The Comics Curmudgeon

I'm sure there's tons of this sort of thing online, but I doubt much (if any) of the rest of it is this funny. The impressive thing is that no alterations are done to the strip itself. How someone can muster the effort to unfurl such involved back stories for Family Circus characters is beyond me, but it's worth your time to savor. Here's an excerpt:

"They say that smell is strongly associated with memories, and when she got just the faintest whiff of mimeographic fluid from the papers she kept in the chest, suddenly she was twenty-one years old again, and working as an assistant in that downtown office. There weren’t many women in business jobs in those days, but her boss, Mr. Franklin, seemed to take her opinions about things seriously. They spent a lot of time in his office, talking about sales strategies and advertising, and somehow she barely even noticed it when it became something more — something much more — than just a business relationship..."

Enjoy more at joshreads.com!

Family Circus art ©King Features Syndicate
Comics Curmudgeon excerpt ©Joshua Fruhlinger

Siegel Heirs Lose Latest Superman Lawsuit

VARIETY: Warner Bros. wins 'Superman' case
Siegel heirs can only pursue DC Comics profits
By DAVE MCNARY - Posted: Wed., Jul. 8, 2009, 7:15pm PT

Warner Bros. and DC Comics have won a favorable ruling in the suit filed by the heirs of "Superman" co-creator Jerome Siegel.

In a decision announced Wednesday, U.S. Judge District Court Judge Stephen G. Larson found that the license fees the studio paid to corporate sibling DC Comics didn't represent "sweetheart" deals as they weren't below fair market value. That means the heirs will be able seek profits only from DC Comics -- which earned $13.6 million from Warner Bros. for the 2006 release of "Superman Returns" -- rather than from Warner Bros. as well.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Superman ©DC Comics.

Article excerpt ©REI.

Toy OTD: Electric Tiki Teeny Weeny Mini-Maquette: Little Lotta

By now, I'm pretty sure it's clear that I'm a Harvey Comics fan. I read tons of them as a kid, and I just can't shake my fondness for that slick Warren Kremer art. But there just hasn't been a lot of really good Harvey swag - until Electric Tiki came along. Then, the floodgates opened!

Electric Tiki has created a fairly substantial line of moderately-sized-and-priced Harveytoon figurines over the years (most being around five inches tall or more, so not really "teeny-weeny"), and they've covered most of the characters that you'd want. Little Lotta may not be Richie Rich, but she's still up there on the visibility-meter!

Tracy M. Lee is the creative force behind Electric Tiki, drawing most (if not all) of the character pose/turnaround art himself. Ruben Procopio, Rich Vanover, Tony Cipriano, Steve Schumacher, James Lopez, William Paquet, Sam Greenwell and Jim McPherson are credited with sculpting some of the products, but it's unclear who sculpted Lotta (maybe the packaging has a sculpting credit).

Regardless, it's a great sculpt! Mr. Lee did a wonderful job preserving the original character design in his pre-pro drawings, and the pose feels like it's right off one of the old covers. The colors are spot-on model as well, and the paint work is fine. The base is very simple, with no unneccessary branding or detail, and it eliminates any stability issues.

The packaging is also attractive, graphically evoking the old cover layouts of the comic books. If you're interested in variants, there's the version I have (sporting a red bow in her hair), a green bow version, and a red dress version, too!

You can still get the first two versions easily at toynk.com for $24.99 + shipping. Since it's a smaller run (fifty pieces), the red dress variant goes for $50 + shipping at dustcatchers.com. Grab your favorite now!

Joe Simon, 94, Appearing At New York Comic Con

“'Living legend' is how Joe Simon is categorized on the list of special guests appearing at the New York Comic Con at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center this weekend. Mr. Simon, 94, has a different take on it. 'I call it the old-geezer table,' he said during a recent interview at his Midtown Manhattan apartment.

Mr. Simon will take part in the 'Legends Behind the Comic Books' panel at 3 p.m. on Friday, one of numerous events planned at the convention, a three-day celebration of all things comics.

Mr. Simon earned the 'legend' title with his partner Jack Kirby by creating Captain America, the superhero who arrived in December 1940, just in time to play a patriotic foil to the Axis powers. The cover of the first issue even has the good captain socking Hitler in the jaw.

For Mr. Simon and Mr. Kirby, though, the biggest blow came when they were dismissed from the series, which had been selling a million copies a month, in a dispute over royalties. The team moved to Detective Comics (today DC Comics), but Captain America stayed with Timely, the forerunner of Marvel Comics.

It’s a tale worthy of its own comic (and one of many inspirations for Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay'): On the frontier of a new industry, writers and artists creating scores of characters, but publishers profiting from them."

To read the rest of George Gene Gustine's New York Times article, click here.

Al Jaffee, Still Folding In

"If you were young at any time in the last 44 years, you know the fold-in: the feature on the inside of Mad’s back cover that poses a question whose answer is found by folding the page in thirds. September 1978: “What colorful fantastic creature is still being exploited even after it has wiggled and died?” A picture of a garish butterfly, folded, becomes an equally garish Elvis.

The fold-ins these days are as full of youth culture as ever. (March 2008: “What major star has recently admitted receiving illegal career-damaging human growth injections?” And a picture that looks as if it’s going to be Roger Clemens folds to become Jamie Lynn Spears, pregnant.) So the first thing that strikes you when Mr. Jaffee greets you at the door of his studio on the East Side of Manhattan is his age. This man, still credibly negotiating the milieu of teenagers, is 87."

-- Neil Genzlinger, from his New York Times article. Read the rest here!

Photo by Librado Romero.

PS - Be sure and try the cool interactive fold-in retrospective!

Dave Stevens, 1955-2008

NEWSFROMME.COM: Dave Stevens, R.I.P.
by Mark Evanier
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 - 11:25 AM

Illustrator Dave Stevens, best known for his "good girl" art and The Rocketeer, died yesterday following a long, wrenching battle with Leukemia. Dave was born July 29, 1955 in Lynwood, California. He was raised in Portland, Oregon, then his family relocated to San Diego, where he attended San Diego City College and became involved in the early days of the San Diego Comic Book Convention, now known as the Comic-Con International. His skills as an artist were instantly evident to all, and he was encouraged by darn near every professional artist who attended the early cons, but especially by Jack Kirby and Russ Manning. In 1975, when Manning began editing a line of Tarzan comic books to be published in Europe, Dave got his first professional assignment, working on those comics and also assisting Russ with the Tarzan newspaper strip. Soon after, he worked on a few projects for Marvel (including the Star Wars comic book) and a number of underground comics. Later, he also worked with Russ on the Star Wars newspaper strip.

In 1977, Dave went to work for Hanna-Barbera where he drew storyboards and layouts, many of them for the Super Friends and Godzilla cartoon shows and bonded with veteran artist Doug Wildey, who produced the latter. Wildey and Stevens became close friends and in 1982, when Dave created his popular character, The Rocketeer, he modelled the character's sidekick, Peevy, on photos of Doug. Dave himself was Cliff Secord, who donned the mask of The Rocketeer, and other friends appeared in other guises.

The Rocketeer made Dave's reputation and also spawned a resurgence of interest in fifties' figure model Bettie Page, whose likeness Dave used for the strip's heroine. But the strip was not profitable for Dave, who was among the least prolific talents to ever attempt comic books. It wasn't so much that he was slow, as his friends joked, but that he was almost obsessively meticulous, doing days of study and sketching to create one panel, and doing many of them over and over. Even then, he was usually dissatisfied with what he produced and fiercely critical of the reproduction. Friends occasionally pitched in to help with the coloring but some begged off because they knew it was humanly impossible for anyone, including Dave himself, to produce coloring that he'd like. Eventually, he sold most of the rights to Disney for a Rocketeer movie that was produced in 1991. Dave served as a co-producer of the film and did a brief cameo, but the endeavor was not as lucrative for him as he'd hoped, and it pretty much ended Dave's interest in continuing the character.

Most of what Dave did after that fell into the general category of "glamour art," including portfolios and private commissions. Many of these were illustrations of Bettie Page who, though once thought deceased, turned out to be alive and living not all that far from Dave. They met and Dave became her friend and, though he was not wealthy, benefactor. Deciding that too many others had callously exploited her likeness, Dave voluntarily aided Ms. Page financially and even took to helping her in neighborly ways. One time, he told me — and without the slightest hint of resentment — "It's amazing. After years of fantasizing about this woman, I'm now driving her to cash her Social Security checks."

Dave was truly one of the nicest people I have ever met in my life...and was certainly among the most gifted. Our first encounter was at Jack Kirby's house around 1971 when he came to visit and show Jack some of his work. As I said, Kirby was very encouraging and he urged Dave not to try and draw like anyone else but to follow his own passions. This was advice Dave took to heart, which probably explains why he took so long with every drawing. They were rarely just jobs to Dave. Most of the time, what emerged from his drawing board or easel was a deeply personal effort. He was truly in love with every beautiful woman he drew, at least insofar as the paper versions were concerned. (Dave was married once...for six months to the prolific movie actress, Brinke Stevens, and she retained his last name after they divorced.)

Dave's illness these last few years was a poorly-kept secret among his friends, but he insisted that it be kept quiet, and struggled to make occasional public appearances. We tried to get together for dinner every month or so but it wound up being more like every six months. The last time, he joked that it was lucky he had such a reputation for slow production. Now that he was unable to work for weeks at a time, no one noticed that his output had declined. His main efforts went towards an "Art of Dave Stevens" book he was struggling to assemble. Mostly though that evening, we talked about comics and comic artists. Dave was a fan in the very best sense.

I don't really know how to end this and maybe I don't want to...because it will mean another level of loss regarding one of my closest friends. As long as I can keep writing about him, I feel he's still with me in some manner. And the thought of losing a great guy like Dave Stevens is just too, too sad. He was truly loved and admired by all who knew him. I'll post information about a memorial service, if and when I hear about that kind of thing.

A Comic Artist Crosses Over Into Fashion

WALL STREET JOURNAL: From Caped Crusaders to Hoodies
Cartoonist Paul Pope Is Branching Out With His Own DKNY Jeans Line
By JAMIN BROPHY-WARREN - March 8, 2008; Page W1

Paul Pope usually draws costumes for superheroes. Now he's designing clothes for real people.

The 37-year-old artist has inked works for both Marvel and DC Comics. Last year, he won two Eisner Awards (the comic equivalent of an Oscar) for his work on "Batman: Year 100," a portrait of the Dark Knight in 2039. Revered comics creator Frank Miller calls Mr. Pope's work "brilliantly sloppy."

Recently, Mr. Pope has set his sights on another creative arena: fashion. Last year, Diesel, an Italian fashion company, hired him to design silk-screens and window displays for its Los Angeles store. Also last year, Mr. Pope took on his biggest fashion project: DKNY, the New York fashion company started by Donna Karan, tapped him to design his own line for the DKNY Jeans brand, bringing his dark graphic work to pants, hoodies and T-shirts. Last week, the final samples of his work arrived at the company's headquarters in New York. The line debuts this fall.

Kevin Monogue, president of DKNY Jeans, says the cartoonist's art strikes a chord with the company's target customers: fashion-forward urban professionals.

Cartoonists like Mr. Pope have become major players in the entertainment world. Marjane Satrapi, author of "Persepolis," co-directed the Oscar-nominated movie based on her graphic novel. Mr. Miller, author of the comics "Sin City" and "300" (both made into hit movies), is directing the film "The Spirit." And writer Brian K. Vaughan rode the popularity of his "Y: The Last Man" and "Ex Machina" comic books into an executive story-editor position for ABC's "Lost."

Joss Whedon, writer of the TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which is now a best-selling comic, says that comic artists are a great source of ideas. "To put it in movie terms, he's your co-director, actor, editor, and costume designer. He makes everything at once," says Mr. Whedon.

Mr. Pope has been in demand by a wide range of companies. Industrial Light and Magic flew him to San Francisco to teach its staff the finer points of creating fictional worlds. The popular vinyl toy maker Kidrobot tapped Mr. Pope to create a line for the company. He also served as a consultant for the animated film adaptation of Michael Chabon's Pulitzer-winning novel "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay."

Fellow cartoonists call Mr. Pope the "Jim Morrison of comics," for his brooding material and his ragged fashion sense. In his comics, his brush strokes are lush and unruly, and evoke Japanese calligraphy. His images are typically gritty and dystopian, but underlined with a dark beauty. At last year's San Diego Comic-Con, Mr. Pope was mobbed by hundreds of fans demanding signatures on their sketchbooks and the occasional body part. Mr. Pope regularly turns material in late, but collaborators endure the tardiness because "it's damn well worth it," one former editor says.

Artistic Inspiration

At the viewing of his line for DKNY last week, Mr. Pope arrived fashionably late, finally entering adorned in a black velvet jacket and boot-cut jeans. DKNY's Mr. Monogue waited for more than a half hour. Surrounded by mannequins wearing his clothing, Mr. Pope laced his fingers along the inside of the items. It was the first time Mr. Pope had seen the finished pieces on a human shape. He lingered over one of his favorite pieces: a jacket with a multi-panel comic he authored splayed across the inside. The comic was an abstract piece about love in outer space. "We looked at a lot of Mapplethorpe for this one," he says, referring to Robert Mapplethorpe, the photographer known for his stark, often erotic black-and-white work.

Mr. Pope often draws inspiration from artists outside his field, such as photographers, painters and musicians. He thrives at night, taking in jazz at a bar around the corner of his SoHo area apartment. He walks with a low gait and a long stride, his tangled hair often tucked under a beanie. His voice is fluid and his statements sometimes provocatively grandiose. In a cab ride across the Williamsburg Bridge, he pauses and says: "Art ended with Warhol, and music with Hendrix." Later he wonders if he's the last artist living in his neighborhood.

He draws full, Mick Jagger-like lips, perhaps a nod to the British rock he plays when he works -- or to his own image. Most of the male figures he draws look like him, sporting the same wiry frame and angular facial features. "He looks as if he'd been drawn by himself," says novelist Mr. Chabon. "There's a liquid quality in the way he moves."

Mr. Pope grew up in a farmhouse in Bowling Green, Ohio. His parents split up when he was five, and he turned to drawing as a way to "make people happy." He went to Ohio State to pursue art but never finished. He later worked for Kodansha, a publisher of Japanese manga comics, and took periodic trips to Tokyo. After leaving the company, he scored his breakthrough work in 2006 with the publication of the widely acclaimed "Batman: Year 100." He has two book-length comics due out in the next year: "THB" and "Battling Boy."

Though he's working with some of DKNY Jeans' top people, Mr. Pope has never before designed clothes. His 12-year-old nephew jokes that Mr. Pope is a superhero "because I always wear the same thing," Mr. Pope says. At his favorite Italian bar downtown, he admits that Diesel gave him lots of free clothing. "I don't even know how much this costs," he says, pointing at his jacket.

He's a striking contrast to the image of the awkward, unhip comic artist epitomized by Robert Crumb and Harvey Pekar. One of his former editors remembers meeting a young Mr. Pope at a comic conference 10 years ago with a torn T-shirt and a bare midriff. His first major graphic novel "Heavy Liquid" featured a fictional buyer's guide with price breakdowns for the items that the characters sported. "I don't think I made the clothes expensive enough," says Mr. Pope, chuckling.

Launching The Line

In the spring of 2006, Andy Nipon, vice president of design for DKNY men's licensing, read an article about Mr. Pope and his "Batman: Year 100" book. After viewing some images of Mr. Pope's work on the Web, he called Mr. Pope into the company's offices in midtown Manhattan to talk about his work. Mr. Pope showed up on time at around 2 p.m. sporting a black pea coat with an army-fatigued Henley shirt and boots. "I thought he'd be more foreboding," says Mr. Nipon. "That he'd carry that darkness."

