press release:
As Super Heroes capture the attention of moviegoers (Batman and Fantastic Four), gamers, and comic book fans and their growing legions on the Web, a "secret" research laboratory is also captivated by such Super Hero heroics.
The Alliance to Save Energy reveals that it has learned of top-secret experiments on Super Heroes to test their energy-saving Super Powers as the nation battles high energy prices, galloping demand, tight supplies, increased pollution, and energy security threats.
The Alliance's discovery occurred as the nonprofit international energy- efficiency organization was producing its new Super Powers TV, radio, and web campaign, reports Alliance Director of Communications and Marketing Rozanne Weissman.
"We were just doing some web searches, typed in http://www.projectsuperpowers.com, and seemed to enter a research laboratory site for a place we never heard of -- USUM, the abbreviation for Unit of Superhero Utilization Management," reports John Bell, senior vice president of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, the Alliance's agency for the Super Powers campaign.
The microsite features research experiments with four Super Heroes -- Louise, better known as "StarBright" for her capability to light up a room without electricity, Gene - "RayBeam," who cooks with his super heat vision, Edith - "StormGirl," and Daryll - "ForceField Boy," -- with video or audio of those experiments, an analysis of the results, and an interactive component.
Clearly frustrated, scientists are noting on all the energy-saving experiments which have gone awry: "There must be a better way."
They are asking for HELP on the interactive web site: What Super Heroes might be tested and for what energy-saving Super Powers?
The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, economy, and national security.
The World Has Changed:House of M panel:
The New X-Men' status quo is changing after the House of M. Craig Kyle and Chris Yost from X-23 are taking over after Nunzio DeFillippis and Christina Weir. Their first arc deals with the repercussions of HoM and how that affected the younger mutants. Editor Mike Marts said that HoM "demands a line-up change." "X-23, Surge, Hellion, Rockslide, Mercury, Elixir, and Dust " are on the new lineup...
Marts says "You have to read all of House of M, then House of M: The Day After and New X-Men # 20, both in November," said Marts. "Then you'll understand why all these characters were chosen to be a part of the New X-Men." He also said none of the present characters are going to any of the other Marvel Universe superteams, nor or any getting solo series...
Marvel Editor Andy Schmidt said Excalibur will be restarted featuring some of the classic line up from writer Chris Claremont and artist Michael Ryan. The line up includes: Captain Britain, Nocturne, Pete Wisdom, and Dazzler.
X-Factor is also returning this November spiraling from the success of the Madrox limited series and out of events from House of M. The series will be centered in the District X region with a darker tone than the original book...
There will be an X-Men/Power Pack limited series starting in October from the Power Pack team of Marc Sumerak and Gurihiru...
The House of M variant covers for # 6 are by Greg Land, #7's are from Sal Larroca, and #8's from Chris Bachalo...
Starting with Uncanny X-Men 464 new creative team is Chris Claremont and Chris Bachalo...
Whedon and Cassady will stay on until Astonishing X-Men #25
Exiles # 69 - #71 is about Beak returning to the mainstream Marvel Universe, but when the Exiles return, its the House of M. Also in Exiles issue # 71, a member of the team will die...
The Pulse # 10 by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Lark is going to be the most closely tied in to the House of M. If people want the full story on House of M, this is the issue to buy...
There are some plans for the X-Statix, but nothing that can be announced yet...
There are no plans for the Man-Thing after its appearance in House of M...
Joe Quesada, Orson Scott Card, Brian K. Vaughan, and Brandon Peterson on the Ultimate Marvel panel:
Concept art was shown featuring Silver Sable, Havok ,and several other characters. Quesada mentioned that Ultimate Silver Sable was in the upcoming Ultimate Spider-Man video game and that the game was penned by Brian Michael Bendis. There was no mention of if she would show up within the pages of any Ultimate Universe comic book.
Teaser art was featured from the final part in the Warren Ellis Ultimate trilogy, Ultimate Extinction. The piece shown was a black and white Galactus looking helmet. Brandon Peterson is tapped to pencil the series... he teased "The Silver Surfer is there, but not in the way you might expect.
"It's not just going to be a Fantastic Four thing," Peterson continued. "It's an entire Ultimate Universe thing with all the major players coming together to team up. Galactus will not be a big guy in a purple suit. We have a really realistic take on Galactus. The scope of the series is huge - as in actual astronomical units being described in the script I had to draw."
