« April 2007 | Main | June 2007 »
QUOTE(ILuvBrittanyYork)
Damn skippy! That would be so dope to read! |
QUOTE(ILuvBrittanyYork)
 I read that Christopher Walken's going to be in the sequel. I heard he plays Ra's Al Ghul. I also heard the sequel will be called Batman's Back Again. |
|
QUOTE(Freddy Krueger's Sweater) Spielberg's next film is an adaptation of the 1990 novel "Jurassic Park". I think after Always and the god-awful Hook, that Spielberg needs to hang it up. He's clearly done as a director. I'm not looking forward to seeing his Jurassic Park, which is a shame because I liked the book. But I guarantee this will be the final nail in his coffin as a director. |
|
QUOTE(X-Treme Cy-ber)
Holy Crap! There's going to be a Youngblood spinoff! ...sometime next year! Boy, I can't wait! |
|
QUOTE(Corky's Underpants) Don't write your Congressman! Petition no-one! Yes, we can exclusively reveal that DC's Superman is not really going to die this year or next. Oh no. The real title of this comics non-event is "Deaf of Superman" which has the flagship hero losing his hearing. Expect this storyline to run for two or three years culminating in a crossover with Batman (mute) and Wonder Woman (blind) entitled "Nonsense and Sensibility". |
|
QUOTE(Lore) BIG NEWS FROM PARAMOUNT: The spin-off of Next Generation ISN'T GOING TO HAVE A SHIP AT ALL. It's not set on a future version of the Excelsior. They're going to set it in a space station. :O What? How do you set a series about SPACE EXPLORATION in a space station. The entire point of a space station is that it is STATIONary! 
|
QUOTE(Corky's Underpants)
Hey! Dennis Hopper is a respected actor! If he's on this project, it must have a good script. It's not like he'll just act in anything. Hoskin's is pretty respected, too. The script must be pretty strong to get the two of them involved. I'll certainly be checking it out! |
|
QUOTE(Morpheus, King of Dreams and Darkness)
IS NEIL GAIMAN GOING INDY?!?! Word on the street is that there's a foundation being laid. A foundation for another new publisher! It won't be ready for maybe a year or so, but when it is: watch out! Neil Gaiman's coming back strong! The only detail we've been able to glean is that it will somehow involve 'techno.' And as we all know, Neil Gaiman is at the forefront of what's 'hot' in comics, so we're willing to bet that EVERYONE will want to buy his all-new, all-different Techno Comics!* Mark our words! |
|
QUOTE(Guybrush Threepwood) Are you sitting down? Three words: New. Valiant. Title. Did you sit down yet? Three more words: Original. Cover. Enhancement. Maybe you'd better lay down. No? Okay, one last word: Edible. I heard that the upcoming new issue of something called Ninjak will have a cover made of Fruit Roll-Up. The ultimate collectible! If you can resist the tempting grape flavor, in fifteen years you could cash in and buy a CAR! |
|
QUOTE(Corky's Underpants) Don't write your Senator! Petition no-one! Yes, we can exclusively reveal that, contrary to our own rumor above, DC's Superman is not really going to go deaf this year or next. Oh no. The real title of this comics non-event is "Dearth of Superman" which has the flagship hero not appearing in any comic books! Oh noes! Expect this storyline to run for two or three weeks and then returning to the good old days with Superman appearing in every comic book for at least 3 years entitled "Glut of Superman". Please note, this is in no way DC's response to Marvel's recent "Glut of Wolverine", which was retitled recently from "Whoring of Wolverine" and "Ramming Wolverine down the comic buying throats until they can't take him any more, my eyes, my eyes: Book One". |
QUOTE(Guybrush Threepwood)
Will that be collected? |
QUOTE(Corky's Underpants)
You don't have enough shelvespace. |
|
QUOTE(Buddy Cole) There's some show coming on MTV called "The Real World". Apparently its watching a bunch of dudes and chicks living in an apartment. Are they nuts? Whose going to watch that? They're seriously going to stop showing music videos for a half hour to waste our time with someting like that? Just chill out and play the videos, MTV, that's what you're there for. |
|
QUOTE(Urkel 1991) Talk to the hand! |
QUOTE(Urkel 1991)
I heard they're making a movie of that. Or that the TV show's coming back. Amanda Pays is HOTT! 
Speaking of Max Headroom, the guy who played Murray is going to be on some HBO show with Garry Shandling. |
QUOTE(Isaac Asimov R.I.P.)
 Dude, Married with Children rules it. I heard about X-Files at MagiCon. Sounds like a rip off of Lowell Cunningham's Men in Black comic. There's also a chick in it named Gilligan Anderson playing Agent Sculder. Check out "The Turning" when it comes out on VHS! You can totally see her boobies! |
QUOTE(The Real Fresh Prince)
James Cameron made Aliens. And T2 was the shit. Relax. If James Cameron thinks Spiderman should have webshooters in his butt, then Spiderman should have webshooters in his butt. |
|
QUOTE(Kurt Cobain 4-ever) Webswinging's gonna look real weird. |
|
QUOTE(Isaac Asimov R.I.P.) John Byrne is leaving Namor, you heard it here first! |
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 12:00 PM
by Ash Aiwase
Anyone who's seen The Homeless Channel in mini-comic form or on your website knows that you've got a unique art style. Could you describe your process? What was your motivation for developing your style?
