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by J. Brent Stewart
Brent with the great Charles Cyphers and his personal hero Tom Atkins. Brent's personal hero, that is. We don't know who Charles Cyphers' personal hero is. Gandhi?
One of several Devos running around these days.I guess this Devo is "Three Stages of the Development of Mark Mothersbaugh"?
Man in a latex Elvis outfit with a mystery stain on his ass. Enjoy.
Julia submits to her twisted hubby Pat's wishes and poses with these plushies...or furries...or whatever it is you call the people who like to dress up like animals and screw.
Tom Atkins' Merch table. You NEED that "Creepshow" photo.
While we were drunkenly sitting in a dark hallway, this girl kept popping out of one of the nearby panel rooms, flashing us her butt and begging us to join them. Eventually, we relented, only to find that it wasn't really a panel, but was, in fact, a room that a bunch of kids dressed as Dethklok from "Metalacolypse" had drunkenly commandeered. They had taken the microphone, they had lined up bottles on the table, and they were asking anybody that walked by totally random questions, all in bad Swedish accents. It was, to me, the VERY essence of everything that is great about DragonCon. Geeks getting together and doing what the hell ever. We would have stayed all night but the gals wanted to head home.
Well duh.
A man dressed as Robot Monster, with his son dressed as a Killer Tomato??? This is Dad of the year, in my book. GREAT costume.
We'd been seeing this hefty Pepsi Man everywhere all day. For one: 1. PEPSI MAN??? and 2. Isn't that suit a bit tight? and 3. PEPSI MAN?!?!??!
We drunkenly pledged that if we saw him again, we (being El Presidente and I) would grab his ass. Instead we just asked him if we could take a picture of us touching his ass. You can't tell in this pic whether or not I actually TOUCHED this girthy Pepsi-man's ass or if I'm faking...and you never will know!
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 12:01 PM
by J. Brent Stewart
Hello all. I'm the Reverend J. Brent Stewart, and once upon a time, I was a regular contributor to YMB.
What happened in the years that followed is largely a matter for our respective attorneys to attend to, but I am pleased to return to you on a trial basis (which all hinges on Pete's willingness to cease all Vin Diesel related legal actions.)
For those who don't know, DragonCon is an annual four day nerd orgy of freaky excess in the muggy hotbed known to many as "Phatlanta" Georgia. Typically, this festival of the arcane takes place every Labor Day weekend, centered around the Hyatt Regency and Marriott hotels.
30,000 or so of the most willfully demented geeks on earth descend upon the city to celebrate all things fantasy, science fiction, horror, and tangentially genre related. However, that is selling it far too short. It's not simply a collection of Star Trek and Buffy fans, though there are certainly plenty of those, as well as scores of Jedi and Stormtroopers parading through the streets of Atlanta.
But that's far from all. The convention fully encompasses the many stripes of science fiction and fantasy fandom (from the above mentioned to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Babylon Five, Dr. Who, The Tribe, Battlestar Galactica, Red Dwarf, etc.), but it also hosts a full contingent of comic book creators and dealers of all genres and ages; a full hotel devoted to role playing game in all of its forms, from miniatures to LARPS (heh) to MMORPGS, card games and beyond; a thriving goth and industrial music scene, replete with legions of latex vampire types; costumers and cosplayers of every variety; a host of sci-fi, fantasy and horror novelists; ren-fair types with their bodices and leggings and "miladies" and what have you; and, you know, garden variety nerds.
And I say all of this with love in my heart. I AM this nerd. These are my people. And though I hate them, really I do (especially when they try to talk to me while I'm zonked out of my mind in the elevator and have a hard enough time not upchucking without their BO and questions about my interest in Necromongers dampening the atmosphere) I also love them. Sincerely. With every ounce of my being.
Every time I arrive I end up getting cornered by someone that I can't seem to escape, and I think "God, this guy!" And yet, by the time the final morning of the con rolls around, you're just as likely to find my hugging "this guy" with all of my might, somewhere by the Hyatt pool, drunkenly yelling "I LOVE THIS GUY."
It's that kind of convention.
For a more in depth observation, take a gander at my Con report from a couple of years back, complete with tons of pics of all manner of geek genus and also lots of really hot chicks.
Did I not mention the chicks? Oh, they're there. And not just hot ones. All sorts of chicks, and all sorts of guys. That's one of the things that DragonCon may have on the other cons: girls are just as well represented as the gents, and they own every bit as much floorspace, too. Sure, the gal with electrical tape on her nipples and a batleth up her ass is going to have that circle of drooling guys lurking around her 24/7, but there's also just as much respect given to the girls who are there to meet their favorite authors.
As of last year, DragonCon has possibly gotten too big for its britches, as it now sprawls across THREE hotels, taking up several downtown city blocks.
The most recent edition is the Hilton, which hosts all of the gaming stuffs, as well as the Walk of Fame autograph section (where you too can buy a $20 8X10 glossy from the third Wookie to the right) and the Exhibitor Hall.
The Marriott Marquis is the home of the Dealers Market, a massive collection of dealers selling you everything from batarangs to comic books to dvds to corsets to perns (gah, the fucking perns) etc ad nauseum. Everything and anything vaguely fantasy related...you can get it there.
Across the hall from the Dealers' Market is the Comic Book Creator area, where all sorts of writers, artists and publishers have tables set up. Pretty much all of them cheerfully give autographs, and most of the artists do sketches, some for a fee, some for free. At DragonCon I have met creators as diverse as Will Eisner, Jim Steranko, John Byrne (heh), Evan Dorkin, Adam Hughes, Dan Brereton, Carmine Infantino, Marv Wolfman, Colleen Doran, Frank Cho, and of course D-Con perennial, Bob "Flaming Carrot" Burden. I think the comic aspect of DragonCon kinda gets lost in the shuffle, but for real, there are legitimate comic stars here, and seeing as how they aren't the FOCUS of this con, like they are in San Diego, Wizard World, etc, you actually stand a better chance of chatting them up for a bit or getting that sketch you always wanted. For instance, at San Diego I may have to wait a while to talk to Berni Wrightson or Brian Stelfreeze. At DragonCon you just walk right up, because there's a good chance they're completely unoccupied.
Moving along, we now arrive at the party hotel, the Hyatt. The Hyatt is a marvel of engineering, a gorgeous space, and the perfect place to experience the 24/7 chaos of DragonCon. If you have never been to DragonCon, or if you REALLY want that "I'm going out of my midn with the elevator alarm screaming and people yelling all around me" experience while you're guzzling down diet pills and absinthe, I implore you: YOU MUST STAY AT THE HYATT.
It's the only way to fly.
But that's enough for the recap. Let's get to what happened in 2006, and why I don't have much to say about it.
Feeling a bit crunched for money, and sensing a general "meh" attitude from my friends, I had written DragonCon 2006 off. It hurt a bit at first, but I eventually got over it, telling myself I could use the cash at home, and I really wouldn't miss much. As much as D-Con changes every year...it also stays the same. That's part of the appeal.
Suddenly, I found that my intrepid photog Danny Cash had hatched a plan: we would zoom off to Atlanta with our friends Pat/Julia and Jason/Betty (yes, I have reduced all of my married friends into soulless composite personae) and crash with our Atlanta-residing pals Ange/Mange. We would hang out at their place, go get some kickass barbeque at Dreamland and a burger at The Vortex, and then we'd spend ONE day at the Con, packing in as much action as we could.
And looking back, I can say it was definitely a fun trip just to see our friends and eat all of that great food, but it wasn't a DRAGONCON trip, you know?
And the reasons were:
1. The crowd: DragonCon has become ungodly huge, and something has to change with their badge system. Being a swanky press type, I was able to swish into the press room and get my badge in about five minutes, Danny in tow.
