 |
"The Drudge Report of comics..." -- Don Simpson  |
|
Elmo Health Warning: This column is RUMOUR. Do not take anything here seriously. These RUMOURS are presented here as GOSSIP for their ENTERTAINMENT value. |
| What is Ramblings 99? | Logo by Kirk Kimball, Pop Rocket |
|
|
|
Awesome fisticuffs, round 2: We were hoping to hear from Rob re: the Dan Fraga item, and we did, at least second- or third- hand:
He continues:
Well, we wouldn't go so far as to suggest a vast right-wing conspiracy, and the tone of other portions of the note certainly suggests a less-than-amicable parting of the ways. However, Rob's disinterest in this issue and slips in the Awesome schedule can both be explained by a much more pressing personal medical problem in his family. Which is as it should be. Best of luck to Rob and his family in this trying time. |
|
|
|
Rich is honeymooning in Scandanavia right now, but the e-mail keeps humming, and rather than wait for him to return, thought I'd share a couple of the things I've gotten. Now, you know the drill, this stuff is rumour, we're reporting the stuff people are talking about, not necessarily the news. However, Richard actually does check secondary sources and tries to get confirmation from people before he shoots off his mouth. Not me, I'm just filling in, so you'll have to take this stuff with an extra large grain of salt. House of Ideas Catches the Millenium Bug Word from a spy over at Marvel is that Marvel is preparing to ring in the New Year by collecting a primo set of DC's best talent. New names being kicked around include Garth Ennis and Mark Millar. Marvel bosses have apparently been courting Millar actively for a major assignment, with one potential project a big all-encompassing 12-issue maxi-series, with "an A-list artist" assigned. Our mole has peeked at at least one fax between Tom Brevoort and Millar and calls this "possibly the most radical thing Marvel U has published in years." With Morrison, Ennis, Millar, Jurgens and Ordway at Marvel, by Y2K, perhaps the end is nigh? All bets are off for the new millenium... Maybe even a new Twist and Shout release. Awesome fisticuffs After years of sticking with Rob Liefeld through think and thin, apparently Dan Fraga is now persona non grata at Awesome. This sounds rather weird, but apparently the falling out between Rob and Fraga has taken on both verbal and physical(!) dimensions, with Fraga seeing the worst end of the deal. From what we've heard, this story is way more compelling and dramatic than anything Awesome has ever published, complete with accusations of pre-marital infidelity, verbal abuse, and physical intimidation from Rob and his 'posse'. Whether Fraga just got tired of being a second banana, or whether Rob's grievance was real, Fraga is apparently looking for other options to replace the doors which have slammed shut on him. If someone wants to come forward and corroborate what we've
heard, or tell us the real story, how about waiting for Rich
to return? This sort of muck isn't my forte... If you can't say something catty... Well, if I have to fill the space around here, I'm going to promote some of our friends. Monique MacNaughton, creator of Canadian cult favorite Arrowflight has a new site up. Arrowflight is a very original synthesis of fantasy, hardware, fur and politics, and her fans have patiently been waiting for new chapters. They often bug me at APE. You can catch some of Monique's work on our site soon; she illustrated the Aviatrix short story Baby Flight. Look for that on our main page. Elsewhere on the net is one of our sister sites, WeirdClipArt.Com. So far, it's full of dozens of disturbing or stupid images, and you can be a part of it, by either downloading your fill, or sending the Weirdmaster your favorite odd art cuts. Contributors include Twist and Shout contributor/Listening to Viagra creator Peter Penn, who has donated some completely unsalable illustrations. |
|
|
|
