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| << February25, 2006 - [ComicBookNetwork E-Mag] CBEM 564.06 |
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Just Don't Mention The N64... Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/2006/02/17/look-up-in-the-sky-its-a-bird- its-a-plane-its/ has posted one of the first screenshots from EA's upcoming Superman Returns video game. The screen depicts Superman facing off against a gigantic Metallo. IGN also a had pic show up online. http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/564/564113/img_3404046.html Yeah... the screenshots look good, but how does it play? I wasn't exactly thrilled with the Batman Begins game and the less said about Marvel Nemesis the better... This Has A "Fear The Imperfects" Factor of Six Out of Ten Christmas At Ground Zero And finally, we have a preview courtesy of the Image blog of The Last Christmas, written by Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn with art by Rick Remender and Hilary Barta. Enjoy. This Has A "Fight Before Christmas" Factor of Nine Out of Ten And we're done. See you next week. Later, Blair PS If anyone has any rumors, stories or news to share, please email me at blairm@silverbulletcomicbooks.com. Thanks to everyone who has been sending stuff in. It's greatly appreciated. +++++ Items found in Rich Johnston's "Lying in the Gutters" column at http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/ which are all rumors or gossip so take any of it with a BIG bucket of salt! Write to Rich at: richjohnston@gmail.com Rich heard rumors . . . There's a new "Dr. Fate" series in the works from DC Comics. Expect a bunch of one shots to launch it, possibly a fifth week event, spinning out of the "Shadowpact" series. The one shots include "Detective Chimp," "Black Alice," "Sargon The Sorceror," "The Invincible," "Ibis" and "Zauriel." At New York Comic Con, expect a new Spawn/Batman project to be announced. My source tells me that this won't be an Image book, so that'll be DC then. Is the "V For Vendetta" movie intended to be a thoughtful satire on politics and population? Or is it just a popcorn film? Intriguingly, director McTiegue plumps for the latter. Brian Garside of All New Comics emailed me: "Reading the article on Sam Loeb on Newsarama moved me beyond words, and made me decide something. After talking it over with my partner Pete, we have decided that we are going to donate all of the money we make on 'Superman/Batman' #26 to the Sam Loeb College Fund "If you live in Canada and want to get this from us, I encourage you to visit us at www.allnewcomics.com. We're going to ship it for free to anyone who orders it from us, and we are going to eat the cost on that. This will not in any way impact how much money we donate in Sam Loeb's honour. Joe Quesada is planning to have lunch with Brad Meltzer at the New York ComicCon. At the Alpha Waves message board, Mark Millar has stated that he'll be using "Marvel Civil War", amongst other things, to bring back Alpha Flight. He writes: Alias Comics have had a reputation for latesness of... late. But that's all changing. They've made it policy that no book be solicited until the finished, coloured, lettered version of the comic is fully saved on their server, ready to print. Effective now. _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- COMICS OBSCURA Mike Curtis shandafa@cyberback.com [COMICS OBSCURA are facts Mike Curtis has dug out during his 30 years of collecting Superman and writing about comics. His website for his comic imprint is www.shandafantasyarts.net ] MR. ZERO'S THIRD COUSIN TWICE REMOVED WITH A FLAMETHROWER While the BATMAN TV series villain MISTER FREEZE was based on a one time 1950's foe MR. ZERO, BLACKHAWK faced a similar foe in issue 117 of his comic, and he was named MR. FREEZE. Neither was related to MISTER ZERO, the man from Mars played by little person BILLY CURTIS on an episode of TV's ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN. _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Interviews Richard Vasseur richardv@sympatico.ca Jason Burns writer, Bryan Baugh artist on "The Expendable One" from Viper Comics interviewed by Richard Vasseur www.jazmaonline.com Jason Burns: Rich: What is the story about? Jason: Essentially it's about a regular guy who, because of his own stupidity, is graced with the gift of immortality. Now, that doesn't mean he's a vampire or anything like that. He's literally the same as he was before, only now you can unload a clip in him and he'll just keep on keeping on. So, with the help of his friend Jerry, he decides to play the role of hero in his spare time, basically using his newfound powers to stop small town crime. That is ... until a female FBI agent approaches him and requests his help in taking down a serial killer the media has coined The Animal. Rich: Twigs Dupree is an interesting name were did it come from? Jason: Well, I wish I had some funny story to fill you in on here, but actually I just kind of plucked it out of thin air. To me, the name Twigs sounded very... not so hero like, which if you really look at the character, he's not. At least, he's not supposed to be. Rich: Who are some of the main characters? Jason: You have Twigs, you have Jerry, the