San Diego Comic-Con 2008

Sun Jul 27, 2008 — by Arthur Tebbel & Christopher Toia

SDCC: Legion of Superheroes Panel

The past, present and future of one of DC's most beloved superteams...

At a convention known for its fans' devotion and passion, Legion of Superheroes devotees are truly in a league of their own.

Throughout Saturday's "Legion of Superheroes Panel," fans from across the globe shared their personal connections to the DC superteam with panelists, Paul Levitz, Mike Grell, Keith Giffen, Colleen Doran, Geoff Johns, Tom Bierbaum, and Mary Bierbaum, as well as questions about the varying specifics of a series that has one of the broadest mythos of any in the comic universe.

Being such a beloved series, its no surprise that many in attendance were extremely concerned about the future of the series. Johns let out a minor spoiler, revealing part of Una's character arc: "You turn the page and she's multiplied into like a hundred of her and she says 'I don't know how I ever got anything done with just three of me,'" he added. "She's going to be called 'Duplicate Damsel'."

Continuing, Legion of Three Worlds writer Johns certainly tried to ease any fears that his run would be lacking anyone's favorite character, asserting that George Perez, "wants to draw every Legionnaire ever." Unfortunately, the Superpets will not be making an appearance.

A question about the lack of African-American representation in classic Legion stories drew muffled sighs from the more senior members of the panel. Levitz responded by saying, "I think it's important to look at the broader context, that's the way things were being done in comics in '67 or '68."

Levitz went on to say that the Teen Titans were going to introduce the first black superhero, however DC ardently opposed this move and redrew the character as a white character. Allegedly the creative team was blacklisted for a year.

"[There was] a certain trepidation that they wouldn't do it right," Mike Grell said, and then added his own anecdote about the trouble he had adding a black Legionnaire, "It was a story about a Science Policeman who makes a mistake at the beginning of the story, and corrects the mistake and becomes a hero by the end of the story... My editor said, 'No you can't do that, they'll send letters.'"

Fortunately, Grell was not completely cowed by DC's demands, "As my silent protest, I very mildly redrew the character, and sure enough we got letters saying, 'Hey, that's a brother painted pink.'"

All of the panelists had numerous fond memories of working with The Legion of Superheroes, and no dearth of appreciation for the fans, but perhaps Levitz summed it up best when he said, "We got to play with some really cool toys, and the only reason we got to play with them was because you guys kept coming around and saying, 'Go ahead, have fun with them.'"

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Sun Jul 27, 2008 — by Van Jensen

SDCC: Jeph Loeb Presents 'Heroes' Panel

Stars talk 'The Second Coming'

The NBC show Heroes went from fan-favorite to afterthought very quickly during last year's strike-impaired season two. The cast and producer Jeph Loeb set about rebuilding momentum with an energetic panel at Comic-Con.

From the L.A. Times comes word that a full episode was shown and it did the trick:

Tim Kring came in with a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. He held aloft a DVD, the DVD for the premiere of season three's villains-themed offerings.

Then we got to see "The Second Coming."

It's a great episode, and it should draw back those who've dropped off. It may even bring in new viewers. And if not, maybe you'll want to watch simply because, as the guy in my row said, "Hayden is hotter than ever!"

If you're inclined, there are some spoilers in the link.

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Sun Jul 27, 2008 — by Glenn Hauman

Overheard at San Diego 2008, part 4

No kidding, there we were...

The San Diego Comic-Con Masquerade is in full swing right now, but people are still letting their personal masks down at the most interesting times...

On the dealer's floor:
Let's face it, comics aren't for kids anymore. So get 'em out of here and let me enjoy the last ten years of the industry.

In an elevator with fourteen people at the Westin:
There are no girls in this elevator...

Over in the Webcomics section, at the Girl Genius booth:
Phil Foglio: We're giving away free sandwiches! Want one?
Me: Sure! Are you sure?
Phil: Yeah, we bought sandwiches for every booth here, but a few weren't hungry.
Me: Web cartoonists aren't going hungry? This is front page news!

In the hallways between conference rooms:
Joe Straczynski is doing the Impact books for DC? Are they sure it's not supposed to be Len Strazewski and somebody's spell-checker got confused?

On the way to the trolley in the crush of people, a man was jostled by David Gerrold, leading to a retort of, "Hey, watch it, Cusack!"

And finally, ComicMix's Editor-in-Chief Mike Gold and media mogul Michael Davis were seen lunching at the Marriott with Denys Cowan. Old home week or something more? Mike's not talking.

