Author: Rick Marshall

Remembering Archie Goodwin

Remembering Archie Goodwin

Blog@ guest columnist Tim O’Shea notes that March 1 will be the anniversary of the passing of comics legend Archie Goodwin, and writes at length about the editor and his legacy.

While editor-in-chief of Marvel from 1976 to 1978, he was credited in the late 1970s with securing the publishing rights for Star Wars. Given how successful Marvel is these days–making movies out of their own characters and such–securing Star Wars may not seem like that big of a deal. But back in a 2000 interview with CBR, Jim Shooter said: “If we hadn’t done Star Wars … well, we would have gone out of business. Star Wars single-handedly saved Marvel… ”

 

‘The Other Side of the Mirror’ Excerpt Online

‘The Other Side of the Mirror’ Excerpt Online

Vulture, the online culture blog of New York Magazine, has posted a full story from The Other Side of the Mirror, a collection of romance stories in manga form by Jo Chen.

The story is titled "99 Roses" and features some beautiful art to accompany a story that’s equal parts dreamy romance and slapstick manga-style laughs

Every morning, the woman receives a single rose in her mailbox. Every afternoon, she dreams about the boy who leaves them there. And 50 years later, a family tells her story.

 

‘Watchmen’ Costume Details Leaked

‘Watchmen’ Costume Details Leaked

Kung Fu Rodeo has posted reports from visitors to the set of "Watchmen" that reveal how many of the characters will look in the live-action adaptation of the graphic novel.

The reports contain some spoilers for people who haven’t read the book. (And if you’re one of the people who hasn’t read it, all I can say is, "Why the heck not?") I’ve posted the descriptions of Rorschach, Silk Spectre and Ozymandias below, but the report has info on just about every one of the main characters.

RORSCHACH – definitely my favorite from the series and looking super creepy in real life. I think most readers know that the rorschach effect on the mask will be done in CG as all the photos I saw of him he just had a blank white mask on. The suit is all brown, which I guess will darken up when filming. Basically looks awesome and one still I saw has him with his grapple hook gun. There are shots of him picketing without the mask as Ernie Kovacs….I still can’t believe this is Kelly from the Bad News Bears…but he’s perfectly freaky for this character. I hope the voice is as good – hurm….!

SILK SPECTRE – Carla Cugino looks AMAZING in a classic 1940’s looking outfit for the Silk Spectre – the bulk of the photos were of her in her youthful days. The photographer must have loved her. Many photos I saw of her in different types of poses and mostly looking like costume color and lighting tests.

OZYMANDIAS – this guy is spooky looking. The shots I saw have him in his purple suit and really weird doll-like eyes, perfectly combed blonde hair. I also expected a slightly bulkier man playing this character since I saw him as more of a retired Captain America but here he looks quite slim. Didn’t see the costume but all the Veidt ads are in there looking just like Dave Gibbons drew them.

 

(via c2f)

‘Chick Tracts’ Documentary to Chronicle Religious Pocket-Comics

‘Chick Tracts’ Documentary to Chronicle Religious Pocket-Comics

The Tallahassee Democrat reports that a documentary on the life and work of Jack T. Chick, the creator and publisher of pocket-sized "Chick Tracts" comics, will begin screening tonight in Tallahassee, FL.

The tiny comics, published since the 1960s and now collectors’ items around the underground comics scene, contain religious-themed criticisms of homosexuality, Judaism, Harry Potter, Dungeons & Dragons and a variety of other topics.

Why does any of that merit a documentary, you might ask? Here’s your answer:

Chick tracts are free, handed out in bus stations, flea markets, college campuses and malls. He has published more than 1 billion, making him the most widely distributed underground cartoonist on the planet. Yet, Chick himself remains a reclusive, shadowy and controversial figure who exists on the fringes of popular culture and organized religion.

Yup. This could be an interesting one, folks.

By the way, the accompanying image is from "Doom Town," a Chick Tract that explains the horrors of homosexuality and the carnage God will unleash if mankind tolerates same-sex relationships. Fun stuff!

Oh, and if you’re in the mood to pile on some ol’ fashioned religious guilt, there are links to full Chick Tracts on Jack Chick’s wikipedia page.

 

‘Y: The Last Party’ Begins Tonight!

‘Y: The Last Party’ Begins Tonight!

