Okay, spoiler-conscious Doctor Who
I’m serious. Don’t read any further!
Just get up, walk into the next room and quietly close the door. Someone will signal you when we’re done here.
…
Are we good to go now?
Excellent.
For longtime readers of Nicholas Gurewitch’s weekly, syndicated webcomic Perry Bible Fellowship, it didn’t come as much of a surprise when, late last year, the first print collection of the popular series became the fastest-selling graphic novel in the history of online bookseller Amazon.com.
What did come as a surprise, however, was the announcement that Gurewitch made a few months later.
"I feel I owe it to myself and the Perry Bible Fellowship not to turn a joyful diversion into a long career," wrote Gurewitch in a widely publicized mid-February message to the newspaper and magazine editors running his PBF strips.
Just a few months after The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories, made big news in the publishing world by selling more than $300,000 copies in pre-orders alone, Gurewitch made headlines once again by announcing that he would be cutting back on production of the strip — moving from a weekly schedule to a more manageable routine.
"I’m making this decision for a variety of reasons," he explained, "but mainly because I want to do other things besides be a cartoonist."
According to Gurewitch, the decision was made after realizing that the success of PBF had placed him at a series of creative, personal and professional crossroads, and there was no better time to begin walking a different path.
I spoke with Gurewitch recently about the decision to move Perry Bible Fellowship into "semi-retirement," what he’s doing with his time these days and the frustrating divide between creator’s intent and audience’s interpretation.
COMICMIX: Thanks for taking the time to talk with me, Nick. Now that you have a bit more free time, how are you spending it?
NICHOLAS GUREWITCH: I’m working on a few more books to come out through Dark Horse and I’m writing a feature-length movie script that I’ve wanted to write for years. That’s at the forefront of my mind right now. I’m really excited about it.
CMix: The books you’re working on, are they related to PBF or are they different projects entirely?
NG: One is a sequel or replacement for the Colonel Sweeto book. It’s a more expensive book that has more comics in it. The other would be a spin-off, if you wanted to call it that — it’s a continuation of one of the stories.
CMix:
In 2003, James Farr posted online the first chapter of Xombie, a short film he produced using Flash animation, on the ‘Net. The eerie tale introduced viewers to Zoe, a young girl who finds herself alone in a zombie wasteland with no memory of how she came to be there, as well as a sentient zombie named Dirge who rescues her from the menacing flesh-eaters.
Four years, 10 episodes and 13 million views later, Xombie: Dead on Arrival (as the series was later named) is widely regarded as one of the InterWebs’ first "cult classic" original animated series, and Farr remains one of the most popular filmmakers from the early days of the Flash-animation scene. The series, with its well-scripted dialogue and pacing, as well as Farr’s use of talented voice actors who gave life — or rather, death — to many of the characters, continues to be held up as a prime example of the medium’s potential.
So, with a celebrated animated series behind him, what did the talented creator do next? He jumped into the world of comics, of course.
The first issue of Xombie: Reanimated, a six-issue series written by Farr with art from Nate Lovett, hit comic shops in 2007 courtesy of Devil’s Due Publishing, just a short time after the final episode of Dead on Arrival hit the online world. Reanimated continued the story of Zoe and Dirge, picking up ten years after the first adventure and moving Farr’s unlikely heroes (along with their zombie dog, Cerberus; the Egyptian mummy, Nephthys; and her zombie dinosaur, Chimaera) into a brand new medium.
According to Farr, Dead on Arrival and Reanimated provided the first two chapters in a trilogy that, he hopes, is breathing fresh air into the musty, recycled conventions of zombie-genre storytelling.
I spoke with Farr about the recent release of the Xombie: Reanimated collection, as well as the line of Xombie-inspired figures produced by DDP. We spoke about what’s next for the series, and his forays into manga, sniper-avoidance and his "big role" in last year’s live-action Transformers film.
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg)
When it comes to April Fools Day on the ‘Net, I’m not sure where I stand. On one hand, I’m endlessly entertained by the creativity various companies show in their efforts to pull the digital wool over readers’ eyes. It’s also an amazing promotional opportunity, providing websites that normally wouldn’t be players in the viral marketing scene a chance to flex their creative muscles and attract new readers.
On the other hand, however, it’s an editor’s worst nightmare. Every story is likely to be a hoax, and it’s damn near impossible to break any authentic news due to the inherent skepticism of online readers for a 24-hour period.
It’s a bit of a personal hell for me, too. Every year, I wake up on April 1 and remind myself that anything I read that day is probably an April Fools Day prank. And every year, I end up getting excited about a story anyways, only to realize that it was just another joke — more often than not, this happens after I go public with my excitement, adding to the embarassment. In the end, I’m reminded of Charlie Brown trying to kick that football time and time again, even though he ends up on his back in the dirt every time he makes the attempt. I feel his pain.
