Author: Rick Marshall

Matt Wagner on Magic and ‘Madame Xanadu’

Maybe it’s just the swanky fedora and cloak, but The Phantom Stranger has always been a favorite character of mine. I mention this only because it was one of the primary reasons I was excited about last week’s release of Madame Xanadu #1, the first issue of new Vertigo miniseries that promises to look at the title character’s relationship with the Stranger.

Over at Famous Monsters, ComicMix contributor Bob Greenberger chats with Madame Xanadu writer Matt Wagner about the character’s complicated romantic history:

FM: Xanadu has been previously linked romantically with an incarnation of the Spectre, back when I edited the book. So, what does she see in the Phantom Stranger?

Matt: We actually add a new element to her eventual relationship with the Spectre near the end of the opening story arc. The whole deal with including the Phantom Stranger and weaving their continually troubled relationship through this first story line stemmed from a bit of the current continuity with which I was initially unfamiliar–the fact that she holds a certain distrust and even outright animosity for the Stranger. I thought that was a great opportunity to explore and define an emotional conflict that hadn’t yet been revealed; how did they come to stand at such opposite ends from each other. What led to that eventual rift?

Head over to Famous Monsters for the rest of the interview.

Moonstone and Dynamite Both Publishing ‘The Phantom’

the-phantom-6078668While last weekend’s Wizard World Chicago convention didn’t feature much in the way of news, there were a few announcements that had people talking. Among them was Saturday’s announcement by Dynamite Entertainment that the publisher had acquired the rights to Lee Falk’s The Phantom comic strips. The announcement created quite a buzz, as publisher Moonstone Books was under the impression that they still had the license to The Phantom.

Well, according to ICv2, both parties are correct, as neither publisher owns the exclusive rights to the character, and both plan to publish Phantom stories down the road… which should be interesting.

When Dynamite Comics announced that it was publishing a Phantom comic book at Wizard World Chicago, a Moonstone representative contacted by ICv2 was unaware of the changes in the Phantom publishing program. But after the show, Moonstone contacted King Features and discovered that neither Moonstone or Dynamite had an exclusive license, so Moonstone could continue with its publishing program.

 

Webcomic News Roundup: Google Gets A Talking-To, Zero Punctuation Rages

It’s a light one this week, as many of us on this side of the pond are enjoying a day off and trying to stay as far away from a computer as possible.

Attentive Twitter-stalkers already know that Diesel Sweeties‘ Rich Stevens and Octopus Pie‘s Meredith Gran spent some time in San Francisco last month as guest speakers at Google HQ, but now <a href=”

video of their speech has been posted on YouTube for everyone to enjoy — not just the lucky cogs in the Great Google Machine.

The video is posted below, and once you get past the somewhat timid introduction, it’s a really enjoyable presentation that features some great behind-the-scenes elements of both webcomics.

 


 

On a semi-related note, Gary Tyrrell of Fleen is still waiting for any questions about Rich Stevens’ decision to opt out of his Diesel Sweeties print syndication deal. (more…)

Interview: Warren Ellis on FreakAngels, Webcomics and Doctor Who

fapinup01coloured-4448516For anyone familiar with the online presence of award-winning writer Warren Ellis, it came as no surprise when the author announced at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con that he would be scripting an original, ongoing webcomic hosted by Avatar Press and titled FreakAngels. The concept, the preview art and even the name of the series all seemed quite, well… Warren Ellis.

What has been surprising, however, is the ease at which the longtime print author has adapted to the online medium and managed to create a compelling, unique series with very few blips in the weekly schedule he set for himself and FreakAngels artist Paul Duffield. At a time when top-tier print titles are failing to meet monthly schedules time and time again, Ellis and Duffield have managed to create a consistently compelling, unique series worthy of mentioning in the same breath as many of the more established webcomics out there. The fact that the series also has Ellis’ considerable online savvy and the resources of an up-and-coming publisher like Avatar behind it only makes the entire package even more intriguing to anyone with an interest in the digital evolution of the medium.

Avatar afforded me a few minutes to speak with Ellis during the recent Wizard World Chicago convention (where he was the event’s Guest of Honor), and I was glad to have the opportunity to ask him about FreakAngels, his thoughts on the online publishing scene, and how it all relates to traditional British storytelling.

COMICMIX: Coming from the print side of the industry, did your creative process change much for FreakAngels, Warren? How did the new medium affect your routine?

WARREN ELLIS: The only thing that has really been affected is the length of the episode. But even then, I’m not really writing with six pages in mind so much as I’m writing with 144 pages in mind. I’m writing FreakAngels in 144-page blocks, so I’m really keeping my eye on the bigger picture as opposed to keeping an eye on the ending of page six. So really there’s been no change at all.

I’ve kind of refused to change. [Laughs] (more…)

Random Video: Not ‘Iron Man’ But ‘Irod Bad’

Want to relive the fun of Iron Man without those pesky computer-generated effects, impressive performances by actors, adherence to known story or, better yet, running time?

