Author: Rick Marshall

“Kick-Ass” and Matthew Vaughn Go Indie

  • News
  • August 17, 2008

Filmmaker Matthew Vaughn recently announced plans to go the independent route with an adaptation of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.’s gritty series Kick-Ass after studios balked at the ages of the characters and the level of violence in the story.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Vaughn has managed to raise $30 million on his own, with many crediting his fundraising success to the recent fortunes raised by another adaptation of a Millar project, Wanted. Thus far, the cast of the film is likely to include Christopher Mintz-Plasse ("McLovin" in Superbad), who is in negotiations for the role of the film’s villain, and Chloe Moretz (The Amityville Horror) who has signed on to play another pre-teen vigilante. The series’ main character has not been cast at this point.

From THR:

 

Vaughn first brought the project to Sony, which distributed his "Layer Cake," but the studio balked at the violence, which he refused to tone down. Several other studios expressed interest but demanded that the protagonists’ ages be upped. Vaughn, who most recently co-wrote and directed the international hit "Stardust," now is going it alone.

Production on the film is expected to begin next fall.

Nickelodeon Announces “Best Kids’ Graphic Novel Awards”

  • News
  • August 16, 2008

Nickelodeon Magazine recently announced their first-ever awards for kids’ graphic novels, and creators should take note of the open call for submissions. The awards, which will be given out in in spring 2009, are intended to honor "the best comic books and animated novels for kids published across the U.S."

Also worth noting is the pedigree of judges who will be evaluating submissions. Dave Roman, co-creator of one of my favroite webcomics, Teen Boat, will be joined by former DC associate editor Chris Duffy in determining the best of best in kids’ graphic novels.

Here are some details about the awards:

All graphic novel submissions must be submitted before Sept. 30, 2008. A list of books for kids to vote on, pre-selected by the Nickelodeon Magazine editorial staff, will be available in the December issue and online. The results will be announced in print and online in spring 2009 in conjunction with the release of Nickelodeon Magazine’s popular annual cartoon-themed issue.

Publishers interested in submitting graphic novels should send two copies of each title no later than Sept. 30, 2008. Submissions should be mailed to:

Chris Duffy or Dave Roman
Graphic Novel Award
Nickelodeon Magazine
1515 Broadway 37th Floor
New York, NY 10036.

Before you get your hopes up, however, keep in mind some words of advice from Gary Tyrrell of Fleen.com, who I assure you is not advocating murder in pursuit of childrens’ literature glory:

Got something that’s appropriate for the 7 to 13 crowd? Send it in and get yerself a little publicity. You probably won’t win unless you kill Kean Soo. Please note that this is not a suggestion that you kill Kean to improve your chances, ’cause he’ll just get the sympathy vote.

Check out the Nickelodeon Magazine website for more information.

Bigfoot Found, Cryptozoo Crew on the Way… Coincidence?

  • News
  • August 16, 2008

With all of the recent chatter about Bigfoot being discovered in Georgia, it seems appropriate to mention some big news regarding one of the upcoming series you’ll be seeing here on ComicMix — because if anyone can determine whether that’s a real Bigfoot in the cooler, it’s the Cryptozoo Crew.

Previously published by NBM, writer Allan Gross and artist Jerry Carr’s Cryptozoo Crew is headed to ComicMix for an all-new online series exploring the facts, fables and funny business surrounding mysterious creatures like, for example, Bigfoot. In fact, Gross has promised that the first storyline in the series will involve our ol’ buddy from Georgia — so the timing couldn’t be better, eh?

In case you haven’t been keeping up to snuff with the goings-on of the ‘Crew, here’s a quick synopsis of the series, according to Gross:

The story of CRYPTOZOO CREW is the story of Tork Darwyn and his wife Tara. Tork is a Cryptozoologist. He can understand all the "unknown" animals he discovers, but can never figure out his wife (or wife to be in this origin story). It is a mix of Indiana Jones adventure and Moonlighting/Romancing the Stone type male-female (mars/venus) relationship interaction. All ages appropriate.

What’s more, Gross tells me that Cryptozoo Crew was recently optioned for film adaptation by Alcon Entertainment — so it might be a good idea to get to know Tork and Tara real soon. (Well, before all that fame goes to their heads, that is.)

You can find out more about Cryptozoo Crew on the series’ official website, www.cryptozoocrewonline.com.

 

 

Skrull Marketing Department Invades Twitter

  • News
  • August 15, 2008

You have to hand it to Marvel Comics’ online marketing crew. From the viral success of their MySpace "Home Invasion" video series to a Twitter presence that seems to grow exponentially every day, the Merry Marvel Marketing team seems to be firing on all cylinders (or whatever the digital equivalent might be) these days. Their latest foray into the online world is a Twitter user going by the name of "Embrace Change" — a very green user, with some distinguishing features around the chin area.

Here are some of the observations offered up by Embrace Change today:

We have traveled across the universe to save you from yourselves.

We’re not here to hurt you. We’re here to save you.

While I applaud the original art that Marvel seems to have created for the Twitter profile of Embrace Change (I’ve posted the user image here), thus far the account doesn’t appear to be much different from the multitude of Twitter-spam marketing ‘bots out there. It features random cryptic remarks about the Skrull’s mission on Earth, and appears to be following every Twitter user whose profile it comes across. Heck, if you substitute the whole "Skrull’s mission on Earth" part of that last sentence with "profitability of an ambiguous moneymaking scheme," you’ve got a pretty good description of the last dozen-or-so spammers I’ve blocked on my own Twitter account.

An "A" for effort, though, Marvel crew… consider my interest piqued.

