Comic book fan Charlie Meyerson, currently a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, helped assemble a photo gallery of infamously recalled comic books. We direct your attention to their website.
Not every title included here was recalled nor is this list in any way complete. But in the wake of last week’s recall and reprinting of Action Comics #869, All-Star Batman & Robin #10, and DC: Decisions #1, it was a good time to go tripping down memory lane.
Eoin Colfer, best known for the Artemis Fowl series, has been tapped to write new novels set in Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Adams’ widow, Jane Belson, personally selected the author.
According to a profile at the BBC, Colfer said the opportunity was akin to "being offered the superpower of your choice".
Penguin International will make the announcement in London today including the news that the new book will be titled And Another Thing… to be published in October 2009. Colfler joins a growing list of authors brought on to write works in another author’s world, a practice that has seen very mixed results from John Gardner’s underwhelming James Bond pastiches to Alexander Ripley’s hated sequel to Gone with the Wind.
Years ago, Adams said, "I suspect at some point in the future I will write a sixth Hitchhiker book…I would love to finish Hitchhiker on a slightly more upbeat note.
"Five seems to be a wrong kind of number; six is a better kind of number."
There are already 16 million copies of the five books in print in addition to television, radio, and film adaptations.
Time Inc. is hoping to do for magazines what Netflix has done for movies and if successful, could open a new avenue for comic book readers. Maghound has opened up, allowing people to subscribe to tiers of magazines for reading. It has opened up a beta site with 240 titles from not only Time Inc. but also Men’s Health, ELLE, Martha Stewart Living, Maxim, Ladies Home Journal, Parents, Better Homes & Gardens, Woman’s Day, Best Life, Popular Science, Prevention, Runner’s World, Women’s Health, VIBE, Car and Driver, PC Magazine, Gardening and Bicycling.
At present, no comic books, including any from sister division DC Comics, are available for purchase. Mad Kids, though, is available.
A reader can choose one of four tiers starting with three titles for $4.95 per month up to eight or more titles for $1 each per month. A reader can alter which titles read month to month so a first-timer could try Time, Runner’s World and PC Magazine then the following month swap out PC for ELLE. Should a title not be published monthly, the site will offer substitute selections.
The site was in development for four years and was announced about a year back. When the launch date was announced, they had expected 280 titles so this comes in under estimates.
“It’s vital for circulators even more so than ever in this economy to test innovative new ideas," Peter Winn, director of planning and development, consumer marketing for Bonnier Corporation, told Folio Magazine. "Maghound has potential to be an important program for the industry and that is why Bonnier is in."
With the Emmy Awards four days away, much so being made of the main event although many awards have already been given out.
The 2008 Creative Arts Emmys were presented and among the winners of note include:
Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or More went to the “Imaginationland” special episode of South Park while the less-than-one-hour category went to The Simpsons’ “Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind”.
The guest acting awards were presented to Cynthia Nixon as Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series went to Kathryn Joosten for ABC’s Desperate Housewives. Joosten, one of our favorite character actors, notched her second win as Karen McCluskey. Accepting her statuette, Joosten declared, “This solves a problem. I have two sons, and now they don’t need to fight over which one gets this when I die.”
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series went to Glynn Turman for HBO’s In Treatment; and Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series went to Tim Conway for NBC’s 30 Rock.
The awards for Interactive Media were presented by Evan and Gregg Spiridelis of the online media company JibJab Inc. The award for fiction went to nbc.com’s Heroes Digital Experience. The nonfiction award went to Disney Channel Games Digital Media Event from the ABC Television Group, Creative Asylum and Walt Disney Internet Group.
Slash Film is reporting that Clark Duke has been added to Kick-Ass’ cast as Marty, the would-be hero’s civilian pal. Duke has been previously seen on the internet series Drunk History Part 2, television’s Greek, and will next appear in the October comedy Sex Drive.
Moviehole’s description of Marty says he’s: “About 17, a chubby Caucasian high school student who loves comic books. He is Dave’s funny best friend. Together with Dave and Todd, he loves to go to comic book stores, and checks out the latest issues, while talking about school, girls, the futility of teenaged life, and the exciting adventures of MySpace insta-celebrity Kickass. He never suspects that Kickass is in fact Dave Lizewski — and neither would you if you knew Dave.”
