Reminder: Last day to nominate for the 2012 Harvey Awards!
Go to The Harvey Awards site, get the forms, and add your nominations for the best in comics!
The Mix : What are people talking about today?
THE SPIDER’S GUNFIRE LULLABY
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| The Spider ⢠Argosy Communications. Artwork é Pablo Marcos. |
New Pulp Author Martin Powell shared an excerpt from the upcoming Moonstone release of The Spider in “The City That Couldn’t Sleep.”
Enjoy.
Gunfire erupted, bullets splintering plaster and wooden panels. The Spider was a dark-cloaked blur, springing forward with panther-like prowess. He fired twice, dropping as many hooded thugs, splashing their blood and brains ruby-red across the linoleum. Two more shots punched through another masked skull, and severed a spine into gory splinters.
Only one crook remained. Trembling, he tossed away his weapon, knelt upon the sticky blood-slick floor, and surrendered.
The Master of Men laughed again.
“Smart boy,” he snarled, gliding closer to his prisoner. “YouâÂÂve been cleaning up, all over town. Clever jobs.
Well organized. Not like everyone else. Maybe youâÂÂre immune to the Sleepless Sickness. Perhaps youâÂÂre the cause of it. WeâÂÂre going to have a long talkâ¦and I promise youâÂÂre going to tell me exactly whereâ”
The thugâÂÂs eyes spilled tears, gasping behind his mask. The Spider tore away the cowl, revealing killerâÂÂs contorted face already blackening with poison heâÂÂd consumed from a hollow molar.
There was nothing the Spider could do, except watch him die. He wanted to curse his own failure.
Instead, he laughed. And laughed some more.
***
The Spider in “The City That Couldn’t Sleep” is written by Martin Powell with interior illustrations by the legendary Pablo Marcos. Coming soon from Moonstone Books. http://www.moonstonebooks.com/
MINDY NEWELL: Group Dynamics
There’s a great interview with Joss Whedon, director of the upcoming The Avengers movie, out May 4th, in Sunday’s Arts & Leisure section of the New York Times.
Anyone who reads these columns with any regularity already knows that I am a Buffy geek. But you don’t know that I originally ignored it. Yep, that’s right. I didn’t find the Buffster until the second half of the second season, about the time Angel went back to being Angelus. I found her thanks to my participation in a message board called The Coffee Nebula, which started as a Voyager fan fest, but spread out into other science fiction — I can’t call it sci-fi — and fantasy shows, especially after Voyager ended. (The Neb, as we “Nebsters” fondly call it, is still active, so you might want to check it out.) Everyone was raving about Buffy The Vampire Slayer, so I finally gave in checked it out. And was hooked.
I searched out and found the episodes I had missed. They weren’t quite as strong as the current episodes, but thinking about it now — and after reading the interview — I’ve figured something out.
JOHN OSTRANDER: Written Connections
Writing can be fun. Most of the time. Even writing for profit. Or writing for fun like I do here.
And some days, it’s not. You sit down with the best intentions and nothing happens or nothing good. Like this time. I’m in a bad mood, my cats are nagging me, I feel tired and everything I write seems like crap and probably is. However, the column is due and I’d better not go back to Casablanca again. I told Mike I wouldn’t.
So I’m doing what I usually do. Sit down and type stuff and see if there’s anything useful in it.
I’m betting that, on some level, you know what I’m talking about. Doesn’t matter if it’s about writing. You’re trying to get something done and, for whatever reason, it’s just not working. It could be work, it could be a relationship, it could be just trying to fix something around the house – whatever, the fates are not aligned and it just doesn’t work and it’s frustrating as hell, isn’t it? We all know that feeling.