When asked "Why weren't Shanna and Black Panther rebooted in Ultimate line?", Joe Q said "The Ultimate Line is intended to be more in line with the movie line. When we tried to do an Ultimate Daredevil to coincide with the movie, we ended up with basically the same character. That's why with BP and Shanna, when we found ourselves going down the same road, we decided they should remain in the regular universe."
Joe Quesada plugged again the fact that major announcements containing the Ultimate Universe would be forthcoming in the next three to four weeks and everyone should "stay tuned."
Other Marvel Universe panel info:
Joe Quesada has signed a new multi-year deal with Marvel Comics that has him not only wearing the Editor-in Chief hat, but also Chief Creative Officer, Publishing.
“Over the next couple of years, my ultimate goals will remain further growing Marvel Comics’ leadership position and expanding our mainstream presence. I want comics to have the same consumer prominence as movies, TV and novels and in doing so continue to grow Marvel Comics as among America’s premiere storytellers,” said Quesada.
New creators on Iron Man, Daredevil and Thor, as well as the New Avengers artist and Incredible Hulk writer, will be announced soon. The new Thor book won't launch until next year.
Punisher #25-30 pit Frank Castle against the NYPD.
Marvel Comics revealed a new six-issue Moon Knight series will begin in February. Moon Knight: The Bottom is written by Charlie Huston, with art by David Finch. Huston, 37, is an author of such books as Caught Stealing, Six Bad Things and the upcoming Already Dead.
"This is Charlie's inaugural comic work," Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada said. "Charlie's are the best scripts I've ever seen coming from someone who hasn't written comics before."
The book will be set firmly in continuity and will feature Marc Spector as Moon Knight. "But it moves the story forward," Quesada said.
Another Mary Jane series written by Sean McKeever will start in November or December.
Fantastic Four: First Family, a six-issue series, will launch in January, written by Joe Casey, with art by Chris Weston
"We go back and explain a lot of the early stuff," Casey said. "There a lot of firsts, like the first time Reed Richards kissed the government's ass, which he seems to do a lot now."
J. Michael Strazcynski's Book of Lost Souls will be published in October, with art by Colleen Doran.
New Thunderbolts #13-14 is a meeting with the New Avengers
New Avengers- Finch's last arc will feature Ronin and then Frank Cho's arc on New Avengers will feature Spider-Woman
The original numbering on the She-Hulk will be relaunched in October, but will soon revert to cumulative numbering with a #100 issue (combining the original series, Sensational & the most recent series)
Cloak and Dagger would be seen in the pages of a Runaways arc beginning with issue # 9. The New Avengers will also be featured in that arc....
Luke Cage will appear in six issues of Black Panther.
Quesada said to look for some Iron Man-related mini-series
J. Michael Straczynski said the move of Supreme Power from MAX to Marvel Knights won't impact the title's contents creatively.
"The story isn't going to change, the characters aren't going to change and the tone isn't going to change," he said. "The only thing that will change will be the imprint."
Straczynski said there won't be any crossovers between the Marvel and Supreme Power universe, but there might be Marvel Universe-like characters in Supreme Power.
Secret War will conclude in November, and Dan Buckley said a hardcover is targeted for February or March
The panel ended with Quesada teasing a project. He said last year at Comic-Con he was asked if there was any one writer he could have come work on a Marvel Universe project, who would it be, and then flashed "The King" image without further explanation.
Peter David, Reggie Hudlin and J. Michael Straczynski on the Spider-Man panel:
"The Other", a twelve part story debuts this fall after the end of "House of M", crossing through all three monthly Spidey titles
[Peter David & Mike Wieringo's] Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will be from Peter's POV, Marvel Knights Spider-Man through Mary Jane's, and Amazing through Aunt May's
There will be no deaths in Peter’s family during the storyline...
Peter David on "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man":
"1) It's a way of doing a crossover story in which writers don't feel like they're doing bits and pieces; (2) readers who prefer particular writers can read a month of their stories in a row rather than piecemeal chapters; (3) regular readers of the respective books will be exposed to writers and might--with any luck--like what they see and check out those writers on their own regular, respective titles.
"My first month of stories will essentially be one complete tale. FNSM is told from Peter's POV, MK will be from MJ's POV, and the third will focus on Aunt May. The main storyline will be resolved by Part 3, which will be in ASM. Now...will it have elements that tie into a larger crossover? Yes. One would hope they'll be interesting enough to prompt readers to continue reading the full arc. But if not, you'll still have a complete story, soup to nuts, just as if I were doing a three parter in FNSM. The only difference is that you'll get it in one month rather than three. I would like to think that's a good thing. But if you guys think that's a bad thing and don't want to read them, well...okay. I think that's kind of unfortunate, but it's your call."