The motivation for developing the style was one of necessity. Simply put, I didn't know how to draw. But the story really starts with Rob Osborne giving me some advice back at the second annual Isotope Award ceremony. Now, when I say "advice," I should be saying COMMAND. As in, "I command you to stop whining about not being able to find an artist and go figure out how to do it yourself!" When a man who is only 938 steps away from World Domination tells you to do something, you get off your ass and do it.
If you flip through The Homeless Channel, you'll get a quick idea of how those efforts have progressed. Basically, I start with photos, break them down into blacks and whites in Photoshop, print them out on 11 x 17 paper in light cyan, and then ink over the pages with a brush and acrylic india ink. With each page I work on, I'm getting more and more confident with my "drawing" ability. While I still use the photos, I don't feel like I am as limited by them as I was in the beginning.
I don't know if it's really all that unique though. Tony Harris, Alex Maleev, and Tim Bradstreet all seem to pull it off pretty damn well.
Oh, and I hear there's some new kid named Alex Ross who's used photo reference to put out a couple comics too.
Where were a lot of the photos used in constructing The Homeless Channel shot?
Oh gosh. All over the place. You know, any given panel can be made up of four or five separate photos. One shot for each actor. A couple for the backgrounds. I've used photos taken in Davis, Berkeley, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York City, and Chicago. The cover is a photo I took in Oakland. I got in trouble snapping photos down in a BART station once. The security guard started getting all Homeland Security on me. But by the time I was halfway through my explanation that I'm a comic book creator and I take these pictures for backgrounds and I use Photoshop and it's about a woman starting a cable network, the guard just rolled his eyes and waved me along.
Some of the shoots have been a lot of fun though. The girls would dress up like they were getting ready for prom and I'd reimburse everyone for their time with food and wine.
I've heard your dialogue compared to Aaron Sorkin's (Sports Night, The West Wing), and I see a little of Amy Palladino-Smith (The Gilmore Girls) in the banter as well - did any of those shows have any bearing on the way you write dialogue? How do you get inside your characters' heads?
Gilmore Girls, eh? Now that I think about it, I can see where that comparison would come from too. I don't think I've seen a full episode of the show (although, I've stumbled on it a couple times flipping through the channels.) From what I watched, I'll take that as a compliment. The thing about these shows is that while there is a ton of "banter," it's not just empty speech. Sorkin writes some thick scripts for an hour of television. But when these television writers are on their game, all that banter pays off in the end. Each bit of dialogue adds something to the overall effect.
This is one of the reasons I hold off on the final scripting until I've finished the art. I know what I "want" the characters to say. But when I step back and look at the scene honestly, I can figure out what they actually do say. This helps prevent me from trying to impose "clever" dialogue on characters who just want to say what they mean. Sometimes the actor's expression will point me in the right direction. Sometimes dialogue just emerges from the natural rhythm of the scene.
It's less about getting inside the characters' heads and more about getting myself quiet enough to listen to what they have to say. Sounds pretentious, I know. But it seems to work for me.
Does it completely weird you out that Darcy Shaw looks eerily like your girlfriend?
Yeah, it was pretty strange at the beginning of the process. Because it's not just my girlfriend. It's cousins and colleagues and friends. At one point, I called up my Mom before she came out to California for a visit and I said, "I need you to pose as a homeless woman and Dad to be a newspaper editor."
She said, "Sure thing, I'll be the editor and your Dad will be the homeless guy."
Since you don't argue with Mom, I rewrote the script.
But as the project progressed, the actors started to morph into the characters. And the characters also inherited certain qualities from the actors. Sometimes, as was the case with Darcy's protege, Peg, the model really defined the character for me. All I had to do was step back, take the pictures, and the job was done.
For an independently published book by a first-time creator, The Homeless Channel has had an incredible amount of buzz. How do you get your book into people's hands?
Well, the buzz has had a nice, slow, healthy build. It's only in the last couple months that it's really started to take that exponential turn. It's not good if all the publicity peaks too early. We've really tried to time our promotional pushes with the pre-ordering period and the week of the actual book release.
Before working with AiT, the only way one of the mini-comics got into a person's hands was if I put it there myself. I hand sold the book at conventions like the Alternative Press Expo. I also made the first chapter available at my website for free right off the bat. And my leg work early-on seems to have paid off because when AiT made the offer to publish the book, they also opened a lot of doors in terms of marketing and promotion. I was able to walk right in.
There were some nice breaks along the way too. Warren Ellis has mentioned the book on his blog a couple times. We got our story picked up by the Contra Costa Times. Fortunately, we had the promotional infrastructure already in place to take advantage of these sudden spikes in interest.
What does the future hold for you? Can you tell us anything about your next project?
My next project is actually already underway. I'm doing some preliminary background shoots and casting the characters. It's a whole new story going in a whole new direction for me both thematically and artistically. I don't want to say too much more than that. I'm trying to let it grow sort of organically and whatever I tell you now probably won't be true anymore by next week.
Beyond that, I hope the future is full of surprises. And it looks like it's going to be a great summer. I'm heading to the San Diego Comic-Con and Wizard World Chicago. I can't wait to get to the theater and see Knocked Up. We've fired up the grill once already and probably will again this weekend on Memorial Day. Life's good. Heck, I've got my first book coming out tomorrow. It doesn't get any better than that!
Discuss this article in our forum.
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 08:00 PM
by Mike Collins
What is the premise behind Iron and the Maiden?