That’s what makes storytelling work, I think. We may not all have the exact same experiences but we know the feelings that come out of those experiences. Do I have to kill someone in order to know how a murderer might feel? Of course not. What I have to find in myself is how the murderer might feel in this given situation. Have you ever killed a fly? How did you feel about it? Most of us would feel nothing or might feel a bit of triumph or glee. It’s a pest that annoys you or it might be a threat that will bring some illness or lay eggs in your hamburger. (One of the reasons My Mary hates flies; that happened.) Different folks, different motivations.
Maybe that’s how the murderer feels about taking a human life. On the other hand, have you ever said or done something that you instantly regretted and knew you couldn’t take back? Hurt someone, perhaps ended a relationship beyond all possibility of revival? Maybe your murderer feels something like that.
As I write, I have to figure out what the character might feel and then find in myself some situation, some memory, some feeling that is similar and extrapolate from that. If I do that correctly, the reader will also – hopefully – find some feeling in themselves with which they can respond to the scene or the story and it will have greater impact.
It’s why so many men have the same reaction to the end of Field of Dreams that I get. It tears me up every time I watch it. (And, yes, I understand many women have the same reactions.) It’s about the complicated relationship between fathers and sons/daughters and what was, what might have been, what maybe could be.
Can you have stories without that? Sure. You can use a formula, you can connect the dots, and have something perfectly serviceable and even entertaining. You can make money doing that. The stories that stay with us, however, are the ones where we connect on some emotional level. I, as a writer, turn to the reader and ask, “Have you ever experienced something like this? Have you ever felt something like this?”
It’s the moments were that happens that a connection is made. It’s like flipping a light switch – the electricity flows, the connection is completed, and the lights come on. We share something together. We need that sharing – that empathy –to live with one another. We do that and we create something special – whether it’s a story or a civilization. One of my rules is that “Nothing that is human is alien to me” and when we deny that we deny our common humanity.
Huh. Look at that. Guess I found something to write about after all.
MONDAY: Mindy Newell
Saturday Morning Cartoons: The Umbrella Academy!
Here’s the sort of wackiness you needed this weekend!
A dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers, the seven members of the Umbrella Academy spent their childhoods fighting evil and honing their extraordinary gifts under the tutelage of their guardian and mentor, Dr. Reginald Hargreeves. In this story from the past, the UA team fights a mysterious murderer and learns a powerful lesson…
Conceived and written by Gerard Way (of My Chemical Romance), [[[The Umbrella Academy]]] features art by Gabriel Bá (Casanova) and Dave Stewart (Hellboy) and was originally published by Dark Horse Comics. It won the 2008 Eisner Award for Best Finite Series/Limited Series, and if you haven’t read it yet, watch this to find out why…
Marc Alan Fishman: Avengers Vs. Dark Knight Rises – The Battle for the Multiplex
This past week on my podcast (which you’re not listening to, but totally should), a debate sparked that was left largely unresolved. Since I have this digital soapbox, might as well use it to bring said debate to you.
In a few weeks, the mega-multiplexes of America will be screening the culmination of years of work by the House funded by the Mouse. The Avengers will see the fruition of Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger in one massively multiplayer action adventure flick. About a month or so later, Warner Bros. unleashes the end to Christopher Nolan’s bat-child, The Dark Knight Rises. There’s no doubt in my mind that both of these movies will be amazingly profitable. But the debate is this: which will bank more bucks? Which will be a better movie? Let’s look at the tail of the tape.
First up? Marvel’s Mightiest Heroes. Behind the scenes, we have the consummate king of the nerds… Joss Whedon as director. His writer team? Well… Whedon wrote with Zak Penn. Penn you’ll note wrote the successes such as The Incredible Hulk and X2, and the failures such as X-Men: The Last Stand and Electra. On the screen itself, the cast is of course a veritable galaxy of stars. Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scartlet Johansson, and Gwyneth Paltrow will all be in the film. Unlike any other franchise in history, The Avengers will coalesce four franchises into a single picture. From here? It’s all but a given that the there will be a sequel, as corresponding sub-sequels for all the individual characters. Can you hear that? It’s the sound of money growing on trees. Trees that became paper. Paper that became comic books.