The Big Name Alan Moore has agreed to write a short piece for the upcoming Kosovo Refugee benefit book which we've been plugging for months. I've also finished my short story which will be sitting alongside the likes of Al Davison, Garth Ennis, Dave Gibbons, Brian Wood, Terence Griepp Jr, Pete Hogan, that bloke who played Boba Fett any many more. I'm so proud. Here's a panel (Oops, unable to unpack his image, sorry -- Mike) The book launches at Galaxion '99, and you can find out more about both the con and the benefit book at www.bluesilver.com. And here's a lovely visual by Jon Wilson that will also appear in the book. (same here) How Happy Am I? Newsarama just confirmed our rumour that Mark Millar was taking over the Authority, adding that Frank Quitely would be the artist. That's a fucking dream team. Buy the bastard! Let's get this in the Top Ten by next year... Judgment Daze. Right, before I go, let's do a little tidy up. Geoff Johns writes to confirm our original story, that despite rumours, Stars and STRIPE isn't being cancelled, in fact, pencils for issue 10 are coming in. He also states that "Hourman and Impulse are moving along as normal. Two other books I think that also offer something very different than the standard superhero comic." Matt Smith writes "What did I ever do to you guys?! Suddenly I'm the number one screw up in comics? And for that matter, I make one off-hand comment to a fan in San Diego (in jest, I might add) about killing you guys if you talk about me anymore and it ends up in your column mere days later? While I admire what must be a vast network of fans feeding you these rumors (or at least that one guy who asked me how I felt about your "Day of Judgment" comments), I gotta say I'm not exactly thrilled at all of this attention." "All kidding aside, if you want to see a response to your "ramble" about Dan Raspler bringing a breakdown artist in on "Day of Judgment", check out the Day Of Judgement thread on the DC message boards. It's in the "Other DC Topics" section." One quick trip to the message boards has plenty to offer. There Matt Smith posts "Actually, the fundamentals of what he had to say are true, if the reasons for them are slightly different. When Dan Raspler took over DoJ from the departing Kevin Dooley, he felt strongly that my storytelling wasn't capturing the full grandeur of our story, so he brought in Chris Jones, who he felt more comfortable with, to layout the last three issues (as well as a few pages in the first two that Dan felt needed tightening). Granted, this DID make my deadlines a great deal easier to meet (the layouts are half the work), but I DO take offense at the notion that this project was too much for me to handle. Dan simply wanted a different kind of storytelling, so he brought in a different artist. Lucky me, all I had to do was prepare finished pencils from Chris' surprisingly tight layouts. Can you believe they pay me for this? The nature of these big crossovers demands that they appeal to as wide an audience as possible, and even I think my storytelling can be difficult to follow. Though I prefer to think of it as "quirky". The final look of the pages is all me, and I'm pleased with the way they turned out. As an artist who takes my work very personally I certainly wish I had complete control over the work, but this is a business and the editor is the head of it. The way he wants a book to look is the way it's going to look. To Dan's credit, he could have just fired me and brought in a whole other artist, but he stood by me, and was nothing but complimentary about my skills as a penciller." "It's an unusual way of doing things, but crossovers are unusual projects. I think all things considered, Geoff, Dan, Steve, Chris, and I have put together the most solid piece of work that we can, and we eagerly await its arrival on the stands so that we can find out what you fans think." So there we have it! The Sincerest Form Of Flattery Earlier this week, a young lady saw it fit to parody this self same column with an unusual high level of venom, satire and bad feeling. It was the funniest thing I'd read since... well, since Dork 7, but it's very funny indeed. I also hear that DC found it just as amusing. Enjoy.
