2011 March
Jim Shooter shoots from the hip on his new blog
Photo of Shooter by Seth Kushner
Ask someone in comics what they think about Jim Shooter, and you’re bound to get very strong, and very different, opinions. Sometimes, in fact, from the same person. The self-described “writer. editor. large mammal.” has been innovative on several fronts, not only in founding Valiant, Defiant and Broadway, but also in serving as editor-in-chief of Marvel during the pivotal early ’80s, and even breaking into comics at the tender age of 13. And now he’s started telling stories about his time in the industry.
On the newly launched JimShooter.com, the respected creator has begun talking at length about his experiences and acquaintances in comics — from Stan Lee to Mort Weisinger and more. Of particular interest to me has been a post about regrets he has in the industry, as well as describing that he pitched to DC’s Legion of Super-Heroes back then because he thought that team’s stories in Adventure Comics were the worst comics on shelves.
- March 14, 2011 @ 03:00 PM by Chris Arrant
Emerald City Comicon art aftermath: Chris Samnee and Eric Canete
Dr. Doom & Harlequin by Chris Samnee
One of the most thrilling parts of attending conventions is meeting the people who make the books you love. And especially great is artist’s alley, where creators show off a range of art from special editions, sketchbooks and, in some cases, pieces drawn before your eyes. And although I wasn’t able to attend Emerald City Comicon this year, seeing the steady stream of artwork produced for fans there and put online is still a thrill.
Take, for example, Chris Samnee, a prolific artist who’s bounced around the industry for the past few years before settling in at Marvel, thanks to the critical success of Thor: The Mighty Avenger. After finishing the final issue of that series, Samnee has being doing some short-term gigs such as last week’s issue of Ultimate Comics Spider-Man. Although his next major project hasn’t been announced yet, his sketches from ECCC show he’s ready for … well, anything!
- March 14, 2011 @ 02:00 PM by Chris Arrant
Talking Comics with Tim | Gabriel Hardman
Hardman's Fortean character design
Not to mince words: In the plethora of talented artists that are working at Marvel currently, Gabriel Hardman is the best. His eye for layout alone injects a vitality to his work rarely seen in comics. In addition to discussing his collaborative efforts with writer Jeff Parker, most recently on Hulk (Issue 30.1 hits stands this Wednesday, March 16, 2011), Hardman was kind enough to give Robot 6 a sneak peek of a sci-fi OGN he’s working on, with his wife, Corinna Bechko, called STATION TO STATION. My thanks to Hardman for his time and to friend of the blog, Jeff Parker, for helping arrange this interview. Finally, please be sure to contribute to the comments section this week, as Hardman is seeking suggestions for future Daily Sketches.
Tim O’Shea: In terms of current artists in the industry, you have a strikingly distinctive layout approach. Not every artist is as ambitious as you are. Do you ever back off from challenging scenes to layout, or is that what part of what makes the work interesting for you.
Gabriel Hardman: Storytelling in general is what keeps me interested in comics and the layouts are a huge part of that. My only goal is to serve the story being told. When I read the script, I can visualize the angles and layouts pretty easily. Figuring out a given angle is fairly simple: focus on the most important thing happening in the panel. Then place those important elements on the page in a way that leads your eye from top left to bottom right. It all works best when she script gives me freedom with the layouts.
- March 14, 2011 @ 01:00 PM by Tim O'Shea
Voting opens for 2011 Eagle Awards
Eagle Awards
Voting is open for the 2011 Eagle Awards, the United Kingdom-based fan awards recognizing U.K. and U.S. creators and works. Fans can vote online for their favorites in 29 categories, from newcomer and publisher to single story and roll of honor.
Comic Book Resources, which won the 2010 award for favorite comics-related website, is nominated again this year.
The winners will be announced May 27 in conjunction with the London MCM Expo. The nominees are:
Favorite newcomer writer
• Paul Cornell
• Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Al Ewing
• Nick Spencer
• Scott Snyder
Favorite newcomer artist
• Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Rafael Albuquerque
• Sara Pichelli
• Sean Murphy
• Fiona Staples
- March 14, 2011 @ 11:15 AM by Kevin Melrose
Yuko Shimizu takes on Takashi Miike’s 13 Assassins
From Yuko Shimizu's "13 Assassins" poster
Cinematical has premiered a gorgeous poster for Takashi Miike’s samurai film 13 assassins created by none other than Yuko Shimizu, perhaps best known to comic-book fans as the cover artist for Mike Carey and Peter Gross’ acclaimed Vertigo series The Unwritten. Outside of comics, Shimizu is a much-in-demand illustrator, working for such varied clients as Microsoft, The New York Times, The Gap, VISA, The New Yorker and MTV.
Check out the full poster after the break, or visit Cinematical to see a larger version. Miike’s 13 Assassins opens on April 29.
- March 14, 2011 @ 10:15 AM by Kevin Melrose
J.H. Williams comments on latest Batwoman delays
Batwoman #3
J.H. Williams III has commented on last week’s news that DC Comics is again postponing the debut of the eagerly anticipated Batwoman, saying, “This was not our choice, and as to why, I’m not at liberty to really discuss.”
