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World Horror and World Fantasy Award Winners Announced

  • News
  • November 3, 2008

The  International Horror Guild Awards, which recognize outstanding achievements in the field of horror and dark fantasy, were announced on Halloween (naturally). The Awards, first presented in 1994, will cease to be after this year.

Novel: The Terror by Dan Simmons

Long Fiction: Softspoken by Lucius Shepard

Mid-Length Fiction: "Closet Dreams" by Lisa Tuttle

Short Fiction: "Honey in the Wound" by Nancy Etchemendy

Fiction Collection: Dagger Key and Other Stories by Lucius Shepard

Anthology: Inferno, Ellen Datlow, ed.

Periodical: Postscripts

Illustrated Narrative: The Nightmare Factory, Thomas Ligotti (creator/writer), Joe Harris and Stuart Moore (writers), Ben Templesmith, Michael Gaydos, Colleen Doran and Ted McKeever (illustrators)

Nonfiction: Mario Bava: All the Colors of Dark by Tim Lucas

Art: Elizabeth McGrath for "The Incurable Disorder"

IHG Living Legend: Peter Straub

Fantasy Award Winners Named

Sunday night at the World Fantasy Convention in Calgary, the winners for this year’s World Fantasy Awards were announced.

Novel: Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay

Novella: Illyria by Elizabeth Hand

Short Story: "Singing of Mount Abora" by Theodora Goss

Anthology: Inferno, Ellen Datlow, ed.

Collection: Tiny Deaths by Robert Shearman

Artist: Edward Miller

Special Award, Professional: Peter Crowther (for PS Publishing)

Special Award, Non-Professional: Midori Snyder and Terri Windling (for Endicott Studios’ Web site)

Life Achievement: Leo and Diane Dillon, Patricia McKillip

John Rogers Adds ‘Leverage’ to Workload

  • News
  • November 3, 2008

Blue Beetle writer John Rogers has created and will executive produce Leverage for TNT. The other executive producers include Dean Devlin (Independence Day) and Chris Downey (The King of Queens) for Electric Entertainment.

According to a studio press release, “As a former stand-up comic with a degree in Physics, Rogers uses subtle comedy, high-tech gadgetry, movie-like theatrics and superhero talents in each of his scripts for Leverage. The up-and-coming ensemble cast, led by Academy Award Winner, Timothy Hutton, brings Rogers’ words and storylines to life. This caper show follows a team of thieves, grifters and hackers who act as modern-day Robin Hoods, using their specialized talents to steal from the rich and give back to the regular guys. Much like the thrilling twists and turns found in Blue Beetle and Transformers, Leverage offers high-octane energy with every heist!”

The series will also star Gina Bellman (Jekyll), Christian Kane (Angel), Beth Riesgraf (Alvin and the Chipmunks), Aldis Hodge (Supernatural), and Mark Sheppard (Battlestar Galactica)

Rogers’ writing career began as a Story Editor on Cosby and has included work for Sci Fi Channel’s Eureka, the failed WB pilot adapting WildStorm’s Global Frequency, and the telefilm Red Skies. He was also a screenwriter on Michael Bay’s Transformers and 2004’s Catwoman.

Rogers joined Keith Giffen as co-writer on the latest incarnation of the Blue Beetle and then became sole writer.  The current version, a teenaged Latino, will be seen on the first episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, airing November 14.  Leverage will debut on TNT on December 7 at 10 p.m.
 

Sony in Talks to Co-Finance ‘Tintin’

  • News
  • November 3, 2008

tintin-6981505When last we left Tintin, he and Snowy were facing an uncertain future as the famed directors Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson wanted to turn his graphic novel adventures into at least two live-action films.  The forces of corporate evil, though, saw to it that DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures were split asunder, leaving financing for the films up in the air.

Sony, like a white knight, has ridden to the rescue.  According to the scribes at Variety, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Paramount Pictures are now discussing terms to allow them to co-finance the digital 3-D films together.

The hero, created by Belgian artist Georges Remi (a.k.a. Herge), had first thought that Universal Studios, new home to DreamWorks would partner up to ensure audiences around the world got to thrill to his exploits.  Instead, Universal balked so Paramount told Spielberg and Jackson they would front the full $135 million budget in exchange for better profit-sharing terms.  Now it was the directors’ turn to balk forcing Paramount to seek assistance.

