Author: Mike Gold

Writer / artist Trevor Von Eeden and graphic novel
producer ComicMix LLC have resolved their differences and are completing work
on The Original Johnson, the
biography of controversial African-American heavyweight champion Jack Johnson,
an international celebrity whose career and behavior became the pivotal point
in early 20th century race relations.

The concerns that separated the sides were not directly
related to Von Eeden’ story or art, nor over financial or rights issues. They
were of a technical and procedural nature, but were nonetheless important to
both sides.

Work is once again underway on The Original Johnson and new material will be posted weekly at www.comicmix.com
as soon as there is a sufficient backlog. The story has been entirely written and
penciled and has been approximately one-third inked. Color artist George
Freeman has resumed his efforts on the series.

The first volume of the printed version of the 240 page
graphic novel will be released through IDW Publishing later this year.

 “I have
nothing but the highest praise for Trevor as a storyteller and as an artist,
and I think The Original Johnson is
the crowning achievement in his distinguished career,” ComicMix editor-in-chief
Mike Gold stated. “Trevor and I go back to his days on Black Lightning at the
very start of his career, and I am personally very happy we have resolved our
outstanding issues so that we can all get back to doing what we do best: make
real ass-kicking comic books.”

Von Eeden noted, “Part of the appeal to working with Mike
and ComicMix is that they’re letting me tell the story of Jack Johnson my own
way – the way this important story needs to be told. I’ve been working on The Original Johnson for over 12 years,
doing an intense amount of research and honing my artistic skills. So it’s
great to see that the book will finally reach its fruition.”

Both Von Eeden and ComicMix would like to thank in
appreciation Thomas Kjellberg, of Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman in New York
City, for his assistance in mediating this matter.

Well, David Tennant is continuing his buyer’s remorse by voicing a second Doctor Who animated story.

Dreamland, the seven-part, six-minute per part story, which really isn’t a sequel to the animated episode The Infinite Quest as much as a new, separate story, will also feature the voice talent of renown actor David Warner. Like Tennant, Warner participated in several Big Finish Doctor Who audio adventures. 

The episode has been written by Russell T. Davies stablemate’s Phil Ford, a regular behind both The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood. He also co-wrote the upcoming Doctor Who special, The Waters of Mars, expected to air in November.

Like The Infinite Quest, Dreamland is expected to be released on DVD after initial broadcast. Who might actually be airing the show in the States (pun not intended) remains unknown at presstime.

On the heels of the broadcast network’s fall announcements
comes the never-ending trickle of cable commitments. As is their wont, many of
these shows will debut in the summer months (like, June) when broadcast network
series are on hiatus.

TNT will be showing us a hospital series starring Jada
Pinkett Smith called Hawthorne, Jerry
Bruckheimer’s got a cop show called Dark
Blue that stars Dylan McDermott, Mark Burnett’s got a new reality series
called Wedding Day, and this December
a series with an impressive pedigree called Men
of a Certain Age starring Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula.

truTV has a bunch of “reality” shows that fit square into
their format: a behind the scenes show called NFL Full Contact– the sort we used to call a “documentary,” Conspiracy Theory with Governor Jesse
Ventura, U.S. Special Ops: Declassified
– a program that outs our nation’s terrorist hunters, and Full Throttle, another behind the scenes look at Ballard’s Full
Throttle Saloon biker bar in Sturgis, South Dakota.

TBS has some inexpensive stuff lined up: a talk show
starring George Lopez, an animated
sitcom about suburbanites who used to live “down below” called Neighbors from Hell, and, of course, they’ve
picked up Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns
and The Bill Engvall Show.

MTV has a new series ripped from today’s political
headlines called 16 & Pregnant.
There hasn’t been a teevee series with a more self-descriptive title since The Jack Paar Program.

The last of the broadcast nets revealed themselves this
morning, and in a fit of original thought they’re giving us a lot more of the
same.

Angelenos, The Beautiful Life, and The Vampire Diaries are being added. They’re about pretty but dangerous residents of Los Angeles, struggling fashion models, and a family of vampire brothers, respectively. Oh, and they’re bringing Melrose Place back. Holy 90210, Bat-brain!

The Gossip Girl spin-off got spiked, as did the CW’s entire attempt to
program Sundays. The night is being returned to the individual affiliates.

On a personal note, the only sitcom I’ve actually enjoyed
(non-animated) all century, Everybody Loves Chris, played its last, last Friday. Just like the show’s creator Chris Rock, the titular Chris dropped out of school when forced to take the 10th grade over. He may or may not have passed his GED; the show ended with a wonderful send-up of The Sopranos finale. It went out in style.

Smallville will be back. Now that he’s flying, please give him the big red S. C’mon. The movie sucked. Kal-El’s Superman without the cape, and the “red-blue-blur” is just stupid.

Here’s the list of network shows that will disappear into
the black hole of broadcast oblivion. It’s possible that, like Medium, one or more of these shows might
get picked up by other broadcast or cable nets.

• According to Jim
• Cupid
• Eleventh Hour
• Everybody Hates Chris
• Kath & Kim
• Kings
• Life
• Lipstick Jungle
• My Name Is Earl
• Privileged
• Reaper
• Samantha Who?
• Sit Down, Shut Up
• Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
• The Game
• The Unit*
  
• The Unusuals
• Without a Trace
• Worst Week

* UPDATE: The Unit has already been picked up for the broadcast syndication marketplace by Twentieth Television for Fall 2010. The series has already been sold in all top 15 markets and cleared in 56% of the country.  Stations acquiring the program are primarily FOX Television Stations with a smattering of stations from CBS Station Group and some independent players.

With Jay Leno sucking up the entire 10 PM (Eastern) block on NBC weekdays, one would think the venerable and ever-mutating Law &
Order would be in trouble.

Nope. It dodged the bullet. It’ll be in the family hour on
Fridays. Law & Order: SVU (their sex crimes show, not their tribute to gas guzzlers) will be on Wednesdays at 9 PM, preceded by a new “family drama,” Parenthood. Southland will follow L&O, and Jay Leno follows everything.

The Biggest Loser grabs two hours on Tuesday, followed by Jay Leno. Monday will see Heroes return for a while, followed by a new medical drama, Trauma, which will be followed by Jay Leno. Chuck will bump Heroes after the winter Olympics.

A new comedy called Community will start off following The Office
on Thursdays. Thursday editions of Weekend Update will take the 8 PM slot for about a month or so, at which time 30 Rock will return and take Community’s valued position. At that time, Community will take the
Thursday Weekend Update slot, although Update will return from time
to time. Parks and Recreation will take the in-between slot at 8:30, and everything will be followed by the omnipresent Jay “Mr. Overexposed” Leno.

Dateline gets moved to Saturdays to make room for Sunday
Night Football on – wait for it – Sundays. Jay Leno will probably guest
host both shows.

In NBC’s post-Olympics on-deck circle: the comedy 100 Questions, the reality show The Marriage Ref, and the medical show Mercy.

In a bit of non-network news, HBO has ordered 13 episodes
of an animated series starring Ricky Gervais, based on Gervais’s podcasts.