2009 July
Truth Serum joins the Kindle revolution
Truth Serum, meet Kindle
You already heard about Archaia releasing Joshua Fialkov’s Tumor on the Kindle. Now Jon Adams emailed us to announce that his second Truth Serum book, The Lonely Parade, is available for the ebook reading device as well. Here’s the short press release:
You need no longer risk the threat of paper cuts and the jeers of those more technologically advanced than you. Truth Serum: The Lonely Parade is now available on the Kindle. What it may lack in a color section and a perforated form that folds out of the book, it makes up for in half-the-priceness. We had to make a few changes for this version, and managed to include the phrase “Suck it, Kindle!”
- July 23, 2009 @ 02:00 PM by Chris Mautner
SDCC ’09 | Warner Bros. unveils next wave of motion comics
Superman: Red Son
Warner Premiere and Warner Digital Distribution today announced the next three titles in the Warner Premiere Motion Comics line: Superman: Red Son, Batgirl: Year One, and Batman: Black and White Collection 2.
For a limited time, the first episode of Red Son is available for free download from the iTunes Store.
Motion comics blend sequential art with limited animation, adding voiceovers and a musical score.
Superman: Red Son is the Eisner Award-winning 2003 Elseworlds miniseries by Mark Millar and Dave Johnson that imagines what might’ve happened had the Man of Steel been raised in the Soviet Union.
In 2003′s Batgirl: Year One, writers Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon and artists Alvaro Lopez and Marcos Martin retold Barbara Gordon’s origin as Batgirl.
Batman: Black & White Collection 2 features short stories by such creators as John Arcudi, Ed Brubaker, John Buscema, Howard Chaykin, Archie Goodwin, Sean Phillips, Walter Simonson, Ryan Sook and Danijel Zezelj.
All three titles are now available on iTunes.
- July 23, 2009 @ 01:28 PM by Kevin Melrose
SDCC ’09 | Jonah Hex movie poster debuts
"Jonah Hex" Comic-Con poster
This morning we got a peek at the Comic-Con banners for the Jonah Hex film, and now Yahoo! Movies delivers the teaser poster.
The Warner Bros. production, which stars Josh Brolin and Megan Fox, is set to open in August 2010.
- July 23, 2009 @ 01:07 PM by Kevin Melrose
SDCC ’09 | Let the blurry photo posts begin!
I imagine we’re going to be sifting through tons of posts like these in the days to come, but D&Q’s Tom Devlin has some photos of the company setting up shop for the big con.
- July 23, 2009 @ 01:00 PM by Chris Mautner
SDCC ’09 | Quote of the day
Michael Cavna
“Johnny Depp just made a surprise cameo at [Tim] Burton’s session! Women are chanting ‘I love you, Johnny!’ Men are chanting ‘I love you, Johnny!’
“… Tears wiped over Johnny Depp. Decibel level to 11. This is CRAZY fandom.”
– Michael Cavna, tweeting from today’s Disney: 3D Panel at Comic-Con
- July 23, 2009 @ 12:39 PM by Kevin Melrose
SDCC ’09 | Bob Schreck joins IDW Publishing
Bob Schreck
IDW Publishing announced today that industry veteran Bob Schreck will join the company as senior editor beginning Oct. 5.
Widely respected by creators, Schreck was marketing director and later senior group editor of Dark Horse before leaving in 1996 to co-found Oni Press with Joe Nozemack.
In 1999, he joined DC Comics to oversee the Batman line. Schreck later edited the company’s All-Star titles and developed new projects for the publisher’s Vertigo imprint until he was laid off in January in a round of massive cutbacks by parent company Warner Bros.
At IDW, Schreck will focus on developing new projects and bringing new creators to the publisher’s titles.
“I love finding and nurturing new talent, and exploring new concepts for the comics medium to tackle, and IDW seems to value those aspirations, as well,” Schreck said in a press release. “I can’t wait to begin this new chapter of my career.”
