2011 March
Neil Gaiman to write Journey to the West movies
Neil Gaiman’s got his eyes set on China.
Late last month Gaiman posted an ominous piece on his blog noting that he would be off the radar for three weeks while traveling to China as part of a project he’s been working on. Well now the word is out, and the word — or words — are Journey to the West.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Gaiman had been hired to write a screenplay adaptation for the classic Chinese novel for a series of big-budget 3D movies. He and producer Zhang Jizhong (Romance of the 3 Kingdoms, The Water Margin) are eyeing the template created by Peter Jackson on The Lord of the Rings, with Gaiman quoted as saying “We have to make it filmic, non-episodic. This story is in the DNA of 1.5 billion people.”
This isn’t Gaiman’s first dalliance with China — it’s become a major focus of the writer for the past few years. This is Gaiman’s third trip to China for this project, and he’s been quoted as saying he’s also writing a non-fiction book about his China as well. Although it’s not comics, Neil Gaiman easily gets a pass because he’s a comics alum and his work appeals to a large segment of the comic audience. Plus, Journey into the West has been fodder for numerous manga over the years.
- March 11, 2011 @ 08:30 AM by Chris Arrant
Comics A.M. | Fatal fire spares $1M collection; comic store bomb threat
The Amazing Spider-Man #1
Comics | A July house fire in Minneapolis that killed homeowner Gary Dahlberg spared his meticulously preserved comic-book collection, which experts say could be worth $1 million. The comics, which includes first issues of The Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and Daredevil, will be sold at auction on May 5 by Heritage Auction Galleries, with the money going to Dahlberg’s estate. “To go for the really big money they have to be really perfect, and that what these are,” says Barry Sandoval of Heritage Auction Galleries. “The comics look like they just rolled off the printing press and nobody’s ever touched them.” [KSTP TV, with video]
Crime | A 17-year-old boy accused of attempting to rob Fun 4 All Comics & Games in Ypsilanti, Mich., on Monday has been arraigned on charges of assault with attempt to rob while armed and attempted larceny. Police say the teen, wearing a blond wig, bandanna and dark glasses, gave an employee a list of merchandise — “most, if not all, of it Yu-Gi-Oh! cards” — then opened his coat to reveal what appeared to be an improvised explosive device. The boy allegedly threatened to detonate the bomb if he wasn’t given the merchandise. When the employee yelled for the owner to call police, then teen said he was only joking, then bought some inexpensive items and left the store. The sheriff’s department later arrested the teen in his car in a Burger King parking lot. The Michigan State Police bomb squad responded, and determined the potential explosive device was inert. [AnnArbor.com]
- March 11, 2011 @ 07:48 AM by Kevin Melrose
Details surface of sweeping changes to Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
"Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark"
A post-Julie Taymor Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark will likely be a radically changed show, with many of the director’s trademark elements altered or removed, multiple outlets report.
Among the rumored revisions are the strengthening of the love story between Peter Parker and Mary Jane, said to have been a point of contention between Taymor and some cast members, the loss of the widely panned “Deeply Furious” number, and a clarification of the Green Goblin’s story arc (he dies in Act I only to reappear in Act II). But perhaps most notable are the plans for Arachne, the eight-legged villainess created by Taymor in 2002. The character, who dominates the second act, will see her scenes reduced or cut entirely, Bloomberg reports.
The details surfaced today, less than 24 hours after producers finally announced what many had expected for some time: that the beleagured director would leave and the critically savaged musical shut down for two weeks to undergo a massive overhaul. Philip William McKinley (The Boy From Oz) was brought in as Taymor’s replacement to work with an expanded creative team that includes composers Bono and The Edge, musical consultant Paul Bogaev, playwright and comics writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, and sound designer Peter Hylenski. Opening night, most recently scheduled for March 15, will be delayed for a sixth time, to early summer.
- March 10, 2011 @ 06:35 PM by Kevin Melrose
Grumpy Old Fan | Going on about ongoing series, Part Two
Starman #0
[Last week I started a look back at DC’s ongoing series in a post-Crisis environment of annual line-wide events. Thanks as always to Mike’s Amazing World Of DC Comics for its invaluable data.]
