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"The Drudge Report of comics..." -- Don Simpson  |
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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 2000? | Logo by Kirk Kimball, Pop Rocket |
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X Rated. One of our sources who's provided some interesting info in the past, fills us in about Marvel's opinion of the new X-Men movie. And they're worried. Our source writes "It seems that the higher-ups at Marvel have seen the X-Men film in some form, and have supposedly panicked. It's awful." "Rumor has it that they are extremely upset and that they see the film as a bomb waiting to explode. So much so they called in Bob Harras and said "you have to try and save this situation for us." "Bob Harras was told to "raise as much money as possible" to combat what they fear will be a big loss for them." "One of the consequences, the rumor goes, is the recent increase in prices on the books." "The other is that there is gong to be a cut in page rates across the board, coming soon, excluding the big contract guys (the Kuberts, Romita, etc)." That's the rumour, what's Ramblings take? Well, I can't see the higher ups getting this upset... Marvel don't own the film, they've licensed the rights. However a bad film could mean low merchandise sales, and if Marvel/ToyBiz whatever are planning for high sales as a result of this film, then yes, a bad film could be a stumbling block. But this is hardly justification for increasing prices or dropping page rates. I think I'll reserve judgment over much of this rumour. But my take on this is just how good a movie did they think it would be? It's the X-Men for goodness sake, without the sense of humour that lifted films like Men In Black and Mystery Men. And from what we've seen, it won't have the deadly sense of speed and style that Blade did. I mean, I like Ian McKellen enought to go see the film, and the fanboy in me will probably push me a long, but we all know that this film isn't going to be an all-time classic. At best, it'll be better than Batman 3 or 4. |
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Marvel On The Inside. Ramblings has been e-mailed by a source to Marvel. Let's call this individual Lt_Kali. As well as repeating the news that Marvel are cancelling Webspinners, Warlock and Deathlock, the good lieutenant follows with news that Spider-Man Unlimited is cancelled with issue 8. Looks like our rumour list wasn't quite as confused as we recently thought. Lt_Kali also informs us that it is also possible that Marvel will be launching a Fox Kids Presents comic, featuring 11 pages of Spider-Man and 11 pages of Avengers. And the we had some more good news from our military member. X-51 and New Warriors may well have avoided the chopping block, despite still being labelled a 'cause for concern'. A new monthly artist on New Warriors who is causing a stir at the Bullpen is joining the book, while X-51 will have greater ties to the X-books in an attempt to boost its sales. Look for creative changes on that book too. If these rumours are accurate, it seems that the first cancellations list we received was pretty much accurate, with two titles being reinstated because of new circumstances. The second list gets another panning from the lieutenant too, as neither Deadpool, Black Panther, Spider-Girl, Bishop:The Last X-Man or Captain Marvel show any signs of being cancelled. Bishop has already been given a double sized 12th issue... however, we're told that the only thing Lt_Kali went a bit quiet over was Spider Woman. Apparently "Something is happening to Spider Woman" but no more came from those quivering lips. A quick about turn and Lt_Kali was gone as if never even here... From Rumour To Fact Mania's Daily Buzz (http://www.mania.com/buzz) has reported that Marvel have cancelled the following titles, Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man with issue #18, Warlock with issue #9 and Deathlok with issue #11. This fits in with part of the first Marvel cancellation list we printed a week or so ago, although no sign of news about New Warriors, X-51 or Spider-Man Unlimited. It is possible that the rumour we received mixed up Webspinners and Spider-Man Unlimited, and that Unlimited is currently safe from the chopping block. But there is no cancellation news on the second list we received, which fits in well with our stance that the first list seemed fairly likely but that the second list didn't. We hope that all creators involved with cancelled books find replacement projects as soon as possible. Rich Johnston |
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Don't Bash The Bishop. Joe Harris, X-writer also writes to throw scorn on the second Marvel cancellation list that Ramblings received. He says "I was just pointed to your column's mention of next batch of Marvel titles to be cancelled, which included Bishop: The Last X-Man. I, as writer of the title, just want to echo the printed response by Peter David. We're not going anywhere. We're outlined and choreographed well into our second year on this book. We have a couple of surprise projects in the works that may well spin-out, or dovetail into, Bishop: The Last X-Man. Look for our coming "Last X-Men" storyline in February and March's issues #7&8." "The X-Men Revolution involves Bishop, as well. And, while the majority of the line gets a nice push this March, Bishop: The Last X-Man definitely keeps pace." Well, this looks cut and dried for the second cancellation list. It's a turkey. But as for the first...? |