The Dark Knight Rises, as previously mentioned, is helmed by Christopher Nolan. Nolan’s career has been nothing short of a meteoric ascent to directorial gold. Nolan also helped pen this end to his triptych with his brother Jonathan, and David S. Goyer – who, as you will recall, helped pen Batman Begins and Blade 2. And Ghost Rider: Spirit of Bad Acting. But you can’t win them all, can you?
Under the cape and cowl will once again be Christian Bale, joined by series stalwarts Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman. The villain this go-around will be played by Tom Hardy. You’ll recognize Hardy as the mildly funny Brit in Inception. While not as big in scope as Marvel’s upcoming blockbuster, The Dark Knight Rises is the follow up to the single most profitable comic book inspired movie of all time. For those who don’t recall, The Dark Knight did so well in the movie theaters, comic retailers reported sales of The Watchmen had gone up in response (which is nothing short of amazing, if you ask any retailer these days). With TDKR, Nolan puts his series to an end. Speculation on the plot, and how things will resolve has most everyone around in a tizzy.
The question then to ask: Which movie will make more money? Needless to say, both will bank boku bucks. For the sake of this argument, I’ll remove revenue from merchandise. Why? Because face it: Nolan’s Bat-Flicks haven’t spawned successful lines of toys; Marvel’s has. Specifically speaking on ticket sales? This is quite the toss up, is it not? On one hand you have the obvious ultimate popcorn movie in The Avengers. From the trailers we can safely assume there’s going to be wall to wall action, explosions, the Hulk, fighting, one liners, and boobs. Opposing that mentality, Nolan will nab those looking for a bit more substance. Whereas Marvel’s flicks were squarely targeting tweens and teens (with a side of general comic nerds and action geeks to boot…), DC’s Bat-Franchise has been nothing if adult in its complexity.
Gun to my head… if you asked me to choose, I’d end up with the nod to the Avengers making more moolah at the end of the day. The Dark Knight had the death of Heath Ledger, on top of the oscar buzz for his performance, on top of previous audience gained from Batman Begins. But TDKR features a villain most people aren’t familiar with (Bane ain’t exactly a household name now, is he?), and a star whose potential is only just now being noticed. And if other comic book trilogies are to be looked at (Spider-Man, X-Men, and previous Bat-Incarnations), the end of an era does not always translate into positive earnings. With The Avengers, we simply have too many stars to not draw an amazing crowd. Fans of any of those feeder movies no doubt want to see a team up. It’s the whole reason books like The Avengers and Justice League always sell so well!
Now, I would give The Dark Knight Rises the edge ultimately in terms of potential film quality. Not a knock on The Avengers mind you… I think from what we’ve seen, Whedon will deliver the goods. But The Avengers has more chance to pratfall than ascend to nerdvana. With so many stars on screen, there’s a real chance too much time will be spent assembling, mocking, and joking. And we can tell much of the movie will be dealing with a Loki-lead invasion fight scene. And just how much CGI action can we effectively sit through? Given the spectacle (and disappointment) of the last Matrix movie, suffice to say I’m fretful.
With Batman, Nolan seems to have been methodically building a dramatic arc. Bruce Wayne by way of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight has been an evolving force of nature. But Nolan’s best job has been grounding that force in reality. He’s delivered where so many others have failed: comic book movies without heroic quips and a knowing wink to the camera. When that theme of the dissonant chords let us know the Joker was at work, it was truly chilling. To think that Nolan is ending this series, one must postulate he’s had an ending in mind since the start. On that knowledge, I give the edge over to DC. Simply put, I’m more excited for their flick because I genuinely do not know what will happen.
In The Avengers? I’m almost certain we’ll have the following: Loki attacks. Avengers assemble by way of initial in-fighting. Disaster. True assembling. Fighting. Explosions. Boobs. Victory. Open ending for more sequels. Not that it’s a bad formula… but it’s just that: a formula.