However, our friends got stuck in a quagmire after the Saturday morning parade (nothing like seeing literally hundreds of Cobra Troopers, Ghostbusters and Stormtroopers taking to the streets) and were in line for, and I am not making this up: FOUR HOURS.
Needless to say, after that our friends were pooped, especially the gals, and they weren't much in the mood for the rest of the muck.
2. Staying offsite: I've said it a million times, and I'll hammer it home again: to really get that true D-Con vibe, you GOTTA stay at one of the con hotels, and if it's possible, you have to stay at the Hyatt.
Case in point: Somewhere around midnight we found ourselves partaking in our favorite D-Con activity, which is blowing off the concerts, panels and structured stuff, so that we could just wander around the bowels of the Hyatt, ducking into a corner to mix up some highballs and have a grand old time.
If you're staying at the Hyatt, you can drunkenly stumble about to the wee hours, and when you're done, saunter on up to your room to crash for a few hours.
But if you're crashing in, say, ALPHARETTA...well, that's a little less fun.
And 3. We only went one day.
Well, actually, I went back by myself on Sunday to raid the comic bins, but it seemed rushed. Again, I cannot recommend more highly taking in the complete four day immersive DragonCon experience.
Every self respecting (and otherwise) person of geekage really needs to do this.
Be with your people. This is a place where you are ALL welcome. Everyone feels free to truly be themselves, and I mean the REAL themselves. The hydrocephalic in the wizard robe, the mustard stained LARPer, the latex underwear man, the guy with the keys to the bus to Sodom, and the guy who simply wanted to be Batman for one night...that is who they can be here. ANd no one is going to think badly of them or mock them. They're just gonna ignore it, or join on in and groove with them. It's like the Electric Kool Aid Acid Test without all of the godawful Grateful Dead music.
So, yeah, DragonCon 2006 was...different. But there WERE some highlights, and here they be:
1. Adult Swim panel: It's so odd to me that in the space of three years, "Venture Bros" has gone from being the Adult Swim show that literally NO ONE was talking about, to being far and away the most popular show at the Con. There were tons of Monarchs running around, and the reason was: Doc and Jackson were there. And yeah, they were as funny as you'd hope.
2. TOM ATKINS!
I am a Tom Atkins fan. If you have ever seen a movie, preferably one with a cop or a serial killer, made in the last 20 years, you know Tom Atkins. But me, personally, I love Tom Atkins for "Halloween III".
Not only did I get to MEET Tom Atkins, shake his hand, and chat for a bit, I was able to buy a t-shirt FROM Tom Atkins which has a picture of Tom Atkins head on it and the word "ATKINS" written on it.
That's just too cool for words.
Tom Atkins couldn't have been more awesome. When he gave me my shirt he said "Wear it in good health...preferably with a beer in hand."
Tom was set up next to Charles Cypher, another great character actor you probably know from sight if not by name, and I got a great pic of him and Donald Pleasance in "Halloween" signed.
3. KARI BYRON.
The build team from "Mythbusters" was there...while I'm not really a TV person, I will readily confess to wasting hours watching "Mythbusters" marathons. And while my love of the boys is pure, you know I'm watching for one extra special reason: The geek dream which is Kari Byron.
Redheaded arty blowemup cutie Kari is, if at all possible, even cuter in person than on the show. I didn't talk to her much because I didn't want to,you know, vomit on her, but she was super cute and super nice and I got to talk to her and Danny didn't, so nyah.
So...is that it? Well, yeah, pretty much, I guess. But while my 2006 D-Con experience was a bit lackluster, it served me well in one regard: it strengthened my resolve to make D-Con 2007 AWESOME. We have our Hyatt hotel room booked. We have our badges reserved. And what's even better is that the friends who were D-Con virgins finally got that little taste, and now they want the real deal.
I hope maybe you've had that taste as well.
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 12:00 PM
10. Comic books are purposefully made to degrade over time. Due to factors like sun, heat, water, and cheeto-stains.
9. Letters in letter columns are all made up.
8. Actual superhero battles: mostly concluded by choke holds.
7. "Stan Lee" is a psuedonym shared by moonlighting DC writers such as Joe Gill and Robert Kanigher; the man we know as Stan Lee is just a beatnik hired for public appearences.
6. Superman? Not that great an idea.
5. Joe Quesada knows that every single person that reads comics actually does post on the internet.
4. The name "comic books" is a misnomer: they are never funny.
3. Four color comics? Black and white aren't really "colors."
2. Outcome of superhero battles fixed in advance by editors.
1. Comic books? Actually for small children.
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 08:30 AM
YMB went to Wizardworld Chicago this past weekend and asked the following creators "What one question do you have for fandom?" Here are some their responses (Yes, we usually do 20. This time, we only have 10. We were drunk a lot in Chicago. Deal with it.):
10. Jim Valentino, creator of normalman, former Image Comics publisher: Why aren't you broadening your horizons; with so much diversity out there, why are you still reading the same story?
I've been reading a lot of Image comics lately. They seem pretty diverse. Have you ever read any of them before? You should try them sometime. They publish a bunch of different stuff.
9. Tim Seeley, creator and writer of Hack/Slash: Why do you like such shitty comics?
Hey! I liked Watchmen! Sure, I skipped all the pirate stuff, and the book stuff, and kind of just skimmed the ending... But I liked it! So, I don't think you should be insulting Mr. Alan More like that! I also enjoyed his Batman: Year One miniseries. So there.
8. Spike, creator of Templar, Arizona: Why do you think every character is me?
How many women named Spike do you know?
7. Tom Parkhill of Young American Comics: Why don't you demand more independent comics at your local bookshop?
I don't understand the question. I've requested tons of MAX, Vertigo, and Image comics at my comic shop. I even bought a Dark Horse title once. (It crossed over with Superman. He fought the Aliens.)
6. Jason A. Hurley, creator of Honest Abe and the Original G-Dub: What the fuck is wrong with you?
I have self-esteem issues stemming from childhood, coupled with glandular problems which contribute to weight gain and a poor complexion. That and I meet judgmental people on a daily basis.
5. Geof Darrow, artist of Hard Boiled, creator of Shaolin Cowboy: What's [your] collective dick size?
I have a Dick Tracy action figure from the Warren Beatty movie line. He stands about 4 inches tall. But he's not for sale. Find your own.
4.Tony Moore, artist of The Walking Dead, Exterminators: I shook your hand five years ago in Chicago; do you remember me?
Remember you? Do you know what I did with my hand right after we met?
3. Patrick Gleason, artist of Green Lantern Corps: What was happening in your childhood... what scarred you so deep that only comics can heal
I had self-esteem issues stemming from glandular problems which contributed to weight gain and a poor complexion. Comics don't judge me.
2. David Mack, creator of Kabuki: Where do you get your ideas?
I'm a firm believer in ideaspace. That and torrents.
1. Matt Silady, creator of The Homeless Channel: [The] Venom [symbiote] on the Hulk: jumping the shark or totally fucking awesome?!
ABOUT GODDAMN TIME, more like!
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 09:00 AM
The nigh-perfect Tricia Helfer (have you seen her Playboy pics? Ohmygodmakeitstophurtingsomuch) of Battlestar Galactica descended upong the Rosemont Convention Center to do a signing at Wizard World Chicago. She's so dreamy.
Here's Tricia signing an autograph:
Here's Tricia talking to her handlers:
This is Tricia smiling that perfect smile of hers:
She's signing another autograph here. Man, she's so giving to her fans, isn't she?
And the guy wants her to sign something else! LEAVE SOME FOR THE REST OF US, YOU SELFISH PRICK!