JR: Iron and the Maiden is a cross between Escape from New York and Beauty and the Beast set in a high tech, alternate universe 1930's.
For a first time comic writer you were able to get some big names in Joe Madureira and Jeff Matsuda to do some design work for you. What did they respectively bring to the book?
JR: I am a first time comic writer, but a seasoned world creator. But in the video game industry we spend weeks or months designing characters before we go into production. I didn't want to give up that thoroughness, so I looked for the best comic people to help me design the game that way. Joe is a superhero, and his superpower is making anything he draws look incredibly cool. It may not help fight crime, but it sure comes in handy when you are trying to bring a character stuck in your head to life. Jeff is also a superhero, and one of his superpowers is seeing beyond single character to an entire cast of characters and how they interact with each other to make a greater whole. Together, they are an unstoppable superforce.
Tell us a little bit about your creative team...
JR: From the start I wanted the books to be incredibly detailed. One of my all time favorites is Hard Boiled, and although there may not be another individual that can channel Geoff Darrow, I wanted to take a stab at it. Francis and Joel made an incredible team splitting foregrounds and backgrounds on the early books, and as Francis became more comfortable with the material, he started doing incredibly detailed pages entirely on his own. The first page of every book is an incredibly detailed scene from The City Iron lives in done by Joel over a period of weeks. Financially, it makes no sense, but this is a labor of love, and I think it's worth every penny. And Danimation was my first choice for color. He is incredible with light, and crazy enough to take on the task of coloring that detail.
Aspen isn't known for creator owned work, this is a first for them right? How did you go about choosing them to publish your book?
JR: I had a very early meeting with Mike and Frank at Aspen courtesy of Joel, who was working there at the time. I think Iron came at a great time for them. And they are just the right sized shop to both give the books the focus they need, and have the reach to get them out there. It made sense for everyone.
In a time of continually late shipping books, how important was it to you to have all four issues finished before soliciting the series?
JR: As a reader, I can't stand late, or worse, discontinued series. And as a first time creator, who also was financing the books, I figured there might be some suspicion that I would lose interest, or otherwise fail to deliver. The best way to solve that is to finish the last book before you put the first book on the shelf. It's the best experience for the reader.
Are you a big comic book fan in general? Who or what are you following?
JR: I'm a binge consumer of entertainment. I don't watch TV for months, and then I do the entire 5 season DVD collection of some show in a week. I don't read books for years, and then I do a series in a month. Ditto games and movies. I hadn't read many comics since my teens, but after leaving Naughty Dog, my video game company, I met Barry Levine who was at Dark Horse at the time. He got me to go in a comic book store and pick up a comic or two. Six feet vertical of books later (no exaggeration) I had caught up with the last few years. My favorites are probably Transmetropolitan and Preacher, but I also loved Batman: Hush and many other series.
You've got some big names contributing alternate covers for the series including Jim Lee, Michael Turner, Joe Mad and Chris Bachalo. How did you go about getting them involved? Anyone you weren't able to fit in this time?
JR: Every connection is a different story. The thing I like about the comic book industry is that every person I called answered the phone and was more than willing to give their opinion, dispense advice, and more often than not willing to contribute in some way. I wish the whole world were so friendly.
Now that you have the first four issues completed, can you look back and talk about the process of writing the book? Was there anything that was more or less difficult than you imagined?
JR: Writing comics is far harder than I originally anticipated. I have an incredible amount of respect for those that do a book a month... or worse, multiple books a month. And it comes with its own set of challenges that are entirely unique to the format, for example surprises can only happen on page turns that make it a task that takes time and practice to get right. I couldn't fit a whole arc in 21/22 pages, so I just broke that rule. The worst moment is when you realize that you want to add a plot point to the beginning of a book, and it pushes a page so all of your reveals are shot. You start over. It's tough!
Do you expect to do more comics work in the future? Anything else coming up on that front?
JR: I had an incredible time doing Iron and the Maiden. If the public likes it, I would love to do more. There is definitely room for continuation of the story. And I have a lot more ideas that want to get out.
Fans of your video games are going to be interested to know if Iron and the Maiden will make their way to next gen systems. Are there any plans for that?
JR: There is nothing concrete with regards to Iron and video games. I've been working on a web-based mashup technology at www.flektor.com for the past year, so I have barely had time to think about it, but I'd love to see Iron become a game. All of the elements are there.
Finally, for anyone not familiar with you or the new book, what would you say to get them to give it a try?
JR: I don't believe that there is any other opportunity to see so many talents collaborate on a series of books as there is on Iron and the Maiden. But Beyond that, the story, setting, and world will be something totally different. Page for page, Iron is packed with a lot of bang for the buck.
Discuss this article in our forum.
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 09:00 AM
by MikeSpins
Marc Guggenheim is a successful television writer who has recently returned to the realm of comics (he was once an intern at Marvel) with projects at both Marvel and DC. YMB's MikeSpins spoke to him about his work on Blade and Flash: The Fastest Man Alive (the latest issue of Flash, #12, is in stores Wednesday).
You are a writer for television as well as video games. What's the allure for you in giving comic books a try?
I was a comic book fan long before I was a fan of anything, including TV and certainly video games. So the allure was always there in the form of pure wish fulfillment. The trick was breaking in and it turned out it was easier to break into television than comics.
What was your experience like working on Wolverine?
