Maddy & Anya are setting forth on their 3rd year covering San Diego Comic-Con International for ComicMix and as the Tweeks plan what to see and squee over, they share some of their picks for the best of SDCC 2016 for those lucky to hold passes, as well as those who are just coming down to the Gaslamp Quarter to soak in this crazy nerd fest.
Some topics covered are Wonder Woman’s Invisible Jet, Jeremy Jordan, Sherlock, Marvel, Chris Pratt, Anna Faris is Unqualified, Ghost-mode free Lyft rides, local geek theatre from Turning Tydes, Supergirl, Supernatural, the Yelp! Pokemon Go filter, Voltron, We Bare Bears, Steven Universe, Moana, Wynonna Earp, and Nerd HQ. We also sing.
Follow The Tweeks on social media for all kinds of Con updates, like which celebrities are #TeamAnya & which are #TeamMaddy, and the chance to win free swag at our booth appearances (otherwise known as when we need to charge our phones & sit down for a bit in the ComicMix booth).
Last year, Google Play made it easier to find and read your favorite comics on your phone or tablet, including a new vertical scrolling experience. We wanted to use our other superpowers, like machine learning, to improve the digital comics experience even further. Machine learning is the technology that makes the digital things in your life more useful, like finding the right image in Google Photos by searching for “hugs” to “dogs.” So what happens when we bring our machine learning capabilities to the world of comics?Whether it’s reading up on the origins of Justice League or enjoying a reboot like Invincible Iron Man, we love our heroes and villains at Google and there’s nothing more thrilling than flipping through your favorite comic when the battle is on — THWACK!
At San Diego Comic-Con 2016, we just announced Bubble Zoom: a new way to read digital comics on phones and tablets. It zooms into the speech bubbles of a comic book one-tap-at-a-time, making them super easy to read on your mobile device. It’s much easier to read digital comics one-handed as Bubble Zoom automatically identifies and expands each speech bubble for readability. No more compromising the full-page experience or getting lost while panning around.“Justice League (2011) Origin – Vol 1.” and “Invincible Iron Man Vol 1.” read using Bubble Zoom.
Bubble Zoom will be available on the latest version of Google Play Books app for Android as a technical preview with all Marvel and DC collected volumes supported. We’re also celebrating this preview with a 50% off sale on select DC Comics and Marvel comics in the Google Play Store — just use the code SDCC2016 by July 24th, 2016.
Rolling out today, you can upgrade Play Books and provide feedback on supported comic volumes in the app as this exclusive experience is only the first step. As we continue to teach our machines to read more comic book styles, our goal is to eventually bring Bubble Zoom to all the comics and manga ever made.
O bitterness! O shame! I devoted a lot of bandwidth lastrecently to blathering about Howdy Doody, a marionette who had his own, pioneering, television show, a kiddie show back when I was, in fact, a kiddie. Nothing wrong with that. No bitterness, no shame.
But… This bandwidth-waster is part of an enterprise devoted to comic books and I neglected to mention that our little bestringed buddy had his own comic book. It was published by Dell, which seemed to like puppets since it also had Beany and Cecil Comics, Rootie Kazootie Comics, and Charlie McCarthy Comics. (Okay, Charlie was a ventriloquist dummy, but isn’t that a kind of puppet?)
Before I knew much about the business that put food on my table for about a half-century, I was even less aware of Dell than I am now. Actually, I’m not sure I knew what a publisher was, but there were these comics that didn’t feature Superman or Batman or any of the other costumed heroes that gave pleasure to warm afternoons when I didn’t have to endure the leaden misery of school. During those vacation days I read comic books and it is likely that I read some Dells, probably the ones about funny animals, the same funny animals that I sometimes saw at the picture show before the cowboy movie of the week began entertaining me. I doubt that I read any that featured Howdy, Beany, et.al. because I was getting interested in puppets and ventriloquism and wouldn’t I have remembered comics that combined my enthusiasms? Well, maybe not.
But about these Dells… they were different. And I wasn’t sure why then and I’m not sure why now, though if I actually examined one I might detect what give them their specialness. (I mean, I must have learned something all those years that I sat behind editorial desks.)
