It’s a cool title. Sounds like an 80s pop synth band. Thankfully this new 12 issue series from Arcahia Studios Press has more to offer than that. Husband and wife team Josh Finney and Kat Rocha have something impressive in this book. It begins in China in 2032 in a hectic firefight before cutting to a group of pilots waiting for their next big moment. The first thing that strikes in this book is the artwork. Finney and Rocha come from a background of design in the music and gaming worlds, and that unique perspective shows. It’s unlike most of what’s on display in most mainstream comics. There’s no splash pages and cross hatching filled with hero shots. Usually I’m not a fan of photo realistic art. I am a huge fan of Alex Ross (who isn’t?) but the painter still has a magical sense of grandeur in his realism. Here, the pages are crisply coloured and it’s all rather obvious that the majority of the work owes itself to the computer, but that’s not a bad thing at all. I’m guessing models were used, and photos were taken and manipulated for the majority of the book’s look. It works in this tale that reminds me of a Tom Clancy videogame. It could be because I’m playing Rainbow Six Vegas 2 on my Xbox, but I think it has something to do with it’s global politics mixed with manly military terms, tough soldiers and futuristic weapons. There’s a lot of talking here, and most of it is set at a card table as the pilots play as if their lives depended upon it, while discussing the war they’re waiting to get involved in. Despite all the talking, it is still interesting. The dialogue works well though I’m still not sure where it’s all going at this point, which makes for a good first issue. A call to action ends the issue with a welcome change of pace. Titanium Rain is for mature fans of politics and the military mainly, but has a good story which utilises both and themes focused on evolution and human conflict. That, and it’s pretty to look at.
Titanium Rain Review
Marvel Pics
A few select pictures to satisfy your eyeballs. The third printing cover of Wolverine #66 as part of the future-set Old Man Logan storyline by the Civil War team of Mark Millar and Steve McNiven, the second printing of the Secret Invasion tie-in of Black Panther #39 by Jason Aaron and Jefte Palo, with a cover by Jason Pearson and finally a few pages from X-Force #6 by Christopher Yost, Craig Kyle and Clayton Crain.
Mecha Manga Bible Heroes Review
All that’s old is new again, and you can’t get much older than the Old Testament story of David vs Goliath. The new involves the war torn future setting, body armour and robotic sheep. MMBH is a 32 pager with a few extras, such as some funky short tales by Dean Rankine. You can check out my full review of the first issue here.
The Stand Trailer
Stephen King is no stranger to comics. He wrote an introduction for Batman’s 400th issue over two decades ago, and his work is always being adapted to other media, specifically film and TV. When Marvel adapted his Dark Tower novels last year, there were midnight openings of comic shops amid heavy mainstream attention. Now another one of the prolific novelist’s tales gets the sequential art treatment – The Stand. You can see the trailer for the creepy endemic epic at Marvel’s site here. The miniseries, officially entitled, The Stand: Captain Trips is 5 issues long and is written by Roberto Agguire-Sasca, with art by Mike Perkins. It goes on sale at midnight on September 10 for the keen fan. Below are the first few pages, sans text.
Miranda Mercury Interview
Back in the glory days of INFUZE (may it rest in peace) I had the opportunity to interview the writer and artist from a new comic mini-series, entitled The Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury. It was conducted in January of this year for the on-line mag, but never saw fruit – until now! I was waiting for the next step in INFUZE’s journey to take place, which unfortunately never happened, before I published it. Miranda was a genuinely fun book however, and I say was, because due to some recent restructuring at the publisher, Archaia Studios Press, this was one of the books to be put on the back burner. The first issue (numbered #295) is still available and is a groovy read for all ages, while presenting the world with a great heroine in some fantastic sci-fi adventures. The second issue will hopefully see print sometime soon. When it does, I’ll certainly let the world know. For now, take a peek in to the creative process of Miranda’s birth, and go here for a preview of the first ish.
Is there any particular woman, or women, that you’ve based Miranda on?
