Sterling Gates talks “Green Lantern Corps” release
From The Oklahoman:
By Matthew Price
Acting Assistant Features Editor
WORD BALLOONS
Oklahoma native Sterling Gates explores the “internal affairs” of the galaxy’s peace-keeping force in his first full-length comic book for DC Comics. Gates, a University of Oklahoma graduate, wrote “Green Lantern Corps” No. 21, on sale this week.
“My ‘Green Lantern Corps’ story spins out of events that (writer) Geoff (Johns) is orchestrating over in the main Green Lantern book,” Gates said in an interview with The Oklahoman. “In a nutshell, following the ‘Sinestro Corps War,’ the Guardians of the Universe created a new faction within the Green Lantern Corps called the Alpha-Lanterns. Alpha-Lanterns were conceived by (writer) Grant Morrison to act as internal affairs to the Corps, making sure officers don’t get out of line or misuse their abilities.”
Gates’ story will focus on a conflict between family and duty.
“In my story, one of the Alpha-Lanterns, Boodikka, is sent by the Guardians to discover why a Green Lantern rookie has been disobeying their orders and ignoring their summons,” he said. “When she finally catches up with the Lantern, she discovers that the Guardians have granted a ring to Boodikka’s very own sister, Zale. And Boodikka will be forced to make the decision: What do you do when you’re asked to turn in your own sister to the bosses?”
Gates wrote two six-page back-up stories for DC, in “Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Superman-Prime” and “Green Lantern/Sinestro Corps Secret Files and Origins.” He says his first full-length story was “a completely different ballgame.”
“With a short back-up, there’s an economy as to what you choose to put on the page. A fight has to be very quick, with very fast ‘cuts,’ so to speak, as your eye travels from panel to panel,” Gates said. “But when I’ve got a lot of pages to play with, I can do a two-panel page that suddenly, your eye has time to really look around and absorb the image. Plus, it lets your artist take their time and draw those really big moments that in a short story you don’t have space to let them draw.”
Gates’ “Alpha Lantern” story concludes in “Green Lantern Corps” No. 22, which is due out in March.
Gates said his comic-book writing career has thus far been very rewarding.
“It’s gratifying to know that more people are seeing my work than ever before,” he said.
“When you’re an art student and you do these huge exhibitions, you’re lucky if a thousand people see your work,” Gates said. Gates was a 2005 fine arts graduate with a specialization in film and television.
“With the comic work I’ve been doing, since they’re stories in very mainstream titles, over 50,000 are seeing my writing. As a writer, it’s a great feeling, to see so many people responding to your work.”
“Wolverine” article at USA today
Most of you have probably seen the Wolverine article over at USA Today, but I figured any excuse to post this image from the upcoming Gavin Hood-helmed flick was a good one.
“I know it seems odd given, you know, the guy is already half animal,” says Hugh Jackman, who revives the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, due in theaters May 1, 2009. “But with all the success of the X-Men, you feel the pressure to keep pushing it further.”
“Star Trek” moved to summer 2009
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the post-strike film slate is moving around somewhat, with perhaps the highest-profile mover J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek.” The new release date for “Trek” is May 8. 2009.
“ ’Star Trek’ is moving to summer because its has so much boxoffice potential,” spokesman Michael Vollman told the Reporter. “It does not need any script tweaks. They’re two-thirds of the way through shooting, and we would have delivered a great movie at Christmas.”
Nova Week concludes: Podcast
Kyle Roberts and I review “Nova” Annual 1 on the comics podcast at the conclusion of “Nova Week.” We also review “Green Lantern Corps” 21 by Oklahoma’s Sterling Gates, as well as “X-Force” #1 and “Fantastic Four” #554 from Marvel.
– Matt Price
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
“Indiana Jones” trailer
Yahoo Movies and the official “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” Web site have posted the trailer for the fourth “Indiana Jones” film, which debuted this morning on “Good Morning America.”
Fall Out Boy to comics
In something of a “full circle” move, the band Fall Out Boy (who took their name from the Radioactive Man’s sidekick on “The Simpsons”) have signed with Dabel Brothers to lend their expertise to a comic based on “different versions” of themselves.