The Sony-Paramount deal would be the first film only and would grant Sony international distribution rights while Paramount would retain North American rights in addition to distribution deals in selected English-speaking countries.

While the cash has begun tof low once more, there remains concern over production commencing, as planned, in the fall.  Thomas Sangster, the human selected to portray the teen hero, left the project.  Spielberg remains optimistic they will recast, shoot and still make their 2010 release date. Jackson would then direct a second film.

Although DreamWorks is now no longer a participant, the principal players remain somewhat enmeshed in their lives.  Jackson has delivered The Lovely Bones to DreamWorks which Paramount will release in 2009.

‘Hulk: Gamma Corps’ Animated Series Canceled

  • News
  • November 3, 2008

Tooznone reports that Marvel Animation has confirmed the cancelation of the Hulk: Gamma Corps animated series.

Instead, much of the story development will find its way into the recently announced The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes series.

Hulk: Gamma Corps was originally announced last year as a tie-in with the Incredible Hulk film. The series was in active pre-production when the Avengers concept got approved and it was felt the two should be combined according to Joshua Fine, Director of Animation Development for Marvel Animation.

"It became apparent to us that the creative work that was being done to bring Hulk’s world and his villains to life was too good to relegate to his universe alone, and would be much better suited as part of an full-on Avengers scenario," Fine told Toonzone.

The Avengers animated series will arrive on television in fall 2011, after the live-action Avengers film debuts in July.  The feature film is currently thought to feature the heroes gathering together to bring stop the Hulk’s threat once and for all. That theme will be played out in the animated series.

Review: ‘Berlin: City of Smoke’ by Jason Lutes

  • Uncategorized
  • November 3, 2008

Berlin, Book Two: City of Smoke
By Jason Lutes
Drawn & Quarterly, September 2008, $19.95

More than ten years ago, Jason Lutes began serializing his long graphic novel [[[Berlin]]] in a comic of the same name. Making long-form comics is long, hard work – more like an ultramarathon than any other art form – and this year finally sees the publication of the second part of that story. Even now, the end is still probably four or five years away –although we can certainly know what will happen in Berlin, and guess what will happen to these people, as 1929 slides into ‘30 into ‘31.

Berlin is a dense, complicated story with a large cast of characters, told in a naturalistic, cinematic way, without identifying captions or explanatory notes. That keeps from slowing down the reading experience, and the characters are always recognizable – but it does make it hard to review the book, when I realize that “the Jewish orphan girl” was probably named twice in the entire two hundred pages. (And with two different names at that.)

Berlin takes place in the last days of the post-Great War Weimar Republic, and its implicit theme is the battle between fascism and communism. (Given the time and the place, one need not even pause a moment to guess which side Lutes comes down on. This is unfortunate, though – and more so the more a reader knows about history – since we all know the fascists will win, and that things aren’t going to get better for a long time. And even if the Communists flee to the Soviet Union, they won’t escape the Nazis that way – much less escape oppression, war, and mass death.) The characters are mostly at the lower end of middle-class, if not outright poor, with some secondary characters higher up the income ladder, and they also tend to be outcasts and bohemians of one sort or another: musicians, reporters, artists, lesbians, Jews, tramps, black Americans. Again, one notes that these are all people who will not fare well under Nazi rule.

(more…)

et-doonesbury

‘Doonesbury’ says Obama Won

  • News
  • November 3, 2008

et-doonesburyDoonesbury was the first media source to call tomorrow’s election for Barack Obama.  Garry Trudeau delivered strips via the Universal Press Syndicate last Wednesday including one for Wednesday where soldiers in Iraq are seen watching a television where the announcer calls the election for the Illinois Senator.

Newspaper editors around the country have been put in a difficult position considering the pages that normally run the strip tend to close long before the polls. There’s concern of looking silly should Arizona Senator John McCain be declared the victor.

When queried by the Los Angeles Times about this, the comic strip’s creator Garry Trudeau replied, “polling data gives McCain a 3.7% chance of victory. There’s a greater risk that their presses will break down on Election Day. So I’ve been encouraging editors to choose hope over fear. And reminding them that if I’m wrong, it’ll be my face that’ll be covered with egg, not theirs.

I’d be a lot more worried about the country than the strip. One reporter has already suggested I just carry on with an alternative universe in which Obama wins. It’s not a crazy idea . . . "

McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds told the paper, "We hope the strip proves to be as predictive as it is consistently lame."