It was a dream, actually. It should have been a nightmare -- a high profile gig, company-wide crossover, a character of Wolverine's stature... But the series wrote like butter and dealing with Axel Alonso and Humberto Ramos was the least stressful thing I could imagine.
Was it intimidating taking on such a popular character, especially considering your run was tied into Civil War?
It should have been, but to be honest it was far more intimidating living up to the trust Axel placed in me by giving me the book for seven issues. He was going very far out on a very fragile limb and I didn't want him to look like an idiot.
Were there any editorial complexities you experienced working on such a large event?
Not as many as you'd think. Axel was great in terms of keeping me in the loop on everything that was planned vis a vis the event. I was also lucky insofar as my pitch accidentally had Wolverine off on his own for 99% of the arc, so there was very little interaction with the "complexities" of a company-wide event. I think the only thing I had to service was getting Namor into the story but out by Part 4. That was the only trick -- and even that turned out to be fairly easy. If Axel hadn't been so accommodating with my crazy ideas, it might have been a different story -- literally -- but it was all very painless.
Are you happy with how your Wolverine run turned out?
I'm extremely happy with it. In fact, as I write my second Wolverine arc now, I find myself stretching to top myself. That first arc was one of those happy accidents where everything falls into place.
Anything you would have done differently in retrospect?
Burned off even more of Logan's flesh. Kidding. Seriously though, it's a good question, but I can't think of anything specifically. After I complete a project, I tend to move on to other things. I don't look backwards and I definitely, DEFINITELY don't re-read my stuff.
Your next big project was relaunching Blade. Why do you think the character does well as a movie property but has had trouble catching on in comic form?
I think it has a lot to do with the genre Blade operates in. Blade is, fundamentally, a horror character. I can pair him with Wolverine or Spider-Man, but he's basically a horror guy. The horror genre has historically done extremely well in movies and is less commercially successful in comics. I think it comes down to that.
How would you describe your run on Blade for people not familiar with it?
In a single word, I hope, "fun." I'm just trying to make Blade an enjoyable and accessible read each month. Towards that end, each issue tells two self-contained stories -- one set in the present and the other in Blade's past. But there's an over-arching mythology built into the series to reward regular and repeat readings.
Howard Chaykin is the artist on Blade. What's it like having him on the book?
It's like having Elvis sing my songs -- if I were a songwriter. The guy's a legend and is every bit as good today as he was twenty years ago -- if not better. Plus, he's a total gentleman and a consummate professional. His pages come in brilliant and they come in like clockwork. Our first twelve issues will come out in the span of 12 months and be produced by the exact same creative team. That's a rare accomplishment these days and it could only have been achieved through the involvement of an artist of Howard's artistic and professional calibre.
Ok, I have to ask this. What exactly is a "gunarm" and why is Blade getting one?
Heh. Technically, we've been calling it a "gunhand." This was the brainchild of Blade editor Aubrey Sitterson. I think he suggested it because he thought I wouldn't be crazy enough to do it. Basically, it's a prosthetic that fits on to the stump of Blade's left wrist and allows him to shoot at people. What happened to Blade's left hand? He bit it off. No, really.
What else can we look forward to on the title?
Lots of stuff: A reunion with Spider-Man, a guest appearance by Union Jack, the return of Hannibal King and the payoff of all the little plot threads I've been weaving into the book since issue 1.
You've also written a title for Marvel, Hyperion vs. Nighthawk. Why did you decide to set the series in Darfur?
One of my goals is to try to tell stories that could only be told with the characters I'm writing for. In this case, Marvel asked me to do a Hyperion vs. Nighthawk mini and I started with thinking about what is important to each of those characters. What do they care about? What do they care about enough to fight over? And it occurred to me that Nighthawk's primary motivation is race and racial issues. What's the ultimate racial issue on the planet right now? If you ask me, it's the genocide -- even President Bush has called it genocide -- going on in Darfur right now.
Let's move on to your newest project, The Flash for D.C. You're a longtime fan of the character right?
Yes. Very longtime. I grew up reading the Cary Bates and Carmine Infantino issues...
You've only been on the book for a short while. What's fan reaction been like so far?
It's been overwhelmingly positive, which is wonderful. The Flash fans are especially passionate and loyal and they deserve to be happy about the Flash. I don't write to pander, but I am gratified that people seem to like what I'm doing.
The Flash is one of handful of "legacy" characters that seem to "pass on the mantle" every now and then. What is it about the concept of the Flash that makes it able to survive multiple characters under the mask?
Good question. My initial reaction is that the answer has less to do with the Flash concept than it has to do with the characters who have inherited the mantle. I think if you look at legacy characters, the ones that work are the ones with compelling characters taking up the mantle. Wally West and -- and I know I might be in the minority here, but I believe that's a temporary thing -- Bart Allen certainly fit that bill.
Your Flash is Bart Allen. How does it feel to be writing the start of Bart's career as one of comics more legendary characters?
It feels great. There's a sense that there are a lot of stories to be told, new ground to travel. After writing "ageless" characters like Blade and Wolverine, I really like taking on someone who's a rookie.
Following up on that, what do you see in Bart that's different from Wally and Barry? What sets him apart within the legacy?
Well, the rookie thing, for sure. He's also a very different person from Wally and Barry. He's got his own personality, for better or worse. Bart is a lot more, ahem, impulsive than Barry or even Wally was. Plus, he's got more of a sense of humor. He grew up in virtual reality -- which is a difference right there -- and there's a part of him that still considers everything in life to be one big videogame.
