will give fans a hell of a year with a heck of a lot of great comic choices. Creatively driven comics vs. corporately driven comics, it’s going to be wild!"
That's right, kids. Marvel comics are creatively driven comics, and not, apparently, corporate driven ones. It's official.
"For a company which is mostly work for hire, I can truly say that I believe we are the most creator friendly company out there and we work very hard at trying to keep it that way."
"Marvel is loading up again with big name talent (remember, a while back when I said that at Marvel we don’t rebuild, we reload) and these cats are dying to get their hands on the biggest characters to do historic runs driven by their imagination and creative juices. Across town [DC is] loading up with massive, year plus long, line-wide crossovers that are corporately/editorially driven with the help of two or three lead writers. I’m not saying one philosophy is better than another - though of course I root for the home team, it’s just fascinating to me how radically different both approaches will be over the next 12 to 18 months and it will give fans a hell of a year with a heck of a lot of great comic choices. Creatively driven comics vs. corporately driven comics, it’s going to be wild!"
That's right, kids. Marvel comics are creatively driven comics, and not, apparently, corporate driven ones. It's official.
Marvel still rules the market share for July - House of M's sales are holding up much better than most expected - but All Star Batman and Robin The Boy Wonder sold rather well, as Newsarama reports.
Ed Cunard points our attention to Dark Horse's upcoming anthology of female comic creators, Sexy Chix:
"Don't let the title fool you-this isn't your average collection of comics featuring impossibly proportioned vixens in spandex. This time around the sexy chix in question are the writers and artists behind the comics, respresenting some of the best and brightest talent contributing to the medium of comics and graphic novels today. With stories ranging from mainstream adventures to hilarious comic shorts to heart-wrenching autobiography, Sexy Chix is devoted to the under-recognized contingent of female cartoonists in an overwhelmingly male-oriented industry. It's about time these divinely talented creators get to tell the stories they want to, and the result is an exquisite variety of artistic visions and styles."
I look forward to Hunky Guyz, the anthology of male creators with a cover featuring photos of Brian Michael Bendis, Brian K. Vaughan and Harvey Pekar.
"Don't let the title fool you-this isn't your average collection of comics featuring impossibly proportioned vixens in spandex. This time around the sexy chix in question are the writers and artists behind the comics, respresenting some of the best and brightest talent contributing to the medium of comics and graphic novels today. With stories ranging from mainstream adventures to hilarious comic shorts to heart-wrenching autobiography, Sexy Chix is devoted to the under-recognized contingent of female cartoonists in an overwhelmingly male-oriented industry. It's about time these divinely talented creators get to tell the stories they want to, and the result is an exquisite variety of artistic visions and styles."
I look forward to Hunky Guyz, the anthology of male creators with a cover featuring photos of Brian Michael Bendis, Brian K. Vaughan and Harvey Pekar.
Brian Hibbs celebrates the legal system:
"Apparantly, the Settlement needs to be 'entered' in the court (or something like that) -- basically, just the paperwork being routed whereever it needs to be in The System. 'How long will that take?' I asked. 'Not sure' came the response -- apparantly it usually just takes a couple of days, but could be 4-6 weeks if the wrong person is on vacation or something. I was told to expect 'about a week' [...] Once the Settlement has been 'entered', then it needs to be 'Served' to Marvel, but my lawyers indicate that they beleive that will be 24 hours from being entered, maybe within an hour or two (it is a short cab ride between legal offices!) Once those two things are done there will be a 30 day period where the Settlement can be contested (by whom or what, I'm not sure, since both Marvel AND the Class have agreed on the Settlement). Once THAT period is finished, then Marvel has up to 30 days to pay the Class members. With any luck, they won't take the whole 30, but they do have the option."
"Apparantly, the Settlement needs to be 'entered' in the court (or something like that) -- basically, just the paperwork being routed whereever it needs to be in The System. 'How long will that take?' I asked. 'Not sure' came the response -- apparantly it usually just takes a couple of days, but could be 4-6 weeks if the wrong person is on vacation or something. I was told to expect 'about a week' [...] Once the Settlement has been 'entered', then it needs to be 'Served' to Marvel, but my lawyers indicate that they beleive that will be 24 hours from being entered, maybe within an hour or two (it is a short cab ride between legal offices!) Once those two things are done there will be a 30 day period where the Settlement can be contested (by whom or what, I'm not sure, since both Marvel AND the Class have agreed on the Settlement). Once THAT period is finished, then Marvel has up to 30 days to pay the Class members. With any luck, they won't take the whole 30, but they do have the option."
The V turn their attention to the cover of Guncandy #1 - which looks like this, for those of you unfamiliar with it:
"It's trying so ludicrously hard. You see, that rock is a phallus substitute. DO YOU SEE WHAT THEY DID?"
"You know, it could be a quite passable trannie which would completely skew things in a different direction."
"She's got, like, a gun. And some candy. It's the Ronseal of comics."
"I swear I can see a bulge in those panties. Give her two hours and she'll have a five o'clock shadow."
"It's trying so ludicrously hard. You see, that rock is a phallus substitute. DO YOU SEE WHAT THEY DID?"
"You know, it could be a quite passable trannie which would completely skew things in a different direction."
"She's got, like, a gun. And some candy. It's the Ronseal of comics."
"I swear I can see a bulge in those panties. Give her two hours and she'll have a five o'clock shadow."
Richard Morgan talks about Black Widow, in preparation for his second series with the character:
"One of the things that drove me to utter distraction while I was looking at the previous 'Black Widow' stuff with both Yelena and Natasha was just the way in which everything came down to tits and ass in the end... There was the [Devin] Grayson stuff where you've got essentially a mud wrestling thing; these two leather coated voluptuous women going at it. Then you've got all the [Greg] Rucka stuff in MAX where Yelena just discovers she doesn't understand her own sexuality. If you tried to play that stuff with male superhero characters, there would be a riot... If you tried to say, 'Yeah the truth is that really Captain America wants to be muzzled, gagged and dragged around,' that would do it. Someone like Grant Morrison could probably write that and I'd love to see it in fact but I guarantee the response of the readership would be fury."
"One of the things that drove me to utter distraction while I was looking at the previous 'Black Widow' stuff with both Yelena and Natasha was just the way in which everything came down to tits and ass in the end... There was the [Devin] Grayson stuff where you've got essentially a mud wrestling thing; these two leather coated voluptuous women going at it. Then you've got all the [Greg] Rucka stuff in MAX where Yelena just discovers she doesn't understand her own sexuality. If you tried to play that stuff with male superhero characters, there would be a riot... If you tried to say, 'Yeah the truth is that really Captain America wants to be muzzled, gagged and dragged around,' that would do it. Someone like Grant Morrison could probably write that and I'd love to see it in fact but I guarantee the response of the readership would be fury."
Mark Millar is looking for his very own Sarah Richardson:
"Right, my study is just about the way I want it. I've just bought a mini-fridge and it's been loaded with 36 cans of beer. It sits beside my desk now and has a space above it for the original Curt Swan art I'm going to buy and the Superman movie poster that will one day be beside it. The rest of the room is having shelves made right now for all the books and comics and I've got all my fave stuff from the late seventies framed and up on the walls. The one thing I still need is a spinner-rack to go beside the sofa in the room so I can sit and drink beer and pick out whatever comics I fancy from this tasty, retro item. Can you help? I've been after one for ages, but ebay (UK) has nothing and importing from abroad would be a nightmare. But I remember a while back somebody found a web-site in England that delivered these to newsagents. Been looking but found nothing. Can anyone give me info??"
"Right, my study is just about the way I want it. I've just bought a mini-fridge and it's been loaded with 36 cans of beer. It sits beside my desk now and has a space above it for the original Curt Swan art I'm going to buy and the Superman movie poster that will one day be beside it. The rest of the room is having shelves made right now for all the books and comics and I've got all my fave stuff from the late seventies framed and up on the walls. The one thing I still need is a spinner-rack to go beside the sofa in the room so I can sit and drink beer and pick out whatever comics I fancy from this tasty, retro item. Can you help? I've been after one for ages, but ebay (UK) has nothing and importing from abroad would be a nightmare. But I remember a while back somebody found a web-site in England that delivered these to newsagents. Been looking but found nothing. Can anyone give me info??"
Chris Claremont is doing a signing in Forbidden Planet in London. The press release is a thing of beauty:
"The X-Man himself, Claremont is best known for the comic series that has become a muti-million pound movie sensation. Chris’ writing career spans three decades of excellence. Truly a giant of the genre, his work has contributed to some of the best-known and best-loved characters."
Claremont, of course, got his start in the seventies, which means that his work actually spans four decades - the seventies, eighties, nineties, and the current decade (the oughts?). I like to think that the press release is referring to the fact that Claremont's work has been kind of lackluster since the nineties.
"The X-Man himself, Claremont is best known for the comic series that has become a muti-million pound movie sensation. Chris’ writing career spans three decades of excellence. Truly a giant of the genre, his work has contributed to some of the best-known and best-loved characters."
Claremont, of course, got his start in the seventies, which means that his work actually spans four decades - the seventies, eighties, nineties, and the current decade (the oughts?). I like to think that the press release is referring to the fact that Claremont's work has been kind of lackluster since the nineties.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Matt Wagner creates a whole new audience for his upcoming Batman mini-series:
"To me, Bruce is a highly sexed individual. He’s full of a type of energy that needs to be released not only through the violent results of his nocturnal crusade but also through a sense of love and romance."
"To me, Bruce is a highly sexed individual. He’s full of a type of energy that needs to be released not only through the violent results of his nocturnal crusade but also through a sense of love and romance."
Marvel offer a new - fifth? - variant version of House of M #1:
"This past weekend at WizardWorld: Chicago, in announcing artist Joe Madureira’s new exclusive contract, Marvel released an image featuring 'Joe Mad’s' version of Wolverine, the Hulk, and Spider-Man. Not just a promotional image, it was actually a cover to a new surprise 'Convention Special' of House of M #1, one free copy of which was sent to every Diamond account (i.e. retailer) with this week’s new books, and undoubtedly now fetching a premium aftermarket price. This week the publisher has announced this House of M #1 Convention Special will be made available for order on a limited basis (20 per Diamond account)."
"This past weekend at WizardWorld: Chicago, in announcing artist Joe Madureira’s new exclusive contract, Marvel released an image featuring 'Joe Mad’s' version of Wolverine, the Hulk, and Spider-Man. Not just a promotional image, it was actually a cover to a new surprise 'Convention Special' of House of M #1, one free copy of which was sent to every Diamond account (i.e. retailer) with this week’s new books, and undoubtedly now fetching a premium aftermarket price. This week the publisher has announced this House of M #1 Convention Special will be made available for order on a limited basis (20 per Diamond account)."
Over at the Geoff Johns blog, the old truism that one person's random, forgotten minor character is another person's favorite is demonstrated once again:
"I've noticed that they have been bringing back characters in Limbo and such with the events of IC and a number have been bumped off. And now that it's been declared a sequel to CoIE I am making this vow. If they bring back Dr.Light aka Kimiyo Hoshi, handle her horribly, have her be wearing her horrid yellow and white costume, and kill her off than I will forever loose faith in DC.
"Call me obsessive, call me what you will but I swear it...she is too good of a character to be bumped off. Change her name yes that's better than killing her off. Now I know most of you will be like 'who' with this Dr.Light I'm talking about, and if you don't know than just look back about my other threads to find out about her cause I will NOT go into another rant about her. However I will say this...she is the character that did the most damage to the CoIE villain the Anti-Monitor, she was introduced and handled great in that series and was crucial in the reformation of the JLA...than she was put into Limbo than brought back and was treated horribly...she was treated in a way worse than death, she became extremely sterotypical. To bring her out of limbo now and than kill her off would be a huge cop out and a huge diservice. I was saddened by the death of Harbinger but I wasn't that big of a fan of her in CoIE.
"Now I am hoping that DC is using JLU to promote awarness of her and maybe this is a sign of hope that she'll live through IC and maybe become more used in the DC Continuity. I mean I remember she was one of the top people that Message boards were demanded be voiced by Epilogue. So that is all I have to say...again call me obsessed or whatever but if DC kills her off, a character who was crucial to CoIE and was through the gutter in such horrible ways, she deserves better than to be bumped off."
"I've noticed that they have been bringing back characters in Limbo and such with the events of IC and a number have been bumped off. And now that it's been declared a sequel to CoIE I am making this vow. If they bring back Dr.Light aka Kimiyo Hoshi, handle her horribly, have her be wearing her horrid yellow and white costume, and kill her off than I will forever loose faith in DC.
"Call me obsessive, call me what you will but I swear it...she is too good of a character to be bumped off. Change her name yes that's better than killing her off. Now I know most of you will be like 'who' with this Dr.Light I'm talking about, and if you don't know than just look back about my other threads to find out about her cause I will NOT go into another rant about her. However I will say this...she is the character that did the most damage to the CoIE villain the Anti-Monitor, she was introduced and handled great in that series and was crucial in the reformation of the JLA...than she was put into Limbo than brought back and was treated horribly...she was treated in a way worse than death, she became extremely sterotypical. To bring her out of limbo now and than kill her off would be a huge cop out and a huge diservice. I was saddened by the death of Harbinger but I wasn't that big of a fan of her in CoIE.
"Now I am hoping that DC is using JLU to promote awarness of her and maybe this is a sign of hope that she'll live through IC and maybe become more used in the DC Continuity. I mean I remember she was one of the top people that Message boards were demanded be voiced by Epilogue. So that is all I have to say...again call me obsessed or whatever but if DC kills her off, a character who was crucial to CoIE and was through the gutter in such horrible ways, she deserves better than to be bumped off."
Erik Larsen's column, One Fan's Opinion, starts at CBR:
"Overall, I think we all tend to let our passions get in the way. If we hate a book-- we'll let everybody know it stinks. If we think one's great-- we'll let everyone know it's terrific. And I'm not saying that we should all praise books that we think are crappy just to understand that somebody out there gets some serious enjoyment out of that comic and that just because you don't like it-- it doesn't mean that somebody else doesn't like it. It just might not be for you. And not every book should be for you. Let there be comics for other readers. Let them have something... If a reader is buying some crappy comic-- let 'em buy it! Over time, their tastes will mature and soon they'll move on to other books and there's always the chance that they'll be helping keep alive a book, which you enjoy. Humiliate them for reading crappy comic books and they may stop reading comics entirely and who's the winner in that scenario?"
This comes just a day after Robert Kirkman's column - Buy My Books - launched at the site:
"People who know me will understand the irony of me being a total shill whoring myself in an effort to sell my books, but other people will think I'm a money hungry bastard... but most of the books I listed above I did for free. That's right. I didn't make a dime off most of them... Even with "Invincible" being as successful as it is now, to this day I still don't pay myself a page rate for that book. I write that book month in and month out, for free, because I love doing it. Ryan Ottley and Bill Crabtree split the profits on that title. So don't write me about this column telling me I'm a greedy shill. I just want you kids to read the book."
"Overall, I think we all tend to let our passions get in the way. If we hate a book-- we'll let everybody know it stinks. If we think one's great-- we'll let everyone know it's terrific. And I'm not saying that we should all praise books that we think are crappy just to understand that somebody out there gets some serious enjoyment out of that comic and that just because you don't like it-- it doesn't mean that somebody else doesn't like it. It just might not be for you. And not every book should be for you. Let there be comics for other readers. Let them have something... If a reader is buying some crappy comic-- let 'em buy it! Over time, their tastes will mature and soon they'll move on to other books and there's always the chance that they'll be helping keep alive a book, which you enjoy. Humiliate them for reading crappy comic books and they may stop reading comics entirely and who's the winner in that scenario?"
This comes just a day after Robert Kirkman's column - Buy My Books - launched at the site:
"People who know me will understand the irony of me being a total shill whoring myself in an effort to sell my books, but other people will think I'm a money hungry bastard... but most of the books I listed above I did for free. That's right. I didn't make a dime off most of them... Even with "Invincible" being as successful as it is now, to this day I still don't pay myself a page rate for that book. I write that book month in and month out, for free, because I love doing it. Ryan Ottley and Bill Crabtree split the profits on that title. So don't write me about this column telling me I'm a greedy shill. I just want you kids to read the book."
Hmm. Is DC in potential trouble? ICv2 reports:
"Corporate raider Carl Icahn, who recently took a run at Blockbuster, has set his sights on Time Warner, which he reportedly wants to sell all or part of its cable TV and publishing operations. Time Warner stock has been in the doldrums for several years, dragged down by heavy debt and the declining fortunes of merger partner AOL. The company recently announced a stock buy-back to boost its share price; Icahn feels that's not enough. He owns about 5 million shares in the company and feels he can get support from other stockholders."
