Imagine if comic books had trailers like movies and TV shows to build up buzz and get mainstream audiences excited. Now imagine no more! DC Comics released a movie-style trailer for the new weekly comic Trinity. Starring Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, the series is being written by Kurt Busiek and drawn by Mark Bagley. Check out the video for yourself below.
Pretty soon, this is going to turn into a review of Dark Horse’s [[[Creepy Archives Volume 1]]]. Hang in there; I’ll get to it, I promise.
I miss Archie Goodwin, particularly this time of year. He died 10 years ago from cancer at the ridiculously young age of 60. He was one of the best writers this medium has ever seen. In a field that sports the talents of Harvey Kurtzman, Will Eisner, Jules Feiffer, and Dennis O’Neil, Archie was of that highest caliber. If Archie ghosted bible tracks for Jack Chick, I would have read them. He was that good.
As a human being, he was even better. A life-long EC Comics fan (you could see it in his work, as well as in those with whom he chose to associate), for a couple years Archie and I had adjoining offices at DC Comics. We used to go out to lunch and talk about, oh, [[[Tales From The Crypt]]] and Ronald Reagan. Did I mention Archie was very politically aware? Read his [[[Blazing Combat]]] stories. Anyway, sometimes our conversations scared the Manhattan businessmen who sat near us.
Archie enjoyed that. I enjoyed those conversations immensely; I wish I could relive them.
So why do miss Archie “particularly this time of year”? This is convention season. No matter where we were, we would run into each other a couple times each year at various airport gates. He could be leaving from New York and I from Chicago and we’d run into each other on connecting flights in Denver. We could both be at a show in, oh, his native Kansas City and we could be flying to two different places, but we’d still share the first leg of our respective flights. At first it was uncanny; quickly, it became another fact of life.
I haven’t met all 6,500,000,000 people on this planet, but based upon my unscientific sampling I can state with complete confidence that there are few people with greater wit, charm, and intelligence. So there.
This brings us to Dark Horse’s Creepy Archives Volume 1. Archie started writing for Jim Warren’s Creepy with the first issue; by issue two he was story editor and issue four he was the sole credited editor. He wrote most of the stories and, therefore, did a lot to define the 1960s horror story while working with a lot of EC greats like Reed Crandall, Jack Davis, Al Williamson, Alex Toth, George Evans, Joe Orlando, Wally Wood and Frank Frazetta. As time progressed, he added younger talent like Gray Morrow, Neal Adams, and Steve Ditko.
The collection of posts that may not warrant a full entry of their own. Excelsio — er, onward and upward:
Billionaire financier Ronald O. Perelman has agreed pay $80 million to settle a lawsuit accusing him of helping to divert $553.5 million in notes when he controlled Marvel. I’ll do a better run-down of the financials after I have a chance to slog through them. Ironically, Perelman had always wanted to turn Marvel into an intellectual property powerhouse in the mold of Disney, but it only happened after he drove Marvel into bankruptcy and bolted.
And speaking of legal matters, Gordon vs. Gordon. It’s a shame when things go bad. I wonder what will happen at the custody hearings.
And speaking of Gotham City going-ons (what a segue!) somebody else has built a working Tumbler. No word on what else he keeps in his basement or his belfry.
Don Heck’s Lovecraft work to finally see the light of day. Ai! Ai! P’tagh i’dw ryall!
Tom Brevoort is attempting to take over DC Comics. Watch out, Paul…
And just because some of you might want to know how to give yourself pointed ears… well, here you are. We’re not responsible for any pon farr, though.
The collection of posts that may not warrant a full entry of their own. Excelsio — er, onward and upward:
When I saw this bit about Franklin turning 40, I have to admit that wasn’t the Franklin I was thinking of… yes, Franklin Richards is 40 years old too. And people complain about Bart Simpson never aging?
The Skiffy Channel’s top 10 brilliant but cancelled sci-fi shows. Also known as their regular line-up.
Lost in all the San Diego shuffle, MTV of all people have started a comics/movies blog called Splash Page, and have gone so far as to hire former Wizard and DC Comics staffer Casey Seijas. We welcome them to the blogosphere, but would like to remind them that hiring ex-DC and Wizard employees to run a weblog is our shtick.
Paul Levitz interviewed in the Wall Street Journal. Surprise note: yes, he’s another alumni of Frank McCourt’s english classes. I always wondered where Paul picked up the Irish brogue.
Robert Downey Jr. trying to keep his ego in check for Iron Man II:
"Suddenly, for a minute, I felt like everyone needed to take a knee and listen to what I had to say, because I f–kin’ made it, and my way works and all this stuff. Then I go home and I go, ‘Oh my God, what’s happening to me? I gotta get grounded here.’ "
Downey got Tropic cowriter and actor Justin Theroux the gig writing Iron Man 2. Theroux is just crawling out from under the pile of Iron Man comics as we speak.
"I’ve just stopped marinating in all the Iron Man lore that I didn’t know, and I’m sort of firing up the chainsaw and ready to attack it," said Theroux. "You’re writing for Robert Downey Jr., so, at the end of the day, that’s an enormous amount of fun."