What can you tell us about your run?
Essentially, it's Bart's trial by fire. By my first issue he's come to terms with the fact that he's gonna be the Flash and my first arc deals with the repercussions of that decision. Since this is the Flash, that has to include throwing down with the Rogues. It's a rite of passage for any Flash and I'm throwing Bart into the deep end of the pool immediately -- perhaps before he's truly ready.
We're hearing something really big happens in issue #13. Anything you can tease us with?
How about some dialogue: "I. Am. The. Flash!!!"
If you were able to write any former Flash which one would you choose and why?
Good question. I'd have to say Wally because I love what Mike Baron and Mark Waid did with the character. That having been said, I want to say -- for the upteenth time on the Internet -- that I am not bringing Wally back during my run.
Are you still working in television these days?
Absolutely. I just finished the first season of Brothers & Sisters and recently found out that my pilot, Eli Stone, was picked up to series, so I'll be focusing on that, TV-wise, next season.
Discuss this article in our forum.
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 05:00 PM
by Raj Khanna
China Mieville has made quite a name for himself in the fantasy world, creating intricate and imaginative universes, spelling them out with rich language and elegant prose. After novels, King Rat, and the Bas-Lag books, Perdido Street Station, The Scar, and Iron Council, he has turned to a different audience with Un Lun Dun.
Un Lun Dun is his first "young adult" book, a book that he wrote specifically for young people, an attempt to join the world of such stories (for more on this, see my interview with him).
However, make no mistake - for those familiar with his other works, this is very much a China Mieville story, complete with the imaginative world, the attention to language, and the usual playfully subversive moments.
The story concerns two friends, Zanna and Deeba, who discover the existence of another world known as UnLondon. Zanna learns she is the Schwazzy, the Chosen One, and has been called upon to rid UnLondon of an entity known only as the Smog. This is how it has been written in UnLondon's prophecies. This is what its citizens expect.
Zanna and Deeba, however, are just two kids from London and they are more interested in returning home to their family and friends than getting involved in the strange occurrences in this other world. When Zanna is injured, and they are given a chance to go home, they take it.
I won't say any more about the plot as some of the fun to it is in the unexpected. As in Mieville's other works, things are not always as they seem, and he plays extensively with the tropes and trimmings of the "young adult" fantasy genre.
UnLondon is an imaginative place, a world where buses fly around suspended from balloons, where inanimate objects like umbrellas and even rubbish are alive, where rubbish bins are ninja-like defenders. In typical Mieville fashion, he is not content to pepper his world with such imaginative creations, instead he stuffs it full of them. Additionally, he has included his own sketches in the book. My advance review copy did not have the illustrations included, but they can be seen on the official website.
My only reservation with the book was that it almost seemed a little too "cute" in some places, with the worldplay, with the puns. However, I realize that I am not the audience this book was intended for. I fully believe that younger readers would be more kindly disposed towards a lot of these elements. Likewise, if you're a fan of books like Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, those elements might be right up your alley.
Ultimately, however, I think the books triumphs with its overall message. Its this which separates it from the other young adult fantasies on the market. It has real world resonance, and I would feel comfortable giving this book to anybody. Which is not to say that it's preachy - it doesn't talk at you. It is, in the end, an inclusive book, especially through Deeba's character. In books like Harry Potter, as enjoyable as they may be, the reader can only look upon that world - they will never be a wizard. In Un Lun Dun, there is far more accessibility. While the reader may not truly visit that world, they can certainly relate to Deeba's character.
Discuss this article in our forum.
See our interview with China Mieville at the 2007 NYCC.
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 09:00 AM
by The Comics Outsider
The rumors were piling up, here, you take them off my hands...
TELL ME LIES... TELL ME SWEET LITTLE LIES
100% = true. 
75% = probably true. 
50% = not so much. 
DID YOU COUNT THAT RIGHT?
The Outsider has learned that DC will follow-up the 52 follow-up Countdown with a new follow-up comic called "Fibonacci" in 2008. "True, we'll need to ship five issues that first week, but by day 89, the schedule should be very manageable," a DC editor told the Outsider. The series will never end. Ever.
THE KEY TO MOVIE DEVELOPMENT HELL
MOVIE NEWS!
Warner Bros is moving ahead with a film based on Neil Gaiman's Sandman. Long stuck in "development hell", the film now has a major star attached.
None other than Tom Cruise has signed on to play the film's protagonist, Morpheus.
Said Cruise, "Kate and I, we call her Kate now, not Katie, were looking for a romantic film to do together, like I did with Nicole in "Far and Away". And I've wanted to do a superhero film since I missed out on "Iron Man". Playing this super-dream guy sounded like a kick. He throws 'dream dirt' at people. Ha! Sounds like a real funny guy."
Kate Holmes is slated to play the Sandman's sister, Death. Holmes was not available for comment.
ARTISTSWIPING OR HOMAGE? #1
= 
?
50 STATE INITIATED
The Outsider has turned up more info on more upcoming Avengers tie-ins! Here's the early solicits for four select titles from the upcoming 50 State Initiative Summer Event!
Avengers: Green Mountain
The first pulse-shattering chapter in the 50 States Initiative is here! Evil undead sorceror Kulan Gath has taken over Vermont, and through an ancient curse has cursed all grades of Vermont maple syrup with the spirits of the damned! That's right, even the fancy amber! Details are scarce but let's just say this: D-Man is back, and badder than ever!
