20th Century Danny Boy reports that legendary artist Gene Colan’s liver is failing him, according to an email sent by Gene’s wife, Adrienne:
My darling, sweet, handsome and brilliantly gifted husband’s liver is failing. The complications are very nasty. This week it’s fluid retention and encephalitis. He’s on powerful meds now to diminish the symptoms. He sleeps a lot and has very little energy.
Clifford Meth is putting together an auction on Colan’s behalf; more details can be found here.
Colan’s work spans several decades and includes runs on Daredevil, Howard the Duck, Iron Man, Night Force, Dr. Strange and Tomb of Dracula. We here at Blog@ send our best to Colan; our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.
This week I toyed with the idea of a Dave theme week–quoting folks in support of Dave Sim’s correspondence policy or Hispanics in support of this other Dave. But both prospects could not hold my attention for long. Instead I opted for the following random quotes, not necessarily all inspired by events of the week. As always, I’ve tried to get a balanced sampling of topics. But here’s my standing offer, if there’s ever a quote of interest I miss in the week, feel free to share it in the comments section.
”I’m particularly interested in those devices that are unique to sequential art narrative - things like page layouts, the use of frames-as-objects and frames that “talk” to one another in multiple directions. These are things that I’d been working with long before I ever had to articulate in words what I was doing. It was only when I started giving talks like this that I had to sit down and find the words to describe the techniques that came intuitively. Right at the end of our session, in response to a question, Neil explained another of those special things, and my heart leapt to hear it: he talked about the wonderful device of the silent panel. Panels that make us pause and think and question and fill out the meaning for ourselves. Moments that hang and quiver, the way time can stretch and stop. Despite drawing many a silent panel in my comics, and very much relishing this device, it had never occurred to me how particular to comics it is. As Neil explained, you can’t get the effect of a silent panel in prose writing - and he’s tried! Brilliant!”
- Nicki Greenberg, capturing part of her participation in a Graphically Speaking - The Challenges of Reading Graphic Novels panel with Neil Gaiman and manga artist Queenie Chan at the Children’s Book Council of Australia Conference.
I recently played the PSP version of Iron Man and while some of the features are impressive, it seems Sega forgot the most important aspect of any game: fun. That’s right, Iron Man for the PSP just isn’t all that fun to play. It seems, especially for the beginning missions, more like work. The main reason for that is the controls set up. There’s just too many things to do at the same time. The buttons are camera angles, Left and Right top buttons are flight (with different commands for hover, land & flight) and weapons fire (respectively), the up and down are weapons to choose from, left and right are power management (armor, propulsion & weapons). All in all, way too much to concentrate on in the middle of blowing things up. Plus the mapping leaves much to be desired. Basically, it’s follow the blip and watch the numbers decrease. Oh joy.
Essentially, the comic is Dave Sim musing about what this comic will be. Graphically, he starts out drawing photo-realistic black and white drawings of fashion models and ruminating on how he could do a comic about those images, since in a fashion magazine he really only gets a small amount of reference images for the same person. He shifts gears into talking about Alex Raymond and Al Williamson and their art styles, and he begins copying panels from their non-science fiction work (mostly, panels that seem to look like fashion models) and uses the speech balloons to continue his ruminating. It shifts gears once more, this time to present a story about glamourpuss, using a half dozen fashion magazine photo references to draw teh character, and then shifts back into musing and ruminating and ruminating and musing about art, the glamourpuss series, and life.
Think of it like this: if David Lynch and the editors of seventeen magazine got in a room to create a comic book, this is what it would be.
And it works. The traces and wisps of the story of glamourpuss and her twin sister, SKANKO (yes, i thought twice before typing it), are wound together with Dave Sim’s own ideas about art and copying the masters, which is bookended by satire about fashion magazines.
As you can see from this page, the photorealism of the Raymond school was glorious. Small wonder Sim is drawn to the art or, more accurately, “photorealism pictures of pretty girls.” If Sim had been content to trace and re-ink those panels, most of them from “Rip Kirby,” to give comic fans a fresh look at, and a grander appreciation of, the artwork, I’d be applauding in the wings.
