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Interview: “Gears of War” Writer Josh Ortega

  • News
  • August 21, 2008

Gears of War is one of the bona fide hits of this generation of high-end videogames. When you want to show your friends (or justify the cost to your significant other) the difference between your Xbox 360 and your last game system, this is the disc you pop in.

Taking place on the planet Sera, Gears of War tells the story of how the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COGs) had just ended a world war when subterranean monsters emerged from the ground. Called the Locusts, the monsters have guns and weapons that rival the COG’s arsenal. The plot centers on the experiences of Marcus Fenix, a military prisoner released to join a war that is not going well.

Veteran comic writer Josh Ortega (Necromancer, Frequencies) was brought onboard by developer Epic Games to work on the story and deepen the Gears universe. He’s become an integral part of the Gears of War 2 team and DC Comics has announced that he’ll be writing the Gears of War comic for their WildStorm imprint. He took a few moments to let us know how the war effort was going.

COMICMIX: For our readers who are not up on all things COG and Locust, can you tell us in your own words whom you are and your involvement in building up the Gears of War universe?

JOSH ORTEGA: I’m the lead writer for Gears of War 2, I write the comic book for DC/WildStorm, and I also consult on the Gears of War franchise. I work closely with Mike Capps (Epic President), Cliff Bleszinski (Design Director), Rod Fergusson (Senior Producer), and the crew at Epic Games to make sure everything that I write fits in with what’s going on in the rest of the Gears universe, and vice-versa.

CMix: Why is the story set on the planet Sera? Why not Earth? Is this some sort of past, future, or just an unrelated world with humans on it?

JO: Setting it on a different planet allows for a lot of storytelling freedom. If it was set on Earth, many people would draw parallels where there weren’t any, and by the same token, certain parallels that we do want to draw might feel a bit forced or obvious if we set the story on our own planet.

It also allows us to have freaky creatures like the Locust, which, to the best of my knowledge, do not actually exist on Earth.

 

  (more…)

docspookyinvite-00-5607153

Cory Doctorow and DJ Spooky at CBLDF Mashup

  • Uncategorized
  • August 21, 2008

docspookyinvite-00-5607153While I tend to leave comics-related event promotion in far more capable hands, I couldn’t help but hype this happening that’s kicking off tonight in New York City. Online culture journalist, Internet freedom advocate and BoingBoing.net editor Cory Doctorow (who also happens to have authored IDW’s Futuristic Tales of the Here and Now comic) will be discussing life, the grid and everything with none other than writer/artist/musician Paul Miller (a.k.a. DJ Spooky) with proceeds from the event benefitting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

For online culture geeks like myself, it’s pretty much a must-see discussion that blends comics, ‘Net culture and entertainment, and it all goes toward a pretty respectable cause.

Here’s the info dump from the the CBLDF website:

Cory Doctorow will read and discuss the issues behind his bestselling young adult novel, Little Brother. Addressing internet and government security, censorship, and civil liberties in a post-9/11 near-future atmosphere, Little Brother tackles timely issues while telling a story that’s smart, funny, and jam-packed-with-pop culture nuggets. Doctorow "hopes it’ll inspire you to use technology to make yourself more free." Doctorow is the former European Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties group that works to keep cyberspace free. IDW recently published Cory Doctorow’s Futuristic Tales of the Here and Now a collection of comics based on his cyberpunkiest Sci-fi short stories.

DJ Spooky joins Doctorow to present concepts from Sound Unbound: Sampling Digital Music and Culture, his new book / literary mixtape collecting writing by artists and thinkers including Brian Eno, Jonathan Lethem, Saul Williams, Steve Reich, Moby, Chuck D, and more. "Young artists regard sound as a language they may freely sample to construct new compositions," says DJ Spooky, who, in addition to his own recordings, has collaborated with Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yoko Ono, Kronos Quartet, Kool Keith, Killa Priest from Wu-Tang Clan, and Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth. He also composed and recorded the score for film Slam, starring poet Saul Williams. In 2006, Miller was given access to the vaults of the classic reggae label Trojan Records, producing the compilations In Fine Style, DJ Spooky Presents 50,0000 Volts of Trojan Records!!! and Creation Rebel. Prior to the Trojan works, Miller released Drums of Death, featuring Dave Lombardo of Slayer, Chuck D., & Vernon Reid. He traveled to Antarctica in December 2007 to gather sonic and visual materials for his next large scale work Terra Nova: The Antarctic Suite.

