Tagged: Jeph Loeb

An open letter to Jeph Loeb

An open letter to Jeph Loeb

When
I first saw your name, sir, it had been attached to one of the best
“young” Batman books to ever hit my shelf. Then you delivered to me a Superman For All Seasons. And to find your run on the Challengers of the Unknown?
Oy, how awesome it was! When friends would name drop their favorite
creators, I was quick to say your name. I mean, for Rao’s sake… you
helped create Teen Wolf, and to a much lesser degree, Teen Wolf Too!
And as the decade began, you gave us Dark Victory. I remember finishing
the series with just the slightest hint of bitter aftertaste in my
throat. Had you “gone to the well” too quickly, to deliver something
too much like The Long Halloween? Nay. Nay I said.

Without fail, the hype machine forced my young and malleable mind to commit to Batman: Hush.
And why not? It had Jim Lee! Drawing every Bat Villain! Superman and
Batman Fighting!  A possible Jason Todd resurrection! Catwoman’s boobs!
Man, you sure got me. I bought every issue with mindless fervor. One
year later… the mystery ended, and there it was again, Jeph. That
strange… bitter taste… telling me something didn’t sit quite right
in my gut. But hey, the sales figures said otherwise, right?

Not long after that, the hype machine whispered in my ear again.

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The Point Radio: SUPERMAN/BATMAN Public Enemies

The Point Radio: SUPERMAN/BATMAN Public Enemies

Days from now, DC’s next direct-to-DVD feature premieres in stores and On Demand Cable. SUPERMAN/BATMAN:PUBLIC ENEMIES brings to life the acclaimed Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness story arc plus it reuintes familar voice talents Kevin Conroy (BATMAN), Clancy Brown (LEX LUTHOR) and Tim Daly (SUPERMAN). We begin our exclusive look at the release today as Clancy, Kevin and prodicer Bruce Timm talk about getting the”band back together” again. Plus news on the Kirby Heirs quest to grab some Major Marvel Copyrights.

 


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Bryan Fuller Returns to ‘Heroes’

Bryan Fuller Returns to ‘Heroes’

As anticipated, Bryan Fuller is heading back to Heroes as part of a two-year deal with Universal Media Studios.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fuller would return to Heroes’ writers room in time for episode 20.  That means most of the creative work on volume four, kicking off February 2, will be done before he can provide input.

The series has suffered creative drift and audience frustration.  Dwindling ratings and lack of buzz alarmed NBC which pushed series creator Tim Kring to make substantive changes.  As a result, executive producers Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb were dismissed last month.

Fuller had been a strong creative contributor until ABC purchased his whimsical Pushing Daisies.  Despite strong reviews, the ratings have never been strong and the series will complete its network run in December after 13 second season installments. The writer/producer is known for his strong emphasis on character and taking fresh approaches to normal situations as seen in his Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me.

It remains unclear if Fuller will remain with Heroes for its anticipated fourth season or be assigned to something else at Universal.  Fuller has indicated a desire to wrap Daisies’ storylines in comic books although no deal has been announced.

Kring Promises to Simplify ‘Heroes’

Kring Promises to Simplify ‘Heroes’

Tim Kring, creator and executive producer for NBC’s Heroes, watched the dust begin to settle after the network insisted on changes which resulted in the dismissal of Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb on Sunday.  According to a story in Variety, the peacock network was concerned that Kring had delegated too much of the show’s storyline to others which has resulted in an uneven second season and a third season that is not bringing back audiences as everyone had hoped.

As he committed to the personnel changes, he also promised his bosses at NBC and Universal, which produces the series, that he will take the criticism – from the media, network and their rabid fan base – and tweak the series to reflect the issues.  Simplification may become the new watchword on the set.  The trade said the goal was to “get back to the show’s comicbookish good vs. evil themes and to emphasize character development more than plot twists.”

Kristin dos Santos at E! reports that Entertainment Weekly’s recent cover story on their perceived problems with the show was a public embarrassment and final straw.

The trade went on to note that Kring took his eye off the story because the series requires so much of his attention in terms of wrangling the expansive cast and the large amount f/x and post-production requirements which pushes the budget for each hour to $4 million. Even so, budget overruns have been an issue for Universal which deficit finances the series and will only make their money back from eventual off-air syndication, home video sales and merchandise.

The current volume, “Villains”, will wrap up December 15 with an episode Loeb wrote called “War”. Then the series will take an already scheduled break before returning in January with Volume Four, “Fugitives”. Kring told dos Santos, “There are a couple of more deaths planned. Someone you have come to know will not make it to the end of the season."

The ratings have been weaker than the first breakout season, with the show averaging just 10. 4 million viewers, a 21% drop from its weaker second season.
 

ComicMix Radio: The Hulk Goes Six For Six

ComicMix Radio: The Hulk Goes Six For Six

Marvel celebrates a record breaking Jeph Loeb series, while we point out some key comics that will probably be flying off the shelves this week a, plus:

  • Jamal Igle gets his dream job
  • McFarlane has big news for Halo and Guitar Hero fanatics
  • Grab that Iron Man DVD yet? Better hurry!