“The Other” storyline traces its roots back to Amazing Spider-Man writer J. Michael Straczynski’s “The Book of Ezekiel” arc, which introduced the idea that not only was Peter Parker not the first spider-based hero, but that the world was filled with individuals taking their powers from various animal totems...
The question of Peter's webshooters came up at the panel and here's what they had to say on it:
He wasn't 100% sure, as it was Paul Jenkins' story which gave Spidey the organic webs, but he speculated that it was done to more closely tie-in to the movies. However, he said he likes the idea of organic webshooters, as he put them in Spider-Man 2099 years ago. He then questioned why people could accept that a man could crawl on walls and have a form of ESP, but that shooting webs from his wrist is crazy? He says that crazy would be if he shot them from his behind, like a real spider.
A DC vs. Marvel videogame is in talks, about a game that would feature characters from both universes, but no official announcements can be made yet.
When asked about the recent story about Gwen Stacy, Norman Osborn & their illegitiment children, JMS seriously answered that Gwen Stacy had never really been explored as a character, and that she came across as trivial. By showing her go through this ordeal of making a mistake and choosing to take responsibility for that mistake, she became a stronger character in the process. He also pointed out that originally the baby was going to be Peter's but the story was changed to keep Peter's age ambiguous.
When asked how to make Mary Jane more than just "Spider-Man's wife", Straczynski said "By showing her taking more chances in her career, and doing her own thing. Also, her interactions with the New Avengers are going to play a huge role in their relationship." David says "She can see things Spidey can't. For example, Spider-Man has never actually learned how to fight, and Mary Jane sees that they're living with Captain America, one of the best fighters in the world and suggests that Spidey take lessons from Cap."
Now that he’s Chief of Programming for BET, Hudlin said he has three more issues of MK Spider-Man after his “The Other” arc.
He added he doesn’t know how much longer he will stay on Black Panther, but that he wants to always be writing at least one comic, “Because I’m having too much fun.”
New villains will show up in FNSM, David says the new title will be entertaining Spider-Man stories, more than likely kid-friendly
JMS said Peter will also be dealing with identity theft that will mess up his life & plans to bring back some classic villains after “The Other”, naming Sandman, Molten Man, and maybe Doc Ock
SIDE NOTE: Before he signed with Marvel, DC offered JMS Superman as part of their pitch to sign with them, but he turned down the offer. Apparently however, they said that should he ever change his mind, Superman will be there for him.
press release:
Moon Knight, the dark and mysterious Super Hero first introduced by Marvel in Werewolf by Night #32 in 1975, will be reintroduced in February 2006 in a spectacular new series by acclaimed author, Charlie Huston, best known for Caught Stealing and Bad Things in his Hank Thompson trilogy, and the highly anticipated vampire novel, Already Dead.
Huston, an avid comic book reader growing up with a penchant for darker material, will create a six-issue limited series entitled Moon Knight: The Bottom. The initial storyline centers on Marc Spector facing the idea that his time as a hero may be up. His knees are hamburger, his personal relationships are self-inflicted wreckage, and his god has abandoned him. But Moon Knight soon realizes he has a lot of unfinished business. Someone is gonna get their teeth kicked in.
Top 10 Artist David Finch, who helped catapult the New Avengers into the top spot of the sales chart since its debut, will illustrate the series! A member of Marvel’s “Young Guns,” Finch is one of the most sought-after artists in the market today, and working on Moon Knight is a dream come true for him.
“Moon Knight is a true cult favorite among Marvel fans,” said Joe Quesada, Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics. “We are thrilled to reintroduce the series into the Marvel Universe. With Charlie’s powerful storytelling and love of the original story, the new run not only will entertain long time Moon Knight fans, but also create a whole new audience of comic book readers.”
Charlie Huston added, “I’ve always been a huge fan of Doug Moench’s original Moon Knight series. His dark themes tackled complicated issues and served up moral quandaries for the men and women in tights. I don’t think it can be done any better than it was by Moench, but I will certainly try to do Moon Knight justice. One thing I will promise fans – it will be dark!”