From industry Web site www.icv2.com:
The as yet unnamed project will be produced in collaboration with the band with heavy involvement in particular from bassist Pete Wentz and drummer Andy Hurley. Hurley, a self confessed lifelong comics fan, noted that the project provided “the opportunity to create different versions of ourselves and tell an interesting story at the same time.”
SPOILER: Captain Marvel #3
Marvel sent along a spoileriffic panel from “Captain Marvel” #3, on sale today, that looks like it ties in to the upcoming “Secret Invasion.” Make with the clicking if you want to know! I will note that the Brian Reed-written Captain Marvel series has been well-done, and issue #3 in particular is a shocker.
captainmarvel03_spoilerpanel.jpg
– Matt Price
Nova Week: Nova Annual No. 1 review
Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning look at the past, present and future of the Human Rocket in “Nova” Annual No. 1.
Infected by the techno-organic transmode virus, Richard Rider, the last surviving member of the Nova Corps, has been searching for Kvch, the lost homeworld of the creators of the Phalanx.
As the issue begins, readers are taken back in Nova’s timeline — to the point at which Richard Rider’s story began, 1976′s “Nova” No. 1. This updated version, drawn by Mahmud A. Asrar (“Dynamo 5″) shows Richard’s humiliation at the hands of a bully, after which, he heads to the ice cream shop. It’s there that he’s hit by the lightning bolt that gives him the powers of the Nova Force. (Also providing art for this issue: Klebs and Wellinton Alves.)
But the issue isn’t simply a modernization of the first Nova story. It’s also a look at the (possible) future of Nova, in a story that recalls “All Good Things” from “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”
If you haven’t been reading “Nova,” this first annual will get you up to speed on the character’s history and recent adventures. While the issue is readable and enjoyable on its own, hints to the “Annihilation: Conquest” story, as Marvel’s cosmic heroes tackle the Phalanx, are throughout.
Despite the three artists, and the three storylines, the look is consistent and the story flows well. The coloring creates the main shift between the past, present and future, with each time having its own feel based on the hues selected.
The concept behind the story does seem to have a “Trek” influence, but it still makes for an entertaining tale that provides new reasoning behind Richard Rider’s selection as Nova.
– Matt Price
Nova Week: Jay Faerber interview
As we wind down Nova Week with the release of “Nova” Annual No. 1 (look for a review later today!), Nerdage talks to another voice from Nova’s past – writer Jay Faerber.
Faerber writes the excellent “Noble Causes” and “Dynamo 5″ for Image Comics. (And look for more from Faerber about “Noble Causes” in an upcoming Weekend Look!) In 1999, he was approached to revive the New Warriors. Jay talked about his time with the Warriors for Nova Week.
Matt Price: What were your impressions of the New Warriors or Nova before working on the characters?
Jay Faerber: I was familiar with Nova from his original ongoing, from the 70s. I’d picked up the odd issue here and there at garage sales, that sort of thing. But I really became a fan during Fabian Nicieza’s New Warriors. I loved that book (still do — it holds up well), although I know his interpretation of Nova wasn’t quite the same as the original version of the character. Still, it’s the one I preferred, while I appreciate that a lot of diehard Nova fans weren’t crazy about it.
MP: What were your goals with the series?
JF: I really just wanted to try to do justice to the great characters and concepts that Fabian had come up with. I wanted to build on that, and continue to draw from all corners of the Marvel Universe. One of the things I really liked about the New Warriors (as opposed to the various X-teams) was that the Warriors were on their own. They didn’t really have a mentor figure. I liked that sense of independence, and its one I tried to maintain in my series.
MP: What was your take on Nova?
JF: Again, I have to cite Fabian’s take. I tried to stay true to that, while also being consistent with Erik Larsen’s ongoing Nova series, that was running concurrent with my series. Erik was much more of an old school Nova fan than I was, so he was more heavily influenced by the original series. The problem I ran up against was that Erik’s book wasn’t selling very well so Marvel editorial wanted to try to distance the New Warriors from it. Their idea was to change Nova’s costume (along with everyone else’s). As I’m sure all Nova fans would agree, one of the coolest things about Nova is his costume. I fought that change as hard as I could, but I lost, and we ended up with Nova running around in a costume no one liked. Editorial heard the fans’ outrage, however, and we were able to ditch the new costume about halfway through our run. But by then, the book was pretty much cancelled.