So this year, I’ve put together a list of some of the highlights from this year’s April Fools Day on the Interwebs. It’s nowhere near a complete list, just some of my personal favorites from the world of comics and comics culture, as well as a few notable non-comics pranks. Feel free to add your own to the ‘Mix (pun totally intended) by adding a link in the comment section at the end of this article.
With only four issues remaining in Countdown to Final Crisis, the looming end of DC’s year-long, weekly series marks not only the grand finale of a sprawling, epic storyline but also the conclusion of two years of weekly deadlines for industry veteran Keith Giffen.
After serving in the role of "breakdown artist" for the entire run of DC’s first weekly event, 52, Giffen jumped right back into a weekly production schedule last year as the breakdown artist and "story consultant" for Countdown (later renamed Countdown to Final Crisis). Two years and more than 100 issues later, the finish line is finally in sight for Giffen.
I spoke with the prolific creator about the highs, lows and upcoming end of Countdown to Final Crisis, as well as the last two years of weekly deadlines, last-minute changes and prolific output from the creators involved with each weekly series.
[Editor’s Note: For the spoiler-conscious, this interview contains discussion of some events occurring in both this week’s issue and future issues that, although hinted at and likely quite expected at this point in the Countdown storyline, are certainly worth a warning.]
COMICMIX: Keith, last time we spoke, I think you had just turned in the last issue of Countdown, right?
KEITH GIFFEN: Yeah, I had just popped in the final issue. Now, I can put weekly comics behind me for a while.
That was 104 in a row, man. Come on!
CMix: So, how are you feeling now that, for the first time in two years, you don’t have another issue that needs to go out as soon as you turn the last one in?
KG: Well, it wears on you. When I handed in that last issue of Countdown, the next day I was like, "I don’t have to do it anymore. The pressure is off."
It’s kind of nice. I can go back to my regular books now, and I can get back to my regular workload again. In a weird way, just like an abscessed tooth, you kind of miss it. It’s not there, but you’re kind of grateful it’s gone.
CMix: How did Countdown compare to 52?
KG: it’s really a whole different animal. It would be unfair to draw any comparisons between 52 and Countdown. The tone was different, the entire approach was dfifferent. The first time you do it, especially when it unfolds in real time, it’s an accomplishment. You did it!
The second time, you’re kind of expected to do it, because you did it the first time. It’s like a sequel to a movie — it’s not going to be as satisfying as the first time you saw it.
The overall thing is getting it done and putting these issues out. Certainly it wasn’t just me — it was an entire team of people pulling these projects along. Getting it out on time when so many monthly books seem to have trouble hitting the target, to do two years of a weekly and just nail it week after week, there’s a real sense of satisfaction there. Were there certain things I’d go back and redo if I had the chance? Sure. But I can say that about anything I’ve ever done. Hindsight’s always 20/20.
CMix: Was there anything you wanted to do in Countdown but couldn’t fit in due to the time constraints or other factors?
KG: Oh, yeah. We had lots of leftover ideas on 52 and we had lots of leftover ideas on Countdown, as well. I’m not going to go into them here because I never waste an idea, and I don’t want other people to waste the ideas, either. If everyone thought that it was a great idea and it didn’t make it into the series, you can pretty much guarantee that it will pop up somewhere else. Good ideas don’t die easy deaths.
Outpost Gallifrey reports that Doctor Who Executive Producer Russell T. Davies has become quite vocal in his disappointment regarding a decision to move the hit series to an earlier timeslot on the BBC, as well as other changes planned for Season Four.
According to various reports cited by the Doctor Who news site, the decision to move the program to 6:20 PM in the weekly schedule, and a push to film in high-definition video, have met with significant opposition from Davies and others involved with the show.
From a Broadcast report posted on the site:
Russell T Davies is predicting that Doctor Who could lose up to 1.5m viewers when it returns in a new 6.20pm slot next month.
The writer and executive producer of the series told the Broadcast television drama conference today that the BBC should maintain the later 7pm-7.15pm slot and the budget for the sci-fi series but it had mucked it up.
The BBC believes the programme would do as well in the new slot, he said. "Well, we’ll see, but I think I’m right."
Not all time travel is welcome.
See what they did with that "time travel" line? Clever.
What does this mean for the American audience? I’m not certain, but it seemed worth noting for all of the Doctor Who fans here at ComicMix. Feel free to discuss in the comment section.
For those in search of some appropriate mood music to accompany Devil’s Due Publishing’s Halloween: Nightdance, it sounds like the crew at DDP has you covered.
The publisher recently posted a free download link for a techno/rock/orchestral remix of the original Halloween movie theme, courtesy of the musician known as "Celldweller" — or maybe it’s courtesy of the artist formerly known as Klayton. I can’t be sure.
Either way, here’s the musician bio from the news section of the DDP site:
Celldweller – the versatile outlet of the artist, performer, producer, songwriter, programmer, and remixer Klayton, fuses the electronics of drum & bass and techno, with rock and orchestral elements, meshing the synthetic and the organic, darkness with beauty, into a cohesive blend entirely its own. Celldweller’s sound has captured the interest of the Film/TV/Video Game industry having licensed every track from the Debut Celldweller album, including credits in James Farr’s Xombified Online Series, recently adapted to comic form by Devil’s Due Publishing.
