Comic Book Resources

'The music that will rock your eyes'

The Kids of Widney High

The Kids of Widney High are a group of students with developmental and physical challenges from J. P. Widney High School, a special education center in Los Angeles, Calif., who write and perform original songs, appear in movies like The Ringer and, according to a press release I received today, also write comics.

Per the release, The Kids of Widney High: Beyond the Sky’s the Limit is written entirely by members of the band and illustrated by Chuck B.B., Jim Mahfood, Rafael Navarro, Rikki Niehaus, Neal Von Flue, Robbi Rodriguez and Chris Brandt.

“The comic book medium provided a new way for the members of the band to not only communicate some of their challenges and frustrations, but many of their triumphs and fantasies as well,” said editor/publisher Mike Wellman. “All of the dialogue spoken by the characters in the book was drawn directly from quotes recorded during story sessions and really captures the spirit of the band. It was a very unique way to tie a story together!”

The book's in the current issue of Diamond's Previews catalog and will be published by Atomic Basement Entertainment. Kids of Widney High member Tony Whitfield proudly says that the comic is “the music that will rock your eyes!”

Trace Adkins plugs comic on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson talks with country musician Trace Adkins about the comic book Luke McBain in a very funny interview. "This has gotten a lot bigger than I thought it would," Adkins says about the book, which features his likeness. Check out a preview of the book, written by David Tischman with art by Kody Chamberlain, here.

Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes

Wolverine: Old Man Logan

Publishing | Comic sales to the direct market fell 14 percent in October, versus the same month a year ago, resulting in the biggest decline since May. Sales of the Top 100 graphic novels plummeted 30 percent -- again due to the brisk sales of Watchmen last fall -- combining for an overall decline of 17 percent.

As we reported last week, DC Comics had the top six bestselling comics for the first time in four decades, with the fourth issue of its event miniseries Blackest Night coming in at No. 1 with an estimated 137,169 copies. Marvel's Wolverine: Old Man Logan hardcover collection topped the graphic novel chart with an estimated 7,347 copies.

The retailer-focused news and analysis site ICv2.com notes that Marvel's $3.99 titles continue to slip, with the third issues of Ultimate Comics Avengers and Ultimate Comics Spider-Man each shedding about 5,000 copies from the previous issue. Of course, they weren't the only ones to slide: 19 of the top 25 comics saw drop-offs in what the website describes as "a bearish month." [ICv2.com]

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Shady Talez comic coming from Marvel?

Eminem

ScreenDaily.com is reporting that New Warriors writer Kevin Grevioux, who also wrote the Underworld movies, is teaming with writer-producer Dallas Jackson to write Shady Talez, a four-issue comic book series due out in 2010 under the Marvel Icons imprint.

According to ScreenDaily.com, the comic is based on a movie of the same name that will star rapper Eminem. He's also co-producing it, along with Jackson, Grevioux and I, Robot producer John Davis. The 3D film is said to be in the vein of The Twilight Zone and Creepshow.

It seems odd that Marvel would use its Icon imprint for something like this, since it seems to be reserved for creator-owned comics by their biggest creators, but I guess it's not out of the realm of possibilities. I checked with Marvel, and they had no comment.

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Female Force: Princess Diana

Publishing | Just days after one U.K. newspaper devoted a lot of ink to a preview of Female Force: Princess Diana, another reports that the Bluewater Productions biography has been labeled as "disgusting" by a co-founder of a group dedicated to preserving Diana's memory. “Comic means something to laugh at," says Margaret Funnell of Diana Circle UK. "I don’t find it at all comical and I wish they hadn’t done it. Anyone with half a brain who had a love for Diana will hate it.” [Daily Express]

Publishing | Following the success of its adaptation of James Patterson's Maximum Ride, Yen Press has announced it will tackle the author's bestselling young-adult series Daniel X. The first volume will be released in summer 2010. [About.com]

Education | It seems like every year around this time an article makes the rounds about comic books improving early literacy. Here's the 2009 edition, courtesy of University of Illinois professor Carol L. Tilley, whose research on the subject was recently published in School Library Monthly. [News Bureau, Canwest News Service]

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Spider-Man musical gets new producers -- and a Peter Parker

Reeve Carney

The creative team behind Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark emerged from today's meeting with an announcement about new producers and official word on the musical's lead actor.