But she's so sweet, she's humoring the dude. Hear that, LOSER? She took pity on you, LOSER! Move out of the way and give the rest of us a chance, LOSER!
OHMYGOD, Tricia even posed for a picture with this LOSER! She's so awesome . . . .
Buh-bye, LOSER!
Here's my future wife Tricia signing again:
I bet she has penmanship like an angel. LIKE AN ANGEL:
This is Tricia's arm:
Do you think she knows when I think about her? Which would be, like, all the freakin' time?
Not that there's anything wrong with that. I mean, I'm not creepy or obsessive or anything:
Definitely not obsessive. Swear to God. Look, I even changed up the camera angle. I AM AN ARTISTE.
Damn, baby, is it possible for you to take a bad photo? Answer: No. No, it's not.
I LOVE YOU, TRICIA.
MARRY ME, TRICIA.
WHY AREN'T YOU ANSWERING ME??? LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU, DAMNIT!!!
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 02:34 PM
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 01:36 PM
The guys asked if I wanted a photo of just Emma Frost or all three of them together. I don't know what I was thinking.
Are we advertising someone else's site? Probably. Do we care? Apparently not.
These were the women who posed for pictures before the "DCU: New Worlds Order" panel on Saturday.
Don't expect us to make fun of children. They're adorable, you cretins.
"We are not lame characters."
"And don't ask us about JLA-Detroit. Wasn't our idea."
"Oh, thank God. Flash and Batman make everything better."
That poor child is going to get his head eaten . . . .
Chicks dressed up as Supergirl are hot.
You know what they say about how good looking people hang out with ugly people to make themselves look better? Yeah. Chick dressed as Supergirl standing with a bunch of Power Rangers. You do the math.
And then there was this Supergirl, whose abs put every other Supergirl at the con to shame.
Oh, man. Supergirl who??? Homina.
Double homina. GOD BLESS AMERICA.
Take our word for it. This Caitlin Fairchild is about 6'3" without heels. SHE IS A GODDESS.
Just a bunch of cute kids dressed cutely. Which is totally a word. I swear. I looked it up and everything.
Yeah, we don't know, either.
They evidently play a lot of Connect Four in the Matrix.
YMB's own Erin Sometimes joins Gotham's finest to do battle against the forces of evil. You can't see it, but she's wearing combat boots in that picture. She's totally prepared to kick evil-doers in the 'nads.
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 11:40 PM
An image is shown of Captain America by Alex ross with the text "Alex Ross / Returns / 2008"
Annihilation Conquest by abnett / lanning / tom raney
Portrait of Dorian Grey will be adapted in comics form.
Ult Hulk / Iron Man by Warren Ellis and Cary Nord
Brian Michael Bendis and some dude named Gutchie will do Ultimate Origins
The villain in Anihilation Conquest will be revealed in November.
The saga following "World War Hulk" will be called "Aftersmash."
No plans for Dazzler coming up, but Ed Brubaker may be interested in her.
Arcs in Amazing Spider-Man will be 1-6 issues long but with one bigger continuing story.
The Ultimate Defenders will not be appearing anytime soon.
Inhumans - working on a pitch to follow "Silent War."
Spider-Man's new powers will be adressed in the coming months
Someone else is picking up Ant Man.
John Cassaday exploring areas outside of comics. Has nothing lined up at Marvel right now.
Would not discount a Winter Soldier solo book / mini but not anytime soon.
Messiah Complex - keep an eye on Gambit.
Ramos / Moore on Runaways for a "significant run."
No books in the $1.99 format.
Marvel Boy is part of something big. Something to do with revelations in Avengers.
Agents of Atlas will be coming back.
Showed preview image for 2008 with Spider-Woman kissing Tony Stark. Looked like it was by Steve McNiven.
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 10:23 PM
DC and Warner Brothers put together an unannounced, surprise panel discussion on The Dark Knight, Warner's sequel to the hit Batman Begins, due out in July 2008. Shooting for the highly-anticipated sequel is currently taking place in Chicago, a fact that Paul Levitz was quick to remind the audience of during the DC Nation panel yesterday.
It was an effective tease that some of the key talent involved with The Dark Knight might actually make an appearance at Wizard World Chicago. Sure enough, we weren't disappointed.
After waiting in an overcrowded, under-airconditioned ballroom for about a half hour, Paul Levitz introduced, in order: Screenwriters David Goyer and Jonan Nolan, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Christian Bale, and Christopher Nolan. Oldman received the first standing ovation of the evening and Bale received the loudest ovation of the entering talents and seemed genuinely embarassed at the adulation.
Goyer, who of course has also dipped into comics writing, said it was gratifying for him to be at the WW Chicago panel because he remembers going to comic book conventions as a youngster. Jonah Nolan grew up as a Batman fan and, being a native of Chicago, has been lobbying for more shooting to take place in his hometown.
Bale thanks the audience for what he termed an "insane" welcome. He went on to say, "It's an honor for me to reprise this most badass of roles." Bale related that he wasn't really a big fan of Batman growing up, and mostly knew the character only through the campy Adam West television show. Then, Bale read Frank Miller's Batman: Year One and thought, "Why the hell hasn't anyone made that kind of Batman? To me, there's only one way to play [the character]."
Fans were invited to begin asking questions, most of which didn't garner any notable responses. But Nolan and Goyer said audiences would see more of the detective/criminologist aspect of Batman's character in the second movie. Batman Begins was, of course, an origin movie and Nolan felt he couldn't devote much screen time to that aspect of the character. That will be addressed in the sequel.
When asked about the interest any of the major players had in doing a World's Finest movie, Goyer said he had "zero" interest on a scale of 1 to 10. Jonah Nolan said while he really enjoyed the Batman-Superman fight in Dark Knight Returns, he doesn't see much possibility of a movie starring the two characters. Christopher Nolan said he's "creatively burned out and couldn't care less." Bale hemmed and hawed a bit, and ultimately failed to answer.
At this point in the panel, in spite of DC's numerous warnings against bringing electronic devices into the panel, a cell phone rang in the audience.
The final question from the audience was from a fan of the Batman animated series, who said Mark Hammil was her perfect Joker, a sentiment shared by some in the audience. She asked whether Nolan and Heath Ledger, who plays the Joker in the upcoming film, took anything from Hammil's performances and incorporated it into their movie. Diplomatically, Nolan responded by lauding Ledger's work, saying "I think what Heath is doing is quite brilliant." Oldman jumped in here, sticking up for his co-star, and said "Heath is going to knock everyone out of the ball park," a statement that had all on the dais nodding in agreement.
After this exchange, a new trailer of The Dark Knight was shown. Nolan explained that the actors hadn't seen this clip themselves, and as if in response, Bale asked if he and his castmates could join the audience to view the trailer on the two big screens set up by the convention staff.
The clip was a lot of jump cuts between action shots and simply looked amazing. Numerous shots of the Joker was shown. It appears the painted-on smile will be the norm for the Joker's appearance. (Sorry, Drew.) Final exchange of the trailer:
Carmine Falcone: "Dent. I thought you were dead."
[Back of Harvey Dent's head]: "Half."
A rousing standing ovation ensued. The trailer most definitely didn't disappoint. The crowd began chanting, "ONE MORE TIME! ONE MORE TIME!" Unfortunately, Paul Levitz said Nolan wouldn't allow another viewing, at which point, the crowd quickly turned on Nolan and booed him. Ultimately, however, the team from The Dark Knight left triumphantly to heavy applause.