I don’t care what you say – the best parties are always on the West Coast. And tonight’s "Y: The Last Party" bash is no exception.

Hosted by MySpace Comics and Los Angeles comics mecca Meltdown, the party kicks off at 7 PM (PST) and will feature appearances by Joss Whedon and other comics and pop-culture celebs toasting the work of Y: The Last Man creators Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra, who will also be in attendance.

And if that wasn’t enough to get you looking up flights and hotel reservations, there will also be an auction of Y-inspired art from comics artists such as Cameron Stewart, Massimo Carnevale, Jill Thompson, Eduardo Risso, Cliff Chiang, Darick Robertson, Dan Goldman, Jim Mahfood, Jeffrey Brown, Goran Sudzuka, Mike Dawson, Niko Henrichon, Goran Parlov, Dean Haspiel, Nikki Cook, Jeremy Love, Mike Davis and Moritat. MySpace Comics has posted a gallery of some of the art that will be auctioned off over on the event’s official homepage.

Proceeds from the event will go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund – which completes the trifecta of good reasons to attend.

From the official event press release:

Whedon, the famed creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly, will kick off the festivities in Meltdown’s Hollywood gallery space with a keynote speech in appreciation of the series. Following the speech will be a live Q&A with guests of honor Vaughan & Guerra. There will also be a VIP Reception prior to the event, with Whedon, Vaughan & Guerra, that will include the unveiling of a never-before-seen print by Pia Guerra. …

… Capacity for this event is strictly limited to 140 people. VIP reserved seating tickets are sold out. 70 general admission "standing room only" tickets for the event will be $25, and are available on a first-come, first served basis on the day of the event.

Oh, and if you’re attending the event and trying to think of something to bring back for me, go ahead and bid on the Darick Robertson piece with Ampersand and the skull. I dig it immensely.

 

Michael Eisner on the End of the Writers’ Strike?

Michael Eisner on the End of the Writers’ Strike?

Michael Eisner, the former CEO of Disney and current CNBC host, announced on a recent episode of "Fast Money" that the major media companies have reached an agreement with the Writers Guild of America that effectively ends the strike.

Eisner claimed that an announcement will likely happen this weekend regarding the strike’s conclusion.

According to Eisner:

“They’ve made a deal, they shook hands on a deal,” he replies. "The deal is going on Saturday to the constituents (for a vote)… I think it’s impossible that they turn it down. A deal has been made and (the writers) will be back to work reasonably soon!”

As Eisner mentioned, however, any agreement must still be ratified by members of the WGA, whose West Coast and East Coast branches will meet tomorrow for a briefing on the strike. No confirmation of the "done deal" has been issued by the WGA thus far.

On the subject of how striking writers will be received once the strike is over, Eisner added:

“I think a lot of writers lost their deals and they won’t be reinstated," Eisner replies. "One of the reasons these media companies don’t have economic problems is that they cut back on these big (writer) deals….Of course the talented writers will get new deals but in the short term I think the strike was a mistake (because) it was fairly ill-timed," he says. "If there was going to be a strike I think it should have been 3 years from now when (the writers) really understood the definition of the online business and where the revenues are coming from."

Spoken like the a true former CEO of a major media company, eh?

Nikki Finke, the award-winning L.A. Weekly media columnist, claimed on her site that talks of an end to the strike are premature, and had this to say about the online buzz generated by Eisner’s announcement:

Earth To Web: Eisner hasn’t mattered since 2004-2005 when he was kicked to the curb by Disney and its shareholders. Or was Eisner trying to manipulate the price of all that Disney stock he owns?

Umm… Owch.

 

Joss Whedon on Writers’ Strike, Summer Glau and Upcoming Projects

Joss Whedon on Writers’ Strike, Summer Glau and Upcoming Projects

Joss Whedon recently spoke with IESB on the picket line and discussed some of the projects he’s been working on solo, as well as some of the projects he’s had to curtail due to the strike, including the television series "Dollhouse" he had planned to produce with former "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" actress Eliza Dushku.

Along with a brief recap of his current comics work, IESB provided this bit about the project he plans to work on with "Firefly" and "Sarah Connor Chronicles" actress Summer Glau:

“There’s a few things I’m trying to do without the studios,” said Whedon, “either for the internet or shorts and there’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time which is a ballet with Summer Glau. We’ve been talking about it for years and I’ve been doing most of the talking and none of the doing. I finally finished the score and we have a choreographer working with us. We’re hoping that sometime in the late spring/early summer we will actually get to shoot it.”