best friend and backyard scientist who is sort of responsible for Jerry's condition. (I should also mention that Jerry is a big comic book fan.) You have Agent Armstrong, the sexy female FBI agent that brings Twigs into the fold. And finally, you have The Animal, the serial killer that may or may not be a werewolf. The jury is still out on that one. Rich: Do any of the characters have traits from people you know? Jason: Hmmm, interesting question. To my knowledge, nobody I know personally is immortal, though I've never really tested anybody out on that. I'd have to say because the book is so over the top, that none of the characters are really based on anyone in my life, at least not consciously. Rich: What will people like about this comic? Jason: If you like a good gore fest, this will be your book of choice. On the other side of the coin, it's a comedy at heart. It's Steve Martin meets a really, really bloody Steve Martin. (That doesn't even make any sense, does it?) I think people with strong stomachs will have fun with it, but I have to emphasize the strong stomach part because Bryan can really draw some carnage. Which means, it's definitely not for the wee little ones, so don't go buying the book for the grandkids. Rich: Have you ever thought of writing a novel? Jason: The short answer to that is yes. I have been working on one since the summer of 2005, though I'm not sure if it's for my own benefit or because I hope to try and have it released some day. I'm sure I'll never finish it. Rich: Do you have any future projects? Jason: Yes, I have about ten different projects due out with various publishers. The next book to hit the stands is a 4-issue mini series called "A Dummy's Guide To Danger," which Viper Comics plans to release in July. Rich: What do you do in your spare time? Jason: I have been an entertainment journalist for the past eight years or so and co-founded Severe Magazine (www.severemagazine.com), which tends to keep me busy. I've also been concentrating on a film and television writing career and have a number of projects in the works on that front, including co-founding the production company Highway 28 and partnering with former Double Dare host Marc Summers on a pair of documentary style television shows. Really, work is my hobby, so I tend to be behind the computer a lot. Outside of working, I just like to veg out, watch some TV/movies and relax. I take each day as it comes. Rich: What do you read? Jason: Last book I read was Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk. I'm more of a magazine/comic reader than a novel guy. I just don't have the concentration. Rich: How can someone contact you? Jason: I prefer the carrier pigeon method, but I understand they're hard to come by these days, so they can always email me at jburns@severemag.com Rich: Any final words of wisdom? Jason: When the cage says, "Danger I Bite"... it really does. Bryan Baugh: Rich: Is there any pressure on you because this is Viper Comics first graphic novel? Bryan: No, I honestly never felt any pressure about that aspect of it. I guess I've been drawing comics as a hobby ever since I was a kid. So to me, working on The Expendable One was just drawing more comics. But knowing it was for Viper certainly made it more rewarding. Rich: How do you describe your art style? Bryan: Imagine if Dr. Frankenstein did an elaborate operation where he removed the brains of Bernie Wrightson, Jack Davis, Graham Ingles, Richard Sala, Lee Browne Coye, Basil Wolverton, and Bruce Timm, then blended them together in a food processor, then threw in a healthy dose of mental retardation to knock down the quality a bit. My artwork is what would come out. Rich: Does your art emphasize the sexuality of women? Bryan: Well, of course. Rich: Is there going to be a fair amount of violence in this series? Bryan: No, not a fair amount of violence. But rather, more of an excessive amount of violence. Rich: How did you become part of Viper Comics? Bryan: I don't know. Jason Burns e-mailed me and asked me to draw this story he had written. It was originally supposed to be for another publisher, but then, after we finished the first 24 pages, the other publisher decided they didn't like it anymore! I don't know if it was the gore or just my artwork! But as I understand it, they even tried to get Jason to start over from scratch with a new illustrator. I owe Jason a big debt of gratitude because instead of going along with that wonderful opportunity, he stuck with my artwork and dropped the publisher! Then there was a gap of a few months where Jason went out to try and get it picked up by somebody else and I moped around saying, "Well, who knows, maybe I suck!" And then out of nowhere, Jason e-mailed me to say the book got picked up by Viper! So then I started drawing pages again, except now it was for Viper. And here we are! Rich: Have you worked on any other comics? Bryan: Yeah, I have this other comic book I created called "Wulf and Batsy". It's about this cute chick vampire and a big, ferocious werewolf who are pals. They roam around the country and get into adventures and eat people. It's pretty silly. The first 64 page book, which was a complete, introductory story, was published in July 2005 by a company called Chanting