Mr. Nipon was impressed by Mr. Pope's wide-ranging creative interests and his pointed technical questions about the line. The DKNY Jeans executive decided to "pull the trigger" and about six weeks later, Mr. Pope trekked to DKNY's offices again to give a presentation before the entire design team. For DKNY, Mr. Pope's work fit nicely with their emphasis on New York City. "He has an aggressive hand," says Mr. Nipon. "It's a strong connection to the city."

At his SoHo area studio on a recent Friday evening before the viewing, Mr. Pope fingers through the dozen different designs he had prepared for DKNY. The company asked him to focus on camouflage and he spent weeks studying the history of the pattern. Mr. Pope poured through a 900-page tome created by fashion label Maharishi and eventually settled on natural camouflage from insects.

Inspired by the patterns on the wings of monarch butterflies that he caught as a child, he thumbed through the two battered field guides that now sit atop a pile of manga in the corner. At the tall bookshelf by his back window, Mr. Pope unearths a set of insect wings that he purchased in his neighborhood. "The question was 'Can you find a new way to do camo?' " he said.

To create the designs, he followed his usual routine. While he pencils the patterns, he listens to free jazz like Pharaoh Sanders through a set of headphones that stretch the length of the room. He always starts right to left to avoid smudging the ink with his sable-hair brush. "Inking is the Zen part of the process," he says. He works quickly. "I rarely make mistakes."

Because Mr. Pope has no experience designing clothing, Mr. Nipon says the company placed some limitations on what the artist could do. At the DKNY studio last week, Mr. Pope was surprised at how some of the clothes turned out.

"You guys didn't go with the zebra print, eh?" he asks Stephen Hooper, vice president of design for DKNY Jeans men's division, as he thumbs along the outside of some pants. Mr. Hooper laughs, "Maybe next time, Paul."

Write to Jamin Brophy-Warren at Jamin.Brophy-Warren@wsj.com

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It makes total sense to me - Mr. Pope's drawings look a bit like loose fashion illustrations, and his characters like models.

ANOTHER Toy Show TOMORROW!

SACRAMENTO COMIC, TOY & ANIME SHOW
Sunday, March 9th - The Sottish Rite Center
6151 H Street (Across From Sac State University)
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Admission: $6.00

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Sweet - see you there!
PS - I've posted the last of the current pinstriped beaver toy auctions. Bid high, bid often!

Two Books On Bill Mauldin

LA TIMES BOOK REVIEW: A war cartoonist without peer
'Bill Mauldin: A Life Up Front' by Todd DePastino and 'Willie & Joe: The WWII Years' by Bill Mauldin By Clancy Sigal - March 2, 2008

Bill Mauldin: A Life Up Front
by Todd DePastino
W.W. Norton: 370 pp., $27.95

Willie & Joe: The WWII Years
Bill Mauldin, edited by Todd DePastino
Fantagraphics: 650 pp., $65

Bill Mauldin, surely the finest artist to come out of World War II and one of America's most impudent postwar editorial-page cartoonists, was a born gut fighter. If he were alive today, this pint-size, waggle-eared, pugnacious correspondence-course cartoonist, who carried a rifle along with his sketchpad as a combat infantryman in Company K, 180th Regiment of the 45th ("Thunderbird") Division, would probably be drawing furiously behind some sandbagged outpost in Anbar province, not tormenting the Iraqi foe but poking fun at his favorite targets, publicity-mad U.S. generals and rear-echelon soldiers far from battle. His love -- there is no other word for it -- for the ordinary enlisted man exalted his art and tumultuous life.

As Todd DePastino writes in his deeply felt, vivacious and wonderfully illustrated biography, Mauldin's "morbid, angry, compulsive humor" was born of the frontline soldier's resigned sense that he was a walking dead man because "few would survive the war with anything less than a life-altering wound." Mauldin's native genius, like that of his predecessor satirists Hogarth and Daumier and today's Garry Trudeau, was to assimilate "the [enlisted] men's grievances into his own," which for a hungry kid from the Great Depression were many and intractable.

Laden with an M-1 rifle, grenades and a backpack full of drawing paper, brushes and ink he'd scrounged, Mauldin waded ashore with the 45th in bloody beach invasions in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and France. Close combat -- he was wounded by a mortar shell -- was the inspiration for his immortal "Willie and Joe" GI cartoons, which spread like wildfire among the troops and then, in newspapers and magazines, to civilians back home hungering for a grittier picture than the War Department's sanitized images.

Willie, fierce-beaked and tramp-like, and Joe, battle-weary and dazed-looking, were the war's Everymen. Top brass like Gen. Patton despised these defiantly low-class creatures for spreading "a cancer of insubordination." But ordinary soldiers came to love them -- and Mauldin -- because the kid cartoonist "came closest to representing the experience of combat." After all, his 170-man rifle company had suffered over 1,000% casualties.

Like Ernie Pyle, the beloved war reporter killed near Okinawa, Mauldin stuck close to the ordinary because he was ordinary. This "impertinent young squirt," as one admiring writer called him, was skilled at liberating wine (to mix with ink) and at pilfering engraving equipment to produce his "Willie and Joe" cartoons, first for the 45th Division News and later for Stars and Stripes. At 110 pounds (thanks to a childhood case of rickets), he looked boyishly innocent and he hadn't even begun to shave yet.

Mindful of military bureaucrats who regarded Willie and Joe as "unsoldierly," Mauldin struck "a delicate balance between representing . . . the men of the lines -- and fulfilling his official charge to bolster morale." He couldn't tell the grisly truth about the brutally mismanaged Italian campaign. But in the fiercest fighting of 1943-44, when the infantry had to scale sheer cliffs under fire and cross rivers under Wehrmacht machine-gun fire, his panels "dripped with insinuations and veiled meanings." And "his fans in the foxholes read the truth between the brushstrokes."

Readers can judge for themselves. In addition to Mauldin panels in DePastino's book, there's a terrific, new two-volume collection (edited by DePastino) that traces the artist's development from 1940 to the end of the war. With a few chiaroscuro strokes and a wry caption, Mauldin cuts to the bone. For example: Willie and Joe, unshaven, ragged and exhausted after a battle, look up at a clean-cut soldier swaggering toward them, fire in his eye. "That can't be no combat man. He's lookin' fer a fight," observes Willie. And when two officers on a mountaintop gaze at a gorgeous sunset, the captain says to the major, "Beautiful view"; below it a caption reads, "Is there one for the enlisted men?" In another, Willie and Joe, cowering in a ditch, mutter to a general standing upright, "Sir, do ya hafta draw fire while yer inspirin' us?"

DePastino suggests that Mauldin was so successful because, unlike other Army-oriented comics (such as "Sad Sack" and "GI Joe") that flooded the market after Pearl Harbor, "Bill's realism . . . suggested a fundamental respect for army life." For him, as for so many dirt-poor boys, the Army was a good deal (a steady $21 a month unless you got killed) and an education in diversity.

After the war, some critics expressed surprise, even dismay, at Mauldin's anti-racist, anti-Red Scare cartoons for the newspapers that had competed to hire the two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. Chalk it up to the 45th Division. Despite the Army's rule of strict segregation, his "was the most integrated regiment in the country" full of "rough and literate men who seemed to delight in defying stereotypes." His buddy Rayson J. Billey, a Native American, Shakespeare-quoting University of Oklahoma graduate, distinguished himself in ferocious hand-to-hand fighting.

Mauldin, "the angriest baby" his grandmother had ever seen, was born into a "weird bunch" in the bleak "Empty Quarter" of southern New Mexico. His alcoholic, drifter dad was a prairie orphan, part Native American and part Cajun, raised -- of course! -- by local prostitutes until the Mauldins adopted him. Mauldin Senior's lungs had been scalded by poison gas in World War I, and at home he liked lying in a bathtub full of beer, peeing in it and drinking from it. "[H]is parents' erratic behavior left [Bill] insecure, distrustful, and always braced for trouble."

A wild, fighting-mad desert child, young Bill was drawing before he could walk or talk. Well before his teens, he drank, whored and learned to smoke (if tobacco wasn't available, "coffee grounds mixed with dried horse manure" would do). His idea of art came from gag cartoons in magazines and newspapers. Desperately ambitious, he took learn-by-mail classes and drove himself hard to acquire a bit of the technique of "new pioneering adventure strips, led by Hal Foster's 'Tarzan,' Alex Raymond's 'Flash Gordon' and Milton Caniff's 'Terry and the Pirates.' "

LIKE so many GIs, including this reviewer, Mauldin had trouble finding his feet in peacetime. Babies, divorces (three) and quiet suburbia unsettled him. Being "the most famous enlisted man in the United States Army," then hailed as "the most important artist of his age," was disorienting. His books, especially "Up Front," became bestsellers and made him rich, but J. Edgar Hoover's FBI tagged him a dangerous communist because he criticized the House Un-American Activities Committee and spoke out against racial discrimination. Briefly, he became a Hollywood star, as the Loud Soldier in John Huston's masterpiece, "The Red Badge of Courage."

In the late 1960s, Mauldin grew his hair hippie-long, enjoyed the counterculture cartoonist R. Crumb and later got his nose broken by one of Chicago Mayor Daley's thugs. All along, unable to break his war addiction, or perhaps because he had always suffered from "survivor's guilt," he covered Korea, Vietnam (where his serving son turned him temporarily hawkish) and even the Gulf War for various publications.

At the age of 80, beset by Alzheimer's, Mauldin lay dying in a Newport Beach nursing home in 2002. Word spread. From across the nation, veterans from the 45th and other fighting divisions came in the hundreds "bearing relics of their youth: medals, insignia . . . folded (and faded) newspaper clippings." These Willies and Joes, now grandfathers or great-grandfathers, wept like kids as they filed past the forever-young cartoonist's bed, the impertinent squirt who had "fought the war with an ink brush." He was their guy, a rifleman like them, their champion against all forms of petty b.s. -- bad officers, poor chow and the random miseries of an ordinary infantryman. *

Clancy Sigal is a screenwriter and novelist. His most recent book is the memoir "A Woman of Uncertain Character."

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Mauldin himself wrote more than a couple of books on his life, naturally illustrated with his own cartoons. I highly recommend "Up Front", the most famous of the wartime volumes. You'll be bowled over by the drawings, and the situations he was in while creating them.

I am curious about checking out "Willie and Joe", since I don't think I have a comprehensive collection of the cartoons themselves.

. . . . .

I just found "Willie and Joe" listed at Amazon. Holy cow - a two-book set! It looks incredible.

Garfield (Without Garfield)

Some time ago, I remember someone altering Garfield comic strips by removing the cat's thought bubbles. Jon became delusional, attention-starved and even more pathetic.

Now, it's been taken a step further with Garfield Minus Garfield - as you might imagine, they've removed the title character entirely. This time, Jon collapses into pathological oblivion!

I guess someone will eventually paint Jon out as well, or replace both of them with other characters, like Sigmund Freud and Keanu Reeves.

Spider-Man Is Single Again

This morning, I read in USA Today that Spider-Man was returning to Bachelor-Land. Cool!, I thought. He's been going through a lot in the "Civil War" series, and it's finally taken its toll on his marriage. I don't think that there's been many super-hero divorces, plus it reinforces Peter's loser status, which is a big part of the character. Then I read the rest of the article, which described how it was going to happen (summary courtesy of Wikipedia):

"...After his Aunt May is shot, the superhero Spider-Man searches for help in saving her life. Spider-Man meets the demon Mephisto, who offers to save her life if Spider-Man gives him his marriage. Spider-Man and his wife Mary Jane Watson agree, and the character's history is subsequently retconned so that he has never been married. The storyline serves to set-up a restructuring of the Spider-Man titles, resulting in the cancellation of 'Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man' and 'The Sensational Spider-Man', replaced by 'Amazing Spider-Man' revamped as a thrice-monthly publication."

That's disappointing - a Faustian bargain, literally with the devil. Who can relate to that? I realize that there's a lot of things out there that are far more worthy of worrying about, but it's still a little annoying. It's why I prefer close-ended stories to following an ongoing title.

Sigh.

Toy OTD: Dark Horse Deluxe Mutts Vinyl Figures

Dark Horse scores again with another pair of nifty toys! These Mutts figures are spot-on model and very appealing. There's not much in the way of paint apps here, but they're very well applied. The sculpts are nice too, though they're a little symmetrical.

Since the characters are so simple, special care has been applied to the details. Earl's fabric collar and license are nicely made, while Mooch has his pink sock, attached (to be removable) with a bit of Velcro. So cute!

The biggest minus - once again - is balance. While the poses help them to stand, it doesn't take much to tip them over. A pegged base would have made a big difference without significantly driving up the price point.

These figures are still quite easy to get, and very affordable. You can buy Earl at tfaw.com for $10.79 + shipping, and Mooch goes for $14.03 + shipping at superherogameland.com.

Toy OTD: Presspop Gallery Sof' Boy Vinyl Figures - 4" and 8" Versions (2002, 1999)

Presspop isn't that prolific with its vinyl toys, but they make up for it in quality - each release is worth the wait. It's certainly true of their great Sof' Boy figures, dead on-model with Archer Prewitt's design! The sculpt does most of the heavy lifting, as there isn't much paint work needed. The biggest minus is the typical one - balance. These guys are tough to stand up, and the hip articulation doesn't help matters. Be sure to get some museum putty to display these toys!

As far as I know, this character is available in three sizes - four inches, eight inches, and a giant twenty-four-inch version! The big one is sold out (the 200-piece run originally cost $130 each, so expect to pay more if you find it), and I can't find the eight-inch version for sale anywhere (keep an eye on eBay), but you can buy the four-inch figure at forbiddenplanet.co.uk for £12.99 + shipping. Personally, I like the sculpt and pose of the mini-figure the best anyhow!

Happy Beaver Comic 3

Toy OTD: Robert Harrop Dennis The Menace Figurine

Did you know that England has its own version of Dennis The Menace - twice as big, twice as mean, half as cute? I traveled to England in '99 to celebrate the re-release of Yellow Submarine, and was looking in the stores for something British to take back with me as a souvenir. Fortunately, it didn't take long, and it was comic-related to boot! This little guy is very nicely made - it was even on sale (I think it cost me $10 or less)!

A great, on-model sculpt and tight paint job pulls the whole thing together - it's nice that it has a matte finish, so as not to obscure the clarity of the design. The hair treatment is tricky, but I think it's handled very well!

There's tons of Dennis figurines out there, but you can get this one on eBay.co.uk right now for £9.99 + £2.50 shipping (about $24 USD).

Sideshow Collectibles Makes More Cool Shit

I've been trying to hold off buying any more of Sideshow's quarter-scale, premium format figures - they can really eat into your display space, not to mention your wallet. But they keep - picking - great characters! Here's the latest - a super-sized Thing from the Fantastic Four - and it looks great...dammit.

PS - If you want this version (with the open-mouthed expression), you'll have to get on the website waiting list...it's an internet exclusive and sold out! It comes with two replaceable heads - one open-mouthed, one with its mouth shut.

Toy OTD: Bowen Designs Invisible Woman Statue (Half-Visible Version, 2000)

One of the first superhero comic books that I ever read was an issue of The Fantastic Four, and it's still one of my favorite Marvel creations. They hooked up with Bowen for all their statue and mini-bust needs, and DC's still playing quality catch-up. DC Direct may be improving, but Marvel's added Sideshow to their cool manufacturer list!

Anyway, I waffled for the longest time before I finally bought this statue. It wasn't too bad in terms of price (though I'm sure I could've paid less if I'd bought it earlier), and action figures just can't do the whole half-visible thing nearly as well. The sculpt is nice, and the paint work is strong, too. It has the added feature of the later statues - the figure itself can detach from the base, making cleaning and transport easier and less risky.

As you might imagine, there's two other variants of this statue - fully painted, and fully 'invisible'. To be honest, I don't know why the others even exist - the half-and-half version is definitely the way to go! Why not do the entire run that way?

At any rate, I think I paid around $200 for mine, but there's one for sale on eBay that's currently at $47.00 + shipping. Good luck!

