Feature Details
WWC 2008
News Articles Featured in WWC 2008
Mon Jun 30, 2008 — by Chris Ullrich
WWC Interview: Brian Azzarello on 'Batman: Gotham Knight'
The 'Batman' and '100 Bullets' writer talks all-things 'Gotham Knight'
On his way to becoming one of the most sought-after writers in comics today, Brian Azzarello has achieved a great deal of success and notoriety with his series 100 Bullets, which garnered him multiple Eisner Awards. In addition, his work on Hellblazer, Johnny Double, Batman/Deathblow and Lex Luthor: Man of Steel continues to cement his reputation as a writer and creator of comics.
Along with Brian's many accomplishiments in comics, he's also one of the six writers contributing stories to the upcoming animated feature film Batman: Gotham Knight. Brian's segment, "Working through Pain," shows us a somewhat non-violent side of the Dark Knight and showcases a story in which Bruce Wayne learns techniques from a mysterous woman that will serve him well and help him deal with the physical toll exacted upon him during his years as Batman.
I caught up with Azzarello at Wizard World Chicago to ask him a few questions about writing his segment, how he feels about Batman as a character and how he thought the film turned out.
COMIX MIX: Brian, what is it that makes Batman such an endearing character?
BRIAN AZARELLO: Well, he's not realy endearing to me.
CMix: You don't like him?
BA: I think he's a tragic character. Maybe that's why he's more compelling than endearing. He's all about his flaws.
CMix: But you're a fan?
BA: Oh, yeah, but I like his villains a lot, too. Almost more than I like him. I think his villiains are all different pieces of him. That's something that makes him really interesting.
CMix: How did you get involved in the Batman: Gotham Knight film?
BA: I was asked. They explained the film to me, how it would be structured with six stories, and asked me to come up with an idea. I chose to focus more on Bruce Wayne, and they liked my pitch. That's pretty much it.
CMix: Is there a difference between writing something for print and for a movie?
BA: Not for me. My comic scripts are pretty sparse in terms of art direction, the blocking and such. I don't get into a ton of detail and more leave it up to the artist in a lot of ways. So it was a pretty easy transition for me to make.
CMix: How do you think the film turned out?
BA: I liked it. I thought it turned out well considering it was six different stories. I thought it held together very, very well. As a writer, I really try to trust the people I work with. I try to leave them plenty of room so they can bring their strengths to the work.
I think that happened in this film, and definitely for my segment – the animation is just amazing.
Batman: Gotham Knight is scheduled for a July 8 release on DVD.
Mon Jun 30, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
Wizard World Chicago 2008: Photo Gallery Wrap-Up
All the images we couldn't stand deleting...
Sure, we already posted several sets of photos from the weekend (WWC Gallery 1, WWC Gallery 2, WWC Gallery 3), but after unpacking our gear and beginning to unwind from the show, we discovered a few more photos on the cameras of various members of the ComicMix crew. My favorite of the bunch (and the one that convinced me another gallery was necessary) is posted here, and the rest can be found after the jump.Oh, and please pardon the shakey, blurred photos -- these are just the images we pulled off our various camera phones over the course of the weekend.
Yes, that's Blade reading a copy of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer omnibus. Seriously, we couldn't have planned a better image than this one...
Continue reading Wizard World Chicago 2008: Photo Gallery Wrap-Up ›
Mon Jun 30, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
Wizard World Chicago 2008: Day Three Report
That's it... I'm out!
The booths are broken down and all that's left of this year's Wizard World Chicago convention are empty mylar bags blowing in the wind and streets littered with Marvel Comics promo cards.
Sunday was another slow one on the show floor, with many creators (and a few retailers) packing up and bailing out well before the 5 PM close of the show.
So what were the highlights of the last day?
First on the list would certainly be Guest of Honor Warren Ellis completing a grueling schedule of signings that seemed to have him in action for a significant chunk of each day -- with far more signings than any other creator in attendance, as far as I could tell. As I mentioned in my Day One Report, this was Avatar's show, and that was no less the case on Day Three than it was on Day One.
Continue reading Wizard World Chicago 2008: Day Three Report ›
Sun Jun 29, 2008 — by Mike Raub
ComicMix Radio: Wind Down at Wizard World
Episode #223: Fan reaction, Young Avengers and more...
