Alpha Flight

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.

Michael May

If I had $15, I’d start with Alpha Flight #1 ($3.99). I had mostly positive feelings about the prequel issue with the only negatives being a mixture of “that doesn’t look like Sasquatch” and some anxiety born from being used to disappointment from Alpha Flight books. Neither of which has anything to do with the people creating the next eight issues, so I’m looking forward to this in a way that I haven’t since John Byrne left the book. Next I’d grab Flashpoint: Grodd of War #1 ($2.99), because an all-out Gorilla Grodd comic sounds awesome. And then I’d give Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths #1 ($3.99) a shot to see how well IDW can manage two Godzilla comics at a time. They certainly managed the first one well. Finally, I’d pick up Mickey Mouse #309 ($3.99) because it’s a globe-trotting adventure with a ton of guest-stars, including my favorite: The Phantom Blot.

If I had $30, I’d add Anya’s Ghost ($15.99) to the stack. I’ve already read it, but I’d buy it again; it’s that good. The most enjoyable, surprising comic I’ve read in a long, long time.

My splurge item for the week is The Sixth Gun, Volume 2 ($19.99). I picked up Volume 1 at C2E2 and have been waiting for this so that I could read them back to back. I’m excited to see what all the buzz is about.

Graeme McMillan

Kirby: Genesis

If I had $15 this week, the first thing I’d pick up would be Kirby: Genesis #1 (Dynamite, $3.99), the second issue — but first full-length one — of Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross’ love letter to the King of Comics. I’ve talked about how much I love this series already, but suffice to say, this is the issue where it all really kicks off and the result is even more fun than last month’s #0. Talking of fun, I’d also grab Supergirl #65 (DC, $2.99), which begins Kelly Sue DeConnick and Chriscross’ short run on the title, pre-reboot; I’ve got really high hopes for this, so fingers crossed it delivers. Also on the DC side, I’ll likely be getting Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #1 and Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the Furies #1 (both $2.99), although for different reasons: I’m a big fan of the characters in the former, and curious enough about the back story of the latter. The Flashpoint tie-ins have been uneven so far, but here’s hoping these trend toward the higher end of the quality scale.

If I had $30, I’d grab Ruse #4 (Marvel, $2.99), the last issue in Mark Waid’s light but fun reboot of his Victorian detective series from CrossGen, as well as the debut of Roger Stern’s Captain America Corps series (Marvel, $2.99), about which my inner conflict can be summed up with “Concept sounds dumb, but Roger Stern is pretty damn awesome, so… maybe it’ll be good?” Beyond that, I’m saving my pennies for…

Splurging this week: the Legion Lost hardcover (DC, $39.95). I’m a big Legion fan who had drifted away from the series by the time Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning and Olivier Coipel launched this year-long mini. I’ve been hoping to read it for a long time, and now, finally have the chance to do so in one place.

Brigid Alverson

Anya's Ghost

It looks like First Second will be getting a lot of my money this week.

If I had just $15, I’d pick up Dave Roman’s Astronaut Academy ($9.99), which is funny and smart, a kids’ comic that a grownup can enjoy as well. It’s a cute idea‹a school in outer space, which allows Dave free rein for all sorts of outlandishness, but at the same time, the kids are typical kids, with the full range of personalities that you see in elementary school. And that will put me in such a juvenile mood that I’ll have to pick up Gladstone’s School for World Conquerors #2 ($2.99), the second issue of Mark Andrew Smith’s delightful story of kid super villains–again, a clever setting with believable kids.

If I have $30, I’ll have a dilemma on my hands: Do I go for Vera Brosgol’s Anya’s Ghost or Gene Yang’s Level Up? Both are $15.99, and it’s a tough call. For me, Anya’s Ghost gets the edge because it’s about a girl and I’m not a gamer, but I love Yang’s storytelling, and Level Up looks like it will go far beyond gaming. I’ll save it for my splurge pile.

The splurge starts with Level Up, but it won’t end there. There are some books coming out this week that aren’t all sweetness and light, and I’d like to cleanse my palate with That Hellbound Train #1, the first of a three-issue miniseries from IDW that looks totally kickass, and the second volume of The Sixth Gun ($19.99), because we all need a little evil (or a lot of evil) to keep things interesting.

Chris Mautner

Welcome to Oddville

If I had $15: It would go toward Welcome to Oddville ($14.99), a collection of newspaper strips by Jay Stephens starring superkid Jetcat. Stephens is a real underrated talent in comics, and I hadn’t heard of or seen any of these strips before now, so I’m really looking forward to diving into them.

If I had $30: First Second has a number of books out this week, but Anya’s Ghost ($15.99) would probably be my pick. It’s a really well-told, smartly observed story of a girl who befrends a ghost, only to discover that the friendship isn’t everything she bargained for. Plus, cartoonist Vera Brosgol has some serious cartooning chops.

Splurge: I’ll probably check out the ninth volume of the heavy metal satire Detroit Metal City ($12.99) and pick up the other eight volumes as well. I am splurging after all.

JK Parkin

Northlanders #41

This week’s issue of Brian Wood’s Northlanders, issue #41 ($2.99), features artwork by Marion Churchland of Elephantman and Beast fame. So it goes to the top of the list. I’m also looking forward to Graveyard of Empires #1 ($2.99), the new zombie/war book by Mark Sable and Paul Azaceta. I’d also grab Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths #1 ($3.99), as Chew scribe John Layman and Unknown Soldier artist Alberto Ponticelli send a detective on vacation to Monster Isle, courtesy of the mob. One of the covers is by Geof Darrow, which is the one I’d be looking for. And finally, Alpha Flight #1 ($3.99) … I was a bit lukewarm to the zero issue, but I have enough faith in the creators to stick with it for a few issues to see what happens.

That puts me at $13, so for the second tier, I’d also add the Deadlands one-shot ($2.99) from Image; this is based on a role-playing game I’m not familiar with, but I am familiar with the team of David Gallaher and Steve Ellis, who worked on Zuda’s High Moon, among other projects. So I know they can do weird westerns well. Like Graeme, I’m also looking forward to DeConnick’s run on Supergirl ($2.99) so throw one of those in the bag. Also, I’ve been meaning to retry Soldier Zero since Abnett and Lanning came on board, and since issue #9 ($3.99) starts a new story, it seems like a good week to check it out. And to round it out, I’d get the second issue of Gladstone’s School for World Conquerors ($2.99) and Avengers #14 ($3.99).

To splurge, I’d go with Graeme and get the Legion Lost hardcover ($39.95) but all the First Second titles everyone’s talking about also sound very tempting, so what the hell … let’s throw those in, too.

Archie artist and writer Dan Parent shows off some of his drawings

The first thing I did when I got to C2E2 was head to Artist Alley to see who was there. It’s always fascinating to see big-name talent rubbing shoulders with creators who haven’t been discovered yet. Here’s a quick look at some of the tables that caught my eye today.

Steve Horton was there, with a poster that celebrates the Bizarro Superman story he has in Superman 80-Page Giant 2011.

The singly-named Franchesco! strikes a jaunty pose.