The event begins at 7:30 PM tonight (August 21) at the Helen Mills Theater on 137-139 West 26th Street, NYC. Tickets for this benefit are available now at www.cbldf.org for $20.

If you’re down for the after-party thing, DJ Spooky will also be spinning "a rare small-venue set" at Sutra Lounge on 16 1st Ave at 1st Street. This event benefits the CBLDF, too, and is free if you attend the mashup but will cost you $10 otherwise.

Framing The Question, by John Ostrander

  • News
  • August 21, 2008

There’s a lot of buzz on the Internet this last week stemming from new Image partner Robert Kirkman’s video-taped manifesto calling for … well, I’m not exactly certain what he called for. A subsequent article/interview on Newsarama said it was “a call to arms for fellow creators to focus solely on their original stories, instead of the licensed work from the big two comic book companies, Marvel and DC.” Although he is also quoted later in the article as saying, “I want everyone to understand, I’m not saying no one should aspire to write for Marvel and DC characters … I’m just saying that it shouldn’t be the pinnacle of a comic book career.”

The article adds: “While Kirkman sees contemporary creators who try to do both creator owned works, and books for the big two, he believes they’re hurting their opportunity to succeed with their original stories.” It then quotes Kirkman further: “You can’t put your feet on both sides of the fence you have to take that plunge … if I’m doing Invincible and I’m also writing Spider-Man, and I’m giving fans a choice to try my unknown book, or Spider-Man who they know, they’re going to choose Spider-Man.”

OR … maybe some of those fans try Invincible because they really like what the writer is doing on Spider-Man. The savvy ones follow the talent – whether it’s the writer or the artist. The majority, however, are reading Spider-Man because it’s Spider-Man and it doesn’t matter if a hundred monkeys are typing it – unless the monkeys do something really dumb with it like use a Mephisto ex machina to get rid of a pesky marriage or bring out a clone or something. Stoopid monkey!

The point is … more readers get exposed to the writer as a result of his work on Spider-Man. A fair question to ask is – did the sales go up on Kirkman’s own creator owned books after he started writing the webby wallcrawler at Marvel? If not, then he had no benefit from doing it. If they have gone up, however, then at least part of the reason will be his stint at Marvel.           

As I understand it, Kirkman wants to re-energize/save the comics’ industry. If all the established talent left DC and Marvel, he thinks the two companies would have to “re-focus the majority of their titles to the teen audience.” The established creators would then work on creator owned books, revitalizing the industry. (more…)

Star Trek Comics Go ‘Round and ‘Round

  • News
  • August 20, 2008

According to CBS Consumer Products, the entire Star Trek comic book oeuvre from 1967 through 2002 will be released on a single DVD-ROM disc this September 1st.

The disc, produced by Graphic Imaging Technology, will contain everything published by Gold Key, Marvel, DC, and Malibu. This includes work by Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Dave Cockrum, Tom Sutton, Mike W. Barr, George Pérez, Tony Isabella, Peter David, Robert Greenberger… pretty close to a Who’s Who of comics creators of the past couple decades.

IDW and ToykoPop are the current Trek comics publishers, but their works are not included on this disc. It will be available at big-box electronics stores and wherever better DVD-ROMs are sold.

 

John McCain Hates Dungeons & Dragons?

  • News
  • August 20, 2008

A series of posts on the website for Republican presidential candidate John McCain has gamers up in arms, and has earned attention from some high-profile media outlets for the strange decision to target Dungeons & Dragons players, of all things.

In an August 1 post on the official McCain campaign website, spokesperson Michael Goldfarb said of a recent New York Times blog post:

… in their new role as bloggers, the paper’s editors seem to have all the intelligence and reason of the average Daily Kos diarist sitting at home in his mother’s basement and ranting into the ether between games of dungeons and dragons.

While this mention didn’t generate much commotion at the time, it was Goldfarb’s decision to negatively namecheck D&D a second time just a few weeks later — a day after the end of the popular gaming convention Gen Con — that had everyone (including online culture blog BoingBoing) wondering whether the McCain staffer has some longstanding issues with the popular role-playing game and its fans.