We put the wrap on this year's show with some fan comments on the event, a quick tidbit from Marvel on a new Young Avengers one shot and the story of one group of guys who turned this years trek to Chicago into a new publishing venture.
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Sun Jun 29, 2008 — by Chris Ullrich
WWC Interview: 'World War Z' Writer Max Brooks
The "World War Z' author talks about his books, a potential movie and his new graphic novel
To some, it may seem unusual to find Max Brooks, the author of the very popular novels The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z at a convention devoted mostly to comic books. But really, it isn't that hard to understand. Both of Brooks' books deal with zombies, a very popular creature among comics and pop culture fans.
Recently, Brooks' novel World War Z was optioned by Paramount Pictures for actor Brad Pitt's company Plan B to produce. He's also hard at work writing the graphic novel adaptation of the historical zombie attacks featured in The Zombie Survival Guide -- which is being packaged by Avatar Press.
I sat down with Brooks on Saturday to talk about zombies, his love of history, his latest project and why translating his work into a graphic novel was one of the hardest things he's ever done.
COMICMIX: So Max, you're a writer of two successful novels. What are you doing at a comic book convention?
MAX BROOKS: I have my first comic book, a graphic novel based on the reported attacks in the Zombie Survival Guide, that I'm doing with Avatar. That's what I'm doing here at this convention.
CMix: How did you hook up with Avatar Press?
MB: i was stalked by William Christensen, who heads Avatar Press. He cornered me at another show and said he really wanted to work with me and i said "i would really love to work with you, too. Who are you?" But then we talked and he gave me some samples of artists and i really liked what i saw and thought we could work together.
I ended up going with this one artist because i liked his work the most and i thought it looked the most realistic, which was important for me.
Continue reading WWC Interview: 'World War Z' Writer Max Brooks ›
Sun Jun 29, 2008 — by Chris Ullrich
Wizard World Chicago 2008: Photo Gallery - More Costumes
Day Two and the costume crew ups the ante...
Previously on ComicMix, we featured galleries of photos from Wizard World showcasing the general "flavor" of the show and some cool costumes. And now, because even more fanboys and fangirls made their presence known on Saturday, we've got another gallery of costume photos for you.
From Frylock to Blade to C-3PO, these costumes prove that no matter what your favorite character is, if you're determined to make a costume and show up at a convention as that character, you can. As always, be sure to check back for more photos and other coverage of the event.
And if you've missed our previous coverage of the event, here's a list of our reports thus far:
Wizard World Chicago 2008: Mondo Marvel Panel Report
ComicMix Radio: Direct From Chicago - Marvel Exclusives and Sneak Peeks
Wizard World Chicago 2008: Marvel Ultimates Panel
Wizard World Chicago 2008: Photo Gallery - Part 1
Wizard World Chicago 2008: Day One Report
Wizard World Chicago 2008: Photo Gallery Pt. 2 - Costumes
ComicMix Radio: Wizard World Chicago Day Two - Sadness and Confusion
WWC Interview: Josh Blaylock on 'Vampire Hunter D'
Wizard World Chicago 2008: Day Two Report
Continue reading Wizard World Chicago 2008: Photo Gallery - More Costumes ›
Sun Jun 29, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
Wizard World Chicago 2008: Day Two Report
Heartbreak, horror and hollers...
Day Two of the show began on a somber note, as the passing of creator Michael Turner late the previous night was confirmed and marked by memories and moments of silence throughout the day. CBR has posted a touching message from Aspen Comics Editor-in-Chief Vince Hernandez on the death of his good friend and associate.
On a lighter note, I started my day sharing an elevator with Angus Scrimm, the "Tall Man" from the Phantasm horror films. Apparently, Wizard World wasn't the only game in town this weekend, as the Flashback Weekend horror film convention was also in town for its annual get-together of fans and celebrities of the fright-film scene. This made for a particularly surreal moment later in the day when the beginning of the horror festival overlapped with the end of both a senior-age Christian meet-up and a young couple's wedding. At one point during the day, the line that had developed for the elevators included the bridal party, a buxom, blood-covered nurse, a massive, costumed Jason Voorhees (complete with machete and severed, bloody head of Freddy Krueger) and a trio of seniors who seemed very concerned that no one else in the hallway was making a big deal about the nurse and her companion.