Why The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Exists

NPR: Comic-Book Store Owner on Trial for Nude Images
Morning Edition, August 14, 2007

Listen to this story... by Susanna Capelouto

Gordon Lee, owner of Legends Comic Book Store in Rome, Ga., goes on trial this week over whether he willfully gave a comic that depicted nudity to a child. His store took part in a downtown trick-or-treat celebration three years ago. Instead of candy, Lee handed out free comics. One of them had two drawings showing painter Pablo Picasso moving about his studio in the nude, his genitals clearly exposed. Lee was arrested a week later. The case worries the comic book industry, which fears limits on artistic expression.

Susanna Capelouto reports from Georgia Public Broadcasting.

**************************************************************************************

I don't think this guy should be thrown in jail for a year and fined $1,000 for what was clearly an accident. I'd question Lee's judgement for handing out anything other than a Disney, Archie, or Harvey comic on Hallowe'en (especially if you haven't read it), but I don't think a court case or yet another call for a ratings system is necessary. Take the comic back, apologize to the parents, and you're done. Thank goodness the CBLDF is around to help out!

Comic Artist Mike Wieringo Dies At 44

NEWSARAMA.COM: MIKE WIERINGO PASSES AWAY

The comics industry lost a luminary this weekend - Mike Wieringo passed away Sunday of a sudden heart attack. Details are still sketchy as of this time, but according to close sources, the acclaimed artist had chest pains at some point during the day and called 911, but the responders did not make it in time.

Wieringo was 44 years old. He was a vegetarian, and "one of the healthiest ones of us in the bunch," as his longtime friend and collaborator Todd Dezago described him. Currently, there are no details about services or a funeral.

Wieringo worked every day, updating his blog and website with a constant stream of sketches at MikeWieringo.com. His last sketch was posted on Friday.


I had to keep the sketch pretty quick today if I was going to get it done and posted at all. I spent the morning with an electrical contractor here at the house. I’ve been having trouble with my heating and air conditioning unit switching its breaker off during the height of the heat of the day the past few afternoons (and for those of you in the southeast dealing with these 100-plus degree days, you know just how sweltering and oppressive this week has been). As it turns out, my entire wiring setup outside is horribly old and doesn’t meet code. It also contains quite a bit of aluminum wiring– which the contractor tells me is very dangerous and not in use anymore. So I got the great news that it’s going to cost me thousands of dollars to bring everything back up to code…. and not have the danger of causing a fire at any point as well. Ah, the joys of being a homeowner….!

I’ve had several folks inquire about my 2007 sketchbook and whether it would be for sale here on the site. Steven Gettis has set up a store link in the PERSONAL section of the column at the right for selling the sketchbook and prints I’ve produced. So anyone interested in the things offered there, I’ve got a PayPal account set up to handle the sales that way.

OK… have a great weekend, everyone.

This is Entry 412.

Mike

Wieringo was born June 24th, 1963 in Venice, Italy, and first caught the attention of comic book fans when he joined writer Mark Waid on DC's The Flash with issue #80 in 1993. Together, the two co-created the character Impulse, the future speedster brought back to the present. Wieringo (or, 'Ringo as he was better known by then) moved on to Robin at DC, and then moved to Marvel, where he settled in on Sensational Spider-Man with writer Todd DeZago.

The pairing with DeZago was something of fate, as the two co-created and launched their creator-owned property Tellos, which saw several projects and miniseries published over the years. Ringo moved back to DC for a run on Adventures of Superman, and then, in 2002, reunited with Waid for a run on Fantastic Four that was perhaps best known for fan outcry when Marvel announced that they were going to replace the team. Marvel quickly reversed their decision, and the two completed their run on the series.

Ringo then moved to Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man with writer Peter David, and most recently, completed a Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four miniseries written by Jeff Parker. His next project had not been announced, although, as readers of his blog knew, he was very excited at the prospect of doing more Tellos work, with an eye on being able to debut something at next month's Baltimore Comic-Con.

Mike was a regular face at East Coast conventions for years, and was known to both fans and pros as one of the friendliest, and most approachable guys in comics. Heck, he was, I think, the first "pro" I ever met, back when he had just started drawing Flash. I remember asking him for a sketch at a small convention in High Point, North Carolina, he said, "Sure - what of?" And I told him it had to be the Flash - but not with the mask on, with the mask pulled back, showing Wally West. Mike looked thoughtful for a few minutes, gave me a look, and got to drawing. A few minutes later, he gave me the sketch (still framed and in my office) and I thanked him. It wasn't until later that my wife pointed out that he'd drawn me in the mask, instead of Wally. That's the kind of cool guy Mike was. And with the North Carolina comics community being pretty tight-knit, Mike and I got to be pretty good friends after that. He was a great friend, and a friend of the site - all too happy to help out years back when Mike Doran and I needed headshots for the then-version of Newsarama. We looked a little dorky, but I think that was Mike making a little joke that included all of us. He loved what he did. -- Matt Brady

ps - I see we're getting some database errors from the traffic with this news. Heh - it was the news of Mark and Mike being kicked off of the Fantastic Four that melted down our server when it happened a few years back. Mike was the most humble guy you'd ever meet, but I think he's at least getting a smile out of that.

Toy OTD: Plastoy Tintin PVC Figures: Thomson And Thompson

I'm constantly impressed by the quality of Plastoy figures - the sculpts are on-model and well-posed, the paint work is strong, and they have good taste in licenses.

I don't often get figures this small, but I was struck by the subtle differences in the two brothers, and I'm a big Tintin fan in general.

I bought these at a store in San Francisco called Karikter - both of them are available at their online store for $7.50 + shipping each.

Toy OTD: Dark Horse Mutts PVC Figures

A little while ago, Dark Horse released a four-figure set of characters from the Mutts comic strip. Earl and Mooch are both available in larger sizes, but there's two other characters (Guard Dog and Shtinky) included that you can't get any other way. So of course I bought it!

The sculpts and paint apps, while not as good as many imported toys, are still nice for the figures' size. The poses also stand well without bases, not as precariously as the larger vinyls.

These haven't been out all that long (since last October), so you can still get the set for retail - reduced, in fact, to $13.49 + shipping from Things From Another World.

Where Was This Stuff When I Was A Kid? - Part 1

Pottery Barn Kids has Batman and Superman bedding, and it looks really cool! No bland style guide crap for these sheets - check it out! Wayne Boring and Dick Sprang drawings for today's kids. Awesome!

Actually... these might fit our beds....

Bill Presing's New Blog!

Bill's started a blog called Daily Peril, and it's sure to be loaded with plenty of tasty artwork. Be sure to stop by and give him support!

Maakies Comes To Television

NY TIMES: Guy Drinks. Bird Drinks. Guy Thrives. Bird Drinks.
By CHARLES McGRATH - Published: May 13, 2007

PASADENA, Calif. - IN certain New York artistic circles the cartoonist Tony Millionaire is famous for once, at the end of a very long night, having sex with a slice of pizza. This was in the mid-’90s, a period when Mr. Millionaire, who is large and striking-looking to begin with, used to favor lime-green leisure suits or a tuxedo with a bottle of vodka in the pocket. He would frequently end an evening by climbing on a table, removing his false teeth and declaring, “I am Tony Millionaire!”

The name is a pseudonym of course, though a former girlfriend used to claim it came from an Old French term meaning “owner of 1,000 serfs.” Mr. Millionaire — or Scott Richardson, as he used to be known — actually lifted it from an “I Dream of Jeannie” episode and printed it on a label for a party he attended in 1981. The tag stuck, and he now says, “If I ever hear anybody using my other name, it’s either my mother or my lawyer.”

These days Tony Millionaire is practically a brand name, attached to a syndicated weekly comic strip, “Maakies”; a series of comic books called “Sock Monkey”; the graphic novels “Uncle Gabby” and “Billy Hazelnuts”; and an animated cartoon, “The Drinky Crow Show,” which will make its first appearance on the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim on Sunday night at 11:45. (Since Friday the episode has also been available on adultswim.com; whether there will be more depends on how this one goes over.)

Spun off from by the “Maakies” comic strip, “The Drinky Crow Show” is about an alcoholic, suicidal crow and his sidekick, a dim-witted libidinous monkey named Uncle Gabby, shipmates on a 19th-century whaling ship captained by a crusty Ahab type who happens to have a sexpot daughter. Like the strip, the cartoon is graphically elegant, done in a style reminiscent of early comics masters like Winsor McKay and Johnny Gruelle (who drew “Raggedy Ann”); the content, on the other hand, comes bubbling up from a part of the imagination that polite cartoonists lock away.

This first episode begins with a whoosh of crow vomit and ends with a squirt of bug excrement. In between there are floggings, decapitations and dismemberments, cannonballs that go right through characters, leaving perfect round holes, and one instance each of copulation between whales and between a fly and a cockroach. The hero, Drinky Crow, rescues the ship and Uncle Gabby, or half of him, anyway, with quick thinking and artistic enterprise — when he’s not blotto, that is, a condition indicated by a giant X where his eye should be and little bubbles circling his head.

This troubled, bibulous little bird is in many ways Mr. Millionaire’s alter ego and also his savior. He came up with the character in the winter of 1993, during an extremely low period in his life. He was living in New York then, and barely scraping by, as he had been since getting out of art school, by making architectural drawings of houses. But that winter his business had dwindled, and as he recalled recently: “My girlfriend said, ‘You’re not going to be able to pay the rent, are you?’ She said it would be better if I moved out, and so I was broke, sleeping on couches, begging food from friends. One night I went to this bar in Brooklyn, Six Twelve in Williamsburg, and on a napkin I started drawing a cartoon about a crow who got drunk and blew his brains out. The bartender said, ‘Every time you draw one of those, I’ll give you a beer,’ so I just kept drawing. He photocopied them, and pretty soon they became a kind of trademark for the bar. The bartender even made a Styrofoam model of Drinky Crow.”

Drinky’s fame eventually spread to The New York Press, the alternative paper, which commissioned Mr. Millionaire to do a weekly strip for $25 an installment. That in turn led to syndication and to freelance work for The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal and other mainstream publications. “That was the first time in my life I ever paid taxes, and I was a little worried that I was going to get in trouble,” he said. “But I got a good accountant, and he said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll tell them you were homeless.’ ”

Though Mr. Millionaire has since branched out into books and television, the strip — two strips, really, one very slender one underneath the other — remains a cornerstone. “No matter what, I’ve got to get my weekly ‘Maakies’ out,” he explained. (The name is a nonsense word, chosen because Mr. Millionaire liked the way it looked; it rhymes with “car keys” pronounced with a Massachusetts accent: MAH-kees.) “That’s my soul. Without it I’d still be a bum, I’d still be drawing houses. I needed a deadline. That’s the code of the cartoonist: make the deadline.”

Among the fans of “Maakies” is Art Spiegelman, the author of “Maus.” “I really like the fact that there’s this disparity between the delicacy of the drawing and the coarseness and stupidity of the humor,” he said recently. “That goes back to a great moment in cartoon history.”

The strip also provides a window onto Mr. Millionaire’s background and influences. The shipboard setting, for example, owes something to his boyhood in Gloucester, Mass., where his maternal grandparents were both artists who frequently painted nautical themes. His grandfather also introduced him to the world of the classic Sunday comics, which often manifest themselves explicitly in Mr. Millionaire’s work, in strips, for example, that adopt the style of Mr. Gruelle, Rube Goldberg, V. T. Hamlin’s “Alley Oop.” The idea of a second strip running beneath the main one, and usually with no relation to what’s going on above, is something he borrowed from George Herriman, the creator of “Krazy Kat.”

Mr. Millionaire’s parents were both artistic too. His father was a designer, and his mother a junior high school art teacher. She forbade coloring books in the house, and when he was younger also talked him out of aspiring merely to be a commercial artist. “She said, ‘What, you want to paint pork chops on the side of cardboard boxes?’ ” he recalled, and then added, “In my mind there was never any doubt that I was going to do something artistic, and for all the hassles my parents gave me, they were always very encouraging: ‘You stupid idiot — it’s because of you it’s raining! You’re a great artist.’ ”

Mr. Millionaire, now 51, has been married for six years to the actress Becky Thyre, and they live with their two young daughters in a stucco bungalow in Pasadena, Calif. Thanks to health insurance Mr. Millionaire now has dental implants to replace the falsies. (The originals were knocked out in a car crash when he was a teenager.) And though he professes still to be a wild man of sorts, most of his boozing these days is notional, except for a few beers late at night while he works in his studio, drawing in ink with store-bought fountain pens he tweaks with a pair of needle-nose pliers.

The studio is a converted one-car garage that looks more like a consignment shop than an artist’s workroom. Some of his grandparents’ paintings hang on the wall, along with yellowing newspaper pages from the Golden Age of comics. There is a stuffed raccoon cat in the rafters, and antlers and a mangy head high on the north wall. A computer printer is hidden in an old radio cabinet, and tucked away in a corner is a scanner Mr. Millionaire uses to send his Drinky Crow drawings to the animators, who work in Transylvania.

The notion of turning “Maakies” into a cartoon occurred first to Eric Kaplan, who wrote for “Futurama” and “Malcolm in the Middle” and has lately been working on a series of full-length “Futurama” features. He said recently that because of his work in animation and production he had become interested in developing more projects that brought together striking design and unusual stories, and he heard about Mr. Millionaire from the cartoonist Peter Bagge.

Like a lot of TV people he was also aware of some Drinky Crow shorts on “Saturday Night Live” in the late ’90s. Six were made, and though only two were shown, they became legendary for their weird bleak humor. “What appealed to me about ‘Maakies’ was that it’s a distinct comedic world,” Mr. Kaplan said. “It makes you feel that you’ve gone to the well of Tony Millionaire’s imagination and let down a bucket. With the cartoon we’re going down into the same lava.”

Mr. Millionaire credits Mr. Kaplan, who wrote the script for the first “Drinky Crow” on Adult Swim for figuring out how to turn a series of four-panel cartoons into an extended narrative, and for teaching him that cartoon dialogue doesn’t always work when spoken. Mr. Kaplan says the process wasn’t as complicated as Mr. Millionaire makes it sound. “I went for a long walk with Tony, and I asked him why he was so depressed when he started drawing Drinky,” he recalled. “And I thought: ‘I can fill in a little of the psychology. He’s a frustrated romantic who’s had his heart broken. And Uncle Gabby is just a guy who wants to eat, have sex, get drunk. Drinky’s the more sensitive one.’ ”

He added: “As much as possible, we tried to take a certain way of looking things from Tony’s brain and put it on the screen. It’s a very pregnant premise — kind of in the past, kind of in the present. It’s about this world — it speaks to the horror of life.”

Getting the voices right, Mr. Millionaire said, proved to be more of a challenge than he imagined. A single actress nailed all the female parts, but they went through a couple of actors for Drinky before finally discovering one who sounded sufficiently sodden.

Even harder was getting the right look. The animation is computer generated, and originally it was too three-dimensional. “It looked like ‘Jimmy Neutron,’ ” Mr. Millionaire explained, adding that early versions of Drinky had him jumping up and down, strutting, clapping his hands. “I said: ‘No, no, no — he doesn’t do that! He has much less affect.’ ”

Eventually he and the animators devised a system whereby he took the computer-generated models and added by hand all the etchinglike details so characteristic of his work: the planks, the portholes, the texture of Gabby’s fur. “That’s why it looks like 3-D Sunday comics,” Mr. Millionaire said. “ I don’t know anything about animation, but I invented a whole new technique, Maakimation!”

Adult Swim, which has given us, among other innovations, “Saul of the Mole Men” and “Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” with its talking milk shake, French fries and meat wad, does not observe the same rules as the rest of television. For one thing there are no seasons; shows come and go seemingly at random. As Nick Weidenfeld, Adult Swim’s manager of program development and a champion of “Drinky Crow,” explained recently, there are no focus groups, no pre-testing of a show. “We don’t go by the usual TV model,” he said. “For a new show, it’s more a question of: Does this feel right in terms of what we’re doing and where we’re going?”

