Die Hard goes back to the 1970s in “Year One,” while Spider-Man revisits the 1990s in “Clone Saga.” The Guardian stars in Superman 692, and Wolverine Weapon X closes out its first story arc. Kyle Roberts and Matt Price discuss this week’s comics in the NewsOK Comics Podcast.

One of my favorite comic books, Nexus, is done for the immediate future after the wrapup of the current storyline, according to an e-mail from Steve and Jaynelle Rude.  They are publishing Nexus under their “Rude Dude” imprint, and of course Steve is the artist of “Nexus,” which is written by Mike Baron.

Information from the e-mail:

The numbers for the last two books are in and they don’t look good. We have been told that Nexus: As it Happened V1 will reach Diamond by the 9th which should be in time for the 13th in stores date. Around June 16th we will receive our Diamond order for 101/102.

Steve has only the cover to 101/102 to complete then the artwork is complete for all of the books as he inadvertently did the trade paperback cover before the 101/102 cover.

Steve is then turning his focus to gallery paintings. Steve is a brilliant artist and we’ve been living hand to mouth for the past 3 years. Losing over $5,000 in the last 2 printings we have been unable to pay our mortgage and have no desire to lose our house.

Steve does plan to continue in comics putting out a book direct to trade every few years and using gallery painting as a means to finance his comic endeavors.

“Nexus” is an amazing comic-book that was one of the most innovative series of the 1980s.  It’s unfortunate the numbers on the new series didn’t support continued publication.  I look forward to whatever comics work Steve Rude does in the future, and I wish the best to Mike Baron and Steve Rude in their careers and lives.   Comics fans, I’d highly recommend checking out the reprint “Nexus: As It Happened,” as you can find out about the beginnings of this series in a convenient, cheap package.  Maybe if the reprint does really well, we could see more Nexus sooner.

- Matt Price

Kyle Roberts and Matt Price discuss the “Watchmen” graphic novel in this week’s Comics Q&A.

Press release:  

Congers, NY (August 26, 2008) – When it comes to cinematic storytelling and masterfully rendered characters, no other artist comes close to comic icon John Cassaday. Now, the Lone Ranger, Planetary and Astonishing X-Men artist is coming to his first Wizard World convention in over a year, and his first ever as Guest of Honor!
 
With his current work on Dynamite Entertainments ongoing series, The Lone Ranger, Cassaday is bringing his trademark realistic style to the hero, who celebrates his 75th anniversary this year. His covers and artistic direction have breathed new life into the Lone Ranger and provided the series with a look that grabs readers’ attention every month. Cassaday will also be tackling the equally legendary Buck Rogers on the upcoming series with Dynamite Entertainment.
 
Prior to his involvement with The Lone Ranger, Cassaday collaborated with hotshot television guru Joss Whedon on Marvel’s critically-acclaimed and award-winning series Astonishing X-Men. During his 24 issues and one giant-size special, Cassaday did everything from resurrect Colossus to pit the X-Men against the combined might of an entire race of aliens bent on putting a bullet through the earth. Because of Cassaday’s epic artwork, Marvel’s mutants looked more compelling than they had in decades.
 
Through his work with Warren Ellis on WildStorm’s Planetary, Cassaday showed the comic buying population his wide range. Chilling horror, campy sci-fi, thrilling espionage and daring super-heroics were all depicted and conquered by Cassaday’s pencil-clutching hand. His work on Planetary has earned him numerous awards and unparalleled respect from his peers.
 
During Wizard World Texas, Cassaday will be meeting and greeting his devoted fans and will be involved in various signings and programming events throughout the weekend. Be sure to go to www.wizardworld.com for updates about guests and programming and to save 20 percent off the price of tickets by ordering now. Wizard World, the largest family-friendly comics and pop culture convention in the United States, returns to Texas November 7-9 at the Arlington Convention Center. More Information and exclusives to be announced!
 

An extended version of the article from Tuesday’s The Oklahoman:

By Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor

Tulsa-born writer Sterling Gates, the new writer on DC Comics’
“Supergirl” comic-book series, knows exactly when he decided to be a
writer.
“At exactly 9:13 Central time, September 13, 1998,” he said.
“Seriously. I had just delivered a monologue that I’d written to a
group in my high school’s cafeteria. It was a monologue that detailed
the exact things I thought and felt when my father passed away, and
everything I wanted to tell him at his funeral.”
Gates closed his monologue by asking the crowd to call their fathers
and tell them how they felt, because you never know when it might be
your last chance.
“After the show, a girl came up to me and told me that because of what
I wrote, she was going to talk to her father that weekend for the
first time in seven years. She had been so moved by what I’d said,
she’d made that decision sitting in that cafeteria listening to me.
All because of something I wrote.”
That his writing was able to move another person so deeply made him
decide to commit to working as a writer and storyteller. A chance
meeting with writer Geoff Johns at a convention led to an interview to
work on “Blade: The Series.”  He broke in as an assistant in the
writer’s room for “Blade: The Series,” which aired on Spike. He’s
since written for the comics “Green Lantern Corps” and two specials
featuring Green Lantern characters. “Supergirl” is his first ongoing
series, and it’s one for which Gates has an affinity.
“I was a big fan of the Carmine Infantino-Paul Kupperberg ‘Daring New
Adventures of Supergirl’ comics in the mid-80’s,” he said. “I loved,
loved, loved ‘Supergirl’ the movie when I was a kid, and I read that
comic book adaptation they did so many times the staples fell out. I’m
also a big fan of the Jeph Loeb-Michael Turner story in
‘Superman/Batman’ that introduced this version of (Supergirl) Kara
Zor-El.”
While Supergirl is part of Superman’s legacy, unlike the Man of Steel,
she’s not a finished product.
“Unlike Superman, she can make some pretty drastic mistakes. She does
things that Superman and Batman and Wonder Woman don’t approve of, and
to me, that makes her more human,” he said. “But even if she screws
things up occasionally, she’s still a hero, she’s still doing more
good than you and I could do on a given day, and she’s someone we
should admire and respect.”
Gates moved from Oklahoma to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of
becoming a writer, but his home state is never far from his mind.  He
said moving to California was “culture shock.”
“That’s like asking about the difference between living on Earth or
living on the sun,” he said. “It’s a loud, bright, insane, amazing,
terrible, wonderful, intense, smoggy, happy city, Los Angeles. It
never stops moving, no one ever stops to really take it all in,
because they have to be somewhere fifteen minutes ago, and traffic has
made them late, and they don’t have time to stop and say how d’you do.
“Oklahoma is completely different, but different in a good way. I
never thought I’d miss Oklahoma until I moved away, and now I think
about moving back at least once a week. I think a lot of people move
away from Oklahoma, but their hearts never really leave.”