So, plenty of points to discuss. Flame me, Internet, for I have opinions. Will Bats take more money? Will Avengers be the Return of the King for Comic Book movies? Discuss!
SUNDAY: John Ostrander
ATHENA VOLTAIRE FLIES TO SEQUENTIAL PULP ON A DARK HORSE
Sequential Pulp Comics shared their latest press release for Athena Voltaire with All Pulp.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Michael Hudson
artist@reelarstudios.com
ATHENA VOLTAIRE FLIES TO SEQUENTIAL PULP ON A DARK HORSE 
Globetrotting aviatrix Athena Voltaire battles Nazis, occult science, and mythical creatures against the backdrop of the pulp era. And now she’s coming in for a landing with Sequential Pulp Comics.
Co-publishers Sequential Pulp Comics and Dark Horse Comics are pleased to announce their publishing plans for writer/artist Steve Bryant’s 1930s heroine.
“Steve and I share a common love for all things pulp and for telling great stories. His character, Athena Voltaire, could not be a better fit for our line of graphic novels,” said Sequential Pulp president Michael Hudson. “These stories will have a beginning, a middle, and a true end to them, giving the reader a complete and fulfilling experience. The art and the writing are masterful. I can’t wait to see how Steve and his team develop this wonderful property as we move ahead.”
“I can’t think of a better home for Athena Voltaire than the Sequential Pulp imprint. Their commitment to adapting genre classics and creating new pulp icons is second to none,” said Bryant. “To be published through Dark Horse is the cherry on top. Hellboy, B.P.R.D., Buffy, Battlepug—they put out some of the best comics on the stands today. I’m flattered and humbled to see my book added to such a prestigious line!”
Athena Voltaire
In addition to covering representational rights, the exclusive print and digital publishing agreement calls for an Omnibus edition containing remastered versions of the previously published Athena Voltaire material followed by new adventures, including two graphic novels and an illustrated prose anthology.
With titles scheduled into 2015 and beyond, Athena Voltaire is sure to continue to please her existing fan base as well as those who will be coming aboard through this relaunch. Anyone who enjoys pulp, classic adventure stories, classic and modern comics will fall in love with this heroine who is unlike any other in comics today.
About Dark Horse Comics:
Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the third-largest comic-book publisher in the U.S., and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of licensed comics material.
About Sequential Pulp Comics:
Sequential Pulp is a new imprint and production house whose focus is on publishing graphic novels based on classic to neo pulp of all genres. Its books will include both licensed and creator-owned material. launched as a part of the Modern Tales family of webcomics in 2002 and was nominated for a Best Digital Comic Eisner Award in 2005. The feature was also included in St. Martin’s The Year’s Best Graphic Novels, Comics and Manga (2004 edition).
About Steve Bryant:
Steve Bryant began his comics career with the launch of Athena Voltaire as a webcomic, eventually earning him an Eisner Award nomination in 2005, and a nomination for the Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award in 2007. Bryant has contributed artwork to publications from Image, IDW, and Ape Entertainment, as well. Outside of comics, Steve has produced illustrations for everything from clip art and greeting cards to theme park design and roleplaying games.
You can learn more about Sequential Pulp Comics at http://www.sequentialpulpcomics.co/
You can learn more about Dark Horse Comics at http://www.darkhorse.com/
Click on images for a larger view.
The Point Radio: Last Road To EUREKA
The SyFy mainstay series EUREKA is coming to a close with a hand full of episodes that begin on the network on Monday at 9pm (ET). We begin our look at the show by talking to star Colin Ferguson and EUREKA creator Jamie Paglia on how they are prepared to say goodbye. Plus more with SyFy’s FACT OR FAKED Investigators, including the things they saw that made them believers and Frank Miller finally gets a GO for SIN CITY 2.