Avengers: Evergreen
Plantman is back! And he's here to bedevil peaceful Washingtonians from Kennewick to Bellingham! The Evergreen State is living up to its name under HIS Green Thumb...of Doom! Can the combined forces of the Sentry, Wonder Man, and three Thor cyborgs control him? Our money says...we sure hope so!
Avengers: Huskers
Nebraska has been invaded by the living legend known as TOMAZOOMA! What is his nefarious plot? Join the Battling Bantam and five all new Avengers in the latest 50 States Initiative adventure!
ARTISTSWIPING OR HOMAGE? #2
= 
?
OLLIE AND HARRIET
Word is there's a Green Arrow/Black Canary team up book in the works. The book, called Ball and Chain, will follow their post-marriage life as newlyweds. New characters in the title will include "wacky next-door neighbor" Eel O'Brien, the "creepy guy across the street always spying on them with binoculars," Bruce Wayne, and "the teenager from down the street who always seems to come over to mow the lawn when Green Arrow isn't at home", Garfield Logan.
"We thought it would be fun to get these characters out of the exciting cities they nomally live in and see how they would handle living in the suburbs," a DC executive was quoted as saying. He continued, "the comic book audience is aging and we feel the need to have their superheroes better reflect the life they now live. What would it be like for Green Arrow to coach little league? Will Black Canary really be able to make 300 brownies in time for the Sunday School bake sale? These are the kinds of things that concern our readership today."
WHO IS THE NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA AND WHO WILL THE NEW CREATIVE TEAM BE?
The Outsider has the scoop on both. The new Captain America will be...Sharon Carter. Take a look:
...but I know what you're saying. Dearest Outsider, why is that a photograph of Sharon Carter as Captain America? Well, let the Outsider ask a question of you: who among today's hottest comic book artistes makes the very most out of the photo references?
Think about it... yes, you heard it here first: Brubaker/Land on Captain America in 2008.
You're welcome.
BACK IN A... FLASH?
Look for Bart Allen to be replaced with the DC Tangent Flash in Flash: The Fastest (Wo)Man Alive #13. You know, the cute chick in a skimpy costume. Look for more DC heroes to be switched with their cuter Tangent versions as Countdown counts down.
52 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER
So, now that it's over and the secret of "52" is out, the Outsider can reveal that originally there being 52 universes in the multiverse was NOT the planned meaning of "52". But once the original meaning, that Batman has 52 different Batmobiles, was leaked to the press, DC had to scramble to come up with a new meaning that still worked with the story they had been building to, where Batman drove all 52 Batmobiles at the same time.
Other rejected ideas for what 52 should/could mean:
52 flavors at DC universe's Baskin Robbins post-Crisis.
52 times Superman cries a day.
52 weeks until the next issue of All Star Batman and Robin
52 different super-speedsters in the DCU.
52 ways to re-boot Hawkman.
52 ways to re-boot Supergirl.
52 ways to re-boot Legion.
52-inch pythons on Bane.
Discuss this article in our forum.
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 09:00 AM
1. So what's the deal with 52? There's 52 whats, universes? Earths?
The Multiverse is back, baby! In the beginning, there existed one Universe. Krona, one of a race of aliens who would one day become the Guardians of the Universe, decided to look into the origins of the Universe, and accidentally created the Multiverse. Whoops.
So now there were multiple versions of the Universe, each slightly different from the other one. On Earth, the only planet that really matters, the Age of Heroes was slightly different on each version. Earth-1, for instance, was the home of the Justice League of America (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, those guys). Earth-2 was home to the Justice Society of America (The original Flash, Green Lantern, Wildcat, ect). These guys eventually found a way to travel back and forth between Earths, and even found other Earths, like Earth-X, home of the Freedom Fighters, where the Nazis won World War 3, and Earth-S, home of Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family. One Crisis later, and the Multiverse collapsed on itself, basically combining the surviving Earths into one. This was the best of all Earths, as it contained all the heroes from each individual universe. Please see Crisis on Infinite Earths for the full story.
Fast-forward a few years, and the Multiverse split back open, and recombines to create New Earth, one very similar the the original Earth, with some minor changes. And the whole explanation for this is chronicled in Infinite Crisis. Trust me, I'm just giving you the basics here, if you really want to know more, go read these books.
And that brings us to 52 #52. According to Rip Hunter, New Earth couldn't contain the energy of the Multiverse, and started replicating duplicate Earths to hold the energy. 52 parallel Earths (well, 52 parallel Universes) were replicated to hold the excess energy of the Multiverse. That was all fine and dandy until the time-and-space-eating Mr. Mind came by, and decided to eat a few Universes. He took a bite out of one Universe, and altered history so the JLA never formed, and they all became bad guys. He took a bite out of another, and Superman crashed in Smallville in 1938. A few nibbles out of another, and the world that was left had been blown to Kingdom Come. Can Rip Hunter, Booster Gold, and a wacky cast of lovable losers stop Mr. Mind before he eats everytime and everyspace? Well, I hope so, or DC will have to stop publishing comics.
2. Any follow up from WW3, either with Black Adam or J'onn?
All I know is that someone's walking around with crocodile boots. No, really.
3. How do they lead into Countdown?
They don't. At least, it doesn't appear they do. Well, except for that whole "Multiverse" thing.
4. So... this whole thing was about some little-known robot sidekick named Skeets? And that warranted a 52 week limited series?