But if that were the case, he wouldn’t be Dave Sim. Dave Sim has to talk our ear off. Dave Sim has to throw in Bret Easton Ellis riffs and Scott McCloud jags and fashion-magazine parodies. Dave Sim has to clutter the page with dumb jokes and other clunky blocks of words. He’s the tour guide at the Louvre who thinks he’s a better show than the Venus de Milo.
The deeper I got into Glamorpuss, working my way back to “Skanko’s Dating Guide,” Sim’s Tom Leykis rip-off, the more impressed I was with the photo-realism and the more bored I was by this fatuous tribute to it.
I was going to just draw my review by tracing panels from old issues of Cerebus and then putting my review in the word balloons, but I decided against it.
Glamourpuss #1 has two components: 1) A meditation on photo realism in comics and Alex Raymond, and 2) Some fashion model s**t. The former is interesting, the latter is flat. Models are shallow, models have eating disorders, models wear too-expensive clothes that are impractical — there is nothing new here, at least in terms of how this material has been traditionally presented before. This is coupled with the preconceptions going in based on Glamourpuss creator Dave Sim’s reputation.
Yes, I know I shouldn’t go into an artist’s work with preconceptions based on their reputation. But I see these lifeless pictures of the models, I see how they’re presented as empty-eyed self-absorbed materialistic cyphers, I read about “Skanko,” and in all honesty I have to wonder what Sim is trying to say about women in all this.
George, co-founder of Pittsburgh Comic-Con, was convicted in March in the 1990 killing of his first wife Barbara. A jury found that he shot her in the back of their Clinton Township, Mich., comic store, and staged the crime to look like a robbery.
Next week Circuit Court Judge James Biernat is expected to hear arguments on the defense attorneys’ motion to set aside the jury verdict.
BOOM! Studios and a great line-up of creators are putting together a benefit book for artist Josh Medors, who has cancer. Pulp Tales Benefit Book is due in September and can be pre-ordered on the BOOM! site now:
PULP TALES BENEFIT BOOK FOR JOSH MEDORS
Contributions by Steve Niles, Josh Fialkov, Kody Chamberlain, Tony Fleecs, Dan Taylor and more!
Cover by Ben Templesmith and Josh Medors
24pgs, FC SRP: $3.99
Help BOOM! Studios support comic book artist Josh Medors, recently diagnosed with cancer, by ordering the benefit comic book PULP TALES. This two-fisted one-shot features all-new, action-packed stories by horror master Steve Niles, P.U.N.K.S’ Josh Fialkov and Kody Chamberlain, ’76’s B. Clay Moore & Seth Peck, Capote in Kansas’ Chris Samnee, In My Lifetime’s Tony Fleecs, and more! Featuring a cover by Ben Templesmith! ALL PROCEEDS will go to Josh Medors and his family!
All proceeds will go to Josh and his family, and BOOM! is hoping to have the book available in San Diego as well.
Cracked.com ranks “The 6 Creepiest Comic Book Characters of All Time,” with nods to Comet the super horse and his obsession with Supergirl, Ultimate Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch’s strong bond, and Dorothy Spinner’s Inner Child doll. Not for the faint of heart.
That comic that appeared on Lost last night was Mystery Tales #40, with the cover featuring the perfect teasers for stories about a “Hidden Land!” and a “Voice Of Warning!” I swear, it’s like the writers went back in time and planted the comic just so they could use it in the show.
Incidentally, the book also featured some of Steve Ditko’s first work for Atlas.
It seems rather unfair that the first thing you want say about a comic like Hercules is “Well, this is nowhere near as awful as I expected it to be.” Nevertheless, that was the first thought that ran through my head after reading the first issue of this debut series from the newly christened Radical Comics.