Nervous newspaper editors were offered repeats of August comic strips to run the remainder of the week.  Ther’s no knowing howmany of the 1400 clients will carry the strip or cave in and go with the repeat. Opinion among editors nationwide has been diverse although not as divisive as the opponents have been.

"I thought it was funny," said Michael Weinstein, features editor for the Charlotte Observer in North Carolina. "But it’s an accuracy issue. We won’t know the outcome of the election until Wednesday.

"It’s just a matter of humor. Is the strip funny if McCain wins? Satire humor is a real difficult subject."

The Chicago Tribune’s Tim Bannon said, "we are reserving the option of running the strip on Wednesday, but we of course would not typeset until we confirmed the result of the election." The Cleveland Plain-Dealer is running the strip as is. "If he’s wrong, he’s wrong," said Debbie Van Tassel, assistant managing editor/features.

Editor John Robinson agrees and wrote at the News and Record of Greensboro NC’s blog, “Risky? Reckless? Not for a cartoonist, but there’s some discussion on the journalism listservs that suggests that this assumed outcome of Tuesday’s election is a limb too far for newspapers.”

"I don’t understand that concern, given Trudeau’s cartooning history," he adds. "I’m thinking that if McCain wins, the embarrassment is Trudeau’s, not ours. Isn’t there anyone who doesn’t think he’s liberal? Besides, if McCain does win, just imagine how much fun it will be to watch how Trudeau handles the turnabout.”

The Los Angeles Times announced they were hedging their bets, not running the strip Wednesday but Thursday if Obama wins. Should McCain win, they will opt for the repeat strips through Friday.
 

patrick-stewart-ian-mckellen-x-men-001-5823444

‘X-Men’ Are ‘Waiting For Godot’

  • News
  • November 3, 2008

patrick-stewart-ian-mckellen-x-men-001-5823444If you’re not based in England but need a reason to travel to London, well, here you go. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are about to share the stage together.

That’s right, homeboys! Magneto and Professor Xavier have mutually knocked over their respective king pieces, deciding on a "gray" middle ground over a "black" or "white" dominant party, and are starring alongside one another for an on-stage production of Waiting For Godot.

Okay, yeah, before you leave, we’re talking about theater. No major shifts in the sociopolitical dynamics between mankind and mutantkind, but, hey, this is pretty close.

The two well known thespians, who shared the silver screen with each other as Erik Lansherr and Charles Xavier in the X-Men trilogy, will star alongside each other in Waiting For Godot on The West End, according to Variety.

The trade reports, "Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart will topline a Brit production of Waiting for Godot that will launch a U.K. tour in March ahead of an April bow at the Theater Royal Haymarket."

American audiences will recognize the actors as having shared the screen as nemeses in X-Men, but Stewart and McKellen had previously costarred in Every Good Boy Deserves Favour in 1977.

Waiting For Godot focuses on two men waiting for a man whom they’ve never laid eyes upon before, but know that his presence is incredibly important to their own self-worth. McKellen and Stewart play the two men, Estragon and Vladimir, respectively. The play is written by Samuel Beckett, and despite multiple attempts, has never seen a film adaptation. Waiting for Guffman, filmed and written by Christopher Guest, plays on Godot‘s themes without being a direct knock-off.

If anyone has tickets to London, please direct yourself to ComicMix. We’ll trade you in beets and other various candies.

Two ‘Heroes’ Go Down

  • News
  • November 3, 2008

jeph-loeb-2007-1346170If you thought Uatu’s jaw dislocation was surprising, wait until you’ve heard this one… Jeph Loeb is no longer involved with Heroes.

The producer of NBC’s television epic and the frequent comic book writer has been axed from the daily ongoings of Heroes, according to Variety. Jesse Alexander of Alias fame is also off the series, says the trade. Both Loeb and Alexander were day-to-day managers of the show under the direction of creator/executive producer Tim Kring since season one.

No reasons are listed as to why the two producers have been kicked off the show, though it’s no secret that Heroes has been disparaged since the debut of its second season. The show, now in its third year, promised a departure from the formulaic nature of its sophomore season, and with consistent critical hammering, a hardcore decision was bound to be made to save the series’ financial future. The departures of Loeb and Alexander are likely seen as moves to fit that bill.