"Corporate raider Carl Icahn, who recently took a run at Blockbuster, has set his sights on Time Warner, which he reportedly wants to sell all or part of its cable TV and publishing operations. Time Warner stock has been in the doldrums for several years, dragged down by heavy debt and the declining fortunes of merger partner AOL. The company recently announced a stock buy-back to boost its share price; Icahn feels that's not enough. He owns about 5 million shares in the company and feels he can get support from other stockholders."
Newsarama posters raise the level of discourse on the comics webinet:
"Just how awful is House of M? Come on. This is an awful series. Topped only by Avengers: Dis. and Spidey: Clone Saga [...] Infact this issue is so bad I long for the days when Punisher and Ghost Rider were in half the MARVEL books and Wolverine were in the other half. IT IS THAT BAD"
"No it isn't."
"I don't think it's bad."
"Just how awful is House of M? Come on. This is an awful series. Topped only by Avengers: Dis. and Spidey: Clone Saga [...] Infact this issue is so bad I long for the days when Punisher and Ghost Rider were in half the MARVEL books and Wolverine were in the other half. IT IS THAT BAD"
"No it isn't."
"I don't think it's bad."
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Courtesy of James Sime and the Isotope team, a preview of Rob Osborne's new graphic novel, Sunset City. Well worth your time and attention, says I.
The fine folk - well, the folk, anyway - at Your Mom's Basement wants you to have little Lego-lookin' X-Men and Bryan Hitch-signed posters. No, they really really do. All they want from you in return is your snark, and people? You give that freely here. So go and get yourselves some shit.
Has Joe Quesada taken Marvel to war on false pretenses? Oh, no, wait. That's not right. Anyway, CBR messageboard posters are appalled - appalled, I tell you - about the State of Marvel Comics:
"How corrupt is the regime of Quesada? It’s quite obvious that there is some heavy favouritism going on at the Marvel Office, the designated Golden Boy Bendis gets to do damn near everything he wants. And that bothers me, because apparently Quesada has invested so much in this person that he’s willing to use other writers as scapegoats to deflect whatever future ills heading towards Bendis. Quesada is sacrificing others in order to protect his favourite form the inevitable fall-out. Currently the designated Scapegoat for the X-titles, perhaps for all mainstream Marvel-titles in general, is Chris Claremont.
"When Grant Morrison had his falling out with Marvel, during the end of his run on New X-men, Chris Claremont, together with Austen at the time, seemed to be the person targeted by the editors to clean up the mess left behind. During Morrison’s run on New X-men, Claremont showed that he was very much interested in dealing with the ideas and concepts that Morrison brought in. Claremont used many of the wider spanning ideas to shape his own titles and stories, incorporating the new elements, and the new status quo. He might have played second fiddle to Grant Morrison, who was given far more freedom than Claremont was at the time, but Claremont showed that he supported the ideas by developing them further, after Morrison had left, and in different titles.
"X-men the End took the ideas Morrison left and projected them into the future, unfortunately during the title’s run we saw that elements of Morrison’s run were slowly being altered to fit the old status quo again, making X-men the End fall short, as the concepts used in his future story were being deleted in the present stories. Excalibur came along, and almost from the very beginning his ideas were thrown overboard. Need we bring up the debacle involving Igor Kordey? Throughout its limited run you could see the hand of editors hovering over the creative decisions, the story stunted in its growth, the concept never allowed to be properly explored. Stories planned were placed on hold in order to make certain elements fit with what the new Golden Boy had planned for the future. Excalibur was targeted by editors to make the situation so that Bendis could have his House of M. The House of M, the big sweeping storyline that would reshape the entire Marvel Universe. And guess who’s writing the official aftermath issues? Chris Claremont.
"Why do I get the impression that when the mini-series is over and done with we’re left with a rather ambiguous situation, that Claremont will have to define and give solid shape? Why do I get the impression that in the end Claremont will be blamed for the new situation, because he wrote the aftermath, as if he had any creative freedom or input in the things he’s told to write? Here, have this book, tell your story, as long as you do exactly what we say and how we say it, you can do whatever you want. Will cut out your tongue and take away your lips, rip out your vocal cords, now sing for us the most glorious aria there is, and do it for a public of thousands.
"And it’s not just Bendis, but remember X-23. Chris Claremont was told to write her in his Uncanny X-men run, but he was also told to make her fit the all-ages rating for the book, so the largest part of what was known about the character in the stilted and awkward NYX was to be thrown overboard. Claremont was literally left with a character that had a history that couldn’t be used as far as was shown on panel in NYX, and that wasn’t even written as far as her mini-series was concerned at that point. She had no real personality, and effectively the character was a blank slate. But still she had to be used. Uncanny gets little to no exposure, while Whedon gets heaps of exposure for his Astonishing X-men. So how corrupt and crooked is the system that Quesada created? How long before that house of cards is going to fall?"
And that's just the first post.
"How corrupt is the regime of Quesada? It’s quite obvious that there is some heavy favouritism going on at the Marvel Office, the designated Golden Boy Bendis gets to do damn near everything he wants. And that bothers me, because apparently Quesada has invested so much in this person that he’s willing to use other writers as scapegoats to deflect whatever future ills heading towards Bendis. Quesada is sacrificing others in order to protect his favourite form the inevitable fall-out. Currently the designated Scapegoat for the X-titles, perhaps for all mainstream Marvel-titles in general, is Chris Claremont.
"When Grant Morrison had his falling out with Marvel, during the end of his run on New X-men, Chris Claremont, together with Austen at the time, seemed to be the person targeted by the editors to clean up the mess left behind. During Morrison’s run on New X-men, Claremont showed that he was very much interested in dealing with the ideas and concepts that Morrison brought in. Claremont used many of the wider spanning ideas to shape his own titles and stories, incorporating the new elements, and the new status quo. He might have played second fiddle to Grant Morrison, who was given far more freedom than Claremont was at the time, but Claremont showed that he supported the ideas by developing them further, after Morrison had left, and in different titles.
"X-men the End took the ideas Morrison left and projected them into the future, unfortunately during the title’s run we saw that elements of Morrison’s run were slowly being altered to fit the old status quo again, making X-men the End fall short, as the concepts used in his future story were being deleted in the present stories. Excalibur came along, and almost from the very beginning his ideas were thrown overboard. Need we bring up the debacle involving Igor Kordey? Throughout its limited run you could see the hand of editors hovering over the creative decisions, the story stunted in its growth, the concept never allowed to be properly explored. Stories planned were placed on hold in order to make certain elements fit with what the new Golden Boy had planned for the future. Excalibur was targeted by editors to make the situation so that Bendis could have his House of M. The House of M, the big sweeping storyline that would reshape the entire Marvel Universe. And guess who’s writing the official aftermath issues? Chris Claremont.
"Why do I get the impression that when the mini-series is over and done with we’re left with a rather ambiguous situation, that Claremont will have to define and give solid shape? Why do I get the impression that in the end Claremont will be blamed for the new situation, because he wrote the aftermath, as if he had any creative freedom or input in the things he’s told to write? Here, have this book, tell your story, as long as you do exactly what we say and how we say it, you can do whatever you want. Will cut out your tongue and take away your lips, rip out your vocal cords, now sing for us the most glorious aria there is, and do it for a public of thousands.
"And it’s not just Bendis, but remember X-23. Chris Claremont was told to write her in his Uncanny X-men run, but he was also told to make her fit the all-ages rating for the book, so the largest part of what was known about the character in the stilted and awkward NYX was to be thrown overboard. Claremont was literally left with a character that had a history that couldn’t be used as far as was shown on panel in NYX, and that wasn’t even written as far as her mini-series was concerned at that point. She had no real personality, and effectively the character was a blank slate. But still she had to be used. Uncanny gets little to no exposure, while Whedon gets heaps of exposure for his Astonishing X-men. So how corrupt and crooked is the system that Quesada created? How long before that house of cards is going to fall?"
And that's just the first post.
Josh Richardson officially signs on to Make Comics Better:
"Publisher Larry Young announced today that his publishing house has added graphic artist/raconteur Josh Richardson as Creative Executive to the AiT/Planet Lar team... Josh’s talents in Information Technology, expertise in video games and software, and his years serving pop culture clients make him uniquely suited for the Creative Executive post. 'Josh’s mandate is to basically be the middle of the Bell Curve,' said Mimi Rosenheim. 'While Larry and I both work together to determine the business strategy, Larry also does his own fiction writing and develops new talent, while I’m responsible for the business and operations infrastructure. Josh will cover the middle, working production and print management, some operations and distribution paperwork, and what we laughingly call ‘creator triage.’ With the ascendancy and immediacy of online communication, it’s become commonplace to assume instant response times to questions and needs, and Josh will be dedicated manpower to addressing the needs of the creators we work with.' 'I’m just working on becoming the Swiss Army Knife of the comics industry,' said Richardson."
I love Josh, so let it be known that when I say that the above quote from him immediately made me think "Josh Richardson - Self-described comics tool", I was really only getting to the pun before anyone else.
"Publisher Larry Young announced today that his publishing house has added graphic artist/raconteur Josh Richardson as Creative Executive to the AiT/Planet Lar team... Josh’s talents in Information Technology, expertise in video games and software, and his years serving pop culture clients make him uniquely suited for the Creative Executive post. 'Josh’s mandate is to basically be the middle of the Bell Curve,' said Mimi Rosenheim. 'While Larry and I both work together to determine the business strategy, Larry also does his own fiction writing and develops new talent, while I’m responsible for the business and operations infrastructure. Josh will cover the middle, working production and print management, some operations and distribution paperwork, and what we laughingly call ‘creator triage.’ With the ascendancy and immediacy of online communication, it’s become commonplace to assume instant response times to questions and needs, and Josh will be dedicated manpower to addressing the needs of the creators we work with.' 'I’m just working on becoming the Swiss Army Knife of the comics industry,' said Richardson."
I love Josh, so let it be known that when I say that the above quote from him immediately made me think "Josh Richardson - Self-described comics tool", I was really only getting to the pun before anyone else.
The Bendis Board ask What If The Avengers Were Like The Bendis Board?:
"What do you think would happen if all the Avengers where to have a Kegger? Post all your wild party ideas invovling drunk Avengers here."
"Is this a roundabout way of having the Bendis Board kids say what happened at Chicago, using Avengers names instead of their own? If so, did I just ruin it?"
"I can only assume that lots of sex will occur."
"Someone finally asks Wanda what its like to fuck a robot."
"I don't know, but there will be 500 threads about it the monday morning after on the Avengers message board."
"What do you think would happen if all the Avengers where to have a Kegger? Post all your wild party ideas invovling drunk Avengers here."
"Is this a roundabout way of having the Bendis Board kids say what happened at Chicago, using Avengers names instead of their own? If so, did I just ruin it?"
"I can only assume that lots of sex will occur."
"Someone finally asks Wanda what its like to fuck a robot."
"I don't know, but there will be 500 threads about it the monday morning after on the Avengers message board."
Despite reports of attendence looking low to those at the Con, ICv2 reports that Wizard World Chicago was a success:
"Wizard Conventions has announced that Wizard World Chicago attracted more than 56,000 attendees during its four-day run over the past weekend, making it the largest Wizard World Convention to date. The total represented close to a 4% gain over last year's attendance of 54,000... Wizard World Chicago remains the number 2 pop culture convention (for the categories covered by ICv2) trailing only the San Diego Comic-Con."
"Wizard Conventions has announced that Wizard World Chicago attracted more than 56,000 attendees during its four-day run over the past weekend, making it the largest Wizard World Convention to date. The total represented close to a 4% gain over last year's attendance of 54,000... Wizard World Chicago remains the number 2 pop culture convention (for the categories covered by ICv2) trailing only the San Diego Comic-Con."
Mike Perkins gets announced as the second Captain America artist:
"Steve [Epting, Captain America’s current artist] asked for me to ink some of the pages on issue 8 and I was more than pleased to do so... The artwork he's doing on there is phenomenal and Steve and I get on really well— so, in all respects, it was a pleasure to put my inking head back on. My penciling on Spellbinders was encroaching upon it's conclusion and Tom Brevoort and Ed Brubaker contacted me to see if I would be interested in pencilling and inking alternating story arcs with Steve."
Ed Brubaker comments at Millarworld:
"Mike was our personal pick, because he's worked so closely with Steve Epting in the past and currently as well on Cap, and I think it's going to be really great. Mike is going to show off here like he's never had the chance to before, and since he's been inking Steve for a few issues, he'll have a consistency for the characters that is really important. Also, the way the stories are shaking out, we're going to be doing sort of meta-arcs with smaller arcs that make them up, so two or three issue stories with sub-plots that lead to the next arc. Sort of like what we already are doing with the book, but more delineated, since we'll have different artists. The big advantage is, if we pull this off, we can do more than 12 issues a year."
"Steve [Epting, Captain America’s current artist] asked for me to ink some of the pages on issue 8 and I was more than pleased to do so... The artwork he's doing on there is phenomenal and Steve and I get on really well— so, in all respects, it was a pleasure to put my inking head back on. My penciling on Spellbinders was encroaching upon it's conclusion and Tom Brevoort and Ed Brubaker contacted me to see if I would be interested in pencilling and inking alternating story arcs with Steve."
Ed Brubaker comments at Millarworld:
"Mike was our personal pick, because he's worked so closely with Steve Epting in the past and currently as well on Cap, and I think it's going to be really great. Mike is going to show off here like he's never had the chance to before, and since he's been inking Steve for a few issues, he'll have a consistency for the characters that is really important. Also, the way the stories are shaking out, we're going to be doing sort of meta-arcs with smaller arcs that make them up, so two or three issue stories with sub-plots that lead to the next arc. Sort of like what we already are doing with the book, but more delineated, since we'll have different artists. The big advantage is, if we pull this off, we can do more than 12 issues a year."
Dreamwave is sold. Pat Lee promises himself another Porsche:
"Following the announcement in late July, the assets of Dreamwave were sold on August 2nd by the bankruptcy trustee in Toronto. The winning bidder of the auction was Canadian entrepreneur Christian Dery, and amount of the wining bid was not immediately available. The transaction (which is becoming all too familiar in comics) shares similarities with the Chaos, CrossGen and Acclaim bankruptcy sales in that Dery is now (according to court papers) the owner of the trademarks and inventory of DW’s studio-owned properties. While the auction sale included copious amounts of back inventory, at present, it’s unclear whether or not the auction of assets included any of the files for the material, that is, whether Dery will be able to republish the original DW material, or if all he’ll be able to do is sell the inventory of the original material while creating new, based on the trademarks."
"Following the announcement in late July, the assets of Dreamwave were sold on August 2nd by the bankruptcy trustee in Toronto. The winning bidder of the auction was Canadian entrepreneur Christian Dery, and amount of the wining bid was not immediately available. The transaction (which is becoming all too familiar in comics) shares similarities with the Chaos, CrossGen and Acclaim bankruptcy sales in that Dery is now (according to court papers) the owner of the trademarks and inventory of DW’s studio-owned properties. While the auction sale included copious amounts of back inventory, at present, it’s unclear whether or not the auction of assets included any of the files for the material, that is, whether Dery will be able to republish the original DW material, or if all he’ll be able to do is sell the inventory of the original material while creating new, based on the trademarks."
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Heidi remembers Wizard World Chicago:
"The primary after hours activities this year were poker, strip clubs and yes, drinking. Chicago has become the Bendis Board of comic-cons; the impervious lobby of the Hyatt has become the staging ground for the tipsy prom. We saw everything from peaceful games of Pictionary and HeroClix, to a lightsaber duel and someone running around dressed like the rabbit from Donnie Darko. A lot of things just happened. We heard that the concrete floor claimed another victim: an inebriated girl took a header coming out of the Wizard party and apparently broke her ankle. Earlier on Saturday night someone went berserk at Knuckles, the infamous Hyatt sports bar where it all goes down, and had to be dragged off in handcuffs. The cops of Rosemont have always seemed pretty tolerant types and truth be told, the action has been pretty mild in degree if not scope. A few gendarmes usually hang out watching things, but letting them play out. Or as one comics pro put it 'We were standing outside smoking pot when the cops came to break up a soccer game.'"
"The primary after hours activities this year were poker, strip clubs and yes, drinking. Chicago has become the Bendis Board of comic-cons; the impervious lobby of the Hyatt has become the staging ground for the tipsy prom. We saw everything from peaceful games of Pictionary and HeroClix, to a lightsaber duel and someone running around dressed like the rabbit from Donnie Darko. A lot of things just happened. We heard that the concrete floor claimed another victim: an inebriated girl took a header coming out of the Wizard party and apparently broke her ankle. Earlier on Saturday night someone went berserk at Knuckles, the infamous Hyatt sports bar where it all goes down, and had to be dragged off in handcuffs. The cops of Rosemont have always seemed pretty tolerant types and truth be told, the action has been pretty mild in degree if not scope. A few gendarmes usually hang out watching things, but letting them play out. Or as one comics pro put it 'We were standing outside smoking pot when the cops came to break up a soccer game.'"