Brandon Thomas: Not really a particular woman, but probably an idea of women, and how they are and aren’t normally portrayed in modern comics. There are certainly some shining examples spread all over the medium, but just like I’m often alarmed by how minority characters are represented in superhero fiction, this deficiency (or lack of imagination) also extends to the so-called “fairer sex.” When this whole thing was developing, it was very important that Miranda Mercury not exist as the female version of another well-established character, but a complex, nuanced character in her own right that isn’t destined to become the victim in her own story. Even with her life rapidly coming to an end, Miranda isn’t going out without a major fight and she won’t be weeping in any corners, asking for someone to swoop in and save her. It’s a balance definitely, where we have to put her life in danger, but do it in a way that doesn’t make her appear weak or reliant on much more than her strength, wits, and junior partner to get things done.
Attitude-wise, she’s probably based on all of the strong women I’ve known in my life—mother, grandmother, cousin, etc. Take-charge, take-no-crap females from all walks of life should find something in common with Miranda Mercury.
Lee Ferguson: For me…honestly, it doesn’t seem as much like we’re creating something new as taking care of a character who has been around for almost 300 issues. I know that’s just one of our conceits, but…it’s so fitting. From the first time B and I talked about this, I have had a very clear picture of Miranda’s world, and I find myself reading the new scripts as they come in and KNOWING that, yes, that’s exactly how Miranda would react in a given situation. So while I can’t say that the way I try to portray her is based on anyone else, I can say that with both Brandon and I there seems to be an innate sense of what makes Miranda Mercury tick.
What do you hope readers will get from this series?
Brandon: The love of comics storytelling injected into their veins. The excitement of discovering something new that you never even thought to ask for. The possibility of experiencing stories that could only be contained and delivered by the comics medium. New heroes to root for. New villains to root against. New visual styles to be exposed to.
More than enough reasons to come back for the next installment.
Lee: A sense of what comics can be. When I was a child, I would go to the library and check out these old, beat up hardcovers that collected all kinds of comics from before my day. And it was mind-blowing to read stuff like Stan (Lee’s) and Jack’s (Kirby) Fantastic Four, absolutely mind-blowing. So many crazy new ideas introduced, utilized and discarded as they made their way to the next new thing. THAT’S very much what I want this to feel like. Not as in ‘retro’ or anything like that, but in that mad flood of ideas.
You’ve both worked with the icons at Marvel and DC in various capacities over the years. What is it about superhero comics that lends themselves to parody so well?
Brandon: I don’t think what we’re doing is necessarily parody—it’s more taking what elements of superhero comics that are exciting and fantastic, and finding a different axis to spin the stories around. The wonder is there, the action is there, the drama, etc. but the landscape and the backdrop make this more of a sci-fi adventure than anything else.
Every story is going to introduce some new planet or some new adversary for Miranda to come up against, and just when you get used to what we’re showing you, it’s gone and we’ve moved onto the next story. The only way this property works is when new material in fired into the well constantly and that will be a natural function of all the stories being self-contained. You know that every issue is going to have a new set-up, character, and locale to dig into and explore, and we’re assuming this will naturally lend itself to somewhat experimental avenues of storytelling. Don’t stop moving, don’t stop thinking—so whatever of that vibe that owes itself to superhero fiction, so be it.
Lee: Yeah, I don’t see this as a parody in any way. I think, if anything, it takes what’s GREAT about superhero comics and shows that those things can work in many different ways, and in genres other than capes and tights.
Much has been made about Miranda being a rare African American lead in a comic, even debuting in Black History Month. Was that something you sought out or did you find yourselves receiving a lot of unexpected attention from the African American community?
Brandon: Well, Miranda being a black space heroine was a significant part of the original pitch and like it or not, this does make her and her book somewhat different from the majority of comics on store shelves. What we hope people realize is that “somewhat” does not mean “completely,” as it’s generally understood that books or movies that feature predominantly black cast members are classified as “black” products and looked upon as impenetrable to people that aren’t black. Which is hopelessly silly, but you have to acknowledge that feelings like this exist if you want to break down barriers. Miranda is designed to service anyone who enjoys high adventure, and if the fact that she is a strong, black female allows it to mean more to a certain neglected segment of the fanbase, then we’ve done our job.