Fans, friends and organizations are working to help out Gene Colan, the classic artist of books including ”Daredevil” and “Tomb of Dracula” who is was hospitalized for liver failure earlier this month.  

Writer Clifford Meth is running a benefit auction; more information at his blog.

The Hero Initiative is making available a series of prints and posters to benefit Colan.

From the Hero Initiative release:

The Hero Initiative in conjunction with Marvel Comics is launching a series of Gene Colan-themed products, starting with a limited edition print of Gene’s cover art to Invincible Iron Man #1, available at Wizard World Philadelphia, May 30-June 1. Only 200 prints will be available at the show at a cost of $25 each. Net proceeds from sales of these prints by The Hero Initiative will benefit Gene Colan. Another 50 prints will be available at a later date, with plans to have them autographed by both Gene Colan and Stan Lee.

Also at Wizard World Philadelphia, guest writers and artists at the Marvel Comics booth will be signing and sketching two large poster-sized boards, which Hero will auction benefiting Gene at a later date.

And that’s just the start. Wizard World Chicago, June 26-29, will see the release of a second print featuring the cover art to Daredevil #47, the legendary “Brother, Take My Hand” story by Stan Lee and Gene Colan. A third print will be available later in the year, along with other products.

For August, a Gene Colan Tomb of Dracula poster will be available for order via Marvel Previews with proceeds routed to Gene; and in September, a special book reprinting some of Gene’s greatest stories will be made available. In addition to these items, The Hero Initiative will take additional steps to help Gene in his convalescence.

“Gene Colan,” said Roy Thomas, longtime Marvel Comics writer and Hero Initiative Board member, “is one of the most amazingly talented comic book artists in the history of the field. When I was scripting one of his stories, there was no one-not even Neal Adams or John Buscema-whose pencils could make me feel more strongly as if I were looking into a real world. He combines often-photographic realism with dynamism worth of a Kirby…and that makes him unique.”

– Matt Price

Batman 676 variant from Tony Daniel’s blog.

Kyle Roberts and I discuss the first part of “Batman: R.I.P.” in “Batman” #676.  We also talk about the upcoming “Gotham Knight” anime DVD starring Batman, and “The Dark Knight,” the upcoming film starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger.  Check it all out at this week’s comic podcast.

– Matt Price

The DC Universe is shaken up, Dave Sim returns, and Brian Wood’s “Local” releases its penultimate issue.  The easy sell of this week should be “DC Universe” Zero, which retails for only 50 cents. It’s written by Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns. Also by Johns this week – ”Green Lantern” No. 30 and “Action Comics” No. 864.  “Action” features art by Gary Frank (edit: whoops, this issue is Joe Prado), and the cover, shown here, by Kevin Maguire (”Justice League International”). The Oklahoma adventures of Thor get a hardcover release, written by J. Michael Straczynski.  Full list and commentary after the break.

ABYSS #4 (OF 4)

ACTION COMICS #864

I’m loving the Gary Frank art on this series, with a very Christopher Reeve-esque Superman.  (Edit: However, this issue is Joe Prado. He’s good too!)

ARCHIE #584

AVENGERS INITIATIVE #12

BIG AMOEBA ONE SHOT

BLACK SUMMER #6 (MR)

BLACK SUMMER #6 WRAP CVR (MR)

BLUE BEETLE #26

BUDDHA STORY OF ENLIGHTENMENT #2 (C: 0-0-1)

CALIBER #1

CRAWL SPACE XXXOMBIES #4 (MR)

DAREDEVIL BLOOD OF THE TARANTULA

DC UNIVERSE ZERO

It’s 50 cents, and people from DC assure me that it’s not only a good deal, but a great read.

DEVI #19 (RES)

ELEPHANTMEN WAR TOYS #3 (OF 3)

EX MACHINA #36 (MR)

FRIDAY THE 13TH ABUSER AND THE ABUSED #1 (MR)

GARGOYLES BAD GUYS #2

GIANT SIZE AVENGERS INVADERS #1

GLAMOURPUSS #1 COMICS ED

GLAMOURPUSS #1 FASHION ED

Dave “Cerebus” Sim returns to comics with a book that really has to be seen to be appreciated.  Part photorealistic exercise, part art commentary, part fashion parody, “Glamourpuss” will certainly be like nothing else on the stands.

GREEN LANTERN #30

Part two of “Green Lantern: Secret Origin.”

GRIMM FAIRY TALES PIPER #2 (OF 4) (MR) (C: 0-0-2)

HERCULES #1 ADMIRA CVR B

HERCULES #1 STERANKO CVR A

I WAS KIDNAPPED BY LESBIAN PIRATES OUTERSPACE #1 (OF 6)

IMMORTAL IRON FIST #14

JACK OF FABLES #22 (MR)

JSA CLASSIFIED #37

LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #41

LOCAL #11 (OF 12) (RES) (MR)

Onipress.com says:
Set in the Toronto fine arts scene, this penultimate issue of LOCAL focuses on a young art student trying to manipulate the scene as best she can, who sees a source of material too good to pass up: Megan McKeenan. But as Megan turns thirty, how will she deal with this cocky upstart?