What this means in practice is that for the time being there are no further episodes of “Drinky Crow.” The pilot will be shown Sunday night, and then by some process that seems in part mystical and in part based on viewer response, the network bigwigs will decide whether or not to order more. If the show is approved, Mr. Millionaire and Mr. Kaplan already have hundreds of new plots stored in their heads. “The ship can travel,” Mr. Millionaire explained. “It can go to Japan, it can go to the North Pole. It can sprout wings and fly to the edge of the universe if it has powerful enough rockets and the right fuel: alco-fuel.”

But what about poor Uncle Gabby, who at the end of Episode 1 is cut in half at the waist, with his spinal column dangling down like an extension cord and insects feasting on his blood? “The publisher complained that at the end of the first ‘Sock Monkey’ book, Drinky Crow burned the house down with everyone in it,” Mr. Millionaire said. “I told them, ‘It’s a cartoon!’ Next time they’ll all be fine.”

Another Chilly Green-Stage Movie On The Way

VARIETY: WB nabs rights to 'Ronin'
White to direct live-action feature
By MICHAEL FLEMINGPosted: Tue., May 1, 2007, 1:35pm PT

After turning the Frank Miller graphic novel "300" into a hit, Warner Bros. has optioned the rights to Miller's "Ronin" to adapt into a live-action feature.

Sylvain White ("Stomp the Yard") will direct.

In the story, a ronin, or disgraced samurai warrior, bears the shame of allowing his master to be assassinated by a shape-shifting demon in 13th century Japan. When the master's sword is unearthed in mid-21st century New York, the ronin and the demon are brought to life and battle gangs of mutants and thugs to try to take possession of the mythical sword.

The graphic novel was published by DC Comics.

Pic will be produced by Gianni Nunnari and Nick Wechsler, with Craig Flores exec producing. Nunnari and Flores, who are partners in Hollywood Gang, were producers on "300." Miller will be an exec producer as well.

"Ronin" will be shot in a fashion similar to that employed for "300," in which blue- and green-screen lensing was done on a Montreal soundstage to create an ancient Greece battleground for a $65 million film. Costs are comparable for "Ronin," making the film a big step up for White, who graduated from directing videos to helming the film "Stomp the Yard" at a cost of around $14 million.

"Ronin" is "one of Frank Miller's earliest and best graphic novel creations, one that has long been a cult graphic novel," White told Daily Variety. "There is a classic good-evil struggle between the samurai and the demon."

While White has several development projects percolating, he said that "Ronin" is his top priority.

"This is the one I'd like to do next, because I'm so passionate about it," he said.

WMA is negotiating his deal.

*************************************************************************************

The upside of this news is that I didn't like the ending of the comic, and the green-stage technique is getting better, so there's room for improvement. The downside is that the director casting isn't very encouraging.

Bragging, Plain and Simple

A friend of mine asked me to post a picture of my Krazy Kat Sunday page, so here it is. I'm sorry the photo is fuzzy, but at least the strip is legible. Here's some panel detail for extra savoring:

I bought this fairly early on in my original art collecting spree, but I still can't afford a Peanuts strip. A Sunday of that strip, generally speaking, would easily cost three times as much. I love both cartoonists, but I think even Schulz would say that's a little out of whack.

APE: Comic-Con's Alternative Sister

Last weekend was 2007's Alternative Press Expo, or APE for short. Held in San Francisco, APE is a comic convention, but on a smaller, far more personal scale. I started going about two years ago, and I've tried to go ever since.

I had preconceived notions about APE that made me hesitant to check it out for quite a while. I always figured it would consist a few card tables stocked with badly-drawn, arty-farty 'zines. While this is partially true, there's a lot more to APE than that.

The overall scale is much less intimidating than Comic-Con, and the vibe is good-natured and friendly. It's clear, too, that everyone loves what they're doing, and wants to share that. Sure, money's changing hands, but APE comes across more like a gallery show, craft fair or flea market than a trade show.

By contrast, there's an air of desperation that's permeating Comic-Con these days - I don't feel as much love for the craft there. Everyone's smelling that Batman/Spider-Man/Superman/X-Men/300 money, and a lot of folks want to be the next big thing. Blaring sound systems and huge video displays compete for attention. Please, the air seems to throb, Please make my comic into a movie. Please make our movie into a hit.

Don't get me wrong - I still love both conventions, like the way I like to go to see both Spider-Man 3 and The Queen. They're both satisfying in very different ways.

While APE doesn't feature the high-profile guests that Comic-Con does, indie luminaries can certainly be found there. Two of my favorites: Keith Knight of The K Chronicles is a fixture, as well as Troubletown's Lloyd Dangle. Now that Comic-Con is an APE sponsor, I'm assuming that they used their clout and contacts to feature Art Spiegelman on both days this year. Nice!

This year, I also went to support my comic-making friends. My pals Scott Morse, Ricky Nierva, Don Shank, Nate Wragg, and Lou Romano (above) just finished their first book together, The Ancient Book Of Myth And War. I'd already bought a copy at work, but I dropped by to say hello. They were all busy doing illustrated autographs in purchased copies, but took a little time out for a picture. Pick up a copy at Amazon! You won't regret it - these guys are awesome!

Ben Catmull was also there selling copies of his eerily funny Monster Parade. He'd already generously given me a copy, but I stopped by to say hi. Andrice Arp was selling MOME anthologies featuring her latest short story, based on a dream that she'd had. She had paintings for sale, too!

Derek Kirk Kim caught my eye this year with a funny poster (you can see a little of it in the picture). It's decorated with thirty or so chibi-styled pop-culture characters. If you could guess all of them, you got it for free! I got all of them but four, and he supressed his disgust at my wasted life and complimented me. I bought it for Anita and I, as there's Red Dwarf characters on it - a rarity, even at conventions. Derek's a great comic artist and storyteller - pick up a copy of his graphic novella and see what I mean!

My buddy Jamie Baker also has a new book - an illustrated collection of news articles and limericks, all about elephants, that he co-wrote with his father. Appropriately, it's called Elephants In The News. It's not available at Amazon yet, but I'm sure you can get a copy from James himself if you ask him nicely. And pay him money.

Steve Purcell was also there, promoting the new Sam & Max video game, as well as some prints and T-shirts. Steve totally knows how to work it -there's always a line at his booth!

I also got to catch up with Marc Crisafulli, who came to APE for the first time with his girlfriend, Karen Davison. They both had great artwork to sell, and I picked up one of Marc's drawings. He generously added some pencils of a strip I was fond of for free. Karen had wonderful printed work, but I'm holding out for an original. Check out her spot illustration in last week's The New Yorker. Wow!

I went out to lunch with Marc at the Metreon, which of course meant a quick stop at Things From Another World. Series seven of Mezco's Family Guy line was out, so I picked up the only figures that I wanted, Performance Artist and Neil Goldman (dusts off hands). Marc and I caught up on what we'd both been up to - we've been keeping in touch off and on since the Mighty Mouse days!

I also ran into Elizabeth Ito! I've admired her design work from afar, and exchanged e-mails with her a few times, but it was a nice to finally have a live face to connect to the online avatar! Here she is with Kevin Dart, artist and printmaker extraordinaire. You can get a lot of his awesome work at Fleet Street Scandal, the website he shares with the also awesome Chris Turnham.

Matt Bernier was selling his nicely drawn comic Potato Autopsy. He's got it (and another book Out Of Water) for sale at his website as well. I couldn't tell if he was friends with the luchador mask guy, or if he had good coping skills (L.M. guy seemed fine to me).

My friends Rob Thompson and Jeanne Applegate celebrated their (I think) first 'zine, Plate Lunch. Rob contributed cute robot gags, while Jeanne featured her art pieces made with purchase receipts. Cool!

D.J. Bryant is an impressive draughtsmen, his darkly beautiful work featured in two books, Snar-Fled and the Clowese-esque Steelcharge Horsecap. I wish I could've picked up original art from him, but I was on a small budget. Gotta save up to finish paying for my vinyl toy!

Speaking of vinyl, I did get a toy at APE as well - the oil version of the Zliks vinyl toy. I'd seen this at conventions before, but the thing that pushed the 'spend' button this time was a new-to-me wrinkle - the eyes were separate pieces, and could be 'posed' into different facial expressions. Neat! I lucked out and got mine for $35 and no shipping.

Here's the other thing to keep in mind about APE - if you're single, and in your twenties, there's a lot of cute girls at APE - more than any other convention that I've been to. I lucked out and found a nerd-woman on my own, but if you're a nerd with, you know, dating trouble... you might want to check out APE. I'm just saying.

See you next year!

Synergy OTD

BBC NEWS: U2 write for Spider-Man musical

Bono and The Edge from U2 are to write music and lyrics for a Broadway musical based on comic book hero Spider-Man, according to film trade paper Variety.

The show will be directed by Julie Taymor, who won two Tony awards for Disney's Lion King musical in 1998.

Auditions are taking place for key characters, including Peter Parker and love interest Mary Jane Watson, but no date has been set for the show's debut.

The third chapter in the blockbuster Spider-Man film series opens in May.

This will be the first time a Marvel comic book hero has officially made the transition to the Broadway stage.

Previous stage credits

"We've been analysing and looking at the Broadway market for some time, given the success of the big musicals lately," chairman of Marvel Studios, David Maisel, told Variety.

Bono and The Edge have written for the stage before, composing songs for a Royal Shakespeare Company production of A Clockwork Orange in the 1990s.

With U2, they also wrote the theme song for 1995's Batman Forever film - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me.

Spider-Man has been one of the most successful superhero films of recent years.

Starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, the first two instalments took more than $1.6bn (£800m) at the global box office.

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I'd joke about an "X-men" musical (Hugh Jackman's on Broadway already), but someone might be listening. I can't image that there's much overlap between comic fans and musical theatergoers, but I guess we'll find out.

In Case You Didn't Get The Sixteen Panels Joke

It's a riff on the above strip. Pretty funny!

A Handy Reference Tool

Thanks to Jon Morris and Comixpedia.com!

Edward Norton Is Bruce Banner In Hulk Reboot

VARIETY: Norton to star in 'Hulk'
Marvel sequel to be released in 2008
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Date in print: Mon., Apr. 16, 2007, Los Angeles

Edward Norton has been set by Marvel Studios to play Bruce Banner in "The Incredible Hulk."

The Louis Leterrier-directed drama will be distributed by Universal Pictures, with an opening set for June 13, 2008.

It is a decided return to the mainstream for Norton, who recently has starred in such indies as "Down in the Valley," "The Painted Veil," and "The Illusionist." Pic will shoot this summer in Toronto.

Norton takes over a role played in the Ang Lee-directed "Hulk" by Eric Bana. Though that film opened strongly, it didn’t fare as well as other Marvel efforts, including "Spider-Man," "X-Men," "Fantastic Four" and, most recently, "Ghost Rider."

Marvel Studios, which has a $525 million credit facility obtained through Merrill Lynch, made "The Incredible Hulk" its second film under that arrangement, and seeks to make a sequel that is less self-serious and more in line with the comic series and TV show. Leterrier directed the action-filled "Transporter 2," and "Unleashed."

The new pic begins with Banner on the run, trying to avoid capture long enough to cure the condition that turns him into a misunderstood green menace.

"Edward Norton is a rare talent and one of the most versatile actors in the business," Marvel Studios production president Kevin Feige said in a statement. "His ability to transform into a particular role makes him the ideal choice to take on the character of Bruce Banner and the Hulk. Edward is perfectly suited to bring one of the most popular and important Marvel icons to the bigscreen in a new and exciting way."

The script for "The Incredible Hulk" was written by Zak Penn, who had a hand in crafting two "X-Men" films, "Fantastic Four" and "Elektra" for Marvel.

"The Incredible Hulk" is being produced by Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd and Marvel’s Feige. Jim Van Wyck, David Maisel, Ari Arad and Stan Lee are exec producing.

Norton, who will next be seen starring with Colin Farrell in the Gavin O’Connor-directed New Line drama "Pride and Glory," is repped by Endeavor.

Chris Ware + Animation + This American Life = Very Cool

Check out this cartoon segment designed (and presumably animated) by Chris Ware for the (cable) televised version of This American Life. I think he and Ira Glass complement each other really well!

Johnny Hart, 1932-2007

NY TIMES: Johnny Hart Dies at 76; Cartoonist Created ‘B.C.’
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: April 9, 2007

NINEVEH, N.Y., April 8 — The cartoonist Johnny Hart, creator of the award-winning “B.C.” comic strip, died at his home here on Saturday. He was 76.

“He had a stroke,” Mr. Hart’s wife, Bobby, said on Sunday. “He died at his storyboard.”

“B.C.,” populated by prehistoric cavemen and dinosaurs, was created in 1958 and eventually appeared in more than 1,300 newspapers, with an audience of 100 million, according to Creators Syndicate Inc., which distributes it.

After he graduated from Union-Endicott High School, Mr. Hart met Brant Parker, a young cartoonist who became a prime influence and co-creator with Mr. Hart of the “Wizard of Id” comic strip.

Mr. Hart enlisted in the Air Force and began producing cartoons for the Pacific version of Stars and Stripes. He sold his first cartoon to The Saturday Evening Post as a freelancer after his discharge from the military in 1954.

Later in his career, some of Mr. Hart’s cartoons had religious themes, which sometimes led to controversy. A strip published on Easter Sunday in 2001 drew protests from some Jewish groups and led several newspapers to drop the strip. The cartoon depicted a menorah transforming into a cross, with accompanying text quoting some of Jesus Christ’s dying words. Critics of the strip said it implied that Christianity superseded Judaism. Mr. Hart said he intended the cartoon as a tribute to both faiths.

The novelist and cartoonist Mell Lazarus, creator of the “Momma” and “Miss Peach” comic strips, described Mr. Hart as “a very dear friend.”

“He was generally regarded as one of the best cartoonists we’ve ever had,” Mr. Lazarus said from his California home. “He was totally original. ‘B.C.’ broke ground and led the way for a number of imitators, none of which ever came close.”

Mr. Lazarus said Mr. Hart, a born-again Christian, was a generous and civic-minded man who lived quietly with his family in the small town where he grew up.

“Johnny was one of the smartest and funniest persons I’ve ever known,” Mr. Lazarus said. “This is a great loss.”

Richard Newcombe, founder and president of Creators Syndicate in Los Angeles, said of Mr. Hart: “He influenced my life in many ways. He had such an emphasis on kindness, generosity and patience. He had a strong commitment to talent and hard work.”

Mr. Newcombe said Mr. Hart was the first cartoonist to sign on when the syndicate was created 20 years ago. “Traditionally, comic strips were owned by syndicates,” he said. “We were different because we allowed cartoonists to own their own work. It was because of Johnny’s commitment to this idea that made us a success.”

Besides his wife, Mr. Hart is survived by two daughters, Patti and Perri.
Correction: April 12, 2007 An obituary by The Associated Press on Monday about the cartoonist Johnny Hart misidentified his hometown, where he died. It was Nineveh, N.Y., not Endicott, N.Y.

Metal Men Movie? Maybe

ANIMATION MAGAZINE.NET: WB Drawn to DC’s Metal Men
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
By: Ryan Ball

In the latest case of Tinsel Town pilfering the comic racks for tentpole material, Warner Bros. Pictures has picked up film rights to the 1962 DC Comics property Metal Men. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Eric Champnella (Mr. 3000) is writing the screenplay for producer Lauren Shuler Donner, who produced all three X-Men movies and is also working on the Wolverine and Magneto spin-off flicks.