DC gave audience members black t-shirts with The Dark Knight logo emblazoned on it that, when illuminated by a black light, says "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 10:02 PM
We've got some passes to see the super-duper-double-top-secret panel on "The Dark Knight" tonight at 6 pm. We dragged our hungover asses to the convention center floor in time to secure these things for YOU, because we love you.
We can't take electronic devices into the panel room, but we'll blog about it as soon as we can afterwards.
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 06:00 PM
Joke about panel not starting late...
Quesada, Millar, McCann.
Starting with questions.
Comics dealing with rest of world's reaction to Civil War? Anything said outside of America, even I'm not interested. There's something about other countries that's just crap. -Millar
Any ideas shot down? When you kill Black Goliath and unmask Spider-Man there's really no where else to go.
No one's nervous about saying a crazy idea.
Anything you'd do different? Feels slightl
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 12:30 PM
Panelists include Dan Didio (Exec. Editor), Bob Wayne (VP Sales), and Jann Jones (Coordinating Editor). The first creator to join the group is Jim Califiore (Countdown).
They have a cosplayer dressed as Power Girl and another dressed as Donna Troy/Troia standing on the ends of the dais. Why bother with the panel? Before the panel started, women dressed as Black Canary, Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and a female Green Lantern posed for pictures in front of the dais.
Califiore will be the artist on "Gotham Underground," a story of the Gotham underworld being invaded by the underworld from Metropolis. I think.
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"Savlation Run" involves the Flash's Rogues Gallery and they're sent to "an outer space Australia" where they're forced to find a new way of life.
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Editor Natchi Castro (?) joins the dais.
Tony Daniels joins the dais. He'll be working on the resurrection of Ra's al Ghul.
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Lots of applause for the image of Kingdom Come Superman appearing on the cover of JSA.
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"52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen." By Geoff Johns, the first cover features Superman.
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"Booster Gold" will feature Jonah Hex, Green Lanter, and Blue Beetle.
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"Legion of Superheroes." Francis Manapol is the new artist, but the new writer is unannounced.
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"Wonder Girl" is a new 6-issue miniseries written by J. Torres. Art by Sanford Greene. Addresses the insanity in Cassie Sandmark's life from Amazons Attack!, etc.
Didio makes a dirty joke of the fact that Jann Jones says "J. Torres does the best girls in comics."
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Wil Pfeifer (Catwoman) joins the dais. Zatanna appears on a Catwoman cover shown at the panel.
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Ethan Van Sciver (Sinestro Corps War) joins the dais.
Somewhere inbetween (I'm looking at my laptop), Jim Starlin joined the dais.
EVS says in GL #25, he draws a 10 page prelude of a story that will come out in 2009.
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Actually, Bob Wayne was late. He just joined the dais.
The "Green Arrow/Black Canary Wedding Planner" is, according to Jann Jones, "The girliest comic ever."
The bachelorette party takes place in Countdown.
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A cover for the Flash gets raucous applause. The Flash (presumably Wally) is running with his kids under his arms. Images of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman overlook him in the sky above.
Didio: "Is that the right Flash, by the way?"
The room goes nuts.
Didio: "It was Tony Daniels's decision to kill Bart, by the way."
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DC is making a commitment to books for kids. Even the kids books they were publishing previously were felt to skew a little older. Jann Jones approached Didio about doing more kids books.
Inside "Teen Titans" #50 we see the Titans have a favorite TV show, "The Tiny Titans," which appear to be a cartoon version of the original (Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl, Speedy) and Wolfman-Perez Titans (Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire) in the X-babies fashion. Cassie Sandsmark and Miss Martian also appear on a cover of "Tiny Titans."
"Tiny Titans" will be its own book. (I missed the names of the creators. One of them is Art Frankoff (?).)
The creator of "Herobear" (sorry, I can't spell his name) will be doing "Bill Batson and the Magic of Shazam!" Another kids book.
These books are intended to be the kind that can be handed to any kid without worry of content. Jones praises the books for their humor.
A new "Super Friends" comic will come out (based on the Mattel line of Super Friends toys).
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Paul Levitz joins the dais and takes over the microphone.
They're going to show a 7-minute preview of "The New Frontier" DVD. Darwyn Cooke worked very closely with the cartoonists on storyboarding and scripting.
The preview shows some short snippets of the cartoon, plus brief interviews with Cooke, Didio, Levitz, etc.
Voicework: Kyle MacLauchlin (sp?) is Superman, Lucy Lawless (who has dyed her hair blonde and looks kind of hot) is Wonder Woman, Neil Patrick Harris is Flash, David Boreanz is GL, and Jeremy Sisto is Batman.
The DVD will be titled "Justice League: The New Frontier."
It looks AMAZING.
Levitz: "We see these cartoons and things that should be generation bridges."
Another half-dozen projects are in development for animation. Many of the original creators are involved.
Levitz announces an anime style Batman cartoon. They've been working on this for two years. It sprung out of the success of the "Batman Begins" movie. This will be a 6-part work. It will come out right before "The Dark Knight" movie. It will show some of what happened between the two movies. The project is still unnamed. Levitz will dash off to a meeting about the name of the cartoon after the panel. The talent of who's involved is not announced or confirmed.
Going from Didio to Levitz is like dancing with your grandmother after grinding on the dance floor with the hootchiest of hootchie mamas. Levitz is meeeeeeeeeellllllllllllloooooooooowwwwwwwwwww.
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Q: "What's going to happen to the Kubert brothers?"
A: "Adam's finishing up the Last Son of Krypton story and Andy's working on a Batman story."
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There is only one Apocalypse although there are 52 universes.
====================
They forgot to show the "Superman: Doomsday" trailer, so they're showing it now.
Man, it looks like a lot of fun, but they've got mullet Superman in there.
====================
When Didio was presented with the "Dan Didio Must Die" t-shirt at a panel at SDCC, Paul Levitz had walked in with the chairman of Warner Brothers.
Jones says the shirt is available on Cafe Press and she has the hoodie.
====================
Again, they refuse to answer any questions on Superboy.
====================
Shelly Fish is writing "Super Friends," a writer with Children's Television Workshop.
====================
Favorite Superheroes?
Power Girl: Power Girl
EVS: GL
Starlin: Superman
(?): Metal Men.
Bob Wayne: Plastic Man
Jones: Ambush Bug
Franco: Batman
(?): Robin
(?): Shazam!
(?): Catwoman
Torres: Robin
Sorry, I'm really bad with names.
====================
Q: "Any chance we'll see another DC Nation column hinting at events in Countdown like we saw with 52?"
A: "Not if the writers have anything to do with it."
====================
Q: "When are we getting Ralph & Sue back?"
A: "They're dead."
====================
Ed Benes is staying on JLA. Dale Eaglestram (sp?) is still on JSA.
====================
Manhunter will be re-started once they have enough issues in the can to get back on schedule.
====================
Question about upcoming movie projects.
Levitz says there are projects in development on "almost every key piece of the DC universe and a fair number of key pieces in the Vertigo universe." But he cautions that it's extremely difficult to see a movie project through to the end, citing the number of years between Batman movies.
"We've just had a run of five movies we're really proud of," Levitz says, citing Batman Begins, Superman Returns, Constantine, V for Vendetta, and History of Violence.
Levitz polls the audience for who should be the Flash in a movie. Wally West appears to win out. "We'll take that back and tell them about it and try to do it right."
====================
A fan asks about Crazy Quilt.
Didio: "Wow. You really are a geek."
====================
Q: "Will we see any Vertigo animated projects?"
A: They haven't green-lit any of them yet, and they're concentrating on DCU stuff.
====================
A blind fan asks about audiobooks.
52 should be an audiobook.
The fan urges DC to do something to accommodate blind fans.