MARVEL ADVENTURES IRON MAN #12

MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #8

MARVEL ILLUSTRATED MOBY DICK #3 (OF 6)

NEW AVENGERS #40 SI

NEW BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SEASON ZERO #7

NEW WARRIORS #11

NOBLE CAUSES #33

The second part of Jay Faerber’s “Noble Causes” story after the five-year jump in the series’ timeline.

ORDER #10

PROOF #7 (MR)

RAMAYAN 3392 AD RELOADED GUIDEBOOK (RES)

SNAKEWOMAN CURSE OF THE 68 #3 (OF 4) (MR) (C: 0-0-1)

STAR WARS REBELLION #13 SMALL VICTORIES PART 3 (OF 4) (C: 1-

TALES FROM RIVERDALE DIGEST #28

TALL TALES OF VISHNU SHARMA #4 (OF 5) PANCHATANTRA (RES) (C:

TEEN TITANS #58

TEEN TITANS GO #54

TEEN TITANS YEAR ONE #4 (OF 6)

THOR AGES OF THUNDER

Matt Fraction’s take on the god of thunder.

ULTIMATE HUMAN #4 (OF 4)

ULTIMATE X-MEN #93

UNCLE SAM AND THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS #8 (OF

URBAN MONSTERS #3

USAGI YOJIMBO #111

WILDGUARD INSIDER #1 (OF 3)

WITCHBLADE DEVI #1 BASALDUA CVR B

WITCHBLADE DEVI #1 LAND CVR A

Top Cow’s leading lady meets the Virgin Comics character Devi.

WONDERLAND #6

X-MEN LEGACY #210 DWS

YOUNGBLOOD #3

Yes, I’m reading Joe Casey’s take on Rob Liefeld’s government superteam. What? It’s pretty good, actually.

Graphic novels/trade paperbacks

ADAM STRANGE ARCHIVES HC VOL 03

BLACK PANTHER TP LITTLE GREEN MEN

BPRD TP VOL 08 KILLING GROUND (C: 0-1-2)

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER OMNIBUS TP VOL 04 (C: 0-1-2)

COMPLETE DICK TRACY HC VOL 04

COMPLETE GREEN LAMA FEATURING ART OF MAC RABOY HC (C: 0-1-2

DONDI TP VOL 02 (C: 0-1-2)

FACTS I/T CASE O/T DEPARTURE OF MISS FINCH HC (RES)

The extremely late graphic novel written by Neil Gaiman.

FANTASTIC FOUR TP BEGINNING OF THE END

KABUKI REFLECTIONS #10 (MR)

LEONARD STARRS MARY PERKINS ON STAGE TP VOL 04 (C: 0-1-2)

An interesting two-fer with “Glamourpuss,” actually, as Leonard Starr is probably the best storyteller of the photorealists.

LOVE THE WAY YOU LOVE SIDE A TP

MYSTERY IN SPACE TP VOL 02

OFF HB MARVEL UNIV A TO Z PREM HC VOL 02

PUNISHER  PREM HC CIRCLE OF BLOOD

The miniseries that launched a thousand “Punisher” comics.  Steven Grant and Mike Zeck took the first steps in the direction that made The Punisher one of the most popular comic-book heroes of the 1980s.

SHOWCASE CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN TP VOL 02

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG SELECT TP VOL 01

SPEED RACER RACER X TP ORIGINS COLLECTION TP

SUPERMAN BATMAN HC VOL 06 TORMENT

TALES O/T FEAR AGENT TP (C: 0-1-2)

THOR BY J MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI PREM HC VOL 01
The first issues of the “Thor” relaunch by Straczynski and artist Olivier Coipel.

X-MEN HC MESSIAH COMPLEX

The Planet Comicon, in Overland Park, Kan., expects dozens of comic-book creators and media stars this weekend.

Scheduled to be there is Walter Koenig, who played Chekov on “Star Trek,” and Kenny Baker, who played R2-D2 in “Star Wars.”

Comic-book creators scheduled include Kurt Busiek, David Finch, Bruce Jones, Angel Medina and more.

The show’s hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Overland Park International Trade Center at 115th and Metcalf in Overland Park. For more information, visit www.planetcomicon.com.

ARTIST JIM MOONEY DIES AT AGE 89

Jim Mooney, the prolific artist who worked on memorable DC Comics features
including Batman, Supergirl and Tommy Tomorrow, has died at age 89.

“Jim Mooney’s beautiful women and noble men graced the DC universe for decades,
showing up (sadly uncredited for much of the time) from the adventures of Batman
and Robin, to the far future of Tommy Tomorrow, to his legendary run on
Supergirl,” said Paul Levitz, DC Comics President & Publisher. “Few artists have
made our characters look better.”

Born in 1919, Mooney broke into comics in 1940 with early publishers Fox and
Fiction House. He soon moved to Timely Comics, where he specialized in funny
animal features, then joined DC Comics in the late 1940s as penciller on BATMAN
and DETECTIVE COMICS, as well as solo Robin tales in STAR SPANGLED COMICS. In
the 1950s, he contributed numerous stories to DC’s mystery titles and
illustrated Tommy Tomorrow in ACTION COMICS and, later, WORLD’S FINEST COMICS.

In 1959, Mooney became the regular artist on Supergirl, one of his signature
features, in ACTION COMICS, beginning with the second installment of the series.
He continued to illustrate Supergirl through the 1960s, while working on HOUSE
OF MYSTERY’s Dial H for Hero and several Legion of Super-Heroes tales for
ADVENTURE COMICS.

Mooney moved to Marvel Comics in the late 1960s, where he went on to draw
Spider-Man, Man-Thing, Omega The Unknown, Marvel Team-Up, Thundercats and
numerous other series. Most recently, Mooney contributed to Claypool Comics’
Elvira and Soulsearchers and Company.