Moon Knight has been one of the Marvel Universe’s most unique heroes. Faced with certain death, the mercenary Marc Spector collapsed before a statue of the Egyptian moon god, Khonshu. In exchange for saving his life, Khonshu conscripted Spector as his instrument of vengeance on Earth. As Moon Knight, Spector employs multiple personalities and a violent, sometimes deadly, brand of vigilante justice in the darkest corners of New York City.
press release:
Quesada To Also Assume The Role Of Chief Creative Officer, Publishing
New York, NY, July 19 – Marvel Enterprises, Inc. announced today that it has extended its contract agreement with Joe Quesada, Editor-In-Chief of the company’s Marvel Comics division. As part of the new deal, Mr. Quesada will also take on the added role as the Chief Creative Officer, Publishing.
Widely considered one of the comic book industry’s most recognizable and acclaimed talents, Mr. Quesada has helped spearhead a new golden age for Marvel Comics and solidified its leadership position in the comic book arena. "I’m thrilled to have Joe as a partner in this resurgence of interest in the comic book market," says Dan Buckley, COO and Publisher of Marvel. "Joe has been invaluable in taking Marvel Comics into new and inventive creative directions, and the fans are responding to that. Thanks in part to his efforts, Marvel Comics has seen four straight years of revenue growth."
During Mr. Quesada’s tenure, Marvel Comics has experienced a revitalization of the company’s most-renowned comic franchises, and has also attracted the best and brightest writers and illustrators from all fields including the literary, film, television and – of course- comic books.
"Over the next couple of years, my ultimate goals will remain further growing Marvel Comics’ leadership position and expanding our mainstream presence. I want comics to have the same consumer prominence as movies, TV and novels and in doing so continue to grow Marvel Comics as among America’s premiere storytellers," said Mr. Quesada. "The success we have had is truly a team effort. The company’s senior management, including Avi Arad and Alan Fine, has provided me and our publisher Dan Buckley with the opportunity to build Marvel Comics into more than just a comic book publisher. With their continued support, and the hard working editors, creators and staff, I am confident that Marvel Comics will continue to flourish as one of the most innovative and exciting literary outlets."
About Marvel Enterprises
With a library of over 5,000 characters, Marvel Enterprises, Inc. is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Marvel's operations are focused in three areas: licensing and entertainment (Marvel Studios), comic book publishing and toys. Marvel facilitates the creation of entertainment projects, including feature films, DVD/home video, video games and television programming based on its characters and also licenses its characters for use in a wide range of consumer products and services including apparel, collectibles, snack foods and promotions. Marvel's characters and plot lines are created by its publishing segment that continues to expand its leadership position in the U.S. and worldwide while also serving as an invaluable source of intellectual property.
press release:
Spirit of Will Eisner Lives on at Eisner Awards
The 17th Annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards were bestowed on Friday July 15 in a gala ceremony in the ballroom at the San Diego Convention Center. The awards event was dedicated to Eisner, who died in January. His presence was felt throughout the evening, as presenter after presenter shared thoughts about the late comics giant. The ceremony was preceded by a slide show of Eisner’s career and a video with taped tributes from many creators who couldn’t attend, including Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, and Dave Sim. Will’s widow, Ann, appeared briefly on stage to welcome everyone.
The Eisner award winners were spread out among a variety of creators and titles, with only a few projects winning two trophies. The multiple winners were Kyle Baker and Plastic Man (Best Writer/Artist Humor; Best Publication for a Younger Audience), Eric Powell and The Goon (Best Humor Publication, Best Continuing Series), Brian K. Vaughan and Ex Machina (Best Writer, Best New Series), Fables (Best Serialized Story, Best Cover Artist for James Jean), and The Complete Peanuts (Best Archival Project, Best Publication Design).
Dave Gibbons’s The Originals (Vertigo) took the Best Graphic Album–New category, while Jeff Smith’s massive Bone One Volume Edition was named Best Graphic Album–Reprint. The Best Single Issue award went to Dan Clowes’ Eightball #23, following in the footsteps of the 2002 win for Eightball #22. Similarly, Osamu Tezuka’s Buddha vols. 3-4 was awarded Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material, the category won by vols. 1-2 last year.
Comic Book Artist won the Best Comics-Related Periodical for the fourth time, while the Best Comics-Related Book award went to Gerard Jones’s Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book. The first winner of the award for Best Digital Comic was Brian Fies for the autobiographical "Mom’s Cancer," and many members of his family were on hand to see him accept. Writer Sean McKeever (A Waiting Place, Mary Jane) took home the trophy for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition.