The second half of the 1980s was, to put it mildly, a transitional period for DC. Beginning with the watershed Crisis On Infinite Earths, most high-profile titles were relaunched, book by book — not just to take characters like Superman and Batman “back to basics,” but to open them up to new creative possibilities. Building on Crisis’ success, the publisher also tried to launch new titles from line-wide events. By the early ‘90s, however, the speculator market was imposing its own will on the superhero books. …
Continue Reading »
- March 10, 2011 @ 02:00 PM by Tom Bondurant
Hero Initiative toasts ’100 Avengers’ project with one-of-a-kind bottle
Jim McLaughlin at The Hero Initiative let us know about a unique new addition to the nonprofit organization’s upcoming “100 New Avengers” project: a custom New Avengers bottle, graced with a bevy of original art from the talented hands of some of comics’ biggest talent. The bottle, seen at right, will debut next week at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo — along with all 100 of the New Avengers covers created for the project.
At current count there are six artists’ contributions on the bottle, with more planned by the time of its official premiere. Admission into the debut event at C2E2 not only gets you in the event — duh! — but also a free raffle ticket for a chance to win the bottle.
Head over to The Hero Intiative’s blog for more information and to see more shots of the bottle.
- March 10, 2011 @ 01:00 PM by Chris Arrant
Life after Joe: Looking at what Sean Murphy is doing next
Artist Sean Murphy has been tearing up the fringes of mainstream comics. Although he’s yet to make a big splash in the super-hero genre, he’s found his own path with a string of projects at Dark Horse, Oni and IDW. For the past few years he’s called Vertigo home, and his first major series for the DC imprint, Grant Morrison’s Joe the Barbarian, just finished.
But for people who have followed him over the course of his career, or just followed his active DeviantArt account, you can easily tell he’s got a lot on his mind and an itch to get it out. Right now Murphy’s prepping to begin a spinoff miniseries for Vertigo’s American Vampire as well as writing and drawing his long-gestating series Punk Rock Jesus (which he talked about with Comic Book Resources in December). But besides that, he’s been prone to just draw whatever’s on the top of his head — like the amazing pin-up to your right. Murphy’s got a lot more, from a stellar Carl Sagan pin-up (who ever thought you’d see those three words together?), as well as an exclusive early look at Punk Rock Jesus, which isn’t due out until 2012.
- March 10, 2011 @ 12:00 PM by Chris Arrant
Quote of the day | Stan Lee talks about The Thing’s … thing
Jason Lee and Stan Lee in 1995's "Mallrats"
“I never gave it a thought. I guess common sense would say it was made of orange rock too, but I always thought it was more interesting to think about Reed Richards. As you know, he had the ability to stretch, and sexually, that would seem to be a great asset in many areas.”
- March 10, 2011 @ 11:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
SF Chronicles’ Friendship Town makes new friends online
An off-kilter San Francisco comics treat is making its way online.
Created by cartoonist Jon Adams, Friendship Town has been a part of the San Francisco Chronicle‘s print edition for almost a year now and has now made its way to the paper’s website. In addition, Adams has even been posting some of the comics the Chronicle rejected on his own site.
Adams is perhaps best known for his long-running series Truth Serum, which was nominated for two Eisner Awards in 2007. Debuting in 2001 as a minicomic, it’s hit the larger comics work with a miniseries in 2002 from SLG Publishing, and runs as a weekly webcomic on Dark Horse’s website as well as its own site.
- March 10, 2011 @ 10:00 AM by Chris Arrant
Get inked with Cliff Chiang art at C2E2 (for a good cause)
Art by Cliff Chiang
As a huge fan of artist Cliff Chiang, here’s something I’d be all over — if I were attending next week’s Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo and if I weren’t, y’know, deathly terrified of needles. It’s an eBay auction for a custom tattoo by Chang and tattoo artist Brian Stringer. Proceeds benefit The Hero Initiative, so it’s win-win!
The above art, which accompanies the auction listing, would make a fantastic tattoo. But here’s the thing: The winner can have Chang draw the character or subject of his or her choice (with a few caveats, I imagine) in advance of the show. The tattoo will be in black and gray; any color is at the tattooer’s discretion. Oh, and no face or neck tattoos. Visit the eBay listing for more details — and to bid, of course. The auction ends on March 16.