By Matthew Price

Assistant Features Editor

WORD BALLOONS
LAS VEGAS — Comics publishers gathered at the 2008 ComicsPRO annual meeting to share information about upcoming plans with comic-book retailers.DC Comics’ vice president of sales Bob Wayne talked about DC’s upcoming crossover “Final Crisis,” and the prelude to the series, “DC Universe Zero.”“DC Universe Zero” is a 50-cent comic set for May release that is written by Geoff Johns and Grant Morrison, with art by George Perez, Tony Daniel and J.G. Jones.“When you finish reading ‘DC Universe Zero,’ you’re going to say, ‘Wow, I really wish I had ordered more copies of this,’”
Wayne said. “It does set up some of the things that appear in ‘Final Crisis,’”
Wayne said.“Final Crisis” is a seven-issue miniseries, with issue No. 1 set for a May release.
Wayne said “Final Crisis” is “Grant Morrison telling stories the way Grant does.”“It starts with Anthro and goes to Kamandi. From the first boy on earth to the last boy on earth, and everything in between,”
Wayne said.In addition,
Wayne announced a sequel to “Plain Janes,” the best-selling title in their “Minx” line of young adult graphic novels for girls.
“Plain Janes: Janes in Love,” from Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg, is shipping in September.“The comic shop market has surpassed all of our expectations at DC on how many copies you would be able to sell of these titles,”
Wayne said.
Wayne talked about DC’s newest weekly comic book, “Trinity,” following in the footsteps of “52” and “Countdown.” The lead story of the book each week will be written by Kurt Busiek and drawn by Mark Bagley.“Mark Bagley has shown he’s a guy who has consistently been able to produce a high number of pages,”
Wayne said, “and we feel very comfortable that Mark can continue to do this on this particular project.”
The first issue of “Trinity” is 40 pages for $2.99. Back-up stories for “Trinity” will be written by Busiek and Fabian Nicieza, with rotating artists.
ComicsPRO is the largest organization of comic-book retailers in the world, with more than 100 members. Other representatives at the conference included Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Cartoon Books, Top Cow, the Hero Initiative, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and Graphitti Designs.

More notes from the ComicsPRO conference:

* Top Cow outlined plans for their “Witchblade” property, including keeping the creative team of writer Ron Marz and artist Stjepan Sejic on the book for 34 issues.
“This creative team is going to be on the book until issue 150,” Top Cow’s Filip Sablik said. “We’ve heard that you want consistent shipping, you want a creative team you can rely on, you want a book that can turn and make money for you month in and month out. We’re going to do that for you with ‘Witchblade.’”

* The nonprofit organization, the Hero Initiative, which helps comic-book creators in need, will collect the “Stan’s Soapbox” columns from Marvel Comics as a fund-raiser.

* The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is planning a retailer resource guide, to help comic-book retailers to be aware of good retailing and legal practices.

* In May, “Stupid Stupid Rat Tales” and “Rose” will come back into print from Cartoon Books.

]”Captain America” continues to be one of the best comic books on the stands, and Act Three of Ed Brubaker’s “Death of Captain America” story begins with “Captain America” No. 37.  Issue No. 37 goes on sale April 16.

From Marvel:

Acclaimed artists Steve Epting and Jackson Guice join Brubaker for Captain America #37, as the Red Skull targets the very soul of America with his latest gambit! As James “Bucky” Barnes must adjust to the new mantle once worn by his mentor, he must also search for the kidnapped Sharon Carter—whose jaw dropping discovery last issue may change the entire direction of Captain America!

LAS VEGAS — “Witchblade is obviously our flagship title,” Top Cow’s Filip Sablik, vice president of marketing and sales for the publisher, told the assembled retailers at the annual ComicsPRO meeting.   “We’ve got two things that we’ve done recently that we think have panned out pretty well for you guys, and they’ve done very well for us.”

The first is the recent $4.99 collection of the first Ron Marz arc in “Witchblade” was exclusively for direct-market comic-book retailers, and had been selling very well.   It collects six issues at the same quality level of all Top Cow collections.

The second is a promotion for comic stores to increase their orders on the recently shipped issue No. 116 of “Witchblade.”  That issue introduces a new artist, Stjepan Sejic.  He and Marz have signed onto “Witchblade” for the long haul, Sablik said.  

“This creative team is going to be on the book until issue 150,” Sablik said. “We’ve heard that you want consistent shipping, you want a creative team you can rely on, you want a book that can turn, and make money for you month in and month out.  We’re going to do that for you with ‘Witchblade.’”

In issue 116, Sara Pezzini and Dani Baptiste begin a new chapter as joint bearers of the Witchblade.  “Witchblade” mixes police action and fantasy adventure. The Witchblade is an ancient mystical weapon of great power. 

Sablik lined out four goals for the company across the board in 2008:
1. Timely shipping of product
2. Comic Shop Locator information in all trade paperbacks and hardcovers
3. Labeling variants in ordering material consistent with the ComicsPRO position paper on variant covers
4. Providing a trailer loop of professional trailers to retail stores promoting Top Cow products

– Matt Price

LAS VEGAS — Joe Rybandt of Dynamite said the long-awaited “American Flagg” reprint project will finally come out in July.  Howard Chaykin’s influential 1980s science fiction tale had some problems in production, but the remastered book with the first 14 issues as well as some new material is now set for a hardcover release.

Rybandt talked about several of Dynamite’s projects to the retailers assembled for the ComicsPRO annual meeting in Las Vegas.   “The Boys” vol. 1, from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, is now in its third printing.  Volume 2 is now in stock, and volume 3 will follow this year. 

Rybandt reiterated the involvement by painter Alex Ross in “Project Superpowers,” from Dynamite, and “Avengers/Invaders” from Marvel, being packaged by Dynamite. 

“Each issue (of Project: Superpowers) has the character work that Alex has done for the series in the background of the issues,” Rybandt said.  “Alex is as involved in every aspect of both (”Project: Superpowers”) and ”Avengers-Invaders” as anyone could possibly be. From plot to script to reviewing the pencils to providing art to reviewing the colors, the whole nine yards.”