Miranda launching at the end of Black History Month wasn’t something that was planned from my end, but it probably figured into Archaia’s publishing plans, and I think they’re anticipating a certain amount of interest from mainstream audiences and people that don’t go into comic shops every Wednesday. Who they suspect would be very interested in this if they could only find it. So ASP is investigating new avenues to get this in the hands of any people that would like to read it.
Lee: It’s funny. I sometimes, in my ignorance, forget what this book could mean for other people, other companies…readers. I’m a pasty white guy from rural America. I tend to like whatever is good, and ignore whatever isn’t, and I just generally assume that’s how everybody else operates. Then I’ll get a question like this and realize how foolish that can sound!
How do you hope this will inspire other comic companies to create more minority characters?
Brandon: That they go out and do it, without being afraid that the audience and the sales won’t support it. Launching anything that isn’t a known quantity is a substantial risk anyway, but people have been saying for years that “black books don’t sell,” or that “books with female leads don’t sell” and we want to present an avenue and a circumstance where this isn’t the least bit true. As with anything, only one of two people have to do something before it gets copied by everyone in sight, and I have no qualms with Miranda sparking a new resurgence by major companies to broaden the type of audiences they’re serving. And really, who can even predict something like that at this point. We hope that Miranda Mercury sells and we hope that if it does, people acknowledge what this just might suggest.
Lee: This is a copycat business. Look at all the zombie craziness that’s been going on. All it took was one book to set that trend off…so if Miranda can start a similar trend for minority characters, that wouldn’t be a bad thing at all. All that has to happen is for us to have a little success.
Brandon, you’ve been a columnist for a number of years in the comics community. Is it a struggle to write as a story teller and as a columnist simultaneously?
Brandon: Heh, it is recently. Now that the column is running at Newsarama, I’m back on the weekly grind and I keep telling people that weekly columns are a young man’s game. Only Augie over at CBR has continued to disprove this, but writing 2000 or so words of material on a weekly basis around a dayjob, whatever various scripts and press I’m working on, not to mention that ever necessary personal life, and it seems the minute I get one done, I have to start thinking about the next one. That said, there is a certain rhythm and momentum that soon develops, and the column is quickly becoming just another thing I do every week. If things go well for me in the coming months, I imagine I’ll only get busier, giving me much more fodder for the column, but less time to prepare it in. That’s the way it goes, so it’s best to just roll with it.
Lee, I have to ask you about the Black Canary Wedding Planner. That’s a pretty big deal. How did that come about exactly?
Lee: I think Jann Jones just got tired of sending rejection letters my way! She had actually been looking at my stuff over the years, and then it seemed the thing that really started to turn her in my favor a bit…were some Miranda Mercury pages I sent off just to show. I wasn’t even necessarily looking for work at that point, but the pages made it to Jann, and she started pushing my stuff around the DC offices a bit, showing it to other editors. And then, when this project came to her, she said I was the first guy she thought of, which I’m extremely grateful for. Honestly, that was a lot of fun. I got to work with Jann and J Torres, who is a great guy, and a really talented writer, so the experience was really, really positive, and is a big reason I’ve had the chance to do a bunch of Supergirl work lately.
Brandon, you’ve been documenting the development of Miranda for the past few months. It seems like quite a brave decision. Did you find you had a lot you needed to get off your chest as a writer making it in the comics industry? Or was it more of a case of letting other writers out there know what the entire process involved?
Brandon: A little of both. Ambidextrous started as something to help me break into the industry, while also serving as a chronicle of the overall “journey.” For years, this meant relating stories and experiences from trying to push my way into the Big Two by any means necessary, but now, it’s serving what I now understand is a greater good: letting people know exactly what it takes to put out a comic book. From the outside it looks fairly simple (at least it did to me). Someone writes a script, someone draws it and inks it, followed by colors, letters, etc. But the actual creation is only one element of the game, and neglects the marketing of the project, the promotion for the project, or any other of the numerous issues and concerns that’ll have to be addressed and accounted for.
My brief time in comics has only made me appreciate the process more, especially when it results in good comics, because there are so many things and people involved that it’s easy for something not to develop as well as you’d hoped. Doing it creator-owned has only intensified this appreciation. The potential payoff is much, much higher, but that’s something that seems well-deserved when weighing the amount of work and care that’s put into it.
Do you have any plans from Miranda beyond the initial 6 issues?