Monks Press. It came out really nice. I even got Joe Chiodo to do the cover. Since then I've also finished a second Wulf and Batsy story, which is over 100 pages and as yet, remains unpublished. Plus I've started drawing what will be the third Wulf and Batsy story, which is also all planned out as another 100 pager. This is my hobby, it's what I do in my spare time to relax. I figure eventually they'll all get published somehow, or maybe they won't. But either way, they sure make me happy. Rich: What part of drawing do you enjoy most? Bryan: I find any excuse to draw monsters, blood and guts, and half-naked girls most enjoyable. Rich: What type of genre is "The Expendable One"? Bryan: That question would probably be better directed toward Jason Burns, since he wrote it. But I would describe it as action, horror, and comedy all mixed together. I also find it a little bit tragic. Twigs seems like a sad guy to me. His life sucks! Rich: Where does your inspiration come from? Bryan: Watching horror movies, listening to loud, scary music, looking at lots of art and reading lots of books, and my unrelenting determination to make a living doing artwork instead of real work, 'cause I'm a lazy bones. Rich: How can someone contact you? Bryan: On my website, www.cryptlogic.net, you will find a contact page where you can send me all the nasty e-mails you want! Rich: Any parting words of advice? Bryan: Yes. Some very important words of advice. The acts of mutilation of the human body depicted in The Expendable One are all performed by professional comic book characters. Please don't try them at home. You won't heal like Twigs does. You will die. ***** Adam Cogan writer, Ryan Cody artist on "Villians" from Viper Comics interviewed by Richard Vasseur www.jazmaonline.com Adam Cogan: Rich: Can you give us a basic outline of the story in Villains? Adam: I'd be glad to. In the first story arc, Nick Corrigan discovers that his neighbor (Charlie Cobb) is actually an infamous old classic supervillain called "Hardliner". But for a reason that is explored later on in the story, Nick decides to blackmail his neighbor instead of turning him in to the police. But he doesn't want money-he wants to be instructed as to how the Hardliner armor works so that he can become a supervillain himself. Rich: Can you describe the characters of the main characters? Adam: Let's start with Nick Corrigan, since the story of Villains is told from his point of view. His role early on is that of a villain in training. He comes from a middle class background. He's an intelligent kid, and like most of us at that age, he has the unwavering conviction that everyone else is an idiot and that he's smart enough and talented enough to take on the world. But his goals aren't that grandiose. All he really wants is money and lots of it. He's a good planner, but his hubris can lead him to folly. He's also prone to some very dark moods, which is probably what led him to this new career path. Charlie Cobb is the ex-supervillain who teaches Nick how to use his old armor and how to be a successful criminal. Cobb is in many ways the opposite of Nick Corrigan. He comes from the streets, and he's been a thief all of his life, so he has a wealth of life experiences to fall back on. He has a temper, but he's never been an impulsive man-he's very methodical and patient, and that's why he was so successful for so many years. And finally there is Nick's girlfriend Sam. She is one of those people who have a boundless supply of positive energy to spread around, and that's exactly what Nick needs most. I don't want to sound too corny, but she really is the light of his life, and he needs that light to stay balanced. Without her, the dark aspects of his personality could swallow him up. Rich: What are Hardliner's powers or abilities? Adam: All of Hardliner's superhuman abilities come from the power armor. Anyone who puts on the armor has the ability to fly. The armor also has a tough outer shell that isn't invulnerable, but it's bulletproof and resistant to a variety of attacks. It's also capable of superhuman feats of strength. And one of the armor's gauntlets has a very powerful heat-based laser weapon system. The armor has always been a modular design, allowing for constant upgrades and customization. That's one of the reasons why Cobb was so successful during his criminal career. Every time he planned a new caper, he would modify the suit so that it had the tools and abilities he would need for that specific job. Rich: Will there be super heroes showing up? Adam: Hell yeah, definitely. The story is told from the villain's perspective, but there are plenty of heroes who will be showing up and try to mess up their plans. Some of them are people who see things in stark black and white, right and wrong. Never mind that nobody can live up to their standards. There are other heroes who have a more pragmatic view of life and see things in terms of grays. A hero called "The Flying Ace" shows up in the first story arc. He's a "golden age" style hero who has been doing his thing since the 1940s. He and Cobb have formed a unique relationship over many years of battles and conflict, and we get to talk about that a bit over the first four issues. Rich: Who has influenced you