No, it was about C-list heroes putting their lives on the line and saving the world. Skeets was just a tool used by Mr. Mind to hibernate in for 52 weeks so he could hatch into a crazy time-and-space-eating Mothra/Cthulhu-looking thing.
5. Is Jean Loring still Sheclipso?
Yessir.
6. Does Extant show up?
Nope.
7. In the famous palindrome: "I have scimocs 25 52 comics, evah I", what's are "scimocs"?
A smock evil scientists wear?
8. Jim Carrey played the Riddler in "Batman Forever." Jim Carrey was in a movie called "The Number 23". 23 times 2 is 46. 52 minus 46 is 8. There are eight pennies in my pocket right now. They've been there forever. Coincidence?
Um...
9. What do you think of the new Egg Fu? Do they explain his deal in 52 #52?
I'm sorry, what did you call him? His name is Chang Tzu! Or is it Chung Zhu? Wait, this issue says Chung Tzu. Ah, it doesn't matter, he's a giant fucking egg.
10: Does Bulleteer show up?
No.
11. Does Number 6 escape the village at the end of this?
No, but we find out the monsters were their parents all along.
12. So does Ralph Dibny get brought back from the dead in this?
Back from the dead, no. But are he and Sue ghosts now, being all Ghost Detective-y? Hellz yes! I'm sorry, I don't want a Black Adam mini, I don't want a Booster Gold ongoing, I want, nay, demand a Ralph & Sue: Ghost Detectives ongoing series. Now. Right now. I'll write it for free for the six issues, DC. You've got my number, make the call.
13. I think this all started with Brad Meltzer and Identity Crisis. Don't you?
I-
14. Don't you think that he ought to pay for what he did to Ralph and Sue?
Well, I'm not sure-
15. You seem angry. Are you angry about this?
I don't think I-
16. We can deal with Brad Meltzer. But I have to know: are you ready to put yourself on the line, or are you all talk?
Um...
17. Perhaps we ought to get back to some general questions to distract the plebes. Quite a lot of prying eyes, don't you think?
I... I'm gonna go stand over here, now.
18. So does the female Wildcat come back?
Who?
19. Does Jamm from Bloodlines come back?
What?
20. What about Jemm, Son of Saturn?
When?
21. Do you think you could bring yourself to strangle a man wearing a clown suit ?
Wait... am I wearing the clown costume or is he?
22. How about a Batman costume?
No. But I could strangle someone while wearing a Wonder Woman costume.
Weird, huh?
23. Any more information given on the random mad scientists from Oolong Island?
Dr. Sivana makes is back, only to get shot in the knee by Rip Hunter. That's gotta suck.
24. Have you ever heard of Doctor Cyclops before?
Before what?
25. Any other OYL Titans given more time?
Nope, no Teen Titans in this issue. I'm sure we'll see lots of them in Countdown, though.
26. Does Superman cry?
"Wish that I could cry, fall upon my knees. Find a way to lie, about a home I'll never see."
27. Does Batman cry?
"Crying over you, crying over you. Yes, now you’re gone and from this moment on I’ll be crying, crying, crying, crying. Yeah, crying, crying, over you."
28. Does Wonder Woman cry?
"All alone I have cried, silent tears full of pride. In a world made of steel, made of stone"
29. How come Iron Man and Captain America were such cry babies, then?
"Captain America's been torn apart. Now he's a court jester with a broken heart He said - Turn me around and take me back to the start. I must be losin' my mind - 'Are you blind?' I've seen it all a million times"
30: Does Bulleteer show up?
... no.
31. Does Aztek show up?
No.
32: Does Ambush Bug show up?
No.
33: Does Max Lord in his Lord Havoc form show up, back from the dead to take his revenge on Wonder Woman?
...no.
34: Does Bulleteer show up?
No!
35: Why is Locke with the Others?
Time will tell.
36. If I touch myself 52 times before 52 Week 52 comes out, will I understand what the meaning of 52 means?
Do you have a sigil?
37. How does the Doctor 13 story from Tales of the Unexpected tie into 52 #52?
In that way where he doesn't.
38. Does Highfather show up in this one?
No New Gods sightings, but check out recent issues of Firestorm before it's cancelled, and Blue Beetle.
39. Do they explain what happened to Tempest and Dolphin?
Nada.
40. Do they explain why they hired Bart Sears again for Warlord? He's just awful.
They glossed right over it.
41. Was it all just a dream? And then Countdown is the real story of what happened One Year Later?
I... no?
42. So... Mr. Mind, huh?
Yep.
43. Will Marvel come out with a weekly series called 53, because it rocks so hard they need 53 weeks to tell it?
Marvel's coming out with a daily series called 365 written by Frank Miller with art by Rob Liefeld. It will be finished in 2179 by the robots that Miller and Liefeld's brainwaves are downloaded into. Those robots will also finish All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder and Youngblood: Bloodsport, respectively.
44. Did you know there are also 52 weeks in a single year?
I suspected it.
45. Do they reveal where the Question (Vic Sage) is buried?
What are you talking about, Vic Sage is alive and well...on Earth 4!
46. Remember that character from the DC/Marvel crossover a few years back? Access? He doesn't show up, does he?
I think he's in the background somewhere
47. So they bring Hypertime back in this one, right?
I guess technically it never went away... it's one of those things you can either believe in or not. Like Santa Claus. Or Spider-Man being the totem of a Spider-God.