A total of $53,455 has been raised by the Siegel and Shuster Society’s fund raising efforts after just two weeks. The $50,000 goal for exterior repairs to Jerry Siegel’s’ boyhood home was exceeded after week two’s auction haul of $18,996. Two more weeks of auction will proceed while t-shirt sales will continue. Once the auction ends, work will begin on both the exterior and interior of the home.
Marvel’s Digital Comics will begin original material for the first time, with two strips based on this year’s movies, Iron Man and Incredible Hulk. In fact, the content will be based on the film versions not the comic book continuities so as to appeal to a wider audience. The stories will run weekly, with new installments showing up on Wednesday, the traditional “new comic day”.
Iron Man: Fast Friends, starting tomorrow, is said to focus on the relationship between Tony Stark and Jim Rhodes. It’s written by Paul Tobin, with art by Ronan Cliquet and covers by Dave Bullock.
Incredible Hulk: The Fury Files, launching October 8, will feature Nick Fury investigating Bruce Banner. It’s written by Frank Tieri, with art by Salva Espin and covers by Steve Lieber.
Both strips are timed to the impending DVD releases of the films with Iron Man due September 30 and Incredible Hulk due out October 21.
Between Friends, an internationally syndicated comic strip, will tackle a spousal abuse storyline between now and November. The strip, conceived in 1994 by Canadian cartoonist Sandra Bell-Lundy, is carried in 140 papers via King Features Syndicate.
The strip, according to its website, is a contemporary comic strip that celebrates the essence and angst of three forty-something women friends. Maeve, Susan, and Kimberly have evolved with time, ala For Better or For Worse, with Susan and Kimberly now parents.
The mostly humorous strip is veering into serious territory for a change because "a friend of mine was involved in this type of situation when she was in her early 20s," the cartoonist told Editor & Publisher. Bell-Lundy. "She confided in me years later…." Bell-Lundy did field research, visiting women’s shelters to gain insight before embarking on the story.
Bluewater Productions has added William Shatner to their growing line of celebrity endorsed comic books. Following in the footsteps of Ray Harryhausen, Vincent Price and Roger Corman, Shatner will have comics based on his novels including Man O’ War and Quest for Tomorrow. These will be published as miniseries, continuing the stories with talent yet to be announced.
His TekWar, written with Ron Goulart and an unnamed fourth title round out the commitment between the actor and the publisher. TekWar will also be a continuation. All four are scheduled to come out in the first quarter of 2009, available in comic shops as the hoopla surrounding the reboot of Star Trek edges towards its May 8 release.
The TekWar universe was adapted previously by Marvel Comics in the early 1990s and ran for 24 issues, written solely by Goulart. Darren G. Davis, president of Bluewater, has promised the ongoing series will be more faithful to the source material which ran in nine novels. It was also adapted as four telefilms and a one-season syndicated series starring Greg Evigan.
Bluewater’s publisher Darren Davis said in a release, “Mr. Shatner is a savvy businessman and a creative mastermind. We’re honored to be partnering with him and are confident our efforts will create comic books both his fans and ours will embrace.”
“With all of these comics, I have final approval," Shatner told the Los Angeles Times. "This is not a licensing arrangement; this will be me involved very directly throughout the process. They are going to do adaptations of my ideas and also sequels; they will be in the stores in March of 2009. I loved comics as a kid. I used to sit under the sheets with a flashlight and read Superman when I was six in Montreal and now, with the comics as they are today, it’s thrilling, really.”
Of the old Gold Key comic adaptations of Star Trek, Shatner enthused, "Oh, they were great. They always made me look so skinny."
This is how a rumor starts. A star visits a studio and is spotted leaving, carrying something that might be indicative of something new. In this case, someone spotted Eva Longoria visiting the offices of Marvel Studios and was seen walking out with a stack of comics. Suddenly, the spies at Film School Rejects has concluded she had a preliminary meeting to discuss her participation as Janet Van Dyne, a.k.a. the Wasp, in the planned 2011 Avengers film.
Could they be right? Sure. Could she have been paying a social call about any number of things? More than likely.
Is this newsworthy? You decide.
Of course, it does give us an excuse to run a picture of her in a wasp-like outfit.
Columns / Glenn Hauman / News
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