Tagged: Neil Gaiman

Marvel Heading to ‘1602?’

Marvel Heading to ‘1602?’

Recently, Neil Gaiman told MTV’s Splash Page that a film adaptation of his Marvel limited series 1602 would be an excellent idea.

“I would love it if somebody made a 1602 movie,” Gaiman told the site. “I would love to go and see that. That is something I would just love to sit in the audience and eat my popcorn on the first night and feel proud.”

Apparently, he’s not the only one who feels that way. Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige told MTV News that 1602 would be excellent on screen.

“Something like 1602 I think would be really cool to do at sometime down the line. I love it. It is spectacular,” says Feige.

However, Feige concedes, the timing isn’t quite right for Marvel to travel back in time.

“You need to know those characters very well,” explains Feige. “You need to know each and every one of those characters and who their present day reincarnations are in order to enjoy and understand and appreciate how Neil was able to reinvent them and do that period spin on them for 1602. If you don’t know them yet and if they haven’t had their own stories yet, I don’t think it would be as much fun. If you don’t know them well and you haven’t been introduced to them in a similar medium in their traditional environments, plucking them out of that won’t seem as unique or different.”

Written by Neil Gaiman, 1602 is a "What If?" storyline that focuses on classic Marvel heroes such as Spider-Man, Wolverine and Iron Man as set in an Elizabethan time period. It has spawned sequels such as Marvel 1602: Fantastick Four (written by Peter David) and 1602: New World (written by Greg Pak). Gaiman, who is a proponent of a film version of the comic, also says that he’d rather see a Guillermo Del Toro directed Dr. Strange before any version of 1602. The odds of that are fairly high as Feige recently indicated a Strange film could debut post-Avengers. Gaiman was attached to write the Strange script for del Toro and may still be involved.

ComicMix Radio: Robert Tapert Storms Back

ComicMix Radio: Robert Tapert Storms Back

He was the "father" of Hercules and (actually) the husband of Xena, and now Robert Tapert returns to pop culture with a hand chosen set of horror movies and a new television series. In our exclusive interview, Robert fills us in on both plus where things stand with Xena and Evil Dead, plus:

  • Witchblade on ITunes
  • DC prepares a crash course on The Spirit
  • Neil Gaiman, Guillermo delToro and Dr Strange oh my!

Catch the full exclusive ComicMix interview with Robert Tapert right here on Sunday, and in the meantime get warmed by and Press the Button!


 

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

 

SDCC: Neil Gaiman Writing ‘Batman’

DC held out till the very end of Comic-Con to drop its biggest bit of news: Neil Gaiman is returning to the publisher for a two-issue Batman series with artist Andy Kubert.

Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? will serve as a transition point between Batman R.I.P. and whatever comes next. Dan DiDio shared a little with Newsarama:

Newsarama: Dan, obviously the title is a reference to Alan Moore’s Superman story, “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” Are there parallels between this story and that one?

Dan DiDio: There are a number of parallels to that. There’s a very particular reason why we call it that, and that information will be coming out later on, but with this, we wanted to get someone of that particular stature to tell this story, a story that will really define the years of Batman’s life.

And Gaiman has posted about it on his blog, though he’s even less forthcoming:

So I don’t have to write lots and lots of emails back to all the journalists:

1) Yes, I am writing a two part Batman story.

2) Yes, Andy Kubert will be drawing it.

3) Yes, it will be two oversized issues.

4) No, I don’t plan to say anything else about it until it’s all written and drawn.

(I just called my Visa card to fix something, and found myself being asked if I was the Neil Gaiman. I said yes, I was. "So," said the Visa person, "Are you going to be writing an episode of Dr Who?")

 

Overheard at San Diego 2008, part 2

Overheard at San Diego 2008, part 2

Continuing our shameless eavesdropping, ComicMix presents the stuff that you missed while you were trying to get into the party last night…

"Alfred is the new Batman."
—overheard at the DC Nation panel

"Steven Moffat and Neil Gaiman are ‘going on a date’."
—from somewhere around Hall H, further speculation that Neil may write an episode of Doctor Who

"What happened to me? What happened to my life? I used to have a career…"
—artist who was real big in the 90’s

"I’ve only heard blissful things this year. Everything is going fine."
—Bill Willingham

Animated ‘The Goon’ in the Works?