The concept of Metal Men lends itself to liberal use of CG animation. Written by Robert Kanigher, penciled by Ross Andru and inked by Mike Esposito, the comics chronicle the adventures of six intelligent robots that possess unique powers dictated by the different types of metal they’re made from. Forged in a laboratory by scientist William Magnus, the team of shape-shifting heroes is led by Gold and also includes the strong Iron, the slow-witted but loyal Lead, the self-doubting and insecure Tin and the hot-headed Mercury. Rounding out the crew is Platinum, who wants to be a real woman and harbors romantic feelings for Dr. Magnus.

Respected comic-book scribe Geoff Johns is contributing to the development efforts and will serve as an exec producer on the film. Dan Lin and Elishia Holmes are spearheading the project for Warner Bros. and Gregory Noveck is overseeing for DC Comics.

While costumed crime fighters Spider-Man, Superman and Batman have been sure-fire box-office draws over the years, films based on more marginalized superheroes have been a crap shoot. Twentieth Century Fox hit a winner with the X-Men trilogy and made a surprise hit out of Fantastic Four, but the deeper studios dig into the comic bin the harder they have to work to sell it to the public. Lions Gate’s take on Marvel’s The Punisher didn’t set the box office on fire and fellow moderate successes Constantine (DC Vertigo) from Warner Bros. and Ghost Rider (Marvel) from Columbia Pictures relied heavily on the star power of Keanu Reeves and Nicholas Cage, respectively. In the next couple of years we’ll see how moviegoers take to the likes of Nick Fury, Dr. Strange and Ant Man and a host of other comic heroes making their way to the big screen.

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Wow. After "The Shadow" and "The Phantom" disappointments, it's interesting that a comic even more obscure is being considered. I'm a pretty hard-core comic nerd, and I barely read that title. You should get free admission if you actually know the film's based on a comic!

Thanks to I Watch Stuff! for the link and the image.

2004 Article: One Of The Worst Business Deals Ever

SEQUART.COM: Superman's Copyright: The Never-Ending Battle?
Sequential Culture #30 by Julian Darius
10 Aug 2004 at 12:00 EST (updated 11 Mar 2005 at 20:08 EST)

Siegel, Shuster, and their heirs have been trying periodically to regain the rights to Superman since 1947.

With the current focus on the rights to Superman, it is worth taking a moment to discuss the history of the Superman copyright. Just as Superman the character led the way for modern comic book hero, Superman's copyright has been long in dispute and has led the way for other such legal battles. In point of fact, Siegel, Shuster, and their heirs have been trying periodically to regain the rights to Superman since 1947.

Siegel and Shuster

In 1938, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster signed away all rights to Superman, which they had created together as teenagers, to National Periodicals (later DC) for a purported $130. Because Siegel and Shuster had created the character independently, their work did not qualify as work-for-hire; rather, they sold the copyright outright. The character quickly became wildly successful, receiving a radio drama and movie serial. In 1947, with the duo receiving less work from DC, Siegel and Shuster sued the company to regain the rights to their most famous creation.

The judge sided with DC, but he strangely assigned the rights to Superboy, then only recently introduced in More Fun Comics, to Siegel and Shuster -- on the grounds that Superboy was a separate character. The duo reportedly sold Superboy back to DC for $100,000, but DC removed the creators' credits from their characters. Time passed, and in 1966 Siegel again tried to regain the rights to Superman -- and again failed. Again time passed, and both Siegel and Shuster reportedly became destitute.

It all started to change in 1975, when Siegel issued a press release vehemently attacking DC and Jack Liebowitz, the DC employee to whom the two teenagers brought their Superman, and outlining the pair's mistreatment at their hands. DC was gearing up for the much-celebrated 1978 Superman movie and certainly didn't want this kind of scandal surrounding the character. Legendary comics artist Neal Adams led a campaign to help Siegel and Shuster, and DC not only restored the creators' credits for Superman but put the two on a pension.

It was the attention given at this time to the plight of Siegel and Shuster that created the mythic status of their story in the then-fledgling American comics community. The story was no longer the corporate version, but one in which two teenagers created one of the most powerful fictional icons in the world. Except that they sold the rights to the evil corporation in order to see publication. Cue montage of years of destitution and depression. This myth, inscribed deeply in the American comics community (not to mention being an example in every law school class on copyright law), influenced Michael Chabon's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Adventures of Cavalier and Clay. It is equally seen in Rich Veitch's neglected classic The Maximortal.
Joe Shuster died in 1992. Jerry Siegel died in 1996.

Joe Shuster died in 1992. Jerry Siegel died in 1996. For what it's worth, both received tributes in DC publications at the time.

Revoking the Copyright, Part One

In 1998, Joanne Siegel (Jerome's widow) and Laura Siegel Larson (his daughter) filed the papers necessary to terminate Jerome's assignment of copyright to DC. As copyright law had extended the length of copyrights, it had also provided a means for creators to terminate their transfer of copyright -- a means of not forcing people who signed under state-of-the-law X to abide by state-of-the-law Y. Thus, 56 years after the transfer of copyright, creators have a five-year window of time to file for that transfer's termination. This allows the present copyright holders all they could have received under the old law, while still allowing the original holders to prevent their transferred copyright from being extended without compensation. The Siegels' revocation, were it to be legally upheld, would have taken effect sometime in 1999 -- and would have applied to 50% of the rights to the character.

The story took on a life of its own as people began sorting out the complex issues involved. It soon became clear that Shuster had left no children and had no heirs to file similar papers, leaving DC indisputably with Shuster's half. DC had also trademarked many aspects of Superman's appearance, and these would not transfer back with the copyright.

The story also lead to widespread speculation, particularly on the internet. Many pondered the result of splitting the rights 50 / 50: would that leave both co-owners to freely produce Superman material, or would both have to agree on any Superman material? Some wondered whether the Siegels would set up a rival company to produce alternate stories starring Superman. DC's revisions to Superman over the years led some to wonder whether the Siegels should really have a hand in guiding the present Superman. Most felt, ultimately, that the move was really a negotiating tactic with AOL / Time-Warner, owner of DC Comics, in a bid for more money. Indeed, negotiations between the Siegels and AOL / Time-Warner have reportedly been ongoing ever since.
It was a frenzy: some websites actually maintained lists of characters, showing their creation date, window to file, and who might be eligible to file.

The Siegels got the ball rolling. For a time, there was a great deal of press coverage of creators' rights being rescinded. The legal windows to rescind transfer of copyright for Golden Age characters were opening and closing -- with each one, it seemed, getting coverage. It was a frenzy: some websites actually maintained lists of characters, showing their creation date, window to file, and who might be eligible to file. Legal papers were filed for several such characters, each time receiving press coverage. But it all died down, more in a whimper than with a bang.

Revoking the Copyright, Part Two

What we are now experiencing, in terms of comics press suddenly covering the Superman copyright dispute, comes equally out of the blue. Among others, Heidi Macdonald's "The Beat" -- a blog on comiccon.com -- was instrumental in promoting the story this time around.

With Shuster's half also gone, DC would be left with not 50% but exactly 0%.

The reason for this new flurry of press coverage is not news in that case but rather a couple other filings. In November 2002, the Siegels filed separate paperwork to terminate the transfer of Superboy's copyright, effective November 2004. Although Shuster left no children, he nonetheless left an executor: Mark Peary, son of Shuster's sister, who has filed paperwork to terminate the assignment of Shuster's portion of Superman's copyright, effective October 2013. The date corresponds to another window, caused by another legal extension of the duration of copyright, in which creators may revoke copyright transfers -- this one beginning after 75 years. With Shuster's half also gone, DC would be left with not 50% but exactly 0%.

It doesn't help that this time, not unlike the late 1970s, there's a high-profile Superman movie in the works that no one wants to see scuttled.

This time around, the separate issue of Superboy's copyright, stemming from its legal separation in 1947 from Superman's copyright, has led to the most speculation. Many have pointed out that Smallville, the successful TV show on the WB network, is based more on Superboy than Superman. DC's shifting continuity, as always, complicates matters: the present Superboy isn't Superman as a boy at all, but rather a new character whose relationship to the old could be disputed.

If DC were to lose completely the copyright to Superman, as it may well in 2013, the company would lose all aspects created by Siegel and Schuster but not trademarked aspects or derivative characters created later -- with Superboy being a special and separate case. Clark Kent and Lois Lane may well disappear from the DC Universe, but DC might retain Superman and / or Metropolis in some version.
This time around, Superboy's copyright has led to the most speculation.

This time around, the separate issue of Superboy's copyright, stemming from its legal separation in 1947 from Superman's copyright, has led to the most speculation. Many have pointed out that Smallville, the successful TV show on the WB network, is based more on Superboy than Superman. DC's shifting continuity, as always, complicates matters: the present Superboy isn't Superman as a boy at all, but rather a new character whose relationship to the old could be disputed.

If DC were to lose completely the copyright to Superman, as it may well in 2013, the company would lose all aspects created by Siegel and Schuster but not trademarked aspects or derivative characters created later -- with Superboy being a special and separate case. Clark Kent and Lois Lane may well disappear from the DC Universe, but DC might retain Superman and / or Metropolis in some version.

Stan "Not The Man" Media Files Against Marvel

AWN: Stan Lee Media Sues Marvel for $5 Billion
March 15, 2007

Having just emerged from bankruptcy protection on Dec. 6, 2006, Stan Lee Media, today (March 15, 2007), filed suit against Marvel Ent. worth $5 billion. In the suit, Stan Lee Media is claiming co-ownership of all Stan Lee's co-creations for Marvel, including Spider-Man, X-Men and the Incredible Hulk. Stan Lee Media requests half of Marvel's earnings derived from those creations, in addition to damages and legal fees.

The suit claims that Stan Lee throughout his employment with Marvel retained the co-creator rights to all his characters. In Aug. 1998 when Marvel terminated Stan Lee's employment, he regained those rights. Lee then went and formed the dotcom firm Stan Lee Media as a way to tap into the Internet boom. On Oct. 15, 1998, he signed over not only his creations to the new firm, but his likeness as well. Then in Nov. 1998, Lee individually entered an employment agreement with Marvel, signing over his Marvel characters and likeness to Marvel, despite having already signed over the rights to Stan Lee Media. The suit claims Stan Lee Media informed Marvel of their contract and that Marvel "independently and/or in collusion with Stan Lee, intentionally concealed the material terms" of Marvel's new agreement from Stan Lee Media, the public and its own shareholders.

Stan Lee Media has become a tragic icon the dotcom boom and bust. The public firm ultimately fizzled into bankruptcy and brought on several lawsuits and criminal charges related to stock manipulation. Stan Lee left the company and went on to form POW! Ent.

During bankruptcy, Stan Lee Media dropped its NASDAQ listing and became a private firm. During a Dec. 2006 special shareholders meeting, James L. Nesfield was made chairman and president of the firm. Nesfield is best known as the whistleblower who uncovered the mutual fund market timing scandal, which was worth trillions of dollars

In a Marvel statement, the company reports that Stan Lee Media is being sued by Stan Lee. In his suit, Lee is challenging the legitimacy of the management of Stan Lee Media. Lee currently serves as Publisher Emeritus of Marvel Comics. Lee commented that, "I do not support this action and believe the suit to be baseless."

Captain Marvel Still 'Alive', Developing Movie Anyway

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: Team Captain: August writing NL's 'Shazam!'
By Borys Kit - March 9, 2007

John August has been hired to pen "Shazam!" New Line Cinema's adaptation of a DC Comics series featuring Captain Marvel. Peter Segal is attached to direct and also is producing with Michael Ewing.

The comic book series focuses on Billy Batson, a teenager who becomes the superhero known as Captain Marvel when he utters the magic word "Shazam!" The name is an acronym for six gods and heroes of the ancient world as well as their attributes: the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Aries, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury.

Writers on the long-gestating project include William Goldman and Bryan Goluboff.

Segal approached August because of the scribe's track record of combining big spectacle with characterization in such movies as "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Big Fish." August, who recently started reading the trade paperbacks that compiled the "Shazam!" series, was intrigued.

"It's a unique opportunity to do a comic book movie where the character in it actually read comic books," said August, who has started writing the script. "What's terrific about the character is that he looks like this superstudly superhero but is really a 13-year-old boy. And to approach everything that is great about a superhero movie from a 13-year-old boy's perspective was a unique way in."

August sat down with noted DC Comics writer Geoff Johns for "idiot checking," making sure the filmmakers' approach to the character was consistent with what fans love about him. "I think we're going to be able to be really faithful to the mythology and yet make it completely transparent for people who have no idea who the character is," August said.

Chris Godsick and Michael Uslan ("Constantine") are executive producing.

Gregory Noveck is overseeing for DC Comics. Mark Kaufman and Daryl Freimark are overseeing for New Line.

August, who wrote and directed the Sundance Film Festival favorite "The Nines," is repped by UTA and attorney Ken Richman.

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Thanks to I Watch Stuff! for the tip.

Man! The studios are falling all over each other to get their superhero properites into development. I guess the eye is still on "Spider-Man" box-office and not the "Superman Returns" budget. Ultimately, I suppose it comes down to the fact that the "Spider-Man" films were pretty expensive too, and that "Ghost Rider" is doing well.

A friend of mine reminded me that the success of the TV show "Heroes" might be a big part of the current comic movie craze. That makes total sense to me! I'd forgotten all about that.

The LA Times Adds Fuel To The Publicity Fire

LA TIMES: Captain America, RIP
What the comic book hero's career, and demise, say about our country. By Jacob Heilbrunn - March 9, 2007

FORGET THE endless congressional debates about Iraq. The most telling measure of America's current distemper can be found in a more mundane place — in the gory assassination of Captain America in issue No. 25, which hit the stands Wednesday.

The startling demise of Captain America, who until recently had been leading an underground insurgency against a government 9/11-style "Superhuman Registration Act" that forced superheroes to divulge their secret identities, captures the growing sense that America itself is floundering in the war on terrorism.

That message hasn't been missed by conservatives such as Michael Medved, who complains that Captain America is setting a terrible example for America's youth by turning soft on terrorism and is "anti-American." But a look at Captain America's evolution over the decades suggests he should not be dismissed so easily. In fact, Marvel Comics has almost always had a perfect feel for America and its moods.

Over the years, Captain America's story has accurately reflected U.S. attitudes, as our country moved from the self-confidence of the early Cold War to the guilt-ridden angst of the 1970s to the revival of national pride that characterized the Reagan 1980s.

Unlike Superman, who was created in the midst of the Depression, Captain America was a direct product of the fight against Nazism. The creation of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the comic debuted in 1941, just months before the U.S. officially entered World War II.

A prototypical 99-pound weakling who suffers the ultimate humiliation of being rejected as too frail for military service and stamped 4-F, Steve Rogers promptly volunteers for a U.S. government experiment run by a scientist code-named Professor Reinstein, who is concocting a "super serum" to create a new cadre of soldiers.

Rogers, whose wimpiness makes him the perfect candidate, is whisked away to a secret laboratory in Washington, where he is injected with the super serum and zapped with "vita-rays." Rogers, however, remains the New Deal everyman in spirit. He has the ability to bench press 800 pounds, amazing agility and indomitable willpower — but no supernatural powers. His only weapons are his fists and his invulnerable shield.

Captain America and his sidekick, Bucky Barnes, are sent off to battle the Nazis, and throughout the war, they daringly go behind the lines to administer a pasting to Hitler and his minions. It is only near the end of the war that Rogers and Bucky fall from a Nazi plane into the Arctic.

In the 1950s, a few issues appeared, but the strip went nowhere as comics focused on horror stories. It took Marvel mastermind Stan Lee to revive Captain America. In 1964, Captain America, who had been frozen in a block of ice, is fished out of the North Atlantic by the new superhero group "The Avengers." They realize that Captain America had remained in a state of suspended animation that prevented him from aging.

Initially, Rogers, the perfect square, fits in perfectly with the early 1960s Cold War ethos, battling the bad guys who seek to destroy the American way of life. But it was only when Rogers' complacent view of U.S. society and government was undermined by the Vietnam War and the rise of the counterculture that the comic book really took off. By the mid-1970s, the credulous square had been replaced by a disillusioned cynic. The brilliantly imaginative writer Steve Englehart had Captain America exposing a kind of Watergate — a "Secret Empire," complete with a Committee to Regain America's Principles (CRAP), in a play on Nixon's real-life Committee to Re-elect the President (CREEP).

