Category: News

Happy Fourth of July

0703_allamerican4-4995991Happy Independence Day, comicdom!

Here’s hoping everyone out there is well stocked with food to grill, beers (preferably Yuengling, from "America’s Oldest Brewery") to down and fireworks to potentially blow off your fingers. All that, a few Uncle Sam or Captain America comics, and you’re well stocked.

And make sure you wear that American flag lapel pin, lest you be mistaken for a terrorist. In a pinch, a Texas flag works too.

It’s a big day for me, but not for any comics reason. Or any patriotic reason either.

My wife and I first met while watching the big Fourth display during a break from our newspaper jobs. Fireworks.

Is You Stupid? by Michael Davis

 

I have no real theme this week but I’d like to share some random thoughts. These are some of the things that make me ask…is you stupid? Not to be confused with “Are you stupid?” Is you stupid is a much better way to express my frustration. Just saying is you stupid sounds right in some situations. It lets the person you are talking to know they are stupid but… with a smile.

Not to long ago a good friend of mine called me and asked me to take a look at a project. It was not his project, he was shopping it around for a hotshot TV producer. I was told that this project would make a great comic book series and I was asked if I would get involved and present it to some publishers.

I have been lucky enough to close some major deals with major publishers and know some power brokers. This is outside of comic book publishers, which are no longer the only game in town for comics. As I write this I’m on a plane to New York City for a meeting with Harper Collins Publishers. I’ve been selling comic book universes to major publishers since 1996. The Action Files, a series I created, has been a Simon & Schuster universe since 1997. I’m proud to say that I saw the trend with comics and major publishers before it was a trend.

Anywho, my friend of almost twenty years tells me that he has a series that will be bigger than The Matrix. It was created by a big time producer and they want me involved. Truth be told I don’t really do a lot of pitching of other people’s projects anymore. It’s simply too much trouble. If I don’t create it, then I have little incentive to try and get it sold. As I said – too much trouble. My only exception these days is introducing young talented creators to people who may be able to help them. Help with advise for the most part because that is sorely lacking in our field.

So I’m pitched this series that will be “bigger than The Matrix!” and…

It sucked.

I mean really sucked as in very bad. So I ask you what do you do? Do I say, “Wow. That sucked?” Nah that would be insensitive and you know me. I’m Mr. Sensitivity. Or perhaps I say “My god, this is worst than that sitcom about slavery (a real show) that was on TV for half an episode before the network put down the crack pipe and realized what they put on the air.”

  (more…)

Xbox LIVE Adds DC Comics Network

As if Dark Knight, Wanted, Hulk, and Iron Man gamerpics weren’t enough, the Xbox LIVE online video game service has announced a plethora of DC Comics content for your Xbox 360.

The DC Comics Network will be a one-stop shopping location on the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace for superhero media to play on your Xbox 360 game system. To celebrate the launch, they’re offering stellar gamerpics of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and the DC Swirl. (Gamerpics are pictures attached to your Xbox online profile to represent you when playing other gamers.) Imagine evil gamers quaking in fear when they find they’re going to play against the Justice League. Cheaters are a superstitious and cowardly lot.

After p0wning bad guys, relax with all the superhero digital downloads you can buy for a reasonable price.

And coming July 8th, Batman: Gotham Knight, the Batman direct-to-DVD animated feature will also be available for download. (Click here for our ComicMix review of Batman: Gotham Knight.) An exclusive clip is available right now for the Xbox.

Haven’t bought an Xbox 360 yet? If you’re considering it, multiple leaks have all but confirmed that a price drop to $299.99 for the system (the one with the hard drive to download video content) will be coming in mid-July.

ComicMix Radio: Dealing A ‘Royal Flush’

Looking for some quick, fun beach reading that covers comics, movies, indie music, comedy, web radio and more? We take a look at Royal Flush Magazine, plus:

— Invincible scores a sell-out

— Flash gets a boost from a TV scribe

— More on those nifty Collection Drawers and a cool new product you will want, too!

Inside the mind of Gary Busey? Really? Press the button if you dare!

 

 

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-4976740 or RSS!

‘DC Universe Online’ Wants To Be Your MySpace Friend

Just last week, Jim Lee dropped some details on Sony Online Entertainment’s MMO videogame based on DC Comics. We made a wish that screenshots would be soon to follow.

Well, consider that wish granted!

This week’s batch of DC comics featured links to a MySpace page showcasing the first public images of the much-discussed game.

dcu1-1158391

If you’re eagerly anticipating the upcoming PC and PlayStation 3 game, then head on over to www.myspace.com/dcuo for tons o’ details on DC Universe Online.

In addition to screenshots (which we’ve posted after the jump) the site also features developer interviews, Jim Lee concept art, wallpapers, and buddy icons. You might also want to add the social networking page to your Friends List because Sony is sponsoring contests for anyone who makes the game one of their "Top Friends."

But will DC Universe Online comment on my page about that time we got drunk and went to McDonald’s at 2:00 AM? Good times…. good times. (more…)

Amid Controversy, Platinum Studios Announces ‘Challenge’ Top 50

herobynightcover1-series-6355909You have to at least admire the resilience of Platinum Studios. Even as they’re raked over the coals for not paying the winner of a past Comic Book Challenge, they push ahead with the 2008 event.

At the Comic Book Challenge Web site, they’ve announced the top 50 in this year’s competition, who will fight on for the right to have their book published by Platinum.

The top 50 entrants, who include people from as far away as India, Singapore and Argentina, will now submit video pitches to be judged by a celebrity panel of industry and Hollywood insiders at a secret location in early August. Platinum Studios will sign the winner to a publishing deal, which will include print, online and mobile. In addition, the company will seek opportunities to develop the property for film and television.