David Fincher must love comic books, judging by the number of properties he’s optioned recently. Now add one more, as Slash Film is reporting that Fincher has picked up the rights to Eric Powell’s The Goon and plans to make a CG animated feature of it.

The Goon is a mob heavy living in a nameless town who fights against zombies, robots, giant lizards and other assorted nastiness. It’s gained quite a bit of popularity — and some awards — for its mix of horror and humor.

Fincher likely will just be a producer on the project, as he has quite a bit else to keep him busy.

It wasn’t specified whether Fincher, who is expected to lock up the Oscars with December’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, would direct. One would assume not, but clearly his interest in genre fare is strong. He remains attached to direct a live-action adaptation of the STD-horror graphic novel Black Hole from screenwriters Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary. Farther back in Fincher’s fridge is Image Comics’ Torso.

According to the story, Blur Studio will be handling the animation.

Happy Birthday: Shawn McManus

Happy Birthday: Shawn McManus

Born in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1958, Shawn McManus got his comic book start in the early 1980s, working for Heavy Metal. He illustrated two issues of the Alan Moore run on Swamp Thing, then went on to draw most of the "A Game of You" storyline in Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman.

McManus also drew issues of Omega Men, Batman, Doctor Fate, and the Thessaly limited series in The Sandman Presents. He has done work for Marvel Comics (Peter Parker Spider-Man and Daredevil), Dark Horse (Cheval Noir), First Comics (GrimJack), Image (Supreme), America’s Best Comics (Tom Strong), and others.

In 1985 he was nominated for a Jack Kirby Award for Swamp Thing #32.

 

Neil Gaiman to Write ‘Doctor Who’ in 2010?

Neil Gaiman to Write ‘Doctor Who’ in 2010?

Rich Johnston ignited a flurry of discussion among both comics fans and Doctor Who fans this week by reporting a rumor in his weekly "Lying in the Gutters" column that author Neil Gaiman had been approached to write an episode of the popular BBC series in 2010.

According to Johnston:

Such as the rumour running around my BBC sources that Neil Gaiman being approached to write an episode for 2010. That would be this Neil Gaiman, comic author, fantasy novelist, screenwriter, poet and writer of the Duran Duran Biography 1985. With possibly the most non-committal non-confirmation I’ve ever read. And I’ve read the responses of current Labour ministers.

In fact when I asked Neil if he’d care to comment, he pleaded the Francis saying, "You may very well think that, but I could not possibly comment."

I do very well think that. I do.

Of course, nothing will actually have been commissioned by the BBC at this stage, and there’s many a slip ‘twixt cup and prosthetic lip, but it’s looking good.

For more on the rumor, including other "potential facts" regarding the future of Doctor Who, check out this week’s "Lying in the Gutters."

And remember to check back here on ComicMix every week after a new episode of Doctor Who airs in the U.S. for our weekly Doctor Who in Review analysis of all the Easter Eggs, hints and continuity checks from the current series.

Review: ‘The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch’

Review: ‘The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch’

Neil Gaiman has been too busy lately to write much for comics unless it’s an event — like 1602 or his curiously pointless Eternals miniseries — but there’s still an audience for his stories in the direct market. So what’s a poor comics publisher to do? Well, if it’s Dark Horse, what you do is get various folks to adapt Gaiman stories into comics and publish them as slim trade-paperback-sized hardcovers. So far, Michael Zulli did Creatures of the Night, John Bolton adapted Harlequin Valentine, and P. Craig Russell tackled Murder Mysteries. And now Zullis is back again for:

The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch
By Neil Gaiman, Michael Zulli, and Todd Klein
Dark Horse Books, May 2008, $13.95