What they didn't reveal, however, was a specific date for the troubled Broadway musical, only saying that it will open in 2010 at the Hilton Theatre in Manhattan. The show, whose proposed budget has ballooned to $52 million, initially was set to bow in late March, but the most recent rumors had it opening past April 29 -- the cutoff for Tony Award nominations.

The creative team confirmed relative newcomer Reeve Carney, long rumored for the role, has been cast as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. The casting initially had been reported this morning in the Los Angeles Times. The 26-year-old Carney, lead singer of the rock band of the same name, also will appear in Spider-Man director Julie Taymor's big-screen adaptation of The Tempest.

In Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Carney joins Evan Rachel Wood as Mary Jane and Alan Cumming as Green Goblin in a production scored by Bono and the Edge.

This afternoon's press release also included the announcement that Michael Cohl has replaced Chicago lawyer David Garfinkle as lead producer, with Jeremiah J. Harris becoming second producer. The full producing team is Cohl, Harris, Hello Entertainment/Garfinkle, Marvel Entertainment/David Maisel, and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Future of troubled Spider-Man musical could be set today

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

The fate of the financially troubled Spider-Man Broadway musical could be decided today.

According to published reports, producers of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, whose budget has soared to $52 million, are meeting in Manhattan with director Julie Taymor and other members of the creative team to discuss the cash-flow problems that stalled production for nearly a month and cast doubt on the future of the production.

The musical had been set to preview in late February at a renovated Hilton Theatre, and then open sometime in March. But Patrick Healy of The New York Times writes that Taymor is expected to say rehearsals for the technically complex show won't be able to begin before January, which could push the opening past April 29 -- the cutoff date for Tony Award nominations.

Perhaps of more pressing concern is the $24 million needed to cover a proposed budget that ballooned to $52 million from an estimated $35 million, in part due to theater renovations and restorations. According to the Los Angeles Times, Spider-Man will cost about $1 million a week to produce -- "hundreds of thousands dollars more than what some elaborate shows such as Mary Poppins or West Side Story cost -- and require the 1,700-seat theater to sell out for every show for four years just to break even.

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, which boasts a musical score by Bono and the Edge, has cast Evan Rachel Wood as Mary Jane, Alan Cumming as Green Goblin and, apparently, relative newcomer Reeve Carney as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. (Carney, who will appear in Taymor's big-screen adaptation of The Tempest, long had been rumored for the role of Spider-Man but never confirmed.)

However, as the LA Times notes, with production delays the musical risks losing the cast to other projects. Cumming, for instance, was just added to the cast of Burlesque, which begins filming next week.

NOTE: A post detailing the announcements made after the meeting can be found here.

Halloween Viewing | Gambit and Rogue go to the movies

This week's episode of Marvel Super Heroes: What The--?! features not only a tribute to the greatest zombie-dancing video of all time, but also the voiceover work of Stan Lee. Enjoy!

Via

Off-topic: The theme from Cowboy Bebop, marching band-style

During halftime of its homecoming game against the University of Delaware on Saturday, Towson University's marching band took to the field to play something a bit unexpected: Yoko Kanno's Tank! -- the theme from Cowboy Bebop. Seriously!

The camera work is shaky, but the sound quality is good.

Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes

Dragon Ball

Manga | Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball has been officially removed from Wicomico County schools in Maryland following a committee review of the popular series. The announcement was made Thursday by Superintendent John Fredericksen, slightly more than a week after a parent's complaint about depictions of nudity and sexual situations in the first volume triggered the school board to pull the manga from library shelves.

The committee also is reviewing the all-ages Dragon Ball Z; Dragon Ball is rated for teens. Both titles are published in North America by Viz Media. The Wicomico County Public Library announced last week that it is conducting an "internal reconsideration" of Dragon Ball, pulling the series from circulation while it decides where the manga should be shelved.