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Astro Bitties Did we all see Astro City issue 21 just out? Written by Kurt (Gorilla Comics) Busiek, featuring Bulldog Comics and the moral lesson that spreading rumours will lead to big, big problems? Lovely!! Not Even Worth A Headline. We're also told that Kelley Jones has something in the works with Vertigo. German Morsels. Joe Kelly had time to talk to us about German Garcia's departure from Action Comics we revealed last week. He writes "German's stint on Action was short but wonderful. Unfortunately, things just didn't work out scheduling wise, so we had to go in a different direction. I deeply and truly respect German as an artist and a pal, and hope we get towork on something else together again soon. The energy and excitement inherent in his work is something every comic fan should be privvy to." Cancellation Listlessness. After last column's Marvel cancellation list, we've been sent another one. Which is more disturbing. Basically because a) it lists a number a A-1 quality books and because b) unlike the list, we were able to get responses from involved creators that threw heavy doubt on the entire rumour list itself. This time, the list included Deadpool, Black Panther, Spider-Girl, Bishop:The Last X-Man, Capt.Marvel, Spider Woman and Webspinners. Well for a start, Peter David and Priest were able to scotch two of these titles by telling us all the plans Marvel has for these books.. Priest says "They never tell me anything. Honestly, I'd be the last to know about these kinds of things. DEADPOOL has always been on death's door. Like KA-ZAR, I'd imagine they'd want to at least give the new team a shot before pulling the plug. PANTHER, severely damaged by artist roulette and mis-ships, is anybody's guess. Officially, the word from Marvel is both titles are on their 2000 publishing plan, and no rumor of either book's demise has been passed on to me." And Peter David is even more vehement, saying "In regards to Captain Marvel, it's very simple: I'm busy plotting a longterm story arc which include a number of cosmic characters such as the Silver Surfer, the Silver Skrull, the MIcronauts, Starfox, and Galactus' lesser known twin brother, Cosmo. This, combined with not only my editor's assurance that all is well, but Marvel's current plans for a Captain Marvel promotional campaign (including an assortment of the rave reviews the book has gotten) leads me to believe that Marvel is committed to the book. More and more, this cancellation thing is becoming self-fulfilling prophecy. Fans hear rumors and, despite whatever good they've heard about the book, don't pick it up because, hey, why get attached to it. Retailers hear rumors, take it as given, and slash their orders despite increased attention. And the fans who are reading and enjoying the titles are thwarted in their efforts to excite interest by other fans and retailers who are so quick to predict disaster that they embrace it. No, the book's not cancelled. In fact the rumor I hear is that Marvel loves it and wants it to succeed. If we heard a few more rumors like that, perhaps we'd see it happening more often." On that point, a shout goes out to old Hulk readers who, like me, dropped the book when Peter David left. As of issue 12 of the new series, it's back to the good times Paul Jenkins is on the book and is using Peter David's grounding of the character to inform the book. There isn't the humour of David's run so far, but it's a dark, introspective examination of the Bruce Banner-Hulk amalgam. Buy it. So what's Ramblings position on this latest cancellation list? As I said I'm doubtful as to its authenticity especially compared to the last one. That last list seemed more likely to be true, but this one doesn't sit right. At all. X Over Easy. Marvel may be planning an X-themed skip week event later this year, involving classic artists such as Neal Adams, Dave Cockrum and Paul Smith. Could be like the issue 100 variant covers, just way bigger. House Of Renewals. Marvel may be having trouble with character copyrights. It's been rumoured that in 2007, a number of classic Marvel characters such as Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Thor and X-Men come up for renewal. And the Kirby estate may well be going after them with gusto. The estate (unlike the Siegels with DC) have a certain disdain for Marvel. And as for Stan? Despite Marvel's less than stellar treatment of the former house organ he will not be going after them. But it could be a way to leverage Marvel to back his new company Stan Lee Media. Practising Levitzation. A couple of rumours come our way about DC Publisher, Paul Levitz, both involving threats to fire him from his bosses. Sounds like someone's got an axe to grind and a definite bias comes across. So, remember, don't believe any of this until you'd had actual verification from someone incolved, but here's what