The series, by Williams, W. Haden Blackman and Amy Reeder, previously had been set to premiere in February. However, in January the publisher rescheduled the first issue for April, the date that appeared in the sneak peek included in last week’s comics. But even as those books arrived in stores, the publisher was canceling solicitations for Batwoman #1-2.
“It’s a bit ironic that the release has been pushed back again considering that DC decided to show preview pages this same week,” Williams wrote Saturday on his blog, where he also previewed the cover for Issue 3.
He assured fans that “work is still commencing,” with the latest delay allowing the creators to complete more work: “The only real downside is that solicits were pulled on us twice, making readers heads spin, wish that didn’t happen, but it has, let’s just make the best of it. I’m fast approaching the middle of issue 3’s interior art, Haden and I’ve started working on script for issue 8, the first 5 covers are done, and Dave [Stewart] has had issue 2 in his hands for his special magic touch.”
DC has yet to announce a new release date for Batwoman #1.
- March 14, 2011 @ 09:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Follow the action with Team Cul de Sac’s art blog
Cartoonist Lynn Johnston (For Better or For Worse) talks about her own motion disorder in her contribution
As we noted in January, Cul de Sac creator Richard Thompson, who has Parkinson’s disease, and Chris Sparks, of Sparking Design, are putting together a book of Cul de Sac tributes by different artists to raise funds for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Now you can follow along on the Team Cul de Sac blog, where as the artists make their contributions. The artwork will be compiled into a book, which will be sold to benefit the fund, and the original art will also be auctioned off for the cause.
And here’s an extra treat for Cul de Sac fans: Alex Dueben talked to Thompson about the strip last week for Comic Book Resources.
- March 14, 2011 @ 08:30 AM by Brigid Alverson
New opening date, new rumors, for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
The announcement of a June 14 opening night for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark — the sixth delay for the troubled musical — was quickly followed by conflicting reports about a stalemate with departing director Julie Taymor.
Lead producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris set the new date on Friday, and confirmed preview performances will shut down from April 19 to May 11 to allow the newly expanded creative team, which includes director Philip William McKinley and script doctor Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, to implement what are expected to be sweeping changes to the show.
Within hours of that news, the New York Post’s Michael Riedel, who’s been gleeful if not always accurate in his chronicling of the musical’s myriad troubles, wrote that Taymor is digging in her heels, refusing to leave without a “hefty payday” — and the script she co-wrote with Glen Berger. Riedel cites a source as saying the standoff has caused “chaos” in what’s already a chaotic production. A show representative was quick to deny the claims, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “All discussions are proceeding positively.”
An “exclusive” early this morning from Showbiz411′s Roger Friedman, whose frequently zealous defense of Spider-Man has softened dramatically in the past couple of weeks, contends Taymor will remain credited as director and co-writer (that point appears unchanged from Thursday), in large part because producers don’t have a “hefty” payout for the Tony Award winner. That certainly sounds right, as the show’s price tag is now being placed at north of $70 million — nearly triple its initially envisioned budget. While the musical is bringing in more than $1 million a week during preview performances, it will be at least four years before Spider-Man recoups its costs.
If all of that leaves any heads spinning, The New York Times has a terrific overview of the musical’s troubled history that notes, perhaps, why Taymor’s Lion King thrived while Spider-Man has foundered: Disney reined in the director, whom many regard as a creative genius, while Cohl and other producers gave her freedom, at least up until the past several weeks:
- March 14, 2011 @ 07:30 AM by Kevin Melrose
What are you reading?
Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 1
Welcome to another round of What Are You Reading, where we all sit around the virtual coffeehouse and talk about the books we’re currently enjoying (or not as the case may be). Our guest this week is Wilfred Santiago, author of the soon to be released biography of Roberto Clemente, 21. Look for an interview with me and Santiago about his new book in the coming weeks. In the meantime, click on the link below to see what he and my fellow Robot 6ers are reading this week.
- March 13, 2011 @ 01:30 PM by Chris Mautner
The Fifth Color | Some disassembly required for The New Avengers
You’re going to have to bear with me on this one, but I promise the metaphor is apt: People like piñatas. They are bright, colorful, cartoonish and, best of all, when you get a group together and beat it with a stick, candy comes out for everyone to enjoy. Imagine if no one hit a piñata, that they just gave the birthday boy or girl this big papier-mâché candy container. The construction is sometimes pretty cool and I’ve seen some piñata that are shaped like Wall-E or festive (and gruesome) zombie piñatas that one might want to keep, but that’s a waste of good candy and a good time. No matter how delicate its construction or elaborate its presentation, piñatas were made to be broken and enjoyed in its component parts.