Later, after the witch hunting 50s, Dell’s titles seemed somehow above the fray, and in a way they were. Instead of sobbing mea culpa and joining the comics Code Authority like most of the other publishers that survived the persecutions – there weren’t many – Dell chose to ignore the censors. “Dell comics are good comics” the company’s slogan reminded its readers. This genteel rebellion had no effect, apparently, on sales. Dell continued to publish for years.
There is probably a lesson to be learned in all this, somewhere, but I’ll let you ferret it out. Whatever it might be, it probably has nothing to do with puppets, the ostensible subject of the current effort, and maybe nothing to do with bitterness and shame, but that might bear further investigation.
Why do people want to engage in censorship, anyway?
From the creators of The Evil Dead comes a new STARZ Original Series, Ash vs Evil Dead. The STARZ Original series is the long-awaited follow-up to the classic horror film The Evil Dead. The series is executive produced by Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, The Grudge), Rob Tapert (The Evil Dead, The Grudge), and Bruce Campbell (Burn Notice, Oz the Great and Powerful, The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness), the original filmmakers, and Craig DiGregorio who serves as executive producer and showrunner. Campbell reprises his role as Ash, the stock boy, aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead. When a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons – personal and literal. Destiny, it turns out, has no plans to release the unlikely hero from its “Evil” grip. Bring the terror home on Blu-ray™ and DVD August 23, 2016.
New York, N.Y., July 18, 2016 – Last year’s Emmy® Award winner for Outstanding Drama Series and currently nominated for 23 2016 Emmy® Awards including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Directing Outstanding Supporting Actress (Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Maisie Williams) and Outstanding Supporting Actor (Peter Dinklage, Kit Harrington), Game of Thrones is bigger than ever delivering “the power and pathos fans have come to expect” (Los Angeles Times). The HBO drama has consistently been the top selling TV on DVD/BD for the past five years and now fans can get the most recent season earlier than ever when Game of Thrones: The Complete Sixth Season debuts from HBO Home Entertainment on Digital HD on August 1, 2016 and on Blu-ray™ with Digital HD and DVD November 15, 2016. The set features all 10 episodes, plus extensive bonus content:
Digital HD Download
Bran’s Journey – A nine-minute feature delving into the shocking and revelatory journey Bran Stark took in Season 6.
The Dothraki World – Behind-the-Scenes featurette bringing viewers up to speed on the Dothraki culture, not seen since Season 1.
Inside Game of Thrones: Prosthetics – Behind-the-Scenes featurette detailing what goes into the show’s prosthetics creation.
The Game Revealed – Five-part series covering the creation of Season 6’s most epic set pieces and scenes.
Blu-ray™ with Digital Copy – includes all DVD features plus:
In-Episode Guide – Dig deeper into the show with this in-feature resource that provides background information about on-screen characters, locations, and relevant histories.
Histories and Lore – Learn about the mythology of Westeros and Essos as told from the varying perspectives of the characters themselves in 18 history pieces.
The Old Way: narrated by Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk)
The Kingsmoot: narrated by Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk)
The Sunset Sea: narrated by Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk)
War of the Ninepenny Kings: narrated by Brother Ray (Ian McShane)
The Great Tourney at Harrenhal: narrated by Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick)
Robert’s Rebellion: narrated by Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau)
Vaes Dothrak: narrated by Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen)
The Dothraki: narrated by Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen)
Northern Allegiances to House Stark: narrated by Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner)
Children of the Forest vs. the First Men: narrated by the Three-Eyed Raven (Max von Sydow)
Brotherhood Without Banners: narrated by Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye)
Oldtown: narrated by Grand Maester Pycelle (Julian Glover) and Qyburn (Anton Lesser)
House Dayne: narrated by Young Ned Stark (Robert Aramayo)
The Little Birds: narrated by Lord Varys (Conleth Hill)
Knights of the Vale: narrated by Petyr ‘Littlefinger’ Baelish (Aidan Gillen)
House Tarly: narrated by Randyll Tarly (James Faulkner)
Riverrun: narrated by Brynden ‘the Blackfish’ Tully (Clive Russell)
Great Sept of Baelor: narrated by the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce)
DVD:
The Battle of the Bastards: An In-Depth Look – Behind-the-scenes piece examining the production challenges of creating this epic event, including explorations of VFX, stunts, and interviews with key cast and crew.