 

Kim Krizan, Oscar Nominee on ‘Zombie Tales’

Kim Krizan, Oscar Nominee on ‘Zombie Tales’

Well, here’s one that flew entirely under my radar: Kim Krizan, the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter for "Before Sunset", will be one of several writers contributing stories to Zombie Tales from Boom! Studios, which is being relaunched as a monthly anthology series in April.

Krizan will join horror veterans Steve Niles and Joe R. Lansdale in the first issue of the series. Johanna Draper Carlson of Comics Worth Reading conducted a brief interview with Krizan that explains the jump from film to comics and brings up another aspect of the story that passed me by completely: the "Dazed and Confused" connection!

(That last bit will probably only appeal to IMDB "trivia" section obsessives like me, but it’s worth noting.)

How have you changed your style and/or process for comics?

It felt to me that in writing a comic my process became wild, fast, and sharp — while in a script or book I would be slow, laborious, and careful. The medium did seem to dictate another approach, and it was fun to write. Both film scripts and comic scripts are written for visual media, but I had to consider the importance of things like the turning of a page as an opportunity to add tension. I very easily and naturally put in violent imagery which was rather satisfying. Chip read it and said, “Wow, this gives me the creeps!” and said I was good with horror. Well, I don’t watch horror films. Driving in LA is enough horror for me.

Hmmm… I wonder if she’s ever been driving in Jersey. *shudder*

 

Silver Surfer and Fantastic Four in ‘Not Brand Echh’ #1

Silver Surfer and Fantastic Four in ‘Not Brand Echh’ #1

Over on the online home of ASIFA-Hollywood, a full, scanned story from the inaugural issue of Marvel’s parody series Not Brand Echh is posted in all of its old-school, self-effacing fun.

The story, titled "The Silver Burper" is a spoof on a Fantastic Four storyline by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby that ran through issues #57-60. ASIFA-Hollywood Director Stephen Worth, who posted the scan, does a good job of summing up the attraction of Not Brand Echh:

Current superhero comics (now referred to self-importantly as "graphic novels") take themselves VERY seriously. It’s rare for a publisher to allow a parody of its own characters… and unheard of for the creator himself to get the opportunity to make fun of his own creation. But back in the silver age of comics, cartoonists didn’t take themselves quite so seriously. Here we have the unthinkable… Jack Kirby and Stan Lee doing a parody of their own Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer comics for Marvel’s Not Brand Echh!

 

(via boingboing)

Scott Kurtz, Halfpixel on ‘How to Make Webcomics’

Scott Kurtz, Halfpixel on ‘How to Make Webcomics’

How to Make Webcomics goes on sale later this month, but CBR managed to track down the book’s authors, PvP creator Scott Kurtz and cabal of webcomickers known as Halfpixel, for a great discussion of why the book is necessary, who it’s intended for and the state of the comics scene today.

“I’ve toyed with the idea of writing this myself for years but always put it off for fear that people would react poorly to it,” said Scott Kurtz of the impetus of producing an instructional book on webcomics. “Maybe I felt it was too egotistical for me to attempt to write some definitive tome on making webcomics. Then we started the Webcomics Weekly podcast and response to it was so overwhelmingly good and positive that we knew that it was time for a book like this. People are hungry for shop talk about making webcomics.”

According to Kurtz and the Halfpixel crew, which includes Brad Guigar (Greystone Inn, Evil Inc.), Dave Kellett (Sheldon) and Kristofer Straub (Checkerboard Nightmare, Starslip Crisis), the book is aimed at people who already have the basic drawing and scripting skills, but want to learn more about the business end of webcomics.

“Newspaper comics are on a very easily charted trend — straight down,” Guigar said. “Webcomics are on the rise. As we say in the book, the days are gone in which one could earn a living through a publisher or a syndicate that held the keys to the mass market. The Internet busted the bottleneck. The entire world is out there waiting to discover your work and they don’t need a newspaper or a bookstore to do it. The only remaining barrier between you and success is yourself.”

Preach on, brother.

How to Make Webcomics is published by Image Comics and will hit shelves later this month.