Nice one, eh readers? Now for an actual final thought, since as I've told you enough times, I'm off for two weeks on honeymoon. Until then, mail Mike Meyer on twist@netgate.net with any interesting rumours, responses or threats of legal action and he'll take the necessary steps. I'm off to not think about work, comics, or being chased by large peanuts. See you soon, The Real Rich |
|
|
|
Not Robbed A Ramblings reader writes "As to the Awesome Art sales of Ian Churchill, I was at the Awesome Art table looking through the portfolio's of art when Churchill came to ask the booth attendant how the pages were selling. He seemed to be in good spirits with no visible anger at the fact that his work was up-for-sale. Also, great follow ups on the Liefeld-Silvestri and Top Cow-Eidos stories." Another reader posts to say that Ian was sending people to Awesome to buy his artwork... good to hear. Although not so good to hear is an e-mail saying that I can add Matt Smith as far as the threats of physical violence to us go. Well, we've never heard him say anything like that to us... hmmmm. By the way, check out rec.arts.comics.dc.universe for a truly hilarious parody of this column. I'll reprint it here, soon! And another, what seems to be unequivocal denial of our early rumour from a regular Ramblings reader, "Ian Churchill was well aware that his artwork was being sold by Rob. Afterall, Ian was a houseguest of Mr. Liefeld for the several weeks between the WizWorld show and the SD show. Ian set the prices and commissioned Awesome Fine Arts to represent his work at the con. Ian did quite nicely by the way too..." Case settled, it seems. By the way, check out rec.arts.comics.dc.universe for a truly hilarious parody of this column. I'll reprint it here, soon! |
|
|
|
Mark Of Authority? Ramblings '99, the first to bring you news about The Authority now brings you news about Warren Ellis' replacement on the book. The man with Ellis' (and Ramblings') blessing is Mark Millar. Mark Millar is one of my favourite comics writers, his run on Swamp Thing being equal to Alan Moore's. Now, his appointment isn't set in stone, what with Wildstorm making the final decision, but we implore to anyone with influence reading to hire this man! That includes you, Scott. Mark Millar is the underrated peer to Ellis, Ennis, Milligan, Delano, Gaiman and Morrison and he has a love for superheroes that celebrates and destroys them simultaneously. We cannot think of a better successor for this particular book. And that includes Alan Moore. Diego Days A few assorted pieces coming through from the convention... Ramblings reader Jeremy Holstein posts to Usenet a whole host of lovely San Diego tit bits. There's a few pieces of special interest to this column: Neil Gaiman - "Did note that one of the catalogues at the con stated that DC is now scheduling some specials containing his old "spec-scripts" or "things I wrote to prove that I could actually write." Some Gaiman superhero material written ten years ago, apparently. Should be interesting." Travis Charest - "Wildcats. According to Travis he's off the book if he can't meet his deadlines. He said he's partway into issue six but it's not done yet. He had the cover on the table, and it did look very cool. He was also selling some of his cover paintings for two grand and such. Weird character, but never judge from a convention. He also noted that many people have told him that J.G. Jones would be his replacement if he screws up again. Just a rumor, but interesting." Whilce Portacio -"Artis was showing a new book by Whilce Portacio called "Ulysses". Can't really say much about it by the preview, but the artwork looks nice. Asked about Aria. Was told that Jay's artwork takes forever, but that the next issue should be in stores by the third week in September." Geoff Darrow - "says he'll be involved in with the Matrix 2 and 3, and while I was there a DC Editor asked him to do a Superman project which he said he'd LOVE to do. We'll see." Kevin Smith - "ANOTHER Kevin Smith series called Loki and Bartleby. Dogma, anyone? They said that the mythical fourth issue of Jay and Silent Bob WILL be out soon come hell or high-water. Kevin has finally delivered the script and they're pumping caffine directly into the veins of the artist in order to finish it ASAP. They had layouts and rough pencils there and it looks good." Independent Press - "One particular standout there was a book called "Sweet" which is romance oriented. Well written, but the artwork is Chester Brown-like. Not going to appeal to a mainstream audience. But it's come out regularly (every two months), which to me is a plus. His circulation? "Less than 1000." Sigh...." Jim Krueger - "A VERY professional and promising book was "Flyboys" by Jim Kruger and Phil Hester. Printed in normal comic proportions, but stapled on the short side each page was a panorama. Very nice, and very stiking. BBW Publications. Bigbadwld@aol.com" Some