Recreating the Dothraki World – Behind-the-scenes piece looking at the creation of Vaes Dothrak and its importance to Dany’s evolution.
18 Hours at the Paint Hall –Follow all three shooting units as they converge in this behind-the-scenes snapshot of a day in the life of the largest show on television
Audio Commentaries – The most commentaries ever recorded for Game of Thrones, featuring:
Episode 601: Director Jeremy Podeswa, Director of Photography Greg Middleton, and Daniel Portman (Podrick Payne)
Episode 602: Writer Dave Hill, Michael McElhatton (Roose Bolton), Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton), Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth), and Ben Crompton (Dolorous Edd)
Episode 603: Director Daniel Sackheim, Production Designer Deborah Riley, and Dean-Charles Chapman (Tommen Baratheon)
Episode 604: Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei), Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont), and Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm)
Episode 605 (2 commentaries): Gemma Whelan (Yara Greyjoy), Pilou Asbæk (Euron Greyjoy), Ellie Kendrick (Meera Reed), and Kristian Nairn (Hodor); Prosthetics Supervisor Barrie Gower, Camera Operators Chris Plevin and Ben Wilson, and Executive Producer Bernadette Caulfield
Episode 606: Director Jack Bender, Director of Photography Jonathan Freeman, John Bradley (Samwell Tarly), and Hannah Murray (Gilly)
Episode 607: Producer/Writer Bryan Cogman, Ian McShane (Septon Ray), and Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell)
Episode 608: Director Mark Mylod, Essie Davis (Lady Crane), and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister)
Episode 609 (2 commentaries): Director Miguel Sapochnik, Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark), and Kit Harington (Jon Snow); Director of Photography Fabian Wagner, Visual Effects Producer Steve Kullback, and Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Bauer
Episode 610 (2 commentaries): Executive Producers/Writers David Benioff & D.B. Weiss, Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), and Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister); Special Effects Supervisor Sam Conway, Camera Operator Sean Savage, and Producer Chris Newman
Deleted Scenes – Four deleted scenes.
The most-watched series in HBO history and a worldwide TV phenomenon, Game of Thrones returns with another power season. This year, after the shocking developments at the end of Season 5 – including Jon Snow’s bloody fate at the hands of Castle Black mutineers, Daenerys’ near-demise at the fighting pits of Meereen, and Cersei’s public humiliation in the streets of King’s Landing – survivors from all parts of Westeros and Essos regroup to press forward, inexorably, towards their uncertain individual fates. Familiar faces will forge new alliances to bolster their strategic chances at survival, while new characters will emerge to challenge the balance of power in the east, west, north and south.
Brilliant comedian Negin Farsad has moved from stand up to documentary filmmaker to book author, and now a romantic comedy. 3RD STREET BLACKOUT isn’t a typical RomCom, but Negin rarely does anything typical. Plus after six decades of TV and movie roles, Robert Forrester talks about paying his dues a few times over and his part in the upcoming TWIN PEAKS reboot.
And…ComicCon 2016 has started! Follow our daily reports here and see who we run into here on Instagram
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.
It used to be we worried about the threat of artificial intelligence in movies like Colossus: The Forbin Project or “The Ultimate Computer” episode of Star Trek. Today, though, artificial intelligence is here thanks to Siri and Cortanna and their cousins. We talk to our phones and they answer back and these bots are growing increasingly sophisticated. As a result, what seemed ahead of its time a mere give years ago is looking increasingly prescient.
CBS’ Person of Interest arrived on September 22, 2011 and came with a fine pedigree having been created by Jonathan Nolan with J.J. Abrams on board as Executive Producer. It starred Michael Emerson, hot off Lost, Jim Caviezel, a pre-Empire Taraji P. Henson, and Kevin Chapman. It received near universal acclaim for raising key issues about personal privacy, cyber-terrorism, the invasiveness of the government, and the growing reliance on A.I. to help our everyday lives.
While never a ratings blockbuster, it did nicely for the network and continued to grow and evolve as the Machine, invented by Harold Finch (Emerson) continued to data mine and pop out social security numbers of Americans whose lives might be in danger. Ex-Special Forces agent and lost soul John Reese (Caviezel) was dispatched to investigate and intervene as necessary, often aided first by NYPD detective Jocelyn “Joss” Carter (Henson) and also detective Lionel Fusco (Chapman).