“Moving the contest completely online this year opened it up to many more people, truly making this a worldwide event in which anyone can participate,” notes Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, chairman and CEO of Platinum Studios. “And the wide geographic diversity of the Top 50 is a testament to that.”

Meanwhile, Hero by Night creator DJ Coffman, who won an earlier challenge, writes on his blog that he finally got paid what he was due from Platinum. All it took was dragging Platinum’s lack of payment into public, where the publisher was denigrated en masse.

Fed Ex showed up with a check from Platinum paying me up to date anything that was owed to me, so that whole issue is over with. I’m glad they paid me, and honestly none of this would have blown up for me if I hadn’t nearly lost my house and life banking on or trusting that money would show up on time. It is what it is though, and I learned a valuable lesson that there is no job security anywhere, no matter what a piece of paper says. The envelope included a letter saying my “consultant” agreement with them was terminated as of today, which is fine with me, because in my mind it was terminated when checks never really showed up on time in the terms of that agreement.

Joss Whedon Talks ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Future

buffy16-revisedthumb-1898091Over at MTV, Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon talks about the big new direction for the comic book series, which sees Buffy and crew going off into the future.

In case, like me, you don’t hold a Ph.D. from Whedon University, it’s a good primer on all the implications that take hold with issue 16 (cover at right). In the issue, Buffy and Willow go to New York as a mystic event messes with time, into the world of Fray.

"The world of Fray has been a huge influence, in fact, the influence on season eight," Whedon said. "At the end of the series, I had something that categorically did not connect, and rather than throw out continuity, I used that. The present is so interesting with tons of slayers, and the future as we know it is quite the opposite. So why is that? And is that the death of magic?"

There’s also this, which is sure to set some nerdy hearts aflutter:

Also, we’ll be seeing a naked Willow soon.

"I had my fiancee pose for that one," [artist Karl] Moline said of the drawing. "It’ll be a nice, special-looking pose."

"It’ll be tasteful, unless he does it the way I wrote it," Whedon laughed. Don’t assume it’s another sex scene with Buffy, but something is about to happen that will rock the Scoobies’ world. "Things really start to change after the Fray story arc," Whedon said, "and the next thing we’ll be doing is seeing that from various points of view, with stand-alone issues dealing with larger issues of the world of the slayer and Twilight. There’s someone in the picture who hasn’t been there before, and the trick is, what’s the most unexpected, and who’s the most obvious and where’s the most pain?"

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…)

Animated ‘The Goon’ in the Works?

0c66de68-5677650David Fincher must love comic books, judging by the number of properties he’s optioned recently. Now add one more, as Slash Film is reporting that Fincher has picked up the rights to Eric Powell’s The Goon and plans to make a CG animated feature of it.

The Goon is a mob heavy living in a nameless town who fights against zombies, robots, giant lizards and other assorted nastiness. It’s gained quite a bit of popularity — and some awards — for its mix of horror and humor.

Fincher likely will just be a producer on the project, as he has quite a bit else to keep him busy.

It wasn’t specified whether Fincher, who is expected to lock up the Oscars with December’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, would direct. One would assume not, but clearly his interest in genre fare is strong. He remains attached to direct a live-action adaptation of the STD-horror graphic novel Black Hole from screenwriters Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary. Farther back in Fincher’s fridge is Image Comics’ Torso.

According to the story, Blur Studio will be handling the animation.

The Weekly Haul: Comics Reviews for July 3, 2008

Things looked dour headed into the comics shop this week, but several books came out of left field and left me impressed. Rare that happens anymore when books get chewed over ad nauseum before they even hit shelves.

So let’s celebrate this special little week, when the comics followed in the tradition of the grand U.S. of A. and liberated themselves from suckiness.

Book of the Week: Joker’s Asylum #1 — When it comes to the Joker, there are a few staple stories. And probably the most generic is Joker taking over a giant game show and threatening the kidnapped contestants with death.

So when this book — which comes across like a clear cash-in on the upcoming Dark Knight film — started off with that premise, I could only think, “Not again.” That obvious bent is all set up, though, and writer Arvid Nelson swings the story in a direction that’s not only surprising, it’s also genuinely subversive.

The Joker’s target is the “innocent,” just not the contestants. He spares them (despite their idiocy), instead taking aim at a malevolent producer and the audience at home.

For anyone who bemoans the fact that thoughtful quiz shows are being swiftly pushed out of prominence by the like of Deal or No Deal, this is a story you’ll love. Alex Sanchez also offers a very new art style that’s scrawling but effective.

And the climactic line is a doozy: “Who’s the real sicko, America?” Indeed.

Runners-Up:

High Rollers #1 and Station #1 — Two new series from Boom! Studios, and both really shine. Station is a horror story set on an international space station, but at least so far there are no monsters or science fiction. The sizzle is all of the interpersonal type, as regional differences burn like a solar flare and one astronaut ends up killed.

High Rollers, from mystery writer Gary Phillips, is a Sopranos-like look at the rise of an L.A. crime lord. While the art in the first issue is too clean for the source material, Phillips keeps the story humming along as his antihero CQ starts to see the ugly side of a life in crime.

Astonishing X-Men #25 — After the disappointing dragging-on-forever conclusion to Joss Whedon’s run, I was all set to give up on this book, especially after learning it would be part of the listless X-Men’s current continuity. Then I started reading it. Credit Warren Ellis with taking this book back to the characters, focusing skillfully on their relationships and putting together a great comic, even though nothing much really happens.

I’m still not sure about Simone Bianchi’s take on the art, though I love how experimental he’s being with design. And if the words, “Chaparanga, where alien spaceships go to die,” doesn’t make you excited for next issue, I don’t think we can be friends. (more…)

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