The Secret Empire series reaches its climax with Captain America racing into the White House to apprehend the leader of the Secret Empire, only to discover to his horror that the leader is, in fact, the president himself — Richard Nixon, of course, although he's not depicted. A disillusioned and heartbroken Captain America hangs up his uniform and shield to adopt a new persona — "Nomad." Like the U.S. itself, Nomad is in search of his true identity now that the ideals he once believed in have been besmirched.

By the 1980s, the crisis is over. In truth, by this time, Marvel Comics had turned Captain America into something of a neoconservative. Marvel caught the rah-rah spirit of the Reagan years, offering a stirring retelling by the traditionally minded artist John Byrne of Captain America's origins in its 40th anniversary issue in 1981. The issue, which features a 1940s-style heroic cover, ends with a contemporary Captain America returning to his Brooklyn apartment, wondering whether it's actually worth the effort to be a superhero. Then the television blares forth the strains of "The Star Spangled Banner." "It's worth it," Captain America proudly says to himself. The time for questioning authority has passed.

Cut to 2007. Today, in his latest incarnation, Captain America has morphed yet again, this time into the champion of the common man — defending individual liberty against an oppressive government that he once loyally served. To his credit, he calls on his troops to surrender once he sees the general devastation taking place in Manhattan. "We're not fighting for the people anymore," he says. "We're just fighting." Sound familiar?

Gunned down by a mysterious sniper in the latest issue as he's entering a Manhattan federal courthouse to be arraigned, Captain America symbolizes the death of the American dream. Can he and it come back? Of course! Captain America will no doubt be resurrected as soon as the country has recovered from its current fiasco. Until then, it seems hard to believe that the dark world portrayed by Marvel won't be sharply at odds with the heroic Army advertisement featured on the back of issue No. 25 of Captain America.

JACOB HEILBRUNN, a former Times editorial writer, is completing a book on neoconservatism.

Children To Stop Reading Another Book Series In Favor Of Viewing Aggressively Marketed Films

Spielberg’s DreamWorks moves to bring cartoon hero Tintin to the big screen
By RAF CASERT - Associated Press Writer

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) — It was a quarter-century in the making but then again, nothing is easy for cartoon heroes such as Tintin.

Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks, a division of Viacom Inc., has committed to produce at least one movie about the adventures of the intrepid Belgian reporter, said Nick Rodwell, head of Moulinsart NV, Tintin’s commercial studio, on Thursday.

“After 25 years, they finally said, ‘OK, let’s go,”’ Rodwell said of the protracted talks with Spielberg. In an interview with The Associated Press, Rodwell said the Hollywood company will go into preproduction for a movie, which should appear in theaters in about two years.

It wasn’t clear whether the film would be cartoon animation, computer animation or a movie with actors, or which of the 24 cartoon books of Tintin’s adventures would be picked.

“If movie No. 1 works, we will continue,” Rodwell said.

Talks about a Hollywood movie on Tintin, who saves the lives of countless people and makes sure criminals end up behind bars, have long stalled on financial issues and production questions.

The first plan surfaced just before Tintin’s creator, Georges Remi, aka Herge, died in 1983. Even at that time, Remi, one of the world’s foremost cartoon strip authors, delighted in Hollywood’s interest.

“If Steven Spielberg wants to make a Tintin film I cannot imagine anything better,” Rodwell said of Remi’s thoughts, and he fully realized that a movie adaptation might well change the way Tintin looks.

“Let’s see what he comes up with,” Rodwell said.

Tintin books have sold 220 million copies worldwide and have been translated in 77 languages.

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Well, we'll have to see what develops. I know Spielberg's been interested in making a Tintin film for a long time, so it makes sense that he'd land it eventually. I'd love to see a 2-D animated feature, but I have a feeling that's the least likely of the options (i.e, 2-D animation, live-action, or 3-D animation). The graphic novels are beloved all over the world (and rightly so), but I wonder if they're too violent for a PG-13, family-friendly American film.

Tezuka Exhibit Coming To The U.S. In June

Tezuka: The Marvel Of Manga will be displayed at the Asian Art Museum from June 2nd through September 9th. It's a collection of over two hundred "drawings, paintings and more" by Osamu Tesuka. Apparently, this is the first exhibition is the first of its kind outside of Japan. I can't wait! Mark your calendars, and keep checking here for more info.

Captain America 'Dies'

YAHOO! NEWS: Comic book hero Captain America dies
Wed Mar 7, 8:52 AM ET

NEW YORK - Captain America has undertaken his last mission — at least for now. The venerable superhero is killed in the issue of his namesake comic that hit stands Wednesday, the Daily News reported.

On the new edition's pages, a sniper shoots down the shield-wielding hero as he leaves a courthouse, according to the newspaper.

It ends a long run for the stars-and-stripes-wearing character, created in 1941 to incarnate patriotic feeling during World War II. Over the years, an estimated 210 million copies of "Captain America" comic books, published by New York-based Marvel Entertainment Inc., have been sold in a total of 75 countries.

But resurrections are not unknown in the world of comics, and Marvel Entertainment editor in chief Joe Quesada said a Captain America comeback wasn't impossible.

Still, the character's death came as a blow to co-creator Joe Simon.

"We really need him now," said Simon, 93, who worked with artist Jack Kirby to devise Captain America as a foe for Adolf Hitler.

According to the comic, the superhero was spawned when a scrawny arts student named Steve Rogers, ineligible for the army because of his poor health but eager to serve his country, agreed to a "Super Soldier Serum" injection. The substance made him a paragon of physical perfection, armed only with his shield, his strength, his smarts and a command of martial arts.

In the comic-book universe, death is not always final. But even if Captain America turns out to have met his end in print, he may not disappear entirely: Marvel has said it is developing a Captain America movie.
___

Information from: Daily News, http://www.nydailynews.com

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Soon to return with:

* Tiny, temporary uptick in sales

* Mullet

* Living costume

* Second-base relationship with Watcher/Beyonder

* All-metal/energy creature/red/alternate universe/clone variations

* Big-budget film version set in LA, miscast to arty director, shot entirely on green stages

* Snowboard, star-spangled iPod replacing shield

Buffy Returns - As A New Comic

LA TIMES: 'Buffy' creator Joss Whedon has the heroine returning for a comics-style Season 8.
By Kate Aurthur, Times Staff Writer
March 4, 2007

WHEN audiences last saw the cast of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in May 2003, Buffy and her friends had won a nearly apocalyptic battle between good and evil. Their hometown of Sunnydale, Calif. — also known as the Hellmouth — was a gargantuan pit as a result. After peering into the crater, Buffy, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, walked away with a smile, and the television series came to a close after seven seasons.

On March 14, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" will return in comic book form. Joss Whedon, "Buffy's" creator, has written the first five issues and will oversee — or "executive produce," he says — the whole arc as if it were a television show. Whedon has enlisted former "Buffy" staff writers, along with a few writers from the comic book world, to join him in continuing the story, which is scheduled to run for at least 30 issues to be released monthly. Whedon, the show's fans and the series' publisher, Dark Horse Comics, have deemed it "Buffy Season Eight."

"When you create a universe, you don't stop living in that universe — I know a lot of the fans didn't," Whedon said. "But I was surprised to find myself back in it so firmly as well."

It's yet another reinvention for "Buffy," which Whedon turned into a TV series after being disappointed with the results of the frothy 1992 movie, starring Kristy Swanson, that he had written. So, in summary: "Buffy Season Eight" is a comic book run like the television series from which it came, which itself evolved out of a feature film — a classic evolving specimen for this era of ever-shifting media platforms.

The common element is Whedon, 42, the movie-TV-comics auteur behind "Buffy," "Angel," an "X-Men" comic series, the screenplay of "Toy Story," and the flop television show "Firefly" as well as its movie resurrection, "Serenity." In recent years, he has expressed frustration with both the television and movie businesses, but the less pressure-filled world of comics has been a constant.

Scott Allie, senior managing editor at Dark Horse Comics, knows his company is benefiting from Whedon's urge to create more "Buffy" stories. Excitedly and without hesitation, Allie said, "Oh, it's gonna be huge."

A moderate ratings success on the WB and for its final two seasons on UPN, "Buffy" nevertheless inspired as worshipful a cult as you can find in the pop landscape. It told the sneakily dark coming-of-age story of a young woman who was special, in that she was chosen to save the world from vampire-led evil, but yearned to fit in. Buffy was surrounded by loving friends and family, bad boyfriends, and demons. Her high school was literally hell, she died a couple of times during the series, and as her tombstone once read, "she saved the world — a lot."

Since the show ended, "Buffy" fans have made do with what was left to them. Across the Internet, the show continues to be parsed: its feminism, its use of language, its influence on current shows such as "Lost," "Heroes" and "Veronica Mars."

More concretely, a public sing-along of the show's musical episode, "Once More With Feeling," has grown so popular that its inventor, a film programmer from Brooklyn, is planning a "Rocky Horror Picture Show"-like national tour. Penguin recently published "The Physics of the Buffyverse," a book in which science writer Jennifer Ouellette explains the principles of physics using examples from "Buffy" and its spinoff, "Angel," which ran from 1999 to 2004.

"It really was like being home again," Whedon said wistfully about returning to "Buffy." " 'Oh, here are my old friends. They're so funny!' You can hear their voices so specifically. It was a comic spoken in the voices of actors you worked with for seven or eight years."

Whedon, interviewed over lunch at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, looks like a ruffled college student. A third-generation television writer, he has a deadpan delivery but affects voices as he talks to illustrate or emphasize important points. "Buffy" was known for its characters' tone and banter, and hearing him is like listening to the show — making its translation into comics reliant on, or at least greatly enhanced by, a reader's familiarity with the original.

Or, as Jane Espenson, a former writer and co-executive producer of "Buffy" who has signed up for comic book duty, put it: "The voices of those characters are in my head forever and ever. The reason characters talked like that on 'Buffy' is they talked a bit like Joss — and we all ended up talking like Joss."

Season 8 begins

DARK Horse's Allie said that the voices come through in the comic's dialogue, and the visuals will reward fans. "You don't have cute Sarah Michelle Gellar running around, but you've got good-looking characters and much better-looking monsters."

Oregon-based Dark Horse, one of the country's largest comic book producers, has published works by Frank Miller and Mike Mignola and also many tie-ins with Hollywood, such as "Star Wars," "Alien vs. Predator" and "The Mask." Dark Horse published the ancillary "Buffy" comics that came out during the show's run, which Whedon had little to do with. There were "Angel" comics too. Later, Whedon co-wrote a series that bridged the gap between "Firefly," his canceled Fox show, and "Serenity," the movie rebirth of it in September 2005.

All the while, Allie was interested in a "Buffy" comic that "replaces the TV show in a way we never could do before." A year ago, he opened an e-mail from Whedon, and it unexpectedly contained the script for the first issue of "Buffy." Allie remembered thinking, happily, "Oh, OK, so you're going to write this?"

Until then, Whedon had been hopeful that a series of TV movies based on "Buffy's" costars would be produced by 20th Century Fox Television, the studio behind the television show. The movie spinoffs would be able to get around the inconvenient truth that Gellar no longer wanted to play Buffy by sending fan-favorite characters like Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Spike (James Marsters) on their own adventures.

"It was a pipe dream ultimately, because I think the studio thought they could do this for no money — that everybody would show up because we're all buddies," Whedon said. "But I don't think they noticed that everybody seems to have careers. It was an unrealistic business model. And once I realized that, I just decided, 'I can find a man to draw them instead!' " (20th Century Fox Television declined to comment.)

In the year since Whedon wrote the first issue, he and Dark Horse worked on finding the right artists and assembling a team of writers. From the "Buffy" world, Espenson, Drew Goddard, Drew Greenberg, Doug Petrie and Steven DeKnight have said they will contribute; from the comics side, Jeph Loeb and Brad Meltzer joined the project; and Brian K. Vaughan will write the four-arc series after Whedon's first five issues.

Vaughan's series will focus on Faith, a recalcitrant slayer who was Buffy's friend, then her nemesis and finally her ally. "When I sat down with Brian to talk about his arc, that was the closest I'd been to a writers' room since I left television," Whedon said. "You know what? It felt so great."

Espenson said she'd like to write "comedic stand-alone" issues throughout "Buffy Season Eight." She said: " 'Buffy' was a show that Joss ran from top to bottom. I liked working for Joss as a show runner, and I hope he's really, really running this." She paused, and laughed: " 'Tell me what to do, Joss, and I'll do it!' "

Some work situations run more smoothly than others.

As Whedon was getting "Buffy Season Eight" up and running, he was supposed to be writing and then directing a high-profile comic adaptation: the movie version of "Wonder Woman" with Warner Bros. After having been associated with the long-gestating project since March 2005, Whedon announced he was quitting last month on the fan site Whedonesque.com, writing, "We just saw different pictures."

When asked to elaborate, he didn't really. "I don't want to go into it too much, because they still own that script," he said. And then: "I cannot tell you what they wanted. Because they never told me what they wanted. When I asked them, 'Well, what is it that you want?' They said, 'We cannot tell you.' I can tell you what they didn't want: Me!" And then: "And they treated me extremely well; I'm not trying to slam." (Warner Bros. declined to comment.)

Many roads ahead

BUT Whedon is clearly unhappy about the experience and the time wasted: "You know, when you get into a giant thing like 'Wonder Woman,' to add up to nothing — it's going to be four years between projects. I don't have that many four years."

He said he will now focus on "Goners," an original screenplay he wrote and is developing to direct for Universal that he called "a ghastly tale of female empowerment — something new for me!"

He would also like to return to television, after telling Variety in 2004, "I have a bitter taste in my mouth with where TV has gone in the past five years." Whedon said the experience he had with "Firefly," which was canceled after 11 episodes, taught him what guarantees he would need to go back. "I don't want another 'Firefly.' I can't do that. It hurts too much," he said. "I'll learn to golf or something instead. And that, by the way, is not going to help the golf world.

"But because of the new media, because of DVDs, because of the Internet, there are so many new avenues that basically I feel like I can go back to TV when I have the power to set up a paradigm wherein I know I can complete a story."

For now, he has more "Buffy" stories to tell. Espenson said that, knowing Whedon, she was not surprised he came back to "Buffy."

"It's about youth. It's about feminism," she said. "Strength and learning who you are. It's hard to imagine a franchise that captures as much of Joss' soul as this one does."

But in reflecting on it himself, Whedon wonders. "I was like, 'Am I really an artist of integrity, or am I just grieving for my mom? What's going on here?' I have so many questions about why I do that — why I go back to that well when I could be moving forward." He hesitated, then said: "But the fact of the matter is when you work with people you love, you want to work with them more. Same goes with characters."

kate.aurthur@latimes.com

Warner Bros. Considers Making A Justice League Movie

VARIETY: Justice prevails for Warner Bros.
Studio eyeing DC superhero team feature
By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK
Posted: Thurs., Feb. 22, 2007, 10:00pm PT

DC Comics super-team Justice League is heading for the bigscreen.

Batman may meet up with Superman on the bigscreen after all -- along with Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash and all the rest of DC Comics' biggest names.

Warner Bros., with its major appetite for fresh franchises, is looking to make a feature based on super team the Justice League of America, hiring writing duo Kiernan and Michele Mulroney to pen the script.

It's the first major action the studio has taken on the project.

Feature film is bound to include some combination of DC's most iconic superheroes, although the studio wouldn't confirm which ones they might be. It's unlikely that the studio and DC Comics, a division of Warner, would opt to feature second-tier characters.

Since its inception in 1960, JLA has featured almost every major hero in the DC Comics universe, although the core team has largely remained the same: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter.