Along the way, the series raised questions each week while weaving a fascinating tapestry about the characters as we watched Fusco overcome the taint of corruption via the Police force’s wicked HR and learned about Reese’s complicated and difficult life. While their assignments sent them here and there, often they were in New York City and we gained insights into the criminal element as well with high school teacher/underworld mob boss Carl Elias (Enrico Colantoni).
Of course, Finch wasn’t the only one to hack their way around the world, there was the threat from someone known only as Root (Amy Acker) but in time, she and Finch found they had more in common and became allies if not friends.
And the government had their own shadowy operatives and agencies with SIA operative Sameen Shaw (Sarah Shahi) trading blows with Reese on more than one occasion before she too joined forces with the Machine’s team.
Across four taut seasons, the storytelling went from topical and dramatic to character building and was never less than interesting. As the fourth season wound down, we met Samaritan, a machine built by the government to replace the Machine, stolen by Finch before they could use it for questionable purposes. A man named Greer (John Nolan) oversaw the government eventually agreeing to activate it. As it grew in strength, it built a network of operatives and acquired companies in order to protect itself and begin its systematic takeover of America in order to perfect society.
Season four saw the rise of Samaritan and the fall of the Machine as Greer captured Shaw and everyone else had to scatter. Things looked bad for the world and worse for the series as CBS held it off until mid-season, ordering a mere thirteen episodes. When the air date was finally announced for May, it became clear the series was over so the team saw to it everything wrapped up.
Warner Home Entertainment has released Person of Interest the Complete Fifth Season as a three-disc DVD set. In addition to all thirteen episodes, it has the 2015 Comic-Con Panel, Revelations of Person of Interest, with executive producers Nolan, Greg Plageman and Denise Thé and Emerson talk with critic Eric Goldman about the series; and Finale for the Fans where Goldman and company talk the series’; 100th episode.
With a shortened season, the stories had to be more focused and the first order of business was restoring the Machine, which had to be condensed and compacted to escape Samaritan. Once that was done, it continued to adjust itself and send the agents out on routine assignments while Root fretted over Shaw’s whereabouts. Shaw, meantime, was subjected to over 7000 virtual reality simulations in an attempt to turn her into a traitor, destined to kill the Machine’s team. Instead, she escaped and struggled to regain her balance between reality and fantasy. And we were surprised to see Elias had survived, harbored by Finch and supportive in the battle against Samaritan, which proved to have no compunctions about killing when most efficacious in solving a dilemma.
One issue concerned me in Season Four, which was why the Machine was not assembling its own expanded team to ready for the coming battle with Samaritan. The new intelligence seemed to have in inexhaustible supply of killers and henchmen while Finch had just his small cadre. Well, it took until episode 101, or the eleventh of the season, to show that the Machine had been busy. Three former numbers – Joey Durban (James Carpinello), Harper Rose (Annie Ilonzeh), and Logan Pierce (Jimmi Pierce) – had been recruited by the Machine and sent out on missions. Cool, but the Machine never told Finch? It feels false coming in so late and without much discussion.
The season, though, had plenty of debates between Finch and Root and Finch and Greer regarding the ethics of the Machine and Samaritan, the role of A.I. in human society, and the price of freedom. It was chilling when Greer admitted he lost control of Samaritan and there were no official checks or balances in place. Everything fell to the Machine and its creator, Finch, to protect humankind.
By series’ end, there were deep losses but there were also very satisfying conclusions to numerous character arcs. Unlike the dissatisfying wrap ups on Castle and Nashville, the series gets kudos for going out with its head held high and its relevance still important as the show shifts into streaming mode.
If you missed the season or the series, it’s comes well recommended.
Lately, my Weird Sounds Inside The Gold Mind kickass rock and blues Internet radio show has spilled over into my ComicMix column. But it’s hard for me to restrain myself, and besides, self-restraint isn’t exactly my long suit.
Since every living person, as well as the estates of many of the dead, makes all kinds of “big” announcements at SDCC, the smart people (Hi, Martha!) make their big announcements the week before the show. They’ll get better exposure in the online comics news sites, and this year they avoid having to compete for attention with a 70-year old Creamsicle media hog with severe bigotry issues.