we've heard. First, there has been some disparity in the reporting of the pulling of the Mad Magazine Millennium Edition. Comicon reported it pulped, Mania later reported it shipped, but with replacement copies sent to replace the printed copies. The rumour goes that Paul Levitz did indeed order the book pulped but received word that if he pulped any more books (like the DC Elseworld 80 Page Giant), he's be fired. So the book swap approach was chosen instead. Secondly, Paul Levitz has apparently been under enormous pressure to settle Superman/Siegel thing. And his Time Warner bosses were not pleased when this story leaked to the media. If Levitz can't settle this thing quickly, which means getting the Siegels to give up interest in Superman without having to pay large amounts, then Levitz is gone. If this rumour is in anyway true, it's ironic in that Levitz was one of the individuals trying to get better compensation for the Superman creators ages ago, only to be nixed by his superiors. If only they'd listened then Paul Levitz has not responded to e-mail enquiries about these stories. Don't blame him to be honest. But the bias of the stories and the style leads me to believe that you'd be wise to take these rumours with a pinch of salt and rub your chin saying "Jimmy Hill, Jimmy Hill"... Rumour Patrol. What fate for Doom Patrol? We heard that John Byrne was planning a revamp that wrote out the magnificent Grant Morrison run on the book. Then David Quinn was putting together a proposal. Then a myriad of creators had some interest. Well, the latest rumour has it that John Byrne is going to plot/draw a Doom Patrol series that takes place in the past before the death of the original team. Tom Peyer is going to be scripting and co-plot the series. Bastard Battlechasers. Even since the Battlechasers book came out, a few individuals have cried 'ripoff', citing similarities with books such as Bastard!, Dragonball, Saber Marionettes J, Giant Robo, etc etc... The latest had it that Joe Madueria was being sued by Jump Comics who publish the manga book Bastard! Well, sources at Wildstorm indicate no sign of that, and despite some character resemblances, I've yet to find direct art swipes that many claim exist. So, if anyone can find them, great! If not, well, let's call this a non-issue until we can actual see some proof. Mind you, don't get me started on Pat Lee... Big Apple? Big Arse!! The advertising company I work for has politely informed me that I will not be shipped out to New York at the end of this week to collect an advertising award as I had the temerity to hand in my notice the other week. I shall be moving to a higher paying, Soho Square situated agency on Valentine's Day. Joy! London Loves. This weekend, I popped into the new cut-price London comic shop B-Hive to further investigate some rumours about how this shop can offer such low prices on American import comics and still prosper in the pricey West End of London. Rumours include the story that B-Hive has no Diamond account and that Gary is being funded by Forbidden Planet (Scotland) as an unfriendly stab to the southern Forbidden Planet chain. Shop manager Gary laughingly dismissed the latter rumour and almost dismissed the former. Almost. Basically Diamond aren't delivering directly to B-Hive, but via another source. Now, Diamond, acting as distributor agents to the Big Four and distributing everyone else, arrange contracts that stop sub distribution from one company to another. However shop chains can get around this restriction as they count as one company shops within chains will often send stock from shop to shop where it's needed. Gary wouldn't explain any further but it doesn't take a genius to work out that this means B-Hive is part of a company that includes one other comics shop. And one that must be in van-driving distance of the West End of London. And the Hive shops in Brighton have made it very clear in advertising that they have no financial or other links with B-Hive. The Worm's Turn. While chatting in B-Hive (also picking up the recent DC Golden Age skip week copies, 9 issues for 6 quid!) Paul Gravett, organiser of the London Cartoon Art Trust popped in on an exploratory mission. Better known to Eddie Campbell readers as The Man At The Crossroads, we chatted a bit and he plugged The Worm, a collection of that literally very long comic strip written by Alan Moore and Garth Ennis and drawn by just about everyone in British comic at the Guinness Book Of Records. Out next week in British shops and Diamond US are distributing a couple of thousand, so watch out for it at good shops soonish! Exchanging Rates. What has been annoying me though, and I was reminded looking at B-Hive's rates, is that during the last recession in Britain, and the devaluing of the pound as it fell out of the European Rate Mechanism, is that as a result, Diamond UK put up all the comic prices. Fair enough, the pound was worth less. But during the rest of the nineties, the pound has grown, and grown strong, indeed too strong to enter the Euro. But the dollar/pound ratio from Diamond UK is still the same. How come? Will we only get price increases when the rate changes against us, and never a price decrease when it goes the other way? What gives?