It may be typical of the pro-Obama Dungeons & Dragons crowd to disparage a fellow countryman’s memory of war from the comfort of mom’s basement, but most Americans have the humility and gratitude to respect and learn from the memories of men who suffered on behalf of others.

It sounds to me like someone could never find enough friends to form a party… or maybe he was never allowed to be Dungeon Master. Either way, I can’t help but raise an eyebrow at the decision to make an anti-D&D stance a theme in McCain’s presidential campaign.

Origin of Magneto in New Marvel Knights Series

  • News
  • August 20, 2008

I really enjoyed previous Marvel Knights projects Spider-Man: Reign and Silver Surfer: Requiem, as the pairing of writers, artists and subject matter of each miniseries seemed to really catch lightning in a bottle. I’m not sure that these series fit in with past titles falling under the "Marvel Knights" banner, but I know that they felt like a fresh look at both characters — and that’s saying a lot, given the saturation of Spider-Man and Silver Surfer stories the past few years.

I mention all of this because I can’t help but look forward to next month’s debut of X-Men: Magneto Testament #1, which pairs writer Greg Pak (World War Hulk) with artist Carmine Di Giandomenico, whose work I really enjoyed in Daredevil: Battlin’ Jack Murdock. The five-issue series promises to take a look at the early life of Magneto, and I’m itching to see if the MK crew can capture the same vibe of Reign and Requiem in this one.

Pak told Marvel.com, "Like so many classic Marvel characters, [Magneto] has to grapple with the typical problems of any scrawny outsider: family problems, schoolyard bullies, and first crushes…But every little conflict takes on a terrifying, new dimension as the scope and inexorable advance of the Nazi menace becomes clearer."

The first issue hits shelves September 10, and I’ve posted the Marko Djurdjevic cover to #1 here, with larger versions of the cover and pages posted after the jump. (more…)

“Voltron” Film Moves Forward, “Robotech” in the Works?

  • News
  • August 20, 2008

Variety reported earlier this week that the big-screen adaptation of the popular anime series Voltron: Defender of the Universe has been moved forward into the "turnaround" phase of production, bringing the project no one really expected to see in theaters closer to fruition. According to Variety, a Fox-based financing and production agency is looking to secure a moderate budget for the film, akin to a film like the recent adaptation of Frank Miler’s graphic novel 300.

The film’s producer, Mark Gordon Co., plans to attach a director within the next week to the script written by Justin Marks — a name which seems to be popping up on a long list of adaptations these days, Marks has also authored scripts for a film based on the DC superhero Green Arrow, as well as adapations of the He-Man cartoon and the Hack/Slash series published by Devil’s Due.

Marks’ take is described as a post-apocalyptic tale set in New York City and Mexico, where five survivors of an alien attack band together and end up piloting the five lion-shaped robots that combine and form the massive sword-wielding Voltron that helps battle Earth’s invaders.

Also of note is a mention at the end of the Variety article that Voltron was one of several "giant robot" stories optioned after the success of Transformers in theaters. Warner Bros. secured the rights to another 1980s anime series with a massive, loyal fanbase in North America, Robotech.

You can read a review of the Voltron: Defender of the Universe script over at The Latino Review, which gave Mark’s adaptation of the series amazingly high marks.

And just in case you’re feeling nostalgic, YouTube has the <a href=”

opening from the 1980s Voltron series.

Tom Cruise Considers “Sleeper” Adaptation

  • News
  • August 20, 2008

The Hollywood Reporter recently indicated that Tom Cruise has taken a fancy to Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ gritty superhero-noir series Sleeper, and seems inclined to set the adaptation project up at Warner Bros. with Sam Raimi tagged as producer. Cruise has been "loosely" attached to star in the big-screen version of the DC/Wildstorm title, which was one of the more adult-fare comics to come out of the publisher in recent years.

However, with all of the hub-bub surrounding the Warner Bros. adaptation of Watchmen these days, THR reports that the studio is being meticulous with its pursuit of the rights to Sleeper.

Even if Cruise opts not to do "Sleeper," his interest in the project is propelling it forward, despite complicated rights issues that must be sorted out. Raimi and Donen have long been fans of the book, and the project could have found homes at Sony and Regency if those issues hadn’t been so complex.