Among publishers, DC Comics and its imprints had seven (plus five shared) winners, led by Plastic Man, Ex Machina, and Fables. The Best Penciller/Inker category was a tie between two DC artists: John Cassaday (WildStorm’s Planetary, along with Astonishing X-Men for Marvel) and Frank Quitely (Vertigo’s WE3). DC creators also took home the honors for Best Painter (Teddy Kristiansen for the graphic novel It’s a Bird . . .) and portions of Best Coloring (Dave Stewart) and Best Lettering (Todd Klein—his 12th win in the category). The Best Limited Series award went to Darwyn Cooke’s popular DC: The New Frontier.
Dark Horse can claim five winners along with shares of two others. Besides Powell’s The Goon, Dark Horse winners included Best Anthology (Michael Chabon’sThe Amazing Adventures of the Escapist), Best Writer/Artist (Paul Chadwick for Concrete: The Human Dilemma), and Best Short Story (Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson’s "Unfamiliar").
The Peanuts and Eightball wins gave Fantagraphics three awards. Marvel shared in three awards (Penciller/Inker, Lettering, Coloring), but no other publisher had more than one winner.
Sergio Aragonés presented the Hall of Fame Awards. The judges’ choice awards went to the Golden Age artist Lou Fine and to the Asterix team of René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. The four elected inductees were Johnny Craig, Hugo Pratt, Nick Cardy, and Gene Colan. Both Cardy and Colan were present to accept their trophies. Adele Kurtzman accepted for Craig.
Besides Aragonés, Eisner presenters included Denis Kitchen, Jill Thompson, Scott McCloud, Joss Whedon, Michael Uslan, Michael Chabon, Pia Guerra, Dave Gibbons, and Jeff Smith. All made introductory comments about Will Eisner, from amusing anecdotes to heartfelt gratitude.
Among the other awards given out over the evening were the Comic-Con’s Clampett and Manning awards. The Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award, presented by Bob’s daughter Ruth, went to George Pérez for his donation of artwork to raise money for several charities, especially A.C.T.O.R. The Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award went to Chris Bailey, writer/artist of the all-ages title Major Damage, published by Sky Dog Press.
New this year was the Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing. The chair of the awards jury, Jerry Robinson, presented the first Bill Finger Awards to Jerry Siegel (accepted by his widow, Joanne) and to Arnold Drake, who roused the crowd with a hilarious a caeplla song about the San Diego Comic-Con.
The Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailing Award was presented by Joe Ferrara. This year’s winner was Night Flight Comics of Salt Lake City, owned by Mimi Cruz and Alan Carroll. CBLDF board member Greg Ketter presented the Fund’s Defender of Freedom Award to Denis Kitchen, founder of the Fund, who spoke about the fact that 20 years after its inception the Fund is needed more than ever.
The major sponsor for the 2005 Eisner Awards is mycomicsshop.com. The principal sponsors are Century Guild, Diamond Comic Distributors, Gentle Giant, Isotope, and Odd Lott. Supporting sponsors include Alternate Reality Comics (Las Vegas), Atlantis Fantasyworld (Santa Cruz, CA), Comic Relief—The Comic Bookstore (Berkeley, CA), comicsunlimited.com, Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff (Concord, CA), Quebecor Printing, and Star*Reach. Ballots were tabulated by Mel Thompson and Associates.
Following is a complete list of the 2005 award winners. More information on the awards can be found at www.comic-con.org.
Winners, 2005 Eisner Awards:
Best Short Story: ""Unfamiliar," by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson, in The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft (Dark Horse Books)
Best Single Issue (or One-Shot): Eightball #23: "The Death Ray," by Dan Clowes (Fantagraphics)
Best Serialized Story: Fables #19-27: "March of the Wooden Soldiers," by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, and Steve Leialoha (Vertigo/DC)
Best Continuing Series:The Goon, by Eric Powell (Dark Horse)
Best Limited Series: DC: The New Frontier, by Darwyn Cooke (DC)
Best New Series: Ex Machina, by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, and Tom Fesiter (WildStorm/DC)
Best Publication for a Younger Audience: Plastic Man, by Kyle Baker and Scott Morse (DC)
Best Humor Publication: The Goon, by Eric Powell (Dark Horse)
Best Anthology: Michael Chabon Presents The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist, edited by Diana Schutz and David Land (Dark Horse)
Best Digital Comic: Mom's Cancer, by Brian Fies
Best Graphic Album—New: The Originals, by Dave Gibbons (Vertigo/DC)
Best Graphic Album—Reprint: Bone One Volume Edition, by Jeff Smith (Cartoon Books)