You have been reading Ramblings 2000! Send all response to twisting@hotmail.com |
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Okay, lots of lovely stuff, for you to chomp through. Remember the Rumour Warning, remember the Rumour Barriers, let's get going. Chopping Block. I'm about to do something that often upsets a few of you. Look away now if you're of a squeamish disposition. Rumoured cancellation lists. I ask you to remember the 'rumour' part of this and also to recall that rumours about the cancellation of some of these books have been passed around before without result. And books like Deadpool have been officially cancelled and then un-cancelled just as quickly. So. The rumoured cancellation list for Marvel just handed to Ramblings is:
The rumoured last issues of these is several months away and they are still being solicited in Previews. A number of involved creators were contacted via e-mail. None responded. One other prominent Marvel creator told me that he hadn't heard anything, but it wasn't uncommon not to hear anything, even if the info were true. Bill Rosemann, better known as Your Man @ Marvel has previously asked me to contact him before printning such things, so he can confirm or deny them. This time, Your Man @ Marvel told me that he couldn't comment on this story now... which, yes, does add some credence to the rumour. The rumour also states that there are 'more on the way'. Big Books. The theme for this year's DC Annuals will be 'International' And this year's 80 Page Giants will be a little different than the last couple of years. Instead of 8 to 10 page stories by different creative teams, usually someone hot and a load that aren't, they will all contain one 80 page story by a single creative team. Indeed Beau Yarborough's recent Comic Wire article mentioned that D. Curtis Johnson was writing the next JLA eighty-pager, emphasising he was writing *all* of it. Vertigo Ventures. A bigger question, even louder than 'what will 2000AD be called next year' is what will Vertigo do when Preacher, their bestselling title by a 2 to 1 margin, ends in September? Well a source tells us that was Topic #1 at a recent editorial retreat for Vertigo editors. The answer? They don't have one yet. So look for them to throw just about everything at a wall and hope something sticks. One alleged difficulty passed to us is that Karen's idea of a good comic is something like "Seekers into the Mystery" or "Proposition Player" which haven't attracted the necessary sales (although at least thing Prop Player is the bee's knees!). The other editors are proposing lots of interesting new titles and formats but Karen is shooting them down because they don't fit with her way of thinking. And as a result a number of editors have been murmuring about 'pulling a Stuart Moore' and nicking off to pastures new. Hmmm... sounds to me as if this source has a certain... shall we say 'bias'? As previously reported, top creators that Vertigo used to rely on have found pastures new Marvel, Marvel Knights and Wildstorm, where (especially at Wildstorm) they have been treated with kid gloves, paid significantly more and given greater creative freedom. Look for the extension of semi-successful brands such as Transmetropolitan, The Great Satan, 100 Bullets and who knows, maybe even Happydale, in an attempt to do another 'Preacher'... which wasn't *that* successful when it started, you know? German Retreat. Action Comics penciller German Garcia is off the book already as has become increasingly hard to contact. As in not for weeks. A replacement is currently being sought, so expect a few fill-in issues. And with Ron Marz's departure from Green Lantern (a late last year's Rambling that was confirmed recently) does that mean that penciller Darryl Banks is off too? Sadly, that's the rumour... Super Late. Where on Earth is Mark Millar's Superman: Red Son, a 4 issue Elseworlds with Dave Johnson art? Not even Mark knows. Dave's lateness on this book has rivaled Fabry's lateness on Judge Dredd/Batman 2 (which soon became 3, then 4) Well, one and a half issues have been completed over two years, so he's off the book. So will DC have to start from scratch or get someone else to finish the book? Mark Millar's work on the book has already been called 'outstanding' by DC insiders, so we hope for some resolution Totems Across rec.arts.dc.universe, there was a consensus. Totems sucked. One of the V2K event books and apparently the highest ordered of the group (above even Kyle Baker's I Die At Midnight), this book teamed John Constantine, Swamp Thing, Cliffe Steele, Black Orchid and Animal Man against the cataclysm of the new millennium. Written by Tom Peyer and drawn by a variety of artists, after one person said that saying 'Totems sucks' was not enough, Totems artist Duncan Fegredo popped by to comment. "I think short and (bitter?) sweet really says it best...Totems really does suck....and that's official!" However, original editor of the book before he left for pastures new, Stuart Moore was most annoyed. "I'm surprised by the bile exhibited toward this book here (and disappointed by Duncan's comments, which struck me as low-class, especially considering he didn't have time to do the lion's share of the art on the book -- sorry, Duncan)." He then continued "I'll tell you exactly how Totems came to be: I was told about the V2K stunt (not my idea) and called Tom Peyer. I said, "Want to do a one-shot? How about Doom Patrol 2000?" (Well, I had to start somewhere...) He didn't want to touch that, but liked the idea of doing something with the older characters. Tom has enormous affection for these characters; not many people remember this, but he was editor of Animal Man, Doom Patrol, Black Orchid, and Kid Eternity in the first year of Vertigo, and before that assistant editor of Shade, Sandman, and (briefly) Swamp Thing and Hellblazer. Since then, he's become a pretty terrific writer, as fans of Hourman will attest. It seemed like a perfect match. (Full disclosure: He's also a very good friend of mine.)" "I'll freely admit that I didn't think the V2K concept in itself would carry these books, and I was looking for a commercial edge for the one I edited. (I believe it sold best of the books, though not by much -- I agree that six bucks is a lot for a book like this, though it's hard to control that kind of pricing.) But past that, the motives were pure: Tom and I both like these characters, and wanted to see what they'd be up to if, improbably, they were all thrown together. And as for continuity, there's nothing that really violates it here. Animal Man has either (1) dyed and cut his hair and put his costume on again, or (2) taken a little swim through hypertime -- he's appeared in this guise in other DCU books recently. Cliff never really changes much, Swampy regrew to his old appearance (again, as seen elsewhere), and that's Suzy appearing as Black Orchid, though there's no need to mention it in the book itself (all the Orchids have the same memory template). And Shade changes all the time." And indeed over at the DC Message Boards at www.dccomics.com, the readers absolutely loved the book! The only way to see for yourself which side you are on is to buy it. Of course at my local shop, they seem to have sold out... Cy-gone. It's been a while since McFarlane has cancelled a book due to low sales... was Boof And The Bruise Crew the last time? Anyway, looks like Cygor is be heading that way with issue 6. But we also hear that it will be relaunched with another artist pretty soon. Ellis Scotch. I received a rumour purporting to come from an inside Marvel source, claiming that Warren Ellis is a sell-out for returning to Marvel X-books and that this was down to a $100,000 enticement fee. Warren rubbishes this, claiming that he reckons he knows who the original source for this was... and he doesn't work for Marvel any more! That's that rumour scotched then! Love And Pockets. Fresh from their Santa extravaganza, Fantagraphics are now giving away hundreds of individual issues of Love And Rockets to interested retailers in a bid to get readers buying the trade paperbacks and the new Love And Rockets mini series. Any retailer who contacts them will get between 100 and 400 random issues of this quite remarkable comic book to give away to their loyal customers. In each copy of the comics, Fantagraphics will also provide a pre-inserted card which would list and promote all 15 volumes of the Love And Rockets trade paperbacks and offer the consumer a 20 percent discount toward the purchase of any one L&R collection. While you as a retailer are expected to absorb this discount yourself, you do get loads of comics for free, interested readers and, you know, you could always take the cards out and burn them. So, contact Gregory Zura at Fantagraphics now! And of course, to all the comics consumers out there, if you see a glut of Love And Rockets in your local shop suddenly arrive and being sold