And in a timely post, Jason Thompson, author of Manga: The Complete Guide, addresses the Dragon Ball dust-up and other issues for io9.com. [WBOC.com]

Publishing | Random House imprint David Fickling Books will publish three collections of comics from its canceled U.K. comics anthology The DFC. The books -- Mezolith by Adam Brockbank and Ben Haggarty; Good Dog, Bad Dog by Dave Shelton; and Spider Moon by Kate Brown -- will be released in March, April and May 2010. [Booktrade, via Forbidden Planet International]

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Afrodisiac trailer: 'Wool so fine it'll blow your mind'

This December Brian Maruca and Jim Rugg, the creators of Street Angel, team up on a full-length Afrodisiac graphic novel. The above trailer, set to the tune of "Cramming for College" by Don Argott, should give you an idea of what to expect.

Next week: Ivan Brunetti chats with T-Pain

Well here's a celebrity meet-up I never in my most drug-induced haze ever thought of before: Chris Ware and Fall Out Boy bassist/lyricist Pete Wentz talking about comics, music and art against an LA backdrop. Apparently they have more in common than you think. For one thing, both agree that they're embarrassed by most of their output. The first video is below, but you'll want to go here to see several more, including some outtakes. (found via CR)

Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes

Dragon Ball

Manga | Wicomico County schools in Maryland removed all copies of Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball from library shelves Wednesday after the mother of a fourth-grader complained about the nudity and sexual situations depicted in the first volume of the hit series. The manga, which sports an "All Ages" a T+ rating, is published in North America by Viz Media.

A committee of administrators and "people from outside the school system" will review books, but the schools superintendent will make the final decision on the fate of the series. At a Tuesday meeting of the County Council, one councilman distributed photocopies of scenes from Dragon Ball, describing some of the illustrations as "disgusting." [The Daily Times, The Daily Times]

Legal | An amended agreement between Google and the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers is expected to be filed by Friday to address concerns raised by the Google Book Search settlement. DC Comics is among the parties that object to the terms of the original deal, designed to resolve a 2005 lawsuit accusing the Internet giant of infringing on copyrights by digitizing out-of-print books without permission. [Publishers Weekly]

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New investors may rescue Spider-Man musical

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

The financially strapped Spider-Man musical may have found new backers to make up for a $10-million shortfall.

Roger Friedman -- you'll remember him for his review of a pirated copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine -- reports that Jim Stern of Endgame Productions may step in to pick up the slack left after producer David Garfinkle ran into money problems a couple of months ago. New Jersey real-estate mogul-turned-movie producer Norton Herrick also could pitch in.

"Cash-flow obstacles" caused preparation work on Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark shut down in early August before resuming about a month later. The Broadway production, directed by Julie Taymor (The Lion King) and featuring music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge, is expected to cost somewhere between $35 million and $45 million.

Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming have been cast as Mary Jane Watson and Green Goblin. The role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man hasn't been announced.

Despite the delays, the musical is set to begin previews in late February and open sometime in March.

Musical Monday: Lady Gaga, Coheed and Cambria, Death Cab

Lady Gaga comic

No, you haven't accidentally stumbled onto MTV or Rolling Stone's website; the worlds of music and comics collided a few times over the last few days in some fun and even odd ways ....

First up, the odd ... designer clothing retailer Marc Jacobs is selling a $2 comic starring musician Lady Gaga. The comic was created by artist Brian Einersen and "name-drops St. John, Christian Dior, and Yves Saint Laurent so we know it’s worth the read," Fashionista reports. (Via Splash Page).

Second, Marvel.com chats with Nick Harmer, bass player for Death Cab for Cutie, about music, touring and, of course, comics. Harmer reveals that he opens his toys and is a big Wolverine fan.

"I will follow Wolverine anywhere," he says. "Though, I have to admit, I am still a little upset about the whole 'bone claws' addition to his story. When I discovered Wolverine and the X-Men, he was just a mutant who could heal fast and that's how he was able to survive having his skeleton coated with adamantium and claws put IN. He wasn't born with bone claws. That's ridiculous. I know I should just accept this as part of his story now, but I was just such an expert on him when I was a kid it's hard to give that up."

And finally, Claudio Sanchez from Coheed and Cambria will appear on G4's Attack of the Show later today to talk about his BOOM! series Kill Audio. The first issue comes out this week.