Paul Levitz shares a story of having read the old Gardner Fox Starman/Black Canary comics into an audio cassette for a blind friend when he was a child. Without saying so explicitly, he urges fans to do the same and share files on the internet.
====================
Starlin has plans for Adam Strange.
====================
Hitman will be in the JLA two-part story by Ennis and McCrea.
====================
Brad Meltzer is bad in novel land for a while. Sounds like they hope for a follow up to "The Lightning Saga."
====================
A fan thanks Levtiz for his past Legion work.
====================
They're giving Warload a rest for a while.
====================
In Countdown and JLA, we'll see Firestorm go after Darkseid.
====================
Didio is asked about DC's old war comics characters, but immediately Wayne says, "No," to stop Didio from talking. Didio says "Just three letters: W. T. F."
"It's not what you think," someone on the stage says.
====================
No decision on "Absolute Dark Victory."
====================
Sounds like the Kingdom Come-JSA stuff that's been happening have mostly been worked through between Geoff Johns and Alex Ross, and Mark Waid has been kept in the loop, but is not directly involved.
====================
All-Star Wonder Woman: "Adam [Hughes] is working on it," Jann Jones says.
====================
Q: "Could you hire me so I can make your subscription system not suck?"
A (by Levitz): "I don't think anyone has been able to make a comics subscription system not suck. We keep it there to send comics like Scooby Doo to kids. It's not really designed to work. Sorry."
Didio: "Does anyone get their comics through subscription right now?"
(Crickets.)
Didio: "Okay. Good."
====================
Neil Gaiman is insanely busy. He talked with Karen Berger about a number of projects in San Diego, but nothing is currently in the works. He still love comics.
====================
Q: "Since you've got Paul Levitz up there, why don't you bring back the real Legion?"
A: "See us for the Legion's 50th anniversary."
====================
Q: "Are you going to kill Kyle Rayner?"
Didio polls the panel, but when he gets to Levitz and he says "no," Didio stops the polling. "No need to go any further."
====================
Q: "Will we see anything more from James Robinson in the future?"
A: "Definitely, yes."
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 11:50 AM
Panel consists of:
Bob Wayne (VP of Sales)
Peter Gross (artist on Lucifer, Testament, etc.)
Brian Azzarello (writer 100 Bullets)
John Vankin, editor of Exterminators, Hellblazer, Un-Men, Testament
Tony Moore (artist on Exterminators)
Matt Wagner
=========================
Announced “Northlanders” written by Brian Wood
=========================
“Vinyl Underground” written by Sy Spencer. A group of college students become cult detectives.
=========================
“The Un-Men” features characters/freaks from the original “Swamp Thing” series. In 1993, they were featured in a mini called “American Freak.” Their reservation has been turned into a reservation. The story starts when a government agent investigates an investigation that has happened on the reservation. First issue came out this week.
=========================
Tony Moore returns to regular art chores on “The Exterminators” as of issue #24.
=========================
“Testament” is wrapping up with issue #22. Wasn’t planned to wrap up that soon. There was no reason to go on with the book. The story reached its natural conclusion.
The book is about the Bible and events today and into the future. The writer takes the position that the Bible is an open source document that’s still being written today.
=========================
“100 Bullets.” The entire series will be collected in 13 trades. The series will end with #100, but there could be a sequel (Azz was half-joking).
=========================
“Loveless.” There’s no one redeemable in that book, according to Azz. The story will move to the future for an arc, the turn-of-the-century. All of the main characters will be dead in that arc.
=========================
Brian Bolland is the new cover artist on “Jack of Fables.”
=========================
“Y: The Last Man” concludes with #60.
=========================
“Sentences: The Life and Times of MF Grimm,” a personalized look at the underground hip-hop scene. It will be an OGN.
=========================
“Cairo” is an OGN by journalist G. Willow Wilson art by M.K. Perker. Bob Wayne’s favorite of the OGNs DC is publishing this year.
=========================
“Incognegro” is inspired by actual events. In the early 1920s and 1930s, there was a rash of black lynchings in the South that wouldn’t have come to light if not for the effort of black journalists who could pass for whites. They were said to be traveling “incognegro.” A mystery-adventure novel.
=========================
“Stardust,” the film, opens today.
=========================
In October, “Absolute Sandman” Vol. 2 comes out with some newly-re-inked artwork. Also includes some short pieces, including a prose piece that appeared on the box of the Sandman statue.
=========================
Matt Wagner is four issues into “Madame Xanadu,” which has turned into an ongoing series. He’s trying to do something with the Phantom Stranger within the series. He’ll be portrayed as a behind-the-scenes manipulator.
=========================
2008 will be the 20th anniversary of the publication of “Hellblazer.”
Jamie Delano will do a “Hellbalzer” OGN with Jock (as announced at the San Diego Comicon).
A new mini starring Chaz will be published, written by Simon Oliver (“The Exterminators”). Titled “Hellblazer Presents Chaz: The Knowledge.”
Cab drivers in London have to memorize 2500-3500 routes in London and pass a test. This collected information is referred to as “The Knowledge.” The term will also carry a cult meaning, consistent with “Hellblazer” themes. John Constantine will be in the series.
=========================
Azzarello is against an “Absolute” collection of “100 Bullets.” He didn’t say why.
=========================
A fanboy asked for clarification on the line between the Vertigo and DCU. “I just wanted to see John Constantine in ‘Days of Vengeance.’”
Azzarello: “Well, cut out a picture of him, then.”
=========================
Wagner’s on for the first 10 issues of “Madame Xanadu.” He’s not sure what will happen beyond that. “I don’t have an overwhelming Madame Xanadu jimmy to get out of my system.”
=========================
“Y” is in development as a feature film at New Line Cinema.
=========================
The “100 Bullets” ending was planned from the get-go, and 2 people know. It will not be tied up so tightly that it can’t be re-visited.
=========================
A new “Sandman Mystery Theater” trade (the mini written by John Rey Neiber) will be out soon.
=========================
Brian Azzarello had a fan once tell him that the Jim Lee art on “For Tomorrow” changed his life. The fan had a cover tattooed on his back and had Azzarello sign his back.
Wagner had a similar thing happen to him with Grendel. Wagner signed the Grendel tattoo, and the fan went out and got the signature tattooed permanently that night. Wagner said another fan had “butt-to-neck” Grendel tattoos.
=========================
No current plans to re-launch “Swamp Thing.”
=========================
Brian K. Vaughn will most definitely do something for Vertigo again, but nothing is close to being announced yet.
=========================
“Preacher” is in development at HBO and there’s apparently been at least one script written.
=========================
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 06:47 PM
Here we go...
Joe Quesada's lost some weight. Good for him.
Starting a bit late. Apologies. Bad weather cancelling flights from New York. Marvel staff not here.
Genndy Tartakovsky does Cage, writing and drawing.
Silver Surfer: In Thy Name. Tan Eng Huat and Simon Spurrier.
Liefeld joins them on stage.
Punisher: War Journal. Cory Walker taking over art. Kraven art shown.
Killraven. Robert Kirkman and Rob Liefeld.
Killraven has Cap's shield. Placing him firmly in Marvel U. Post-apocalyptic. Gladiator in the future. Marvel artifacts still around.
WWH. Aftersmash. Post-WWH. "You will be floored by the creative team when they are announced."
Penance: Relentless. Paul Jenkins and Paul Gulacy miniseries.
Questions:
Timelines messed up due to rushed storylines? Do best to keep conituity straight. But a story in one issue may only be a day in MU and they all fit together. Mighty Av is a Monday. New is a Tuesday. WWH is probably Wednesday and Thursday. Astonishing X-Men is maybe a week-long story, but it's stretched out. WWH is only a couple of days long.