Rybandt showed an Alex Ross cover for “Red Sonja” No. 30.  He said issues 30-34 would be “done in one” stories by rotating creative teams.   Issue No. 34 would be a one-issue story by writer Brian Reed and artist Mel Rubi, who become the regular creative team with issue No. 35. 

“Lone Ranger” will be back from Dynamite soon; issue No. 11 was resolicited for April.   Paul Pope and Sergio Cariello provide the art.   Issues 12-15 are scripted, and Dynamite is working on getting back to a monthly release schedule.   The other Lone Ranger book from Dynamite, “Lone Ranger and Tonto,” is slated to come out quarterly.

“The Man with No Name” No. 1 ships from Dynamite in May.   The series will have a 1-in-10 Arthur Sudyam variant cover.  The book is based on the Clint Eastwood films starring the Man with No Name.  The writer is Christos Gage, and the artist is Wellington Dias.  Richard Isanove provides the cover to No. 1.

– Matt Price

By Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor

The antihero of “Guy Ritchie’s Gamekeeper” returns for a second comic-book series from Virgin Comics, this time with a new creative team.

Warner Bros. has acquired the film rights to “Gamekeeper,” with Joel Silver (”The Matrix”) attached to produce, and Guy Ritchie on board to direct. Now, Virgin Comics and Ritchie are back with a brand new story arc.

Writer Jeff Parker joins artists Ron Randall and Ron Chan for this second storyline starring Brock, the gamekeeper.

A formula that contains the means to produce cold fusion drags Brock back into the world of espionage and black ops.

Randall explained his role in the process in a recent conference call:

“I do the breakdowns, or the laying out of the story,” Randall said. “Where I see my major role in this thing is try to follow through on two things: One is the intention of Jeff in the story that he’s written, which of course goes back to following through with the original intentions in the first series and creating a cinematically paced and visually arresting adventure story.”

Chan takes those breakdowns and provides finished art, which is colored in-house by artists working for Virgin Comics.

Parker said the stoic Brock is a different character than those that often populate Ritchie’s films.

“What’s interesting about the first arc is that it’s so 180 degrees from what you’d think of as a Guy Ritchie project, because it introduces this extremely stoic character who’s all action and no talk,” Parker said. “What I was thinking would be fun with the second one, once that was really thoroughly established, how Brock worked, was to then slam him back into what you think of as a more conventional Guy Ritchie, London-underground crime movie.”

Parker created a London-based group of gangsters, called “The Soccer Club,” to populate the second series.

“That’s because they tend to use soccer terminology in reference to what they’re talking about, whether that’s stealing something or killing someone,” Parker said.

The sharpshooter known as The Raven heads the Soccer Club, and he’s been tasked with eliminating Brock.

Randall said it’s been stimulating to work with Parker, with whom he and Chan share a studio.

“We both want to tell a story that moves with velocity, and establish compelling characters, just the basic principles of doing a good comic book,” Randall said.

Wednesday March 19
4:00PM, 5:00, 6:30, 8:00, 9:30 Free Airport Shuttle Pickups at Las Vegas McCarran Airport, sponsored by Cartoon Books

7PM— Informal “Meet & Greet” for early arriving attendees.

Thursday March 20
All Day
Hospitality Suite — sponsored by Slave Labor Graphics

POS System Demonstrations from Bitter End Systems (MOBY Point-of-Sale) and Diamond Comic Distributors (Microsoft RMS with ComicSuite)

10:30 – Noon
Opening Session (Full & Associate Members only)

Noon – 2:00
Lunch sponsored by Diamond Comics Distributors & Alliance Games Distribution

2:00 – 3:30
After-Lunch Session (Full & Associate Members only) includes announcement of election results, introduction of new Directors and member discussions

3:30 – 4:30
Position Papers (Full & Associate Members only) — discussion of past position papers and possible future position papers

4:30 – 5:30
Industry discussion with attending publishers and distributors

5:30 – 6:00
Break

6:00 – 7:00
“Streetfighting” with Allan Caplan— The marketing master behind Inkworks Cards shares from his lifetime of experience in retail marketing.

7:00 – 9:00
Dinner sponsored by DC Comics

Friday March 21
All Day
Hospitality Suite — sponsored by Slave Labor Graphics

POS System Demonstrations from Bitter End Systems (MOBY Point-of-Sale) and Diamond Comic Distributors (Microsoft RMS with ComicSuite)

8:00 – 9:30
Breakfast sponsored by Graphitti Designs

9:30 – 10:15
Sponsor Presentations from Graphitti Designs and Cartoon Books (Full and Associate Members only)

10:15 – 11:00
Non-Profit Presentations from Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and The HERO Initiative

11:00 – Noon
Changing Perceptions—Industry Public Relations: How can we change the perception of our industry? Facilitated by Joe Field, Flying Colors Comics (Concord CA)

Store Fixtures—Sources & strategies for outfitting your retail space. Facilitated by Rick Lowell, Casablanca Comics (Portland ME)

Noon – 2:00
Lunch sponsored by Bitter End Systems – MOBY POS

2:00 – 3:00
POS System Discussion — What is your store looking for in a Point-of-Sale system? The designers of two comics industry-specific systems, Mark Richman from Bitter End Systems and Mark Winsor and Cheryl Sleboda from Diamond Comic Distributors will be available to listen to suggestions and answer questions. Facilitated by Gary Dills, Phoenix Comics (Herndon VA)

3:00 – 4:00
“Covering Your Assets” Tips on insuring a small business by Jim Camburn from SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives)

Selling on the Internet— Methods for selling online and concerns about online selling. Facilitated by Amanda Fisher, Muse Comics (Missoula MT)

“Who Are Your Customers?” Studying demographics, methods of data collection, using your data and determining “target” customers. Facilitated by Benjamin Trujillo, Star Clipper (St. Louis MO)