Members of the collective Mindwave Comics: Dave Wheeler and Samir Barrett (seated), and Adam Erdmann, Alex Johnson, and Heidi Foland (standing) were busily drawing when I came by their table, which was at the far corner of Artists Alley. It’s an interesting group—they all live in different places, so it’s not like they share a studio, but they have produced several collaborative self-published comics in the traditional superhero vein with some very nice art.

I had a long and very interesting conversation with Steve Ellis, the artist for High Moon, and writer David Gallaher (who was off talking to someone else when I took the picture). They were showing off print versions of their digital comics High Moon (originally done for Zuda) and Box 13, now both available via comiXology.

Brian Fyffe is making his first foray into the comics world with his self-published comic Zombie Chuck, which he describes as “Tim Burton-esque.” Not only has Fyffe plotted out the first three issues, he was selling multicolored resin dolls of his characters.

Carlos Gabriel Ruiz and Bradley King are part of another collective, Ink and Drink, this one based in St. Louis. They had an array of attractive anthologies at their table, but of course it was Pretentious Record Store Guy, their self-published floppy, that caught my eye.

The Wolfman

Today marks the third anniversary of our werewolf western series HIGH MOON. To celebrate, Steve Ellis and I thought we’d take the time to share with you our top list of werewolves that have influenced, entertained, and inspired us over the years.

Starting with this classic:

6. The Wolf Man

SE: You can’t go wrong with this classic tale of innocent Larry Talbot, a poor bastard of a man, who gets caught up in circumstances that are out of his control. I saw this when I was younger – so I’m not sure how much it would still hold up though.

DG: This is a simple yet effective atmospheric masterpiece of horror. Lon Chaney Jr. plays his role to perfection. This is the foundation that all great werewolf movies should be built upon.

5. Werewolf / Being Human

DG: As a kid, I was forbidden from seeing this show on FOX – but that didn’t really stop me. I would totally watch it when my parents were asleep – it was so taboo. I look at this as one of the major influences of High Moon for me. It doesn’t hold up that well, but there is something about it that still sticks with me.

SE: This show made me understand that when you have a low-budget – using shadow was a great way to hide your lousy special effects. It reminds me of something else … what’s that show … on BBC?

Being Human

DG: BEING HUMAN?

SE: Oh my god – totally awesome show – oh my god! Sorry, Gallaher – that’s my pick for #5. Amazing show. Fantastic story. Chilling ambiance. Great characters.

DG: Fair enough.

4 .Werewolf: The Apocalypse

DG: In the early 90s, White Wolf created an intriguing and complex role-playing game, which let players take on the roles of lycanthropic warriors who were locked in a battle of spiritual corruption and urban devastation – a battle that was set to bring about the Apocalypse. This is the first RPG that I played that really focused on character development, personal growth, and complex struggles.

SE: It was a hell of a lot of fun to play too. I love the ideas they came up with – and I loved they way the werewolves looked, the way they behaved – and it was really unique at the time. This is really what got me into werewolves.

3. Werewolf by Night

DG: When I think of comic book werewolves, Jack Russell is always at the top of the list. My first experience with Werewolf By Night was through Power Record’s CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF book and record set. The creepy music, the overwrought voiceovers, and the dynamic art really had a dramatic influence on my poor five-year old mind.

SE: You know it’s funny – I only read a few issues of this, but it doesn’t stick with me the same way it does with you. But – when Bill Sienkiewicz drew Moon Knight fighting Werewolf By Night – THAT was absolutely mind-blowing. I think it was in Issue #29 of the Moon Knight series. Amazing.

2. American Werewolf in London

DG: Despite the fact that you never see a “werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand walking through the streets of Soho in the rain” at any point in this film, it is still pretty damn amazing.

SE: John Landis and the spirited cast make one hell of a flick – with easily the most terrifying werewolf transformation scene ever committed to film. This is really one of the creepiest movies I have ever seen – it freaked the crap out of me. The special effects were really tremendous.

1. Dog Soldiers

Dog Soldiers

SE: Stomach-churning special effects and a unique twist on the werewolf design. This British film by Neil Marshall begins with a couple camping in the Scottish Highlands – and ends in utter bloodshed.

DG: You stole my stomach-churning joke, but yeah – this is probably my favorite werewolf film. Without a doubt. Scary. Haunting. Intense.

SE: Agreed.

DG: So there you have it … our choice for the top werewolves in entertainment — please be sure to check out some of these comics, films, and television shows this Halloween.

SE: Thanks for joining us.

High Moon

All this month, the creative team of High Moon has been celebrating its third anniversary of entertaining folks. Robot 666 is joining in the celebratory fun today by interviewing artist Steve Ellis. In this email info exchange we delve into the series moving away from ZUDA and growing its audiences through different digital platforms. While he was unable to go into details, I think fans of High Moon will be happy to learn there will some more Western horror in the High Moon creative team’s future.

If you’ve not read High Moon, at their blog the creators posted where to find High Moon: “The first three chapters of High Moon were collected last October by DC Comics. You can order the print collection through your local area comic book shop, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Borders.

The entire series is also available digitally through Comixology’ Comics or DC Comics apps for the iPhone and iPad Operating System. You can also download the issues from here – and read them on your computer or import them them into your ipad or iphone. The first issue is free — and every additional issue is just 99 cents!

And finally, for those of you savvy comic reading gamers our there — HIGH MOON is also available through the DIGITAL COMICS store on the Playstation Network for your PSP.”

Added bonus at the end of this interview, instead of answering a question, Ellis asks the readers a question.

Tim O’Shea: This month marks the third anniversary of High Moon. Looking back at the past three years, what have been some of the high points for you?

Steve Ellis: The first high point was meeting David at NYCC and starting the whole process of collaboration and building the working friendship that we’ve built. The rewards of working in comics come in different forms, but the collaborative process is one of the greatest parts of it.

Other highlights include winning the first competition, which while everyone else seems to say was a foregone conclusion didn’t feel that way while we wee in the thick of it. The third major high point is getting to know the fans, building a visual style all my own and really finding an audience that responds to that vision.

Last but not least, being nominated and winning the Harvey Awards. There is nothing more flattering than to be acknowledged by your peers for the work you’ve been dong. So often comic artists work in a vacuum, only interacting with the biz on Wednesday when you go to the shop. Having your work chosen for an award by your peers is an excellent reward, and makes all the studio work even more worthwhile.

O’Shea: How daunting is it for the series to be moving on, with the end of ZUDA as an entity?

Ellis: I don’t know if I would describe it as daunting, it’s really exciting. Watching how well High Moon has done with the new audiences it’s found on the iPhone and PSP has given me more belief in the digital format these digital format and that when we come back with the new material we’ll have an even bigger audience waiting for it. I will miss Zuda for its community of fans though. I think that was one of the highlights of that format. The direct interaction with the fans. It seemed that every day people were coming to the site, reading and commenting and having conversations about the story points, giving their opinions on the weekly events in the comic and really being a part of the series. I think Zuda fostered a wonderful group of fans and contributors and I think in some ways the comics industry is a bit less for its end.