MIllar's Civil War talk of nerdgasm. Are you writing to tell best story or give fans what they want? Trying to give you what you need. If they wrote for fans wants stories wouldn 't have changed since 1970.
Bendis has been planning Skrull reveal for three years.
Working on Young Avengers.
Status of She-Hulk's powers confusing. It happens when you publish so many books. And it's always been an issue since the beginning of comics. Therein lies madness.
Runaways #28 in October.
New Defenders comic? Might be.
Will be a Micheal Turner annnouncement soon.
Two scripts in for Ult. Hulk vs. Wolverine. Waiting for rest.
Irredeemable Ant-Man. Can it be saved? People are voting with dollars.
Beyonder revelation leading to Secret Wars 3? No.
Danny Ketch in Ghost Rider again? Don't know.
Skrulls in New Avengers going to tie into skrulls in Annihilation? Maybe.
Nick Fury may raise his head some time next year.
Will Marvel publish catch-ups for crossovers like they did for Annihilation? Hopefully.
No plans for Force Works.
If Spider-Man had an hour to fight the Hulk who would win? "You guys aren't dating anybody, right?"
Didn't plan Back in Black to coincide with Spider-Man 3. Was pushed back due to Civil War delay, so it just got timed out right.
Trade sales are taken into account when determining future of series.
McGuinness and Mad on Ultimates starting when? December 2007 Ultimates 3? Ed's run after that.
Endangered Species ending happy? Have to read it.
Will 616 Nick Fury have plastic surgery? (Think he was wondering if Fury will look like his Ulttimate counterpart when he returns.) Answer was no.
Ultimates news towards end of this year. Too early to talk about.
Will Clint Barton be back as Hawkeye? Read the books.
Do trades hurt monthly sales? Would make sense that they did. But there are three customers, those who like monthlies, those who like trades, and those who like both, but all classes of customers seem to be increasin. Might change someday.
Planned Cap's death in a different context. Surprised when by time of publishing it became more culturally significant.
No drawing plans after One More Day.
Spider marriage. Ultimate is the way to do Spider-Man due to lack of trappings with that character.
Will Xavier's relationship with the X-Men improve? Read the books. Change occurs in upcoming Messiah Complex.
Has Bendis created any new villains besides Geldof? "Geldof was awful." Lot of new villains in Brand New Day.
Eye of the Camera (Marvels sequel) still being worked on. Three issues in the can.
More Nextwave? Up to Warren.
Captain Marvel will show up in November. Reed and Weeks. Classic old school.
Toyed with idea of bringing back Captain America Blue, Captain America Red, and Captain America White. (Joking.)
Back to Spider-Marriage again. Marriage keeps them from telling very best Spider-Man stories.
For most people, Spider-Man is single.
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 04:26 PM
Dan Didio (VP Exec Editor) is on the panel, joined by Bob Wayne (VP Sales), Jann Jones (Coordinating Editor), Sean McKeever (new writer of Birds of Prey and Teen Titans), and Jim Starlin (killed Jason Todd and will kill the New Gods).
Starlin's wearing a "Darkseid Rules" t-shirt. The art that appears on the shirt is by Starlin.
Countdown cover shown with Superman flying into outerspace, holding Lex Luthor in front of him, both alight in fire.
Didio: "Don't be surprised if you see a third weekly series after 'Countdown.'"
Didio: "Everything said in 'DC Nation' stays in 'DC Nation,' right?"
Right, Dan.
====================
Didio asks for who likes the Jimmy Olsen story so far. Guys boo. Didio asks why. Nay saying fanboy says because Olsen is "too cheesy." Didio asks for a counterpoint from another fan. No one volunteers. Didio: "Guess you win. Jimmy Olsen sucks." Bob Wayne: "That's why Jimmy Olsen must die."
Biggest applause for the Mary Marvel and Trickster/Pied Piper stories.
Lukewarm applause for the Challengers from Beyond. (The Jimmy Olsen story got limited applause but lots of boos.)
Challengers of the Beyond (Donna Troy, Jason Todd, and the Atom) will have a fourth member: Kyle Rayner. GL #26, Atom #14, Countdown. Read them in that order.
====================
Return of the Mulitverse gets the biggest pop so far.
====================
Image of "Countdown: Arena" is shown. Different versions of three of the most recognized characters in the DCU will battle to be a leader in Monarch's army. I.e., different Supermen will fight each other, a vampire Batman might fight other Batmen, etc.
This will be a weekly book and fans will vote on the outcome of the fights.
====================
"Salvation Run" will be a mini featuring the Rogues Gallery.
====================
Some dork asks about the female Dr. Light. What's going on with her? To be explained in JLA.
====================
There will be a new writer on Robin and they say they can't announce it.
====================
Asked about Young Justice trades, Bob Wayne tells a fanboy to buy back issues and go to a bindery. (It was funny.)
====================
Didio sees the three Crisis stories (Identity, Infinite, and Final) as a three act story about the DCU. Identity was more micro, Infinite was more macro, and Final ties a bow around everything. (Didio didn't actually use the words "micro" and "macro." He's not that douchey. As far as we know.)
Seven issues of 30 pages is better for pacing of these kinds of stories than 12 issues of less pages, according to Didio.
====================
Fanboy: "Why did you kill the Question? Between Renee Montoya and Vic Sage, which do you think would sell better as the Question?"
====================
Didio: "We didn't have the conviction that a Vic Sage as the Question book would sell."
====================
Someone actually asked about bringing back Amethyst.
====================
Asked about Superboy, Didio said, "You asked about he-who-would-not-be-named."
====================
Didio: "We have plans for General Zod and Christopher down the road. Major storylines will take place in 'Action.'"
Didio: "Another thing we're doing that we'll talk about tomorrow is the resurrection of Ra's al-Ghul."
====================
Didio (w/r/t Bart Allen): "The plan was always for Wally to return."
Fanboy: "Are the people responsible for bringing back the wrong Flash going to be fired"?
Didio: "Who's the wrong Flash?"
Fanboy: "Wally."
Lots of boos.
====================
"Sinestro Corps War" gets tons of applause. Didio cites that as an example of a story that grew in size when fans began reacting positively to the story and DC identified story elements (he cited Cyborg Superman as an example) that deserved more exploration.
====================
Fanboy: "What's the worst superhero movie you've ever seen?"
Didio repeats the question but may have committed a Freudian slip by saying, "What's the worst Superman mov-- Oops."
McKeever: "Fantastic Four."
Starlin: "Batman & Robin."
Jones: "Ghost Rider. I know when I go on dates, I take a magic 8 ball with me."
Wayne: "Catwoman."
====================
Fangirl: "When you introduce young female characters, enough with the blondes! In Young Justice, five of them were blondes!"
Didio: "THAT'S WHY THEY'RE DEAD."
====================
Vertigo universe is definitely not part of the Multiverse.
====================
Didio: "We have long term plans for the two All-Star books we have out there. Jim is working really hard on getting on schedule. Those two books stands on their own; the multiverse is more [dependent on other books.]"
====================
Fan: "Are you ever going to have Darkseid kill Superman?"
Didio: "Did you read the Final Crisis script?"
====================
The new Raven series by Marv Wolfman and Damian Scott is coming out next year.
====================
On the Multiverse:
Didio: "We're going to try to handle this as clearly as possible. We'll introduce characters from each universe. Characters from the Countdown series are going to different universes."
Someone from the Countdown series is going to Earth-3 and will meet the "Jokester," who is the Joker's counterpart, and is the father of . . . someone unnamed.
====================
Blue Beetle will appear in the Sinestro Corps War.
====================
The Return of Ra's al Ghul will be written by Grant Morrison and Paul Dini.
