Author: Rick Marshall

Y: The Last Man Concludes

Y: The Last Man Concludes

  • News
  • January 24, 2008

It’s been difficult to ignore all of the hub-bub concerning Brian K. Vaughan’s long-running series Y: The Last Man drawing to a close this week. But seriously, why would you want to?

Of course, "Y: The Last Party" on February 8 will no doubt provide the best seat in the house for celebrating the end of such a great series – and the fact that the event is raising funds for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, well, that’s just a little good-karma bonus. Heck, even Joss Whedon will be there!

However, if you’re like me and can’t get a ticket (or a flight) to the big blast, you’ve had to make do with reading all of the great coverage the conclusion of Y is receiving. Take, for instance, this piece from The Portland Mercury that includes all sorts of fun comments from Vaughan about his work on Y, as well as other projects.

Chances are Y‘s audience never knew they wanted a genre-defying book that’d somehow blend Star Trek references with socio-sexual politics. Y‘s disparate but graceful mix is echoed in another of Vaughan’s books, Ex Machina, about a superhero mayor of New York. "Ex Machina was probably born out of watching the political debates and thinking, ‘This would be so much better if someone just had a jetpack!’" Vaughan says. "I guess I have always [balanced] being intellectually curious and just a dumb kid who just wants to see ray guns and ninjas and pirates. It’s never been like, ‘Oh, I’ll be able to sneak in something really smart if I hide it behind pirates and these other trappings!’ That’s just who I am. I like that balance of both the profound and the profoundly ridiculous."

I guess the owner of my local comic book shop was on to something when, six years ago, I asked for a recommendation to fill out my weekly stack and he tossed me a copy of Y: The Last Man #1.

 

Ledger Death Leaves Imaginarium Uncertain

Ledger Death Leaves Imaginarium Uncertain

  • News
  • January 24, 2008

According to SciFi Wire, the sudden death of actor Heath Ledger has thrown at least one film into a state of limbo. Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus recently wrapped filming in London, but Ledger was expected to play one of the lead roles in the film.

According to the SciFi Wire report, Ledger’s involvement was a key factor in raising the money necessary to produce the film. Imaginarium‘s producers have yet to issue a statement regarding the film’s future.

 

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Return!

Guardians of the Galaxy Return!

  • News
  • January 24, 2008

The crew at Marvel.com have announced the return of Guardians of the Galaxy to the lineup of ’08 titles, with the first issue of the cosmic superteam’s series hitting shelves in June.

Co-writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning will continue to play puppeteers to the adventures of space-savvy characters such as Nova and the roster of names from their Annihilation: Conquest series. Paul Pelletier will provide art for the series.

"For reasons we’ll reveal later, [the] stories will be off-beat, quirky and strange," teases Lanning. "One of our first stories will deal with somebody taking advantage of the aftermath of CONQUEST to expand their power base. [And] apart from the new threats and menaces, we’re planning on the return of at lest one old, old foe and an even older hero."

Marvel’s keeping mum about the actual roster for the cosmic team, hinting that some of the cast from Conquest won’t survive long enough to join up with the Guardians. However, they have provided a list of potential members from the ranks of Marvel’s cosmic character pool and the odds of each character making the cut.

We’re pulling for Howard the Duck, of course.

Mike Mignola Talks Hellboy and Beyond

Mike Mignola Talks Hellboy and Beyond

  • News
  • January 24, 2008

Hellboy creator Mike Mignola explained his growing separation from the character in comics and on screen during this recent chat with Publisher’s Weekly.

The creator’s ever-changing role on the masthead of many of the stories taking place within the Hellboy universe has certainly become more noticeable over the years. With the big-screen sequel to 2004’s Hellboy feature film scheduled for a July 2008 release, as well as a pair of Hellboy animated films hitting shelves over the last few years, many have credited Mignola’s absence to the needs of caretaking for the character’s multimedia growth.

The real reason, according to Mignola, might be a simple case of wanting to move on to the next thing – in comics, that is.

“After 13 years of doing Hellboy, I love the character, I love doing the covers, I love writing the stories, but I’m kind of looking to do something a little different,” Mignola said.

The articles provides a detailed list of many of the Hellboy-centric comics and other projects you can expect to see in ’08 and beyond, including a definitive reference guide and a project Mignola will be working on that occurs within the Hellboy universe, but lacking Hellboy as a character. Fans of the first two Hellboy animated films will be disappointed, though. Mignola says he doesn’t plan to continue producing the straight-to-DVD features.

 

Marketing Your (Web)Comics 101

Marketing Your (Web)Comics 101

  • News
  • January 24, 2008

Gary at Fleen points us to an interesting bit over at Occasional Superheroine, the online home of creator Valerie D’Orazio. It’s a nice little checklist of things to make sure you’re doing if you ever want your comic to evolve from something your friends and family occasionally peruse to something that’s a regular destination for a larger audience.