Brandon: Absolutely. If enough people are willing to support the book, then we’re willing to keep making it for them. Starting at issue 295 gives us the latitude to advance both backwards and forwards across the different ends of Miranda’s life and there are extensive plans for both. Once we get a couple months into the game, Archaia will know a lot more about how retailers and fans are responding to the material and we’ll have a better answer to this. But yeah, there’s no way that six issues are enough to contain Miranda Mercury…
Lee: Brandon and I have had a lot of conversations about what’s come before, and where this is all going, and I’m more excited about this book than ever. Plain and simple, no one’s taking this book from me. As long as there are Miranda Mercury comics, I intend to be the guy drawing them…
Comic-Con Video
Yes, I know it was over almost 2 weeks ago, but here’s my short film of the event. With the photos and footage I had, it was somewhat difficult to keep it under 5 minutes, but I tried. To truly get a sense of the Con’s epic nature, take a peek at this video walkthrough of the Hall. It’s big.
Best Rob Liefeld picture ever.
A Look Back
Home, sweet home. After two weeks in the US for San Diego Comic-Con, here are a few facts for the curious mind :
No. of airlines taken to and from San Diego – 3
No. of hours spent travelling there and back – 42
No. of hours spent waiting in airports – 24
No. of fond memories – almost infinite
Before I start sounding like a credit card advert, allow me to break down the good, bad and ugly of my first SDCC. Well, I really enjoyed making a few new friends and sticking my head (and ‘business’ card) into a lot of the smaller publishers’ faces. I even met Victor Ho, one of the Movies guys from my INFUZE days. As I flick through the cards I gathered from the various people I talked to at the endless parade of publishers, it’s pretty impressive, I have to say. I hope to set up interviews with a few new kids on the comics block soon. I just filled a bookshelf with all of the TPBs and promo stuff I picked up over the 4 and a half days, so I have plenty to read and review. The independent companies were happy to talk to me and of course, welcome any exposure they can get. I figure they deserve it, as they’ve risked a lot to follow their dream. It’s not an easy step for them to make and the industry is full of uncertainties, so that kind of courage to create diversity should be rewarded.
The bus drivers who ferried us to and from the Con and the hotels around it were usually good for a chat too. One remarked that a female fan dressed as Poison Ivy had to get her desperate boyfriend behind her to cover her, as her plants kept falling down, revealing more than she was willing to. The same driver also noticed that overweight middle-aged people should not be wearing spandex, as “gravity affects us all.” It’s a fair point, but often times, enthusiasm defeats modesty at the Con. One day I saw X-Men baddie Mr Sinister step off the shuttle, in a rather impressive costume, soon followed by She-Hulk. She (?) certainly had the bulk for it, but I’m still not sure if s/he was more Hulk than She. Still, all in the name of fandom and everyone wearing a costume was happy enough to pose for photos. Meeting nice-guy David Mack was a pleasure, as was briefly meeting DC top dog, Dan DiDio and BOOM! dude, Chip Mosher. Another treat happened as I was talking to a guy who said he, “worked for DC.” Yeah, right. By his age I assumed he was the coffee boy or some such. Then, he said he was a penciller. Curious, I flicked his name badge over and he was Patrick Gleason! One of my fave artists, currently working on Green Lantern Corps. He’s one of the few artists whose books I’ll buy by name alone. Scott McDaniel is another one, and it turns out their good buddies. Meeting the team from CCAS (Christian Comic Art Society) was also a treat, as was shopping. I got a heap of trades and look forward to reading them all. I have enough to last until next Comic-Con I reckon.
Two interesting non-Con experiences were the earthquake in Temecula, where I stayed after the Con, with some wonderful people from the Calvary Chapel there. My first earthquake and it measured a 5.5 apparently. It only lasted a few seconds, but not many of us Aussies can say we’ve experienced one. Narita Airport in Tokyo was cool too. Yes, it’s huge, but when I had to kill a few hours there and grabbed the shuttle (and train) between terminals, I kept being reminded of Austin Powers. In the first film, all of Dr Evil’s henchmen wear the same clothes and work silently in his factory. The Narita employees, with their silent to-ing and fro-ing, clean hard hats and gloves reminded me of this. I was amused.