4:00 – 5:00
Managing Your Business Effectively— Tips on Managing Your Business Effectively by Bob Cushman from SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives)

Human Resources –Strategies, Policies and Procedures. Facilitated by Gary Dills

Marketing Programs— Retailers share their marketing successes and failures. Facilitated by Joe Field

5:00 – 5:30
Break

5:30 – 7:00
Working Together More Effectively— an open discussion with attending publishers and distributors. Facilitated by Carr D’Angelo, Earth-2 Comics (Sherman Oaks CA)

7:00 – 9:00
Dinner & Closing Remarks Sponsored by Dynamite Entertainment & Top Cow Productions

Saturday March 22
8:30 AM, 10:00, 11:30, 12:30, 1:30 Free Airport Shuttle Pickups at Texas Station, sponsored by Cartoon Books

“ComicsPRO is pleased that representatives from other companies will also be attending, including Dark Horse Comics and Marvel Comics, ” said Joe Field, ComicsPRO President. “With the active involvement of dozens of retailers and other comics business professionals, we have all the right ingredients for a very productive meeting.”

ComicsPRO President Pro-Tem Chris Powell, whose duties include strategy and planning for the membership meeting, noted “I’m thrilled with the schedule we have arranged for the meeting. We’re devoting a great deal of time to roundtables and discussions that our members have expressed an interest in, and we’ll also have several informative presentations from our guest speakers. With last year’s first Annual Meeting such a great success and learning experience, I believe attending retailers and our business partners will take even more home from this year’s meeting.”

ComicsPRO’s mission:
* For direct market retailers to speak with a single, strong voice on important industry issues,
* To provide educational and mentoring opportunities to current and future retailers with the goal of growing the comics specialty market
* To offer benefits that will reduce some of the fixed costs that all direct market retailers incur.

Information is available at http://ComicsPRO.org.

From Friday’s The Oklahoman: 

By Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor

WORD BALLOONS

The second part of the “Green Lantern Corps” story by University of Oklahoma graduate Sterling Gates hit stores this week. In “Green Lantern Corps” No. 22, “The Curse of the Alpha Lanterns” concludes.

The Alpha Lanterns are the Internal Affairs officers of the Green Lantern Corps.

“The Alpha Lanterns, which were created by (writer) Grant Morrison, are a complete mystery, and it was up to me and (writer) Geoff (Johns) to flesh out their purpose and put a spin on them and their relationships to keep them from being ‘just another Green Lantern’” Gates said. “By creating a new style of Green Lantern (an internal affairs division), Grant has added a new wrinkle into the equation that’s a lot of fun for us to play with and explore.”

In “Curse of the Alpha Lanterns,” Alpha Lantern Boodikka comes face-to-face with her past, as she finds out her sister, Zale, has been made a Green Lantern.

“It pays off all of the threads we set up in ‘Green Lantern Corps’ No. 21 in a way that has never been done before, and shows a side to the Alpha Lanterns that no one will see coming,” Gates said.

Sterling Gates, a 2005 University of Oklahoma graduate, grew up in Tulsa and attended Edison High School, which is now Edison Preparatory Academy.

From Friday’s The Oklahoman

By Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor

Oklahoma comic-book fans can meet the artist of the first appearance of Wolverine at the Tulsa Comic Con, Saturday and Sunday.

Herb Trimpe, who drew “The Incredible Hulk” for eight years, introduced Wolverine as a foe for the Hulk in “Incredible Hulk” No. 181. (Wolverine also appeared in the final panel of “Incredible Hulk” No. 180, drawn by Trimpe.)

Trimpe joins several other guests at the Tulsa Comic Con, which is Saturday and Sunday, at the Econo Lodge at 11620 E Skelly Drive in Tulsa.

“Ghost Rider” co-creator Gary Friedrich also is scheduled to be at the convention.  He wrote titles for Marvel Comics including “Incredible Hulk,” “Daredevil” and “Captain
America.”

Also appearing at the convention is Rich Buckler, who has drawn issues of comic books including “All-Star Squadron,” “Black Panther,” “War of the Worlds,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Justice League,” “Teen Titans,” “X-Men,” “Superman,” “Batman,” “Detective Comics” and “Wonder Woman.”  He co-created “Deathlok the Demolisher” in the pages of “Astonishing Tales” with writer Doug Moench. He is perhaps best known for his 1970s run on “Fantastic Four.”

Other guests include: RA Jones, Steve Erwin, Michael Vance, Jeremy Haun, John Wooley, Rob Davis and Selina Rosen.

Kyle Roberts and I run down some of this week’s releases in the comics podcast.

Matt: Dynamite is doing, I think, a really good job with a lot of different genre Western stuff …  (Lone Ranger & Tonto) is a little bit of a dark Western but a very good one.  I was a little disturbed by parts of the story, but I can’t really say that it was a bad story.  There’s some people being murdered on the frontier, and the Lone Ranger and Tonto investigate. They think that one thing is happening and find out that another thing is happening that is maybe even a little darker and creepier than what we’d expected.  … This is another one that I enjoy, and I’m glad to see more options for Western characters. … If you’re enjoying the regular Lone Ranger, give Lone Ranger & Tonto a look.  It’s got a nice John Cassaday cover,  it’s written by Brett Matthews with John Abrams, and the art is by Marco Guevara.

University of Oklahoma graduate Sterling Gates and artist Nelson wrap up their two-part “Green Lantern Corps” storyline, “The Curse of the Alpha Lanterns,” tying into events in “Green Lantern” and the upcoming “Final Crisis.”

Boodikka discovers that her sister, Zale, is the Green Lantern who has been disobeying Guardian summons.  The story flashes back to Boodikka’s pre-Alpha Lantern days, as she faces a Emerald Twilight-era Hal Jordan.

Boodikka discovers what’s been happening with her former allies, the Bellatrix Bombers, and how Zale is involved.  Boodikka’s take on the situation doesn’t allow for shades of grey — but the Guardians make a decision that seems fair, and should set up some interesting storytelling possibilities down the road.