the most in your life? Adam: I don't like choosing just one person. I don't think it works that way. Many people have influenced me. George Lucas springs to mind. But Spielberg, Scorsese and Kurosawa deserve a place on that list. And then there's Davinci, Klimt, Dore, Mucha Picasso, N.C. Wyeth, Munch, Giacometti. Or Fritz Lieber, Tolkien, Herbert, Kafka, Chandler, Camus. My parents, who always encouraged me to be creative and seek out those others. Rich: Where does your inspiration come from? Adam: My story ideas usually come from personal interests, and some need I have to capture something I like about them so that I can share that with others. Rich: How did you and Ryan get together to create this comic? Adam: I contacted Ryan after he posted some sequential work on an art forum. They were pages from a book he was pitching around called "Hurricane Kids". I was so impressed that I wrote him right away and asked him to take a look at a script I had written that I knew he'd be perfect for. Things happened very quickly after that. He worked up another pitch at lightning speed, and a few months later we were at the SDCC showing it to publishers. Rich: What advice do you have to writers just starting out? Adam: You can't get around it. You can find all kinds of things to distract yourself, but sooner or later, you're going to have to actually write! Don't lie to yourself, and don't expect to be brilliant your first time. Nobody is. We learn through experience. Rich: What comics do you read? Adam: I'm a very schizophrenic reader. I pick up books almost at random sometimes, just to try to learn how different creators do things. I don't' collect. Some of my recent favorites include Burlyman's Doc Frankenstien, Karma, Inc., Gotham Central, Sleeper, and The Walking Dead. BPRD is the best comic out there right now. Rich: How can someone contact you? Adam: Through my website: http://www.monstermenace.com Or stop by the Villains forum: http://www.vipercomics.com/features/villains.asp Ryan and I are very approachable and we love to talk to people who are interested in the book. Especially (but not limited to) those people who are famous directors and want to throw money at us and make a movie adaptation. Rich: Any last words of advice? Adam: Villains is a work of fiction. After reading it, please don't turn around and steal things from people. It's wrong! Ryan Cody: Rich: How did you first get into drawing comics? Ryan: I always liked writing my own stories and making up characters, then sometime around the mid to late 80's I fell in love with Marvel comics and started copying panels out of Silvestri's X-Men and Liefeld's New Mutants. I was very much a child of that modern age of artists at that age. Rich: Do you remember your first drawing? Ryan: Not really my first, but I do remember vividly copying a Silvestri panel of a close up of Iceman from the Inferno storyline that I thought was amazing. I thought, this is it, I have it! I was probably 12 or 13. Rich: How would you describe your art style? Ryan: Sort of a cross between the Timm/Oeming look with some influence of the heavier brushwork of a guy like Paul Pope. Rich: What artists do you admire? Ryan: Well, personally, all time would have to be a 3- way tie between Jim Lee, Mike Mignola and Jack Kirby. One influenced me heavily early on and the latter 2 I have grown to fully appreciate over the last 10 years or so. Current artists I love are guys like Kristian Donaldson and the previously mentioned Mike Oeming. Rich: What objects or parts of people do you find hardest to draw? Ryan: Like every artist I struggle with buildings and cars, all the non-exciting stuff. It's hard to put the same effort into all the little aspects, but if you study the great artists, they are the ones that do it all. And sometimes it's a struggle to pack in all the panels Adam likes to write for me. Rich: Why feature a villian instead of a hero? Ryan: It's fun to not have the typical restraints put on a character that essentially appears in almost every panel. It's fun to write and draw. Rich: What is the most important event to happen in your life? Ryan: There are 3 of them, the births of my 3 sons. That sounds very corny. Rich: If you could draw any other comic which one would it be and why? Ryan: Hellboy, and if I have to say why then we are all in the wrong business. Mignola created the greatest character of fiction of the last 30 years. Rich: What tips or pointers do you have for other artists? Ryan: Work with a god color artist. I have firmly attached myself to Russ Lowery and he makes me look a million times better than I should. There is not nearly enough credit given to the colorist in most cases, and way too much given in many others. We are very lucky to have him. Rich: What comics do you read? Ryan: I really don't read anything on a regular basis, 3 kids and a mortgage has done that to me. I normally just pick up books from other creators I know. I am looking forward to IDW's Supermarket and I try to pick up The Middleman from Viper. Rich: How can someone contact you? Ryan: My website is www.hurricanekids.com or email me at hurricanekids@gmail.com or through the fine floks at Viper Comics. Rich: Any last words of wisdom? Ryan: I'll leave that up to individuals that