See where this is going? Check the title. Yeah, I want to disassemble The New Avengers. Just whack on that book like a blindfolded elementary schooler until all the candy falls out. Because it is withholding candy from us. One of Marvel’s most popular books, not to mention a cornerstone in this New Era of comics that came from Avengers Disassembled and Civil War. It was the first book of the new regime and has lasted consistently since, all helmed under Brian Michael Bendis. Because of this, New Avengers specifically has had a major effect on Marvel comics and how our heroes are presented to us. His Avengers are now the across-the-board norm, and to disband these new heroes would be like disbanding as old an institution as the Fantastic Fo- … Oh, yeah. To hell with them, them. Let’s crack that papier-mâché creature in half!
WARNING: I’ll be talking about the last few issues of New Avengers, and talking about them rather disparagingly. So be warned, someone may indeed be shot, but I’d say it’s safe to venture forth.
- March 11, 2011 @ 02:30 PM by Carla Hoffman
What the children saw: Kids talk about comics
Every year, I participate in my city’s Community Reading Day, and every year I bring a big bag of comics to whatever class is lucky enough to get me as their reader. This year it was a fifth-grade class, and I thought their take on comics was pretty interesting — and should be troubling to publishers and marketers.
I always start by asking the kids what comics they read. Calvin & Hobbes is the one constant from year to year — often it’s the only comic most of them can think of. No one seems to read current newspaper strips, or monthly comics, or many graphic novels, but everyone knows Calvin & Hobbes. There is usually one kid who reads superheroes, but this year there were none (although one likes to draw them). Someone had a copy of Big Nate, and two girls who were obviously friends mentioned the manga +Anima. “It’s on the Internet,” one of them explained. Not legally, of course, but I didn’t have the heart to tell them that. If I worked for Tokyopop, though, I’d be worried — they were obviously reading it on a bootleg site, and what’s more, it’s the only manga they read. Whatever marketing Tokyopop is doing is missing the core audience. (Maybe they should buy ads on the bootleg sites.)
- March 11, 2011 @ 01:30 PM by Brigid Alverson
Molly Crabapple bag is SXSW swag
South by Southwest kicks off today, and one of the premiums for attendees is a nice, big tote bag sporting a design by Molly Crabapple. Which is in itself pretty cool, because they could have just slapped a logo on it like a lot of shows we know.
Organizers also posted a nice, juicy interview with Crabapple on the SXSW site, which includes the news that she and John Leavitt are collaborating again:
We just sold a new graphic novel, Unwanted Carnival, to First Second Books. First Second does beautiful books that win awards. We kind of wonder why they’re hanging with a pair of guttersnipes like us. Me and John are probably going to spend most of 2011 and 2012 hunched over a drafting table scribbling comics and devolving into a sibling troll language.
The two previously worked together on Scarlett Takes Manhattan and The Puppet Makers.
Comic Book Resources also spoke with Crabapple this week about Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School and a recent Transmetropolitan-themed event to raise money for a Transmetropolitan art book that will benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and The Hero Initiative.
- March 11, 2011 @ 12:30 PM by Brigid Alverson
Dark Horse to release Rage video-game prequel
From Glenn Fabry's "Rage" cover
Dark Horse is teaming with developer id Software and video-game publisher Bethesda Softworks for a miniseries based on Rage, the first-person shooter set for release in September.
Debuting on June 22, the three-issue series is written by Arvid Nelson (Rex Mundi) and penciled by Andrea Mutti (DMZ), with covers by Glenn Fabry (Hellblazer, Preacher). Rage creative director Tom Willits will oversee the title.
Set before the events of the game, the comic is described as presenting “a new twist on the post-apocalyptic near future as one woman discovers that the survival of humankind doesn’t necessarily mean the survival of humanity.” In Rage, Earth has been devastated by a collision with an asteroid, leaving a fraction of the population to survive in live-sustaining Arks buried deep beneath the surface. When they emerge, they discover a wasteland controlled by a military dictatorship called the Authority, which has lied about this apocalypse came to be.
See the full Fabry cover after the break.
- March 11, 2011 @ 11:30 AM by Kevin Melrose
Collect This Now: Jack Cole’s Plastic Man
I know what you’re thinking. “Didn’t DC already collect Jack Cole’s run on Plastic Man?” The answer is well, sort of.
- March 11, 2011 @ 10:30 AM by Chris Mautner
T-shirt creator adds two new MODOK designs to line-up
It looks like the big-headed supervillain is taking over a new medium — t-shirts.
The folks at the shirt company Mighty Fine Inc. have been wowing us with some inventive designs and merchandise, particularly the ability to create your own shirt down to the print, size, color and other variables. But this new one takes the cake.
“We’ve been tallying comment requests from our customers and, as promised, have added two of the most popular suggestions to the t-shirt creator,” said Nicole Campos of Mighty Fine. “There’s an old-school Luke Cage design called “MODOK For Hire”, plus “Deadok” – Deadpool was by far the most requested cosplay for the big head!”
You can check them both out on the company’s site. But tell us this — which one do you want? And what could D.E.A.D.O.K. stand for?
- March 11, 2011 @ 09:30 AM by Chris Arrant