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Sun Jul 27, 2008 — by Van Jensen

SDCC: Pixar Previews 'Up'

Next animated film has a whole lotta balloons

Pixar's still coming off the massive (critical at least) success of WALL-E, and already they're putting out a first look at their next film, titled Up.

The preview is below.

Original Video- More videos at TinyPic

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Sun Jul 27, 2008 — by Chris Ullrich

SDCC Interview: Justin Marks on the 'Hack/Slash' Movie [UPDATED]

DDP series gets a film, we get to chat with the writer...

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Our original link to this interview didn't play nice with the formatting of the film's title, so I've fixed the link and reposted the article here on ComicMix. -RM]

Writer Justin Marks has come a long way as a Hollywood screenwriter in a relatively short span of time. After working as a producer's assistant for several years, while writing scripts in his off-hours, Marks has achieved nearly A-list status by writing several high-profile screenplays including Streetfighter and He-Man. He's also worked on Supermax, co-written with A-List scribe David S. Goyer, and featuring the DC Comics hero Green Arrow who, after being wrongly incarcerated, has to join forces with the very villians he put behind bars in order to escape.

Marks is also writing another big-budget Hollywood film, this one an adaptation of the very popular comic series Hack/Slash, created by writer and artist Tim Seeley and published by Devil's Due Press. I caught up with Marks at the San Diego Comic-Con to talk a bit about the Hack/Slash film, what we might expect story-wise and the film's current status.

COMIC MIX: Hey Justin, thanks for talking with me. How did you get involved in the Hack/Slash movie?

JUSTIN MARKS: It was a book that was given to me about a year or year and a half ago. at the time it was already set up as a movie and I thought that was great because I thought it would make an increadible movie. Actuallly, I was kinda jealous.

But then a few months ago I got a call, I was actually in Bangkok working on the Streetfighter movie, and the producers of Hack/Slash asks if I would be interested in working with Todd (Lincoln) the director on the script to sort of push it throuhg and get it ready for production.

So I got on a plane for seventeen hours back to LA to try and get that job.

CMix: It seems you really wanted the job?

Continue reading SDCC Interview: Justin Marks on the 'Hack/Slash' Movie [UPDATED] ›

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Sat Jul 26, 2008 — by Mike Raub

ComicMix Radio: Mike Grell And Warlord Back Together

Episode #237: It's Big News Saturday at SDCC '08

 Saturday at Comic Con  '08 has set a number of records and not just for the bodies walking the floor. A few news "bombs" were dropped about new characters and comics, like

• Impact and Milestone returning to the DC Universe
• ComicMix'er Mike Grell returns to the character that started it all
• Some insight into the lady director bringing The Punisher back to the big screen

 And then we get visits from Jamal Igle, Michael Davis and "Bumblebee" himself, Mark Ryan. It's a full house so step in and  Press The Button

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via or RSS!

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Sat Jul 26, 2008 — by Arthur Tebbel & Christopher Toia

SDCC: Joss Whedon and the Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Panel

The Whedonverse gets more time in the spotlight Saturday at Comic-Con

At San Diego Comic-Con's Doctor Horrible panel, Joss Whedon and company used the opportunity to make a few announcements regarding the future of the Doctor Horrible franchise, as well as a surprise bit of information on the return of a popular character in the Buffy: Season Eight comics.

The big announcement of the panel was the development of a fourth act of the Doctor Horrible saga somewhere on the horizon. While they wait for Act IV, fans of Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog can expect the release of the soundtrack on iTunes in "a couple weeks." In addition, for the planned DVD fans will be invited to submit their own three-minute video applications for admittance to the Evil League of Evil, the show's writers will decide on the best 10 and include them as a special feature.

In news not related to the topic of the panel, Joss Whedon announced that fan favorite character Oz will be returning in the Buffy: Season Eight comics.

Featuring Horrible director and writer Joss Whedon, actors, Neil Patrick Harris, Felicia Day, Nathan Fillion, and Simon Helberg, as well as co-creators and writers, Jed Whedon, Zach Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen, if nothing else the panel served to confirm suspicions that Joss probably has the best job in the world.

Continue reading SDCC: Joss Whedon and the Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Panel ›

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Sat Jul 26, 2008 — by Van Jensen

SDCC: The Eisner Awards

Saturday ceremony honors tops in comics

The staple of Comic-Con, the Eisner Awards, occurred yesterday evening, and Heidi MacDonald over at The Beat did everyone a favor by liveblogging the ceremony.

Check out her coverage right here.

The Eisners, in case you aren't familiar, are essentially the Academy Awards of the comics world.

Here's a taste:

Next up…Best Painted Work, and it’s Eric Powell! Eric says he poured his blood, sweat, and years into CHINATOWN and he’s very gratified.

