2011 June
‘There will be no escaping from the DC Universe’
The Warner Bros. mural (photo by Jonah Weiland)
Even as DC Comics continues the rollout of the sweeping relaunch of its DC Universe titles, Warner Bros. Consumer Products is laying out a three-year calendar that sees the company “investing significant resource” in its superhero properties.
“Over the next three years there will be no escaping from the DC Universe as we deliver on our commitment to produce new content,” Bruno Schwobthaler, senior vice president of sales and business development for Warner Bros. Consumer Products Europe/Middle East/Asia, tells Licensing.biz.
The licensing agenda begins, of course, with the Green Lantern movie, which opens next week, and continues with upcoming big-screen adaptations The Dark Knight Rises and Man of Steel. But it also includes the animated Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, the Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters video game, the Batman Live arena tour, and projects geared toward younger audiences.
“We’re taking a franchise approach to the brand and investing in original animation targeting children,” Schwobthaler says. “This will ensure that the brand has something to offer superhero fans of all ages, lives beyond a single movie release and claims its position alongside superheroes such as Batman and Superman.”
- June 8, 2011 @ 07:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
DC Comics cancels Northlanders
Northlanders, Vol. 3
DC Comics has canceled Northlanders, Brian Wood’s well-regarded Vertigo series set during the Viking Age.
The writer confirmed an earlier report by Bleeding Cool, announcing last night on his blog that the title will end with March’s Issue 50. “It has a very loyal fanbase but the trade sales just aren’t cutting the mustard,” Wood wrote.
“I’m not going to eulogize the series yet and start thanking everyone, since I have the next nine or ten months to do that,” he continued. “While this news sucks, I consider it a triumph for everyone responsible that our depressing, often cerebral comic book about Vikings and history is lasting FIFTY ISSUES. It feels appropriately epic, and the eventual seven volumes of the series will hopefully stay in print forever (or close to that).”
Debuting in December 2007, Northlanders is a bit of a storytelling oddity, utilizing self-contained arcs to tell tales set at different times and locations, and with different characters, during the same historical era — the late 8th century to the 11th century. Wood has worked with a range of artists on the book, including Becky Cloonan, Leandro Fernandez, Davide Gianfelice, Ryan Kelly, Vasilis Lolos, Dean Ormston, Fiona Staples and Danijel Zezelj. Massimo Carnevale has illustrated all of the covers. A one-shot with Marian Churchland and a nine-part story with Paul Azaceta still remain.
“Please, retailers, do not cut your orders, and please, readers, don’t cancel your subs,” Wood wrote. “No story is getting cut short, nothing will be left hanging.”
News of the Northlanders cancellation follows word that the writer’s exclusive agreement has ended with DC. However, Wood says, “I don’t think these two are connected.” He also alluded to being dropped from Supergirl only days before DC announced its line-wide relaunch, writing, “I was not given a role in the recent DCU reboot after all but I think its an exciting idea and wish everyone the best.”
Northlanders #41 goes on sale on June 15.
- June 8, 2011 @ 05:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
The Middle Ground #56: Why Do I Read Comics?
I’ve wondered, in the past, why people read superhero comics. It wasn’t meant as a snarky “But they’re for kids!” question setting the answerer up for a slap, but a genuine interest that came from me wondering why I read superhero comics and not being able to come up with an appropriately satisfying answer. Even more confusing to me, in so many ways – and not at all, in so many others – is why I read non-superhero comics.
- June 7, 2011 @ 05:00 PM by Graeme McMillan
DC D-Day Plus 7: What we know (and don’t) about the DC relaunch right now
Green Lantern #1, by Dave Johnson
1. For Batman and Green Lantern, if it ain’t broke, DC’s not fixing it. In 2010, you had to go all the way down to the Direct Markets #109 bestelling title, the debut of J. Michael Straczynski’s abortive tenure on Superman, before hitting a DC book that wasn’t part of the Batman line, the Green Lantern line, or the Green Lantern-spawned Blackest Night and Brightest Day events. DC has rewarded the creators behind these franchises’ success by keeping them more or less in place, albeit with some title-swapping and artist-shuffling. Geoff Johns, Tony Bedard, and Peter J. Tomasi are still writing the three main Green Lantern series (along with the previously announced Peter Milligan on Red Lantern), while Grant Morrison, Scott Snyder, Tony Daniel, David Finch, and Tomasi are still handling the books with “Batman” in the title (with long-time Gotham Citizens like J.H Williams III, Gail Simone, and Judd Winick filling out the line).
2. DC’s rolling the dice big-time on an I Can’t Believe It’s Not Vertigo-verse. Today’s big announcement of new “dark” titles features such Vertigo characters as Swamp Thing, Animal Man, Shade the Changing Man, John Constantine, Madame Xanadu, as written by such Vertigo creators Peter Milligan (Hellblazer), Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth), and Scott Snyder (American Vampire). That’s quite a vote of confidence in Vertigo’s taste in creators, characters, and tone, especially given that many industry observers saw the line as an afterthought for the new regime. Of course, how this will impact Vertigo itself has yet to be seen. It’s also worth considering that Vertigo’s biggest and most durable hits over the past decade or so have tended to be creator-owned titles existing in their own worlds and straying pretty far from the imprint’s horror-magic roots, so launching eight shared-universe horror-magic books — over one-sixth of the new DC Universe line — is a gamble in and of itself.