The Bendis Board - Using its powers for good:
"i remember a time when i thought Alex Ross was a cock, but now i can't remember why. i love, LOVE his art, and if anyone deserves the right to be pompous it's him, but why do i remember not liking him. can anyone site any examples of him being a bastard? or direct me to any links of him being a jerk?"
"I get the impression he's a little abrupt, or at least comes across that way. There was something he did or said recently too, that seemed to upset people. I've also forgotten what this was, and can only assume I've been betrayed by my fellows, and will have to break up the team, because mind wiping me was wrong."
"Read the piece in this months Wizard. He comes off as a self-important-know-it-all-ass-bag. I think his art is nice, but I have seen Batman with three chins enough times to never need to see it again."
"He's got that reputation for a reason. I'm sure it doesn't help his ego when people are coming up to him at conventions, and calling him 'god'. I heard like 10 people or so say this to him last time I was at the Chicago Con. I got the impression that he was pretty full of himself, and seemed rather stuck up and stand-offish."
"Alex Ross is a jerk. And though he paints nice portraits, he's no Neal Adams. Look, there are fundamentals of comics storytelling about which Alex Ross knows nothing. Only 2 people understand even less than him: Jim Lee and Rob Leifeld. He's an overhyped hack who couldn't get commercial art work and 'settled' for comics, which in my opinion is an insult. Granted, Alex Ross is a skilled painter, but his comics don't move. And he's a dick in person."
"i remember a time when i thought Alex Ross was a cock, but now i can't remember why. i love, LOVE his art, and if anyone deserves the right to be pompous it's him, but why do i remember not liking him. can anyone site any examples of him being a bastard? or direct me to any links of him being a jerk?"
"I get the impression he's a little abrupt, or at least comes across that way. There was something he did or said recently too, that seemed to upset people. I've also forgotten what this was, and can only assume I've been betrayed by my fellows, and will have to break up the team, because mind wiping me was wrong."
"Read the piece in this months Wizard. He comes off as a self-important-know-it-all-ass-bag. I think his art is nice, but I have seen Batman with three chins enough times to never need to see it again."
"He's got that reputation for a reason. I'm sure it doesn't help his ego when people are coming up to him at conventions, and calling him 'god'. I heard like 10 people or so say this to him last time I was at the Chicago Con. I got the impression that he was pretty full of himself, and seemed rather stuck up and stand-offish."
"Alex Ross is a jerk. And though he paints nice portraits, he's no Neal Adams. Look, there are fundamentals of comics storytelling about which Alex Ross knows nothing. Only 2 people understand even less than him: Jim Lee and Rob Leifeld. He's an overhyped hack who couldn't get commercial art work and 'settled' for comics, which in my opinion is an insult. Granted, Alex Ross is a skilled painter, but his comics don't move. And he's a dick in person."
Mark Millar has a plan to save comics:
"Okay, I was reading The Guardian a couple of weeks ago and read a really wanky article by a couple of wanky Guardian types about passing on books you love to total strangers. The idea was that, instead of the book gathering dust on your shelf, you leave it on a park bench or a bus or in a cafe where someone might spot it, pick it up, take it home and read it. They did a pretty interesting experiment with a hidden photographer trained in park benches and most books were picked up within 30-60 minutes and taken away and I wonder if the same thing can be applied to comics. I only really hang onto my old, old back issues and tend to box up, lose or give away the new stuff (just grabbing the trade on the stuff I enjoyed as a comic). So I'm going to try this. I'm going to grab some great mainstream stuff like Joss and John's X-Men, Ultimates (ahem), Runaways, Superman/ Batman, Geoff and Allan's JLA, etc, and leave them in public places like cafes and parks. Then I'm going to get some good mature stuff like Punisher, Ex Machina, Walking Dead (which I just picked up and LOVE), the Cal MacDonald stuff, etc, and leave it in any pubs I'm in this week.
"Sure, there's obviously going to be a percentage that ends up in the bin, but there's going to be a lot that makes it into the paws of new readers and old, lapsed readers alike. Even in a worst case scenario, some of the bigger, magazine-sized books I'm going to sprinkle liberally around Glasgow could provide some kind of blanket for tiny, tiny vagrants. But think about this. We've all got stuff we never look at just taking up space and you get bugger all these days when you try trading the stuff in at a comic store. Do your bit for the cause."
Not that it's a new plan, as Chad Nevett points out: "James Sime did a column about this back in 2003 and can be found here."
"Okay, I was reading The Guardian a couple of weeks ago and read a really wanky article by a couple of wanky Guardian types about passing on books you love to total strangers. The idea was that, instead of the book gathering dust on your shelf, you leave it on a park bench or a bus or in a cafe where someone might spot it, pick it up, take it home and read it. They did a pretty interesting experiment with a hidden photographer trained in park benches and most books were picked up within 30-60 minutes and taken away and I wonder if the same thing can be applied to comics. I only really hang onto my old, old back issues and tend to box up, lose or give away the new stuff (just grabbing the trade on the stuff I enjoyed as a comic). So I'm going to try this. I'm going to grab some great mainstream stuff like Joss and John's X-Men, Ultimates (ahem), Runaways, Superman/ Batman, Geoff and Allan's JLA, etc, and leave them in public places like cafes and parks. Then I'm going to get some good mature stuff like Punisher, Ex Machina, Walking Dead (which I just picked up and LOVE), the Cal MacDonald stuff, etc, and leave it in any pubs I'm in this week.
"Sure, there's obviously going to be a percentage that ends up in the bin, but there's going to be a lot that makes it into the paws of new readers and old, lapsed readers alike. Even in a worst case scenario, some of the bigger, magazine-sized books I'm going to sprinkle liberally around Glasgow could provide some kind of blanket for tiny, tiny vagrants. But think about this. We've all got stuff we never look at just taking up space and you get bugger all these days when you try trading the stuff in at a comic store. Do your bit for the cause."
Not that it's a new plan, as Chad Nevett points out: "James Sime did a column about this back in 2003 and can be found here."
John Ney Reiber talks about his upcoming Sandman Mystery Theater revival at Vertigo:
"I also wanted to write a story that would force a character to experience war--and evil--from a wide range of perspectives. Start him out as a detached observer. Then make him a casualty, a refugee. Someone who fought out of anger...no more a hero than his enemies, really. Someone who only understood what it meant to defend and protect after he'd been totally run through the meat grinder. And made too many mistakes... This is a war story, on one level. But I wanted to approach the experience and perception of war on a very raw human level. Not on a political one. I didn't want for the axe this story grinds to have anything to do with politics."
"I also wanted to write a story that would force a character to experience war--and evil--from a wide range of perspectives. Start him out as a detached observer. Then make him a casualty, a refugee. Someone who fought out of anger...no more a hero than his enemies, really. Someone who only understood what it meant to defend and protect after he'd been totally run through the meat grinder. And made too many mistakes... This is a war story, on one level. But I wanted to approach the experience and perception of war on a very raw human level. Not on a political one. I didn't want for the axe this story grinds to have anything to do with politics."
Marc Mason celebrates 100 "Should It Be A Movie?" columns at Movie Poop Shoot by picking the five comics he would take to a Desert Island. But what would my five be? Hmm... Off the top of my head:
1. Eddie Campbell's autobiographical stuff. Once upon a time, I would've just called it "Alec", but "After The Snooter" dropped the nom-de-plume. "Graffiti Kitchen" is one of my picks for the greatest single comic ever made (It appears in the "Three Piece Suit" collection, for those who haven't read it).
2. Jack Kirby's Fourth World books. Is it cheating to call this one run, seeing as it spans multiple series? Probably, but, feh. I'm cheating. They read like the ultimate superhero book, with more heart, more imagination and more exclamation points than anything either of the Big Two are putting out today - although Seven Soldiers (very much the current version of the Fourth World books, what with the interlocking but not interlocking structure and all) comes close. And just to be awkward, I'm putting Kirby's Super Powers series in with this, as well.
3. The Invisibles. Talking of Grant Morrison, here's his magnum opus. You know how there're songs that you hear and they're completely evocative of a particular memory? This series is like that, for me.
4. Anything and everything by Kevin Huizenga. Huizenga is someone fairly new on "the scene", as the kids call it, but the second story in the first issue of his Or Else series - NST '04 (a rewrite of one of his earlier minicomics) - is stunningly, heartbreakingly beautiful, and a fine example of why he's someone whose work I'll probably always keep an eye out for.
5. The collected works of Kyle Baker - Particularly Why I Hate Saturn, You Are Here, and I Die At Midnight. He's a funny writer, he's a fucking great cartoonist, and these three books in particular are great balances of the two.
(Matt Maxwell picks his five here, if you're interested...)
1. Eddie Campbell's autobiographical stuff. Once upon a time, I would've just called it "Alec", but "After The Snooter" dropped the nom-de-plume. "Graffiti Kitchen" is one of my picks for the greatest single comic ever made (It appears in the "Three Piece Suit" collection, for those who haven't read it).
2. Jack Kirby's Fourth World books. Is it cheating to call this one run, seeing as it spans multiple series? Probably, but, feh. I'm cheating. They read like the ultimate superhero book, with more heart, more imagination and more exclamation points than anything either of the Big Two are putting out today - although Seven Soldiers (very much the current version of the Fourth World books, what with the interlocking but not interlocking structure and all) comes close. And just to be awkward, I'm putting Kirby's Super Powers series in with this, as well.
3. The Invisibles. Talking of Grant Morrison, here's his magnum opus. You know how there're songs that you hear and they're completely evocative of a particular memory? This series is like that, for me.
4. Anything and everything by Kevin Huizenga. Huizenga is someone fairly new on "the scene", as the kids call it, but the second story in the first issue of his Or Else series - NST '04 (a rewrite of one of his earlier minicomics) - is stunningly, heartbreakingly beautiful, and a fine example of why he's someone whose work I'll probably always keep an eye out for.
5. The collected works of Kyle Baker - Particularly Why I Hate Saturn, You Are Here, and I Die At Midnight. He's a funny writer, he's a fucking great cartoonist, and these three books in particular are great balances of the two.
(Matt Maxwell picks his five here, if you're interested...)
Monday, August 08, 2005
Two bits of loveliness from The Fourth Rail. First off, Jess Nevins provides some annotations for The Forty-Niners, which is probably going to make some people very happy. Secondly, Randy Lander rededicates his reviews and reading habits:
"Truth to tell, the dual events of Infinite Crisis and House of M are pretty symptomatic of a larger problem I have with the general editorial direction at both companies right now. Which is not to say that I think they're wrong... one look at the sales charts and the increased presence of DC at the top in particular, not to mention the buzz on the books, indicates that commercially, in the short-term, both companies are probably where they should be. It's just that I'd rather be tied to a pack of paparazzi trying to chase down that elusive Lindsay Lohan nip slip and dragged through the streets of Europe than read most of the DCU/Marvel universe proper stuff these days."
"Truth to tell, the dual events of Infinite Crisis and House of M are pretty symptomatic of a larger problem I have with the general editorial direction at both companies right now. Which is not to say that I think they're wrong... one look at the sales charts and the increased presence of DC at the top in particular, not to mention the buzz on the books, indicates that commercially, in the short-term, both companies are probably where they should be. It's just that I'd rather be tied to a pack of paparazzi trying to chase down that elusive Lindsay Lohan nip slip and dragged through the streets of Europe than read most of the DCU/Marvel universe proper stuff these days."
DC release an uncolored version of George Perez's cover to Infinite Crisis #1. It doesn't suck.
Interesting to see Psycho Pirate on there, too. Between that, the talk of this being the sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths, and the "no comment" in response to the question "Will the Anti-Monitor return in Infinite Crisis?" at WW: Chicago this weekend, I'm sure there's lots for people to speculate about.
Interesting to see Psycho Pirate on there, too. Between that, the talk of this being the sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths, and the "no comment" in response to the question "Will the Anti-Monitor return in Infinite Crisis?" at WW: Chicago this weekend, I'm sure there's lots for people to speculate about.
Tom Spurgeon on news from WW: Chicago:
"By not paying attention to the convention and seeing what I heard about anyway (not a scientific method, but who can resist harnassing the power of laziness?), Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark taking over for a quality run by Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev on Daredevil seems to be one item of news that people have taken a fancy to. Another may be that artists Michael Turner, Leinil Francis Yu, and Joe Madrureira along with writer Jeph Loeb will each be going 'exclusive' with Marvel Comics, a term that now means 'a period of time not doing work for the Direct Competition unless I'm already contracted to do it.'"
The whole "exclusive" thing seems ridiculous, when you consider Heidi's, um, clarification of Michael Turner's status:
"Turner will be exclusive with Marvel for his 'work for hire' work, although he will be finishing up his commitments with DC, as well as continuing with his Aspen work."
Of course, we could just wait for Turner himself to explain just how exclusive he is:
"It's not a complete exclusive. We're doing some covers for DC, still doing 'Supergirl,' doing some coloring. With Marvel, I'm gonna be doing six full issues, interiors and covers. We're looking to do some other things with them. As far as what we're working on, and who we're working with, it's a secret. The books themselves I'm not doing until I finish 'Soulfire' completely. 2007 first quarter is probably when the book will be released."
Meanwhile, back to Mr. Spurgeon, who offers up another Collective Memory page of (growing) links to Wizard World Chicago write-ups for you to click through.
"By not paying attention to the convention and seeing what I heard about anyway (not a scientific method, but who can resist harnassing the power of laziness?), Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark taking over for a quality run by Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev on Daredevil seems to be one item of news that people have taken a fancy to. Another may be that artists Michael Turner, Leinil Francis Yu, and Joe Madrureira along with writer Jeph Loeb will each be going 'exclusive' with Marvel Comics, a term that now means 'a period of time not doing work for the Direct Competition unless I'm already contracted to do it.'"
The whole "exclusive" thing seems ridiculous, when you consider Heidi's, um, clarification of Michael Turner's status:
"Turner will be exclusive with Marvel for his 'work for hire' work, although he will be finishing up his commitments with DC, as well as continuing with his Aspen work."
Of course, we could just wait for Turner himself to explain just how exclusive he is:
"It's not a complete exclusive. We're doing some covers for DC, still doing 'Supergirl,' doing some coloring. With Marvel, I'm gonna be doing six full issues, interiors and covers. We're looking to do some other things with them. As far as what we're working on, and who we're working with, it's a secret. The books themselves I'm not doing until I finish 'Soulfire' completely. 2007 first quarter is probably when the book will be released."
Meanwhile, back to Mr. Spurgeon, who offers up another Collective Memory page of (growing) links to Wizard World Chicago write-ups for you to click through.
Anyone who wants cheap comics could do worse than taking advantage of Alan David Doane selling off his collection to fund Comic Book Galaxy. And to those of us who'll find this amusing, try and reconcile ADD's celebrated "I hate Geoff Johns, he's everything that's wrong with modern superhero comics" stance with the fact that he has first prints of the entire run of Green Lantern: Rebirth and the first issue of the current ongoing for sale.
Countdown to Infinite Excuses in three, two, one...
Countdown to Infinite Excuses in three, two, one...
Larry Young is busy:
"I'm in the middle of Writing A Thing. This is good, because usually I'm in the middle of Holding Somebody's Hand, or Putting Out One of Them There Fires You Hear So Much About Nowadays, or Jostling For Position, or Telling Somebody to Calm Down. Lots of things to do, as a publisher, and not much of them have to do with what I want to be doing, you know? Which is, of course, to be telling my own stories. Some dudes think this is a conflict of interest, and to them, I say: Astronauts in Trouble and True Facts and Proof of Concept and the rest are paying for your printing bills, so, you know, there you go."
"I'm in the middle of Writing A Thing. This is good, because usually I'm in the middle of Holding Somebody's Hand, or Putting Out One of Them There Fires You Hear So Much About Nowadays, or Jostling For Position, or Telling Somebody to Calm Down. Lots of things to do, as a publisher, and not much of them have to do with what I want to be doing, you know? Which is, of course, to be telling my own stories. Some dudes think this is a conflict of interest, and to them, I say: Astronauts in Trouble and True Facts and Proof of Concept and the rest are paying for your printing bills, so, you know, there you go."
Newsarama get excited about Jeph Loeb and Joe Mad going to Marvel. I think:
"While I don't think it's a big deal, because frankly Superman/Batman has been lousy the past year - the announcement of Jeph Loeb and Joe Mad to Marvel is a big feather in Joe Q's hat right now. Is there a free agent that DC can nab to counter this news?"
"Only the Dickbag Todd McFarlene could top this announcement. Eveyrthing else is already been there done that."
"Why does Marvel want Jeph Loeb exclusive? They've already got Bendis - are they trying to corner the market on boring greatest hits rip-off recyclers? What gives?"
"I think losing Jeph Loeb IS the best announcement DC can make. 1st point goes to DC! Only way Marvel can top that news is if DC announces they signed Hudlin to an exclusive too!"
