Yearly Archive: 2008

Former Eisner Judges Name Favorite Comics of 2007

Jeff Vandermeer, the fantasy author and comic critic at Bookslut, caught up with all his fellow judges from the 2007 Eisner Awards and compiled a list of everyone’s favorite comics from 2007 (which are eligible for the 2008 Eisners).

Their choices are all listed right here. The panel consisted of Vandermeer, comics critic Chris Reilly, librarian Robin Brenner, Isotope Comics owner James Sime and the USA Today’s Whitney Matheson.

The most consistent choices are The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight, The Trial of Colonel Sweeto, The Arrival and my personal favorite, Super Spy.

I don’t know what it says about me that my best of 2007 most closely mirrors that of Sime, the self-styled "Comic Pimp."

The judges for the 2008 Eisner Awards, which will be held July 25 at the San Diego Comic Con, have been named. To see that list or to nominate a book, go here.

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On This Day: Simon Bisley and Milt Gross

abcwarriors1-5358878Simon Bisley, British comic book artist, was born in 1962. Bisley is best known for his work on the British series ABC Warriors, Sláine, and Heavy Metal Dredd, and the DC comic Lobo. His style uses paints and airbrushing as well as inks, and shows strong influences from both Frank Frazetta and Bill Sienkiewicz. Bisley also combined design elements from rock album covers and graffiti.

Milt Gross, an American comic book writer, illustrator, animator, was born in 1895. He wrote his comics in a Yiddish-inflected English. Gross is best known for his comic Gross Exaggerations and the woodcut novel He Done Her Wrong: The Great American Novel and Not a Word in It.

 

Primary Sources, by Dennis O’Neil

bill_everett-8634197In days of yore – my yore anyway – I briefly wondered if my particular literary backwater, the writing of comic books, would be properly remembered. It seemed to me that young snots such as myself were getting attention – interviews and the like – and the guys who were around at the beginning, the guys who virtually created the form, were pretty much ignored, although many of them were still alive and frisky.

I needn’t have worried and I didn’t, which is good because, even more than most worry, this variety would have been a waste of time.

I do wish there had been more interviews with…oh, to cite the first name that pops into the shopworn old psyche, Bill Everett. And I don’t remember ever reading a Q and A with Carl Burgos: if none exists, too bad. Even Bill Finger doesn’t seem to have left many historical footprints, and some of what we know about him comes from people like me, whose memories are emphatically not to be trusted.

Having said all that: comics are undoubtedly the most documented medium/art form in history. They came to their early maturity just in time to benefit from the explosion of media and distribution, and the belated realization that every art form was pop culture once, and none are prima facie inferior. And guys like Gerry Jones know how to use the information sources available and have the patience and literary skill to put the pieces together.

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Interview: Fabian Nicieza Talks New ‘Captain Action’ Comic

Writer Fabian Nicieza’s career spans over twenty years with stints at Marvel, DC and Darkhorse Comics. During that time he’s plotted, edited and written some of the most popular comic books around including Thunderbolts, Cable and Deadpool and Uncanny X-Men.

Recently, Nicieza competed against many other accomplished writers for the chance to bring one of the most beloved heroes from the ‘60s, Captain Action, back to the pages of a brand-new comic book series set to hit stores later this year. His pitch was selected and he’s now hard at work bringing Captain Action back to life.

ComicMix caught up with Nicieza to ask him a few questions about the Captain Action comic, his earlier work, his future and if a hero created and deeply-rooted in the ‘60s has a place in today’s comics culture.

COMICMIX:
For people who might not know, can you give us a bit of info on your background? How did you get started writing comics? What were your favorites growing up?

FABIAN NICIEZA: I grew up reading comics. Out of college, I interviewed at both Marvel and DC, eventually landing a job at Marvel in 1985. After a couple years of learning the ropes, I started selling some stories to editors. I kept writing and working on staff, eventually, reluctantly, becoming a full-time writer.

I grew up reading Batman and Superman, then gravitated towards Marvel — Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Avengers. Then "offbeat" series like Conan and Captain Marvel. Offbeat for an 11 year old, I guess.

I also got lots of Superman, Justice League, the Engelhart/Rogers Detective run. I bought both Marvel and DC through the early ’80s, until I got the job at Marvel, then I got everything for free for a while.

CMix:
Free is nice. How much did you know about Captain Action before you started 
writing the comic? Did you ever read the original?