- March 10, 2011 @ 09:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Pulp 2.0 revives Scarlet in Gaslight and other vintage tales
The Sherlock Holmes/Dracula miniseries Scarlet in Gaslight, written by Martin Powell and illustrated by Seppo Makinen, was published in 1988 and nominated for an Eisner Award the following year. It has been out of print recently, but last month Powell announced that Pulp 2.0 will publish four of his graphic novels. In addition to Scarlet in Gaslight, they include A Case of Blind Fear, which pits Sherlock Holmes against the Invisible Man; Ghosts of Dracula, in which Dr. Van Helsing and Harry Houdini battle the Lord of the Undead; and a straight-up adaptation of Frankenstein. All the books are written by Powell and illustrated by Makinen, except for Frankenstein, which was illustrated by Patrick Olliffe.
Pulp 2.0 initiated a graphic novel line late last year, launching it with the 1980s series The Miracle Squad and The Twilight Avenger, both by writer John Wooley and artist Terry Tidwell. It looks like they will be released as graphic novels, both digital and in print, with cleaned-up graphics and bonus features.
Powell talks a bit about his comics work at Jazma Online, focusing on more recent works like his resurrection of The Spider for Moonstone.
(Via Comics 411)
- March 10, 2011 @ 08:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
DC Comics postpones Batwoman debut again
Sneak peek of Batwoman #1
Even as DC Comics previewed Batwoman #1 on Wednesday, word circulated online that the publisher has again canceled orders for the first two issues for resolicitation at a later date.
The move, revealed Tuesday in an email to retailers and confirmed by Comics on the Green and The Launchpad, marks the second delay in as many months. The highly anticipated series, by J.H. Williams III, W. Haden Blackman and Amy Reeder, previously had been set to debut in February. But in January, the publisher rescheduled the first issue for April — a date that appears in sneak peek included in this week’s DC titles.
Although Batwoman, which spins out of Williams and Greg Rucka’s acclaimed run on Detective Comics, was widely expected to debut last summer, Williams explained in January that was never the case.
“February had been decided on the launch date by the company with reservations about that from me,” he wrote on his blog. “I felt that was a bit too soon in a realistic look at work progression. One of the reasons for this was that I had been seriously committed to making appearances around the world over this past year. I think maybe 3 months or more of work loss occurred during that time. I kept trying to point this out whenever discussions about schedule came up. When first discussing the launch date earlier last year we had originally wanted April 2011, and now ironically that is what we have. Only after solicits stating otherwise, causing some unnecessary frustrations.”
- March 10, 2011 @ 07:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Previews: What Looks Good for May
Berona's War, Volume 2
Time once again for our monthly trip through Previews looking for cool, new comics. Starting with this installment, we’re going to open things up a little beyond just adventure books. Because it’s me doing it, the list will still slant heavily in that direction, but it won’t be a criterion any more.
I will still be focusing on graphic novels, collected volumes, and first issues though so that I don’t have to come up with a new way to say, “BPRD is still awesome!” every month. And I’ll continue letting Tom and Carla do the heavy lifting in regards to DC and Marvel’s solicitations.
Also, please feel free to play along in the comments. Tell me what I missed that you’re looking forward to or – if you’re a comics creator – feel free to mention your own stuff.
Ape
Kung Fu Panda #1 – I’m not sure if this is for me, but I have a 9-year-old at my house who’s going to be absolutely thrilled.
Richie Rich #1 – I have mixed feelings about this one too. I doubt I’ll be able to get past the This Isn’t My Richie Richness of it, but suspect that if I were, I might enjoy the adventures of a world-trotting rich kid and his pals. Still, Harvey Comics were a huge part of my childhood and I may be too close to think objectively.
Archaia
Berona’s War, Volume 2: Fight for Amity – This reminds me that I need to get and read Volume 1. The art looks great and I’m a sucker for fantasy stories about talking animals. Even brutally violent ones, I expect.
- March 9, 2011 @ 07:20 PM by Michael May
Julie Taymor exits Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, new director hired
Julie Taymor
As expected, the producers of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark announced this evening that Julie Taymor will step aside as director of the much-delayed and derided $65 million musical. They also confirmed that opening night has been moved from March 15 to early summer, marking the show’s sixth postponement.