at full price, blow the whistle! Judge For Yourself. Greg Horn writes promoting his J.U.D.G.E. book, that he's writing and painting for Image. You can see the cover in the new Previews, and despite its awful garishness and dubious subject matter, apparently it's not just another bad girl book. Dear me, you'd have thought Jim Valentino would have had words about the cover though... However, the book does look rather special and while I can't actually recommend something I haven't read, you might want to revisit your Previews and have a peruse. Greg tells me " The art is done by combining traditional techniques with computer enhancements. I'm hoping readers will enjoy the unique look. Try my website at http://www.greghornjudge.com. See you there everyone! Coming To America. I've just been told that one of my pieces of advertising work has won a New York Advertising Award, and that the company should be flying myself, the account handler and my direct superiors out to collect it. So I'll be in New York, New York for the 28th of January I think, probably Friday to Sunday. If anyone wants to meet up, give me a shout and I'll see what I can do. Comic creators, editors and public relations employees at major comic companies take priority of course! Rob Liefeld Sells Out. A quick trip to Ebay sees Rob Liefeld using the internet to shift some original art from his collection. One can pick up a Mignola Man-Bat/Batman piece, the cover to Glory 1 by Mike Deodato Jr, the cover to Coven 4 by Ian Churchill, a pencil sketch of the Newsboy Legion by Jack Kirby and a Captain America In Space splash also by Jack. The selection concludes with a page by Liefeld from Judgment Day 1. At the time of writing, only bids on the non-Awesome stuff, the Mignola piece and the Kirby pages had received bids. I must admit, as an Alan Moore anorak, I'd love the Judgment Day piece, but the minimum bid is three times what I paid for my Marvelman pages and they were by Alan Davis! However, if you'd like to check them out, pop by http://cgi6.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewListedItems&userid=rider53 and see if there's anything you fancy. Stirring. One last thought... Marvel on AOL... how long will it last if the Time Warner merger means that DC can peek into Marvel's files? And that's all the rumours that are print to fit! See you next time! |
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London's Waiting. Failing to get premises in 1999, it looks like B-Hive has found a place to set up shop at last. After numerous ads in British trade magazine, Comics International, B-Hive has taken residency of 28 Denmark Street, the same street where London's first Forbidden Planet stood, and has just opened. A chance meeting with owner Gary Lawford a few weeks ago revealed that he is subletting the ground floor to a toy retailer while using the basement to sell comics at a cut-price rate, estimated to be 50 pence to the dollar. Usually, comic shops sell 65-75 pence to the dollar. What affect will this have on London's shops? Centrally, they now consist of Forbidden Planet (New Oxford Street), Gosh (Great Russell St), Comics Showcase (Charing Cross Rd), Comicana (Hang on, it's like, between New Oxford Street and Shaftesbury Avenue... what do you call that bit) and now B-Hive. Gary says that Gosh and Forbidden Planet have told him they'll match his prices. However a walk and call round what's known (by me at least) as London's Square Half-Kilometre, in which all these five comic book shops operate, indicates a warier management. Face to face, Josh from Gosh said that he'll "wait and see". A call to both Forbidden Planet and Comicana generates exactly the same wording, with Comicana adding that "if they're going to start a price war, we're not going to stand for it!". Paul Hudson at Comics Showcase has stated he won't price cut. The simple reason, he can't afford to and, from personal observation, his new location brings him passing trade that other London shops would envy, sat amongst a whole row of bookshops along Charing Cross Road. Elliot Frisby, press spokesman for Forbidden Planet (although I had to go through a Titan receptionist... for some reason I thought that link had been severed a while ago) elaborated upon his initial response, stating that Forbidden Planet already sells the cheapest comics in London, and that they regularly keep an eye on other shops' stock. If B-Hive start selling new comics at the rate they're threatening, they