"Seriously, how the FU.CK is this not a big deal? You got Jeph Loeb who is easily a guarantee for a top 10 book and then friggin' JOE MAD!! Dude, it doesn't get bigger."
"While I don't think it's a big deal, because frankly Superman/Batman has been lousy the past year - the announcement of Jeph Loeb and Joe Mad to Marvel is a big feather in Joe Q's hat right now. Is there a free agent that DC can nab to counter this news?"
"Only the Dickbag Todd McFarlene could top this announcement. Eveyrthing else is already been there done that."
"Why does Marvel want Jeph Loeb exclusive? They've already got Bendis - are they trying to corner the market on boring greatest hits rip-off recyclers? What gives?"
"I think losing Jeph Loeb IS the best announcement DC can make. 1st point goes to DC! Only way Marvel can top that news is if DC announces they signed Hudlin to an exclusive too!"
"Seriously, how the FU.CK is this not a big deal? You got Jeph Loeb who is easily a guarantee for a top 10 book and then friggin' JOE MAD!! Dude, it doesn't get bigger."
Ben Wooler writes about his completist tendencies at Ninth Art:
"Completists aren't restricted to comics, of course, but we certainly have our share. In the 90s I was definitely a completist, even belonging to the first category: Wolverine appearances-a-go-go. Of course, back then, he was only in about six regular titles. Yes, I was the guy who bought MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS."
"Completists aren't restricted to comics, of course, but we certainly have our share. In the 90s I was definitely a completist, even belonging to the first category: Wolverine appearances-a-go-go. Of course, back then, he was only in about six regular titles. Yes, I was the guy who bought MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS."
Millarworld isn't happy. Ultimate Secret is delayed, again (This is according to a WW:Chicago report at Comics Continuum that suggests that the next issue is due November):
"And it probably won't make November either."
"What's another month?? i mean those that are still going to buy it have waited this long already..."
"Damn I really enjoyed the first two issues, with Ellis writing a funny Mar-Vell. Oh well, I'll put it out of my mind and be pleasantly surprised when it drops into my box some time around 2007"
"yeah I think this is a mistake...until it makes the shipping update im guessing its still coming out on the solicited dates..i hope!"
"Man....they just refuse to put this book out in a timely fashion, don't they?!"
"Im HOPING its a mistake. I REALLY, REALLY DO. I mean, I dont think it's Raney's fault cuz this guy was able to finish 2 issues of the Uncanny Mojo arc to come out in THE SAME MONTH. So I dont know what happened here, but I really just wanna know why it's delayed ANOTHER TWO MONTHS (for both issues)."
"And it probably won't make November either."
"What's another month?? i mean those that are still going to buy it have waited this long already..."
"Damn I really enjoyed the first two issues, with Ellis writing a funny Mar-Vell. Oh well, I'll put it out of my mind and be pleasantly surprised when it drops into my box some time around 2007"
"yeah I think this is a mistake...until it makes the shipping update im guessing its still coming out on the solicited dates..i hope!"
"Man....they just refuse to put this book out in a timely fashion, don't they?!"
"Im HOPING its a mistake. I REALLY, REALLY DO. I mean, I dont think it's Raney's fault cuz this guy was able to finish 2 issues of the Uncanny Mojo arc to come out in THE SAME MONTH. So I dont know what happened here, but I really just wanna know why it's delayed ANOTHER TWO MONTHS (for both issues)."
So, Wizard World Chicago, then. Am I the only person who was kind of hoping for more, falling for the "San Diego's news was so dull because everyone's saving their big news for Chicago" routine? I am? Oh, well.
Marvel, at least, had some news. Besides the annoucement of Jeph Loeb and Joe Mad signing exclusive contracts (as did Mike Turner and Leinil Francis Yu, although Turner's is apparently only for six issues of a book and some covers) and Brubaker and Lark taking over Daredevil, Marvel was all about the aftermath of House of M, which they're giving the happy jaunty name of "Decimation". As editor Mike Marts explained:
"The title, 'Decimation' suggests terrible, scary repercussions, and... that's exactly what the repercussions are. I'm not saying that all the stories coming out of this are doom and gloom, but from the outside looking in, things will look extremely bleak for many of Marvel's heroes... On a scale of 1 to 10 in regards to the magnitude of the change that's coming for the Marvel Universe, 'Decimation' shows it's an easy 10. I know that's the cliché answer, but I've been up here for 12 years, and on the X-Men for the last four or five, and I haven't seen us attempt anything like this in that time – something with as far reaching repercussions as we’re trying here. So yeah, it's very big, and will definitely be one of those stories that is looked back at as one of Marvel's best efforts, and probably as one that we’ll see people try to mimic and duplicate in the months to come."
I can't work out if that last bit is a DC dig or not. Meanwhile, there was little or no news from the Ultimates line - they're doing Ultimate Hulk versus Ultimate Wolverine, just because - and worrying news from the Spider-Man panel. Spider-Man: The Other has been re-named - now it's Spider-Man: The Other - Evolve or Die. Which not only just sounds awkward, but also suggests another "The Other" storyline at some point.
DC, meanwhile, really didn't announce anything, apart from Darwyn Cooke being exclusive, preferring to tell us that Infinite Crisis is going to be very exciting and important. Surprising and nice, though, was the announcement that their Showcase line - Marvel's Essentials done with DC titles, more or less - is going to be priced at $9.99 instead of the around-$15 that was solicited.
(Oh, and Mark Waid should be glad that I don't have his email address after saying "If you have any ideas who you want to see teamed up [in the new Brave and Bold series] email, write – anything is possible - anything is open and the entire DCU is game," because otherwise he'd be flooded with emails with subjects like "Phantom Stranger and Phantom Lady at Hallowe'en. With Deadman. You know you want to.")
Marvel, at least, had some news. Besides the annoucement of Jeph Loeb and Joe Mad signing exclusive contracts (as did Mike Turner and Leinil Francis Yu, although Turner's is apparently only for six issues of a book and some covers) and Brubaker and Lark taking over Daredevil, Marvel was all about the aftermath of House of M, which they're giving the happy jaunty name of "Decimation". As editor Mike Marts explained:
"The title, 'Decimation' suggests terrible, scary repercussions, and... that's exactly what the repercussions are. I'm not saying that all the stories coming out of this are doom and gloom, but from the outside looking in, things will look extremely bleak for many of Marvel's heroes... On a scale of 1 to 10 in regards to the magnitude of the change that's coming for the Marvel Universe, 'Decimation' shows it's an easy 10. I know that's the cliché answer, but I've been up here for 12 years, and on the X-Men for the last four or five, and I haven't seen us attempt anything like this in that time – something with as far reaching repercussions as we’re trying here. So yeah, it's very big, and will definitely be one of those stories that is looked back at as one of Marvel's best efforts, and probably as one that we’ll see people try to mimic and duplicate in the months to come."
I can't work out if that last bit is a DC dig or not. Meanwhile, there was little or no news from the Ultimates line - they're doing Ultimate Hulk versus Ultimate Wolverine, just because - and worrying news from the Spider-Man panel. Spider-Man: The Other has been re-named - now it's Spider-Man: The Other - Evolve or Die. Which not only just sounds awkward, but also suggests another "The Other" storyline at some point.
DC, meanwhile, really didn't announce anything, apart from Darwyn Cooke being exclusive, preferring to tell us that Infinite Crisis is going to be very exciting and important. Surprising and nice, though, was the announcement that their Showcase line - Marvel's Essentials done with DC titles, more or less - is going to be priced at $9.99 instead of the around-$15 that was solicited.
(Oh, and Mark Waid should be glad that I don't have his email address after saying "If you have any ideas who you want to see teamed up [in the new Brave and Bold series] email, write – anything is possible - anything is open and the entire DCU is game," because otherwise he'd be flooded with emails with subjects like "Phantom Stranger and Phantom Lady at Hallowe'en. With Deadman. You know you want to.")
You can tell that the Bendis Board had fun at Chicago based on these posts from Bendis last night. Firstly:
"pleaase read!!!!! no posting videos or links to videos. we have numerous complaints. people were filmed without permission . no posting pics of kissing or any type of nudity. i know this makes it sound like there was tons. but there was not. no gossip . no fighting. no dirt. none of it. i will shut the board down if any of it makes the board. delete any files you have posted or i will for you. this means everyone."
Soon followed up by:
"Two bannings already tonight, anybody else?? or i could yank the server entirely. i do have things to do. you understand me?? stop it!!"
"pleaase read!!!!! no posting videos or links to videos. we have numerous complaints. people were filmed without permission . no posting pics of kissing or any type of nudity. i know this makes it sound like there was tons. but there was not. no gossip . no fighting. no dirt. none of it. i will shut the board down if any of it makes the board. delete any files you have posted or i will for you. this means everyone."
Soon followed up by:
"Two bannings already tonight, anybody else?? or i could yank the server entirely. i do have things to do. you understand me?? stop it!!"
Friday, August 05, 2005
Again surprising no-one, Newsarama has a quick report from WW Chicago that Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark have indeed been named as the (much-rumored) next creative team on Daredevil, post-Bendis and Maleev.
More Bendis Chicago Wizard Worldian things, from the Pulse:
"He also made a note that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby hold the record for the longest consecutive creative team on a series: 103 issues of Fantastic Four. Bendis hopes to break that record. 'Our goal is to do 120 issues of Ultimate Spider-Man,' he said. He also didn’t want to push Mark Bagley too much, because the artist has worked on Spider-Man for a very long time."
Bendis then went on to say that Dave Sim doing 300 issues of Cerebus was just a figment of everyone's imagination. But what of the news that everyone cares about?
"Bendis mentioned a bet he made with Mark Millar about which would sell more: New Avengers or Ultimate Fantastic Four. Bendis’ New Avengers beat Millar’s Ultimate Fantastic Four, but Millar has refused to honor his agreement to shave his head should he lose."
For shame, Mark.
"He also made a note that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby hold the record for the longest consecutive creative team on a series: 103 issues of Fantastic Four. Bendis hopes to break that record. 'Our goal is to do 120 issues of Ultimate Spider-Man,' he said. He also didn’t want to push Mark Bagley too much, because the artist has worked on Spider-Man for a very long time."
Bendis then went on to say that Dave Sim doing 300 issues of Cerebus was just a figment of everyone's imagination. But what of the news that everyone cares about?
"Bendis mentioned a bet he made with Mark Millar about which would sell more: New Avengers or Ultimate Fantastic Four. Bendis’ New Avengers beat Millar’s Ultimate Fantastic Four, but Millar has refused to honor his agreement to shave his head should he lose."
For shame, Mark.
Surprising no-one, Brian Michael Bendis gets a Spider-Woman series. Surprising me, at least, Alex Maleev is going to be the artist. But before the ongoing gets underway, the character gets a mini-series, called Green Lantern: Rebir... No, wait, I mean Spider-Woman: Origin. Let Bendis explain:
"The plan was for me and Alex to finish 'Daredevil' in January, then take a couple of months off, get ahead of things, and start up the 'Spider-Woman' ongoing in March or April. He kind of wanted something earlier, so Tom [Brevoort] asked, 'Would you like to a Spider-Woman origin? Maybe you and Brian Reed?' Brian's a guy I've been working closely with on some other projects, and he's also a producer on the 'Ultimate Spider-Man' video game and I've been telling Marvel he's ready, big time. He's an excellent writer and after talking with him for just ten minutes you just get the sense that he's one of us. He's a total Marvel guy... So, the two of us worked together and Brian killed on this. We've sifted through all the mythology and we've crafted what we think is the definitive origin ALA Wolverine 'Origin' or like the first arc of 'Ultimate Spider-Man'-- and by the way, when I say it's like 'Ultimate Spider-Man,' that doesn't mean she doesn't show up in costume till issue #5! She shows up in costume quickly. That's just to piss people off online who think they've got me down."
It's good to know that he doesn't take this stuff to heart. The miniseries is illustrated by the Luna Brothers, for those who liked their Image work.
"The plan was for me and Alex to finish 'Daredevil' in January, then take a couple of months off, get ahead of things, and start up the 'Spider-Woman' ongoing in March or April. He kind of wanted something earlier, so Tom [Brevoort] asked, 'Would you like to a Spider-Woman origin? Maybe you and Brian Reed?' Brian's a guy I've been working closely with on some other projects, and he's also a producer on the 'Ultimate Spider-Man' video game and I've been telling Marvel he's ready, big time. He's an excellent writer and after talking with him for just ten minutes you just get the sense that he's one of us. He's a total Marvel guy... So, the two of us worked together and Brian killed on this. We've sifted through all the mythology and we've crafted what we think is the definitive origin ALA Wolverine 'Origin' or like the first arc of 'Ultimate Spider-Man'-- and by the way, when I say it's like 'Ultimate Spider-Man,' that doesn't mean she doesn't show up in costume till issue #5! She shows up in costume quickly. That's just to piss people off online who think they've got me down."
It's good to know that he doesn't take this stuff to heart. The miniseries is illustrated by the Luna Brothers, for those who liked their Image work.
Still at WWChicago, Wildstorm announce a new Gen 13 series by Gail Simone and Talent Caldwell. Quoteth Simone:
"It's date comics. And it's going to be good, wrong fun that'll hopefully destroy society, or at least corrupt the innocent. Otherwise, I'll feel like we failed a little bit."
Danger Girl is coming back, as well:
"[T]he girls go undercover, joining a notorious motorcycle gang in order to retrieve a Native American artifact that’s been stolen. But it’s not the artifact that’s feared, it’s something much more – ahem – 'dangerous'. It’s something that the girls won’t discover until they’re much too deep into the mission, until they’re past the point of no return. And it’s also about looking cool in leather and carrying a big gun."
"It's date comics. And it's going to be good, wrong fun that'll hopefully destroy society, or at least corrupt the innocent. Otherwise, I'll feel like we failed a little bit."
Danger Girl is coming back, as well:
"[T]he girls go undercover, joining a notorious motorcycle gang in order to retrieve a Native American artifact that’s been stolen. But it’s not the artifact that’s feared, it’s something much more – ahem – 'dangerous'. It’s something that the girls won’t discover until they’re much too deep into the mission, until they’re past the point of no return. And it’s also about looking cool in leather and carrying a big gun."
Ah, Marvel convention panels:
"Finally, on a slide saying that new character Ronin would be revealed, Quesada said, 'don't bother, it's just Daredevil!' 'It is not Daredevil!' Bendis screamed from the back of the room. 'How dare you? How dare you! I'm going to DC, fuck y'all' Angrily he stormed towards the back door, before a slide mocking the 'King of Spain' cover showed that he was still exclusive to Marvel for an unspecified amount of time."
In real news, Jeph Loeb and Joe Madureira go back to Marvel, and... well, that seems to be it for news, really.
"Finally, on a slide saying that new character Ronin would be revealed, Quesada said, 'don't bother, it's just Daredevil!' 'It is not Daredevil!' Bendis screamed from the back of the room. 'How dare you? How dare you! I'm going to DC, fuck y'all' Angrily he stormed towards the back door, before a slide mocking the 'King of Spain' cover showed that he was still exclusive to Marvel for an unspecified amount of time."
In real news, Jeph Loeb and Joe Madureira go back to Marvel, and... well, that seems to be it for news, really.
Tom Spurgeon's latest Five for Friday is a good one: "Name Five Comics Industry Events You Would Have Liked to Have Witnessed".
Comic Foundry has a short interview with Frank Cho, memorable for his response to the question "What are some of the more memorable mistakes that you've really learned from?".
Mark Millar is looking for free research assistants again, in two threads on Millarworld. First off, he's looking for a specific Marvel villain:
"I'm after a villain who has a SPECIFIC weakness in the same way blue Kryptonite kills Bizarros. But what would be best is if this specific weakness is something that we'd have lying around the house (like salt, tomato ketchup or whatever). Is there any villain you can think of you meets this criterion? Please note: The more well-known the better and they MUST have been created prior to 1986. That's essential. Somebody like the Grey Gargoyle would actually be perfect. Does anyone know if he had a specific weakness?"
...And then he's looking for Marvel villain rankings...:
"Again, pre-1986, who would you say are Marvel's top bad guys in terms of name recognition? Note: Don't repeat any of the ones above you on this list. Feel free to break them down into the top three or four villains for each of the main heroes (like Super-Skrull and Doom for FF, etc)"
Those of you who know your Marvel trivia, go and help the man out, why don't you?
"I'm after a villain who has a SPECIFIC weakness in the same way blue Kryptonite kills Bizarros. But what would be best is if this specific weakness is something that we'd have lying around the house (like salt, tomato ketchup or whatever). Is there any villain you can think of you meets this criterion? Please note: The more well-known the better and they MUST have been created prior to 1986. That's essential. Somebody like the Grey Gargoyle would actually be perfect. Does anyone know if he had a specific weakness?"