Taymor will be replaced by Philip William McKinley (The Boy From Oz), who joins an expanded creative team — it includes playwright and comics writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, musical consultant Paul Bogaev and sound designer Peter Hylenski — that will overhaul the production over the next three months. Performances are expected to shut down for two to three weeks in April and May to accommodate the retooling and rehearsals.
According to The New York Times, the producers, along with composers Bono and the Edge, told the cast this evening that Taymor was out but would remain involved in the show, although not in a day-to-day capacity.
That point was emphasized in a joint statement from lead producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris: “Julie Taymor is not leaving the creative team. Her vision has been at the heart of this production since its inception and will continue to be so. Julie’s previous commitments mean that past March 15th, she cannot work the 24/7 necessary to make the changes in the production in order to be ready for our opening.”
The Times notes that the producers’ press release doesn’t include a comment from Taymor, an omission the newspaper characterizes as “a sign of the discord among them.” Indeed, today’s announcement follows weeks of friction, during which the Tony Award-winning director reportedly refused requests by producers to allow outsiders to make changes to the widely panned show.
- March 9, 2011 @ 06:17 PM by Kevin Melrose
Your Wednesday Sequence 1 | Frank Quitely
“Blackheart” part 2 in Dark Horse Presents #92 (1995), page 1 panels 1-3. Frank Quitely.
Sequence is what puts the component parts of comics — individual panels — together. It’s as fundamental to what the medium is as anything else. It provides comics with their high-flown academic code name, sequential art, and it’s what makes this a form that we read rather than look at. But there’s not much as far as a definition for “sequence” as it applies to comics art. What is it? It’s nothing that looks a certain way, or even acts in a certain reliable fashion. In comics as they’re most often drawn, it’s not even anything that gets put on the page; the closest sequence comes to a visual identity is the blank white space between the panels. It’s not a shape, it’s not a size, it’s not a color, not even really a single formal device or artistic conceit. It goes beyond that. It’s more universal, subject to as many interpretations as there are artists who have used the medium. Sequence is what makes comics comics, and as such I’d argue that the ordering of images is the most important aspect of a comics work that anyone, whether writer or artist or both or otherwise, can contribute to.
The different forms sequencing takes — its refusal to be pinned down as one thing or one way of things — is what makes it so difficult to think about. One of the few common denominators between comics sequences of all kinds, however, is movement. Movement through space comes to mind first; the physical motion readers’ eyes and story contents alike are subject to as panels progress across or down a page. But just as inherent to sequence, and every bit as interesting, is movement through time.
- March 9, 2011 @ 03:45 PM by Matt Seneca
Six Seven by 6 | Seven great moments from Guy Davis’ B.P.R.D. run
It’s the end of an era. B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth: Gods #3 hits stores today, the final issue of the long-running Hellboy spinoff’s latest miniseries — and with it, the tenure of Guy Davis as the series’ regular artist draws to a close. Davis will be returning for the occasional project in Mike Mignola’s unique horror-adventure universe, and everyone involved gives his replacement, near-overnight success story Tyler Crook, their vote of confidence; given Mignola and company’s track record in selecting artists, from Davis to Duncan Fegredo to Richard Corben, I’m inclined to take them at their word. Even so, as I wrote at length the other day, Davis’ work on B.P.R.D with Mignola, lead writer John Arcudi, and colorist Dave Stewart (not to mention letterer Clem Robins and editor Scott Allie) has been one of the past decade’s absolute high-water marks for superhero (or supernatural action, if you prefer) comics. From sadness to spectacle, horror to humor, stunning creature designs to quiet character moments, there was pretty much nothing the guy couldn’t do.
In honor of Davis, Arcudi, Mignola, and Stewart’s remarkable achievement, I’ve selected a suite of my favorite moments from the Guy Davis era of B.P.R.D.. And in honor of the Ogdru Jahad, the Seven-Who-Are-One dark gods whose rise the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense is battling (perhaps in vain) to stop, I’ve expanded the list past our usual “Six by 6″ format to include seven stunning scenes. My hope is that they showcase the range, subtlety, sophistication, and power of one of the best artists working in genre comics — arguably in all of comics — today, and highlight just how well he and his collaborators worked together. Just be warned: SPOILERS AHEAD.
- March 9, 2011 @ 02:45 PM by Sean T. Collins