- June 7, 2011 @ 03:02 PM by Sean T. Collins
Food or Comics? | This week’s comics on a budget
Space Warped
Welcome to Food or Comics?, where every week we talk about what comics we’d buy at our local comic shop based on certain spending limits — $15 and $30 — as well as what we’d get if we had extra money or a gift card to spend on a “Splurge” item.
Check out Diamond’s release list or ComicList, and tell us what you’re getting in our comments field.
Brigid Alverson
If I had $15:
I’d surround myself with good-humored, good-natured comics. Sometimes you just gotta do that. My stack would include Veronica #207 ($2.99), which launches the new Kevin Keller miniseries; Donald Duck #367 ($3.99), with a rework of a classic Carl Barks story; Space Warped ($3.99), kaboom’s new Star Wars parody comic (I probably won’t get half the jokes, but it looks like it’s worth checking out); and Love and Capes Ever After #5 ($3.99), just because Love and Capes is such a charming comic. I may be poor, but at least I’ll be happy.
- June 7, 2011 @ 01:25 PM by JK Parkin
Whovian? Whovillain!
Graphic designer and freelance illustrator Bob Canada has followed up his first Doctor Who infographic with one featuring the best Who enemies from the ’60s and ’70s.
Someone please hire this man to design a Doctor Who animated series. Or an ongoing for IDW. That would be good too.
- June 7, 2011 @ 12:00 PM by Michael May
I’d buy this: James Stokoe sends Spider-Man to Vietnam
Spider-Nam
Orc Stain creator James Stokoe shared a whole bunch of artwork on his blog earlier this week, including a preview of Orc Stain #7, an upcoming Godzilla cover and a A “super melodramatic Spider-Man in ‘Nam fan comic.”
Spider-Nam, as he calls it, is a wonderful short story that sees Peter Parker dropping out of college and enlisting in the military. It’s told through a letter Spider-Man sends home to Aunt May and seems like the perfect piece if Marvel decides to do another round of its Strange Tales anthology. Click on overt o check it out, along with a lot of other cool stuff.
- June 7, 2011 @ 11:00 AM by JK Parkin
Start Reading Now | Legends of the Joystick
Gene Luen Yang’s latest graphic novel is Level Up, the story of an Asian-American boy who just wants to play video games, while his parents would really prefer he study hard and become a doctor. Tor.com has posted the first eleven pages of the graphic novel, which not only set it up but also may make you a little teary. But Yang and Level Up artist Thein Pham have another treat for us, also at Tor.com: Legends of the Joystick, a where-are-they-now webcomic about the great video game characters of the 1980s. The comic only runs for a week, and it updates every day. Don’t be fooled by the soft drawing style—the humor is a little edgier than you might think. And it’s a cute way to kick off Level Up, which should be hitting bookstores today.
- June 7, 2011 @ 10:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Would you buy a digital comics subscription?
whether I like it or not...
The headline on Darrell Etherington’s article says it all: “Comics Should Jump on the iOS Subscription Bandwagon.” His argument is a consumer-based one: He has the apps, but at $1 to $3 a pop, comics are too expensive a habit for him, so he proposes a subscription model that basically gives the reader a 50% discount for paying up front—$25 for 12 issues, say. Etherington thinks that would boost readership, but it could also carry some risks. For one thing, readers who are accustomed to getting print magazine subscriptions for $10 or less per year won’t find that price point attractive (although magazine subscriptions do seem to be more expensive on the iPad, so the price is getting pushed up anyway). And in an industry notorious for delays, 12 issues does not necessarily equal a year’s worth of comics. And for superhero comics (which I think is what Etherington is talking about here), following a single series won’t necessarily give the reader a satisfying experience. Dropping three dollars here and four bucks there for you weekly comics is one thing; lining up $200 worth of annual subscriptions (even though that includes a hefty discount) just to be able to follow the events in a fictional universe could prove to be a troubling reality check to some readers.
Etherington quotes Jesus Hates Zombies creator Stephen Lindsay, who divides the comics audience into three groups: “those inside the industry who buy comics to support one another, the casual reader, and the collector.” I’m impressed that he sees creators as a large enough group to merit a mention. Collectors will always want to have the physical comic, but Lindsay sees the casual readers as a potential market. I’m not sure how well that works with complicated superhero universes, because it takes us back to the problem of accessibility: How will the reader know which Thor comic, say, to subscribe to? I’m not sure it’s possible to be a “casual reader” of superhero comics any more. (For those who want to get on the bandwagon, though, I like the feature that the New Yorker magazine subscription has: Your subscription allows you access to back issues as well. That could be a real boon for new readers.)