The only downside to the Con was that I didn’t really experience anything outside of shopping. Not really any panels or exclusive screenings at all. I was too busy getting rid of my US dollars, but it was all worth it and I’d definitely go again. Now that it’s over (unlike my jetlag) I can focus on comics news and reviews once more.
Almost Home
I’m in the sprawling Narita Airport again in Tokyo for the last of my 10 hour journey home to Oz. I can’t wait to have free, and freely available, internet access again, without any formatting issues. Expect lots of pics and videos from the awesome Comic-Con in the next week. For now, here’s a link for a video interview with Comic Book Tattoo inspiration and legendary muso, Tori Amos. She seems to be a popular gal, so enjoy – and regular programming will resume shortly.
Dabel Bros. Produce Warriors Comic
I actually watched this 1979 classic for the first time last year, and recommend it thoroughly. All the different gangs with their various themes and crazy style, all the running, all the mad violence – it’s all there. The tie-in game was pretty cool too. Now there’s a comic. Straight from the DB Bros. press release to your fanboy mind, here’s all the info you need to know.
Dabel Brothers Publishing is pleased to announce the comic book adaptation of the cult movie classic, The Warriors. The Dabels will start with an adaptation of the movie and move onto doing spin off stories based on the movie. This will be the Dabel Brothers first movie to comic book adaptation.
“Even though I love everything we’ve done up until now, I never been this excited about us picking up a license. The Warriors is simply my favorite movie from 70’s,” says Dabel Brothers Special Projects Manager, Derek Ruiz, “Seriously, who can forget the death of Cyrus or Sully banging those bottles together and asking the Warriors to come out and play. That stuff is just classic.”
For those unfamiliar with the movie, it’s about a gang called The Warriors, who are framed for killing a rival gang leader who had been trying to unite all the gangs in the area. With other gangs gunning for them they must get back to their home turf of Coney Island…alive.
The movie came out in 1979 from Paramount Pictures. The 30th Anniversary is coming up in January 2009 and is timed perfectly with the release date for issue #1 of the comic book adaptation.
Dabel Brother’s Business Director Rich Young added, “The Warriors is such a great movie…it’s amazing how well it has held up over time. We’re excited to be working with Paramount on this and we’re excited about the fact that this is our first movie-based license. This property has its origins in Sol Yurick’s novel, which is what we’re known for (working with literary authors), so we think it’s really a perfect fit for Dabel Brothers. I know we’re going to do some things that people are really doing to dig with this.”
Commenting on the deal, Michael Corcoran, president, Paramount Consumer Products & Recreation Group, said, “Paramount Licensing has an incredibly rich and diverse library of properties dating back almost a century, and we are delighted to be working with companies such as Dabel Brothers Publishing, who find fresh new ways to develop products based on these classic films that will appeal to both existing fans and a whole new audience.”
Wonder Woman Trailer & Toon News
The Wonder Woman animated project will be released in February next year. It’s written by comic scribe Gail Simone and features a great voice cast including Keri Russel as WW, Rosario Dawson as Artemis and Alfred Molina as war god Ares. The trailer was unveiled at Comic-Con, along with details on a host of other animated DVD projects, which you can see and read about here, including a possible CGI Kingdom Come film. Further Batman films, a Catwoman film and a Fourth World film with the New Gods are also possibilities. Superman: Doomsday, Justice League: New Frontier and Batman: Gotham Knight have kicked things off with a bang, and it looks like more exciting films will follow. And if that’s not enough, go here for BET’s faithful Marvel adaptation of Black Panther, debuting at the same time as WW.
CCAS Events at Comic-Con
Apart from crowds, costumes, coffee and comics, there was something else at Comic-Con – Christians! I saw a flyer for CCAS (that’s Christian Comic Arts Society) on the always popular freebies table, so I had to go. The guys and girls from CCAS have been going to the Con for the last 12 years, shining the light. They have seen many Christian companies come and go during that time, but have been blessed enough to always get a table, and have continued growing in numbers. It’s encouraging to see such talented, humble believers using the gifts God has given them. The first of the three panels was entitled, “Spirituality in Comics,” and had an eclectic mix of panelists, including Captain Marvel expert and Alter-Ego writer, P.C Hamerlinck, Cory Edwards (writer/director of Hoodwinked and the upcoming Fraggle Rock: The Movie), Scott Wong (Brethren Entertainment) and Holly Golightly (Broadsword Comics). It was hosted by author Leo Partible. You gotta love the Con – where else would you find a bunch of Christians and a self-declared witch discussing the same topic?