Which is not to say that it’s any good. It certainly isn’t something I can feel confident recommending, even to the sort of folks who might gravitate to this sort of blood and sandal affair. No, Hercules exists on some blah middle ground, too rote and dull to warrant merit, but not nearly incompetent or disastrous enough to deserve scorn. Honestly, the best thing I can say about it I never had any trouble figuring out who the characters were or what was going on. Considering the sort of storytelling that enters my mailbox at a regular clip, that’s a higher compliment than it sounds. (more…)
The Trades talks with Atomic Roboartist and co-creator Scott Wegener about his influences, collaborating with Brian Clevinger, and making the kind of comic he wants to read:
As far as what Brian and I are doing with Atomic Robo, it’s pretty simple. We both love good old fashioned action movies, we both enjoy a good laugh, and we both love a well crafted movie, book, or comic that can laugh at its self. Unless you’re making the comic book adaptation of the Diary of Anne Frank you can probably afford to dial it down a bit, and not take yourself too seriously. Comic book professionals should be taken seriously, but we should also keep in mind that we’re not curing cancer, or protecting Democracy here. However, not enough people are doing that. And none of them were giving us the “pulp” feel that we craved as readers — except for Hellboy, which only comes out once in a blue moon.
Another thing that irked us and we wanted to say something about with Atomic Robo, is the “dark and gritty” garbage that seems to be the norm in comics these days. Okay fine, one or two anti-heroes are great. They spice things up. But these days EVERYONE is dark and moody, and worse than that, cynical. But y’know what? Pop a Zoloft and grab some hand grenades, because we’re not doing that with Robo. We’re going to fight evil robots, giant ants, and Stephen Hawkins, and we’re going to do it without miles of lame character introspection, and we’re not going to de-construct a two-issue story into a nine-issue story.
The first Atomic Robo trade paperback will be released in June.
You call thata supercar? Pfft. The original supercar — the Batmobile — gets a redesign with next week’s Batman #676, which kicks off the much-anticipated “Batman R.I.P.” storyline. MySpace Comic Books has the first look at Batman’s new ride.
Per the Hollywood Reporter, Lionsgate has picked up the film rights to the comic book Deal With the Devil, published by Alias.
Per the publisher’s website, Deal with the Devil “is the tale of a man who once had it all; family, faith, health, the respect and adoration of his peers, and the reputation as the best homicide detective in FBI history. In his last case, his prey became his hunter, and his career was ended in shame and worthlessness. Four years later, his nemesis returns to ask for… his help. Find out why in this thrilling journey through the darkness in a world where things are never what they seem…”
The first full issue, written by Mike S. Miller and drawn by Sherwin Schwartzrock, can be read here.
New Buck Rogers film on the way
Per Variety, a new Buck Rogers film is on its way, with Nu Image picking up the film rights:
Nu Image/Millennium’s Avi Lerner got the rights from the Dille Trust, which is run by the surviving family of series originator Frank Dille. Those rights had once been with Disney, but the Dille family was attracted to moving them to a small movie and gaining more control over the direction of the film.
Variety goes on to say that no one has been signed to direct the film, despite web rumors that attached Frank Miller to the film.
The Ticker
–We’ve already heard that Lana Lang and Lex Luthor were leaving Smallville, at least as series regulars, but now TVGuide.com reports that Allison Mack, who plays Chloe, may be on her way out as well. As folks have said in our comments section over and over, this show has lived past its prime.
–Speed Racer, the new Wachowski brothers film, opens today, as does “What Happens in Vegas,” starring Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz. But despite these two summer-friendly movies, The Hollywood Reporter predictsIron Man will reign again at the box office this weekend, saying “neither new film appears to be a match for the high-grossing holdover from Paramount and Marvel.”
Warner Bros. sent over some new Batman Gotham Knight — these come from a segment titled “Working Though Pain,” which is written by Brian Azzarello.
Per the press release, the segment “falls chronologically as the fifth of the six segments” and “explores an early chapter of Bruce Wayne’s training, as a mysterious and exotic Indian woman named Cassandra introduces Batman to techniques that would help him to conquer the physical and spiritual consequences of what he does.”
Time is a funny thing. I can recognize that Crisis On Infinite Earths happened in 1985 and know that it was twenty-three years ago. However, it wasn’t until I jotted down some thoughts on each of DC’s line-wide crossover events, and realized that Final Crisis would be Event No. 20* (!!) that it started to sink in. I’ve lived through the main parts of every one of these things, with varying degrees of reward — and where has it gotten me?