- July 23, 2009 @ 12:09 PM by Kevin Melrose
Straight for the art | Fingerman’s Pariah
A Fingerman zombie
Over on his blog, Bob Fingerman says that he recently sold his second novel, a zombie thriller titled Pariah, to Tor:
The interesting thing is that part of my deal with Tor is to provide the book with some original interior art (I might do the cover, too, but that is pending). My approach is not to do illustrations of any scenes or characters in the book. I prefer to let the readers picture that for themselves. Instead, one of the characters is an artist and he does studies of the undead to pass the time (no more TV or Internet, so one must pass the time doing something). The conceit of the accompanying art will be that these are his drawings. I don’t want any of the art to be typical EC-tinged stuff. The approach is to do sensitive, objective drawings. The zombies didn’t ask to be this way. They’re not evil.
Sounds like an intriguing approach. Above is an example of what he’s talking about. And Fingerman says he might post some rejected sketches from the project soon.
- July 23, 2009 @ 12:00 PM by Chris Mautner
SDCC ’09 | Dark Horse ushers in Metalocalypse
Metalocalypse
On the heels of the Dethklok vs. The Goon one-shot, Dark Horse and Adult Swim have announced a new series based on the animated show Metalocalypse.
The cartoon, which debuted in 2006 on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim programming block, follows the supernatural exploits of the death-metal band Dethklok.
Created by Tommy Blacha and Brendon Small, Metalocalypse is one of the network’s highest-rated series, and has even spawned a CD that debuted at No. 21 on the Billboard Top 100. A follow-up album will be released in September.
The comic will be a collaboration by Small and a mix of Metalocalypse and Dark Horse writers and artists. No release date was given.
- July 23, 2009 @ 11:27 AM by Kevin Melrose
Agents of Atlas lives on, but Exiles is canceled
Agents of Atlas #6
In response to fan concerns about the future of Marvel’s Agents of Atlas, writer Jeff Parker announced this morning that the critically acclaimed, but low-selling, series will continue — for now, at least.
However, for Exiles it’s a different story: He confirms that September’s Issue 6 will be its last.
“… As they say, you can’t save every patient,” Parker writes. “The best we did was a momentary blip with issue one of the relaunch, and sales went right back to where they were previously. In hindsight, maybe we should have waited a year or two before trying it. It was a blow to me, I was having a great time working with Salva Espin and Casey Jones, and felt I was getting into a good groove with issues that you’ll never see. At least Marvel did me a solid and gave me a double sized issue in 6 to wrap things up. Curious to see what you think of how it… choke… ends.”
Debuting in 2001, Exiles ran for 100 issues, following a revolving roster of Marvel heroes from different dimensions and realities as they traveled through the multiverse. The original series ended in February 2008, relaunching two months later as New Exiles, which continued for less than a year before it again was rebooted this spring.
Agents of Atlas, whose sales figures have been the subject of recent online discussion, bowed in 2006 as a miniseries before launching as an ongoing in April of this year. While a critical and online darling, the series, which features heroes from the 1950s, has had difficulty finding an audience.
“We’ve got incredible critical acclaim,” Parker writes, “and the trick now is to convert that into more sales. I can’t give too much away right now, but you’ll see that you’re going to have quite a bit of Atlas action coming up.”
- July 23, 2009 @ 10:59 AM by Kevin Melrose
Vice tells you where it’s at, comics-wise
The Vice comics issue
Vice magazine has put together a handy Guide to Comics, which isn’t really a guide so much as a great compilation of comics-related articles, including interviews with Al Jaffee, Chip Kidd, Anders Nilsen, Chris Onstad, Gerard Way and Craig Yoe. Plus, comics by Lisa Hanawalt, an essay on the glory that is Jimmy Olsen and Gary Panter runs down his top 10 favorite comics.
(via Sean Collins)
- July 23, 2009 @ 10:35 AM by Chris Mautner
SDCC ’09 | Drawn & Quarterly to release Clowes graphic novel
From "Wilson," by Daniel Clowes
Drawn & Quarterly has acquired the world rights to Daniel Clowes’ original graphic novel Wilson.