"Sleeper" takes place in the same publishing universe as other Wildstorm books, and integrally featured characters from the company’s flagship title "WildC.A.T.s" as well as characters from another book, "Gen 13."

Here’s an aspect of the story that’s also of note — apparently, Sleeper isn’t the only Wildstorm title being considered for adaptation:

Both "WildC.A.T.s" and "Gen 13" had been set up at different places around town and some of those deals were made before DC bought the imprint in 1999.

It’s a tangled web for sure, but of all the series being optioned lately, this one seems like an entirely viable story for the big screen. Although one has to wonder whether they’ll tone down the high level of violence and sexual themes in the story… and if so, will it still pack the punch that made it a favorite of so many readers (including myself)?

Review: ‘Red Colored Elegy’ by Seiichi Hayashi

red-colored-elegy-8097679Red Colored Elegy
By Seiichi Hayashi
Drawn & Quarterly, July 2008, $24.95

[[[Red Colored Elegy]]] is like no other manga you’ve ever seen, a blast of pop art- and film-inspired storytelling from 1971 that was hugely influential to a generation of Japanese youth but has never been published in English until now. It’s like the American underground comics of the same era in being a break from the mainstream comics of its place and era, but unlike them – and unlike anything else I’ve seen before [[[RAW]]] in the ‘80s – in its style and visual language.

Sachiko Yamaguchi and Ichiro Nishimoto are a young couple, both connected to the manga/anime world, living together in Tokyo but unsure of what to do with their lives, in the way of all restless young people everywhere. Ichiro wants to be an artist of some kind: he abandoned painting when he couldn’t make a living at it, and quits an animation job to work on a graphic novel that he can’t sell. Sachiko is a tracer for another animation company; she has only the ambitions of a girl in a story by a man: to get married, to have kids, to run a house, to have a life.

(more…)

Har-Asses, by Elayne Riggs

  • News
  • August 20, 2008

I must confess, I didn’t read a lot of San Diego con reports this year. My SDCC attending days are probably well behind me; in addition to Robin just not being as into comic conventions as my first husband Steve was (maybe it’s because, for many pros, conventions are part of their job, whereas for the rest of us they’re part of a hobby), between hotel and airfare costs the darn thing has just gotten ridiculously expensive, and that’s if you can get a room or a flight or even admittance at all.

Plus, there’s the mobility thing, which has started becoming less of an issue now that my new job has increased my physical activity to a level it hasn’t seen in a number of years and my 50-year-old body is responding accordingly, much to my surprise. Of course, this year’s excuse has also been the job thing; after being out of work over half the year, I wasn’t about to make plans to travel anywhere further than New Jersey during the first few months of my new employment!

But, aside from the always-enjoyable pictorials that many folks uploaded to their blogs, the two posts that piqued my interest the most this year had to do with harassment. Yes, we’re still talking about harassment in this day and age. But, as has been pointed out recently in response to hypocritical and sanctimonious politicians presuming to lecture Russia from their own lack of moral high ground with admonitions like “this doesn’t happen in the 21st century” — well yes, yes it does. Anything that’s happening now is by definition happening in the 21st century. One can certainly argue that we as a civilization ought to have moved beyond sexual harassment by now, but one can argue we should have moved beyond various forms of discrimination and intimidation hundreds of years ago as well. It’s still happening even today, and it still needs to be addressed.

Fortunately in the 21st century we have an amazing communications tool that, to our collective knowledge, has never existed before in the entirety of human history. This electronic paper trail certainly has its flaws, but it also helps hold people accountable when there’s no other recourse. So when Rachel Edidin writes an open letter decrying the behavior of someone at San Diego who sought hugs from unwilling strangers, it gets discussed in an open forum where all sorts of interesting observations are made. One commenter noted it wasn’t "necessarily a male privilege thing," while Rachel herself added "I was generally hella impressed with the general respect for personal space at SDCC. In crowds packed shoulder-to-shoulder, I encountered only a very little bit of pushing, and aside from Creepy Hug Guy, I didn’t have a single encounter that made me uncomfortable." Someone else pointed out that "In Canada pestering a stranger for physical contact is a form of criminal assault even if it’s not intended sexually." (more…)

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