...And then he's looking for Marvel villain rankings...:
"Again, pre-1986, who would you say are Marvel's top bad guys in terms of name recognition? Note: Don't repeat any of the ones above you on this list. Feel free to break them down into the top three or four villains for each of the main heroes (like Super-Skrull and Doom for FF, etc)"
Those of you who know your Marvel trivia, go and help the man out, why don't you?
Kyle Baker talks about his Plastic Man series:
"I wanted to make a DC Comic I could show a kid... I get all the DC books for free, and only four of them are appropriate for children. DC comics like Superman and Justice League were my favorites as a child, and I think it’s strange that a small child who loves the Justice League TV show and loves the toys, and t-shirts, and coloring books would be frightened or bored by the current JLA comic book. As DC creators, why are we targeting grown men who read Batman? And why do grown men who read Batman want a product which is so different from the brand that they grew up loving and that the world knows and loves as a children’s brand? Even the new Batman movie is child-friendly. No sex, no blood, just car chases and fistfights. I have nothing against sex and blood, I love [Arnold] Schwarzenegger movies. I just think a brand needs to be consistent, especially a franchise as beloved by children as DC Superheroes are."
"I wanted to make a DC Comic I could show a kid... I get all the DC books for free, and only four of them are appropriate for children. DC comics like Superman and Justice League were my favorites as a child, and I think it’s strange that a small child who loves the Justice League TV show and loves the toys, and t-shirts, and coloring books would be frightened or bored by the current JLA comic book. As DC creators, why are we targeting grown men who read Batman? And why do grown men who read Batman want a product which is so different from the brand that they grew up loving and that the world knows and loves as a children’s brand? Even the new Batman movie is child-friendly. No sex, no blood, just car chases and fistfights. I have nothing against sex and blood, I love [Arnold] Schwarzenegger movies. I just think a brand needs to be consistent, especially a franchise as beloved by children as DC Superheroes are."
Wait, it's Wizard World Chicago already? Newsarama was at the opening - sorry, "preview" - night:
"WizardWorld Chicago’s first Premiere Night was an uneven brew. Kicking off at 5:00 pm, the night was open only to those who’d bought a three-day pass or would shell out $25 for a one-day ticket for the three hours. Once inside, attendees found several exhibitors operating at half power, some who had not even shown up, and many enthusiastic vendors doing brisk business on exclusive merchandise. Wizard’s Preview Night brought with it a small number of 'first timer' problems. Some retailers complained about being unable to get in, the result of Diamond not getting its retailer invitation list to WizardWorld personnel, though this was quickly cleared up by Wizard, to their credit. Press were turned away at the door unless they opted to pay the $25 one-day rate to enter. Consequently, unlike San Diego’s Preview Night, there was no noticeable media presence on the floor of the convention Thursday evening.
"While no attendance estimates have been released, the number of people on the floor was slim in comparison to the normally bustling opening gate at a Wizard event. In the time San Diego has been holding its preview night, that evening has grown to be favorably compared to a full day at any other con, whereas Wizard still has a way to go before that will be the case."
"WizardWorld Chicago’s first Premiere Night was an uneven brew. Kicking off at 5:00 pm, the night was open only to those who’d bought a three-day pass or would shell out $25 for a one-day ticket for the three hours. Once inside, attendees found several exhibitors operating at half power, some who had not even shown up, and many enthusiastic vendors doing brisk business on exclusive merchandise. Wizard’s Preview Night brought with it a small number of 'first timer' problems. Some retailers complained about being unable to get in, the result of Diamond not getting its retailer invitation list to WizardWorld personnel, though this was quickly cleared up by Wizard, to their credit. Press were turned away at the door unless they opted to pay the $25 one-day rate to enter. Consequently, unlike San Diego’s Preview Night, there was no noticeable media presence on the floor of the convention Thursday evening.
"While no attendance estimates have been released, the number of people on the floor was slim in comparison to the normally bustling opening gate at a Wizard event. In the time San Diego has been holding its preview night, that evening has grown to be favorably compared to a full day at any other con, whereas Wizard still has a way to go before that will be the case."
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Here's something that might really crack the internet in half - King Cat's John Porcellino gets interviewed at Newsarama:
"I’m an autobiographical cartoonist and when you’re interacting with me you run the risk of becoming a character in King Cat. In this case it was a pretty big story and there were parts to it where I thought maybe I want to approach people and give them the option of having me use a pseudonym for them. It was just out of respect for the people who are involved and that’s probably the only time I’ve ever really done that and that’s what prompted me to hunt those people down after all those years... [N]o matter how rough the moment is, my experience is when you get to a certain point, it’s not exactly nostalgia or looking at it through rose colored glasses or glossing over the negative parts. But you can kind of see things with a little bit less of the emotional kind of thinking and see the bigger picture of how these things relate to all these other events in your life. So although at that point in my life I was struggling a great deal with depression and confusion but it was a turning point to deal with those parts of my life and another impulse for me to do the book is that I felt Perfect Example had a happy ending. You ultimately grow or change for the better and that’s kind of what the point of the book is."
"I’m an autobiographical cartoonist and when you’re interacting with me you run the risk of becoming a character in King Cat. In this case it was a pretty big story and there were parts to it where I thought maybe I want to approach people and give them the option of having me use a pseudonym for them. It was just out of respect for the people who are involved and that’s probably the only time I’ve ever really done that and that’s what prompted me to hunt those people down after all those years... [N]o matter how rough the moment is, my experience is when you get to a certain point, it’s not exactly nostalgia or looking at it through rose colored glasses or glossing over the negative parts. But you can kind of see things with a little bit less of the emotional kind of thinking and see the bigger picture of how these things relate to all these other events in your life. So although at that point in my life I was struggling a great deal with depression and confusion but it was a turning point to deal with those parts of my life and another impulse for me to do the book is that I felt Perfect Example had a happy ending. You ultimately grow or change for the better and that’s kind of what the point of the book is."
"Combat Zone", Marvel's Iraq war book + Chuck Dixon's message board = Well, this:
"Combat Zone author on Bennett's Morning In America [...] Caught him on the loooonnnnnnnnng drive into work this morning. Very intelligent-sounding guy. He says Marvel approached him about doing
Combat Zone: True Tales of GIs in Iraq and he agreed to it only on the condition that it was written with total realism. Might have to check this out after all. Also interesting in the conversation was after a brief discussion of the potential of comics to inform and instruct as well as entertain, Bill Bennett mentioned how he wished for the return of Classics Illustrated. He thought they were a good entry point for children into the world of literature. If I heard him right it sounded like he has actually been working to make something like that happen.
Bennett does have an enormous amount of influence and clout. Be nice if he threw some of that into the world of comic books."
"I think many comic fans, like myself, have felt more and more alienated from the current crop of 'stories', Mr. Dixon being a glaring exception. It's not so much that our 'politics' are excluded, I welcome the less said about it in my fantasies, but, when we do get a 'social/political' view it ranges from center-left to outright Marxist-Leninist. I wish we had, for want of a better term, more 'diversity' in terms of writing. I'd like to see a say, Captain America fighting in Iraq, rather than the 'Ultimate' Cap being pictured as an 'Imperial' Bully as he is throughout Ultimates 2... I found Combat Zone, to be true to form, and personal. It's not the 'right-wing' boogeyman comic i kept reading on some large comic boards. I remember a poster on one of these boards, a 'regular' with thousands of posts, who said something to the affect of 'We' Can't Let the 'Right-Wing' to take over 'our' Hobby', when he was refering to this book months ago. Hopefully more fans, who don't share this view, will become more vocal and more writers will be 'allowed' to enter what was once a very diverse market and fun medium, comic books."
"Most people who would try to have their children read Bill Bennett's material probably won't even let their children go near a typical comic shop. Not that I would blame them."
"Combat Zone author on Bennett's Morning In America [...] Caught him on the loooonnnnnnnnng drive into work this morning. Very intelligent-sounding guy. He says Marvel approached him about doing
Combat Zone: True Tales of GIs in Iraq and he agreed to it only on the condition that it was written with total realism. Might have to check this out after all. Also interesting in the conversation was after a brief discussion of the potential of comics to inform and instruct as well as entertain, Bill Bennett mentioned how he wished for the return of Classics Illustrated. He thought they were a good entry point for children into the world of literature. If I heard him right it sounded like he has actually been working to make something like that happen.
Bennett does have an enormous amount of influence and clout. Be nice if he threw some of that into the world of comic books."
"I think many comic fans, like myself, have felt more and more alienated from the current crop of 'stories', Mr. Dixon being a glaring exception. It's not so much that our 'politics' are excluded, I welcome the less said about it in my fantasies, but, when we do get a 'social/political' view it ranges from center-left to outright Marxist-Leninist. I wish we had, for want of a better term, more 'diversity' in terms of writing. I'd like to see a say, Captain America fighting in Iraq, rather than the 'Ultimate' Cap being pictured as an 'Imperial' Bully as he is throughout Ultimates 2... I found Combat Zone, to be true to form, and personal. It's not the 'right-wing' boogeyman comic i kept reading on some large comic boards. I remember a poster on one of these boards, a 'regular' with thousands of posts, who said something to the affect of 'We' Can't Let the 'Right-Wing' to take over 'our' Hobby', when he was refering to this book months ago. Hopefully more fans, who don't share this view, will become more vocal and more writers will be 'allowed' to enter what was once a very diverse market and fun medium, comic books."
"Most people who would try to have their children read Bill Bennett's material probably won't even let their children go near a typical comic shop. Not that I would blame them."
Your Mom's Basement exposes the seedy world that exists right now, even as you read these words, of comics piracy on the high seas that are the internet:
"There are various P2P methods to download and share comic books. For example using [uh-uh] technologies such as [nope] and [not a chance we’re telling you] and visiting sites like [I mean come on] or [You surely know about these already]. You simply download the [Its not that hard to find] and sit back and wait for the comics to come in. At the same time as you are downloading (and once you finish your download), you upload to other peers. Other methods such as [but we’re not] or [about to tell you] are possibles as well, and as technology grows there will be others."
"There are various P2P methods to download and share comic books. For example using [uh-uh] technologies such as [nope] and [not a chance we’re telling you] and visiting sites like [I mean come on] or [You surely know about these already]. You simply download the [Its not that hard to find] and sit back and wait for the comics to come in. At the same time as you are downloading (and once you finish your download), you upload to other peers. Other methods such as [but we’re not] or [about to tell you] are possibles as well, and as technology grows there will be others."
The laptop containing the script for the last issue of Wildstorm's Albion series has been stolen from the writers' home. One of the writers, John Reppion, is philosophical about the experience:
"Burglars: I will catch you and twat you!"
"Burglars: I will catch you and twat you!"
Ronin's Noble Larimer and Arcana's Egg Embry talk about their charity book, Hope, which debuts at WW: Chicago:
"A lot of us at Ronin Studios first got together to work on an ACTOR/CBLDF charity anthology (which will be debuting later this year after a long development cycle). When the [Tsunami] disaster hit late last year, a lot of us were just shocked at the scale of devastation. I wanted to help the relief effort in some way but didn't know where to start. I think the scope of the disaster was just too big for some of us. Then my Assistant Editor In Chief Nathan Patton wrote me and said we need to do something to help. We threw around a few ideas and it was settled that our energies could best be channeled through our creativity. These stories can generate a lot more revenue for donations than we could have pledged as individuals."
"A lot of us at Ronin Studios first got together to work on an ACTOR/CBLDF charity anthology (which will be debuting later this year after a long development cycle). When the [Tsunami] disaster hit late last year, a lot of us were just shocked at the scale of devastation. I wanted to help the relief effort in some way but didn't know where to start. I think the scope of the disaster was just too big for some of us. Then my Assistant Editor In Chief Nathan Patton wrote me and said we need to do something to help. We threw around a few ideas and it was settled that our energies could best be channeled through our creativity. These stories can generate a lot more revenue for donations than we could have pledged as individuals."
Dan Jolley talks at Newsarama about his new writers collective, Voicebox:
"We're the bosses. We decide what goes in and what stays out. And that can be a double-edged sword; if you are working for a big company, and something goes wrong, there's always a tiny bit of plausible deniability -- somebody who's going to say, 'Well, we don't know what really happened behind the scenes, y'know, it might have been Jolley's editor who made him re-vamp that middle-aged U.S. Marshall into a talking German Shepherd.' (I'm neither confirming nor denying anything about the German Shepherd) But as far as Voicebox goes, the buck literally stops with us. For good or ill, these are our projects through and through. Our soapboxes."
"We're the bosses. We decide what goes in and what stays out. And that can be a double-edged sword; if you are working for a big company, and something goes wrong, there's always a tiny bit of plausible deniability -- somebody who's going to say, 'Well, we don't know what really happened behind the scenes, y'know, it might have been Jolley's editor who made him re-vamp that middle-aged U.S. Marshall into a talking German Shepherd.' (I'm neither confirming nor denying anything about the German Shepherd) But as far as Voicebox goes, the buck literally stops with us. For good or ill, these are our projects through and through. Our soapboxes."
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Pat Lee talks about the end of Dreamwave:
"I think that almost all of the criticism that's been directed at me and other DW staff members originates from people that think they've been injured or hurt by the closing of DW in some way. They're expressing their pain verbally because there's no other avenue for it to take. I understand and accept that. The loyal people on the staff of DW were simply doing their jobs as best they could under very trying emotional and financial circumstances. To blame them for any of the bankruptcy or ensuing difficulties is just unfortunate and wrong.
"As for me . . . nobody regrets the DW bankruptcy more than I do. My brother, Roger, and I invested over five years of our work, our sweat and our effort in building a company that published good comics that fans enjoyed. To watch that all get swept away was such an emotionally wrenching situation that any criticisms directed at us were pretty much included in everything else cataclysmic that was happening."
"I think that almost all of the criticism that's been directed at me and other DW staff members originates from people that think they've been injured or hurt by the closing of DW in some way. They're expressing their pain verbally because there's no other avenue for it to take. I understand and accept that. The loyal people on the staff of DW were simply doing their jobs as best they could under very trying emotional and financial circumstances. To blame them for any of the bankruptcy or ensuing difficulties is just unfortunate and wrong.
"As for me . . . nobody regrets the DW bankruptcy more than I do. My brother, Roger, and I invested over five years of our work, our sweat and our effort in building a company that published good comics that fans enjoyed. To watch that all get swept away was such an emotionally wrenching situation that any criticisms directed at us were pretty much included in everything else cataclysmic that was happening."
Joe Casey and Matt Fraction - gassin' about retailers:
"It's a weird daisy chain, isn't it? Here I thought that it was publishers and retailers on one side of the fence (the professional side), working together to make and sell comicbooks... and on the other side of the fence, we have the readers, the fans, the consumers (the non-professional side). But more and more, retailers are complaining that the publishers aren't giving them adequate information in the solicitations to properly sell the books to their customers. Publishers claim that, since both readers and fans are privy to said solicitations, they have to keep their cards close to the vest, lest they spoil any story secrets. So, what ends up happening is, in my opinion, a grievous error in judgment on the publishers' part... publishers are treating retailers like fans instead of business partners. So, am I way off the mark here? Or do you see what I'm getting at...?"
"It's a weird daisy chain, isn't it? Here I thought that it was publishers and retailers on one side of the fence (the professional side), working together to make and sell comicbooks... and on the other side of the fence, we have the readers, the fans, the consumers (the non-professional side). But more and more, retailers are complaining that the publishers aren't giving them adequate information in the solicitations to properly sell the books to their customers. Publishers claim that, since both readers and fans are privy to said solicitations, they have to keep their cards close to the vest, lest they spoil any story secrets. So, what ends up happening is, in my opinion, a grievous error in judgment on the publishers' part... publishers are treating retailers like fans instead of business partners. So, am I way off the mark here? Or do you see what I'm getting at...?"
Phil Jiminez gives some more evidence of creative tension at DC in an interview promoting his Donna Troy series:
"This project was originally going to be a Teen Titans/Outsiders crossover... It was not going to be a stand alone book. When DC Comics decided to turn it into a much more prominent cross over and display their new bullet, it became it's own special. It was also supposed to come out weekly as opposed to monthly. It was going to come out all in August and go 'Teen Titans,' 'Outsiders,' 'Teen Titans,' 'Outsiders.' If you look at the pacing of it it's very much like the first issue is a 'Titans' book and the second issue is the 'Outsiders' book... It was written and plotted with the understanding it was going to come out weekly and in two different books as opposed to it's own series... I think we probably would have done it a lot differently with issue one had we known a year ago that it was going to be its own thing. [Also, had] the decision been made earlier that it was a 'Rann-Thanagar War' cross-over, I would have happily incorporated more of that and made it much more clear in the work."