The Point Radio is on the air right now – 24 hours a day of pop culture fun for FREE. GO HERE and LISTEN FREE on any computer or mobile device– and please check us out on Facebook right here & toss us a “like” or follow us on Twitter @ThePointRadio.
QUATERMAIN RETURNS!
Sequential Pulp Comics shared their latest press release for A Quatermain Adventure with All Pulp.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Michael Hudson
artist@reelarstudios.com
Allan Quatermain may not be as well known as Tarzan or Indiana Jones, but he adventured his way through lost civilizations long before those two characters’ adventures had been put into writing. The FIRST Action-Adventure Hero Returns in a new series of Quatermain Adventures from Sequential Pulp Comics
Quatermain first appeared in Sir H. Rider Haggard’s 1886 novel, King Solomon’s Mines, and he set the standard for generations of adventure heroes. Haggard’s second most famous character, the iconic Ayesha followed a year later in the rousing “lost civilization” yarn, She. Both Quatermain and Ayesha proved to be so popular that Haggard wrote one of the earliest versions of a “crossover” with Allan and She. Both characters have proven to be remarkably durable over the decades in both print and film and continue to thrill audiences today.
With a resurgence in pulps and classic adventure at an all time high, Sequential Pulp’s Michael Hudson felt a graphic novel series built around the adventures of Allan Quatermain was due and thus was born the first two books A Quatermain Adventure: King Solomon’s Mines and A Quatermain Adventure: She. Michael Hudson says, “Our version of King Solomon’s Mines is the first in a series of wild adventures that take Quatermain and his companions all over the world…and even beneath it. The second graphic novel in the series is an adaptation of She, which blends elements from both the original novel and She and Allan. I’m thrilled to have two creators well versed in adventure comic storytelling in Mark Ellis and Pablo Marcos on King Solomon’s Mines. The work that has been coming in is stunning!”
When offered scripting reins on the project, veteran action-adventure novelist Mark (James Axler) Ellis saw it as an opportunity to “re-imagine” Quatermain and his milieu. Ellis says, “Quatermain is not just the template for all modern adventure heroes, but for the ‘Englishman who went native’ character archetype. I thought it would be interesting to examine that a bit in our series. So Pablo and I decided to present Allan as younger man, more dynamic, with a touch of the savage about him. And that extends to sexy female characters such as Princess Ignosa in King Solomon’s Mines.”
Quatermain remains popular with movie studios. Such actors as Stewart Granger, Richard Chamberlain and Sir Sean Connery have portrayed him. Recently Sonar Entertainment announced a 10 episode TV series entitled Quatermain, expected to go into production on location in Africa later this year. Sequential Pulp’s King Solomon’s Mines will solicit mid 2013 followed by She. 
About Dark Horse Comics:
Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the third-largest comic-book publisher in the U.S., and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of licensed comics material.
About Sequential Pulp Comics:
Sequential Pulp is a new imprint and production house whose focus is on publishing graphic novels based on classic to neo pulp of all genres. Its books will include both licensed and creator-owned material.
Mark Ellis:
The author of 50 novels and the creator of the best-selling Outlanders SF novel series, Ellis is no stranger to action-adventure. He has written what is generally considered the best comics version of Doc Savage, as well series based on popular TV shows such as The Wild, Wild West and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. He has also created comic/graphic properties such as Death Hawk, HP Lovecraft’s The Miskatonic Project, Star Rangers, and The Justice Machine.
Pablo Marcos:
Pablo Marcos has worked in comics and commercial illustration for decades. A native Peruvian, Marcos is one of Peru’s leading cartoonists. His first U.S. work was in Warren Publishing’s Creepy #39 in 1971. Marcos has been associated with Batman, Dracula, Conan the Barbarian and his signature character, the Zombie for Marvel’s black-and-white horror comics magazine Tales of the Zombie (1973–1975). He has also illustrated many young adult adaptations of classic novels including King Solomon’s Mines for Great Illustrated Classics and Baronet Publishing.