So our friends at Archie Comics cleverly chose last week to announce their latest bizarre crossover, Archie Meets The Ramones. This past decade or so, Archie Comics (as opposed to the character, Archie Andrews) have been the most innovative and risk-taking of the Original Comics Publishers. Archie has methodically testing new concepts, new interpretations of their characters, super and non, and new ways of running their company to provide the revenue to launch such projects. I think I read all of their new-material comics save their Sonic the Hedgehog line, and I like what they’re doing.
They’ve done unusual crossovers before – Archie Meets The Punisher probably is the one best-known to the ComicMix audience. They’ve done rock’n’roll based crossovers before. But linking up with The Ramones is a whole ‘nother matter. The Ramones were part of the vanguard of the punk rock movement that they, in fact, started back in 1974. It was and remains as exciting and as vital to the form as the blues/folk/hippie rock from the previous decade. One might not think the Ramones to be a good fit with the Riverdale crew, and I highly suspect that previous (and older) management teams might have felt the same way.
Riskier still is the fact that almost all of the original Ramones are dead. They ran until 1996. Joey Ramone died in 2001, Dee Dee Ramone died in 2002, Johnny Ramone died in 2004, and Tommy Ramone died in 2014. Two important notes: First, the “Ramone” surname was contrived; they were no more related to each other than were the Doobie Brothers. Second, they were not the most doomed band in rock history. That privilege goes to Beatles protégés Badfinger; I mean them no disrespect by avoiding the specifics. Wiki’s got them just fine.
Let us not be confused by the fact that one of Archie Comics’ more popular titles is called Afterlife With Archie. Evidently, Riverdale’s typical teen-agers indulge in some serious time-travel. Comics fans get that. Rock fans get that. Your grandparents; probably not. They’ve been working on understanding Doctor Who since 1963.
Archie Meets The Ramones is a very, very clever concept. And it sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun. We’ll see on October 5th.
The Ramones, The Punisher, KISS, Predator, Glee, Sharknado… Where does Archie go for its next unlikely team-up? Way back in the mid-1980s I whimsically suggested to then-publisher Michael Silberkleit we do a Betty and Veronica / American Flagg! mini-series. He immediately agreed; I suspect he was more familiar with Flagg!’s sales than with its content. But I can’t tell you how much I wanted to see how far I could push that one.
Sigh. Maturity sucks.
So, next time I think Archie and the band should go back in time once again and team-up with the MC5. I’m dying to see what Wayne Kramer www.waynekramer.com would say to Forsythe P. Jones – and vice versa. Maybe Brian Bendis can get a waiver from Marvel; his dialogue skills would work well here. Maybe John Sinclair could offer Juggie a… cigarette.
In the end there can only be one Highlander 30th Anniversary edition, arriving on Blu-ray and DVD September 27 from Lionsgate. Starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery, relive the sci-fi epic that launched a TV franchise and captivated millions of fans worldwide! The 30th Anniversary edition features never-before-seen interviews with director Russell Mulcahy and actor Christopher Lambert, a brand-new “making of” documentary, deleted scenes, and audio commentary with director Russell Mulcahy. The Highlander 30th Anniversary Blu-ray and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $14.99 and $14.98, respectively.
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS
Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the original cult classic that inspired movie and TV franchises! An immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponents, a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the fabled “Prize.”
BLU-RAY/DVD SPECIAL FEATURES*
The Making of Highlander
Deleted Scenes
Interviews with Director Russell Mulcahy and Actor Christopher Lambert
Archival Interview with Actor Christopher Lambert
Audio Commentary by Director Russell Mulcahy
*Subject to change
CAST
Christopher Lambert Mortal Kombat, Fortress
Roxanne Hart The Verdict, TV’s “Chicago Hope”
Clancy Brown The Shawshank Redemption, Starship Troopers
and Sean Connery Dr. No, The Hunt for Red October
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Year of Production: 1986
Title Copyright: ? 1986 Highlander Productions Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Type: Theatrical Release
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Thriller, Sci-Fi
Closed-Captioned: N/A
Subtitles: English and Spanish
Feature Run Time: 116 minutes
Blu-ray Format: 1080P High Definition Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1)
DVD Format: Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1)
Blu-ray Audio: English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master AudioTM
DVD Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital
NEW YORK, NY—July 14, 2016—Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, will publish Philip Pullman’s first original graphic novel, illustrated by Fred Fordham in 2017. The full-color graphic novel, The Adventures of John Blake: Mystery of the Ghost Ship, for ages 8-12 will be published jointly by David Fickling Books and Graphix, both imprints of Scholastic, in North America in June 2017.