On the show floor, one of the fastest sellers was an Alex Ross-designed t-shirt modeled after his iconic image of Clark Kent ripping open his shirt to reveal the Superman costume underneath it. The popular graphic replaced Clark Kent with Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, who was ripping open his shirt to reveal the familiar "O" campaign symbol.
Continue reading Wizard World Chicago 2008: Day Two Report ›
Sat Jun 28, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
WWC Interview: Josh Blaylock on 'Vampire Hunter D'
DDP announces new miniseries based on popular anime/manga
During a late-afternoon panel at Wizard World Chicago, Devil's Due Publishing announced today that it would be producing a Vampire Hunter D miniseries (titled "American Wasteland") based on the popular anime/manga character. While the full creative team, length of the series and release date haven't been finalized, DDP president Josh Blaylock will be serving as co-writer for the series, with new DDP staffer Jim Demonakos serving as editor.
I spoke with Blaylock about the project earlier today.
COMICMIX: So why did you target the Vampire Hunter D property?
JOSH BLAYLOCK: I think there's something cool about him that transcends. It has a very hardcore fan following who are very faithful to the manga and the anime. In the '80s there were only a few anime you could get ahold of, especially edgy animation. As a comic book fan, you craved that type of content but there was only so much you could get. There was Vampire Hunter D, Fist of the North Star... and D was this crazy, short cut-and-dry story that I got into way back when. It just seemed like it would be a lot of fun to do a Westernized take on him. I'm not talking about changing the look of the character drastically or anything like that, though.
CMix: What do you mean by "westernizing" the character?
JB: It has to do more with the art style more than anything else.
CMix: So will it be following the traditional format of manga with regard to reading direction and such?
JB: No, it will be done in the standard, Americanized style. I think it's the kind of thing casual comic book fans who still follow manga titles still have a lot of interest in, because there's a wider love for Vampire Hunter D than people seem to have for a lot of other manga titles. But we want to stay true to the character enough so that the hardcore fans will still still have an interest in the story, too.
CMix: what can you say about the story?
JB: The ink is just dry on this deal, but it's along the lines of a typical D story: Lone wanderer winds up having to help some people, and so on. It's very "Conan the Barbarian"... that sort of thing.
CMix: How closely are you going to work with Vampire Hunter D creator Hideyuki Kikuchi?
JB: Well, with Digital Manga Productions, we had been talking to them about doing some things for a while, and that was one of the properties we thought would be cool to do something with. I just threw the idea at them, and expected the creator to be a lot more protective of it, but he was all about it and wanted to go forward with it. Apparently, he loves to see the character played with and to see new things happen to him.
Sat Jun 28, 2008 — by Mike Raub
ComicMix Radio: Wizard World Chicago Day Two - Sadness and Confusion
Episode #222: A death in the family, and strange news...
Saddened by the loss of Michael Turner, activity here in Chicago got off to a slow start today. Things, however, took a left turn when Dynamic Forces dropped the news that they were the new publishers of the Judge Dredd/2000AD line as well as The Phantom. Fans and fellow publishers were all shocked at the announcement and you get it right here, plus:
-- Gail Simone spills on The Secret Six
-- The future of Shazam
-- More summer reading to hunt down...
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Sat Jun 28, 2008 — by Chris Ullrich
Wizard World Chicago 2008: Photo Gallery Pt. 2 - Costumes
Stormtroopers, The Joker, Supergirl and more!
Previously on ComicMix, we brought you a photo gallery showcasing some of the "flavor" of the Wizard World Chicago show.
This time around, the gallery features some of the great costumes worn by fanboys and fangirls as well as some of the more "exotic" staff at the various booths. Heck, there's even one or two celebrities in there just to spice things up a bit more.
As always, be sure to check back right here at ComicMix all weekend for new galleries from the show.
Continue reading Wizard World Chicago 2008: Photo Gallery Pt. 2 - Costumes ›
Sat Jun 28, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
Wizard World Chicago 2008: Day One Report
Avatar Press Presents... the whole freakin' show
After a full day on the floor at this year's Wizard World Chicago (which is actually held well away from Chicago in Rosemont, IL), I can't help but think the "Chicago" aspect of the show's title isn't the only element that's a bit misleading. This weekend, it's far more accurate to say that it's "Avatar World" and Wizard is just living in it.