Jeph Loeb has made a career in the super-hero industry. His graphic novels Batman: The Long Halloween and Batman: Dark Victory, in particular, have gained him critical acclaim, as has his work on Superman: For All Seasons. He’s also known for his work on the "color-centric" comic books over at Marvel Comics, specifically Hulk: Gray, Spider-Man: Blue, Daredevil: Yellow and the forthcoming Captain America: White. Loeb, whose best known super-hero work may be his collaboration with artist Jim Lee on Batman: Hush, had been involved with Heroes from the show’s beginning.

Loeb’s frequent collaborator Tim Sale, who illustrated both much of Loeb’s comic output starting with Challengers of the Unknown, is the artist behind the show’s frequent "future-telling" paintings such as those by Isaac Mendes or the newly introduced African painter. Whether or not Loeb’s departure will influence Sale’s continued work remains to be seen.

Whether or not Heroes, which suffered poor ratings during its strike shortened second season, will be negatively effected by the apparent removal of Loeb and Alexander remains to be seen. However, given that the show should be "King of the Jungle" but has merely kept its head above water in the midst of poor ratings, a true reckoning for Heroes remains to be seen.

The Last Word, by Mike Gold

  • News
  • November 3, 2008

Norman Mingo’s iconic image of Alfred E. Neuman was first used by Mad Magazine back in 1956 as comment upon the Eisenhower / Stevenson election or, more to the point, in parody of the typical Time magazine cover of its time. Mingo’s Alf is still in use to this day; as is the struggle between the donkey and elephant also depicted on that cover.

We’ve had presidents and presidential elections in comics since the staple was first applied to cheap newsprint. Recently we’ve had Lex Luthor as president in the DC universe, and Stephen Colbert running for the same job in the Marvel universe. The president is one of the most important of the American icons, perhaps even moreso than Alfred E. Neuman.

Tomorrow is Election Day, and you will be asked to pick from at least two clear and distinctive voices. Whichever candidate wins, his impact on our future will be immense. Your voice is needed. As an American citizen, voting is your highest obligation.

I don’t care who you vote for (well, actually, I do, but that’s not the point right now), as long as you make your voice heard. You might think your state is already committed to one candidate or another. History shows us you are wrong. You might think your one vote doesn’t matter. History shows us you are wrong.

Even if your candidate has no chance of winning, make your voice heard. For example, let’s say you are a Libertarian interested in voting for Bob Barr. You probably think he doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning. You would probably be right. But if the Libertarian Party gets noticeable support at the polls, even 5% of the popular vote in your state, we will have taken a significant step towards freeing ourselves from the two party system that severely limits our choice and our future.

You might think all of the candidates are idiots; that none of them deserves your support. Fine. Make your voice heard. Vote for the person you think best represents your point of view, even if that’s a write-in. You might think Bun E. Carlos would be the best person for the job (he’s my #2 choice); fine. Make your voice heard. (more…)

‘Jew-Jitsu’ Promises to Keep you Safe

  • Uncategorized
  • November 3, 2008

jew-jitsucover-7679007Pop culture sees a plethora of imitators.  Chicken Soup’s endless variations comes to mind as beating a concept to death.  The ones that stand out, that beg for attention, are the ones at the head of the wave.

Will Jew-Jitsu: The Hebrew Hands of Fury be such a trend-setter?  We don’t know but we’re awfully amused to be seeing former DC Comics and Weekly World News exec Paul Kupperberg co-writing this tongue-in-cheek self-defense book.  Just out from Citadel Press, the 114-page illustrated volume is ostensibly written by Rabbi Daniel Eliezer and promises to show how the tefillin and Tallis can be used as defense weapons.

With clear images from photographer Robert Michael Simses, you can learn how to avoid trouble but when there’s no choice, you’re shown exactly how to find your chai and deliver deadly blows. (See if you can spot ComicMix contributor Ric Meyers in some shots.)

This step-by-step guide takes you through the "Eighteen Forms" of meditation to mastering complex martial arts moves such as "Receiving the Torah," "Throwing of the Star of David" and "The Deadly Punch in the Kishkes."

"The secret to humor," he told the Stamford Times, "is introducing an element of reality that people can relate to, and from there you branch off into crazy."

Kupperberg’s writing is breezy and he thoughtfully provides a glossary for people less than familiar with Yiddish. Heck, there’s even a recipe for Challah bread so what’s not to love. For $12.95, what’s not like?

Let’s wait and see if the Mormons offer up their own self-defense tome.

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