may have a lot to look at. Periphery London shops may also be affected. Everyone is holding their ground at the moment and looking to Mega City Comics in Camden for guidance. One of the closest periphery shops to the Square Half-Kilometre; if they stand ground, it's likely most others will too. B-Hive may well send shock waves through the London comic shop scene. Certainly, cheaper comics will be a boon for the buyers, but if this results in some shops ceasing trading, or shedding staff and service, this will be a significant loss. B-Hive have told me they'll start getting new product in from next Thursday. Expect some big changes in the way Londoners buy comics. Remember to send any comments, opinions, clarifications or denials to twisting@hotmail.com. 'Till Thursday... Blackhawk Kid. A quick mention by Neil Gaiman on the NextPlanetOver.Com Eddie Campbell message board, saying "Loved the Blackhawk pages, Eddie" was followed by a small flurried response from fans and Eddie's clarification. "The Blackhawk pages are for a script Neil wrote for DC years ago which was not used because it didn't fit in with then current continuity but which has been dusted off and is being illustrated and assembled for publication soon. Blackhawk only appears in the 3-page prologue and he's drunk. So they thought I should be the man to draw it. For some reason." Eddie then continued "Also, Mike Allred's section just after mine looks really good." |
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Happy New Thing. I spend it mext to Big Ben watching the fireworks. No River Of Fire, but lots of pretty lights and pretty ladies. Yes I know this has been ages. A story I've been working on is taking too long, so I thought I'd send everything else up to the website instead. Plus I just got this lovely Alan Moore piece that I couldn't leave to myself anymore... Big Transcripts. The long and hard road to the television adaptation of the incomplete Big Numbers series has hit a hurdle. Apparently, Channel 4 don't 'get it'. Twats. The writer working on the project with Alan Moore and Alex Usborne, a certain Michael J Bassett, has posted the first section of transcripts between them all discussing the initial stages of the project. Here's a clip:
Read the full transcripts (so far) at Michael's home page at http://homepages.enterprise.net/bassett/BigTranscripts1.htm but be warned, if you believe Big Numbers will ever be published or broadcast, here lie spoilers... Quesada Takes The Piss. Joe Quesada has been posting about a life-transforming incident on an event message board. "A bit more than a year ago when we were putting together the Dr. Strange mini series, Tony Harris (in the background mind you) drew a dog relieving itself on someone's leg. The editorial brass at Marvel had us white out the urine stream because they said that the code would bounce it and mothers of America would complain. The same gag was toned down during the Lockjaw issue of Inhumans. Christmas Day, Nanci and I went to see Stuart Little (you can't get much cuter). The theater was filled with little kids and their parents, the energy level was quite high in anticipation of the CGI rat. A series of trailers came on and the last to play was a snippet of the next Rugrats movie. All the children started cheering and wouldn't you know it, one of the opening portions of the clip was a cartoon dog taking a very bright streaming laser whiz against I don't remember what. The crowd went wild! All the kids and respected parents laughed their butts off at that and all the other sight gags in the trailer." "So my friends, the bar has once again been raised! New ground has been broken! Edgier material has entered the mainstream and I'm pissed as hell!!!! Why? Because Rugrats had to do it and Marvel was too afraid! Needless to say, I'm taking this up with the brass next week, I'll let you know how it turns out. On a related note, in my first issue of Iron Man, I have Tony Stark, in one of his internal captions, using the word "suck," as in something sucks. Bobbie Chase is going to bat on this one for me. I see the word in use on half a dozen kids related programs and I think it's high time that a Marvel icon ads it to his vocabulary. Keep in mind, I'm not going for the shock value thing here, but if we don't start keeping up with the rest of the youth market (who is by far much edgier than some of the milk toast Marvel stuff) we're going to be left in the dust. Using a word like suck may seem