“FreakAngels: Book One” Concludes, Collection Teased

  • News
  • August 15, 2008

Fan-favorite writer Warren Ellis and artist Paul Duffield concluded the first chapter of their grand experiment in the webcomics world today, posting the final six pages of FreakAngels: Book One were earlier this morning. Ellis and Duffield aren’t wasting any time, either, as Book Two of the series begins next week.

In addition to posting the final pages of the first chapter of FreakAngels, Ellis also pointed readers of his "Bad Signal" mailing list to some new images and information related to the upcoming FreakAngels collection due out in November 2008 from Avatar Press. Here’s a quick roundup of where to find out more about what’s planned for the FreakAngels project:

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Watchmen” Trailer Prompts 1 Million Sales in ’08?

  • News
  • August 15, 2008

The New York Times is reporting that DC has ordered around 900,000 additional copies of Watchmen printed since the trailer for the film adaptation of the graphic novel debuted last month. Only 100,000 copies of the Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons project sold last year, but DC’s president and publisher, Paul Levitz, says he expects to sell more than a million by the end of 2008.

“As far as we can tell from our conversations with the book industry people, there has never been a trailer that did this,” said Paul Levitz.

As we reported late last month, Watchmen has occupied a prominent spot on various bestseller lists for the last few months due to anticipation of next year’s feature film adaptation of the project, due out March 6, 2009.

Click here for information about where you can view the trailer, or you can view a gallery of images from the Watchmen trailer here on ComicMix.

Robert Kirkman’s Creator-Owned Call-Out?

Reaction to Robert Kirkman’s recent "mission statement" video has been creating quite the buzz around the comics industry lately, and rather than surfing every message board, column and blog in the comics world to find out what everyone’s saying, there are a few good places to go for roundups.

First off, here’s the video that started all of the hub-bub:

 

 

 

While the banjo music used in the video has actually prompted a discussion of its own on some sites, JK Parkin over at Blog@ has put together an exceptionally comprehensive roundup of who’s saying what and where it’s being said around the ‘Tubes. Naturally, one of the busiest (and awesomely snarky) chats about the video is currently underway over at The Bendis Board, including this bit from Bendis himself: " … coming soon from image comics: MASSIVE GENERALIZATIONS!!" More can be found at the sites Parkin lists in the roundup, with others poppingup here and there on various other sites. (Or possibly, this one?)

Make Yourself Manga

  • Uncategorized
  • August 14, 2008

rick-marshall-manga-00-2428533As anyone who follows the Twitter feeds, Facebook profiles and various other online extensions of comic creators has probably noticed today, the newest meme circulating through the comics scene is Face Your Manga — a website that allows you to create your own "manga" avatar.

As Michael Pinto points out over on Fanboy.com, the art actually isn’t very manga-like… but it’s still a fun little diversion. I’ve posted the manga-fied version of myself here. What do you think?

The website has caught on particularly well with the webcomics set, with manga versions of many well-known creators popping up around the ‘Tubes. Here are a few I’ve come across:

There are lots more out there, so just look around and see what you can turn up.

The most interesting thing about this to me is that so many talented creators who are capable artists on their own have become enamored with the site. As Rich Stevens of Diesel Sweeties remarked earlier today: "Draw your own darn icons, you incredibly capable people. Those B.S. generators are for kids…"

… but then again, maybe that’s why we enjoy ’em so much.

Marvel’s Michael Turner “Hulk” Tribute Covers

  • News
  • August 14, 2008

hulk-07-turnervariant-00-6738005In an announcement released earlier today, Marvel Comics has released the variant cover images for Hulk issues #6 and #7 featuring the art of recently deceased, fan-favorite artist Michael Turner. Turner passed away on June 27 due to complications in his battle with cancer.

Hulk writer Jeph Loeb had this to say about the covers:

“Living in a world without Mike is something I could never imagine,” said Hulk scribe Jeph Loeb. “He was the greatest guy. The. Greatest. I wanted some way to share my love of his artwork and at the same time give something to the fans — who were more important to Mike than anyone can imagine — and spoke to Marvel about doing these covers. They are pieces Mike did of the Green Hulk (one as a gift to Frank Mastromauro)and Peter Steigerwald of Aspen Comics did the recoloring and remastering. It was terribly important to me that Peter and Aspen got to be part of this as well. They are a celebration of Mike’s enormous talent and in turn, his life. Enjoy.”

Hulk #6 is scheduled for release September 24, while Hulk #7 is scheduled for an October 22 release.

So, ComicMix readers, what are your thoughts on the use of Turner’s art in these covers? Is it a respectable tribute to a beloved creator or something a bit more… suspect? Either way, the art is as impressive as always, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on the decision to release these covers.

Full-size versions of both cover images are posted after the jump. (more…)

Canadians in Comics: An A-Z Guide

  • News
  • August 14, 2008

Over at Hypergeek, newly citizen-ized Edward Kaye has decided to celebrate his Canadian residency by profiling comic book creators who also hail from areas north of U.S. border. That in itself is an ambitious project fur sure, but he’s doing it in A-Z form. He kicked it off yesterday with a look at the career of Adrian Alphona, co-creator of Marvel’s teen superteam Runaways.

Adrian Alphona is known for his intricate linework, incredible grasp of the human figure, as well as a good understanding of teen fashion. Many fans of Runaways have commented that the characters actually look like people you could find in Los Angeles, the city which provides the primary setting for the title.

A-Z of Canadian Comic Book Creators looks to continue with 25 more profiles of north-of-the-border comics people, so now it’s time to start taking bets on whether he’ll be able to find that many Canadian creators with the appropriate letters in their names.

No pressure, Edward, no pressure…

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