This will be the cartoonist’s first book not to be originally serialized in his Fantagraphics comic Eightball, and his first work for D&Q.
Described by the publisher as “a thoroughly engaging, complex and fascinating portrait of the modern egoist,” Wilson features “a single-page gag format and drawn in a spectrum of styles.” The full-color graphic novel will be released in May 2010.
- July 23, 2009 @ 10:13 AM by Kevin Melrose
SDCC ’09 | Quote of the day
Geoff Johns
“I think the Green Lantern mythology has the potential to be one of the biggest franchises in the world, superhero or otherwise. It’s as epic as Star Wars and as deep as Lord of the Rings. I think it could rival every other superhero out there if explored, supported and executed right. … I think the success of films like Iron Man and The Dark Knight has shown us that good comics films can rule the screen. … I have immensely high hopes for Green Lantern.”
– Geoff Johns, on the Green Lantern live-action movie
- July 23, 2009 @ 09:51 AM by Kevin Melrose
SDCC ’09 | DC Comics heroes stake claim to Google logo
DC Comics-themed Google logo by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair
If you visit Google today you’ll notice DC Comics art created by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair to mark the start of Comic-Con and the launch of the comics themes for iGoogle.
- July 23, 2009 @ 09:07 AM by Kevin Melrose
SDCC ’09 | Comic-Con Notes
Comic-Con
• Christopher Butcher counters an assertion that Comic-Con is too big by arguing that the real problem is that it isn’t big enough.
• The San Diego Union-Tribune declares that the “Comic-Conomy” is booming.
• Graeme McMillan talks with Paul Pope about comics and DJing.
• Steve Bissette chats with the A.V. Club about attending the Joe Kubert school, working with Alan Moore and John Totleben on Swamp Thing, and the origins of John Constantine: “… We began drawing Sting in the background scenes in Swamp Thing. And it was a game we were playing. … And we wrote Alan, and said ‘We’re going to put Sting in the comic, and Alan, you better make it a character, because he’s not going to go away. We’re going to make him more and more visible, whether you like it or not.’ So Alan made him John Constantine.”
• Wired.com names “Seven Women Who Will Rock Comic-Con,” goes behind the scenes of DC Universe Online with Jim Lee and Marv Wolfman, and interviews Adam Besenyodi, author of Deus ex Comica.
• Phillyist checks in with Black Cherry Bombshells creators Johnny Zito and Tony Trovarello after their cross-country road trip so San Diego.
• Retailer Things From Another World has a YouTube channel, which now features an interview with The Goon creator Eric Powell, plus a video from Preview Night.
• Deb Aoki provides a handy guide to manga and graphic-novel publisher exhibiting in San Diego.
• The Los Angeles Times focuses casts an eye toward the fans … and their tattoos.
- July 23, 2009 @ 08:55 AM by Kevin Melrose
SDCC ’09 | Preview night
Comic-Con
• So, leaving off from yesterday … had lunch with Strangeways creator Matt Maxwell at Tommy’s, which serves hamburgers and fries topped with chili. Oh man.
• After delighting our palates, Matt and I picked up Matt’s roommate for the show, Savage Critic Jeff Lester, and headed to the show to get our badges. Both Jeff (who has written comics for BOOM!) and Matt were getting pro badges. Last year these were two separate lines at the con, and I remember watching the pro line move fairly well while the press line went really slow.
Gotta give major props to the con folks this year, as using a pre-registration system that resulted in printing a barcode from the web, both pros and press were in the same line. And it moved really fast. A volunteer zapped your barcode, printed your badge and sent you on your way. It was very easy and painless, and I didn’t get sunburned while waiting in line like last year.
• After moving through the line, we ran into David Gallaher, writer/co-creator of High Moon on Zuda. He mentioned he’s doing a comic for the iPhone.
- July 23, 2009 @ 08:26 AM by JK Parkin