like a small thing, but here within the walls of Marvel it would be a major move." "Filled with piss and vinegar this morning!" There we go people, canine urination and use of the word 'sucks' at Marvel. A far cry from the Epic Comics imprint, don't you think? The Mighty Beau Smith Upcoming Projects Arm-Wrestling Tournament. A brawlin' and a grapplin', The Mighty Beau Smith popped by Ramblings to let us know what he's up to. A vast array of projects... but are they any good? Which is better? Which is more likely to succeed? There's only one way to find out... the Beau Smith way! So Ramblings has arranged The Mighty Beau Smith Upcoming Projects Arm-Wrestling Tournament. First up, the Xena/Wonder Woman prestige book at DC Comics vs Maximum Jack. Xenu/Wonderwoman puts on the pressure revealing it's a crossover with Dark Horse and that Eduardo Berreto is the artist but Maximum Jack retaliates with the news that it's a creator owned mini-series that The Mighty Beau has co-created with artist Scot Eaton (JLA: Superpower, The New Corp., Creature Commandos). And Xena/Wonderwoman gets slammed down. A fairly easy victory for Maximum Jack there. On another mat, it's Parts Unknown vs Wyonna Earp. A titanic struggle, as Parts unknown is a Smith-owned previously published comic, originally by Eclipse. Ramblings presumes that The Mighty Beau's close relationship with Eclipse-owner Todd McFarlane, heading up the publishing and marketing for Todd McFarlane Productions and McFarlane Toys, smoothed out any of the legal wrinkles that have tied up properties such as Marvelman/Miracleman. And Wyonna Earp is feeling the strain. The Mighty Beau will be collecting the five issue mini-series this year and is also talking with The UPN Network and The USA Network about it being a syndicated series. That's a good fightback, but the fact that Parts Unknown's latest installment will be coming out in 5 issues through Image Comics in April and running through September wins the day. Well done, Parts Unknown. Now a real grudge match. The Undertaker vs Wolverine/Shi. And the crowd aren't cheering for anyone here. A fine comic as it may be, Undertaker is published by Chaos, which is never a good sign, but it does have a strong wrestling stance. Wolverine/Shi is being pencilled by far right-wing novelty act Billy Tucci who, it is reported, is a member of the Conservative Party in London. That's like Alan Moore being a card carrying member of the Democrat Party, it's just rather odd. Now, the Undertaker is a three issue mini-series, scheduled for late summer or fall, but The Mighty Beau Smith describes Wolverine/Shi, a Marvel/Crusade crossover as 'brutal'. That wins the day and Wolverine/Shi goes through. But calamity, as Wolverine/Shi steps away from the table, The Undertaker throws a chair at it, breaking its spine and going rapidly from NM to simply Fair. It's all over for Wolverine/Shi, which handily leaves the last round for Maximum Jack and Parts Unknown to finish. As the finalists take their stance, Maximum Jack taunts Parts Unknown with the news that The Mighty Beau will be shopping it and the former Image book, Wynonna Earp around for a publisher this summer. Parts Unknown smiles and takes a rip. Parts Unknown knows that The Mighty Beau has written it. That Brad Gorby and Richard Pollard have done the art. That it already has covers done by: Dwayne Turner (Spawn: The Undead) Scot Eaton (JLA: Superpowers) Danny Miki (Spawn, Flint Henry (Grimjack, Detective Comics) and a hot young art team that The Mighty Beau discovered last year at the Wizard World convention--Nat Jones and inker Slick. They have a very Michael Turner, Greg Capullo, Tony Daniel look to them. And that, yes, The Mighty Beau is also in contract talks with American Home Video about Parts Unknown being a direct to video film. That has been his plan for the series since the beginning. And with a final flourish, Parts Unknown knocks Maximum Jack's shoulder out from its socket and takes the The Mighty Beau Smith Upcoming Projects Arm-Wrestling Tournament Prize, consisting of a slice of watermelon on a stick. Well done Parts Unknown! Suddenly Miscellaneous runs through the door, shouting that The Mighty Beau is working on another creator owned project for both TV and Comics called Danger-911 and also working on a novel called Gun Lust. Too late for the competition, he slinks back outside, mumbling to himself. Poor old Miscellaneous... |
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