Best Archival Collection/Project: The Complete Peanuts, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material: Buddha, vols. 3-4 by Osamu Tezuka (Vertical)
Best Writer: Brian K. Vaughan, Y: The Last Man (Vertigo/DC); Ex Machina (WildStorm/DC); Runaways (Marvel)
Best Writer/Artist: Paul Chadwick, Concrete: The Human Dilemma (Dark Horse)
Best Writer/Artist—Humor: Kyle Baker, Plastic Man (DC); Kyle Baker, Cartoonist (Kyle Baker Publishing)
Best Penciller/Inker (tie): John Cassaday, Astonishing X-Men (Marvel); Planetary (WildStorm/DC); I Am Legion: The Dancing Faun (Humanoids/DC); Frank Quitely, WE3 (Vertigo/DC)
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art): Teddy Kristiansen, It’s a Bird . . . (Vertigo/DC)
Best Coloring: Dave Stewart, Daredevil, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Six, Captain America (Marvel); Conan, BPRD (Dark Horse); DC: The New Frontier (DC)
Best Lettering: Todd Klein, Promethea; Tom Strong; Tom Strong’s Terrific Tales (ABC); Wonder Woman (DC); Books of Magick: Life During Wartime; Fables; WE3 (Vertigo/DC); Creatures of the Night (Dark Horse)
Best Cover Artist: James Jean, Fables (Vertigo/DC); Green Arrow, Batgirl (DC)
Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition: Sean McKeever (A Waiting Place; Mary Jane; Inhumans; Sentinels)
Best Comics-Related Periodical: Comic Book Artist, edited by Jon B. Cooke (Top Shelf)
Best Comics-Related Book: Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book, by Gerard Jones (Basic Books)
Best Publication Design: The Complete Peanuts, designed by Seth (Fantagraphics)
Hall of Fame: Judges’ choices: Lou Fine; René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo; Voters’ choices: Nick Cardy, Gene Colan, Johnny Craig, Hugo Pratt
Other awards presented:
Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award: George Pérez
Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award: Chris Bailey (Major Damage)
Bill Finger Excellence in Comic Writing Award: Jerry Siegel, Arnold Drake
Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailing Award: Night Flight Comics, Salt Lake City; Mimi Cruz and Alan Carroil, owners
CBLDF Defender of Liberty Award: Denis Kitchen
I just checked out the Pulse & I was saddened to see the Jim Aparo has passed away early this morning. He was 72. My condolances go out to his family & friends. My earliest memories of Mr Aparo were of the Batman stories of the early 90s, when I began reading DC books. His rendition of Batman was striking & easily regonizible and has since been cemented into my memory as one of the definitive Batman artists around. The Pulse also has a bio of his life, as does his Wikipedia entry. Also, I recommend this 90s interview he did with Jim Amash, shining more light into his long spanning career. R.I.P. Jim Aparo, you will not be forgotten.
From Spencer Beck:
The Aparo Family has asked me to send this information out to all parties. It is with the deepest regret I have to inform you of the passing of the legendary Jim Aparo early Tuesday Morning, July 19, 2005. Mr. Aparo, who was 72, died from complications relating to a recent illness. All Funeral arrangements will be a private ceremony for Family and Friends of Jim.
Aparo, born in 1932, was primarily self-trained as an artist. After years of working in commercial fashion design in Connecticut, his first break in the comics field was with a comic strip called "Stern Wheeler," written by Ralph Kanna, which was published in 1963 in a Hartford, Connecticut newspaper for less than a year. In 1966, editor Dick Giordano at Charlton Comics hired him as a comic book artist, where his first assignment was a humorous character called "Miss Bikini Luv" in "Go-Go Comics." Over the next few years at Charlton, Aparo drew stories in many genres--Westerns, science fiction, romance, horror, mystery, and suspense.
Aparo was notable for being one of the relatively few artists in mainstream comics at that time to serve as penciler, inker, and letterer for all of his work. These tasks were typically divided between two or more artists.
In the late 1960s, Aparo moved on to National Publications/DC Comics, which is where he came to fame in the Comics Community. Originally starting at DC on the Aquaman title, he then moved on to also work on the Phantom Stranger and DC's horror titles.
In 1971, Aparo worked on his first Issue of Brave & The Bold. Issue 98 featured the Phantom Stranger teaming up with Batman. Beginning with Issue 102 Jim was then the regular artist on the series and provided pencils & inks on almost every issue from 102 until the end of the series with Issue 200. Jim's work on Brave and the Bold was his favorite work of his time at DC as he truly considered the series his "baby." Also during this period Jim did one of the seminal runs on The Spectre, where his realistic style made the Ghostly character truly come to life.