Awe, Anyway. Another rumour monger reports "Supposedly, Our Pal, Rob Liefeld, was selling Ian Churchill's Coven art from the Awesome booth. The problem? Ian didn't know anything about it until he saw it up for sale. No word on what happened after that or if it really happened at all. And isn't that the point?" You scandalous muck spreader you! With no news that Churchill has left Awesome in a storm of fury, we expect that it was probably just a misunderstanding and everything got sorted out, even if it ever happened at all, which personally I doubt. Unlikely rumour. Tut tut, you loose tongued morons, will you never learn? Dear me, I don't know. I'm sure Ramblings reader Rob Liefeld will set us straight, right Rob? Give Her Liberty. After a spate of high profile hirings at DC, the high profile resignations. We've had Stuart Moore, joining a multi-media start up, now it's Martha Thomases turn to leave the company she's very much associated to strike out for new, exciting challenges! She leaves on the 25th of August, we hear without a touch of malice of feud. Good luck Martha! Open Forum We also hear that John Miller, of CBG and Comics Retailer was telling folk at SDCC that he still can't believe that I haven't been sued, or at least severely beaten. Well, people have made legal moves to us, usually dealt with utter cowardice on our part, withdrawing the offending article and issuing grovelling, self-depracating apologies. We've always offered a right to reply and consistently state the validity of these stories as rumours, and only a possible truth. As to threats of physical violence, only Grant Morrison has made that directly, Robin Riggs indirectly and Mark Waid half heartedly. None of them have ever acted on such a threat, even when given the opportunity. It's also highly likely that certain people actually get what we're doing, printing rumours so that they can be exposed, confirmed or denied, instead of just being passed from person to person in a game of Chinese Whispers. And to be honest, many professionals love this column and some are even flattered by rumours printed. The fools. Maybe we should open the floor? Anyone got any opinions about Ramblings that they'd like to get off their chest? All in the open, obviously, but I'll withdraw you're name if you're shy. E-mail ramblings99@hotmail.com with your pithy prattle. But do it soon, because I'm off on Monday. |
|
|
|
Dismember November What's DC got in the November sack? We'll be taking it apart shortly. Gen On Jenkins. Before that, we've been told that Paul Jenkins will be writing Hulk as of issue 12. And The Beyonders, as previously mentioned in this column, will appear in a Spawn mag first, just like Kiss. Which means it won't be creator owned. That's what we've been told... any more on this? Loebsamoney! Like Grant Morrison, James Robinson and Geoff Johns before him, November's 'favourite with his bank manager is Jeph Loeb!' All his Awesome work aside, this month he's writing Witching Hour, Winter's Edge III, Batman: Dark Victory and Superman 152... all without a skip week like the previous writers needed to push their title count up! And save Winters Edge, these are all ongoing titles! A salute to the man! Hours Away. So just in time to miss Halloween... Witching Hour is scheduled for November, with Loeb, Bachalo and Art Thibert on inks. "The setting is Manhattan, where the mysterious Amanda Collins moves through the troubled lives of ordinary people armed with little more than a blank white business card and a strange, supernatural presence. She's giving them the chance to change their lives; but the choice they make will depend entirely on the forces that already exist in their hearts. Amanda herself is a mesmerising presence and, as she works modern magic with the help of a colourful if not entirely loyal coterie of followers, another side of her begins to emerge: one that is troubled, powerful and possibly centuries old. At the crossroads of the supernatural and the very real, THE WITCHING HOUR spins bold, provocative tales of sin, magic and redemption." Well, sounds like pretentious nonsense, but then so did Sandman. Hmmm. Anyway it's got Bachalo art. Three issues, prestige format, you know the score. Punk Muse. Bachalo's also busy as November also sees the scheduling of Steampunk's preview issye, by Kelly and Bachalo. Witching Hour teammate Art Thibert inks. Steampunk: Catechism is 18 pages long and costs $2.50. Let's hear DC's scoop for this one: "Meet Cole Blaquesmith, a man out of time. Revived from a century-long sleep, he finds himself in a world he never made, with a body rebuilt for an improbable future -- with a pneumatic arm and a coal-powered heart. Cole knows that the steam-driven, bizarrely high-tech world in which he now lives is not how the future's supposed to be. But can he restore the natural order against the will of the fearsome Dr. Mortimer Absinthe, dark architect of this cold world? Running from the Dog