Avatar Press Editor-in-Chief William Christensen and the rest of his team bet big at this year's show, and their gamble seems to be paying off. In addition to bringing the show's Guest of Honor, author Warren Ellis, across the pond for one of his rare stateside appearances, the sheer volume of the publisher's real estate in the show's program, floor space and overall marketing is impressive, to say the least. Heck, you can play along with this game at home, folks -- just download a copy of the convention guidebook and take a look through it. The "exclusives" section alone seems like it would be more aptly named "Avatar Press Exclusives... and some other stuff."
While the Avatar push is great for the publisher (and after speaking with Christensen and Avatar's head of marketing, David Marks, the return on investment has been positive thus far), one can't help but wonder about the behind-the-scenes story here. After speaking with a few contacts in and around the planning of the show, the picture painted by these conversations is one of a Wizard World organization that recognized Ellis' presence as the best weapon against yet another poorly attended convention in the Wizard World circuit. The fan-favorite writer's attendance was in discussion as of late last year, in fact, and the terms of his presence at the show involved significant coverage of Ellis' Avatar projects by Wizard Magazine and various other editorial elements of Wizard Entertainment in the months prior to finalizing the deal. This weekend's show, it seems, is being considered a test of the company's "new" approach toward conventions -- and there's a lot riding on how well it does.
Even so, the biggest threat to the show might not have been Wizard Entertainment's widely reported personnel, financial and general creative woes, but rather the widespread problems currently plaguing the airline industry, with many publishers, creators and guests reporting cancelled and/or significantly delayed flights to and from Chicago airports. One of our own ComicMix crew found himself bounced back and forth between cancelled flights for much of the day Thursday, thanks to the ol' "your flight is cancelled, better luck next time" routine from United Airlines -- but United wasn't the only culprit. A large number of Wizard's own convention staff were scattered among several different airlines due to overbooked, cancelled and massively delayed flights.
Continue reading Wizard World Chicago 2008: Day One Report ›
Sat Jun 28, 2008 — by Chris Ullrich
Wizard World Chicago 2008: Photo Gallery - Part 1
Do you smell Wizard World?
As ComicMix online managing editor Rick Marshall pointed out earlier today, the team is currently in Chicago at Wizard World, neck deep in panels, festivities and events.
So far, the show has been chock-full of photo opportunities. From comic book artists and writers to the Joker, harem girls, Imperial Stormtroopers and professional wrestlers, the show has got a little something for everyone -- as long as you happen to be a fan of the Joker, harem girls, Imperial Stormtroopers and professional wrestlers.
Be sure to check back throughout the weekend for more galleries featuring costumes, celebrities and creators.
Continue reading Wizard World Chicago 2008: Photo Gallery - Part 1 ›
Fri Jun 27, 2008 — by Chris Ullrich
Wizard World Chicago 2008: Marvel Ultimates Panel
Bendis, 'Ultimate Origins,' and Captain America's butt
Friday, Day One at Wizard World Chicago and it's the Marvel Ultimates Panel featuring Brian Bendis, C.B. Cebulski, editor Bill Rosemann and moderator Jim McCann. As Rick Marshall previously reported about the "Mondo Marvel" panel, this particular panel was also relatively light on earth-shattering announcements. It also had some technical problems at the beginning which prevented the slideshow from working. So, to start the panel off, Jim McCann dove right into it with a couple of announcements and then some Q&A while they waited for the slides.
First up, Rosemann announced, "No, we do not know when Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk will come out." Bendis also announced that Ultimate Spider-Man is "not cancelled," that "everything is connected" and that there will be an Ultimate Spider-Man Annual which will focus on Peter and MJ's "physical relationship."
According to Bendis, "It was the hardest sell I ever had. I just thought that remembering my glory years of 15 and 16 that it's an important issue. Not having dealt with it felt false to me. It's gonna be drawn by David La Fuente." The book is double-sized and will be out in October.