O’Shea: Did you know Drawbridge was going to post some interpretations of the HIGH MOON characters or was that a complete surprise?

Ellis: That was truly awesome. Simon Fraser, who arranges the drawbridge blog, dropped it on me the day they were going to do that as the topic. They put out a new topic everyday on Drawbridge and most days I can’t get my head together to do a piece for it. By the time I figure out a piece I want to do, it’s already the next day. So when Simon told me they were doing High Moon, I found out that morning. It was all I could do to get a piece in there. I have a couple of Drawbridge sketches sitting in my drawer because I was too busy to get them done.

The Drawbridge guys and girls are a fantastic bunch of creators, and it’s really an honor that they’ve asked me to contribute.

O’Shea: What else are you working on?

Ellis: Well, David, Scott and I are still producing the thriller comic, BOX 13, and after some interesting meetings we had at NYCC 20, it seems we’re going to have a lot of new and interesting projects with High Moon coming up.

Plus, there looks like there will some more Western horror in our future very soon.

O’Shea: In a recent tweet of yours, you acknowledged that films sometimes serve as inspiration for your comics. What films influenced High Moon?

Ellis: Oh wow … the first season of High Moon was influenced by Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns. Films like The Good, the Bad & The Ugly, High Plains Drifter, The Italian version of Django is also great visual influence on High Moon especially for Mac’s tartan. The widescreen format of High Moon was made for the western. You can get those nice long “pans” across that mimic those long epic shots in Leone films. Not to use pretentious film words, but with High Moon I really tried to keep the same sense of mise en scène from the Leone world.

As the comics have been moving forward, Conroy has moved across the ocean to Victorian England and new influences have come in to play. For visual style I’ve been looking at films like the recent Frankenstein (by Kenneth Branagh, not my favorite film, but the set designs are great), as well as The Prestige, From Hell and other films of that era.

Strangely enough, I haven’t really delved into many monster films for this one, mostly because I don’t want my monsters to be too influenced by other peoples work.

O’Shea: In what ways have you and collaborator David Gallaher helped each other to evolve/improve as storytellers?

Ellis: David and I have spent countless hours sitting in my studio, or in the local coffee shops going over our projects panel-by-panel, page-to-page. It’s a very different work relationship than the traditional comic model. We both have a lot of say in what the other guy is doing. David will sometimes have a very specific vision for how he wants a scene to visually play out and I will have changes or additions to story points and storytelling.

I’ve really learned a lot about story structure and developing character and putting characters through their paces. When we begin working we tend to start with a solid outline, but as the story builds and as we develop pages and the drawing/writing process has begun, there is a lot of back and forth, and frequently the stories take on a life of their own. The final product still has the themes and high points of the outline but the details have often changed somewhat. Usually, when I’m done with a season, I have to immediately go back and read it again because I feel like every season is a journey and by the time I’ve gotten to the end I’ve forgotten where I began.

O’Shea: How has the 31 Days of High Moon gone so far?

Ellis: It’s been great, we’ve been talking to a lot of fans and putting up new art and things from the series and the repines has been fantastic. It’s great to see the outpouring of support we’ve gotten for the book and the continuation of the series.

O’Shea: Were you able to generate a great deal of interest and fun with the High Moon print you all offered at NYCC?

Ellis: The print was a great success. Every one who saw it was really excited about it. I haven’t worked on High Moon in a while, so pulling out The High Moon color palette and going crazy with the ink was great fun. I’m really looking forward to sinking my teeth into the next storyline.

O’Shea: When did you first realize how much enjoyment you got out of drawing monsters (as evidenced by High Moon, as well as your How-To book, Scream)?

Ellis: I’ve always been the “scary” kid, though, I think I really figured out that I was good at drawing monsters when I started working for White Wolf games on their Vampire the Masquerade line.

Monsters are just a blast to draw. I went to the morgue and studied anatomy in college and would come home after drawing cadavers and twist the anatomy into weird freaks of nature in my sketchbooks. Also, I love to look through books of animals and those crazy deep-sea creatures for inspiration. There’s nothing like big teeth, claws, fangs and weird anatomy to excite the imagination.

Monsters have always been a great way to deal with often real issues in a fun, scary, but not “real” way. I think Monsters often personify something we don’t like about ourselves or the world around us and play on our primal instincts. In movies and comics in the past monsters have been used as metaphors for social issues and personal fears. Just look at the way George Romero uses zombies to deal with race, religion and consumerism. The Werewolves in High Moon represent different things to the different characters that interact with or are them. For Mac, the Werewolf inside him represents his fear of losing control, whereas Conroy is more at home with his monster within. He accepts it and uses it, rather than trying to suppress it. For Bell, the monster he becomes is a dark reflection of his gentlemanly self.

Writing and illustrating Scream: Draw Classic Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, Monsters and More, was a fantastic way to share my love of monsters with students who like to draw. Drawing monsters well can be tough, because you need to be able to draw the real world and represent that well enough so that when you twist the world into a monster, its still as realistic and well drawn as when you draw “real life” things.

O’Shea: You’ve been answering all these questions, now you get a chance: What would you like to ask your fans?

Ellis: I want to do a special High Moon piece for the end of the month; so, I guess I’d like to ask them what monster they want Conroy to be confronting on that piece.

Also, I’d like to thank all the fans of High Moon who supported us through the competition and really became a part of what made High Moon great for us and to let them know that more is coming.

Gallaher occupies a unique role as a creator whose popularity is based primarily on his online comics output, with his print work coming to catch up. The writer has a long history with the online work, going back to interning at Marvel’s interactive department in the late 1990s and being a advertising copywriter for several years. While his comics come out on the bleeding edge of comics formats, his instincts owe more to comics’ pulpy roots.

Chris Arrant: Let’s do an easy one, first – what are you working on today?

David Gallaher: This morning, I’m laying out the rest of Box 13: The Pandora Process, which is being illustrated by Steve Ellis and is being published digitally by comiXology. Steve and I also have another project we’re working on that we’re really excited about. It’s got what I refer to as the “new project smell.” Like  High Moon, it plays to our pulp roots – and I think it’ll be equally as vast.

And at some point this week, we’ll start our preparation for the New York Comic Con and discuss what’s next for High Moon.

Arrant: Although you’ve been doing comics for several years, it was your online work like High Moon at Zuda and Box 13 at comiXology that really put you on the map. What do you think of how the Internet changed your career like that?

Gallaher: What do I think? Well, I think it’s kinda great, honestly. I mean, technically, I started my professional career in digital comics with Marvel Interactive in ’99, so I think going back to those roots was really a huge part of why I am where I am today. You are right – I did have several years of traditional print comics under my belt – and while I don’t want to say that I struggled in that market, I did find it a difficult place to attract the sort of audience I was interested in reaching. So, I looked for different places to experiment a bit – places like Zuda and comiXology – and so far those have been great avenues for my work. Moving forward, I hope to develop more projects that move in that direction.

Arrant: Over at Marvel you’ve done two stories, both focused on the Russian superhero team the Winter Guard. Why are you drawn to them so much? Is it the characters, or their country?