The continuing evolution of Boodikka’s character is well-crafted by Gates; the changes wrought by the Alpha Lantern process have changed the former warrior woman with authority issues into the ultimate authority.  Her sister is a window to both her past, and her previous self.

Gates sets up a nice family-versus-duty dynamic that ties up successfully while more fully exploring the relatively new Alpha Lantern concept.  Nelson keeps the story moving, and has a good feel for action scenes.

– Matt Price 

Artist Dave Stevens, perhaps best-known as the creator of “The Rocketeer,” died Monday, as reported by Stevens’ friend Mark Evanier.

Evanier, a comic-book and animation writer, wrote at his blog at www.newsfromme.com:

“‘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.”

“The Rocketeer” was turned into a film by Disney in 1991, for which Stevens served as a co-producer.

Stevens was also known for his art of glamorous women, including Page, who Stevens later befriended, according to Evanier.

Local retailer Jim Lane remembered Stevens as a classic illustrator.  

 “He was almost the modern age godfather of pin-up art,” said Lane, a longtime Stevens fan who owns Dragonfyre Comics, 4528 NW 16. “Even though there are other masters of the pin-up, he was this era’s.”

Stevens died following a long battle with leukemia. He was 52.

– Matt Price

Joss Whedon fans will be pleased to see a new “Serenity” series shipping from Dark Horse this week.  The sleeper hit “Locke & Key,” by New York Times bestselling author and Stephen King scion Joe Hill has its second issue release this week.   “Atomic Robo,” which should appeal to Mike Mignola fans, closes out its initial miniseries this week. (Look for an “Atomic Robo” issue on Free Comic Book Day.)   OU graduate Sterling Gates closes out his “Alpha Lanterns” story in this week’s “Green Lantern Corps.” 

Comics 

ABE SAPIEN THE DROWNING #2 (OF 5)

AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL #18

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #553

ANNIHILATION CONQUEST #5 (OF 6)

ARCHIE & FRIENDS #117

ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #5

ATOMIC ROBO #6 (OF 6)

AVENGERS FAIRY TALES #1 (OF 4)

AVENGERS INITIATIVE #10

BADGER SAVES THE WORLD #3 (OF 5)

BAT LASH #4 (OF 6)

BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #14

BATMAN STRIKES #43

BOOSTER GOLD #7

BPRD 1946 #3 (OF 5)

CIVIL WAR CHRONICLES #9

COMIC BOOK COMICS #1

COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS 7

COUNTDOWN TO MYSTERY #6 (OF

DEAD OF NIGHT FEATURING MAN THING #2 (OF 4) (MR)

DMZ #29 (MR)

DOCTOR WHO #2

EVIL DEAD #3 (OF 4)

FANTASTIC FOUR #555

FOUNDATION #3 (OF 5) (RES)

GAMEKEEPER SERIES 2 #1

GEN 13 #18

GI JOE
AMERICAS ELITE #33

GOON #22

GOTHAM UNDERGROUND #6 (OF 9)

GREEN ARROW BLACK CANARY #6

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #22

GRIMM FAIRY TALES #24 (MR) (C: 0-0-2)

GUTSVILLE #3 (OF 6) (MR)

HEDGE KNIGHT 2 SWORN SWORD #5 (OF 6)

IRON MAN ENTER MANDARIN #6 (OF 6)

JLA CLASSIFIED #54

LAST DEFENDERS #1 (OF 6)

LEGION OF SUPER HEROES IN THE 31ST CENTURY #12

LOCKE & KEY #2

LONE RANGER AND TONTO #1 (C: 0-1-1)

MADMAN ATOMIC COMICS #7

MAINTENANCE #9 (MR)

MARVEL ADVENTURES HULK #9

MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #7

MARVEL ILLUSTRATED MOBY DICK #2 (OF 6)

MIGHTY AVENGERS #10

NEW EXILES #3

NOVA #11

PALOOKA VILLE #19 (MR)

PUNISHER #55 (MR)

SALVATION RUN #5 (OF 7)

SCREAMLAND #1 (OF 5)

SERENITY BETTER DAYS #1 (OF 3)

SIMON DARK #6

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #186

STAR WARS LEGACY #21 (C: 1-0-0)

STAR WARS REBELLION #12 (C: 1-0-0)

SUICIDE SQUAD RAISE THE FLAG #7 (OF

SUPERMAN #674

SUPERMAN CONFIDENTIAL #13

THUNDERBOLTS #119

TINY TITANS #2

UN-MEN #8 (MR)

WALKING DEAD #47 (MR)

WILDSTORM REVELATIONS #5 (OF 6)

WOLVERINE #63 DWS

WONDER WOMAN #18

X-FACTOR #29 DWS

Trade paperbacks/graphic novels

30 DAYS OF NIGHT TP VOL 09 BEYOND BARROW (MR)

AVENGERS INITIATIVE TP VOL 01 BASIC TRAINING

CONAN TP VOL 05 ROGUES IN THE HOUSE (C: 0-1-3)

DMZ TP VOL 04 FRIENDLY FIRE (MR)

EMPOWERED TP VOL 03 (MR) (C: 0-1-2)

GET BACKERS GN VOL 23 (OF 37) (MR)

GHOST RIDER TP VOL 04 REVELATIONS

HARVEY COMICS CLASSICS TP VOL 03 HOT STUFF (C: 0-1-2)

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL HC

LOBO PORTRAIT OF A BASTICH TP

MAGICIAN APPRENTICE PREM HC VOL 2 DM ED

MARVEL ILLUSTRATED LAST OF THE MOHICANS PREM HC

MARVEL ILLUSTRATED MAN IN THE IRON MASK PREM HC

MARVEL ILLUSTRATED

TREASURE
ISLAND PREM HC

ROBIN THE BIG LEAGUES TP

SHOWCASE PRESENTS PHANTOM STRANGER TP VOL 02

SPEED RACER TP VOL 03

SPIDER-MAN RED SONJA PREM HC

SPIDER-MAN FAMILY TP UNTOLD TEAM UPS DIGEST

TERMINATOR OMNIBUS VOL 02 (C: 0-1-2)

WITCHBLADE TP VOL 03 (C: 0-0-2)X-MEN TP DIE BY THE SWORD

Marvel has announced that “Cable” #1, spinning out of the X-Men: Messiah Complex crossover, has sold out at the distributor level.