At that point, the kinks were finally worked out and the slides started. Fans of Marvel's Ultimate Universe were then treated to several slides featuring, among other things, upcoming covers for issues of Ultimate Origins featuring Captain America, Magneto and Hulk as well as a few pages of the actual Cap origins issue itself. There was also an alternative Origins cover featuring "Cap's butt" as drawn by Gabriel del Otto.
Also, slides from Ultimatum showing the Fantastic Four, Dr. Doom, Namor, and the Ultimates 3 cast of the Ultimates featuring Black Panther and Captain America next to each other on the slide. This slide highlights, according to Bendis, an "organic but massive disaster" which happens to the Ultimate Universe. The disaster will be seen in Ultimate Spider-Man.
Then, once the slides were done (which took about five minutes) it was back to the Q&A which, as you may expect, pretty much became the Brian Bendis show as the vast majority of the questions were directed to him. Some of the highlights of the Q&A follow but it started off with Bendis's explanation of his thought process when the Ultimates universe was being created.
Continue reading Wizard World Chicago 2008: Marvel Ultimates Panel ›
Fri Jun 27, 2008 — by Mike Raub
ComicMix Radio: Direct From Chicago - Marvel Exclusives and Sneak Peeks
Episode #221: Marvel's announcements kick off Day One in Chicago
It's the first of our special broadcasts from the floor at Wizard World Chicago, and Marvel began the day with a few announcements, which we detail here. Also be sure to check out our ComicMix report on the "Mondo Marvel" panel posted earlier today.
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Fri Jun 27, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
Wizard World Chicago 2008: Mondo Marvel Panel Report
So you're all coming to San Diego, right?
If Friday morning's "Mondo Marvel" panel was any indication of what the rest of the weekend had in store for attendees at Wizard World Chicago, it's going to be a loooong convention.
Marvel PR guru Jim McCann moderated a panel that featured Peter David, C.B. Cebulski, Tom Brevoort, Mike Perkins, Brian Reed, Bill Rosemann and Mike Perkins, and the "official" announcements were done and over in just under 15 minutes. The rest of the panel consisted of a Q&A session which yielded a few items of note. With San Diego Comic-Con International looming, it appeared that Marvel was among the many publishers saving any significant announcements regarding new projects for the big show next month.
Newsarama and Comic Book Resources have the standard, pre-arranged (and in somes cases, pre-written) coverage of the specific announcements (as well as images from the slideshows), so feel free to head in that direction for the round-up of who's gone "exclusive," which characters are being market-tested in their own miniseries and general rundowns of which dead horses are being kicked.
As far as the Q&A portion of the event, writer Peter David (She-Hulk, X-Factor and Fallen Angel) announced that he'll be moving the X-Factor team to Detroit, having originally considered Chicago as a destination but settling on Detroit due to the city being home to artist Larry Stroman, who he'll be reuniting with on the title.
A fan who asked about the potential for any future Master of Kung-Fu projects was told by Marvel editor Tom Brevoort that legal issues surrounding the rights to the character of Fu Manchu, who was originally a pulp novel villain created by author Sax Rohmer, have complicated the return of any Kung-Fu titles.
"If it comes out and his name is changed to 'Bob Manchu,' you'll know why," added David.
When a fan asked David about his thoughts regarding stories set far in the future, citing his work on the "One Million" crossover story arc for DC several years ago, David provided a lengthy explanation of his thought process when scripting the stories for Marvel's rival publisher -- much to the agitation of some of the Marvel editorial staff sitting on the panel.
The cross-company jabs didn't stop there, however, as a DC fan later asked about the return of the bumbling superteam known as the Great Lakes Initiative. When David responded that there wasn't much need for them, seeing as how X-Factor would be based in Detroit, the fan added, "But they're not funny."
McCann quickly jumped into the conversation, telling the DC fan, "If you want funny, pick up [Final] Crisis #1"
One of the last items of note was C.B. Cebulski's acknowledgement that he had declined to serve as writer for the next Marvel: Ultimate Alliance videogame, which will be based on the events of the Civil War storyline. The first game was wel-received by comics and gaming fans alike, with many citing Cebulski's work on the game's script.
The image pictured here is from the upcoming 30-part Marvel series based on Stephen King's epic novel The Stand, for which Mike Perkins will provide art.