Gallaher: Actually, it’s the creator. While he didn’t technically create the Winter Guard, the team was directly inspired by the work Bill Mantlo did with the Soviet Super-Soldiers in the ’80s. I have always been a big fan of his work – and wanted to create a project that played around with some obscure characters while raising awareness of Bill’s current condition, which I talk about a little on my website. Beyond that, though, it was a great opportunity to move these characters out of the faded shadow of Communism and into a bold, more heroic future. I’m enthralled by Russia and by the incredible array of Russian characters in the Marvel Universe – Kraven, Rhino, Chameleon, Black Widow, Omega Red – and I wanted to shine a light on that side of the world. And it was a blast! I got to use the Agents of Atlas, I had Ursa Major punch an undead dinosaur in the face, and I brought back the Dire Wraiths – that to me was a lot of fun. But, at the end of the day, the book was really for Bill Mantlo and everything he inspired in me.

I also owe a big thanks to Jeph Loeb, who brought these characters out of obscurity.

Arrant: Where do you see yourself five years from now?

Gallaher: If you had asked me that question five years ago, I certainly wouldn’t have said that I expected to be writing comics full-time. In April of 2005, my body was breaking down at a severe pace – where I was having eight to nine seizures a week – and where literally every day, I was wondering if it’d be my last. So, five years ago, I certainly didn’t think I’d be where I am today.

With that in mind, I have no idea where I’ll be in five years. The key for me is to keep moving forward. I want to keep my creative team employed telling the kind of stories that we want to tell with as much creative freedom as possible. Basically, the goal is to keep writing comics and new projects until I can’t write anymore.

Arrant: For years, you worked as a copywriter for an advertising agency. How did your work there affect your writing?

Gallaher: Some of my favorite writers worked as advertising copywriters – Terry Gilliam, for instance. And, having spent the years working in that field myself I can tell you firsthand that it fundamentally changed the way I felt about writing. No longer was I writing when I “felt inspired” — now I was obligated to write every day for 50 hours a week, whether it was excellent or excrement. It gave me the discipline I needed to go further with my career. Of course, I also learned something else critically important and that’s “simplicity sells” – and that’s the one lesson I try to keep in mind when I’m writing any project.

Arrant: Prior to all that you interned at Marvel in the late ’90s. What was it like then?

Gallaher: Interning at Marvel was an amazing experience. I could spend hours talking about how that experience shaped me as a comics creator. I met amazing people, did some work I’m still very proud of, and I learned firsthand how awesome comics could be. Conversely, I also learned how wretched the industry could be, too. At the time, Marvel was undergoing some dramatic changes, doing their best to crawl out of the hole that their bankruptcy left them in. There was a great deal of confusion about what role Interactive should play in Marvel’s development. I saw friends get let go, fired, and whole departments get restructured. It was a challenging time, but, as I said, I learned a lot. It was a tremendous experience that opened a lot of doors for me and my career.

Arrant: What’s the big comic you want to do next?

Gallaher: When you say BIG comic, what do you mean? I mean, I certainly want to do more Winter Guard comics – and maybe one day a neo-noir Dan Garrett Blue Beetle series, but in terms of Batman, Wolverine, or Superman? I’m not sure. I don’t really think that way. I mean, I love those characters — but they seemed pretty locked up for a while. In the meantime, I’m going to keep developing new content, exploring new formats, finding new models of collaboration, working with innovative publishers, and pushing new ideas forward. If nothing else — it will certainly be an adventure.

Box 13

Box 13 writer David Gallaher sent word over the weekend that Box 13, the digital comic he created with artist Steve Ellis, is headed to the printed page, courtesy of Red 5 Comics.

Based on a syndicated radio series, Box 13 “is the story of newspaperman-turned-mystery novelist Dan Holliday, who kind of hires himself out as a detective to get ideas for his stories,” Gallaher told me last October. “It was a high-noir, high-adventure series, but it was certainly a product of its time. Our re-imagining of the series incorporates many of the noir elements of the original serial, but with a bunch of John Frankenheimer, Patrick McGoohan, Alex Toth, and Peter O’Donnell added to the mix. There is gunplay, conspiracy, romance, psychological drama, train chases, motorcycle chases, and danger! But, at its heart, it’s a story about rediscovering your place in the world after everything in your life changes forever.”

Originally published by Comixology on their iPhone application and website, the graphic novel will cost $13 and is due in May. The complete solicitation text can be found after the jump.

*****

From the creators of High Moon. Investigative author Dan Holiday has spent the last several years of his life researching the secrets behind the MKULTRA project. His latest book has brought him a degree of notoriety around the country and around the world. And, during his recent book tour Dan discovers something that will change his life forever. Join him as he learns what lurks inside Box 13.

124 pages
$13

Jimmy Palmiotti

Splatterman

I am personally excited about what changes are coming at both DC COMICS and MARVEL COMICS. Most people look at change as a negative thing, but looking at the projects coming from both companies and the amount of multi-media projects coming our way, I cant help become excited to what the future holds. I think all these changes will help bring brand new readers to our industry and deliver some exciting projects to the loyal fans as well. see? a lot of positive vibes…there really is no reason to fear change. I believe in embracing it.

As far as what I have coming up… well , that would take a while, but the first thing that is coming to mind is the Image Comics one shot Justin Gray and I have in the works for this spring called Splatterman. Originally we were going to make this a few issues , but decided to go the graphic novel way and put it out as one book. It features beautiful artwork by Giancarlo Caracuzzo and Paul Mounts with a stunning cover by award winning artist, Tim Bradstreet. It’s the story of two comic creators [not us, lol] that create the ultimate horror comic character that comes back to haunt them. It’s crazy adult comics the way they were meant to be told. Anyone that enjoyed our Friday the 13th series and The Last Resort will understand what i mean.

Jimmy Palmiotti has done it all in the comics industry –writing, drawing, inking, editing — on titles for all sorts of comic companies. Some of his most recent writing, much of it with Justin Gray, includes Jonah Hex, Power Girl, The Last Resort and Wednesday Comics. Heck, just go look at his Amazon search listing …. it goes on for pages and pages. He’s also worked in video games and done some Hollywood stuff. And he blogs over at Blog@Newsarama.

David Gallaher

First, name something that you aren’t personally involved with that has you excited.

With the prospect of a new publisher on the horizon, I’m excited that 2010 could usher in a new digital era for DC Comics.

Also, I can’t wait to see the THOR trailer!

And second, if applicable, name something you are personally working on that has you excited.

The seventh chapter of BOX 13 debuts in January. It opens like this:

Box 13

Things only get worse from there.

And HIGH MOON SEASON FOUR concludes early this year – answering many questions about our hero and his place in the world. This is something we’ve been building to for a long time … it’s going to be incredible!

In addition to the projects David listed above, he also recently wrote the Winter Guard special for Marvel. He guest blogged with us last year, and also has pitched in on our Six by 6 feature.

Chris Schweizer

Set to Sea

I was a little bit worried a couple of years ago. I was in graduate school, trying to learn as much as I could about my chosen profession, and I had just landed a multi-book deal with Oni Press. The first book in the series was to be a pirate story.