After the end of Brave and the Bold, Aparo was co-creator for Batman & The Outsiders and also worked on the regular Batman and Detective Comics Series throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. most notably doing the Pencils on the "Death in The Family" storyline, which featured a phone-in vote deciding the fate of Robin II, Jason Todd.
Following a run on the regular Green Arrow Series, Aparo moved into semiretirement, contributing an occasional special or cover and doing a few private commissions before he eventually decided to move into full retirement.
He is survived by his wife Julie, his 3 children, his 4 Grandchildren and two step-grandchildren.
The Aparo family has asked that in lieu of Flowers or gifts, anyone wishing to honor Jim's legacy make a contribution to any worthy charity, as Jim believed that all charities were worth donating to.
For those wishing to send along their condolences and best wishes to the family, a P.O. Box has been set up for the family to receive cards. The address is:
THE APARO FAMILY
P.O. BOX 28
NORWALK, CONNECTICUT 06852 - 0028
Thanks to all who have loved Jim's work and have supported his career.
Spencer R. Beck
THE ARTIST'S CHOICE
http://www.theartistschoice.com
DC Comics Panel:
The 7-issue miniseries Infinite Crisis begins in October. With writer Geoff Johns, art by Phil Jimenez & Andy Lanning & alternate covers by Jim Lee & Sandra Hope and George Pérez, Infinite Crisis begins with the dawn of the DCU's darkest day, as the World's Greatest Super-Heroes are divided among themselves and surrounded by their most fearsome foes.
Mark Waid is now exclusive to DC...
All magic will be destroyed at the end of "Day of Vengeance" with issue #6
The Red Hood will appear in Teen Titans, where Tim Drake and Jason Todd will fight...
In October, The Red Hood pays the Titans a visit to claim his rightful place...over Robin's dead body! And what does Donna Troy's return mean for the team? Find out in TEEN TITANS 29, written by Geoff Johns with art by Carlos D'Anda, plus a cover by Tony Daniel
Captain Atom will Quantum Leap into the Wildstorm Universe & will sport his "Kingdom Come" costume in Captain Atom:Armageddon #1, the first of a 9-issue miniseries starting in October. Issue #1 features covers by Alex Ross and Jim Lee. Carried off from the Superman/Batman story and features Captain Atom sent in quantum leap into the Wildstorm Universe which triggered events that threaten to destroy the Wildstorm Universe.
Firestorm is going to play an important role in Villains United, which will lead from Firestorm # 18
Mockingbird's secret identity is revealed in Villian United #6
The tale of the first meeting of two of comics' greatest icons get under way in the long awaited 4-issue miniseries Shazam/Superman: First Thunder in September, written by Judd Winick and illustrated by Joshua Middleton.
The Girl of Steel returns in Supergirl #1, written by Jeph Loeb with art by Ian Churchill. Note that issue #1 ships with alternate covers by Ian Churchill and Norm Rapmund and Michael Turner. Supergirl #0, being released the same day (August 10th) is a reprint of the solo story in Superman/Batman #19. #1 establishes the differences between her and Power Girl. # 2 deals with her relationship with the Teen Titans whether or not there will be one. Issue # 3 features the Outsiders. By the end of issue # 6 any connections she might have with previous Supergirls SHOULD BE clarified," said Loeb.
The true origin of Power Girl is revealed at last in the first story arc in JSA: CLASSIFIED #1, written by Geoff Johns with art by Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti.
Geoff Johns & David Gibbons are working hard on restructuring the New Green Lantern Corps (7,200 GLs, 2 per sector, Jordan/Stewart for Sector 2814, Kilowog/Salak as the GLC leadership, Rayner/Gardner as trainers, Guardian’s true origins/purpose unrevealled)
The fantastic tale "With a Vengeance" continues in SUPERMAN/ BATMAN, written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Ed McGuinness & Dexter Vines. In October's issue #24, the fate of the universe hangs in the balance unless Batwoman and Superwoman can save the day — with the help of Superlad! Issue # 26 is plotted by Jeph Loeb's son, Sam. It was Sam’s last work before his untimely death.
The Crisis of Conscience story in JLA right now leads directly into Infinite Crisis, with the climatic chapter in September's issue #119 as the JLA face off against Despero in Wayne Manor...
At the end of this year, two of the greatest icons in the history of comics meet at last in Batman/The Spirit, a stand alone Special written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Darwyn Cooke.
And in the new year, look for The Spirit, the first issue of a new, ongoing series written and illustrated by Darwyn. This new series is set in modern-day Central City, where The Spirit will face villains both old and new.