You can learn more about Sequential Pulp Comics at http://www.sequentialpulpcomics.com/
You can learn more about Dark Horse Comics at http://www.darkhorse.com/
Click on images for a larger view.
Allan Quatermain may not be as well known as Tarzan or Indiana Jones, but he adventured his way through lost civilizations long before those two characters’ adventures had been put into writing.
THE KNIGHT WATCHMAN RETURNS WITH A BIG BANG FROM PULP 2.0 PRESS!
Big Bang Comics and Pulp 2.0 Press Announce New Digital-First Comic Strip
Featuring Knight Watchman at C2E2
Veteran Warren and Shazam Award winning writer Steve Skeates on board the
Sunday comic strip-style webcomic with Knight Watchman creator Chris Ecker
At C2E2: Pulp 2.0 Press MPB (Mad Pulp Bastard) Bill Cunningham joined Big Bang co-creator Chris Ecker in announcing a new, color Knight Watchman serialized comic strip story that will feature the storytelling of Shazam Award-winning comic book legend Steve Skeates (The Spectre, Hawk and Dove, Aquaman, Pantha). This new, digital-first weekly comic strip marks the return of not only Skeates, but of the Knight Watchman to eager comic fans.
“Chris has been itching to get back to the drawing board, and continue telling the adventures of the Knight Watchman, Kid Galahad and the rest of the characters who haunt Midway City,” said Cunningham. “While Chris, Gary Carlson and I have had many discussions on taking the Big Bang brand to different media, it was Chris who went out and contacted Steve Skeates and got him on board to do a Sunday “newspaper comic strip” for the web. All the credit belongs to him. I’m just here to make sure it’s realized, and gets into the hands of Big Bang and comic strip fans worldwide.”
“Big Bang Comics has a tradition of working with our veteran comics creators like Marty Nodell, Shelly Moldoff and others. I’m really pleased to have Steve join our ranks and work with him to tell rip-roarin’ adventure stories,” said artist Chris Ecker. “This Sunday newspaper style strip is a new idea for us, but I think it fits in well with the type of stories we want to tell – Golden age stories for kids of all ages. A Sunday strip gives us the chance to reach out to the audience, and let them know what Big Bang and Pulp 2.0 is all about. ”
“I am excited about launching our first digital comic, especially in this strip format which will utilize the “widescreen look” provided by computer and tablet screens, exactly like reading the Sunday Funnies“ said Cunningham. “We’re doing it a bit “old school,” but that’s been part of our tradition from the beginning, bringing the classic “pulp” into tomorrow as quickly and inexpensively as possible so people can enjoy it. Then we’ll collect the color webcomic for print, and add even more value for our readers.”
The weekly comic strip is set to debut in August 2012, to coincide with Pulp 2.0’s release of the first and second volumes of its Big Bang Comics Collection series of books, featuring the classic Knight Watchman comics stories originally published by Image Comics plus bonus features. Artists and writers featured in these stories include: Terry Beatty, Jeff Austin, Jim Brozman, Howard Bender, Randy Buccini, Joe Shannon Denton, Frank Fosco, Paul Frike, Darren Goodhart, John Livesay:, Tony Manginelli: Mike Matthew , Christopher Page, Dan Preece, Ed Quinby, Stuart Sayger, Bill Shelley, Andrew Sheppard, Bob Steve, Frank Squillace, Tim Stiles, Taylor, Ben Torres, John Thompson, Patrick Tuller, Nigel Tully, Shawn Van Briesen, Mike Worley, and Dave Zimmermann.
For more information, or to arrange an interview contact:
Bill Cunningham, MPB
Pulp 2.0 Press
newpulpmedia@gmail.com
323.662.2508
www.pulp2ohpress.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pulp2ohpress
Twitter: @madpulpbastard