Now that, of course, was wonderful news to me; the problem came when my friends at SCAD introduced me to THEIR friends. Incredibly nice guys, excellent cartoonists, folks whose work I was instantly drawn to, guys like Drew Weing, Chris Wright, and Aaron Renier. The worry came from these encounters, when I discovered that each of these wonderful artists was himself working on… that’s right… a pirate story.

I’d just begun work on mine; it was clear that I was going to be the last one out of the gate, a real Johnny-Come-Lately in the forthcoming indie comics pirate subgenre.

Well, it didn’t exactly happen that way. My book, Crogan’s Vengeance, hit shelves in 2008, and the books from these three gentlemen have yet to find their way into my library. Renier’s book switched publishers, Weing took a break from the project to ink wife Eleanor Davis’s awe-inspiring Secret Science Alliance, and Wright’s meticulous hatchwork simply results in a long gestation time. Nonetheless, rumor has it that all of these books are slated for 2010.

Drew Weing’s Set to Sea is a story about a brawny poet who is shanghaied and finds himself working on a clipper ship, fighting pirates and inclement weather. He’s been serializing it on his website and the art is just beautiful. Many folks have commented on the aesthetic similarities to Segar in this project, and it’s an apt comparison; the characters would look right at home in Sweethaven, but the inkwork is truly in a class by itself. The story is charming, but for me, the excitement I feel for this book’s release comes from the chance to pour over Weing’s pages, trying to figure out how he draws water so darn well. It’s coming out in July from Fantagraphics.

Aaron Renier’s Spiral Bound (Top Shelf) is one of my very favorite graphic novels, so I’ve been eagerly anticipating his new book, The Unsinkable Walker Bean. From what I can gather, it’s a story about a kid whose grandfather knows about a treasure, that there may or may not be sea witches, and that it might be the first in a trilogy. Vague details, I know, but given Renier’s nuanced ability to capture the essence of childhood so well I can’t help but be excited for this one. It’s colored by mini-comics mainstay Alec Longstreth, and is coming out from First Second Books, though I’ve been unable to find a shelf date.

Lastly, Inkweed cartoonist Chris Wright has a book that, according to Tom Devlin, should be out from Drawn and Quarterly this fall. Wright’s been working on this for years, and if you see his originals it’ll be clear as to why the slow trek. He might lay down a hundreds of lines in a square inch – no exaggeration – and the effect is truly remarkable. I only hope that D&Q have the good sense to print it as big as they can afford – the only complaint I ever read about Inkweed was that the art seemed to lose Wright’s fine detail when shrunk to print size.

Like most of Wright’s work, you can expect it to be heady, very much in the vein of Conrad or Melville, with layers of symbolism and a plot that brings out questions about the nature of life, the soul, original sin, etc. Like Weing’s, this pirate story features an academic shanghaied into nautical service, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Wright uses his ostensible protagonist as a pair of eyes for us to follow the behavior and grandeur of his captain, in the same manner that we meet Kurtz through Marlowe or Wolf Larsen through van Weyden. Wright’s book is called Blacklung.

As for me, I’m biding my time ‘til these books are released by researching for the third book in the Crogan Adventures series, Crogan’s Loyalty, which takes place during the American War of Independence. The second book, Crogan’s March, just came out in the final days of 2009. It’s a French Foreign Legion story, and, as far as I know, is NOT the first of some sort of indie comics foreign legion subgenre, though Craig Thompson IS doing that Moroccan book.

Tim interviewed Chris Schweizer last year about his Crogan Adventures series. He also designed my iGoogle theme.

Molly Crabapple

I’m incredibly thrilled to be working with comics legend Annie Nocenti on a sordid Typhoid Mary tale for Marvel’s Girl Comics. Nocenti is one of the giants of the industry, and its a true honor she chose me to bring to life her creation.

For projects I’m not involved in- dear lord but I cannot wait to see the Runaways. Kristen Stewart as teenage Joan Jett in all her swaggering rebellious babydyke glory- be still my aching heart. I’ve watched the trailer 50 times in preparation. This is going to be feminist anthem legend. March 19 cannot come soon enough

Molly Crabapple‘s graphic novel Scarlett Takes Manhattan hit shelves this past year, and Tim spoke with her about it back in August. She also contributed to 2009′s Activate Primer, an anthology by folks who contribute to the webcomic collective that ran her webcomic Backstage.

Mike Dawson

Troop 142

There are two comics coming out in 2010 that I’m eager to purchase. First up is Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca’s AFRODISIAC, which I believe is due out right in the beginning of the year, January 14th, from AdHouse books. I love Jim’s drawings, and the Afrodisiac stories are always a lot of fun. The other book I’m looking forward to, though I don’t know a lot about it, is Dan Clowes’ WILSON. It feels like it’s been a while since there’s been a new book from one of my favorite cartoonists.

As for myself, I’m currently focusing on two main projects: The Ink Panthers Show!, which is a weekly podcast hosted by myself and the cartoonist Alex Robinson. I’m looking forward to having new guests crouching in The Panther’s Lair with us, something we’re hoping to do a lot more of in 2010. And, I am also serializing a new book-length comic online, TROOP 142, set at a Boy Scout summer camp in 1995. This is updated pretty much as much as I’m able, which is normally at least once or twice a week.

In addition to the above, Mike Dawson is also the creator of Ace-Face: The Mod with the Metal Arms, Freddie & Me, and Jack & Max Escape from the End of Time. Tim spoke with him about his various comics projects earlier this year.

Andrew Farago

There’s a lot to look forward to in 2010. Personally, I’d say that I’m most excited about IDW’s upcoming King Aroo reprint series, plus the launch of Rick Marschall’s Rosebud Archives, and the continuation of great reprint collections from Peter Maresca’s Sunday Press, Fantagraphics, Drawn & Quarterly, and some unexpected gems from Marvel and DC.

I know that’s already more than one answer, but I’ll also mention that I’m looking forward to the convention season, especially San Francisco’s WonderCon and APE, Portland’s Stumptown Comics Fest, and the San Diego Comic-Con. No matter how big and crazy these things get, it’s always fun catching up with friends and colleagues at cons. And I’m just a little bit worried that some years I’m more likely to bump into Peter “Chewbacca” Mayhew and Herbert “Boomer” Jefferson than some of my closest friends and relatives, and that no longer seems like a strange thing.

As far as personal projects go, I’m writing The Looney Tunes Treasury for Palace Press, due for a fall 2010 release. If you’ve seen that great Hanna-Barbera Treasury that they released a couple of years back, this will be pretty similar in terms of replicas and reproductions. It’s my first book, so I’m really excited about it. I also contributed a couple of essays to Palace Press’s 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons, which will be available in May 2010.

On top of all that, I’m putting together a lot of exciting exhibitions for San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum, including spotlights on Batman, Ed Hannigan, Beetle Bailey, Jewish women cartoonists and a pretty wide array of other subjects, too.

Andrew Farago is the curator of the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco, Calif. When he isn’t doing that, he also makes comics of his own. Tim spoke with him about the museum earlier this year.

Donna Barr

Thank you for thinking of me! So pleased. Happy New Year!