Now, for most writers, “[[[The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch]]]” would be by far their longest title ever, but Gaiman is not most writers. He’s also responsible for “[[[Being An Experiment Upon Strictly Scientific Lines Assisted By Unwins LTD, Wine Merchants (Uckfield)]]]” ” [[[Forbidden Brides Of The Faceless Slaves In The Nameless House Of The Night Of Dread Desire]]],” ” [[[I Cthulhu: Or What’s A Tentacle-Faced Thing Like Me Doing In A Sunken City Like This (Latitude 47º 9′ S, Longitude 126º 43′ W)?]]],” and ” [[[Pages From A Journal Found In A Shoebox Left In A Greyhound Bus Somewhere Between Tulsa, Oklahoma, And Louisville, Kentucky]]].” So “[[[Miss Finch]]]” may just be one of Gaiman’s more punchy and terse titles.

According to the Neil Gaiman Visual Bibliography — and why should we mistrust it? — “Miss Finch” is one of Gaiman’s more obscure stories, showing up in the program book for the convention Tropicon XVII and a magazine called Tales of the Unanticipated before turning up in one of his collections — though in a different one depending on which side of the Atlantic you live on.

(more…)

Review: ‘The Question: Poisoned Ground’

After 20 years, DC is finally collecting Dennis O’Neil and Denys Cowan’s run on The Question, with the second volume, Poisoned Ground ($19.99) out now.

It’s a collection that’s well worth the wait, and I’m not just saying that because the author is one of ComicMix‘s own. While the first collection (Zen and Violence) was good, [[[Poisoned Ground]]] shows the creative team truly finding their voice — think tough and hardscrabble like The Spirit, but with a philosophic bent.

O’Neil explores not just the mind of his hero (who still has plenty of questions for himself), but those of his villains (who are always far more complex than first impressions indicate). The narrative slips between harsh reality and even harsher dreams, a paean to the ugliness of the world.

The book features three standalone stories and one three-issue story, each in turns bizarre, troubling and inspiring. The art is creative, highly detailed and evocative, and O’Neil’s scripts are every bit as inspired and poetic as those of Alan Moore or Neil Gaiman.

Especially now, with Vic Sage having been killed off in the current DCU, these collections are a must-have for fans of The Question, or anyone who likes their comics with plenty of depth.

UPDATE: Charity Art Auctions Around the ‘Net

UPDATE: Charity Art Auctions Around the ‘Net

Following up on yesterday’s post regarding industry-wide efforts to raise money for artist Gene Colan, Clifford Meth is putting together a massive, additional auction to benefit the creator and generate money for his rapidly growing medical bills.

So far, contributions have come in from (deeeeeep breath) Neal Adams, Norm Breyfogle, Randy Bowen, Ed Brubaker, Adam-Troy Castro, Paty Cockrum, Peter David, Rufus Dayglo, Tom DeFalco, J.M. deMatteis, Pat DiNizio, Harlan Ellison, Mark Evanier, Neil Gaiman, Sam Keith, Joe Kubert, Erik Larsen, Bob Layton, Jim Lee, Stan Lee, Leah Moore, Albert Moy, Michael Netzer, Josh Olsen, James A. Owen, Tom Palmer, Greg Pak, Mike Pascale, Jim Salicrup, Bob Shreck, Dave Simmons, Gail Simone, Walter and Louise Simonson, Jim Starlin, Roy Thomas, Juan Torres, Andrew Wildman, Marv Wolfman and Ash Wood.  More will be coming in any minute, I’m sure — keep checking that link above.

Meanwhile, Gillian Anderson (a.k.a. Dana Scully from The X-Files) is raising funds for her neurofibromatosis charity by auctioning off “doodles” from celebrities like Scarlett Johansson, Simon, Pegg, Dom DeLuise, Ellen DeGeneres, and the Monkees; as well as comics folks like Tom Tomorrow, Garry Trudeau, Neil Gaiman, Sergio Aragones, Seth Green, and Bill Mumy. The full list is here.

Oh, and the Gahan Wilson drawing pictured here is for the second auction– though I suppose it could be a Dracula for Colan, couldn’t it?