The heroes typically band together to fight alien menaces or groups of supervillains.

"The Justice League of America has been a perennial favorite for generations of fans, and we believe their appeal to film audiences will be as strong and diverse as the characters themselves," Warner prexy of production Jeff Robinov said in announcing the hiring of the Mulroneys.

In taking on the ambitious project, Warner faces several conundrums.

Now that the Batman and Superman film franchises have been revived, does the studio go after Christian Bale ("Batman Begins") and Brandon Routh ("Superman Returns") to star in a Justice League pic? Studio is also trying hard to bring Wonder Woman to the bigscreen.

To a large degree, casting will depend upon the story arc for the JLA feature and at what point in the superheroes' lives the plot takes place.

Warner also must deal with myriad producers working on the Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman franchises.

Studio dropped its efforts to make "Batman vs. Superman" in order to focus on relaunching "Batman" and "Superman" as individual properties, which it has done.

Filmmakers Chris Nolan ("Batman Begins") and Bryan Singer ("Superman Returns") are each on board to helm the next installments in the two respective franchises. Nolan's "The Dark Knight" is eyeing a 2008 release and the next "Superman," 2009.

The potential payoff of bringing JLA to theaters can't be ignored by Warner, which turns out more tentpoles than any other studio.

Comicbook fans have long clamored for a movie version of JLA, and word of the Warner project is certain to be a hot topic at New York Comic Con, which unspools today in Gotham.

JLA has spawned several cartoon TV series, including 1960s and '70s show "Super Friends" and current Cartoon Network skein "Justice League Unlimited" from Warner Bros. Animation.

The Mulroneys -- Kieran is the brother of thesp Dermot Mulroney -- caught the attention of studios around town with their rewrite of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" for Fox.

Other screenplay projects include "On the Nature of Human Romantic Interaction," "Paper Man" and "Worst Case."

Kieran and Michele Mulroney are repped by Creative Artists Agency and Management 360.

(Ben Fritz contributed to this report.)

Fantastic Frank Cho Vinyl Figure On The Way

It looks like "Monkey Boy" (Frank Cho's alter ego in Liberty Meadows) will make 'his' debut at the New York Comic-Con, Feb. 23rd - 25th. What a great figure! Nice, punchy colors and a sculpt that really nails Mr. Cho's drawing style. This'll be an exclusive paint variant to the Con, so snap it up if you're in the area. Mr. Cho will be making an appearance as well, so you can get it signed! Another (presumably the 'regular') version is due out soon from MINDstyle. However much it costs, it's worth it!

Thanks to vinylpulse for the tip-off!

Whiteout Graphic Novel Coming To The Big Screen

VARIETY: Sena to direct 'Whiteout'
Action-thriller is first Dark Castle film
By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK
Posted: Wed., Feb. 7, 2007, 7:02pm PT

Dominic Sena will direct Kate Beckinsale in action-thriller "Whiteout," the first movie to go into production under Joel Silver's new Dark Castle Entertainment genre label.

Warner Bros. will distribute the pic, based on Greg Rucka's 1999 comicbook miniseries of the same name. Scribes Jon and Erich Hoeber are adapting for the bigscreen.

Dark Castle Prods., a unit launched last fall within Warners-based Silver Pictures, is backed by more than $240 million from 15 different investment firms. Coin will be used to finance 15 pics over the next six years, with Warners distribbing the entire slate.

Silver has sole greenlight authority under the terms of the deal. He also has full creative control. Film budgets are expected to be in the $15 million-$40 million range.

"Whiteout" is set to begin lensing March 5 in Montreal.

Story revolves around a lone U.S. marshal (Beckinsale) stationed in Antarctica who is drawn into a shocking murder investigation. With only three days until winter, she must solve the crime before the continent is plunged into darkness and she is trapped with the killer.

Producers are Silver and Dark Castle co-prexy Susan Downey. Dark Castle co-prexy Steve Richards, Don Carmody and Rucka are exec producers, while David Gambino is co-producing.

Beckinsale, who appeared in 2007 Sundance entry "Snow Angels," was most recently in theaters with "Click," opposite Adam Sandler, and horror-thriller "Underworld: Evolution." Later this year, she'll be seen in "Vacancy."

Sena's credits include "Gone in 60 Seconds," "Swordfish" and "Kalifornia."

DrawerGeeks Preview

Here's this week's drawing, for the Captain Marvel theme. I'm really happy with this one!

My Friend Sanjay Gets Attention

NEWSARAMA: SANJAY PATEL ON THE LITTLE BOOK OF HINDU DEITIES
by Chris Arrant 01-29-2007, 10:41 AM

Released last November, Sanjay Patel's The Little Book of Hindu Deities is a delightful primer on the characters that make up Hindu mythology -- and boy, are they characters. Mythology has rarely been so flavorful and potent as how Patel describes the legends of Hindu, with characters ranging from monsters to demons to noble warriors and divine divas.

In terms of a short biography, Patel spends his days (and some long nights) as an animator for Pixar, haven't most recently helped animate Lightning McQueen from the Cars motion picture. In this book, Patel's fun, full-color illustrations complement the engrossingly imaginative prose which he describes each god. While not a comic, this illustrated book is sure to brighten the eyes of the art-lover in all comics fans.

Newsarama: What led you to deciding to do these more modern interpretations on Hinduism's gods that make up the book?

Sanjay Patel: Well, you have to understand that most of the children’s books and comics that tackle the topic of Hinduism in India were illustrated in the 70s. These were books that I saw when I was a kid and are still in publication today. The artwork in those old books looked really dated and the illustration approach was really serious. So I decided that this was something that needed to be updated, and re-interpreted for a new generation.

NRAMA: Far from just a text for those practicing Hinduism, your fresh and breezy style make this a book for fans of religion, mythology, interesting characters or just plain great illustrations. Was it your intention to make it so open-ended from the get-go?

SP: Well my approach to the illustrations was very careful, after all the subject matter here was religion. I knew right of that I wanted to create something that was completely charming and non-offensive, so I studied a lot of Sanrio designs and tried to approach the illustrations with that esthetic in mind. Beyond that, I had to keep reminding myself to sacrifice style for the sake of portraying the deity and what they stood for in a clear way. Ultimately the goal for me wasn’t to present a religion, so much as it was to present interesting characters from an ancient mythology in a charming way.

NRAMA: You originally self-published this book under the title Little India and sold it at Alternative Press Expo. Can you tell us how it went from self-published to the new book out now?

SP: After sharing a table at the APE convention with co-worker Louis Gonzales, there was a lot of buzz about my new book on people’s personal blogs. Then a big splash happened once it was posted on Boing Boing, all of a sudden my email box was filled with messages from people who wanted to buy the book. So by the time I brought the book down to the San Diego Comic Con, the book just got more exposure and I had a lot of offers ranging from adapting the book into animation to making toys and other merchandise. Soon after an agent from ICM found out about my book and offered to rep it, and within a month I had a book deal from an imprint of Penguin books called Plume. A year later we re-tooled the book expanding the number of gods and goddess, and nearly tripled the page count to a hefty 148 pgs. We even gave the book a new name, The Little Book Of Hindu Deities.

NRAMA: The book is great not just for the art, but for your expressively written descriptions of each deity. How did you work up all the information and tone of these written pieces?

SP: Well luckily, I knew a little bit already, since my parents raised me around the Hindu tradition. But they never explained anything to me, so doing the research about each god was a bit like finally knowing the back-story to someone you’ve already met. But generally I did a lot of research online and thru reading, and if I was stuck for some information I went to the Berkeley South Asian Arts library for specific reference as well as the Asian Art Museum.

NRAMA: You were raised in a Hindu household, and said that during your father's twice a day rituals and prayer sessions you watched cartoons. Looking back on that now, it seems almost a precursor to the book today. Can you tell us how your childhood affected your career now as an artist and doing a book on Hinduism's pantheon?

SP: That’s a big question. As an Indian kid with immigrant parents, all you really want to do is fit in and be accepted. So if I did as my parents wished as good Hindu boy, I wouldn’t be able to hang out with my American friends and go eat a cheeseburger. And as I got older I didn’t really have any connection with India let alone Hinduism. So in a lot of ways discovering Hindu mythology was really exciting to me as both an artist and as a person who was finally ready to accept who I was. Really this sentiment is exemplified in my book, as it’s definitely a product of the west but celebrates the east in a way that sort of merges the two. Which is really who I am now, a little bit American and a little bit Indian.

NRAMA: In a Pixar Q&A, you credit Chris Ware to be your favorite living artist. Can you tell us what makes him your favorite, and how it influences what you do?

SP: Gosh, that’s difficult to answer. I mean you look at the guy’s stuff and it dazzling, not only as art but as narrative as well. Truly amazing. But why I consider him one of my favorites is his dedication to the craft of cartooning. I mean the guy hand letters everything and meticulously draws out prefect geometric shapes, he’s truly a monk illuminating modern day works of art. Every time I think I’m working hard, I see that guy’s stuff and I’m always humbled.

NRAMA: You're said to have a fervent appreciation for children's books; even the title of this book harkens back to the "Little Book of.." that I remember as a child. Can you tell us what your thoughts are on what makes a "great" children's book?

SP: I don’t really know to be honest, my wife and I don’t have children so it’s hard to say what they respond to. I generally just loved well illustrated books be it a graphic novel or a something for kids. I also really admire the craft of assembling a book, from the paper quality to the end pages, if all done right gets me fired up.

NRAMA: The question everyone eventually asks in these sorts of things is 'what's next?' I've read somewhere that you're working on a book of hand-drawn animation. Is that true?

SP: I’m not working on a book of hand drawn animation, that’s for sure. I am working on another book project, but this time it will be a story. I’m afraid I can’t say more without ruining the surprise, so you will have to wait to know more.

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Sanjay's design work is awesome! You can buy his book at Amazon for $11.62 + shipping.

Dutch Nerd Wants Police To Think He's The Joker

YAHOO! NEWS: Batman's nemesis The Joker gets his Dutch I.D.
Fri Jan 26, 10:03 AM ET

AMSTERDAM, Jan 25 (Reuters Life!) - Is The Joker, one of Batman's fiercest enemies, a Dutch citizen?

A 35-year-old man from the western Dutch town of Hellevoetsluis convinced local authorities to issue him an identity card with a picture that shows him as The Joker, Dutch news agency ANP reported on Thursday.

The man also managed to apply for a driver's license picturing him with the cartoon character's trademark white skin and dark hat.

ANP said the man was working in the security sector and had wanted to show that current rules for identity papers were insufficient.

The Joker, played by Jack Nicholson in the movie version of Batman, is probably the best known enemy of the fictional superhero.

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That's pretty incredible, but I think the guy who legally changed his name to "Optimus Prime" still has this fellow beat!

Shortpacked!

Here's a pretty cool strip about a group of twenty-somethings that work in a toy store. Loads of funny Batman and Transformers jokes, even if you never cared about the Transformers. Check it out!

More Iron Man Movie News

This may be the armor design for the upcoming Iron Man feature, purportedly designed by Stan Winston Studios, and owing a heavy debt to Adi Granov's current comic work. It looks great, but I do long for Gene Colan's '60s/'70's version, even though it's not nearly as cinematic. I just like those simple shapes! I'm sure it has a huge amount to do with it being the first version that I saw as a kid.

Word has it that Gwyneth Paltrow has signed on for the film. I'm trying remember who the female lead was in the comic. Pepper Potts? Yup - thanks, Wikipedia!

PS - I know that's not a Gene Colan cover - but it was the best unobstructed drawing of that design.

PPS - Thanks to the i like toys blog, the Hollywood Reporter, and screenrant.com for the articles, and to Nick Simon's Silver Age Marvel Comics Cover Index for the vintage Iron Man cover!

What Do You Mean, "Flash Gordon Approaching"?

SCI FI WIRE: Flash Blasts Off Again

SCI FI Channel has green-lighted production on Flash Gordon, a series based on the popular comic-strip franchise, the channel announced Jan. 12 at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif.

Production on the 22 one-hour episodes begins in Canada early this year. The series, produced by Reunion Pictures, is slated to debut on SCI FI in July, with a broadcast syndication window to follow.

The series will be produced under an agreement between King Features Syndicate, which owns the rights to Flash Gordon, and Robert Halmi Sr. and Robert Halmi Jr. (The Legend of Earthsea).

The characters of Ming, Dale Arden and Dr. Hans Zarkov will be brought back for a contemporary retelling of the comic-strip story created in 1934 by Alex Raymond. The strip is still distributed internationally by King Features Syndicate.

Casper Gets The Big Book Treatment

BOING BOING: 400 page Casper anthology coming in April
posted by Mark Frauenfelder at 11:02:27 AM

Leslie Cabarga and Jerry Beck have put together a 400 page Casper the Friendly Ghost comic book anthology, to be published by Dark Horse in April. Can't wait -- these are awesome comics.

I've made no secret of my love for the Paramount Harvey Comics of the 1950s and early 60s. These have been virtually ignored by the comics community, and unknown to animation fans. Now that we've completed our personal collections (through eBay and Comic-Con at bargain prices), Leslie and I are compiling a large volume of the 100 best stories, restored from printers proofs and original art, by permission of Classic Media and to be published by Dark Horse this summer. These comics were drawn mainly by the Famous Studios animators: Bill Hudson, Tom Johnson, Howard Post, Steve Muffatti and others. Warren Kremer's classic early stories will be presented as well. I'm also contributing an introductory essay to this 480-page volume and we've got big plans for further editions. I'll be plugging this again in the coming months, but you can place an advance order now, for Harvey Comics Classics Volume 1: Casper The Friendly Ghost at Dark Horse Comics.

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Thanks to Jerry Beck at Cartoon Brew for the source article, and for making this book possible! I'm a big Harvey Comics fan myself, so I'll be picking this up when it hits stores.

The Venice Chronicles

My buddy Enrico Casarosa is doing a comic about his trip to Venice with his girlfriend. His drawings are great (he does that Chibi style that I like, and draws beautiful backgrounds), and like most artists, he struggles with his muse constantly. His creativity, not his girlfriend. I mean, I'm sure she inspires him too, but - oh, just read it. You'll see what I mean.

Nobody Can Draw Like Dan DeCarlo - Here's Proof

Archie Comics is trying the New Coke Thing with Betty & Veronica, changing the characters' look in a one-time, four-part story (Betty & Veronica Double Digest #151-154). Reader reaction will be assessed, and hopefully this whole thing will go far, far away.

Like toysrevil says over at his blog, I haven't bought a new issue of this stuff in decades, so how upset can I get? Pretty upset, as it turns out.

Thanks to toysrevil, Table Of Malcontents and the Archie Comics website for the bad news.

And The Remak - I Mean, Re-Imaginings, Go Marching On

VARIETY: 'Tarzan' on vine for Warner Bros.
Weintraub bringing character back to big screen
By MICHAEL FLEMING

Warner Bros. and producer Jerry Weintraub are bringing Tarzan back to the big screen.

The studio is developing a new take on the Edgar Rice Burroughs-created character. Studio is negotiating with Guillermo del Toro to direct.

John Collee, who wrote "Master and Commander: Far Side of the World" and most recently scripted the WB animated hit "Happy Feet," is negotiating to write the screenplay.

Weintraub will produce through his Jerry Weintraub Prods. banner.

In the years since Burroughs first introduced the loincloth-clad character in book form in 1914, Tarzan has headlined live action and animated films, as well as radio and TV shows.

Del Toro, who grew up reading Spanish-language translations of those books, feels that the classic themes are still compelling, and that there is new ground to cover in the Tarzan mythology by turning back to the original Burroughs prose.

"I'd love to create a new version that is still a family movie, but as edgy as I can make it," Del Toro said. "There are strong themes of survival of a defenseless child left behind in the most hostile environment."

Deals are still being worked out, but Del Toro sparked to the chance to collaborate with Collee.