Okay, scratching head. I have to warn you, I’m all wrapped up in my own stuff, and most of my reading is reference material, including cookbooks. Movies are whatever I find in the library stacks or on the return cart. I’m a simple soul, and not picky.

KIND of want to see “Avatar” (I like anime, a lot), but Dan’s described it as “Dances With Space Aliens.” (He also said, “Henry James chewed more than he bit off.” He calls the wireless modem “Oz” because it’s a little black box hiding in the shadows controlling the show.). Another wimpy American attempt to deal with our own invasion history BUT NOT REALLY because then we’d have to face it and who could afford all those Native American holocaust memorials? — but that’s the political side and you know what I’m like. I want to see it anyway.

Then again, I loved “Kung Fu Panda” because it was a send-up of “Kung-Fu Hustle” and the “Chocolate” ads had us on the floor: “Real fighting! REAL INJURIES!” My movie tastes are strictly High Concept + Low Brow. My favorite internet shows are Mr.Deity.com and BusPirates. Whadaya gonna do? You don’t want me to review anything because I have ABSOLUTELY NO TASTE.

Right now I’m just excited MY CAT MAY MAKE IT TO NEW YEARS‘.

Um… Other projects I’m not associated with…. um…. er…. I can get all of “Red Green” on DVD, now?

My own stuff:

Starting to collect stories for “This Mortal Coil.” I will never have enough to pay, just want a few lines of dialogue or ideas, people get to be anonymous or represent. Have had to tell one comics artist that his drawing the story is too much to ask for, for no money, but he wants to do it anyway, and I’m not going to stop him.

A lot of long-term slogging projects. Getting ready for that big world-wide publishing crash/leap that’s coming soon (was 5 years a year ago, so….).

I AM going to get all The Desert Peach up at http://www.desert-peach.com AND at Indyplanet.com and Comicsmonkey.com (search: Desert Peach).

IF I work very very hard I may actually get all the Stinz up, too.

AFTERDEAD running at Webcomicsnation.com (under “Alternate History”).

AFTERDEAD 2 finally re-loading at Createspace/Amazon

All of the Desert Peach on IPod at Comicsxp.com

Then I will start looking for agents for my prose books up at http://www.lulu.com/desertpeach

For more, check out the home site at http://www.donnabarr.com (Bookstore link very helpful).

Somebody hire me to write a mystery/novel/whatever of this area because now I have all the dirt. What? Huh? Who said that?

I better quit listing links. I may hurt somebody.

Donna Barr is the creator of Afterdead, Desert Peach and Stinz, among other books. You can read Tim O’Shea’s interview with her from last March right here.

Laura Hudson

What am I most excited about for 2010?

The project I’m most excited for in 2010 is whatever Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III continue to do with Batwoman. My personal preference would obviously be an ongoing series, but since there’s been no formal announcement, we’ll just have to wait and see what we get. I hope, selfishly and unselfishly, that Rucka and Williams stay with this character for as long as they possibly can, because they are in the midst of creating a classic, and heaven help any creator who has to pick up the Batwoman baton after their definitive run.

So much of the last several decades has involved superhero comics slouching towards maturity in all the wrong ways, but this arc of “Detective” – which I’ve found myself just calling “Batwoman” – was the grown-up superhero comic I’d been waiting for. Or maybe on some level it’s the comic I stopped waiting for. Reading it felt kind of like falling in love after you’ve had your heart broken and stopped believing it’s ever going to happen for you again. It’s a book that makes me feel as breathless now, as a critical, cliche-weary adult, as I used to feel reading superhero comics when I was 12.

I can’t wait to see what they do next.

My own projects:

I run this site called ComicsAlliance? Probably I will write a bunch of stuff there.

In addition to being editor and lead blogger at ComicsAlliance“>ComicsAlliance, Laura also used to edit Comics Foundry magazine and contributed a piece right here at Robot 6 last year, “I ♥ Finder.”

Johanna Draper Carlson

After taking a break last year from most big conventions, I’m excited to go back to them in 2010, especially C2E2 and Heroes. After some time away, I think I’ll better appreciate the fun and excitement, and I’m looking forward to finding out about new comics and projects, seeing old friends, and meeting cool people involved in comics.

As for my own projects, I’m planning to keep on covering as many diverse comics and manga as I can.

Johanna Draper Carlson reviews and talks about comics, manga, the industry and lots of other stuff over at her blog Comics Worth Reading. She also told us what she was reading back in May.

David Brothers

The book I’m looking forward to the most is IDW’s release of Enrique Abulli and Jordi Bernet’s Torpedo in fancy-pants hardcovers, with translations coming courtesy of Jimmy Palmiotti. I love Bernet’s art, but I’ve never managed to check out one of his best-known works. Being able to pick up the series in nice hardcovers is just icing on the cake. I expect big things, but judging by the excerpts I’ve seen in various books about and by Bernet, I won’t be disappointed. Crime comics are my favorite genre, with war comics coming a close second. Considering that this year is going to feature Torpedo and Garth Ennis continuing his stellar Battlefields series… 2010 already rules.

On a person project note, I’m honestly elated that 4thletter! is celebrating its fifth anniversary this March. Sometimes I sit and think about it and it just blows my mind. We’re coming off the best decade in comics ever, with art and story and presentation and design all reaching incredible highs, and I’m looking forward to reading and analyzing the works to come. Being able to co-judge the Glyph Comics Awards is an honor, as well.

David Brothers runs the blog 4thletter!, where you can read a lot of great commentary on comics and related items. He did a guest post for us right after Comic-Con about his experiences at the convention. He also let us rerun some of his 4thletter! posts in February that he did for Black History Month.

David Steinberger with comiXology, who I interviewed earlier this month for a story on Box 13 for the main CBR site, sent over some additional artwork from the comic:

You can check out the press release on it after the jump …

*****

comiXology continues pushing forward digital comics revolution with their first original comic, Box 13, created by Harvey Award and zuda.com winning team of David Gallaher and Steve Ellis.

Available for free exclusively on Comics by comiXology, Box 13 is a re-imagining of the popular radio serial of the same name.

It follows the harrowing adventures of author Dan Holiday as he unlocks clue to his past and his very identity. Holiday has spent the last several years of his life researching the secrets behind the MKULTRA project. His latest book has brought him a degree of notoriety around the country and around the world. And, during his recent book tour – Dan discovers something that will change his life forever. Join him as he leans what lurks inside Box 13.

The series will run in seven page installments weekly for 13 weeks, with the first installment released October 13th. The following twelve chapters will be released on Thursdays, when comiXology traditionally releases all the new releases to the Comics app.

“David and Steve created an innovative and exciting comic at zuda.com with High Moon,” said David Steinberger, CEO of comiXology. “They are a perfect choice to explore the possibilities of great storytelling on our platform, too. The first chapter starts with a bang, and we fully expect it to be a reason for people to check in with the app every Thursday, at least for the next thirteen weeks!”

Comics by comiXology is the top selling comics app on the iPhone and iPod Touch, with over 350 comics from nearly 30 publishers, including over 60 free to download after the initial $0.99 purchase. Wired.com wrote that “comiXology may have solved the problem of reading comics on the small screen.”