I give you the Oscar-worthy animated opus Irod Bad (and then make my escape before you start watching it):

 


 

‘My Name Is Bruce’ Gets Release Date… and Sequel!

my-name-is-bruce-1600038While it’s not exactly comics-related (though Dark Horse Entertainment will serve as distributor), it’s still big news for just about every comics fan I know: Yes, Bruce Campbell’s next film, My Name Is Bruce, finally has a release date!

ShockTillYouDrop.com, who spoke with Dark Horse president Mike Richardson during the Saturn Awards last week, has reported the film is due out in October. Directed by Campbell himself, and featuring a script by Mark Verheiden, the film’s plot involves the real-life Bruce Campbell being mistaken for the character he played in his Evil Dead films and forced to fight a demon in order to save a town.

The film was first screened almost a year ago, but a string of delays caused many to doubt whether it would ever be seen in theaters.

But that’s not all, according to the movie website:

Richardson said that a sequel, titled My Name is Still Bruce, is in the works as well. Dark Horse Entertainment and Image Entertainment will distribute both films.

Groovy.

(Sorry, I couldn’t help it.)

 

(via Cinematical)

 

Doctor Who in Review: Season Four, Episode #9 – Forest of the Dead

[EDITOR’S NOTE: My apologies for the late arrival of this week’s "Doctor Who in Review." We’ve been catching up after all of the Wizard World Chicago chaos! It’s times like these that I could really use a TARDIS. – RM]

The hit BBC series Doctor Who is now in its fourth season on the Sci-Fi Channel, and since we’re all big fans here at ComicMix, we’ve decided to kick off an episode-by-episode analysis of the reinvigorated science-fiction classic.

Every week, I’ll do my best to go through the most recent episode with a fine-tooth comb (or whatever the "sonic screwdriver" equivalent might be) and call out the highlights, low points, continuity checks and storyline hints I can find to keep in mind for future episodes. I’ll post the review each Monday, so you have ample time to check out the episode once it airs each Friday at 9 PM EST on Sci-Fi Channel before I spoil anything.

Missed a week? Check out the "Doctor Who in Review" archive or check out any of the past editions of this column via the links at the end of this article.

Keep in mind, I’m going to assume readers have already watched the episode when I put fingers to keyboard and come up with the roundup of important plot points. In other words, SPOILER ALERT!

Let’s begin now, shall we?

Season Four, Episode #9: "Forest of the Dead" (more…)

Wizard World Chicago 2008: Photo Gallery Wrap-Up

  • News
  • June 30, 2008

Sure, we already posted several sets of photos from the weekend (WWC Gallery 1, WWC Gallery 2, WWC Gallery 3), but after unpacking our gear and beginning to unwind from the show, we discovered a few more photos on the cameras of various members of the ComicMix crew. My favorite of the bunch (and the one that convinced me another gallery was necessary) is posted here, and the rest can be found after the jump.Oh, and please pardon the shakey, blurred photos — these are just the images we pulled off our various camera phones over the course of the weekend.

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Yes, that’s Blade reading a copy of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer omnibus. Seriously, we couldn’t have planned a better image than this one…

(more…)

Wizard World Chicago 2008: Day Three Report

  • News
  • June 30, 2008

wwchicago007_00-9642588The booths are broken down and all that’s left of this year’s Wizard World Chicago convention are empty mylar bags blowing in the wind and streets littered with Marvel Comics promo cards.

Sunday was another slow one on the show floor, with many creators (and a few retailers) packing up and bailing out well before the 5 PM close of the show.

So what were the highlights of the last day?

First on the list would certainly be Guest of Honor Warren Ellis completing a grueling schedule of signings that seemed to have him in action for a significant chunk of each day — with far more signings than any other creator in attendance, as far as I could tell. As I mentioned in my Day One Report, this was Avatar’s show, and that was no less the case on Day Three than it was on Day One.

(more…)

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Wizard World Chicago 2008: Day Two Report

  • News
  • June 29, 2008

photo_200-2215977Day Two of the show began on a somber note, as the passing of creator Michael Turner late the previous night was confirmed and marked by memories and moments of silence throughout the day. CBR has posted a touching message from Aspen Comics Editor-in-Chief Vince Hernandez on the death of his good friend and associate.

On a lighter note, I started my day sharing an elevator with Angus Scrimm, the “Tall Man” from the Phantasm horror films. Apparently, Wizard World wasn’t the only game in town this weekend, as the Flashback Weekend horror film convention was also in town for its annual get-together of fans and celebrities of the fright-film scene. This made for a particularly surreal moment later in the day when the beginning of the horror festival overlapped with the end of both a senior-age Christian meet-up and a young couple’s wedding. At one point during the day, the line that had developed for the elevators included the bridal party, a buxom, blood-covered nurse, a massive, costumed Jason Voorhees (complete with machete and severed, bloody head of Freddy Krueger) and a trio of seniors who seemed very concerned that no one else in the hallway was making a big deal about the nurse and her companion.

On the show floor, one of the fastest sellers was an Alex Ross-designed t-shirt modeled after his iconic image of Clark Kent ripping open his shirt to reveal the Superman costume underneath it. The popular graphic replaced Clark Kent with Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, who was ripping open his shirt to reveal the familiar “O” campaign symbol. (more…)

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