"This project was originally going to be a Teen Titans/Outsiders crossover... It was not going to be a stand alone book. When DC Comics decided to turn it into a much more prominent cross over and display their new bullet, it became it's own special. It was also supposed to come out weekly as opposed to monthly. It was going to come out all in August and go 'Teen Titans,' 'Outsiders,' 'Teen Titans,' 'Outsiders.' If you look at the pacing of it it's very much like the first issue is a 'Titans' book and the second issue is the 'Outsiders' book... It was written and plotted with the understanding it was going to come out weekly and in two different books as opposed to it's own series... I think we probably would have done it a lot differently with issue one had we known a year ago that it was going to be its own thing. [Also, had] the decision been made earlier that it was a 'Rann-Thanagar War' cross-over, I would have happily incorporated more of that and made it much more clear in the work."
So, as Heidi notes, there's something floating around the comics internet right now. Perhaps taking cues from Heidi's own piece on the Beat yesterday -
Abridged quote #1: "[M]ore importantly, this quote [from the Paul Levitz interview at ICv2] reminds me of something kind of sad I realized the other day. I had been talking to a number of top Marvel/DC type creators, and they had never heard of SCOTT PILGRIM or STREET ANGEL, let alone read them. That made me so sad. Imagine slaving away in a world where HOUSE OF M really is the new thing. No wonder it doesn't get any fresher... Marvel and DC editors love to raid the indie ranks for new blood, but the influence of indie tooners who go mainstream -- from Gilbert Hernandez to David Lapham -- has been negligible. Is the real Ed Brubaker the one who wrote LOWLIFE or the one who wrote SLEEPER?"
- and Warren Ellis's recent Bad Signal postings -
Abridged quote #2: "I'm constantly hearing from people who are basically asking me where to buy stuff, because they don't have a local store, the local bookstore's no good, and they just don't know where to order... These are people who have an interest in comics, but who don't haunt comics stores, because they either can't or won't. They want to read more comics, they want good stuff that fits their interests, and they have very few ways, if any, to gather information."
- it seems as if there's more conversation about the gaps in the Current Way Of Things than usual. As is the way of these things, the conversation spilled out onto Millarworld:
"I think as long as the primary distribution channel for mainstream comics is the Direct Market, we're pretty much hosed. Somebody needs to find a way to get the books in front of the general population's eyes, but then you get into a chicken and egg thing--you need to have books that the general population would like (and I doubt spandex is it), but there's no way to test-drive concepts if you can't get the books out there in the first place. I don't know what the solution is. OGNs in bookstores? Kid-oriented stuff in Wal-Marts? Fortunately, there's enough adventurous stuff in the Direct Market (thanks to Oni, AiT-PlanetLar, etc.) that seems to scrape by so the form isn't becoming totally moribund. But I think something needs to be done, some radical change in the paradigm, to ensure long-term health for the industry."
"All in all, it makes me miss sites like artbomb.net or forums like the WEF. When they were around, I got exposed to alot more books than I am now. I mean, comic shops around Indianapolis kinda suck when it comes to smaller press stuff. Either they don't stock it at all or they might stock a little bit of it when it becomes a movie. I mean, when the WEF was around, there were alot of indie creators on there talking about thier work, without being drowned out with threads going on about which X-men run they liked better, or who owns who this month, Marvel or DC. You know what I mean?"
"Would one honestly expect people to be familiar with the every possible style or genre of music out there? Of course not. Similarly, why would we assume (or expect) comics professionals to be aware of, much less famililar with, the bewildering array of comic book styles and genres available out there? If anything, their unfamiliarity with these titles could also be viewed as a good thing, in that the diversity of the comics market is so robust that fans of the medium are oblivious to certain aspects of that market. I'm not sure how someone not being aware of everything on the marketplace should necessarily translate into them being 'slaves' averse to 'fresh' creative experiences. I think we all 'pick our poison' when it comes to the particular comic book genres we prefer to invest our time and money into. Experimentation and pushing the envelope is always a good thing, but sometimes a certain genre or title beloved by one person just isn't another person's cup of tea, regardless of what the Cool Cats say we should be reading."
Heidi pops in to clarify:
"Not everyone can follow everything of course. I read EW every week to see what movies are coming out in case I want to see them, even the ones I have no interest in. Scott Pilgrim and Street Angel have been covered on NEWSARAMA, the EW of comics, and still they haven't heard of them. I'm very sympathetic to the amount of time needed to properly keep up with comics -- if I didn't have a part time job that required me to read a dozen GNs a week, I wouldn't read nearly that many. But when you hear EVERYBODY talking about that new band, the Beatles, that seem to be cool, you might want to check them out."
Not that that necessarily helps:
"But the flip of that is that quite a few times out of 10 that band everyone is talking about? it's all froth and they are shit. I think it comes down to two factors - time and habit. we all have limited time so we tend to stick to what we know and this tends to reinforce habit (and we are creatures of habit). Hell as far as I can work out, even the downloaders who can get what they want for free - stick mainly to marvel and DC - and they don't even pay for the stuff!!"
"I fail to see what's so surprising about it. The same can be said for any mainstream artform, from pop music to movies. How many Hollywood executives do you think are familiar with Fellini or Kurosawa, or even American independent film-makers? Welcome to the 21st century, where nothing is new, and 95% of everything is shite."
"Wouldn't it be more wise to just accept that comic-books, and I mean american style comic-books have just become a very small and specific market? What's the point in wishing this market to be bigger? And I mean, really, what would we benefit from comics reaching a larger audience? This is a totally honest question here... What does everyone think we, as readers, would benefit from a wider audience and a larger market? Do you think we'd have better comic-books because of it? A wider selection? Or is it just an 'image' thing? Would our tastes be more validated?"
Abridged quote #1: "[M]ore importantly, this quote [from the Paul Levitz interview at ICv2] reminds me of something kind of sad I realized the other day. I had been talking to a number of top Marvel/DC type creators, and they had never heard of SCOTT PILGRIM or STREET ANGEL, let alone read them. That made me so sad. Imagine slaving away in a world where HOUSE OF M really is the new thing. No wonder it doesn't get any fresher... Marvel and DC editors love to raid the indie ranks for new blood, but the influence of indie tooners who go mainstream -- from Gilbert Hernandez to David Lapham -- has been negligible. Is the real Ed Brubaker the one who wrote LOWLIFE or the one who wrote SLEEPER?"
- and Warren Ellis's recent Bad Signal postings -
Abridged quote #2: "I'm constantly hearing from people who are basically asking me where to buy stuff, because they don't have a local store, the local bookstore's no good, and they just don't know where to order... These are people who have an interest in comics, but who don't haunt comics stores, because they either can't or won't. They want to read more comics, they want good stuff that fits their interests, and they have very few ways, if any, to gather information."
- it seems as if there's more conversation about the gaps in the Current Way Of Things than usual. As is the way of these things, the conversation spilled out onto Millarworld:
"I think as long as the primary distribution channel for mainstream comics is the Direct Market, we're pretty much hosed. Somebody needs to find a way to get the books in front of the general population's eyes, but then you get into a chicken and egg thing--you need to have books that the general population would like (and I doubt spandex is it), but there's no way to test-drive concepts if you can't get the books out there in the first place. I don't know what the solution is. OGNs in bookstores? Kid-oriented stuff in Wal-Marts? Fortunately, there's enough adventurous stuff in the Direct Market (thanks to Oni, AiT-PlanetLar, etc.) that seems to scrape by so the form isn't becoming totally moribund. But I think something needs to be done, some radical change in the paradigm, to ensure long-term health for the industry."
"All in all, it makes me miss sites like artbomb.net or forums like the WEF. When they were around, I got exposed to alot more books than I am now. I mean, comic shops around Indianapolis kinda suck when it comes to smaller press stuff. Either they don't stock it at all or they might stock a little bit of it when it becomes a movie. I mean, when the WEF was around, there were alot of indie creators on there talking about thier work, without being drowned out with threads going on about which X-men run they liked better, or who owns who this month, Marvel or DC. You know what I mean?"
"Would one honestly expect people to be familiar with the every possible style or genre of music out there? Of course not. Similarly, why would we assume (or expect) comics professionals to be aware of, much less famililar with, the bewildering array of comic book styles and genres available out there? If anything, their unfamiliarity with these titles could also be viewed as a good thing, in that the diversity of the comics market is so robust that fans of the medium are oblivious to certain aspects of that market. I'm not sure how someone not being aware of everything on the marketplace should necessarily translate into them being 'slaves' averse to 'fresh' creative experiences. I think we all 'pick our poison' when it comes to the particular comic book genres we prefer to invest our time and money into. Experimentation and pushing the envelope is always a good thing, but sometimes a certain genre or title beloved by one person just isn't another person's cup of tea, regardless of what the Cool Cats say we should be reading."
Heidi pops in to clarify:
"Not everyone can follow everything of course. I read EW every week to see what movies are coming out in case I want to see them, even the ones I have no interest in. Scott Pilgrim and Street Angel have been covered on NEWSARAMA, the EW of comics, and still they haven't heard of them. I'm very sympathetic to the amount of time needed to properly keep up with comics -- if I didn't have a part time job that required me to read a dozen GNs a week, I wouldn't read nearly that many. But when you hear EVERYBODY talking about that new band, the Beatles, that seem to be cool, you might want to check them out."
Not that that necessarily helps:
"But the flip of that is that quite a few times out of 10 that band everyone is talking about? it's all froth and they are shit. I think it comes down to two factors - time and habit. we all have limited time so we tend to stick to what we know and this tends to reinforce habit (and we are creatures of habit). Hell as far as I can work out, even the downloaders who can get what they want for free - stick mainly to marvel and DC - and they don't even pay for the stuff!!"
"I fail to see what's so surprising about it. The same can be said for any mainstream artform, from pop music to movies. How many Hollywood executives do you think are familiar with Fellini or Kurosawa, or even American independent film-makers? Welcome to the 21st century, where nothing is new, and 95% of everything is shite."
"Wouldn't it be more wise to just accept that comic-books, and I mean american style comic-books have just become a very small and specific market? What's the point in wishing this market to be bigger? And I mean, really, what would we benefit from comics reaching a larger audience? This is a totally honest question here... What does everyone think we, as readers, would benefit from a wider audience and a larger market? Do you think we'd have better comic-books because of it? A wider selection? Or is it just an 'image' thing? Would our tastes be more validated?"
The Geoff Johns board digs deep into the emotional resonance of the build-up to Infinite Crisis:
"Am I the Only One Who Thinks Batman is acting like a huge @$$hole. I mean really. The entire Omac project wouldn't have been possible if he didnt set up the Brother I satellite. He's throwing tantrums because of what the Justice League did to Light and the SSoV (to protect thier identities and families) and yet here his machinations led to the death of Blue Beetle (among many others now). Not to mention this isn't the first time his paranoia led to his teammates getting all sorts of messed up. Didn't Batman become Batman beacause of what happened to his family? Thumbs down to the Batman..DCs jerk of the year IMHO."
"Well the silver age Batman wasn't as dark, grim and gritty. What if his behavior since the original Crisis (Even before based on the timeline of Sue's rape) is a direct result of his paranoia because he always knew he was missing those ten minutes?The League is then responsible for his behavior!"
"Again... Batman creating Brother I was an act that only had the potential of harm. The League willfully, and with malice, dug into the brain of a friend and teammate, all in the name of covering up their illegal and immoral activities. If he's being an a$$hole, he's got every right."
"Batman's a jerk and a crybaby [...] I want my ten minutes back! Waaaaah [...] The character couldn't be made any more weak. I actually used to love this hero?"
"Shoulda left his friggin back broken and made him Bionic Bat. With cool sound effects to go along with every movement [...] nuh nuhnuhnuhnuhnuhnuh"
"Am I the Only One Who Thinks Batman is acting like a huge @$$hole. I mean really. The entire Omac project wouldn't have been possible if he didnt set up the Brother I satellite. He's throwing tantrums because of what the Justice League did to Light and the SSoV (to protect thier identities and families) and yet here his machinations led to the death of Blue Beetle (among many others now). Not to mention this isn't the first time his paranoia led to his teammates getting all sorts of messed up. Didn't Batman become Batman beacause of what happened to his family? Thumbs down to the Batman..DCs jerk of the year IMHO."
"Well the silver age Batman wasn't as dark, grim and gritty. What if his behavior since the original Crisis (Even before based on the timeline of Sue's rape) is a direct result of his paranoia because he always knew he was missing those ten minutes?The League is then responsible for his behavior!"
"Again... Batman creating Brother I was an act that only had the potential of harm. The League willfully, and with malice, dug into the brain of a friend and teammate, all in the name of covering up their illegal and immoral activities. If he's being an a$$hole, he's got every right."
"Batman's a jerk and a crybaby [...] I want my ten minutes back! Waaaaah [...] The character couldn't be made any more weak. I actually used to love this hero?"
"Shoulda left his friggin back broken and made him Bionic Bat. With cool sound effects to go along with every movement [...] nuh nuhnuhnuhnuhnuhnuh"
Over at The Comics Journal message board, the power of the internet is finally being harnessed:
"Earlier this week, some guy hired me to do a custom foot fetish comic book for $50. ('Did you say foot fetish comic?! Have you flipped your orbit?!?' 'Why yes I have. Thanks for noticing.') To that, I say doing custom comics is way better than doing comics for a mass audience. After all, it's painfully difficult to figure out how to do a comic that would appeal to the widest audience. And it's even more painfully difficult to find people (out of a population of 6 billion) who already have the mentality to appreciate the type of comics you've produced. But with custom comics, all you have to do is ask the individual what they want in a comic, do the comic they way they want, and they are extremely likely to buy it. Therefore, I'm going to make custom comics my main focus. But then again, the idea of custom comics isn't new to me. I got the idea maybe three or four years ago from someone who saw my art in some miscellaneous zine and subsequently hired me to do a custom comic for him. He only paid for three pages, then dropped off the face of the planet. That blows! But maybe this time, it'll work for me. If so, I could, in theory, make a profit off of it. And since I have made mention of my custom comic service on numerous message boards and such, it could finally mean that I have FOUND A WAY TO PROFIT FROM THE INTERENET USING MY ART! Now that's what I'm talkin' about!!"
Other posters recognize this news for what it is:
"Not to knock it, but $50 for a one-off comic? How many pages?"
"Yeah- that is one cheap pervert."
"I'll totally pay you $6.50 for a picture of that one girl from smallville with a belt around her neck. A punk rock belt."
"Earlier this week, some guy hired me to do a custom foot fetish comic book for $50. ('Did you say foot fetish comic?! Have you flipped your orbit?!?' 'Why yes I have. Thanks for noticing.') To that, I say doing custom comics is way better than doing comics for a mass audience. After all, it's painfully difficult to figure out how to do a comic that would appeal to the widest audience. And it's even more painfully difficult to find people (out of a population of 6 billion) who already have the mentality to appreciate the type of comics you've produced. But with custom comics, all you have to do is ask the individual what they want in a comic, do the comic they way they want, and they are extremely likely to buy it. Therefore, I'm going to make custom comics my main focus. But then again, the idea of custom comics isn't new to me. I got the idea maybe three or four years ago from someone who saw my art in some miscellaneous zine and subsequently hired me to do a custom comic for him. He only paid for three pages, then dropped off the face of the planet. That blows! But maybe this time, it'll work for me. If so, I could, in theory, make a profit off of it. And since I have made mention of my custom comic service on numerous message boards and such, it could finally mean that I have FOUND A WAY TO PROFIT FROM THE INTERENET USING MY ART! Now that's what I'm talkin' about!!"
Other posters recognize this news for what it is:
"Not to knock it, but $50 for a one-off comic? How many pages?"
"Yeah- that is one cheap pervert."
"I'll totally pay you $6.50 for a picture of that one girl from smallville with a belt around her neck. A punk rock belt."
I missed this last week:
"Top Shelf Publisher Chris Staros confirmed to the Journal that Craig Thompson will be taking his breakthrough graphic novel Goodbye Chunky Rice to Pantheon. Thompson had previously confirmed to the Journal that his next work would done for Pantheon, but the fate of his Top Shelf backlist, including the popular, award-winning Blankets and Carnet de Voyage, remained in question. Staros said Blankets and Carnet de Voyage are still under contract to Top Shelf, and he is still negotiating with Thompson in hope of renewing the contracts. Staros who said he had invested a great deal in helping Thompson develop his work and career, is finding it hard not to take the defection personally."
"Top Shelf Publisher Chris Staros confirmed to the Journal that Craig Thompson will be taking his breakthrough graphic novel Goodbye Chunky Rice to Pantheon. Thompson had previously confirmed to the Journal that his next work would done for Pantheon, but the fate of his Top Shelf backlist, including the popular, award-winning Blankets and Carnet de Voyage, remained in question. Staros said Blankets and Carnet de Voyage are still under contract to Top Shelf, and he is still negotiating with Thompson in hope of renewing the contracts. Staros who said he had invested a great deal in helping Thompson develop his work and career, is finding it hard not to take the defection personally."
Newsarama posters discuss their relationships with publishers - the highs, the lows, the betrayals...:
"Have you ever felt BETRAYED by a comic company? Now I know on the face of it, this sounds like a silly question in this day and age of people exclaiming that DC Raped My Childhood, but the betrayal I'm speaking of need not be of that proportion. For example: When Valiant kicked out Jim Shooter, I felt betrayed by Valiant.When DC killed Firestorm, I felt like DC was giving Ronnie Raymond fans the finger. That type of thing."