Soldiers, Batcat, and other wretched offspring of this world gone wrong, CATECHISM immerses the reader in a surreal steambath of ideas and images fashioned from the wickedest work Joe Kelly and Chris Bachalo have ever envisioned. In STEAMPUNK, the only boundaries are those of Bachalo's and Kelly's shared vision. So there are no boundaries at all." Obviously, steampunk's the place to be these days, what with Heart Of Empire, League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Tom Strong stomping about the place. Shame they couldn't have had a more original name really... Chopping Block We've been told that Stars And STRIPE is up for it at issue 6 strange, because the solicitation doesn't say that for November and it's part 1 of a 2 part story? The same source indicates Hourman for cancellation at 12 and Impulse some time. Well one wromg so far it seems, hope that's a good sign for the others. Boldly Glow. The first Wildstorm Star Trek book is up for grabs in November, Voyager False Colours - comment on Wildstorm's oft-over the top colouring department? Or maybe it's a typo for False Covers, since Jim Lee's doing one. Hope no one buys it thinking he's on the interiors... that would be like buying WildCATS with a Charest cover and thinking he's done all the insides too. If Lee puts you off, there's some sexy photo cover of that Borg bint for you to lust over. Future Wildstorm Star Trek books include ST:TNG The Killing Shadows, ST - Civil War, ST:TNG Embrace The Wolf, ST: All Of Me... basically loads of the stuff. Hopefully it'll sell better than the last few attempts... By Jingo. The Patriots is a new ongoing series by Wildstorm scribe Brandon Choi and Jonathan Peterson, with Michael Ryan and Randy Elliot on art. Mediocre bunch really. Shame. It's all related to this I.O. thing that Wildstorm has had going since day one, which is pretty poor all in all. But the premise is interesting... I.O., this big covert nasty lot of baddies is in tatters and two agents are employed to clear up the mess. Now this could be fantastic, something akin to what Planetary is doing, examining the history of such an organisation, over say 1000 years into the past... satirical, sharp, exploratory and avoiding stupid fist and gun fights. Use it as a way to explore the concept of the conspiracy and cover up. Anyone put bets on what will actually happen? I hope to be pleasantly surprised. Out Of Danger. Trouble getting Danger Girl out? Don't worry to get the creators to draw another one, let them spend more time writing two short stories for other people to draw! Joe Chiodo and Art Adams for example. Still stuck for space? Fill it up with pinups. And there you go. And the regular artists can get back to their Dreamcast. Fans still not satisfied? Chuck 'em a TPB.. well one of those two-issue jobbies that piss everyone off. Baitman. Batman: War On Crime is Dini and Ross's follow up to Superman: Peace On Earth. Now, considering the original's trite and stereotypical observations on famine, summed up as "give a man a fish..." when, with Superman's ability "give a man an entire fish farm..." would have been more appropriate. Now I haven't read the upcoming Batbook, but here's a thought. Could it have anything to do with the social impact on crime? That there's a story behind every criminal? That you should instead be tough on the causes of crime? The solicitation copy says "The war on crime is a bitter struggle, claiming many innocents. For any one man to end crime is a near-impossible task. For Batman, it is his life's work... an all-consuming obsession. When the Dark Knight encounters a young boy whose parents have been murdered (echoing the tragedy that created Batman himself), it raises fundamental questions about his own life." And then "finds the Dark Knight questioning the true nature of the evil he has dedicated himself to eradicating -- crime itself -- taking him from Gotham City's grimmest alleys to its shining corporate towers." Again, I hope to be pleasantly surprised. Alan Grant does up Batman/Daredevil a treat though, Eduardo Barreto on art. Batman and Daredevil team up with Kingpin to do in Scarecrow. Sorted Alan. Do this justice. Lovely. Imaginary Friend. The Sandman Companion is a hardback book by Hy Bender giving interviews to the people behind this quite remarkable book, which means mostly Neil, bits from the artist and an examination of the series, bit by bit. Arty bits by Jill Thompson, Michael Zulli, P. Craig Russell, Charles Vess, Kent Williams, Kyle Baker, Teddy Kristiansen, Jon J Muth, Mike Dringenberg and Dave McKean and comments from Alan Moore, Harlan Ellison, Peter Straub, and Samuel R. Delany. If you like Sandman, this is essential. By why in hardback? Let's wait till the $20 price drops, hm? $uperman! Now this is more like it, Superman, Inc. Finally an elseworlds book that takes on the Superman-Is-An-American to its fullest as he becomes an athlete and a celebrity in the bargain. Steve