MP: What was your biggest success with the series?
JF: Well, the series only lasted 10 issues, and we went through about four different artists in that time. So I’m kind of hard pressed to come up with anything resembling success. For me, personally, I’d have to say it was great just getting a chance to write such great characters. I kind of wish I hadn’t gotten that chance so early in my career, since I’d probably do a much better job now that I’m a bit more experienced. But if I had to pick an actual success, I’d say getting Jamal Igle on board as artist for issues 7 thru 10. We took a chance on Jamal (who was pretty much unknown at the time), and he didn’t let us down. We’ve since gone on to collaborate on a number of projects, and he’s now working exclusively for DC Comics. And speaking of working, I’ve got Noble Causes and Dynamo 5, both of which come out monthly from Image Comics. In May, I’m launching a third Image series, called Gemini. It’s a 5-issue mini-series that’s sort of The Manchurian Candidate with super-powers — it’s about a normal man who’s secretly controlled by some organization to be a super-hero.
Comics shipping 2/13/08
Here’s Diamond Comics’ tentative list for comics shipping on Feb. 13, along with a small bit of commentary.
DARK HORSE COMICS
DEC070024 BPRD 1946 #2 (OF 5) $2.99
DEC070041 EVIL DEAD #2 (OF 4) $2.99
NOV070020 GOON #21 $2.99
DC COMICS
NOV070256 APOTHECARIUS ARGENTUM VOL 04 $9.99
DEC070276 ASTRO CITY THE DARK AGE SPECIAL #2 BEAUTIE $3.99
DEC070200 BAT LASH #3 (OF 6) $2.99
DEC070261 BATMAN STRIKES #42 $2.25
DEC070197 BOOSTER GOLD #0 $2.99
One of my favorite books. Looking forward to it. Let the Dan Jurgens resurgence continue.
NOV070225 CONNOR HAWKE DRAGONS BLOOD TP $19.99
DEC070184 COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS 11 $2.99
NOV070255 DOKKOIDA VOL 01 $9.99
JUN070198 DR THIRTEEN ARCHITECTURE AND MORTALITY TP $14.99
Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang; collecting the back-up strips from the recent “Spectre” series. This should already be in-stores; this was probably a recent re-offering. Still, worth giving a look.
DEC078059 FREDDY VS JASON VS ASH #2 (OF 6) 2ND PTG $2.99
DEC070282 GEN 13 #17 $2.99
DEC070192 GOTHAM UNDERGROUND #5 (OF 9) $2.99
DEC070198 GREEN ARROW BLACK CANARY #5 $2.99
DEC070229 GREEN LANTERN CORPS #21 $2.99
By Oklahoma writer Sterling Gates! Get the inside scoop on the Alpha Lanterns here. Check in Friday’s Weekend Look for more with Gates.
OCT070196 GREEN LANTERN HC VOL 01 THE SINESTRO CORPS WAR $24.99
The first collection of the recent hit storyline.