are wiser than myself. ***** Timothy Erickson creator/writer/artist on "Death's Whisper" interviewed by Richard Vasseur www.jazmaonline.com RV: What is the basic story of "Death's Whisper"? TE: The basic story of Death's Whisper is a love story between Whisper; an assassin for the Mafia, and Azrael; the Grim Reaper. Their relationship is strained as other immortals, mobsters, mercenaries, police units, and a slew of good and bad characters become involved; fore and against Death and Whisper. RV: Can you tell us about some of the main characters? TE: As for the main characters; Azrael is the Angel of Death, the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse, he is not the only death, but he is one of the most powerful of the immortals. Azrael is somewhat confused and overwhelmed by the love he feels with Whisper(not so inhuman after all). Apart from Whisper and Death the most prominent character in Death's Whisper is Anji. Anji is Whisper's younger sister; youngest daughter to the Don. Having been raised within "The Family" has toughened Anji, she is quite capable and has much knowledge and experience for her age. Anjelicia (her full name) is also very gifted, she can see things and is in touch with things most people are unaware of. Anji is being groomed to eventually take over the family business. RV: Why did Whisper become an assassin? TE: Whisper's father is the head of the most powerful mob family around, she has been "in" since birth. At an early age Whisper showed a natural ability for the martial arts, tactics and the like, so her father sent her into training to become a loyal, and effective asset to the family business. RV: How did you come up with the idea for "Death's Whisper"? TE: The origins of Death's Whisper came up in separate parts; I've always been into mob stories, and have always wanted to do one. I wanted to draw a story with a powerful female lead(that was an assassin). One night I was hanging in a club looking down on the dance floor having a Guinness, and I was thinking what if Death were in here right now. I've also always liked stories like Johnny on the spot, Death Takes a Holiday and the like. Many of the situations and characters are from experiences I've had and people I've known, so they just ended up working together. RV: Is there any religious undertones? TE: Obviously there are religious undertones as the backdrop of the story; angels and demons; God and Lucifer; The four horseman of The Apocalypse; etc. I think the sacredness of love and life are most important. Any deeper undertones should be decided upon by the individual reader themselves. RV: Do you have any future projects planned? TE: I have many future projects planned; currently I am working on Death's Whisper Donna Anjelicia. The story begins some years after the Original Death's Whisper trilogy, and focuses on Anji, she is now the head of the Mob. RV: What comic besides "Death's Whisper" would you like to work on? TE: Wonder Woman, I've got this really cool story idea, I'm sure that's not very likely to happen, you never know. . . RV: What steps did you have to go through to have a completed comic ready for sale? Was it worth it? TE: It's very worth it, but it takes time, and it's still going to take time. Generating income in the early stages is very hard, you've got to have enough capital to do anything. All the steps are fun; from conceptual to story-boarding, to pencils, to inking, to printing, everything before during and after all that, did I mention time. Surround yourself with good materials and good people. RV: So why should someone buy this comic? TE: I think Death's Whisper has a very good story to tell. One of the coolest things I've experienced with Death's Whisper is all of the people that have been pleasantly surprised by the story, it is very different than what most think it's going to be like. Also it helps me tell my stories; and I've got some really good ones to tell. RV: What do you do when your not working on comics? TE: When I'm not working on Death's Whisper related things; I'm into martial arts, and S.C.U.B.A. diving, I don't get to fight or dive as much as I'd like, soon come. RV: What comics do you read now and what did you read as a child? TE: I didn't read comics as a kid, sometime in high school my friend Bill would loan me comics about ten at a time, I'd read them, give them back, and get the next ten, it was pretty cool. Now-days I'm into Hellboy(the best graphic novels on the planet), Sin City, Arsenic Lullabies, if you haven't checked out Doug's Arsenic Lullabies, do so. It's Brilliant. RV: Do you have a website? TE: www.deathswhisper.com RV: How can someone contact you? TE: Anyone can contact me via the Death's Whisper website, leave an email at tre@deathswhisper.com I try my best to respond to all emails. RV: Any parting words of advice? TE: Never quit and never give up. _________________________________________________________________ Thanks for subscribing to the Comic Book Network Electronic Magazine (CBEM) --------------------------->Disclaimer<--------------------------- This is an ANNOUNCE only mailing list, only the Editor can send messages to the list. No one else has access to the subscriber list. 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