====================
Didio attributes the improved delivery (schedule-wise) of DC's books to the efforts of Jann Jones.
Didio: "We were going to make late books as long as you buy them, but you stopped buying them. We lost a lot of momentum on some books."
Jones: "We've had to make some hard decisions. If talent cannot meet your needs, we'll make those decisions."
====================
No longer the case that the Flash can easily travel through the Multiverse. There are rules. Speed force powers, Boom Tube, etc., will play into these rules, but they are undisclosed right now.
====================
W/r/t a new "Mystery in Space" series:
Starlin: "We are considering giving Tyrone his own series. Comet would be a background character."
====================
A fan asks for an authoritative timeline for the DCU (showing authoritative first appearances, etc.) and Didio says they're against that, because it's the kind of thing that would be invalidated.
====================
Will there be more Dr. Thirteen?
Maybe.
====================
Why Green Arrow & Black Canary and not Nightwing & Oracle?
Didio: "I don't see Nightwing marrying Oracle."
====================
Earth-26 is the Captain Carrot universe. Because there are 26 letters in the alphabet. Yes, he knows that doesn't make sense.
====================
Waid is still on B&B and the Flash.
====================
There are future plans for Cassandra Cain. "Gotham Underground" is a limited series focusing on secondary characters, including "the return of a character some of you have been asking about."
====================
All-Star Flash? No plans.
====================
"The Killing Joke" will be in the Alan Moore Omnibus of DC stories.
====================
The Secret Six was disbanded because they're redundant (my words) with the Suicide Squad.
====================
Dr. Fate will be part of "Countdown to Mystery," which will also feature Eclipso.
====================
Manhunter will be in "Birds of Prey."
====================
Asked about Barry Allen returning, fans in the audience booed.
====================
Fanboy: "The Legion took Barry Allen back to the future for a reason, right?"
Didio: "BART Allen. Oh, shit." (covering his mouth; this is a usual Didio teasing trick at con panels)
====================
Wayne announces a special DC/WB presentation tomorrow at 6 pm.
Implies this is about "The Dark Knight."
All electronics will be banned from the room.
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 02:54 PM
Here we go...
Director of action figure fan relations for Mattel starts panel.
Signature Series 6-inch line. $ Horsemen.
Collector focused line.
Check Big Lots for Cyborg Superman and will ship through rest of year.
Working on case pack ratios. Will be easier to find secondary characters in 2008.
Clayface this fall. Gumby articulation.
Bruce Wayne to Batman.
Man-Bat convention exclusive. $25. Chase version all clear.
The Batman continues on Kids WB this fall. Justice League will join the show. Superman, Hawkman, Flash, Green Lantern will be part of line.
JLU. Lava reflection Doomsday pack. Justice Lords repaints.
Gorilla Grodd. Red Hood Joker 3 pack.
Shayera Hall, Ray, and Green lantern 3-pack available at booth.
Strength in Numbers poster of 78 figures.
Are listening to fans. Capt. Marvel, Capt. Atom, Blackhawk, parademon, in 2008?
DC Super Friends line. Kid-friendly.
My first Batmobile.
Aquaman sub. Batplane.
2008...
DC Universe line.
Fighting Figures. 2-3 inch figures. Hero vs. villain 2-pack.
Classics. 6-inch. 2008. 4 Hoursemen. In scale. Chase character in every wave. Build-a-figure. Collector friendly packaging.
1: Red Tordano, chase uniform. Batman. Penguin, chase with penguin. Orion. Etrigan. BAF: Metamorpho.
2: Firestorm (new), variant classic (cool hand effects). Aquaman, chase with long hair. Black Manta. Harley Quinn. Nice looking figure. Superman Blue, variant Red. Red Blue equal distribution. Only need one or the other to build BAF. BAF: Gorilla Grodd. 25% bigger than other figures.
6 inch The Dark Knight line along with 5 inch kid line. Sculpted by Four Horsemen. No pics.
QUESTIONS:
Stores not getting JLU figures. Distribution? Fan relation brought in to address these concerns. Working on it with retail partners.
Online store? Looking at it.
Will there be convention exclusives at WWC next year since it's before SDCC? Haven't set anything yet. may have something here not at SDCC. Recognize importance of all conventions.
Superfriends line. More vehicles? My First Invisible Jet? Depends on how line does. Line has momentum.
6 inch Vertigo stuff? Invisibles? Do not have license for Vertigo.
New JLU 10 inch in 2008.
Legion of Superheroes? Nothing new since SDCC. Online store? Convention exclusives?
Justice Lords 10 inch Batman by end of year? Ask Target or WalMart why they aren't carrying certain things.
JLU Hal Jordan was a gift requested by WB. Mattel can't make him.
Working with manufacturers in China to make sure they're not using lead-based paint.
Some Charlton characters available, some not, can't talk about it due to legal hurdles. DC issue.
Do have license for Wonder Twins.
MOTU not "dead".
Re-issue of Super Powers? Don't have molds, they're at Hasbro, via Kennner.
6-inch line vehicles? Looking into it.
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 11:00 AM
Thursday:
Premiere Night
Friday:
Mattel panel (11 am)
DC Nation (2 pm)
Mark Millar Q&A (2 pm)
Mondo Marvel (3:30 pm)
Vertigo (5 pm)
Saturday:
DCU New Worlds Order (11 am)
Marvel Civil War & Remembrance (12:30 pm)
Tricia Helfer signing (3 pm)
Cup o' Joe (3:30 pm)
Sunday:
Wizard Mega Movie Panel (12:30 pm)
Wildstorm (12:30 pm)
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 04:00 AM
by Rajan Khanna
Hello and welcome to the first of what I hope will be many columns here at Your Mom's Basement looking at the world of genre fiction and related media. The motivation for this column is to expose people to offerings from the fantasy, science fiction and horror worlds, to shine a spotlight on works that might not have the reach of Tolkien, King, or Rowling.
One of my recent frustrations as a reader and writer of fantasy novels is the dismissal that many people invoke when the subject of fantasy comes up. I've heard many people say, "that's just not my thing" or "I've never read a fantasy novel that I like". However, many of these people are referencing traditional, epic or escapist fantasy when they say these things. Most people think "Lord of the Rings" or Robert Jordan rather than Phillip Pullman or Jeffrey Ford.
Many of these people are also self-proclaimed fans of books like Harry Potter, readers of comics, lovers of science fiction in television and movies. Clearly setting is an issue to some. They aren't interested in reading books about medieval situations, knights on horseback, bows and arrows. They are unaware that there is a wealth of books out there that deal with far different time frames and locales, from fantasies set in the modern day to inventive, evocative worlds such as Jeff VanderMeer's Ambergris and China Mieville's Bas-Lag.
Now I'm not going to pretend that my tastes are everybody's. You might like the things that I'll recommend, you might not. But hopefully something in here will appeal to you, or at least show you the variety the field has to offer.
The reason I've entitled this column Strange Reflections is because that's what these stories are - reflections of our world, skewed perhaps, but reflections nonetheless. A piece of fiction is not going to be successful unless it has something in it that we can relate to, an aspect of humanity that resonates with our own experience. Even if it's set in a distant galaxy with reptilian aliens or in a world where magic works and dragons are real. It's the humanity that makes it work.
Harry Potter
Last weekend saw the release of the last chapter in J. K. Rowling's hugely successful Harry Potter series, a series that has masterfully shattered boundaries of age and genre with its readers.