Well, at least a couple of posts. Here’s Part 1 of my pocket guide to those post-Crisis crossover events, done up bullet-point style for your reading convenience.
Sean Phillips says Ed Brubaker will have these beautiful Criminal posters with him this weekend at Emerald City Comic Con. So, if you attend, be sure to get one. While you’re at it, pick me up one, too. I’ll be your friend.
The Seattle Times previews the sixth annual Emerald City Comic Con, being held this weekend at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. Organizer Jim Demonakos says he expects about 9,000 attendees.
Guests include Scott Allie, Kaare Andrews, Tony Bedard, Ivan Brandon, Brom, Jeffrey Brown, Ed Brubaker, Kurt Busiek, Paul Chadwick, Jim Cheung, Colleen Coover, Jordan Crane, Dan DiDio, Kieron Dwyer, David Finch, Ellen Forney, Gabe & Tycho, Sean Galloway, Stefano Gaudiano, Brandon Graham, Mike Grell, Pia Guerra, David Hahn, Phil Jimenez, Matt Kindt, Derek Kirk Kim, Robert Kirkman, Scott Kurtz, Hope Larson, Corey Lewis, Steve Lieber, Aaron Lopresti, Phil Noto, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Mike Oeming, Ryan Ottley, Jeff Parker, Eric Powell, Darick Robertson, Greg Rucka, Andy Runton, Tim Sale, Gail Simone, Dave Stewart, J. Michael Straczynski, Herb Trimpe, Jim Valentino, Ethan Van Sciver, Matt Wagner, Bill Willingham and Skottie Young.
The convention will include a silent auction to benefit creator Josh Medors, who’s been battling cancer.
Police have arrested two suspects in the April 25 shooting of Grand Rapids, Mich., comics retailer David Pirkola.
According to The Grand Rapids Press, James Muriel-Neal Thompson, 18, and Michael-Marquis Jones, 19, were arrested the following day and arraigned on April 28 on charges armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and assault with intent to murder. However, police only now released the information.
Pirkola, owner of Apparitions Comics and Books, was shot during the evening robbery of his store. He remains in critical condition at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital.
Police continue to look for a third suspect, 18-year-old Jevon Marquis Sawyer.
iFanboy is raising funds to help with Pirkola’s medical bills and the operation of his store.
Although this has been known since at least October, I’ll play along. Varietyreports that Brandon Routh will star in Dead of Night, an adaptation of the best-selling Italian horror comic Dylan Dog.
Initial reports had David R. Ellis directing the Arclight Films production. However, the trade paper now says it’s Kevin Munroe (TMNT) directing for Hyde Park and Platinum Studios. So, that’s new. Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Dean Donnelly wrote the screenplay.
Created by Tiziano Sclavi, the often-surreal Dylan Dog centers on a private investigator with financial problems and an Oedipus complex who focuses on the supernatural. Since it was first published in 1986, Dylan Dog has been translated into 17 languages.
Dark Horse Comics reprinted seven issues of the series in 1999 and 2002.
The Ticker
• Following the stellar opening of Iron Man, Marvel Studios has promoted Kevin Feige to president, and has extended David Maisel’s contract as chairman to 2010. [Variety, The Hollywood Reporter]
• Video-game publisher THQ has acquired the rights to the just-announcedMarvel Super Hero Squad animated series. This is part of Marvel’s multi-platform plan for the property, which includes a Hasbro toy line and a planned comic book and direct-to-DVD movie. [Variety]
• It’s been a while since we heard from NBC’s Heroes. Well, the silence has been broken with — surprise! — a report of a new cast member: Brea Grant (Friday Night Lights) will join the series as Joy, a character with super-speed. [Ausiello Report, TV Squad]
• And in even bigger Heroes casting news, Bruce Boxleitner apparently has landed a recurring role that initially had been modeled after Sen. John McCain. That character has changed, but Boxleitner is still on board. [Ausiello Report]
Rumor Mill
• What’s the only Hollywood project that has more cast members than Heroes? That’s right, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The latest rumor is that Australian actor Tim Pocock has been cast as a young Scott Summers/Cyclops. So, how would that gel with the first X-Men movie? [Superhero Hype]