Vance and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (a very impressive team) take this character as he wins the Olympics, the Super Bowl, NBA, etc. We haven't had this since... well, Kickers, Inc. Ooh, similar title. Well, there was always Toad of X-Men wasn't there? Expect lots of 'show me the money', super style. Could be a lot of fun. That Time Of Year Again. Winter's Edge III. This time it's bringing it's dad. Well, Neil Gaiman again, with Zulli doing a Desire tale. Whatever happened to that Jill Thompson Desire mini we were promised so long ago. Anyway there's good meat in here, Dave Gibbons writing and drawing a Constantine story, and a Transmet story again, with Spider at Christmas. Joy. Previews of Swmap Thing, Deadenders and The Great Satan also await. Hollow Victory. Steve Seagle, Kelly Jones and Jason Moore are doing the adaption of Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow... you know, this isn't the first Burton/Vertigo project... didn't they do some sponsored screenings of Nightmare Before Christmas? Hope the adaptations up to Burton's visual mastery... do we remember the adaptation of Batman and Batman Returns? Feel the shudder... Toy Story. Hal Jordan returns! As a doll... yes, joining Dinah Lance and Oliver Quinn in a new set of dolls, sorry, action-figures. Hmm. But you'll have to wait till the end of February. General Mish Mash. Okay, time for some more featured books, Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer write Superman Adventures couldn't they be persuaded to draw it too? Dinosaurs come to Gotham in Hitman, Grant Morrison's still ploughing through the last JLA... we hear more trouble at DC as Grant is still insisting he's going to do something nasty to Oracle and the Bat guys aren't happy... anyway, enough of the rumours, in November Promethea terrorises Oracle! Let's see what happens eh? Jamie Delano and Steve Pugh put in what is reported as an unmissable book, Legends Of the DC Universe. Seriously, if you usually buy it or, like me, steer clear of it, order this issue! It's New Gods stuff from two masters of the comic form. Authority starts Warren's last arc, as the owners of Earth come back for their real estate. It's basically Authority versus God. Fantastic Four 50's all over again? Planetary tells the story about the sole survivor of a 50's covert project to fight against communism. Features Solicitations. Top Ten 5 what's it all about, DC? "Under the streets of Neopolis, there's a manhunt going on, except that the quarry isn't anything close to a man. The trail of the Libra killer grows warmer as Sergeant Kemlo Caesar finds himself responsible for the safety of a potential victim and starts to wish for the dull routine and security of his desk job back at the station. Cyber-Cowboy Duane "The Dust Devil" Bodine and his spark-spitting partner Shock Head Peter try to adjust to an unlikely alliance with North Hockney mega-madam Large Marge, and there's clearly something bothering Jeff Smax. Join the men, women, dogs and mutants of Neopolis' Finest as things take a decided turn for the dark and creepy around Precinct Ten." It's not all light in another favourite supertown, as Astro City 20 says that "All secrets are revealed as the Steeljack Saga concludes! Can Steeljack save his fellow super-villains from the machinations of the Conquistador -- or is he doomed to be the same kind of failure he's been all his life? Plus: the identity of the Black Mask Killer, Astro City in flames, and more. Hellsapoppin'. Here's a goody. Top writer extraordinaire has been drafted to write a couple of issues of Hellblazer before the new team come on... it's Twist And Shout favourite, Darko Macan! Top fella... and here's even better news, he's accompanied on art by Gary Erskine, my favourite Scot artist (and that includes Vincent!) and Andy Lanning... who used to do Sleaze Brothers! It's issue 144, it's obviously filler, yes we'd have preferred to have Shoot!, but hey this isn't a bad way to win me over. More Mish Mash. Over at Preacher 57, Jesse meets Cassidy, in Transmet, I have no idea what's happening but if you've a spare fifty dollars you can buy Spider's glasses! Order now and in March you'll get Dreaming PVC characters. That's Daniel, Eve, Lucien, Merv, Nuala, Cain, and Abel, with Goldie perched on Abel's shoulder. More even-more-advance stuff, Harley Quinn Medium is for February, Plastic Man Watch for January, Sandman Dream Hunters Print Set for December, the aforementioned Spider glasses are for April and Supergirl statue for April too. And that, my friends, is your lot. I'm off to bed. |
|
|
|
Ramblings Challenge: It's San Diego Comic Con time again... I'll be in England, planning on going next year. Shame they decided to theme it with the internet this time round... instead of waiting for me! So since I can't go, here's a challenge. I want you all to theme SDCC with a Ramblings tint. How, you ask? Well, my dear, sweet readers....
