Author: Elayne Riggs

Crime writer to tackle Hellblazer

Crime writer to tackle Hellblazer

  • News
  • April 15, 2007

The Scotsman is reporting that Ian Rankin, writer of the extremely popular Inspector Rebus crime fiction series, will be doing a six-issue run on DC’s Hellblazer.

Rankin approaches the venture with appropriate trepidation: "Let’s wait and see if I can do it; maybe it will turn out that I can’t. It is much more like a screenwriter’s skill than a novelist’s skill. You have to use very few words, and a lot of the writing is just instructions to the artist."

A good observation for other famous "mainstream" authors with comic book aspirations to bear in mind!

Sunday reading catch-up

Sunday reading catch-up

  • News
  • April 15, 2007

You know you’re a geek when you go away-from-keyboard to spend the day with your cousins at a nifty local mall and your first thought upon seeing a Lego keychain display is, "Ooh, Batman and Robin and the Joker, this would make a cute photo for ComicMix!"

And so it goes (apologies, etc. etc.).  Now for your weekly all-in-one post of our regular columns from this past week:

As for me, I’m going to catch up on Mellifluous Mike Raub‘s latest podcasts:

I’ll also be reading comics.  Have I mentioned today’s a good day to read comics?  Heck, what day isn’t?

Notable postables

Notable postables

  • News
  • April 13, 2007

Rich Watson’s much-anticipated interview with Alex Simmons is finally up — at least part one is.

Rachel Edidin gives a lesson in things to bear in mind when writing sexual violence into comic stories.

Scott at Polite Dissent dissects Amazing Spider-Man #539 (whence the panel at right is taken) from a medical POV.

Lastly, congraulations to Sean McKeever on his successful lasik surgery!  I’m not a little jealous.

More retro films, sequels on the way

More retro films, sequels on the way

  • News
  • April 13, 2007

Yeah okay, y’all are still talking about Barbarella, aren’t you?  Sorry, the original had some cute ideas but gah, was it sexist!  Talk to me when she’s properly dressed and Simon LeBon’s cast as Duran Duran.

Now here’s what I’m craving — a bit of the ol’ Get Smart.  USA today has a blurb about the in-production movie (set to open in late June) based on the old TV show created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry.  Andy Dick is nowhere in sight, thank goodness, but I love the casting they do mention — Steve Carell should make an ideal Maxwell Smart, Anne Hathaway has the potential to succeed Barbara Feldon as a smart and funny Agent 99, and Alan Arkin as The Chief is just too perfect.  Some of the other cast members sound like they’d fit right in as well.  I know I’m pretty psyched for Masi Oka’s big-screen debut!  (Did you know Steve Ditko drew Dell’s Get Smart comic book?)  Let’s hope the indicated trouble in paradise is just a rumor.

Meanwhile, all is not well with the casting of Mummy 3 — The Inevitable, as our esteemed Mike Gold refers to it.  Seems Brandon Fraser is in, but Rachel Weisz is out, leading to speculation that she’s definitely doing Sin City 2 — This Time It’s Even More Personal (my subtitle).  I haven’t seen the Mummy flicks in awhile, but how integral was Weisz’s character in them?  I seem to recall as she was pretty much "love interest/accessory" rather than, you know, an Agent 99 type.

And Harry Knowles is swearing up and down that Shia LeBeouf has been cast in the fourth Indiana Jones movie as Indy’s son, which only interests me insofar as he has one of the more fun names to say and type.  And elsewhere on Ain’t It Cool News, Quint reports that Christina Ricci has been cast as Trixie in the upcoming Speed Racer movie. With John Goodman and Susan Sarandon all set to play Speed’s parents, which amazingly means that Speed’s mom is bound to get actual screen time.

DIY LSH

DIY LSH

  • News
  • April 13, 2007

Colleen Doran draws our attention to One Shot Hero, which we think is pretty cute:

Okay, the mouth movements make it look like everyone’s chewing gum, and you can’t hear Phantom Girl’s voice, and there’s that problematic Nazi-type salute which was supposed to be someone using powers, but aside from that I find it charming anyway, especially the Superfriends takeoff at the beginning.

Wonder-ing no more

Wonder-ing no more

  • News
  • April 13, 2007

Following up on the speculation we mentioned last Saturday, Newsarama is reporting that it’s official: DC’s Bob Wayne confirmed at the Comics Pro Membership Meeting in Las Vegas yesterday that fan favorite Gail Simone will be taking over the writing chores on Wonder Woman starting with issue #13.

Naturally, Matt Brady (who has been over this story like white on rice) gets a hold of Gail for a follow-up interview, wherein she teases, "Finally, about the art team. I can’t say who it is yet. But if the readers all made a list of who the best possible Wonder Woman art team would be, I bet this would be the number one choice. It’s that good."