Best Cover Artist…James Jean…big shock! No one saw that one coming.

Our next presenters…adorable Paul Dini and Misty Lee! But Misty isn’t here– what the….Paul goes off to call her…and brings out a big giant empty box…and next thing you know….MISTY LEE was in the box all along? How did that happen? Is it…MAGIC?

The first award they present is Best Colorist and Dave Stewart wins the popular vote in the hall and the award.

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Sat Jul 26, 2008 — by Van Jensen

SDCC: 'Greatest American Hero' Returns

Comics and animated series on the way, how about a movie?

Here's some Comic-Con news that's sure to have the old "believe it or not, we're walking on air..." song stuck in your head, the people behind the '80s superhero show The Greatest American Hero have unveiled some upcoming projects.

At a panel session involving the show's creator (on video) and some stars, it was announced that a new comic book series and an animated series are in the pipeline. CBR reports:

The comic coming out in November is a retelling of the origin story from the show with a few changes. The story takes place in present day, there will be less of a focus on Ralph's teaching job, he no longer has a son and his hair is ... not as big.

But everything else fans loved about the show is still there. "We're retelling how I got the suit and met Bill Maxwell and Pam," said Katt. He went on to say that the book is initially planned as a six issue story, but that after they've retold the origin, they have Cannell's blessing to branch off in other directions.

And how about a GAH movie?

Finally, the cast was asked about the long running rumors of a feature film adaptation of the series. Katt did confirm that producer Stephen J. Cannell has a finished script for the feature film. He went on to say that he has read the script and thought it was fantastic.

He also said that Cannell currently has funding for the film but is looking for a distributor and that he is in talks with 20th Century Fox and director Steven Spielberg's company, with production beginning sometime in 2009.

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Sat Jul 26, 2008 — by Van Jensen

SDCC: Marvel Adapts 'Ender's Game'

Classic sci fi novel becomes comic miniseries

Marvel continues to expand on its comic adaptations of literary properties with the news out of Comic-Con that a six-issue miniseries of Ender's Game is on the way.

The famed sci fi series was written by Orson Scott Card, who also has written Ultimate Iron Man for Marvel. The artist on that book, Pasqual Ferry, has signed on for this new Card project, which is scripted by Christopher Yost.

"I'm a fan, a big fan. So talking with him was one of the best experiences that I have had working on comics so far," Ferry told CBR News. "When talk of the adaptation started, Orson sent a lot of explanations and details about environments, outfits ships. It was a nice work of discovery and creativity between [Editor] Nick [Lowe], Orson and me."

Ferry said "Ender's Game" is rich with quality ideas and concepts, giving the artist plenty to explore and develop when bringing the book to life visually. He gushed, "The human feelings of the characters and his interrelatedness of the work, the incredible quality of the story, the Battle Room action sequences..."

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Sat Jul 26, 2008 — by Rick Marshall

SDCC Photo Gallery: Costumes!

Cosplay and Comic-Con go together like mayonaisse and asparagus... What?

As with every Comic-Con, the cosplay masses made their presence known at this year's show. While the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds made quality in-crowd photos a bit difficult, here are a few shots from the floor provided by my intrepid partner, Jessica Bloustein. We've tried our darndest to caption the photos as best we can, but keep in mind that things are a bit hectic out here on the West Coast, so there was rarely enough time to do anything more than point-and-shoot. Feel free to identify some of the costumes in the comment section if we weren't able to do so.

Oh, and if you haven't done so already, be sure to check out the webcomics-related photos posted in my latest news roundup posted earlier today.

It's a "d*ck in a box," of course...

Continue reading SDCC Photo Gallery: Costumes! ›

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Sat Jul 26, 2008 — by Rick Marshall

Webcomic News Roundup: Comic-Con Photos & "Overcompensating" Gets Animated!

Also: Fleen looks at the Wowio/Platinum deal, more print publishers go online...

This week's roundup of webcomic news is arriving a little late because, well... I arrived a little late to this year's Comic-Con. It's a long story, and involves a sprained ankle (not mine), a "security breach" at a major airport, two canceled flights and a storm that had me expecting to see cows flying across the highway at any moment. That being the case, this week's roundup also features some images from the show floor that will hopefully be worth 1000 words -- because I'm still too jet-lagged to write 'em.

Overcompensating creator Jeffrey Rowland told me this week that he's "so excited not to be going to San Diego" -- and judging by my own experiences thus far, his excitement was justified. However, be sure to check out Tuesday's OC by guest artist (and animator) Carly Monardo, who provided one of my favorite moments of guest-ifaction in quite a while. Everyone does the robot! 'Nuff said.