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe

Well bust my buttons, if it isn’t time for another round of What Are You Reading, where we talk about all the comics, books and other reading matter we’re currently engrossed in. Our guest this week is High Moon co-creator and writer David Gallaher, who’s been blogging with us at Robot 6 all this past week.

David has quite a list of titles to pour over, so let’s get to it. Click on the link below to get started.

Spider-Man 2099

Tom Bondurant: I’ve been re-reading Spider-Man 2099, but now I have a strange compulsion to pick up “Hush”….

So far I’ve gotten through the first twelve issues of Spider-Man 2099, all of which which were written by Peter David, pencilled by Rick Leonardi, and inked by Al Williamson. For a book designed to launch an entire imprint, build a new Marvel future, and piggyback on the considerable goodwill of Marvel’s best-known character, it stands on its own quite well. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t feel like Spider-Man, because there’s enough humor and swashbuckling to make Miguel O’Hara a credible Spider-successor. It’s a handsome package too, with Williamson’s inks complementing Leonardi’s pencils nicely. David also juggles a growing cast efficiently, for example using villains like Venture and the 2099 Vulture for world-building. He’s just introduced the Net Prophet on the last issue of #12, and I know the NP is supposed to be a familiar Marvel character, but I can’t remember who — and don’t tell me, I want to see if I can figure it out!

Man, I’m writing about Donna Troy a lot these days! I even watched bits of “Cougar Town” (during “Glee’s” commercial breaks) to test my theory about her and Courteney Cox. Anyway, Blackest Night: Titans #2 is probably the most tasteless superhero comic I’ve read in a while, as well as one of the more ridiculous. Written by J.T. Krul and drawn by Ed Benes (with some inks from Scott Williams), its centerpiece is Donna’s confrontation with the Black Lantern versions of her late husband and infant son (who were killed off-panel over ten years ago). What’s tasteless is having baby Robbie half-decomposed. What’s ridiculously over-the-top is having baby Robbie fly around attacking Donna. Sure it’s horrific, and sure that’s the point, but baby Robbie didn’t have to look so … dead. (In fact, Black Lantern Jade looked pretty healthy.) Blackest Night can get along fine without a dead baby, so it could have either made Robbie look more presentable, or hidden him in the shadows with his condition implied. It’s too bad, because as it happens, Benes’ work here is some of his best. It’s moody and scary when it needs to be, and dynamic where appropriate. Terra’s hinder still gets some undue attention, but at this point that’s to be expected.

Finally, I did like this week’s Justice League of America 80-Page Giant, a clever riff on the venerable JLA format which finds our heroes paired up and cast randomly through time. It’s by a veritable horde of writers and artists, so some chapters come off better than others. Basically, each pair of Leaguers teams up with a classic DC character from the particular time period. I liked Green Arrow and Firestorm teaming up with the Bride to fight Ra’s Al Ghul in World War II, as well as Steel and Wonder Woman as pirates fighting Starro. Sadly, I get the feeling that these kinds of stories only get done in these special-format issues because they’re too “retro” and throwbacky for the cool kids who read the regular JLA book. That’s a
shame, because (as I get tired of saying) the regular JLA book could use a little structure, retro though it may be.

Batman and the Outsiders

Tim O’Shea: I bought/read/own the original Batman and the Outsiders when they were published back in the early 1980s. But I still could not resist the urge to snag a used Showcase edition that collects the first 19 issues of the series (plus a few crossovers here and there). Why? Because it’s nice to see Jim Aparo’s art in pure black and white. For me, I think Aparo will always be my favorite Batman artist. Also, this was an era in Batman comics where the tragic bastard actually smiled once and a rare while.

Chris Mautner: WW Norton was kind enough to send me a copy of Crumb’s Genesis adaptation. I only got it in the mail yesterday, so I haven’t had much of a chance to delve into it yet. It looks beautiful though. I hope to have a proper review of the book up soon.

I spent most of the past week or so reading an advance copy of I Will Not Write an Uncensored, Unauthorized History of the Simpsons by John Ortved. As the title so coyly suggests, it’s a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the popular animated show, and apparently there was a lot more bad blood amongst the creators and writers than one would initially imagine. The book is especially harsh towards producer James L. Brooks, who comes off as selfish and cruel at times, and Matt Groening, whose contribution to the show seems to have started and stopped with those initial Tracy Ullman shorts. It’s one of those “oral history” type books, and Groening and a few significant others don’t really contribute directly to Ortved’s history (apart from the occasional old magazine interview). Still, for Simpsons fans, those of us that still have fond memories of the show anyway, it’s probably a must read. It should be out in stores in a week or so.

Matt Maxwell: FANTASTIC FOUR VISIONARIES: JOHN BYRNE v.1
Someone reminded me of these in a twitter conversation recently and I was inspired to revisit these.  While they’re not written in a fashion that we’re used to today, they’re as good as I remembered them.  And it’s pretty amazing to know that John Byrne not only pencilled these stories, but wrote them and inked them, all on a monthly schedule like clockwork.  The stories themselves don’t show it, either.  They’re all engaging, and remarkably solid and dense.  Most of them are actually one-shots, where everything is wrapped up in 22 pages, which makes for a satisfying read.  Sure, by our standards, they’re overwritten, but they’re filled with imagination as well.  It may not be the Lee/Kirby FF, but it is an entertaining read nonetheless.

BLOOM COUNTY ARCHIVES v.1
I couldn’t resist, as this was one of three comics I was able to follow from beginning to end.  And as Berkeley Breathed was right there signing them at the IDW booth, I took the opportunity and ran with it.  Though i suppose this is cheating, as it’s “What I’m About to Read”, not really what I’m reading.  Just yet anyways.

Domo

Brigid Alverson: I had pretty low expectations for Domo: The Manga. I never found the character very appealing — he’s one-dimensional and lacks the quirkiness of a lot of Japanese cartoon mascots. But Tokyopop played this one pretty well. Domo is the mascot for Japan’s NHK network and stars in a series of 30-second animated shorts there. Writer Clint Bickham chose a similar format for the book, with a series of very short stories, every one of which could be summed up as: Domo finds something cool and gets carried away, to the annoyance of his friends. The storytelling is almost wordless, which means the art has to be very good, and it is; Tokyopop picked some veteran global manga artists to illustrate the book. There’s not much depth to it, but it’s simple, bright, and funny, very good for what it is—a kids’ book.

I wish I could find Meg Cabot and Jinky Coronado’s Avalon High manga trilogy as likable. The problem with this set, the latest volume of which just came out, is that the manga are based on a set of prose novels with a fairly complicated back story (American teenagers are reincarnations of King Arthur and his court), so the whole first volume is recap. Coronado’s drawing style is a bit heavy-handed — her figures all seem very solid and fleshy—which also weighs the books down a bit.