Still, at their heart, the Potter books draw heavily on the genre world. They are fantasy in the strictest sense, detailing a world of magic and a whole separate secret society that lives alongside our own. However, Rowling also draws on other genres, mystery in the earlier works, suspense and perhaps even horror in the latest.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ramps up the intensity for the final installment. As perhaps invoked by the title, the story is deadly, and the consequences of the return of Lord Voldemort, alluded to in previous volumes, are shown to be all too true and violent.
I won't be as unkind as some in revealing spoilers here for those of you who haven't read it (and still care), but there are deaths. And it is quite horrific in places. Gone are the touchstones that anchored previous novels. Here we are set adrift from the usual beats of a Potter book and it does help punctuate her vision of the world at that point in time. We feel a bit of what Harry is feeling, unsure of what will happen next, which of our friends will be next to fall, what the next step will be.
Rowling has taken a lot of criticism for her books, but they have to be praised for their reach. Rowling wrote enjoyable books that people like reading, regardless of whether they're about wizards or goblins or whatever. Part of that comes from the straightforward nature of the text - these are books that children can enjoy, and they're easy for adults to read on the subway or train to work. But she is also dealing with fairly universal themes and indeed drawing on the successful authors who went before her. Her latest draws quite heavily on the legacy of both Tolkien and Lewis, two authors with similar crossover potential between genre and mainstream audiences.
It's not easy to pinpoint the cause of Rowling's success (if it was, more people would replicate it), but I'd be interested in hearing what people do like (or don't like even) about the series and whether or not they think it's genre.
The Devil You Know
Many readers of the site will recognize Mike Carey's name from the comics that he's written. Lucifer and Hellblazer for Vertigo, Ultimate Fantastic Four and X-Men for Marvel.
What some readers might not know is that Carey's first novel, The Devil You Know was just released in the US. Like Harry Potter, the Devil You Know takes place in a supernatural version of our world. However, that's where the comparison ends. Carey's book is a very adult, very brutal at times novel that reads more like a thriller than it does a fantasy.
Carey's protagonist is one Felix Castor, an exorcist who, like many noir heroes, has seen better days. He starts the novel out doing work as a clown/magician at a children's party. Of course this doesn't last and he is soon embroiled in a mystery involving a female ghost.
Ghosts are what distinguishes Castor's world from our own. Like Ghostbusters, ghosts have begun appearing, though no one seems to know why. They are common enough occurrences that an exorcist is necessary.
What professes to be a simple exorcism becomes something much more complex and sinister.
What I found most interesting about Castor are the little details that Carey uses to make him unique. His 'weapon' of choice, for example, is a tin whistle. His method of exorcism is music - he 'plays' ghosts away. His nickname is Fix. He's a bit of a bastard. And he makes mistakes. Plenty of them.
The Devil You Know is a book that you can easily get immersed in, and it reads very easily, which is not to say that it's written simply, just that it is one of those books that grabs you and makes you want to barrel on through to the finish.
There are two Felix Castor books available in the UK right now with a third on the way and a fourth, I believe, behind that. That's because the concept has legs and there is plenty to explore in Castor's world.
And the novel has crossover potential all over it. It would appeal to those who like suspense books and thrillers - the supernatural aspect is fairly transparent. But it would also appeal to those who like horror and fantasy. I wouldn't be surprised if the books get optioned fairly quickly. They have cinematic potential.
I started off light with this one - neither of these books are standard genre picks. However, please check back next time when I take a look at Liz William's Snake Agent and take a quick look at the more literary side of genre fiction.
Until next time...
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 03:51 PM
Interview by Julian.
Francis Manapul's art is mostly known for his work in Top Cow books such as Witchblade and Necromancer but, starting this summer, we will see him going from the characters he's best known for to new properties and working with one of the biggest publishers in the world. This new direction starts with Iron and the Maiden, created and written by Jason Rubin and published by Aspen Comics. Francis was kind enough to take some time off the drawing table and talk to us about his upcoming work.
How did you become attached to the Iron and the Maiden project?
FM: When my contract ended at Top Cow I decided that it was time to try something different. I had been working there since I was 19 and felt that, after having drawn most the characters in the Top Cow universe, it was time for a change.
I was then put in touch with Jason Rubin through a third party, he liked my art and when I found out that Joe Madureira and Jeff Matsuda were involved with the project I immediately wanted to get involved with the project. The whole thing had a very good look to it as Jason had a very clear vision of what he wanted to do and that was something I wanted to be a part of.
How is your art in Iron in the Maiden different from your previous work?
I guess it's different because I'm working off Joe's and Jeff's designs and that was basically the groundwork for the book. When I was talking to Jason he was cool with allowing me to do what I did but he also wanted me to keep the level of excitement that Joe and Jeff were putting into the art.
The first few pages were a tough transition because I was trying to incorporate what Joe and Jeff did but at the same time make it work with what I did but by issue #2 I was much more comfortable with it. It's different from what I did at Top Cow but it's not that much of a stretch, as my work wasn't that much in the “Top Cow style,” which made the transition easier but at the same time tough because Jason already had the look that he wanted for the book. This time my art is less dark and the book has a more Capcom, animated style and they shot directly from my pencils.
How was is different to work on a completely new property as opposed to doing Witchblade or Necromancer, which had existed for a while before you worked on them?
It didn't really feel all that different, the reason is that when I came on to Witchblade they already had a look defined by past artists that worked on the book prior to myself and there was a lot of reference to look at. With Iron and the Maiden they already had a lot of pre-production reference artwork when I came on board, all the structure was already there. The basis and foundation already existed; Joe and Jeff had already finished that work when I came to the project. There was already an established bible to what the look of the book was going to be.
Jason already had a very specific vision of what he wanted, which I found very refreshing for a book that was just starting out.
What is it about this book that you think will appeal to people? What makes it different from other books out there?
I think that, first of all, the look of the book is fairly different from what is out there. The setting is basically the yesterday's tomorrow kind of look, for example in the way clothing is. It's that 40s sort of era with futuristic elements to it. I'm not sure there are many books out there with a look like that.
It's also a very action-oriented title, like an action blockbuster movie. Many books out there have a very dark or serious tone; this is a very fun book. It has cool villains and a Dick Tracy kind of feeling... it's very classic that way, it has a very fresh look and a very fresh taste in that kind of genre. It's a very interesting book and a very fun read.
How was the creative process in this book? Did you get the reference material and started working by yourself? Did you interact or consult with Joe Madureira or Jeff Matsuda?
When I came on board Joe and Jeff had already designed the characters. I didn't need to make stuff up, the world of the book was conceived already. The main look for Iron and Angel were already designed by Joe, which left me, for example, to design Angel in regular civilian clothing. For Iron they already had a very specific look. As I worked and new villains appeared in the book I had Jeff's designs to use for reference. I also want to give credit to Blur Studio, who did a great job designing elements like the weapons, cars and the world of Iron and the Maiden.
Jason Rubin said that he would be open to come back to the property and do a continuation of the story. Would you come back to the book if given the chance?
Definitely. I'd love to come back to work on the property in the future. Working with Jason was a creatively rewarding experience, so hopefully we can do it again!
Will you be at any of the summer cons this year?
I'll be at Wizard World Chicago (http://www.wizarduniverse.com/conventions/chicago.cfm) and the Toronto Comic Book Expo (http://www.hobbystar.com/ComicConToronto2007/CC_Main.asp).
Watch for Iron and the Maiden #1 coming out on August 1st. I also have a graphic novel coming out from French publisher Delcourt titled "Sept Guerrieres" which will be coming out in the first half of 2008 (and hopefully an American publisher will publish an English translation for us French-impaired.)
You can keep up to date on Francis' work at his official website (http://www.francismanapul.com) and his blog (http://manapul.blogspot.com)
Read our interview with Jason Rubin.
Posted by YourMomsBasement at 08:30 AM