"John will be writing it alone, as I'll be in production on 'Hellboy 2' and pursuing writing projects of my own," Del Toro said. "He's got a great sense of adventure and the wilderness."

Del Toro, whose new film "Pan's Labyrinth" opens Dec. 29, is repped by ICM and managed by Gary Ungar. Collee is repped by CAA.

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Well, I guess it's been over twenty years since the last live-action 'Tarzan' movie, so I guess we're due. Technically, this looks like the most recent version (and even this film's almost ten years old), but I'll look the other way if you will.

Dial 'B' For Blog

If you're a fan of silver age DC comics, this blog is for you! Seriously. JUST for you.

This is such a labor of love - great scans of the comics themselves, insanely nerdy articles, plus beautiful photoshop tweaking of classic covers! It's scary how many of these things I recognize.

You may have seen some of this postmodern ribbing elsewhere, but it's so lavishly mounted, even the old favorites (the infamous Batman 'boner' story) are worth a re-visit.

Roz Chast's New Book

NY TIMES: Books of The Times - Anxiety, Illustrated
By MICHIKO KAKUTANI
Published: December 5, 2006

The wacky world Roz Chast has created in her cartoons is a parallel universe to ours, utterly recognizable in all its banalities and weirdnesses, but slightly askew, as if our current 2000-something reality had been transported back to the 1950’s TV land of “Leave it to Beaver” — a place where phones still have dials and television sets still have rabbit ears, a place where women still wear blouses with Peter Pan collars, and men still wear their pants too high on their waists. It’s Manhattan and Brooklyn re-imagined by someone channeling the Simpsons, Steven Wright and Talking Heads; the New York suburbs as seen by the love child of Gilda Radner and Woody Allen.

Ms. Chast’s people tend to be hard-core city dwellers, made nervous by shopping malls and the great outdoors. They spend a lot of time contemplating their own mortality (“birth, bed, bath, beer, bankruptcy, bunions, bifocals, balding, and beyond”) and worrying about things like Ebola making an unlikely appearance on West 83rd Street in Manhattan. They suffer from winter blues (“I HATE the cold ... I HATE the ice ... I HATE the filthy slush”) and spring guilt (“I should be outside, frolicking and gamboling yet I don’t like to frolic or gambol”). And they boast a splendiferous array of neuroses: they worry that they are too angry or too wimpy, too pushy or too passive or too passive-aggressive; they harbor fears of driving, fears of chickens, fears of contracting bizarre diseases (“Bengali Foot Fever — Foot itches; cough; mood change.”) Under the category of things NOT to tell your kid, Ms. Chast writes, are the following: “Anything electrical can suddenly BLOW UP for no reason whatsoever”; “ ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is a true story”; and “There’s a big stopper at the bottom of the ocean, and every once in a while it gets accidentally pulled out.”

In “Theories of Everything” Ms. Chast has brought together nearly three decades of work — much of which has appeared in The New Yorker magazine — and the volume gives the reader a keen appreciation of her range as an artist: her capacity to limn everything from the existential and Dada-esque (an unholy cow who hates being a cow) to the mundane and middle-class (what happens at a party after you leave).

This capacious collection reminds us that her scribbley drawings are deceptively childlike, that they are actually shrewdly detailed word and picture concoctions that reinvent the cartoon form, even as they capture the oddness, discontinuity and plain absurdity of the world around us.

Ms. Chast is adept at the sarcastic. In “Why Oil Spills Are Good,” she writes: “Every once in a while, it’s good to give the oceans’ self-cleaning mechanisms a real workout. It’s like taking your car for a long, fast drive on a summer afternoon.” But she is even better at the whimsical: in “Hamsterama,” those “small, pet-like” creatures hibernate in “small bungalow colonies in the Catskills” and subsist on egg creams, English muffins and Velveeta. And the Charles Addams-esque: a gravestone reads “Tuned In, Turned On, Dropped Out, Dropped In, Worked Out, Saved Up, Dropped Dead.”

There are the occasional topical topics. “The NRA’s Written Test for a Gun License” includes questions like “When I carry a gun, I feel _______, and the bigger the gun the more _______ I feel.” And a Thank You Card for Ralph Nader reads: “What is your problem? Why did you run? If it weren’t for you, Gore would have won.”

More often Ms. Chast’s cartoons practice social anthropology in a more oblique fashion. They chronicle sudden changes in the fashion barometer. (“In a secret rite at Battery Park City, eight men burn their yellow ties.”) They speculate on the identity of people from the Planet Spam, those mass e-mailers who bombard us with special offers, appeals and promotions. And they document the “Cutification” of New York as yuppies conquer Manhattan and move on to the outer boroughs, gentrifying everything they touch.

Perhaps most insistently her cartoons examine the sense of inadequacy modern women feel as they guiltily serve their kids store-bought Christmas cookies instead of baking their own, or compare themselves to the paragon, say, who was a “brain surgeon, professional model, artist, lawyer, plus mother of four.”

Some of the entries in this volume feel like autobiographical reminiscences: one recounts how the narrator’s parents used to park her at a browsing library near Cornell University, where she discovered cartoon collections and became obsessed with the macabre work of Charles Addams. Others feel like improvisations on her current life in Connecticut, chronicling day-to-day squabbles with a spouse who doesn’t share her urban neuroses and children who complain about having to read books like “The Red Badge of Boredom” and “All Humdrum on the Western Front.”

In the latter sections of the book there are lots of jokes about hitting middle age. “Midlife Crisis: The Clouds Before the Storm” shows a tired looking woman, dressed in a frumpy skirt and blouse, sitting on her sofa, thinking, “I bet if I really wanted to, I could bicycle across Canada.”

A few of the cartoons here feel a tad derivative — one in which Humpty Dumpty sits on a rug and is promptly squashed by a big foot is reminiscent of the old Mr. Bill segments on “Saturday Night Live” — but these are the exception. Ms. Chast’s voice in her best cartoons is delightfully her own, as idiosyncratic and instantly recognizable as the voice of any poet or novelist. And her most memorable works hopscotch over the realm of social observation into hyperspace.

There are loony plays on clichés and familiar sayings: from “Foods of the Demigods” to Nanook Goes South to “Hell’s Kitchen.” There are literary takeoffs: in “T. S. Eliot Meets Beavis and Butthead,” a middle-aged fellow, drinking tea and looking out the window at the rain, thinks, “April sucks.” And there are animal kingdom parables about our self-improvement-obsessed culture: an amoeba makes the New Year’s resolution, “I will evolve,” while a hamster declares it will increase its “wheel-trotting speed to 250 rpm.”

In “A Note on the Author” at the end of this book, Ms. Chast gives us a portrait of herself at 9, sitting on her bed, reading the Merck Manual and various books about scurvy, lockjaw and other terrible diseases. Which doubtless explains her youthful enthusiasm for the work of Addams and his ghostly presence in some of these cartoons. In retrospect she has transformed her hypochondriacal dyspepsia into cartoons that not only chronicle her own fears, worries and anxieties but that also show us how we — or at least some New Yorkers and suburbanites — live today.

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Cool. But did she have to use the word 'wacky'? You make it into the New Yorker (a personal dream of mine), and people still describe you as 'wacky'. Sigh.

The Obituary You Pray Not To Get

CNN: X-Men illustrator dies in Superman pajamas
POSTED: 7:37 p.m. EST, November 28, 2006

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) -- Wearing Superman pajamas and covered with his Batman blanket, comic book illustrator Dave Cockrum died Sunday.

The 63-year-old overhauled the X-Men comic and helped popularize the relatively obscure Marvel Comics in the 1970s. He helped turn the title into a publishing sensation and major film franchise.

Cockrum died in his favorite chair at his home in Belton, South Carolina, after a long battle with diabetes and related complications, his wife Paty Cockrum said Tuesday.

At Cockrum's request, there will be no public services and his body will be cremated, according to Cox Funeral Home. His ashes will be spread on his property. A family friend said he will be cremated in a Green Lantern shirt.

At Marvel Comics, Cockrum and writer Len Wein were handed the X-Men. The comic had been created in 1963 as a group of young outcasts enrolled in an academy for mutants. The premise had failed to capture fans.

Cockrum and Wein added their own heroes to the comic and published "Giant-Size X-Men No. 1" in 1975. Many signature characters Cockrum designed and co-created -- such as Storm, Mystique, Nightcrawler and Colossus -- went on to become part of the "X-Men" films starring Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry.

Cockrum received no movie royalties, said family friend Clifford Meth, who organized efforts to help Cockrum and his family during his protracted medical care.

"Dave saw the movie and he cried -- not because he was bitter," Meth said. "He cried because his characters were on screen and they were living."

Cockrum was born in Pendleton, Oregon, the son of an Air Force officer. He set aside his interest in art while serving in Vietnam for the U.S. Navy.

He moved to New York after leaving the service and got his big break in the early 1970s, drawing the Legion of Super-Heroes for DC Comics before moving to Marvel.

In January 2004, Cockrum moved to South Carolina after being hospitalized for bacterial pneumonia. As his diabetes progressed, his drawings became limited.

His last drawing was a sketch for a fan, who attended a small comic book convention in Greenville, Paty Cockrum said.

Meth said Cockrum will be remembered as "a comic incarnate."

"He had a genuine love for comics and for science fiction and for fantasy, and he lived in it," Meth said. "He loved his work."

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I guess he was probably was a big comic nerd (like many of us), but I can't help but be rankled by the fact that his life's work was mentioned after his pajamas. Kooky!

Comics For Teen Girls Assumed To Be New Idea

NY TIMES: For Graphic Novels, a New Frontier: Teenage Girls
By GEORGE GENE GUSTINES
Published: November 25, 2006

“It’s time we got teenage girls reading comics,” said Karen Berger, a senior vice president at DC Comics. And DC, the comics powerhouse best known as home to Superman and Batman, has a program to make that happen.

In May, DC plans to introduce Minx, a line of graphic novels aimed at young adult female readers, starting with six titles in 2007, each retailing for less than $10. The stories will be far removed from the superheroes who more typically appeal to young males. They include “Clubbing,” about a London party girl who solves a mystery; “Re-Gifters,” about a Korean-American teenager in California who enjoys martial arts; and “Good as Lily,” about a young woman who meets three versions of herself at different ages.

Teenage girls, Ms. Berger said, are smart and sophisticated and “about more than going out with the cute guy. This line of books gives them something to read that honors that intelligence and assertiveness and that individuality.”

As a whole, the line is positioned as an alternative for teenage girls who have, especially in bookstores, become increasing smitten with the Japanese comics known as manga. In 2004, DC started CMX, a manga imprint, to capture part of that audience. The marketing then was similar to that used for DC’s other titles.

With Minx, though, DC has taken what, for it, is the unusual step of seeking outside help. It has joined with Alloy Marketing + Media to promote Minx. All told, DC, a unit of Time Warner, will spend $125,000 next year to push the line.

“In terms of consumer marketing, it’s got to be the largest thing we’ve done in at least three decades,” said Paul Levitz, the president and publisher of DC Comics. “It’s not large by the scale of consumer marketing and advertising as it’s done in America, but it’s a large-scale commitment, I think, for a publishing company in general.”

Alloy Entertainment, a division of the marketing company, has helped to make hits of books like “Gossip Girls” and “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.” Alloy was also the so-called book packager behind “How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life,” a first novel by a 19-year-old Harvard sophomore named Kaavya Viswanathan that was pulled from stores earlier this year when it was learned that numerous passages had been copied from novels by other writers.

Still, Alloy is offering DC access to a large audience of teenage girls, through Web sites and the Delia’s shopping catalog, which has a mailing list of nearly five million, according to Samantha Skey, Alloy’s senior vice president for strategic marketing. Ms. Skey said Minx would be the first graphic novel publisher to be included in the catalog.

Along with other initiatives, Alloy plans to create online networks about the novels that will let subscribers write reviews, see previews and sketches or discuss the stories.

DC cast a wide net in seeking those stories. “To us it doesn’t matter if the person has written comics before or is known to the comic book market,” Ms. Berger said. “We want writers who can really write to the demographic and to really bring something new to the table.”

The right creative team is important. “When you had mostly boys and men making comics, you had comics made mainly for boys and men,” said Johanna Draper Carlson, the editor of comicsworthreading.com, a Web site for comic book news and reviews. “Then you end up with teen-girl superheroes who are drawn like Victoria’s Secret models.”

“I don’t think only women can write for women,” Ms. Carlson added, “but I think it helps provide an alternative perspective and a more true-to-life experience.” Ms. Carlson, who often champions female-friendly comics on her site, is taking a wait-and-see attitude to the Minx line.

The first Minx graphic novel will be “The P.L.A.I.N. Janes,” written by Cecil Castellucci and illustrated by Jim Rugg. It tells the story of Jane, a transfer student in a suburban high school who starts a campaign, “People Loving Art in Neighborhoods.” It’s a call to appreciate the everyday world that comes to involve everything from protesting the construction of a new mall to encouraging pet adoptions from animal shelters.

Jane’s classmates and fellow believers are Jane, who is interested in theater; Jayne, an academic whiz; and Polly Jane, a jock. Each is decidedly not part of the in-crowd. The reason for Jane’s transfer is serious: her family fled to suburbia after Jane survived a terrorist attack that blew up a cafe in fictional Metro City.

The experience of survival is a personal one for Ms. Castellucci, 37, whose young-adult novels include “Boy Proof” and “The Queen of Cool.” In 1979, when she was 9, Ms. Castellucci witnessed a bombing by the Irish Republican Army in Brussels. In 1986, she was in Paris during a rash of bombings. Those incidents, and the events of Sept. 11, played a role in shaping the story.

“It seemed like this was a good opportunity to explore those fearful feelings that I had growing up,” she said in a telephone interview from her home in Los Angeles. “They’ve always been a part of my makeup and fears.” Feeling scared, she said: is an emotion everyone understands. “You can’t help it if you’re a part of this world.”

Ms. Castellucci was recruited by Shelly Bond, a Minx editor. It was an easy sell. “I love comic books,” Ms. Castellucci said, listing several series she enjoys, including “Fables” and “American Virgin,” on the DC imprint Vertigo, and a particular creator (“Brian K. Vaughan. I love everything he does”).

But reading comics is different from creating one, particularly a 146-page graphic novel. “I had to learn how to write a story all over again,” she said. “I did have a week or two when I thought I don’t know what I’m doing.” She said that the graphic novel was “kind of like a movie or a storyboard, but it’s not. There’s so much you can do with the images and the pacing.” She credited Mr. Rugg, the artist of “The P.L.A.I.N. Janes,” as a prime source for advice.

Mr. Rugg, who is based outside Pittsburgh, said he appreciated the goal of Minx. “I liked their target demographic,” he said. “I like the idea of doing comics for an atypical reader.” In addition to creating the drawings, Mr. Rugg also gray-scaled them, giving the black-and-white comic book a sense of color. He finished his work last month.

One of Mr. Rugg’s previous comics was “Street Angel,” about a homeless teenage girl who fights crime, which he created with the writer Brian Maruca. Mr. Rugg, 29, called that comic, published by Slave Labor Graphics, his response to the typical depiction of women in mainstream comics, most particularly their impossibly proportioned bodies.

“It’s the same for men,” he acknowledged. “But I don’t find that as offensive.”

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I know Marvel's been aiming at this market for a while (at least with illustrated prose novels, I'm not sure about comic- comics) so I'm assuming DC's been trying right along with them. Is this like the "female Sesame Street muppet" stories, where they're just enough of a promotional tool to conveniently overlook preceding examples?

Cute Marvel Heroes!

These are so much better than the Spider-Man & Friends line! Naturally, these new toys are from Japan. You can buy blind-boxed series one figures now at Toy Tokyo for $9.99 each. If you hate wading through doubles to get a complete set, it looks like you can get all five here for about $50 USD.

PS - Series two includes Iron Man, Daredevil, The Thing, Wolverine and Ghost Rider. Cool!

Thanks to the toysrevil blog for the tip-off.