Red Plains, on the other hand, is a comic for grownups. It’s a western, something I don’t see a lot of, and the first story arc is about ranchers vs. settlers, a classic theme. I really enjoy Noel Tuazon’s loose, brushy inking style in the first arc, Range War, and I like Larry Watts’s tighter work in the later arcs as well. I’m still getting a feel for the story, and Tuazon’s art is so loose that it’s hard to tell the characters apart, but Caryn Tate’s solid, spare writing is keeping me hooked.

New Warriors Classic, Vol. 1

David Gallaher: On the print side of things, I’ve spent most of the last three weeks reading all of the back issues from The Official Handbook of The Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition. I’ve always been a Marvel handbook junkie and I love having the opportunity to go back and re-visit all of these characters. Among my favorites, of course, are the old BOOK OF THE DEAD volumes. As much as I like reading the newer Marvel handbooks, for my money, these are still the best

Besides refreshing my old Marvel Lore, I’ve been really enjoying the trade of NEW WARRIORS CLASSIC Vol 1 – and I can’t wait for VOL 2! Almost twenty years later, Fabian Nicieza’s writing is still crisp as ever and Mark Bagley’s pencils are dynamic, interesting, and engaging.

Speaking of the New Warriors, NOVA always tops my reading list. Several folks have often cited that Nova is a rip-off of GREEN LANTERN, but that’s not a connection I tend to make [as I see far more of Doc Smith's LENSMAN in NOVA]. Richard Rider is simply one guy trying to do his best with the situation life has handed him. Over the course of the last ten years, Nova has gone from being a a bit of a joke – to being one of Marvel’s stellar heroes. Abnett and Lanning are doing amazing things with this book. Pick up a copy of the series – and I think you’ll agree. [Also, as a totally geeky aside, if my calculations are correct, NOVA will be approaching his 100th cumulative issue in about 17 more issues - which is around the time of his 35th anniversary as a character!]

Webcomics-wise, I’ve found myself really enjoying Cameron Stewart’s award-winning series Sin Titulo. It’s a moody, semi-autobiographical thriller — and Cameron’s storytelling is really at its peak here. And if you aren’t familiar with any of the other comics on Transmission X, you are really missing out on some extremely well-crafted comics!

Also, I following the work of my peers on Zuda. This week, in particular, I’ve found myself reading or re-reading Ilias Kyriazis’ MELODY, Andy Belanger’s BOTTLE OF AWESOME, and Kevin Colden’s I RULE THE NIGHT.

And, finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how Brad Guigar’s EVIL INC. series always manages to keep me entertained.

This weekend marks the coming of the  Harvest Moon,  the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox.

In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but this year it occurs in October just before hunting season.

This ominous moon also signals the debut the long-awaited fourth season of the werewolf epic – HIGH MOON!

Written by myself, illustrated by Steve Ellis, and lettered by Scott O. Brown, this season brings Macgregor to the streets of London where he must unravel a hidden family curse before it claims its next victim.

After this weekend’s update, you see new pages every Monday by sundown.

Developed specifically for comixology’s COMICS iphone app, BOX 13 is a serialized digital comics neo-noir thriller created by myself, Steve Ellis, & Scott O. Brown.

Of course, we’ll be talking a lot more about it in the coming weeks.

But, for now, I thought I’d give you an exclusive sneak peek of the cover.

The series is scheduled to launch on October 13th.

This was my first introduction into THE SOVIET SUPER SOLDIERS – Ursa Major, Darkstar, and Vanguard – the team that would eventually become THE WINTER GUARD. I was only a few months into collecting and reading comics at that point – and I got the book admittedly because of the Speedball cameo in the beginning of the story. As a teenager, I found the cover disturbing – could the Avengers really have murdered this team of Russian superheroes? The truth, of course, was a little more complex – and, of course,  I was hooked on the revelation!

Behind the dastardly demise of the SOVIET SUPER SOLDIERS was none other than the SUPREME SOVIETS – Red Guardian, Perun, Crimson Dynamo, Sputnik, and Fantasma. This team, who would later become the PEOPLE’S PROTECTORATE, wasn’t bad in the traditional sense – they acted more like analogues to characters like Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Vision, and Scarlet Witch. They certainly weren’t the most complex characters in the Marvel stable, but in my young mind, these were characters whose futures had yet to be truly written.

Based on the strength of those two issues, I was hooked on the further adventures of Marvel’s Russian superhero teams.

And, I continued to follow their appearances throughout the Marvel Universe – watching as both teams developed and evolved.

As I picked up their various appearances, I found that through their limited history, both teams fought valiantly against foes like the Hulk, the Dire Wraiths, The Combine, and The Presence!

As the political climate changed, the internal structures of both teams evolved – and the groups soon merged into THE WINTER GUARD. In IRON MAN #9, Vol 3, Kurt Busiek  re-introduced readers to characters like Powersurge, Sibercat, Steel Guardian (previously the Red Guardian), Ursa Major, Vanguard, Vostok (previously Sputnik), and Darkstar – and it was cool to read about them again in the pages of MAXIMUM SECURITY, and THE AVENGERS.

But, as the Marvel timeline progressed so did the character’s personal storylines! Darkstar was murdered by Fantomex in the pages of NEW X-MEN. Steel Guardian disappeared – only to be replaced by a Red Guardian who was slain at the hands of Aleksander Lukin. Vanguard, Perun, Powersurge, Sibercat, and Vostok all went missing, while Crimson Dynamo had several different pilots and several different adventures (and even briefly a limited series illustrated by HIGH MOON’s Steve Ellis).

Years later, when THE WINTER GUARD appeared again in the pages of HULK #1 – the core membership had changed once more – suddenly there was a new Red Guardian and a new Darkstar – and a new era was born!

As months went by, the WINTER GUARD would appear again in WAR MACHINE: WEAPON OF S.H.I.E.L.D. and SHE-HULK. All of which sets the stage for the upcoming HULK: WINTER GUARD one-shot – written by myself and illustrated by the hyper-talented Steve Ellis!

Due out in December, HULK: WINTER GUARD one-shot examines the lives of four brave Russian heroes – The Red Guardian, Darkstar, Crimson Dynamo, and Ursa Major. Who are they? What are they? Those are the central themes to a story that stars a were-bear, a patriot, a high tech hero, and darkness-wielding heroine. There is shield-slinging, biting, gnashing, chomping, blasting – and some wicked twists and turns! It is written with affection towards these characters – acknowledging their pasts – while looking towards their futures.

And, in December, you’ll see why the Winter Guard aren’t the Russian Avengers -
But rather something far more glorious.

Winter Guard

Marvel has started to tease some of their December comics over on their website, starting with the Hulk titles. One of those titles features the Winter Guard, who appeared recently in the Hulk.

I remember them, though, as the Soviet Super Soldiers, who first appeared back in the early 1980s when the Hulk was roaming the world and meeting all sorts of new heroes, as chronicled by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema. At the time, the team included Darkstar, her brother Vanguard, Ursa Major and Crimson Dynamo. The new team consists of Darkstar, Red Guardian, Crimson Dynamo and Major Ursa, but I think the Darkstar and Red Guardian identities have been assumed by new folks. I’m sure David Gallaher and Steve Ellis, the team behind High Moon and this new one-shot, will fill us in in December.