World rights for the book were acquired earlier this year by David Fickling Books in the UK, which currently is serializing the story in The Phoenix, a weekly children’s publication available in the UK via newsstands and by subscription. The serialized comic will be collected into the full-color graphic novel, to be published simultaneously in the UK, US, and Canada in June 2017.
“John Blake is a story that’s close to my heart,” said Philip Pullman. “In Fred Fordham, John and the crew of the mysterious schooner The Mary Alice have found the ideal illustrator, and I’ve loved watching the story develop in his hands. The joy of the setting and the characters for me is that they’re capable of infinite variations. The Mary Alice can roam throughout time, past, present, and future, and anywhere on the oceans of the world. I hope readers will enjoy it as much as we have!”
“We are so proud and thrilled to be bringing Philip Pullman’s brand new hero and astonishing adventure, out of the pages of The Phoenix comic, to all the readers of North America,” said David Fickling, Publisher, David Fickling Books. “Can anything be better than to sail in the company of Fred Fordham, a blazing new comic strip talent, and to have Philip at the helm, The Captain of Story himself!”
“What an honor to welcome the brilliant storyteller Philip Pullman to the Graphix list. And to partner with The Phoenix and David Fickling Books—publishers at the forefront of creating acclaimed comics and books for young readers in the UK—makes this collaboration even more exciting,” said David Saylor, Vice President Creative Director, Trade Publishing, and founder and Editorial Director of Graphix.
About The Adventures of John Blake: The Mystery of the Ghost Ship
Trapped in the mists of time by a terrible research experiment gone wrong, John Blake and his mysterious ship are doomed to sail between the centuries, searching for a way home. In the ocean of the modern day, John and the crew rescue a shipwrecked young girl his own age, Serena, and promise to help.
But returning Serena to her own time means traveling to the one place where the ship is in most danger of destruction. The all-powerful Dahlberg Corporation has an ambitious leader with plans far greater and more terrible than anyone has realized, and he is hot on their trail. For only John, Serena, and the crew know Dahlberg’s true intentions, and only they have the power to stop him from bending the world to his will . . .
About Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman is the internationally acclaimed author of many books for children and adults. His trilogy His Dark Materials has been published in more than forty languages, has sold close to 17.5 million copies worldwide, and won innumerable awards and accolades. The Golden Compass (Northern Lights in the UK) was named an “All-Time Greatest Novel” by Entertainment Weekly and a “Top 100 Book of All Time” by Newsweek. In 2008, The Times (UK) named Pullman as one of the 50 greatest writers since 1945.
About Fred Fordham
Fred Fordham was born in 1985 and grew up in North London. He studied Politics and Philosophy at Sussex University alongside working as a portrait painter and occasional tutor. Here he discovered comics after reading Marjane Sartrapi’s Persepolis. This book sparked an interest in the form generally but particularly in the French Bande Dessinee tradition. His first graphic-novel, Nightfall, was published in France by Editions Delcourt and launched at the Salon Du Livre in Paris in 2013. He has also written and illustrated strips for David Lloyd’s online comics-art magazine, Aces Weekly, and worked as an illustrator for The Phoenix.
About David Fickling Books
David Fickling is an acclaimed editor and publisher based in the UK. Scholastic US welcomed David Fickling Books as a new imprint in June 2015. Over the years Fickling has published some extraordinary books like Phillip Pullman’s The Ruby in the Smoke and His Dark Materials trilogy, John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Jenny Downham’s Before I Die, and Andy Mulligan’s Trash.
About The Phoenix
In 2012 David Fickling launched a weekly story comic for children called The Phoenix, filled with beautiful and original artwork, exciting stories, and featuring no advertising. The comic recently celebrated its 200th issue, becoming the first independent comic in the UK to do so since 1969. It has also been voted No. 2 in Time Magazine’s global list of “Top Comics and Graphic Novels.”