Gary Tyrrell over at Fleen has been following recent developments on the Wowio/Platinum front with great attention. And rightly so, it seems. While you're over there, make sure to read the comment section for each post, as Fleen has become a lightning rod of sorts for creators involved with these developments.

I tracked down You'll Have That creator Wes Molebash at Comic-Con yesterday, and he told me about his recently launched YHT website at: www.yhtcomic.com. While he described the convention as "mediocre" at this point -- since he didn't have any new projects to promote this year -- he did say he was hard at work on his mysterious graphic novel project.

Continue reading Webcomic News Roundup: Comic-Con Photos & "Overcompensating" Gets Animated! ›

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Sat Jul 26, 2008 — by Van Jensen

SDCC: 'Wolverine,' 'Twilight,' 'Watchmen' Interviews

EW posts video Q&As with stars

Entertainment Weekly has posted a load of video interviews from Comic-Con, including a handful with Stephanie Meyer, creator of the Twilight novels, which have been made into a film.

Teen-age girls, commence your screaming.

Another guest to the interview room includes Hugh Jackman, who surprised everyone when he showed up to talk about X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The interview with him is right here.

Then, of course, there's a collection of Watchmen interviews, with the first being r

.

And, lastly, EW chatted up Robert Rodriguez and Rose McGowan about Red Sonja, which your eyeballs can find by clicking right here.

While you're at it, EW has a pretty expansive bit of

of the Hollywood side of Comic-Con, including TV and movie news.

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Sat Jul 26, 2008 — by Van Jensen

SDCC: C.B. Cebulski on 'X-Men: Infernus'

Next big X event revealed

The big announcement out of Marvel's X-Men panel at Comic-Con was the news that Infernus will be the next big X event, starting in December. It apparently has ties to Inferno, a previous crossover.

Newsarama talked to C.B. Cebulski about the event:

Newsarama: First off CB, does Inferno II have anything to do with the events in Divided We Stand Book 2 and Illyana Rasputin's return as Darkchilde?

CB Cebulski: Yes, the Darkchilde story in Divided We Stand 2 was direct set up for this story. And for those that missed it, it will be reprinted in the new Return of Magic one-shot coming out in September!

NRAMA: How does Infernus relate to the first event--nearly 20 years ago? Comic book time is weird...

CBC: And Limbo time is even weirder. You'll just have to read to find out.

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Sat Jul 26, 2008 — by Arthur Tebbel & Christopher Toia

SDCC: EW's "Visionaries" Panel

A gathering of some of print comics' best and brightest weighs in on the evolution of the medium

When Entertainment Weekly assembles seven of the most powerful men (and woman) in all of comics, obviously some massive news bombs are going to get dropped.

"Yes, I read comic books in the bath," Grant Morrison announced, shocking the assembled fans and setting the blogosphere ablaze.

Okay, so there was little in the way of truly newsworthy information disseminated by the esteemed panel of Jim Lee, John Cassaday, Matt Fraction, Mike Mignola, Robert Kirkman, Colleen Doran, and Grant Morrison. However, there's something immensely satisfying about sharing an hour of time with some of the most creative individuals in the comic book world (and frankly, beyond). It's the kind of panel that reminds a guy why he reads comics in the first place, because these guys work their hardest and embody the philosophy John Cassaday put forth, "There'll be limitations in whatever you do, so you might as well go for it."

Also, these people are really, really funny.

A topic that is nearly omnipresent at this year's 'Con, the specter of the film industry looming large over the conference, was addressed by the panel, with many attendees asking questions about the increasingly symbiotic relationship between film and comics.

"I see a lot of storytelling techniques in TV being effected by comics," Lee commented, pointing out that the comic book has become so successful that mainstream has no choice but to adapt some of its devices. However, not everyone on the panel was as excited by the increasingly close relationship between comics and movies,

"I see people applying film rules to comic book visuals, let's do the comic and then let someone else do the film," Mike Mignola said, keenly aware of the difference between comics and film. Human quote machine Grant Morrison added, "Hollywood is more formulaic, comics allow you to break those rules."

All of the panelists expressed some dread at the lure of comic to film adaptations limiting the ambitions of up-and-coming creators. However they all reasserted that this is a life they pursued not for money, but because its the only calling they ever felt, "I really can't imagine doing anything else... everyone up here ha a compulsion," Colleen Doran said.

Following the theme of creative expression, Jim Lee and newly minted partner at Image Comics Robert Kirkman were asked how that will effect their craft, "Once you've done all that stuff, it's kind of hard to just go back to a table and just sit there drawing," Lee said. Adding that there's a liberation that comes with his executive status. As for Kirkman, "So far, it's just making a few extra phone calls."

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