And we even point you to a great new online "time waster".  All that on a Tuesday and you just need to Press the Button!

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via iTunes - ComicMix or RSS!

Marvel’s Michael Turner “Hulk” Tribute Covers

Marvel’s Michael Turner “Hulk” Tribute Covers

In an announcement released earlier today, Marvel Comics has released the variant cover images for Hulk issues #6 and #7 featuring the art of recently deceased, fan-favorite artist Michael Turner. Turner passed away on June 27 due to complications in his battle with cancer.

Hulk writer Jeph Loeb had this to say about the covers:

“Living in a world without Mike is something I could never imagine,” said Hulk scribe Jeph Loeb. “He was the greatest guy. The. Greatest. I wanted some way to share my love of his artwork and at the same time give something to the fans — who were more important to Mike than anyone can imagine — and spoke to Marvel about doing these covers. They are pieces Mike did of the Green Hulk (one as a gift to Frank Mastromauro)and Peter Steigerwald of Aspen Comics did the recoloring and remastering. It was terribly important to me that Peter and Aspen got to be part of this as well. They are a celebration of Mike’s enormous talent and in turn, his life. Enjoy.”

Hulk #6 is scheduled for release September 24, while Hulk #7 is scheduled for an October 22 release.

So, ComicMix readers, what are your thoughts on the use of Turner’s art in these covers? Is it a respectable tribute to a beloved creator or something a bit more… suspect? Either way, the art is as impressive as always, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on the decision to release these covers.

Full-size versions of both cover images are posted after the jump.

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‘Hulk’ Issue #2 Preview Hits the Net

‘Hulk’ Issue #2 Preview Hits the Net

Over at USA Today they’ve posted an exclusive preview of Hulk #2, which smashes into comic book stores this Wednesday. Among the less-subtle differences you might notice with this preview is the color of your favorite raging behemouth. Yes, he’s red. That’s not an illusion.

The Red Hulk story, a murder mystery written by Ultimates 3 and Heroes scribe Jeph Loeb, with art by Ed McGuinness, centers on the identity of the Red Hulk, who might be Bruce Banner but is definitely many times more savage than the green version. 

According to Loeb: "I wanted to bring a danger back to the book. The Red Hulk is the kind of Hulk we haven’t seen before — a thinking, calculating, brutal weapon-toting kind of Hulk."
 
"In many ways," continued Loeb, "the Red Hulk speaks to the worst in us so when the Green Hulk comes back, it will remind us of the best in us." Loeb doesn’t reveal much more detail about the Red Hulk or the story in the article, but does let fans know that come issue #4, the green Hulk will be back and ready to smash once more.
 

 

Jeph Loeb Talks Ultimates 3.2

Jeph Loeb Talks Ultimates 3.2

With the second issue of Ultimates 3 set to hit shelves this week, series writer Jeph Loeb spoke with ComicBookResources about what’s to come for  Marvel’s modern-day Avengers and provided a peek at some of the interior art for the issue.

According to the preview art, the tragic events of the second volume of Ultimates might have taken their toll on the psyche of the superteam’s sharpshooter, much to the frustration of Spider-Man.

“I wouldn’t put anything past Hawkeye at this point,” Loeb remarked. “As a far better writer than I once put it, ‘A man without Hope is a Man without Fear!’”

 

 

Red-Hot Hulk!

Those of you brave enough to come out from under your beds after seeing Cloverfield might even bravely venture over to the keyboard to run down a couple of hot links we gathered for you this week:

 
Top Cow Productions pulled in over  2.5 million votes at the official home of Pilot Season here, all in an effort to determine the publishing plans of the line in 2008. Pilot Season released five self-contained pilot issues starring established characters without a current series, all done by established creative teams in 2007. Each issue set up a potential series much like a television pilot episode. In case you still want to cast a vote or two, the polls remain open until tomorrow,
 
The Hero/AtomicComics.com Hulk #1 (Red) that features an exclusive cover by Ed McGuinness, limited to only 5000 copies, can be purchased online here. This special edition of Hulk #1 runs $8 and will also be offered at the Phoenix Cactus Comicon January 26-27, and at a special pre-con party at Atomic Comics where Hulk writer Jeph Loeb and artist Ed McGuinness will be signing on January 25th. 
 
 
BOOM! Studios’ Northwind #1 will receive a second printing and the publisher has also released a trailer for the series as well. See the trailer here and get a free download of Northwind #1 here. By the way, the actual second print will have a slightly altered cover to distinguish itself from the first printing and will be available on January 23rd.
 
You can see those previews of Wildstorm’s Supernatural: Rising Son, here. Did you know that The CW has four more Supernatural episodes to go before the WGA strikes brings the series to a halt?
 
It will be business-as-usual this week on ComicMix Radio as we dig into the new comics and DVDs, and then emerge long enough to continue our quest to find out what some of the insiders in comics are reading these days – it all starts in about 48 hours right here!