"No. I may be VERY annoyed by stupid, meaningless deaths (Donna Troy, Lilith, Harbinger, etc.) or lame retcons of significant deaths (Norman Osborn, Magneto in NXM 150, etc.), but it's still far from feeling 'betrayed'. As for a particular creator being let go from a title, I try not to personalize it, seeing as I don't know (and don't WANT to know) the behind-the-scenes details. It may be a bit naive of me, but I'm more partial to the actual story, not the story-behind-the-story. Well, let me qualify that--unless it's years removed from the situation. For instance, the 'Life of Reilly' was a fascinating expose of the Clone Saga, but it's been so many years ago that it's more like a documentary than online gossip. (I know, I'm probably not making any sense.)"
"I think I've felt more betrayed by specific franchises or titles or creators rather than a company as a whole. I think the closest I've come was ID Crisis 7. What was IMHO one of, if not, the best mysteries in a comic ever, totally crapped out in the last issue. She just went crazy, what a lame motivation. Even then though, I didn't necearily feel 'betrayed' by DC as much as just annoyed that Meltzer hadn't come up with a better ending."
"Well, there was this one time I went to the park with DC and Marvel and we decided to get some ice cream. I asked them to get me some Lo-Fat Vanilla. When they came back and I tasted it I could tell that it wasn't really Lo-Fat Vanilla, but they kept insisting that it was, even tho I could tell that they knew that I knew better. I went ahead and ate it, because that's the polite thing to do, but I tell ya - I was mighty sore about the whole situation. I didn't really feel betrayed, but I was quite cross with the both of them."
"Have you ever felt BETRAYED by a comic company? Now I know on the face of it, this sounds like a silly question in this day and age of people exclaiming that DC Raped My Childhood, but the betrayal I'm speaking of need not be of that proportion. For example: When Valiant kicked out Jim Shooter, I felt betrayed by Valiant.When DC killed Firestorm, I felt like DC was giving Ronnie Raymond fans the finger. That type of thing."
"No. I may be VERY annoyed by stupid, meaningless deaths (Donna Troy, Lilith, Harbinger, etc.) or lame retcons of significant deaths (Norman Osborn, Magneto in NXM 150, etc.), but it's still far from feeling 'betrayed'. As for a particular creator being let go from a title, I try not to personalize it, seeing as I don't know (and don't WANT to know) the behind-the-scenes details. It may be a bit naive of me, but I'm more partial to the actual story, not the story-behind-the-story. Well, let me qualify that--unless it's years removed from the situation. For instance, the 'Life of Reilly' was a fascinating expose of the Clone Saga, but it's been so many years ago that it's more like a documentary than online gossip. (I know, I'm probably not making any sense.)"
"I think I've felt more betrayed by specific franchises or titles or creators rather than a company as a whole. I think the closest I've come was ID Crisis 7. What was IMHO one of, if not, the best mysteries in a comic ever, totally crapped out in the last issue. She just went crazy, what a lame motivation. Even then though, I didn't necearily feel 'betrayed' by DC as much as just annoyed that Meltzer hadn't come up with a better ending."
"Well, there was this one time I went to the park with DC and Marvel and we decided to get some ice cream. I asked them to get me some Lo-Fat Vanilla. When they came back and I tasted it I could tell that it wasn't really Lo-Fat Vanilla, but they kept insisting that it was, even tho I could tell that they knew that I knew better. I went ahead and ate it, because that's the polite thing to do, but I tell ya - I was mighty sore about the whole situation. I didn't really feel betrayed, but I was quite cross with the both of them."
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Terra Major's Shane Amaya talks about Gunned Down, the upcoming Western anthology by Brazilian creators (including Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba, whose Rock'n'Roll was one of my favorite books from last year - Fabio's art on Smoke and Guns this year is gorgeous as well - and who provided the art above. Cheers, gentlemen):
"I’m no comics historian, but I think it’s safe to say that in the hey-day of comics in America Westerns were as popular a genre as any other. My generation of readers had fewer titles to choose from, perhaps, but I frequently had Westerns in my pull, whether Desperadoes, Jonah Hex, or Preacher. To those teens in the 90s lucky enough to find classic European works such as Blueberry and Ken Parker, the Western genre in comics was alive and well. The genre is so beloved that no generation of creators will ever fail to make their mark on it, our Brazilians included: Brazil even has its own Wild West, a desert in the northeast called Caatinga, and its own Wild Bunch there, called 'Os Cangaceiros.' As for me, I was named for a Western, and now that I have finally written one, I want to write many more. I was inspired by the film El Topo and the comic Bouncer, both by Alejandro Jodorowsky, a true genius whose works in film and comics I wish were better known by American comics fans."
Comic Foundry talks to Greg Pak:
"The challenge is to nurture diversity without reinforcing lame stereotypes. But at the same time you don’t want to just create a boring non-stereotypical man character who’s just trotted out to make some kind of social or political point. I think Daredevil's a great example of how to tackle the challenge. Daredevil’s one of the all-time great superheroes, period – and he also happens to be Irish Catholic. His ethnicity and religion are an integral part of who he is, but they’re generally used organically and non-stereotypically rather than in a preachy or ham-handed way. One of my long-term goals is to create an Asian-American male superhero in that vein – a badass superhero whose Asian-American background is part of the specific truth and reality that make him universally compelling."
"The challenge is to nurture diversity without reinforcing lame stereotypes. But at the same time you don’t want to just create a boring non-stereotypical man character who’s just trotted out to make some kind of social or political point. I think Daredevil's a great example of how to tackle the challenge. Daredevil’s one of the all-time great superheroes, period – and he also happens to be Irish Catholic. His ethnicity and religion are an integral part of who he is, but they’re generally used organically and non-stereotypically rather than in a preachy or ham-handed way. One of my long-term goals is to create an Asian-American male superhero in that vein – a badass superhero whose Asian-American background is part of the specific truth and reality that make him universally compelling."
Today, the enemy is Dynamic Forces, says the Bendis Board:
"Do you like buying things like a slabbed issue of next week's X-Men for $20 or a signed Bendis Avengers #4 for $15? Or is this is exactly what's fucking wrong with this medium? I pick option 2."
"I don't think THIS is what's wrong with the industry. It may be a symptom...okay the CGC thing is DEFINITELY abused and misused, but some people aren't able to get signatures from their favorite creators, plus it is certified so if you do wind up selling it at least the next guy knows it's authentic. Honestly, I do like the sketched editions DF offers...I think those are neat, but I don't think you get your money's worth. I saw the oversized Shazam signed by Alex Ross and Paul Dini and the sketches provided were underwhelming. My lcs had like 10 of them and only 1 by Ross looked good in my opinion."
"Option 2 all the way. It's just going to get the speculator craze going again. Or people artificially inflating the numbers of an issue sold by buying multiple copies for that microwavable glows when you piss on it variant cover. I never did understand buying signed books from a store. Go to a con and get it for free numbnuts! And this whole slabbing thing....blargh. I remember back in the early nineties wizard was SO adamant about people not bagging and boarding their comics. Comics were for reading not sealing them up and keeping them mint. Flash forward about 12 years, and now that they are making money off it with those slabbing waffledicks, it's just the greatest thing ever. Fucking hypocrits."
"I think Dynamic Forces is dying a slow death. I don't think they've had any hype for a long time. They used to take up a lot more space in Previews. It's been explained that 'hey, maybe there's some poor schlub in Nebraska who will never get to a convention to get his books signed, so this is for him'. But c'mon. If said schlub is forking over $49.99 for Quesada's and inker Norm Rapmund's signatures on Ultimate Fantastic Four #13, then he might as well just spend $99 on planefare and $30 on admission and go to the SanDiego con for one afternoon and get some decent books signed by decent creators. CCG is even worse. If you can't trust your own grading abilities in person, or your dealer, then wait. Another nice copy of World's Finest #141 will turn up in an open mylar for $100 less. Use that money for more comics."
"Do you like buying things like a slabbed issue of next week's X-Men for $20 or a signed Bendis Avengers #4 for $15? Or is this is exactly what's fucking wrong with this medium? I pick option 2."
"I don't think THIS is what's wrong with the industry. It may be a symptom...okay the CGC thing is DEFINITELY abused and misused, but some people aren't able to get signatures from their favorite creators, plus it is certified so if you do wind up selling it at least the next guy knows it's authentic. Honestly, I do like the sketched editions DF offers...I think those are neat, but I don't think you get your money's worth. I saw the oversized Shazam signed by Alex Ross and Paul Dini and the sketches provided were underwhelming. My lcs had like 10 of them and only 1 by Ross looked good in my opinion."
"Option 2 all the way. It's just going to get the speculator craze going again. Or people artificially inflating the numbers of an issue sold by buying multiple copies for that microwavable glows when you piss on it variant cover. I never did understand buying signed books from a store. Go to a con and get it for free numbnuts! And this whole slabbing thing....blargh. I remember back in the early nineties wizard was SO adamant about people not bagging and boarding their comics. Comics were for reading not sealing them up and keeping them mint. Flash forward about 12 years, and now that they are making money off it with those slabbing waffledicks, it's just the greatest thing ever. Fucking hypocrits."
"I think Dynamic Forces is dying a slow death. I don't think they've had any hype for a long time. They used to take up a lot more space in Previews. It's been explained that 'hey, maybe there's some poor schlub in Nebraska who will never get to a convention to get his books signed, so this is for him'. But c'mon. If said schlub is forking over $49.99 for Quesada's and inker Norm Rapmund's signatures on Ultimate Fantastic Four #13, then he might as well just spend $99 on planefare and $30 on admission and go to the SanDiego con for one afternoon and get some decent books signed by decent creators. CCG is even worse. If you can't trust your own grading abilities in person, or your dealer, then wait. Another nice copy of World's Finest #141 will turn up in an open mylar for $100 less. Use that money for more comics."
Just as it seems that everyone's going to the new publisher, one of their first books, Atomeka, leaves Speakeasy. Series creator Sal Abbinanti talks about the decision to self-publish:
"I just feel a publisher, any publisher, isn't going to do as good a job pimping your stuff and getting it out there as a creator would. That's one of the biggest lessons I learned from working with Alex. You've really got to promote both your work and yourself as an artist because the publisher's aren't going to do it for you... Yeah, I'm sure there'll be a dip in sales because I'm going on my own and people may be suspect since we're leaving Speakeasy, but it's a necessary evil and there's nothing we can do about it. We're going to be aggressive and advertise and fight and go to the shows to press the flesh, but realistically I know there'll probably be a drop in sales."
"I just feel a publisher, any publisher, isn't going to do as good a job pimping your stuff and getting it out there as a creator would. That's one of the biggest lessons I learned from working with Alex. You've really got to promote both your work and yourself as an artist because the publisher's aren't going to do it for you... Yeah, I'm sure there'll be a dip in sales because I'm going on my own and people may be suspect since we're leaving Speakeasy, but it's a necessary evil and there's nothing we can do about it. We're going to be aggressive and advertise and fight and go to the shows to press the flesh, but realistically I know there'll probably be a drop in sales."
Jim Lee talks about his return, with Grant Morrison in tow, to Wildcats:
"All will be revealed soon. Just know we did not hire a genius on the level of Grant Morrison to just continue with the status quo. I guarantee old time fans and new fans will love what we has in store. What Grant and I have planned will do for the WSU what Hush did for Batman. It's going to be insane. In a good way... I trust in [Morrison] implicitly... I've loved everything he has written so I know he will do well by the characters. He has a way of taking existing characters and making them pop and glow with new life so I don't expect anything less from him. He's one of the most creative guys out there so it'll be a real honor to work with him. It's a long time coming. As for the story, all I can really add is that Grant isn't holding back. Tons of the old favorites returning and even more new concepts from all corners of the WSU. It starts out small and grows and grows. There, I’ve already said too much."
"All will be revealed soon. Just know we did not hire a genius on the level of Grant Morrison to just continue with the status quo. I guarantee old time fans and new fans will love what we has in store. What Grant and I have planned will do for the WSU what Hush did for Batman. It's going to be insane. In a good way... I trust in [Morrison] implicitly... I've loved everything he has written so I know he will do well by the characters. He has a way of taking existing characters and making them pop and glow with new life so I don't expect anything less from him. He's one of the most creative guys out there so it'll be a real honor to work with him. It's a long time coming. As for the story, all I can really add is that Grant isn't holding back. Tons of the old favorites returning and even more new concepts from all corners of the WSU. It starts out small and grows and grows. There, I’ve already said too much."
Wizard back down from the Heroes Con clash, as expected, but the real world has noticed:
"In one of the usual profiles of Wizard and Shamus that appear annually around Chicago, The New York Times took note of the back and forth over a possible WizardWorld: Atlanta show... Additionally, Newsarama has learned that The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will reportedly be running a story on the matter later this week."
"In one of the usual profiles of Wizard and Shamus that appear annually around Chicago, The New York Times took note of the back and forth over a possible WizardWorld: Atlanta show... Additionally, Newsarama has learned that The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will reportedly be running a story on the matter later this week."
Monday, August 01, 2005
That Hollywood - Comics crossover goes further than ever before, as Nathan Fillion, star of upcoming Joss Whedon movie "Serenity", tries to pick up the Dark Horse tie-in comic:
"The store I chose, which shall remain nameless (Warp 1 Comics), at an undisclosed location (just off Whyte Ave), has the singlemost sanctimonious, condescending, dishonest a$$hole I've had the misfortune of meeting. My brother and I called ahead to find out they had one issue left, but upon arriving, found out they are gouging people $20 bucks for the damned thing! 'That's what they're worth.' he sneered at me. I asked him to show me a listing of some sort to back it up. 'Well, I just know what I paid Dark Horse for it.' He wouldn't show me that, either. I am aware that Dark Horse wasn't expecting these books to sell as well as they are, and that they are going into a second printing, but I just picked up three of them two days ago at cover price at another store. My brother piped up with a, 'What an interesting attitude you have.' Let me tell you folks, this fella had an attitude, and a smirk that you wanted to knock off his face with a baseball bat dipped in dog poop. Of course, my brother couldn't help letting this guy know who he was trying to hose by holding the issue next to my face. 'This guy look familliar? This isn't some JoJo off the street! He knows what he's talking about!' Check this out- the reply of this one-eyed crap-catcher, who shall remain nameless (Darryl) was, (and imagine a dullards voice- how we make people we don't like sound in a story) 'Well, then you can call Joss Whedon and ask him.'
"Wouldn't a smart business man ask me to sign an issue and sell me one at a fair price? Wouldn't that fetch a prettier penny than ripping me off for one issue? Congratulations, dude! You are now on the Browncoat $hitlist. Never have I tried to wield power in this way, but if being Malcolm Reynolds has taught me anything, it's to follow my over-developed sense of vengeance. BOYCOTT WARP ONE COMICS! If you are in the neighborhood, drop by to tell 'Patchy' that Browncoats don't take $hit from anyone. Tell your friends not to shop there, and lock 'em in the airlock if they do. Copy this post and e-mail it to fellow Edmontonians. Bump it to keep it alive. Thank you. Thank you for letting me rant. If you feel I'm overboard, please feel free to, as Joss would say, contemplate silently."
That's right, ladies and gentlemen - It's Celebrity Fanboy Rampage.
(Thanks, Larry.)
"The store I chose, which shall remain nameless (Warp 1 Comics), at an undisclosed location (just off Whyte Ave), has the singlemost sanctimonious, condescending, dishonest a$$hole I've had the misfortune of meeting. My brother and I called ahead to find out they had one issue left, but upon arriving, found out they are gouging people $20 bucks for the damned thing! 'That's what they're worth.' he sneered at me. I asked him to show me a listing of some sort to back it up. 'Well, I just know what I paid Dark Horse for it.' He wouldn't show me that, either. I am aware that Dark Horse wasn't expecting these books to sell as well as they are, and that they are going into a second printing, but I just picked up three of them two days ago at cover price at another store. My brother piped up with a, 'What an interesting attitude you have.' Let me tell you folks, this fella had an attitude, and a smirk that you wanted to knock off his face with a baseball bat dipped in dog poop. Of course, my brother couldn't help letting this guy know who he was trying to hose by holding the issue next to my face. 'This guy look familliar? This isn't some JoJo off the street! He knows what he's talking about!' Check this out- the reply of this one-eyed crap-catcher, who shall remain nameless (Darryl) was, (and imagine a dullards voice- how we make people we don't like sound in a story) 'Well, then you can call Joss Whedon and ask him.'