48. Is Rip Hunter really the Hypertime Kingdom Come son of Superman and Wonder Woman and is that why he knows so much?
He knows so much because he's smart. Dumbass.
49. So, 52 #52 comes out on 5/2/2007? How in the world did the same company that has their Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman comics running late pull that off?
An elaborate setup of the industries best writers, a workhorse of an art team, and a dedicated Production staff, Editoral Administrators, sales & marketing guys, and last but certainly far from least, Kristan Morrison. Or Indonesian child labor, I can't remember.
50. In Britain, they're going tro write May Second as 2/5/2007, right? So they're not going to be as impressed, are they?
Not bloody likely.
51. Who came up with the idea for Leap Year, anyway? Having one extra day every four years is dumb.
In our universe, it was Julius Ceasar. In the DC Universe, it was Metron.
52. When is the next All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder coming out?
5/2/2012
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 05:02 AM
Top Five Articles
Galactus is Coming
YMB's crack investigative team has unearthed the long rumored, but never confirmed, collaboration from 1983 between Marvel's Chairman Emeritus Stan Lee and religious comic tract creator Jack Chick.
Super Love
Your questions about love, sex, and relationships are answered by some of your favorite superheroes.
The Geek's Guide to Valentine's Day
We are sure that you are hating this day of days, Valentine's Day. The day of the pity valentine. "Make sure everybody gets a valentine, we don't want anybody feeling left out!" Or those lonely nights in your college lounge where you and the guys watched couples leave and return from their dates, as you fellows played one long, lonely game of Magic The Gathering. We here in the Basement can help you out. It's not too late! We cover all the bases you will need help with to break that Valentine's Day dry spell.
Top 15 Comic Book Catchphrases
YMB counts down the top fifteen comic book catchphrases of all time!
Lost Season Three Spoilers
YMB's crack reporters were able to get LOST executive produce Damon Lindeloff talking by plying him with beers at a recent ABC television event. We learned to things. First, one cheap domestic beer buys you lot of time with Mr. Lindeloff. And second, we now know MAJOR SPOILERS for LOST's third season. Which we are happy to provide you with now (don't say we never got you nothin').
Features and Columns
20-Odd Questions: Civil War #2
Is Wolverine in this issue?
20-Odd Questions: WildCATS #1
Why did they deviate so far from the movie's continuity, and did they ever get notes from the studio about it? Did Wildstorm fail to get the likeness rights for Goldie Hawn?
The Comics Outsider: Civil War Delays
It's what you're all talking about. Even you. No, the other guy to the right picking his nose. Yeah, you. Civil War delays. And while all of the other Internet sites, blogs, podcasts and other bastions of journalistic integrity have discussed this topic to death, you know you haven't heard it all until The Comics Outsider has weighed in with the facts.
The Comics Outsider: More Seven Soldiers
Seven Soldiers X 2? 14 Soldiers? More Civil War returnenings? Cancelled Star Wars spin-off? Re-animated Spawn? It's all in the Outsider...
Tricks of Turning Pro: Writing an Action Scene with Impact
This month, aspiring comic writer Gary Walters teaches you Writing an Action Scene with Impact "The action that propells the plot forward is always very important. Combine it with pictures in the comic format and it is quite exciting... Now, there are two schools of thought that pertain to action in comics. The first is the Chuck Dixon school of thought. ...The second... is the Brian Michael Bendis School of Thought"
Tricks of Turning Pro: Fight Back! An Ode Against the Cyber-bullies
This month, aspiring comic writer Gary Walters writes about a very serious topic in FIGHT BACK: An Ode Against the Cyber-bullies "I just knew at that moment that this guy ... was just there for one reason only. He's one of those Internet vultures and predators who wait for blood and then strike, attacking anyone... So, I fought back that night after consulting my attorney, who advised me on stopping cyberbullies."
Gone, But Not Forgotten: Legion of Superheroes Volume 4 Part 1
For a long time, the ‘Standard of LSH Excellence’ for me has been the long-ago Legion of Super-Heroes Volume 4. The first 38 issues of this series are amongst the best revisionist super-hero/sci comics I have known, and so few people remember them now. I've never seen anything like it since.
Gone, But Not Forgotten: Legion of Superheroes Volume 4 Part 3
Pete Goodrich re-continues his look back at this fan favorite (yet still uncollected) comic book series.
Look Back in Anger: 1996
YMB was cleaning up the basement last week and found something... Wizard issue number 65. Their "year-end spectacular" for 1996. As we begin 2007, YMB thought a look back to the state of the industry a decade ago might be worthwhile.
Look Back in Anger: Highlander
In possibly YMB's most controversial article ever, Pete takes a "Look Back In Anger" at 1986's "Highlander". What he finds... well... "My friends, our memories are wrong. This movie is bullsh*t, and does not deserve the warm place in our memories that it has... I watched it again last night, for the first time in years and years. And I tell you this: IT SUCKED. A lot."
Halloweek: Draculas vs. Frankensteins
Two learned ten year olds debate the age old question...
Halloweek: 11 Great Ghouls
Theres no actual ghouls covered in this, but we will address who are the top ten Best movie monsters that have blessed the silver screen? Well, I have ten categories here and lets get started!
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 08:35 AM
Interviews
Interview with Lenil Yu
With the launch of New Avengers #27 today, YMB's Mike Collins asks the title's artist, Leinil Yu, a
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 08:00 AM