On the other hand, creators of self-contained indie series who are good at promoting their work could do very well with this model. Continue Reading »
- June 7, 2011 @ 09:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Comics A.M. | Comic Book Ink’s plea; DC’s deadline decree
John Munn, owner of Comic Book Ink
Retailing | Tacoma, Washington, store Comic Book Ink, a seven-time nominee for the Will Eisner Spirit of Retailing Award, could close as early as August because of mounting debt. In a plea to customers, owner John Munn attributes the store’s dire financial situation to a combination of the economy, relocation costs, an unresolved dispute with the previous landlord, the move by Diamond Comic Distributors to “call in short-term notes” in the wake of the Borders bankruptcy, and “personal trials.” In the extremely frank letter, he lays out what steps he’s taken (payment plans, using his salary from an outside job to cover payroll), and what he hesitates to do (fire staff, close the nearly nine-year-old store and declare bankruptcy): “I have juggled as far as I can juggle. I have kept a constant vigil on our shop, but currently it is resting on a house of cards and not a strong foundation (yet) that could go at any minute. [...] I need your help. This week is bad … Very bad.”
Munn asks that customers pick up any special orders or pull-list titles, purchase gift certificates, make a short-term loan or buy shares in the store. “I think we can make it,” he writes. “I wouldn’t have sent this message if I didn’t. I did not want to write this letter. I did not want to ask for help. All I ever wanted to do was to create a place where people could come and escape for awhile. A place that would invest in the community, and its organizations, that surrounded it.” [Comic Book Ink]
- June 7, 2011 @ 06:55 AM by Kevin Melrose
Gotham City Imposters gameplay trailer
Warner Bros. and Monolith are working on a new first-person multiplayer shooter video game called Gotham City Imposters that lets everyone be a Batman or a Joker. If you’re curious what the actual game will look like and how it’ll play, check out the above video from this week’s big E3 conference.
- June 7, 2011 @ 06:00 AM by JK Parkin
Talking Comics with Tim | The Rahzzah
Moon Girl 2
A project that I recently became aware of is Moon Girl, written by Tony Trov and Johnny Zito with art by The Rahzzah. Moon Girl (originally created back in the 1940s for EC Comics by Max Gaines, Gardner Fox and Sheldon Moldoff) was relaunched by Trov and Zito back in 2010 (after the property entered the public domain) via Comixology. More recently the Moon Girl has begun being published by Red 5 Comics–and Moon Girl 2 (of a five-issue miniseries) is slated to come out this Wednesday. As detailed by CBR back in early 2010: “Masked vigilantes wage a psychotic war against 1950′s bourgeois; it’s The Dark Knight meets Mad Men. Clare is a Russian Princess happily exiled to New York. When enemies from the past threaten her new life, the repressed Warrior Queen fights back. In the media her secret, nocturnal adventures are attributed to a mysterious hero; Moon Girl.” To get some perspective on the uniquely named artist‘s role in creating the series, we recently did an email interview.
Tim O’Shea: Your name is rather unique, what’s the backstory on your name?
The Rahzzah: Nothing interesting. It’s a hold-over from my “band days” where we all had nicknames. It began as Razz Matazz, got shortened to Razza. Then I had a lady friend who pronounced it “Rahzzah” and I liked that so I just started spelling it phonetically (plus I like the symmetry of it). And Rahzzah it stayed for a good long while, until Johnny Zito came along and decided it wasn’t good enough as-is and threw a “The” in front of it for some reason.
- June 6, 2011 @ 07:05 PM by Tim O'Shea
DC reveals details about the relaunched Batman line
Ceçi n'est pas un Batman
DC spent the day rolling out announcements about the Batman books in anticipation of its line-wide September relaunch…with one conspicuous absence until the very end.
So, Bruce Wayne is reclaiming sole possession of the mantle of the Bat, while Batman and Detective Comics are swapping creators: Batman writer/artist Tony Daniel will be taking over Detective Comics, while ‘Tec writer Scott Snyder is taking over Batman with artist Greg Capullo of Spawn fame. Both books will star Bruce Wayne rather than his protege and stand-in Dick Grayson beneath the cape and cowl.
- June 6, 2011 @ 04:15 PM by Sean T. Collins
Gilly Hathaway’s DC Swimsuit Spectacular
At her DeviantArt account, artist Gilly Hathaway has been designing swimwear based on DC superhero characters. In addition to the full version of the Black Canary suit above, you’ll also find designs based on Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Silk Spectre and Batwoman.
- June 6, 2011 @ 02:00 PM by Michael May
The Death-Ray action doll goes on sale June 9
The Death-Ray
Daniel Clowes’ Death-Ray is not only getting the hardcover treatment this fall, he’s also getting three dimensions.
The creator’s site announced this weekend that the Oakland Toy Corp has designed a Death-Ray “action doll” that will be sold on Press Pop’s website beginning June 9. The 12″ doll is limited to 200 sets, costs $105 and comes with “the Ray Gun to erase all the people you would rather not see.” It will come in a box designed by Clowes.
- June 6, 2011 @ 01:00 PM by JK Parkin