There were plenty of laughs and light-hearted discussions all focused on the portrayal of spirituality within the medium of sequential art. The highlights included the love of Japanese artists for anything remotely religious to cram into their work. (The CEO of Squaresoft has apparently never read the Bible, but most of his video game designers get their information from the Internet and take what they like, thereby giving the world the dazzling mix of “nuns with guns.”) and the similarities between Emperor Palpatine and Oprah.
The biggest laugh however came when the panel was asked, “What is the main aim of spiritually based comics?” to which Holly replied, “To pay the rent.”
Saturday night was a time of networking and fellowship hosted by the CCAS team. We had a great time getting to know other believers and encouraging one another in our work. After prayer and a brief history of CCAS we mingled and laughed loudly for the next 3 hours. According to CCAS, this has been their most successful year with many visitors to their table on the showroom floor, lots of free comics given away and a host of new members joining the Society.
The last of the events was the CCAS panel hosted again by Leo Partible on Sunday morning. Writer/artist Robert Luedke (Eye Witness) gave a short, but inspiring sermon to the packed room, starting with the unusual question, “Do you smell?” This lead to an explanation of our aroma and whether we smell of life or death to the world around us. The panel also included Clint Johnson (Faith Walker), Robert H. Flores (CCAS), Jerrell Conner (Revelations: The Prophets), and Sergio Cariello (The Lone Ranger). Luedke mentioned that comics are the easiest way to share a message in a creative fashion, quoting creator Doug TenNapel (Earthworm Jim) who stated that he does not have access to millions of dollars to make a film, but is able to produce quality comics on a much smaller budget. The main thrust of the morning was a challenge to fellow Christian creators to identify their gifts and a way to use them. Luedke emphasised the fact that creative talents are spiritual gifts, while Cariello encouraged us to no be afraid of who God has created us to be, noting that often times, Christians can be stricter on themselves than God is. Both also mentioned that they don’t hide their faith from the mainstream press and have been bold in declaring their Christianity in interviews, with God blessing them for it.
The future of Christian comics looks to be in good hands. There are some genuinely exciting books out there and a number of mainstream artists working in The Big Two who are writers and artists of faith, all glorifying the Original Creator.
New Sight Article
I’ve written all about my travels from Perth to sunny San Diego for the Comic-Con and what it was like for a first-timer. You can check it out here. There’s even two new pics. Enjoy!
Ethan Van Sciver Panel
Ian Sattler from DC Comics never turned up, but Van Sciver went ahead without a moderator anyway and did a splendid job. I remember his indie days back in the 90s as creator of Cyberfrog. How much has changed since then, not only his success as an artist, but also his ability. Comparing his work on DC from the last few years to his earlier work makes it look like two different artists.
At the panel, he talked about his exclusive work for DC Comics, mainly centered on the expanding mythology of Green Lantern and his current work on the Sinestro Corps off-shoot, Blackest Night, where he is designing thousands of different GL costumes from every sector of the galaxy. Yes, he’ll be a busy boy for a while. He also expanded on the recently announced, Flash: Rebirth mini, which he’ll be working on with writer Geoff Johns. It will be six issues and will focus on Barry Allen’s return to the DCU, after his noble sacrifice twenty years ago in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Similar to the Green Lantern: Rebirth series from a few years ago, (also written by Johns) which followed Hal Jordan’s return as the foremost GL, this mini will follow Barry as he integrates in to society. He then asked for the audience to respond to Barry’s return. So we did with a round of applause. Van Sciver seemed relieved. He also excitedly mentioned that the last issue of Rebirth will show us the Speed Force in a way that’s never been seen before. The words, “in real-time,” were used, so how he manages that is anyone’s guess. Should be great.