Written by novelist Duane Swierczynski (Moon Knight Annual) and artist Ariel Olivetti (Punisher War Journal), the new series sends Cable to the future with the mutant baby at the heart of X-Men: Messiah Complex — the first mutant born since the “House of M” crossover in which the Scarlet Witch mystically reduced the number of mutants in the Marvel Universe.

“Honestly, I’m stunned. Gobsmacked,” said Swierczynski in a release. “I’m also feeling grateful as hell right now — grateful that Axel gave me a crack at this, and grateful to everyone on the X-team who brilliantly cued up the story in pages of Messiah CompleX. And I’m grateful that X-fans took a chance with it — and I hope they stick with it over the next few issues, because there are a lot of surprises to come!”

– Matt Price

Marvel Comics sent out a preview of “Amazing Spider-Man” No. 555, featuring the team-up of Spider-Man, Wolverine and Dr. Strange against a deadly storm that’s engulfing New York City.   Writer Zeb Wells joins penciller Chris Bachalo, with a variant cover by Simone Bianchi.

“It’s a cold story with a new type of enemy for Spidey,” said editor Steve Wacker in a release. “Between Zeb’s unique voice and Chris’s always breathtaking and groundbreaking work…this is the month that many fans have been waiting for most and they won’t be disappointed.”

– Matt Price

From Friday’s The Oklahoman:

By Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor

WORD BALLOONS

Three comic-book creators who took self-publishing to great heights are returning with new comic-book series in 2008.

Jeff Smith created “Bone,” a million-selling all-ages fantasy epic that’s now being reprinted in color by Scholastic.

Terry Moore created “Strangers in Paradise,” a long-running romantic comedy-drama which won him an Eisner Award.

And Dave Sim, who preceded both of them with “Cerebus,” created the longest-running independent comic of all time, clocking in at 300 issues.

Smith returned to his self-publishing roots first, with “RASL,” the first issue of which shipped last week. RASL stars an art thief who can shift through dimensions. “RASL” is the tag he leaves behind in place of the stolen art. It’s intended for mature readers.

“So if you were a really rich person who wants to collect, say, a Mona Lisa, you could pay RASL, and he’ll go to another dimension and steal the Mona Lisa for you,” Smith told Newsarama.com.

Texas-based Terry Moore released three issues of his comedy-drama ‘Strangers in Paradise’ through Antarctic Press, before moving to self-publishing the book through his own Abstract Studios. He’s known for his strong female characters, and his new book, “Echo,” released this week, also has a female lead.

He told the Pulse (www.comicon.com/pulse) that Julie, the lead of “Echo,” will be distinct from the women in “Strangers in Paradise.”

“She is new and unique,” Moore said. “I think she lives in the same world and time as the SIP characters, but the story takes place in the Yosemite National Park, near Lake Mono. She is an outdoor person, very down to earth and likable, but her marriage is going down the tubes, and she lives alone. Nothing is going right in her life, the collection agencies are calling, her credit is cut off, she and her dog are sharing the same food. Then this incredible thing happens. The story is what she does about it.”

Sim’s new title, “glamourpuss,” is set for an April release. According to a release from Aardvark-Vanaheim, Sim’s publishing company, glamourpuss is partly Sim’s take on the history of photorealism in comics (starting with Alex Raymond’s Rip Kirby in 1946), partly a fashion magazine parody and partly a “sincerely weird super-heroine comic.”

“I’m starting it the same way I started ‘Cerebus,’” said Sim in the release. “Three bi-monthly issues and we’ll see how it goes from there.”

In addition to “glamourpuss,” Sim has created the more serious work “Judenhass,” a one-shot graphic novel slated for a May release.

Three years in the making, “Judenhass” is an examination of the Holocaust, in photorealistic comic-book form. “Judenhass” is the German word for Jew hatred. Sim began the project in response to the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 2005; it will be released during the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel.

“I wanted to make it as accessible as possible to as many people as possible,” Sim says at the project’s Web site, www.judenhass.com. “I’ve heard that schools in Canada have stopped teaching the Holocaust even in the very limited way they used to teach it: as part of their limited coverage of the Second World War. I hope that by keeping ‘Judenhass’ to 48 pages — it can be read in about 20 to 25 minutes even by a slow reader — and keeping the cover price at $4 that I could persuade a certain number of schools to use it as a teaching supplement.”

– Matt Price

The application can be downloaded from the Marvel fan page on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=10581931929 

“Facebook is an extraordinary outlet to communicate with and entertain Marvel fans,” said John Dokes, Vice President, Online Operations and Marketing, Marvel Entertainment, Inc., in a release. “This clearly extends our Internet reach and familiarizes a new fan base with all of the cool things happening with Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited and Marvel.com.”

Users can browse all Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited titles by series, creators, characters or the newest added to the collection, and see which comics their friends are reading.  

Subscribers to Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited gain access to a library of Marvel comics now numbering more than 3,000.

– Matt Price

“Our store has participated in 24HCD since its inception, and the event has always generated a great amount of local press as well as national press,” ComicsPRO board member Rick Lowell (Casablanca Comics, Portland ME) said in a release. “We’ve partnered with arts venues in the city to expose comics to a much wider audience. The opportunity for stores to reach out to the public with such events is important for the continued health and growth of the comics market. With ComicsPRO’s involvement in managing this event, that opportunity should continue for years to come.” 

The date of the 2008 24 Hour Comics Day has yet to be announced.

For more information, visit http://ComicsPRO.org.