If readers actually made such a list, we suspect it would contain as many different names as there were readers.  My choice, for instance, is at right…

Rainy day shorts

Rainy day shorts

  • News
  • April 12, 2007

Some bits and bobs from here and there, as we try to get caught up on NYC-rainy-day reading:

CBR reports on Marvel EIC Joe Quesada’s classy gesture in asking that his name be removed from consideration for an Eagle Award, stating, "While incredibly flattering and an honor to be nominated, I feel that my name unjustly takes up a spot that should be taken by an editor who is doing hands-on editing. Doesn’t matter what company they work for, they would be worthier of a nomination than I as that is not what I do for a living."

Jim Lee posts a couple pages from upcoming All Star Batman and Robin issues to the Wildstorm blog, and catches fans up: "Here’s what I know…issues 5 and 6 are DONE. I’m knee deep in issue 7. Rather than come out with 5 when it was done, the decision was made to hold up issues and stockpile them so when they do start coming out, that there won’t be any holdup between issues."

I can’t say enough about Colleen Doran’s posting this month about financial literacy for freelancers.  She just posted a resource list complete with links.  Well worth bookmarking!

Heidi at the Beat draws our attention to a nifty article at AfterEllen.com on lesbian comics creators.

Eddie Campbell examines the art of courtroom sketching in a series of posts called "The Villains in my Home Town."  Here are parts 1, 2 and 3.

Lastly, Terry (Strangers in Paradise) Moore inspires 12- and 14-year-old sisters to put pencil to paper.

Catching up with the Big Two

Catching up with the Big Two

  • News
  • April 12, 2007

Per my column yesterday, you know I’m not going to parrot press releases from Marvel and DC, but that doesn’t mean I can’t cull actual news from them where I discern it exists:

Marvel’s gearing up for their World War Hulk event, and as I’m married to someone who inked the Hulk for over two years I had to ask my Marvel press contact if he had any word on who’s slated to ink all the books.  So here’s your complete list of “top 2-3” creative teams (writer, penciller/inker or writer & artist) for all upcoming World War Hulk tie-ins:

WORLD WAR HULK PROLOGUE: WORLD BREAKER

Writer: Peter David

Artists: Al Rio/Scott Hanna, Lee Weeks (p/i), Sean Phillips/Tom Palmer

INCREDIBLE HULK #106

Writer: Greg Pak

Artists: Gary Frank/Jonathan Sibal

HULK: PLANET HULK HC

Writer: Greg Pak

Artists: Carlo Pagulayan/Jeffrey Huet; Aaron Lopresti/Danny Miki and Sandu Florea; Juan Santacruz/Faul Fernantz Fonts; Gary Frank/Jonathan Sibal; Takeshi Miyazawa (p/i)

That’s right, I’m all about loving the inkers!

Marvel’s also got another Spotlight book in stores on May 23, this one focusing on the Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer; perfect timing considering the movie coming out in mid-June.  John Rhett Thomas supplies the original written content with pre-existing images from the FF’s 40+ year history.  Hope that means some royalty checks for lots of terrific artists!

And Matt Fraction (check out his sweet reminiscence of Vonnegut) is writing a special 48-page Sensational Spider-Man Annual tying in with its “Back in Black” storyline.  Sal Larocca’s on pencilling chores, including “Romita-esque flashback sequences” — good luck with that, Sal!

Meanwhile, DC’s sent out its latest Direct Channel newsletter, which discusses sales incentives for retailers on the second Minx title Clubbing (writer Andi Watson has a nice write-up), brags about mainstream press for the debut Minx title The Plain Janes in PW and Variety, and lists books going back to press, returnable and resolicited books, release dates and so forth.  An invaluable resource for retailers, as always.

Stocking up on comics

Stocking up on comics

  • News
  • April 11, 2007

Via Lisa at Sequentially Speaking comes an article in American.com about the sure bet of investing in comics and other collectibles.  Naturally, Kevin Hassett points the exceptions to the rule in order to prove his thesis, which helps nobody.  The operative word here is "rare," people.

Plus, he supplements his databy looking things up in the Price Guide, which we all know deals more in theoretical than actual value, the latter being arbitrariily determined from day to day by whatever each buyer and seller actually feels like paying for and selling a book. 

This knowledge would seem to make the answer to Hassells question, "Why don’t sophisticated money managers and operating companies invest in comic books?" fairly obvious.

(more…)

Mary Jane loves Mary Jane?

Mary Jane loves Mary Jane?

  • News
  • April 11, 2007

Lots of entertainment websites are breathlessly exhaling the news that Kirsten Dunst has spoken out in favor of reasonable use of marijuana, still considered a taboo subject in her home country, and therefore a guaranteed attention-getter.

What should have billions and billions of science fans investigating the facts on THC, however, was Dunst’s quote, "My best friend Sasha’s dad was Carl Sagan, the astronomer. He was the biggest pot smoker in the world and he was a genius."

Dunst, like many, believes "America’s view on weed is ridiculous. I mean," she added, "are you kidding me? If everyone smoked weed, the world would be a better place. I’m not talking about being stoned all day, though. I think if it’s not used properly, it can hamper your creativity and close you up inside."

So many comeback lines, so little time.

By the way, this would seem the perfect place to mention that Jewish stoners abstaining during Passover because pot isn’t KP may now resume their intake, as the holiday ended at 8:17 Eastern time last evening.

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