Also coming in December is The Best of the Spirit, an affordable trade paperback collecting almost two dozen stories by Will Eisner, with a new introduction by Neil Gaiman.
The All Star line expands in November when writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely take on the Man of Tomorrow with All Star Superman.
Also, check the new DC Comics Download page, packed with exclsuive wallpapers & buddy icons. The DC Online team has also created a site just for kids featuring Johnny DC. The site can be found here.
press release:
EA’s Super Hero Fighting Videogame to Feature Character Back-story Written by Millar and Artwork by Dodson
At Comic-con 2005, Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that acclaimed comic writer, Mark Millar, and artist, Terry Dodson, will be joining the roster of top comic book talent, including Jae Lee, on the development of Marvel Nemesis™: Rise of the Imperfects™.
Set to release this fall, the game features multiple Super Heroes™ from the Marvel Universe as well as a new set of characters created by EA called, “The Imperfects™.” Millar’s past works include the hit Marvel Comics’ series, Ultimate X-Men, The Ultimates, and Ultimate Fantastic Four, the highest-selling comic launches in the year they were released. He is also currently working on two major screenplays. EA is working closely with Millar to create the back-stories for the new family of Super Heroes as well as the story-line for the single player mode in the game. “It’s been an incredible experience to see this new family of Super Heroes come to life from initial stages of character development to the videogame screen,” said Millar.
“Videogames are not all about mashing buttons anymore; they’re filled with intriguing stories and memorable characters. I’m thrilled to be a part of this project.” Dodson’s credits include Marvel’s X-Force, House of M and Marvel Knights Spider-Man. Exclusive to the PSP version of Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects, Dodson has helped with the character concept designs of the Marvel Super Heroes appearing in the game including Spider-Man, Wolverine and Captain America. Captain America will be an exclusive character only available for the PSP.
Dodson is also working on the front-end interface for the PSP version. Jae Lee is lending his artistic talents on Marvel character concept designs and the game interface for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Xbox® videogame system from Microsoft and Nintendo GameCube™ versions. Lee has illustrated high-profile comic titles including Spider-Man, Uncanny X-men, and X-Factor.
Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects is being produced at EA Canada and developed by Nihilistic Software. For more information on the game, please visit: www.marvelnemesis.ea.com. Screenshots can be found at http://info.ea.com.
Podcasting (a way to publish audio files through the Internet using RSS/Atom feeds) has taken off, especially in the past couple of months & continues to spread in popularity. Recently, Apple released iTunes version 4.9 with podcasting support built in and you can sample,browse and subscribe to thousands of free podcasts with a simple click of a button. Now with the thousands of new podcasts per day, maybe this is a good time to sample a bunch of comic book podcasts from around the net.
Check out these great podcasts!
* Comic Geek Speak
* Collected Comics Library podcast
* Golden Age of Comics podcast
* Fanboy Radio
Back from vacation... now on with the news.
Family Guy:
2005 has been a big year for Fox's once cancelled show, as it came back to primetime May 1st. That episode, the first of the series' 4th season (North by North Quahog) was nominated for an Emmy for "Outstanding Animated Program (for Programs Less Than an Hour") . It's competition? Samurai Jack, The Simpsons, South Park, & SpongeBob SquarePants. Also, Fox has officially announced the direct-to-DVD title "Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story Unrated". The DVD will be released on September 27, will retail for $29.98 US, or $41.98 CAN.
Justice League Unlimited:
The Joining Forces DVD will be on sale September 20th and comes with 3 episodes, with a runtime of 66 minutes. Price is just $14.97 SRP.
Tonight's episode, "Divided We Fall" airs at 9pm tonight and the episode is described as follows:
When most of the Justice League is incapacitated, the League's deadliest enemies emerge to take advantage of the chaos.
July 23rd is the US airdate for "Epilogue"
Fifty years in the future, the history of the Justice League is the key to Batman's darkest secret...and his final destiny.
As for the next season, Rob at Comics Continuum has news from the San Diego Comic-Con on the newest plot details, including the Legion of Doom!
And even more Justice League news... 2006 will see a new Justice League of America video game (the first in over 10 years on a console) for Sony's Playstation 2 & Xbox 360.
In other news... the new Transformers Movie website has been up for a couple days & the movie is set to debut sometime in 2007. The new movie will be live action with a lot of CG... Marvel recently announced at the Comic-Con that they would give Microsoft exclusive rights to create a MMORPG for the Xbox 360 based on the Marvel characters.