He likens Barry to King Arthur and current Flash Wally West (and nephew of Barry) to Lancelot, and assured that us that Wally was not going anywhere. Fans had similar concerns about GL Kyle Rayner when Hal returned, so it’s great to see the Flash I grew up with is staying put. He will also redesign Wally’s costume, to set him apart from Barry, and compared Sinestro to Hitler, in that he’s a sadistic, egotistical madman. His aim is to never draw Sinestro smiling to show his dark side. Working with Johns has been an encouraging experience for him and he’s allowed himself to be more forthcoming with ideas to Johns, despite fear of rejection. It seems to be working, as his idea of opening up the “emotional spectrum,” to include rings other than of the green variety propelled Johns to scribe the epic and ongoing Sinestro Corps War. They have plans for a while yet and Van Sciver was surprisingly deep when talking about what each colour represented, from greed and hatred, to fear and hope. He’s obviously an artist that thinks deeply about his work and what fresh directions any given story can head towards.
After talking about Flash and GL for most of the hour, he expanded on further topics, including an odd Superman lawn sprinkler from his youth, being influenced by Moebius on his interprettion of Batman (with an emphasis on the Bat), and following penciller Frank Quietly on New X-Men in his short, but unsatisfying run with Marvel.
The hour sped by and Van Sciver seems to be enjoying his relationship with DC and creative collaboration with the extraordinary Johns. I’m glad to see his detailed and dynamic pencils will grace the pages for an exciting future.
Friday at the Con
Another 7 hours that sped by. I managed to do a lot more shopping today though. By dinner time, my backpack was about to collapse under the sheer weight of..wait for it..16 TPBs, a bunch of free mags and comics, some shirts for the family, and two DVDs. I had to go home to minimise my chiropractor bill.
I’ve decided that tomorrow will be my filming day. I’ve taken a bunch of photos already, but the hotel’s slow PC charges by the minute and takes about that long to upload each pic. When I return home on August 3, watch this space for an influx of happy pics and videos.
I would’ve liked to have seen film-maker Kevin Smith and the new Batman: Brave and the Bold cartoon panels, but I’m not one for lining up with the masses. The convention floor was slightly less packed this afternoon, as all the various screenings and Q&A sessions were under way. I could move around a lot easier and spend more time talking to retailers, without worrying about people waiting behind me. I saw Mark Waid, one of my favourite writers at BOOM! Studios booth, and Dan DiDio, head of DC Comics, and managed to sneak in a photo with him before he left in a hurry. Nothing personal, I’m sure.
I also chatted to creators Rod Espinosa (The Prince of Heroes) and David Hutchinson (Biowulf) at the Antarctic Press booth about their careers. Then I saw David Mack. What a nice guy. I told him that his work on Daredevil and Kabuki was a hit with some of my mates from work and showed them the beauty that comics could reveal. Mack’s art really is amazing and his work as writer/artist on Kabuki is an experimental joy. He was genuinely happy to hear that his work had opened the eyes of a few comic novices and was very warm and friendly. I picked up his Kabuki Vol. 1 TPB and a DVD focusing on his craft, which I can’t wait to see. The process of an artist is always interesting one. He also threw me a handful of free, signed Kabuki books. I told you he was a nice guy. Oh and I took a photo with him too, just to make my mates jealous.
Handing out a bunch of my cards to a few companies in the small press section was a joy. They all seem happy enough to add mine to their growing collection. One of the main things that has surprised me is how many people are aware of Perth. I thought my sleepy little town would go unnoticed in this with-it metropolis. Good to see us little people aren’t forgotten.
The last stop of the day was a visit to the freebies table. Well, I thought it was the last stop, until I saw a flyer for the CCAS. That’s the Christian Comic Arts Society. I was struggling to contain all my goodies with the only two hands God has given me, but I knew I had to visit this booth. I spoke with the two friendly guys there for a while as we discussed the thriving Christian comic creators community, my work for INFUZE and a bunch of other stuff. With their, “Free Prayer” sign they stand out from the crowd, that’s for sure. Over the last two days of the Con, they have three panels, which I will do my best to attend. I should be in my element there and make some interesting contacts. All in all; an eventful day. My budget has pretty much evaporated, but then again, I’m surprised it’s lasted this long.
comicbookjesus 