One strategy you might find useful is to not depend on the bigger sites/blogs but concentrate on the key smaller ones. A key smaller site/blog may not have as many hits as Newsarama, but would have good writing and a core readership.

This is not to say you shouldn’t send your PR e-mails to the large sites. You should definitely cover those bases. But sometimes it is better to be a well-featured fish in a smaller pond than a drop of water in a big ocean.

 

Cloverfield Easter Eggs?

Cloverfield Easter Eggs?

  • News
  • January 24, 2008

Okay, so I’m the last person in the world who hasn’t seen Cloverfield. I can deal with that, because I’m a professional – that’s what we do. But for everyone who has seen the film, SciFi Wire has this great little piece about some of the Easter Eggs hidden throughout the film.

Sure, there are definite spoilers in this one, but since I’m the only person in the world who has to worry about them, you can knock yourselves out, folks.

Take for instance, this comment from director Matt Reeves about a certain shot described earlier in the article:

"The thing about that shot is that almost nobody sees the shot, but once you see the shot and the thing in it, you’ll never stop seeing it."

*Sigh*

X-Men, X-Force, Messiah CompleX: What’s Next?

X-Men, X-Force, Messiah CompleX: What’s Next?

  • News
  • January 23, 2008

From X-Factor to X-Men, "Messiah CompleX" to the return of X-Force, Marvel certainly isn’t making it easy for fans of their much-loved mutants to stay current with team rosters, allegiances and the number of mutants bopping around these days.

That’s why this interview with new X-Force series editor John Barber gets a nod for helping to sort out the mess of mutant storylines and provide some perspective on the new title’s place in the greater Marvel Universe. (And it gets extra points for showing off some great interior art!)

Cyclops knows what he’s asking them to do.  But are they heroes?  I don’t know.  It’s like Wolverine tells them in the first issue, once they cross the line they’re crossing, they can’t go back.  They’re not X-Men anymore.  They might act like it sometimes, they might stand next to the X-Men, they might be friends with the X-Men, but deep down, Warpath, X-23 and Wolfsbane will be different.

The new X-Force ongoing series teams New X-Men scribes Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost with artist Clayton Crain, whose work on Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears still gives us the heebie-jeebies. X-Force #1 hits shelves Feb. 6.

 

Free Jumper Comic Preview

Free Jumper Comic Preview

Oni Press is offering a free 23-page preview of the comic tie-in to Jumper, the upcoming big-screen adaptation of the Steven Gould novel. The film stars Hayden Christiansen and Samuel L. Jackson.

From the description of Jumper: Jumpscars:

For centuries Jumpers have lived among us — special individuals with the ability to teleport or "jump" nearly anywhere in the world. For almost as long, the Paladins, a secret and powerful order, have protected us from these dangerous and unpredictable individuals, sacrificing everything to keep humanity safe!

The comic tie-in will be available February 13, while the film opens the following day.

 

Q&A: The Web Cartoonists’ Choice Awards

Q&A: The Web Cartoonists’ Choice Awards

  • News
  • January 23, 2008

With the Web Cartoonists’ Choice Awards on the horizon, ComixTalk has a nice Q&A with WCCA Chairman Frank "Damonk" Cormier on the state of the show and what changes to expect this year.

This is the Eighth Annual WCCAs. Looking back at the beginnings what are the big changes if any from the start of this award.

It depends on perspective, really. From the eyes of those who’ve been involved in webcomics since 2000, it’s gained some momentum and respect – from being misperceived as a self-interested “backpatting” exercise run by a bunch of “Keenspace smallfry”, to being accepted as an earnest event that reaches the ever-growing corners of webcomicdom, both big and small.

From the eyes of a newer webtoonist, the biggest change is more logistical: we’ve attempted various voting/balloting systems (some more successful than others), have gone through a fair bit of turnover in terms of committee members, and have now starting holding a live presentation in Orlando.

WCCA voters must register before Jan. 23, 2008. Winners will be announced at MegaCon on March 8, 2008. For rules regarding eligibility, timelines and a list of ways you can promote the WCCA on your own site, visit the WCCA homepage at www.ccawards.com/.

Star Trek Teaser Hits the ‘Net

Star Trek Teaser Hits the ‘Net

  • News
  • January 23, 2008

Paramount has posted a new teaser trailer for the upcoming J.J. Abrams-helmed Star Trek film over at the film’s official website.

The film is scheduled for a Dec. 25, 2008, release and stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Winona Ryder, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Bruce Greenwood, John Cho, Simon Pegg and Anton Yelchin.

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