DEC070233 JLA CLASSIFIED #52 $2.99
OCT060202 JUSTICE HC VOL 02 $19.99
DEC070264 LEGION OF SUPER HEROES IN THE 31ST CENTURY #11 $2.25
NOV070260 PALETTE OF 12 SECRET COLORS VOL 02 $9.99
DEC070193 SALVATION RUN #4 (OF 7) $2.99
NOV070243 SHOWCASE PRESENTS ENEMY ACE TP VOL 01 $16.99
DEC070212 SIMON DARK #5 $2.99
DEC070203 SUICIDE SQUAD RAISE THE FLAG #6 (OF 
$2.99
JUN070210 SUPERGIRL AND THE LEGION THE DOMINATOR WAR TP $14.99
DEC070217 SUPERMAN #673 $2.99
NOV070242 TIME MASTERS TP $19.99
DEC070260 TINY TITANS #1 $2.25
FEB078231 TRANSMETROPOLITAN TP VOL 03 YEAR OF THE BASTARD $12.99
OCT058076 TRANSMETROPOLITAN TP VOL 06 GOUGE AWAY $14.99
NOV070262 VENUS IN LOVE VOL 02 $9.99
DEC070242 WONDER WOMAN #17 $2.99
IMAGE COMICS
SEP071980 BRIT #4 $2.99
DEC072050 GUTWRENCHER #1 (OF 3) $3.50
DEC072093 JACK STAFF #14 $3.50
OCT071967 NEXT ISSUE PROJECT #1 $5.99
MARVEL COMICS
DEC072170 AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL #17 $2.99
NOV072129 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #550 BND $2.99
NOV072141 BLACK PANTHER #34 $2.99
NOV072139 CAPTAIN MARVEL #3 (OF 5) $2.99
DEC072174 CIVIL WAR CHRONICLES #8 $4.99
DEC072274 EXILES TP VOL 16 STARTING OVER $19.99
DEC072181 FANTASTIC FOUR #554 $2.99
The “Ultimates” team of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch bring their talents to Marvel’s first family. Could be a little more of a slow burn than a rocket out of the gate, but worth giving a look.
DEC078057 FANTASTIC FOUR #554 BIANCHI VAR $2.99
NOV078183 FANTASTIC FOUR #554 MEGACON SUYDAM SKRULL VAR PI
NOV078182 FANTASTIC FOUR #554 SUYDAM SKRULL VAR $2.99
DEC072182 FANTASTIC FOUR LOST ADVENTURE $4.99
DEC072183 GHOST RIDER #20 $2.99
NOV072149 IRON MAN ENTER MANDARIN #5 (OF 6) $2.99
DEC072191 IRON MAN POWER PACK #4 (OF 4) $2.99
DEC072194 MARVEL ADVENTURES HULK #8 $2.99
DEC072197 MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #36 $2.99
DEC072201 MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #6 $3.99
DEC072206 NEW AVENGERS #38 SII $2.99
DEC072229 NEW EXILES #2 $2.99
DEC072209 NOVA ANNUAL #1 $3.99
Our Nova Week concludes with the release of Nova Annual No. 1! Surely you’re aware of this by now. If you’re thinking about picking Nova up, here’s a chance.
DEC072212 PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #16 $2.99
FEB041621 RUNAWAYS TP VOL 01 PRIDE AND JOY DIGEST $7.99
DEC072270 SPIDER MAN TP BACK IN BLACK $24.99
DEC072169 SPIDER-MAN FAMILY #7 $4.99
DEC072272 SUB-MARINER TP REVOLUTION $14.99
DEC072164 ULTIMATE IRON MAN II #3 (OF 4) $2.99
DEC072225 WOLVERINE #62 DWS $2.99
DEC072224 X-FACTOR #28 DWS $2.99
DEC072221 X-FORCE #1 DWS $2.99
A lot of buzz on this, even though I’m not sure it’s going to be a blindingly new concept or anything. Wolverine, X-23 and Warpath take on secret, lethal missions.
WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT
DEC073289 TOYFARE TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED CVR #128 $4.99
COMICS
DEC073401 ARCHIE & FRIENDS #116 $2.25
DEC073406 BETTY & VERONICA SPECTACULAR #81 $2.25
DEC073340 DEAD EYES OPEN $12.95
DEC073586 FORGOTTEN REALMS THE LEGACY #1 (OF 3) SEELEY CVR A $5.50
DEC073587 FORGOTTEN REALMS THE LEGACY #1 (OF 3) WALPOLE CVR B $9.50
DEC073583 GI JOE AMERICAS ELITE #32 $3.50
DEC073841 HERO BY NIGHT ONGOING #2 $3.99
SEP073336 POSE FILE ULTIMATE EDITION SUPERSIZE $34.95
DEC073972 RAMAYAN 3392 AD RELOADED #4 (RES) $2.99
DEC073411 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #185 $2.25
DEC073582 SPOOKS #1 ARCHER CVR B $5.50
DEC073581 SPOOKS #1 STAPLES CVR A $3.50
MAY042161 STRANGERS IN PARADISE PKT TP VOL 01 $17.95
DEC073413 TALES FROM RIVERDALE DIGEST #27 $2.49