Any and all reports received about blatant Ramblings promotion... remember all publicity is good publicity, even if someone takes the opportunity to slag us off... will be rewarded with a place in the new Ramblings Hall Of Fame! Anyone who gets Ramblings mentioned in the Eisners or in any major speech gets extra! We'll be there in SDCC 2000. So, all my little John The Baptists, prepare the way! Oh and remember to quote the web address if you can? Lovely-jubbly! Why Did Rob Liefeld Leave Image II Well that article brought quite a response (check the July archive)... notable for two specific replies, one from an 'informed source who has asked to remain anonymous... and Rob Liefeld himself. And they seem to agree about a couple of things too, just about. 'Informed source' first. Now remember, some of this gets personal. We are not saying that any of the following is true. Personally, I trust this guy and if you knew who he was, you would too. Remember, this is a rumour column! Regarding the piece that said artists were free to go with Wildstorm or Top Cow when the Homage studio split, our source says "Billy Tan was originally hired by Top Cow. He never did Wildstorm work other than a few cards or such. Also, it wasn't a situation where artists had choices as to which company they'd work for. At the old Homage, it was like two companies working in the same space, which is why Silvestri left with his group to LA. He felt that he'd gotten a big enough crew together to finally get out of Jim's shadow at Homage. All the Top Cow guys went to LA, and all the Wildstorm guys stayed in San Diego. At that time, the "no hiring from the other studios" rule was in effect full swing." As to Jim Lee not being bothered about Maximum, our source says "I don't know about Jim Lee being OK with it." We're also told that Top Cow did less of the luring than we reported. "Anthony Winn quit Rob and pursued Top Cow on his own as he was a Marc Silvestri artistic clone, and desperately wanted to work with his idol at Top Cow". Again, "Nocon and Fraga were hired well after Rob was kicked out of Image, so Top Cow did honour that part of the agreement between Image studios." As to Randy Queen (do you know how that name sounds to us Brits?) taking Darkchylde to Liefeld, "The Randy Queen thing is a little garbled. Randy didn't have any support at Top Cow, and Top Cow administration felt he was going nowhere and treated him like he was going nowhere. Randy was very frustrated, as he was given no major assignments. He took matters into his own hands, and created and proposed DarkChylde for publishing at Top Cow. Marc refused to publish it because of its similarities to Witchblade and the just being developed Darkness. He felt Randy was ripping him off. Randy left Top Cow after this rejection, and got picked up by Rob. Marc really became furious as here was Rob publishing what he felt was an outright theft of Witchblade and the soon to be released Darkness, with an ex-Top Cow artist. I think the fact it was a huge success was also a slap in the face to Marc. When Rob went after D-Tron and Mike (he succeeded in getting D-Tron for a while), Marc decided to leave soon after as a form of protest and self-protection, but also because he saw how well Rob was doing outside Image with Maximum Press and he wanted to give that a shot as well." As to complaints from Image members as to how Liefeld was acting "They also complained Rob was using Image to give heat to Maximum Press, and as it was his own company, he didn't have to pay the Image fees associated with every title Image produces (a few thousand dollars) and he was outside of Image partner control. Basically, he was reaping the benefits of an Image title without having to follow the laws of Image at the time." Another separate source writes to say "There was a problem with Rob not paying the printer's bill on time. The printer was a relative of Todd McFarlane's, possibly an uncle, IIRC. So it seems to me a confluence of factors that led to his ouster. Talent-swapping, printer-paying and giving Image a bad name. But that's what happens when you try to build studios instead of doing your own damned book." British pop culture demands that I now raise a handbag to my chest with both hands and go "Ooooooooo" in rising and falling pitches. It worked out fine for Jim Lee... And now to our main response, Rob Liefeld's reaction to the original article.