Credits include: “CSI” (Superbowl Spot), "Spider-man 2,” "Spider-man 3,” “Superman Returns,” “Silent Hill,” “Doom,” "The Last Legion,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “Supercross,” “XXX: State of the Union,” “Constantine,” “Catwoman,” “Redline,” “The Punisher,” “Dirt,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Paycheck,” “Timeline,” “Mindhunters,” “National Security,” “Bad Boys 2,” “Crackdown” “The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift,” “Need For Speed: Most Wanted,” “Project Gotham Racing 3,” “Enter the Matrix” and “XGRA.”
You can download the track via the DDP site.
ComicMix reader (and aspiring anime/manga artist) Heather recently sent me a gallery of photos from Anime Boston 2008, heralded as "The Northeast’s Largest Anime Convention." The three-day convention was held held last weekend at Hynes Convention Center.
As anyone who’s attended enough anime, comics or pop culture-related conventions over the last few years will no doubt agree, the anime/manga crowd rarely phones it in when it comes to costumes. Sure, there are always a few kids who slap on a metal-plated Naruto
So, with that in mind, I’ve posted some of the photos she sent me after the jump. Consider it a salute to the cosplayers at Anime Boston ’08 and anime fans everywhere. Heck, I have trouble buttoning my shirt correctly most days — I can’t even imagine crafting some of the outfits in these photos.
.jpg)
When Richard Stevens III (a.k.a. "R Stevens") initially launched his webcomic, Diesel Sweeties, back in 2000, the premise seemed simple enough: four panels (three for the set-up, one for the punchline) of humans and robots interacting and commenting on life, pop culture and inter-species love.
Nearly 2000 strips and a newspaper syndication deal later, DS has evolved into an Internet phenomenon of sorts. The series is often held up as a prime example of the success an online-based comic can achieve, while the Dumbrella webcomic collective Stevens’ co-founded is host to many of the most popular series on the ‘Net. The DS creator is also finding himself frequently called upon to serve as the medium’s ambassador to the world of print comics.
Earlier this month, Stevens made waves in the comics industry yet again with the announcement that, in celebration of the series’ upcoming 2000th strip, he would release the entirety of the DS archive in free, downloadable PDF files under a Creative Commons license.
I spoke with Stevens this week about the looming 2000th strip for DS, the decision to release the PDF archives and how he ever finds time to sleep. (The answer? He doesn’t.)
COMICMIX: It’s been just over a year now since Diesel Sweeties was picked up for syndication. How is it going so far?
R STEVENS: It’s hard work, but boot camp is good for the muscle tone. I wish I could tell you it’s made me a millionaire and offer you a gold cake, but we’re getting by and learning a LOT. Can’t get taxed on that,
thank god.
CMix: With DS hitting its 2000th strip, if you were going to do a clip reel of some of your favorite moments from the series, what would it include? What have been some of the highlights for you professionally?
RS: I work close to deadline almost every night, so finishing up and high-fiving my FTP server is the highlight of my day. I really enjoy having a process and something to culminate every day with, so there’s no shortage of highlights.
That said, staying up ’til 4 AM writing 58 panels of jokes for all 50 states was probably the most fun I’ve ever had working. Aside from that, I’m simply grateful to have this as a job.
CMix: Any thoughts on your most controversial strip or storyline?
RS: That would probably be wiping Clango’s brain. I wanted to synch up my web and print strips while adding a level of creepiness for people who read both.
I was amazed that my readers rolled with it and I don’t think we lost anybody. Try doing THAT with Spider-Man… Oh, wait. They did.
The fill-in artist is a staple of comics and webcomics alike, but Michael Rouse-Deane is making a year-long event out of the practice — and for a good cause.
April 1 is the scheduled start of The Guest Strip Project, in which a different webcomic creator will provide a strip each week, with proceeds from the advertising, store and donations headed to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The project is described as follows:
One artist can only do one guest strip, they won’t be asked back, once their page is completed it’ll go into the archives and they can never return. This means its much more complicated but also allows other talented people out there to have a chance of making an impact.
At the side of each page are banners and also donation buttons where people can donate money to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. There’s also the store which will every so often have exclusive merchandise as well as spin-off books, posters, t-shirts and artwork up for grabs all donating to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Keep in mind that the project will be presented in the standard, no-charge webcomic format, so it will be interesting to see how successful a unique campaign like this, which relies upon advertising, merchandise sales and donations, will end up. Although the roster of creators currently expected to provide strips hasn’t been posted at this point, the "Links" page could provide some indication of the talent tapped for the kick-off.
(via Fleen)
Columns / Glenn Hauman / News
Stephen Colbert, we have your writer for “The Chronicles of Amber”!
January 20, 2023
The Law Is A Ass #460: Those “For Life” Sentences Are Nonsense
February 24, 2022