"Wouldn't a smart business man ask me to sign an issue and sell me one at a fair price? Wouldn't that fetch a prettier penny than ripping me off for one issue? Congratulations, dude! You are now on the Browncoat $hitlist. Never have I tried to wield power in this way, but if being Malcolm Reynolds has taught me anything, it's to follow my over-developed sense of vengeance. BOYCOTT WARP ONE COMICS! If you are in the neighborhood, drop by to tell 'Patchy' that Browncoats don't take $hit from anyone. Tell your friends not to shop there, and lock 'em in the airlock if they do. Copy this post and e-mail it to fellow Edmontonians. Bump it to keep it alive. Thank you. Thank you for letting me rant. If you feel I'm overboard, please feel free to, as Joss would say, contemplate silently."
That's right, ladies and gentlemen - It's Celebrity Fanboy Rampage.
(Thanks, Larry.)
Millarworld goes for the tough ones:
"I don't mean to start some kind of Marvel/DC bash here, but they're the two biggest players in the US market, and I'm astonished at their inability to sell comic books to people who don't already read comic books. The manga companies have not only found a huge female readership, where the assumption was that none existed, but they've also sold this readership comics that are funny-sized, black and white, not about superheroes and they've also convinced them to read the damn things backwards. If these companies can do this, why can't Marvel or DC sell comics outside the already-existing readership? The regular book industry does this on a regular basis. The same old nerds and stuffy-butts buy a lot of the books that come out, but every month there's some crossover hit, whether it's Dan Brown's latest book, some weird break-out biography, or a book like EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED that lots of people buy and never read."
"Maybe they just don't care about selling more comics, because most of their income comes from licensing for toys, cartoons, movies, etc."
"Bingo. WB makes more money on Superman toothbrushes than they do on the comics. Hell, the bloody Warner Bros. stores didn't carry comics. How lame is that?"
"Good point. But do our retailer friends really need the competition?"
"Yes. Competition breeds better stores. Maybe if more places sold comics, the poorly run ones with unhelpful and unfriendy employees would have to change or go out of business. 'Nerd Cave' comic shops are one of the (many) reasons no one buys comics anymore."
"ryan, I got a question for you and for other comic shop owners. Do you really sell more Manga than other comics? If so, who's buying them? To be honest at my local store they don't sell any Manga, so I'm curious to who's buying them."
"No COMICS store sells more manga than comics [...] Where did you hear that?"
"What comic shops need to do is figure out how to steal the manga readers from the book stores. My guess would be to have more of the merchandise stuff, games, figures, models, etc., so that it's more of a 'one stop' place from manga fans than a book store is. It's a serious market shift to get into though. My LCS jumped onto this a bit too early I think, carrying a selection of anime/manga related merchandise well before they became popular in bookstores, and they didn't do so well, but in today's environment, maybe... Once the manga kids are in the store, they might be more interested in us comics, if tose comics were sold at $7 for 200 pages like manga at least."
"That's the big issue, though. How do you make US comics more appealing to manga kids? I'm of the opinion that once a kid reads you're halfway there. I started out only reading mystery novels when I was a kid, but after a while I wanted to read something different, so I branched out more and more. Kids who read manga are at least predisposed to reading comics. I think you're right, that format's the main thing. Marvel and DC could start producing the best manga in the world, but they probably wouldn't buy it if it was 3 bucks for 22 pages of story. There are times I feel really dumb for reading American comics..."
"Ask yourself what kind of diversity the industry should have and alter your own behaviour accordingly. If you think that the superhero genre should only be 20 percent of comics industry, then don't buy more than 20 percent of superhero comics when you buy your books. If you think creators should have the opportunity to actually make money on their own creations instead of having to do work for hire gigs for the reliable, albiet often small, paycheck, then alter your buying habits to support creator owned books, and the often resulting new ideas. If you think creator-ownership should be the rule, not the exception, then make 80% of your purchases creator-owned properties, not the other way around. Because that's what's going to attract the manga readers. New ideas, new creations. And the best way to encourage those is by giving the creators a reason to create them. And work for hire superhero's ain't it. So you want to see Marvel/DC reach out to these readers. Vote with your wallet and stop letting them leach off of you."
"I don't mean to start some kind of Marvel/DC bash here, but they're the two biggest players in the US market, and I'm astonished at their inability to sell comic books to people who don't already read comic books. The manga companies have not only found a huge female readership, where the assumption was that none existed, but they've also sold this readership comics that are funny-sized, black and white, not about superheroes and they've also convinced them to read the damn things backwards. If these companies can do this, why can't Marvel or DC sell comics outside the already-existing readership? The regular book industry does this on a regular basis. The same old nerds and stuffy-butts buy a lot of the books that come out, but every month there's some crossover hit, whether it's Dan Brown's latest book, some weird break-out biography, or a book like EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED that lots of people buy and never read."
"Maybe they just don't care about selling more comics, because most of their income comes from licensing for toys, cartoons, movies, etc."
"Bingo. WB makes more money on Superman toothbrushes than they do on the comics. Hell, the bloody Warner Bros. stores didn't carry comics. How lame is that?"
"Good point. But do our retailer friends really need the competition?"
"Yes. Competition breeds better stores. Maybe if more places sold comics, the poorly run ones with unhelpful and unfriendy employees would have to change or go out of business. 'Nerd Cave' comic shops are one of the (many) reasons no one buys comics anymore."
"ryan, I got a question for you and for other comic shop owners. Do you really sell more Manga than other comics? If so, who's buying them? To be honest at my local store they don't sell any Manga, so I'm curious to who's buying them."
"No COMICS store sells more manga than comics [...] Where did you hear that?"
"What comic shops need to do is figure out how to steal the manga readers from the book stores. My guess would be to have more of the merchandise stuff, games, figures, models, etc., so that it's more of a 'one stop' place from manga fans than a book store is. It's a serious market shift to get into though. My LCS jumped onto this a bit too early I think, carrying a selection of anime/manga related merchandise well before they became popular in bookstores, and they didn't do so well, but in today's environment, maybe... Once the manga kids are in the store, they might be more interested in us comics, if tose comics were sold at $7 for 200 pages like manga at least."
"That's the big issue, though. How do you make US comics more appealing to manga kids? I'm of the opinion that once a kid reads you're halfway there. I started out only reading mystery novels when I was a kid, but after a while I wanted to read something different, so I branched out more and more. Kids who read manga are at least predisposed to reading comics. I think you're right, that format's the main thing. Marvel and DC could start producing the best manga in the world, but they probably wouldn't buy it if it was 3 bucks for 22 pages of story. There are times I feel really dumb for reading American comics..."
"Ask yourself what kind of diversity the industry should have and alter your own behaviour accordingly. If you think that the superhero genre should only be 20 percent of comics industry, then don't buy more than 20 percent of superhero comics when you buy your books. If you think creators should have the opportunity to actually make money on their own creations instead of having to do work for hire gigs for the reliable, albiet often small, paycheck, then alter your buying habits to support creator owned books, and the often resulting new ideas. If you think creator-ownership should be the rule, not the exception, then make 80% of your purchases creator-owned properties, not the other way around. Because that's what's going to attract the manga readers. New ideas, new creations. And the best way to encourage those is by giving the creators a reason to create them. And work for hire superhero's ain't it. So you want to see Marvel/DC reach out to these readers. Vote with your wallet and stop letting them leach off of you."
Grant Morrison talks about Seven Soldiers and architecture in the New York Times. How did that happen?
"Mr. Morrison said he was attracted by the fun of curating a personal version of New York, as well as the novelty of bringing DC Comics characters into the city previously dominated by its rival, Marvel. (Peter Parker was living in Queens when he was bitten there by a radioactive spider). One of the reasons Mr. Morrison decided to name his town the Cinderella City was to differentiate it from Gotham and Metropolis, which he deems 'ugly stepsisters.'"
"Mr. Morrison said he was attracted by the fun of curating a personal version of New York, as well as the novelty of bringing DC Comics characters into the city previously dominated by its rival, Marvel. (Peter Parker was living in Queens when he was bitten there by a radioactive spider). One of the reasons Mr. Morrison decided to name his town the Cinderella City was to differentiate it from Gotham and Metropolis, which he deems 'ugly stepsisters.'"
ICv2 talks to Paul Levitz. Some points of interest:
"[I]f you're looking at a sweet spot of sixteen year old girls as being the [target] demographic, I don't think that Superman or Batman is likely to be the most exciting thing simply because it's been around a while and it's not been identified as being their possession. There may be an opportunity to take a Wonder Woman or a Supergirl that has a freshness in its treatment. The coolest stuff we can do there will be original. When I talk to the Japanese manga editors, and they talk about the process of creation, they talk about different story-telling themes as being important. You talk to an American English professor and they'll talk about conflict as what drives story. The Japanese editors talk about friendship driving the story, not being driven by conflict at all. That's had a resounding influence on our sixteen year old girls. We'll need to create some new kinds of characters to capture them."
"We've just been through a decade where there was very little opportunity to do outmarketing. Working with our core constituency was about as much as most publishers, including us, could manage. There wasn't anyplace to attract a natural outmarket. Now we're at a time where graphic novels are a natural cross-over format for people from outside, sold through both channels. Cultural changes and the relative enhancement of our economic strength combine to say this should be a good time to get more people to read more. We have something that they want to buy, want to read, we have a couple effective places to sell it. There are a lot of healthy comic shops that are very good at selling graphic novels. We have the bookstores they can blunder into fairly easily. How can we best take advantage of that?"
"We're continuing to build on a set of strategies that we've believed in for a bunch of years. Some of them are now conventional wisdom, when you talk about the graphic novels. We're no longer the leader in the way we were a decade ago when nobody else had their act together. We're still doing the leadership standard role. We haven't captured the manga business as effectively as Tokyopop, which has the early mover passion, or Viz, which has a tremendous strategic advantage and relationship with the Japanese parent companies and access to an extraordinary library of material. We believe in the diversity of the line and effective branding, and finding ways to expand that. You'll see more of that in the future. The conviction remains that if there's an audience for comics in the English language we should be reaching that audience, publishing quality product for them, developing unique and interesting projects across that line. Vertigo is stronger than it's ever been and has benefited way disproportionately in the graphic novel business. If you broke Vertigo out as a separate publisher, they'd probably be one of the top half dozen. That isn't visible because they're hidden in our numbers. That's become a core piece of the business model for running that imprint, much more quickly than any other publisher. Nobody else is managing the balance between periodicals and book format as effectively as DC. We're going to try and stay ahead of the curve and go for the long run."
"[I]f you're looking at a sweet spot of sixteen year old girls as being the [target] demographic, I don't think that Superman or Batman is likely to be the most exciting thing simply because it's been around a while and it's not been identified as being their possession. There may be an opportunity to take a Wonder Woman or a Supergirl that has a freshness in its treatment. The coolest stuff we can do there will be original. When I talk to the Japanese manga editors, and they talk about the process of creation, they talk about different story-telling themes as being important. You talk to an American English professor and they'll talk about conflict as what drives story. The Japanese editors talk about friendship driving the story, not being driven by conflict at all. That's had a resounding influence on our sixteen year old girls. We'll need to create some new kinds of characters to capture them."
"We've just been through a decade where there was very little opportunity to do outmarketing. Working with our core constituency was about as much as most publishers, including us, could manage. There wasn't anyplace to attract a natural outmarket. Now we're at a time where graphic novels are a natural cross-over format for people from outside, sold through both channels. Cultural changes and the relative enhancement of our economic strength combine to say this should be a good time to get more people to read more. We have something that they want to buy, want to read, we have a couple effective places to sell it. There are a lot of healthy comic shops that are very good at selling graphic novels. We have the bookstores they can blunder into fairly easily. How can we best take advantage of that?"
"We're continuing to build on a set of strategies that we've believed in for a bunch of years. Some of them are now conventional wisdom, when you talk about the graphic novels. We're no longer the leader in the way we were a decade ago when nobody else had their act together. We're still doing the leadership standard role. We haven't captured the manga business as effectively as Tokyopop, which has the early mover passion, or Viz, which has a tremendous strategic advantage and relationship with the Japanese parent companies and access to an extraordinary library of material. We believe in the diversity of the line and effective branding, and finding ways to expand that. You'll see more of that in the future. The conviction remains that if there's an audience for comics in the English language we should be reaching that audience, publishing quality product for them, developing unique and interesting projects across that line. Vertigo is stronger than it's ever been and has benefited way disproportionately in the graphic novel business. If you broke Vertigo out as a separate publisher, they'd probably be one of the top half dozen. That isn't visible because they're hidden in our numbers. That's become a core piece of the business model for running that imprint, much more quickly than any other publisher. Nobody else is managing the balance between periodicals and book format as effectively as DC. We're going to try and stay ahead of the curve and go for the long run."
Millarworld may not be the only message board with its own magazine for long:
"I was reading the 'Why do YOU hate Wizard?' thread, and started thinking to myself, why not do a Bendis Board Magazine? We could have interviews, columns, news, the whole works. I know Millarworld does one, and they do a damn good one, but would you guys be interested in one? Bendis says that most of the industry looks to this place. Some could say it's the Pulse of the Internet. So the question is, do you want one? If so, who would be down to do this monthly?"
"It'd look like we're copying MillarWorld"
"the first issue could have a front page of: Why the Bendis Board is better then Millarworld."
"i'm down, willing to add any kind of writing/editorial work, design layout type stuff, etc.. and the difference between ours and the millarworld board is that we don't fuck sheep.. do we?"
"Something to keep in mind: Bendis board folks pioneered this kinda shit long before Millarworld did. A LARGE group of the people who ended up starting www.moviepoopshoot.com for Kevin Smith were Bendis boarders from the old WFC days. Including current IDW EIC Chris Ryall. So we're just following in a tradition is all goddamit."
"I am so tempted to photoshop a FHM cover into FMK.."
"I was reading the 'Why do YOU hate Wizard?' thread, and started thinking to myself, why not do a Bendis Board Magazine? We could have interviews, columns, news, the whole works. I know Millarworld does one, and they do a damn good one, but would you guys be interested in one? Bendis says that most of the industry looks to this place. Some could say it's the Pulse of the Internet. So the question is, do you want one? If so, who would be down to do this monthly?"
"It'd look like we're copying MillarWorld"
"the first issue could have a front page of: Why the Bendis Board is better then Millarworld."
"i'm down, willing to add any kind of writing/editorial work, design layout type stuff, etc.. and the difference between ours and the millarworld board is that we don't fuck sheep.. do we?"
"Something to keep in mind: Bendis board folks pioneered this kinda shit long before Millarworld did. A LARGE group of the people who ended up starting www.moviepoopshoot.com for Kevin Smith were Bendis boarders from the old WFC days. Including current IDW EIC Chris Ryall. So we're just following in a tradition is all goddamit."
"I am so tempted to photoshop a FHM cover into FMK.."
The new issue of Millarworld's The Magazine is up, containing interviews with Geoff Johns, Allen Heinberg, Garth Ennis, and Jim Lee interviewed by Bryan Hitch:
"I think the explosion of manga has shown that there are fans out there who are more open to different kinds of material than we had previously thought and it would be my hope that our industry could keep pushing and diversifying the types of books we do. Superheroes are awesome—I love them—but it would be great to do a cool western comic and see it reach more of a mainstream type audience. It would be a great challenge. Those are the types of books and causes I see myself pushing for 10 years from now."
"I think the explosion of manga has shown that there are fans out there who are more open to different kinds of material than we had previously thought and it would be my hope that our industry could keep pushing and diversifying the types of books we do. Superheroes are awesome—I love them—but it would be great to do a cool western comic and see it reach more of a mainstream type audience. It would be a great challenge. Those are the types of books and causes I see myself pushing for 10 years from now."
Judd Winnick is today's whipping boy, over at Newsarama:
"i am the only person in the world that thinks judd winick couldn't write his way out of a paper bag....now he is considered one of dc's big three(along with johns and rucka) i was under the impression that his books didn't sale for crap....what the hell is going on..."
"Winnick is good at writing things he cares about. Unfortunately it doesn't generally include a large part of the DCU."
"I HATE his writing. He ruined Green Lantern to the point the series was cancelled and Hal was brought back, his Green Arrow was atrocious and he's ruining Batman too!"
"Don't say this guy's name five times in front of a mirror or else he'll appear and read you various pamphlets on societal ills. I guy I know did this once...when After-School-Special appeared he read him hours on info on the dangers of whooping cough...poor dude was never the same..."
"i am the only person in the world that thinks judd winick couldn't write his way out of a paper bag....now he is considered one of dc's big three(along with johns and rucka) i was under the impression that his books didn't sale for crap....what the hell is going on..."
"Winnick is good at writing things he cares about. Unfortunately it doesn't generally include a large part of the DCU."
"I HATE his writing. He ruined Green Lantern to the point the series was cancelled and Hal was brought back, his Green Arrow was atrocious and he's ruining Batman too!"
"Don't say this guy's name five times in front of a mirror or else he'll appear and read you various pamphlets on societal ills. I guy I know did this once...when After-School-Special appeared he read him hours on info on the dangers of whooping cough...poor dude was never the same..."