Thanks Rob... and now that we've established a dialogue, who hope to hear more from probably the most influential comics creator of the nineties. Just so long as people know... I'm not the biggest fan of Rob's work. I find his writing simplistic, his artwork annoying and moreover consider the initial output of Image, which he set up, as responsible for much of the ghettoisation of comics. I wish that Rob had published his book "Rob" then, instead of "Youngblood". I wish Valentino had published "A Touch Of Silver" then, etc, etc... They'd have all still sold the same amounts and it could have led to a mindshift in comic readers away from just action-adventure stuff. Image had the chance, not only to move away from company control, but also to do work from the heart... innovate rather than imitate. And they didn't take it. For that I'll always look at them with some disdain. Much of Image now is fantastic, but if they could have been now what they were then, maybe the industry would be in better shape. It certainly couldn't be in a worse one. A familiar comics name then wrote to comment on our original article, "Cedric Nocon is and has been a good friend of mine for many years. He left Extreme for Wildstorm after he was replaced on Supreme with no explanation, after several times turning issues around in less than two weeks. His short stay at Wildstorm had more to do with his reluctance to move to San Diego than anything else. Since then he's done a few Top Cow books, but mostly does advertising work." As to the rumours of Liefeld and Image's difference over money, he reports "It helped that his sister was the Image accountant. He also had used Image money and resources to set up Maximum. Total bill: about $1,000,000 or so, which Jim Lee covered, and told Rob that was his buyout." As we reported, we're sure Rob would... um... challenge this, but again it's good to get these rumours out into the open to be challenged! Keeping Up With The Joneses. We've heard that the heavy weekly schedule of Days Of Judgment is causing such pressure on Matt Smith that Dan Raspler has hired penciller Chris Jones to lay out the entire miniseries... but why haven't they mentioned it yet? Surely they don't expect everyone to believe the work is all Matt's own? Maybe it's not true... which is always likely with this kind of thing. Confirmation, anyone? Cattle Rustling. As to the Who-Owns-Top Cow story, you may remember that we reported a rumour ages back that Eidos was buying bits of Top Cow. After weeks of to-ing and fro-ing on the phones, we discovered it was true - Eidos had bought 10%. Heavy stuff, and a predecessor to the Wildstorm buyout by DC, but Top Cow then reversed its silence on the story and said that it was old news. Funny, no one had actually reported it before... And here's why. Remember, this is all rumour... good thing too, as it gets personal. If anyone wants to confirm or deny, please do. Now then. An inside source confirms that "administration kept the sale secret even from most people working there. I heard the percentage of ownership has increased since the original purchase, and is higher than 10% now. I've heard figures from 25-33% from people working there. The reason for the radical discrepancy in numbers is that it is a huge secret within the company for some reason. Several artists and employees aren't even aware that Top Cow is owned in part by somebody besides Marc (Silvestri), even when there was a secret part-owner before Eidos. I think there may be confusion between that previous percentage of ownership and the new percentage of ownership." Well, this is news... so who did own bits of Top Cow before Eidos? "The previous part owner was Cynthia Sullivan, Marc's longtime fiancée before Top Cow even formed. As I understand it, Marc had been remiss with his finances while at working at Marvel, and done a lot of damage to himself financially in terms of credit and available finances. To be part of Image, he needed Cynthia to be a partner in Top Cow as her good records helped offset Marc's poor records, so monies could be secured and lines of credit brought into play for publishing. She was a silent 50% owner until Marc bought her out, in part with money from Eidos and in part with a stipend paid over time. They did end up breaking up as a couple about this time." First time I've heard that... but it does make some kind of sense and also clears up how the rumour that Eidos had bought 50% of Top Cow was started. Evacuation Warning. I'm off on honeymoon for two weeks on Monday 23rd. Off to Scandinavia, and I doubt I'll be on the net at all for that time. So remember to e-mail Mike Meyer at twist@netgate.net with your juicy titbits then. And I'll be back to kick off September! |
Archives
|
Pop Rocket |
"Real" Comics News on the Web, for those of you craving a low-rumour diet: |