While we’re certainly not the only site comparing the recent discovery of a massive population of gorillas living in a secluded region of the jungle to the hidden "Gorilla City" of DC Comics, here’s hoping the word gets out to all the wanna-be Dian Fosseys out there: beware of any of ’em named "Grodd." That one is baaaaaad news.
Researchers said Tuesday they have found 125,000 Western lowland gorillas living in a swamp in northern Republic of Congo, a rare positive discovery that adds significantly to the existing population of the threatened species.
The last census of Western lowland gorillas, done in the 1980s, estimated 100,000 worldwide — and researchers thought the number had been cut in half since then.
Sure, it’s great news and all… but seriously, watch out for Grodd.
Having previously announced Bionic Commando and Lost Planet comics coming from Devil’s Due, Capcom is bringing even more of their hit games to comic books. In a joint press release with DC Comics, they announced that the WildStorm imprint will publish comics based on Resident Evil and Devil May Cry. Details, like who’s writing and drawing it, or when it will be announced at a later date.
Devil May Cry follows demon fighter Dante in a gothic anime influenced world with over-the-top weapons. It’s been previously released as best-selling manga from Tokyopop, but this will be the first time content has been created by American comic artists.
Jim Lee must really like playing Resident Evil. Back in the pre-DC Comics era, WildStorm published a pretty successful comic/fan magazine based on the horror survival game. If you’re living a sheltered life, Resident Evil tells the story of pseudo-law enforcement officers battling the amoral Umbrella Corporation and their continual involvement in zombie plagues.
On a side note, have you seen the trailer for the Capcom-produced CGI movie Resident Evil: Degeneration that was shown at San Diego Comic-Con? You’ll never travel through an airport the same way again. (Video posted after the jump.)
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.'”
There’s a very small note in the New York Times (which has had a veritable shload of comics news lately) about DC imprint Vertigo, which is apparently adding a new imprint, or focus, or something.
Vertigo will be doing some crime comics, though no projects are announced. Earlier this year Vertigo announced a new impetus on graphic novels, so it seems change is very much afoot.
From the brief:
DC Comics has announced that it will start a new thriller imprint next summer. Vertigo Crime, a subimprint of Vertigo Books, will be devoted to mysteries and crime stories.
DC and Vertigo have no news about this. I would guess it’ll come up at the Vertigo panel at SDCC, though:
4:30-5:30: Vertigo: View of the Future
Vertigo is a more than a name. It’s the imprint that delivers smart, provocative and edgy books. Be here to find out what’s in store for your favorite Vertigo titles as well as some major new projects that will be announced here for the first time! Hosted by Senior VP – Executive Editor, Vertigo, Karen Berger, Group Editor Shelly Bond, and Senior Editor Will Dennis, this panel is not to be missed, especially considering the talent in tow: Brian Azzarello (100 BULLETS, JOKER), Mark Buckingham (FABLES), Grant Morrison (SEAGUY), Matt Sturges (HOUSE OF MYSTERY), Matt Wagner (MADAME XANADU), Bill Willingham (FABLES, HOUSE OF MYSTERY), G. Willow Wilson (AIR), Brian Wood (DMZ, NORTHLANDERS), and others!
DC Comics’ boring old Web site saw a big relaunch over the weekend, perhaps coinciding with the record-breaking debut of The Dark Knight film.
Not a ton of new features on the site, which you can view right here, but it’s a whole lot prettier than the previous incarnation.
There is a nice feature called "30 Essential," which lists 30 of what DC views as it’s can’t miss graphic novels. That’s sure to be useful for new readers, though it’s old ground for long-time readers.
You can find that feature right here.
[[[
Fables]]] is one of the big successes of the current version of the Vertigo line, where every book has a Hollywood-style high concept: all males on Earth are killed – except one!; New York’s mayor can talk to machines!; Refugee fairytales live in the modern world! And, in another Hollywood-esque twist, Fables even has a spin-off of its own, like Diff’rent Strokes
Last month, both the parent and spin-off series had new collections, with titles that implied a connection. So let’s look at the two of those books together:
Fables, Vol. 10: The Good Prince
By Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, and others
DC Comics, June 2008, $17.99
Fables, as you might know, is a series in which all of the folkloric and fairy-tale characters that you’ve ever heard of are real, and originally lived in an array of alternate worlds. But “the Adversary” – whose identity was revealed a few volumes ago – led huge goblin armies to conquer nearly all of those worlds, sending a few (but mostly very well-known) Fables to our world, to live in secrecy in an enclave in New York City.
More recently, the cold war with the Adversary is beginning to heat up, with Fabletown’s leadership striking alliances with the “Cloud Kingdoms” (you know, where the beanstalk led?) and with the as-yet-unconquered world of the [[[Arabian Knights]]]. (There’s also an unsubtle parallel between Fabletown and Israel that Willingham is a bit too fond of.) As we hit this tenth volume, we know that the Adversary is building for a major attack three years from now, and the characters of Fables learn that quickly as well.
The last storyline, [[[Sons of Empire]]], served to ratchet up tension, but [[[The Good Prince]]] goes the other way; Flycatcher – Prince Ambrose, the Frog Prince – has finally regained his memory, and is grieving over the loss of his family centuries before. But Red Riding Hood goads him out of his misery, and he rushes off to get fighting lessons from Boy Blue.
Columns / Glenn Hauman / News
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