First, the disclaimer. I’ve known Ms. Tree’s Max Allan Collins and Terry Beatty since we were all pups down on the farm, I’ve done some research consulting on Max’s Heller series, and I was the editor of Ms. Tree Quarterly. More to the point, there’s this scene at the end of a story where Tree goes back to the scene of the crime strictly to murder the bad guys; that final page was dedicated to me and I’m proud of it. Make what you will of that.

Well, it turns out Our Gal Friday (that’s a joke, but you’ve got to read Ms. Tree to get it) may be headed to the small screen. In an interview with Comics2Film, Collins disclosed the Oxygen Network has "gone beyond an option (and paid) the purchase price." They’ve assigned two screenwriters to the write the first movie, both women, and it’s being regarded as a pilot for further movies and possibly a teevee series.

Obviously, things have been held up a bit by the WGA strike, but Collins took his original treatment and turned it into Deadly Beloved, a paperback novel published last December by Hard Case Crime. Cooler still (since Collins is the author of about a million mystery novels, including the aforementioned Heller boos, and teevee/movie tie-ins, including many of the C.S.I. books) the cover was painted by Ms. Tree artist Terry Beatty.  (more…)

Vulture, the online culture blog of New York Magazine, has posted a full story from The Other Side of the Mirror, a collection of romance stories in manga form by Jo Chen.

The story is titled "99 Roses" and features some beautiful art to accompany a story that’s equal parts dreamy romance and slapstick manga-style laughs

Every morning, the woman receives a single rose in her mailbox. Every afternoon, she dreams about the boy who leaves them there. And 50 years later, a family tells her story.

The Tallahassee Democrat reports that a documentary on the life and work of Jack T. Chick, the creator and publisher of pocket-sized "Chick Tracts" comics, will begin screening tonight in Tallahassee, FL.

The tiny comics, published since the 1960s and now collectors’ items around the underground comics scene, contain religious-themed criticisms of homosexuality, Judaism, Harry Potter, Dungeons & Dragons and a variety of other topics.

Why does any of that merit a documentary, you might ask? Here’s your answer:

Chick tracts are free, handed out in bus stations, flea markets, college campuses and malls. He has published more than 1 billion, making him the most widely distributed underground cartoonist on the planet. Yet, Chick himself remains a reclusive, shadowy and controversial figure who exists on the fringes of popular culture and organized religion.

Yup. This could be an interesting one, folks.

By the way, the accompanying image is from "Doom Town," a Chick Tract that explains the horrors of homosexuality and the carnage God will unleash if mankind tolerates same-sex relationships. Fun stuff!

Oh, and if you’re in the mood to pile on some ol’ fashioned religious guilt, there are links to full Chick Tracts on Jack Chick’s wikipedia page.

I don’t care what you say – the best parties are always on the West Coast. And tonight’s "Y: The Last Party" bash is no exception.

Hosted by MySpace Comics and Los Angeles comics mecca Meltdown, the party kicks off at 7 PM (PST) and will feature appearances by Joss Whedon and other comics and pop-culture celebs toasting the work of Y: The Last Man creators Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra, who will also be in attendance.

And if that wasn’t enough to get you looking up flights and hotel reservations, there will also be an auction of Y-inspired art from comics artists such as Cameron Stewart, Massimo Carnevale, Jill Thompson, Eduardo Risso, Cliff Chiang, Darick Robertson, Dan Goldman, Jim Mahfood, Jeffrey Brown, Goran Sudzuka, Mike Dawson, Niko Henrichon, Goran Parlov, Dean Haspiel, Nikki Cook, Jeremy Love, Mike Davis and Moritat. MySpace Comics has posted a gallery of some of the art that will be auctioned off over on the event’s official homepage.

Proceeds from the event will go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund – which completes the trifecta of good reasons to attend.

From the official event press release:

Whedon, the famed creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly, will kick off the festivities in Meltdown’s Hollywood gallery space with a keynote speech in appreciation of the series. Following the speech will be a live Q&A with guests of honor Vaughan & Guerra. There will also be a VIP Reception prior to the event, with Whedon, Vaughan & Guerra, that will include the unveiling of a never-before-seen print by Pia Guerra. …

… Capacity for this event is strictly limited to 140 people. VIP reserved seating tickets are sold out. 70 general admission "standing room only" tickets for the event will be $25, and are available on a first-come, first served basis on the day of the event.

Oh, and if you’re attending the event and trying to think of something to bring back for me, go ahead and bid on the Darick Robertson piece with Ampersand and the skull. I dig it immensely.

Michael Eisner, the former CEO of Disney and current CNBC host, announced on a recent episode of "Fast Money" that the major media companies have reached an agreement with the Writers Guild of America that effectively ends the strike.

Eisner claimed that an announcement will likely happen this weekend regarding the strike’s conclusion.

According to Eisner:

“They’ve made a deal, they shook hands on a deal,” he replies. "The deal is going on Saturday to the constituents (for a vote)… I think it’s impossible that they turn it down. A deal has been made and (the writers) will be back to work reasonably soon!”

As Eisner mentioned, however, any agreement must still be ratified by members of the WGA, whose West Coast and East Coast branches will meet tomorrow for a briefing on the strike. No confirmation of the "done deal" has been issued by the WGA thus far.

On the subject of how striking writers will be received once the strike is over, Eisner added:

“I think a lot of writers lost their deals and they won’t be reinstated," Eisner replies. "One of the reasons these media companies don’t have economic problems is that they cut back on these big (writer) deals….Of course the talented writers will get new deals but in the short term I think the strike was a mistake (because) it was fairly ill-timed," he says. "If there was going to be a strike I think it should have been 3 years from now when (the writers) really understood the definition of the online business and where the revenues are coming from."

Spoken like the a true former CEO of a major media company, eh?

Nikki Finke, the award-winning L.A. Weekly media columnist, claimed on her site that talks of an end to the strike are premature, and had this to say about the online buzz generated by Eisner’s announcement:

Earth To Web: Eisner hasn’t mattered since 2004-2005 when he was kicked to the curb by Disney and its shareholders. Or was Eisner trying to manipulate the price of all that Disney stock he owns?

Umm… Owch.