FN:
I read the original DC comic, but only because the toy was my favorite as a kid. I had the figures and lots of the costumes. (more…)

‘Smallville’ Renewed for Eighth Season

Today the CW Network announced that it has renewed Smallville for an eighth season, which will begin airing in the fall. This announcement removes the doubt that was surrounding Smallville‘s ultimate fate after a strike shortened season.

The show may need to replace its chief villain when it films new episodes. Earlier this year, Michael Rosenbaum stated that the current season would be his last playing Lex Luthor. Whether or not he sticks to his word may depend on the alignment of the stars, his general temperment and the amount of money The CW throws at him.

(via Coming Soon)

‘G.I. Joe’ Movie Details Revealed

The executive producer of the upcoming G.I. Joe movie, Brian Goldner, dropped a few hints about the film in an interview with MTV News.

According to Goldner, the movie began filming last week and is proceeding smoothly. When asked about characters that may make an appearance in the film, Goldner revealed little, but offered a few hints as to what fans can expect from the film:

We all know of the Arashikage [ninja clan], and we all know of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, but we need to build that story," he explained. "We all know the story of Duke, and the story of the Baroness. … We know the story of Destro, but do we really? We need to go back and tell the origin story of how you get a Scottish arms dealer, who comes forward in history — how does that happen?"

Goldner also said that the film chronicles the rise of Cobra Commander and his quest for power.

G.I. Joe is being directed by Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, Van Helsing) and features a script that long-time G.I. Joe comic book scribe Larry Hama contributed to. The film stars Dennis Quaid, Sienna Miller, Arnold Vosloo, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marlon Wayans. G. I. Joe is tentatively scheduled for release in August 2009.

 

Demons of Sherwood: Where’s Tuck?

Bo Hampton and Robert Tinnell present a brand-new episode of Demons of Sherwood today on ComicMix.  

Will Robin swim in a swamp to retrieve a slime-covered flask?  Will he find shelter from the cold, dark night?  Will an old friend welcome him — or betray him?

 

Credits: Bo Hampton (Artist), Bo Hampton (Colorist), Bo Hampton (Letterer), Bo Hampton (Writer), Mike Gold (Editor), Robert Tinnell (Writer)

More: Demons of Sherwood

 

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How Do You Give a Comics Reading?

As graphic novels and comic books become more entrenched in the high-minded literature scene, comics creators likely will begin entering into the world of the author.

That could mean holding book signings at Barnes & Noble as well as Comic Con. It could mean facing the scrutiny of self-important book critics as well as snarky Internet fanboys. In the case of Exit Wounds creator Rutu Modan, it meant holding a reading.

For literature, readings are easy enough. You step in front of an audience, crack open your book and read. But because comics are so image intensive, a reading becomes much more difficult.

I’ll never forget hearing John Ridley on NPR discussing his comic series The American Way, and how awkward it was when he tried to not only read the dialogue and captions but also describe everything. Luckily, I’d already read the book and could follow along.

Speaking at Jewish Book Week, Modan tried another tack by showing a projection of the pages as she read. However, even that wasn’t ideal. Here’s how the Guardian writer described it:

Modan’s presence raised the interesting technical question of how to conduct a reading of a graphic novel. The answer was via a PowerPoint presentation and a lot of advice from a tech-savvy audience shouting: "Now go to ‘Slide Show’, now click ‘View Show’."

On This Day: Fred!

Fred (Fred Othon Artistidès) was born on this day in 1931.

A French comic strip creator, Fred created his first comic in 1954. In 1960 he became art director of Hara-Kiri, and illustrated several pieces for the magazine (and its first 60 covers!) over the next few years.

He is best known for his comic Philémon, which appeared in Pilote magazine in 1965. He was awarded the Grand Prix de la ville in 1980.

‘X-Men: Origins’ Recasts Young Logan

There’s a new actor playing the childhood version of Logan in the upcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine and his name is Troye Mellet. If that name’s unfamiliar to you, perhaps you should pay more attention to YouTube.

Mellet first attracted the interest of the film’s producers in YouTube clips such as this one, which feature his singing voice. Mellet is no stranger to acting and has received some acclaim for playing the lead in Oliver in Sydney, Australia. If there’s any need for young Logan to break into a rendition of "Hard Knock Life," Mellet has the pipes to pull it off.

The actor originally cast for the role, Kodi Smit-McPhee, has had to bow out of the project due to prior commitments and a change in shooting dates for X-Men Origins: Wolverine. McPhee is attached to the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, which stars Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron.

(via SHH)