Like Pete Sampras in the 1996 U.S. Open against Alex Corretja, I fought off illness and exhaustion to bring you this week’s NewsOK Comics Podcast with Kyle Roberts. We talk about the excellent week DC Comics had, with new issues of Supergirl, Adventure Comics and Flash Rebirth, and about Spider-Man’s trip into the Gauntlet with Amazing Spider-Man 612. Check it out.

- Matt Price

Tulsa-born writer Sterling Gates is joined by two Supergirl superstars for “Supergirl” No. 50.  Artwork from the late Michael Turner will be the cover of “Supergirl” No. 50.  A back-up story will be written by “Supergirl” actress Helen Slater and Jake Black. 

As revealed in the Superman family solicitations at Newsarama.com, the issue is set for release on Feb. 17 and will run 56 pages for $4.99.   Joshua Middleton, the series’ regular artist, will provide a 1-in-10 variant cover for the issue.

It’s the second “Supergirl” news featuring Slater in recent weeks. The actress also provided the introduction to “Supergirl: Who Is Superwoman?,” the collection of “Supergirl” issues by Gates and artist Jamal Igle released this week.

- Matt Price

Doc Savage is making his way back to comics. The once wildly popular pulp character co-stars with Batman in the one-shot “Batman/Doc Savage” this week.

Brian Azzarello (“100 Bullets”) is the writer of the “Batman/Doc Savage” Special, illustrated by Phil Noto.

Doc Savage has a long history in comic books, pulp magazines, radio and even movies.

Moore author Mel Odom said Doc Savage was among his favorites as a youngster.

“I grew up on the character — tougher than Tarzan, braver than Batman,” he said. “(I) took my younger brothers to see the 1975 George Pal ‘Doc Savage’ movie.”

And Doc Savage could return to the silver screen as well. Aintitcoolnews.com recently reported Shane Black (“Lethal Weapon”) was working on a Doc Savage script.

Through his worldwide jaunts, Doc Savage came at least twice to the Sooner State.

“At least two Doc novels take place in Oklahoma, ‘The Secret in the Sky,’ May 1935, and ‘The Derrick Devil,’ February 1937,” said Larry Latham, pulp fiction expert and creator of the “Lovecraft Is Missing” Web comic.

Doc Savage was an adventurer and scientist who had globe-spanning adventures with his band of assistants.

Lester Dent wrote most of the 181 novels featuring Doc Savage, which were released under the Street & Smith “house name” of Kenneth Robeson. And Dent had even closer ties to Oklahoma than his “Man of Bronze” character.

Though Dent was born in La Plata, Mo., Latham said Dent lived and worked in Oklahoma from 1925 to late 1930, in Bartlesville, Ponca City, Chickasha and Tulsa.

“In Tulsa, he worked for The Associated Press office at the Tulsa World,” Latham said in an e-mail. Latham said articles by Will Murray, Dent’s literary executor and biographer and a personal friend of Dent’s wife, Norma, indicated that during this time Dent was an avid reader of the pulp magazines.

“He worked midnight to 8 a.m. and read a lot of pulps,” Latham said. “One of his co-workers, Lester Foster, sold a story, and so Dent took up writing as a way to make some extra money.”

He wrote 13 stories before selling his first to Street & Smith in 1929, living in Tulsa and working at The Associated Press, and also as a telegrapher at a Tulsa stock brokerage until 1930.

Dell Publishing in New York offered Dent a full-time job writing in late 1930, Latham said, and the Dents moved there. Not too long after, Street & Smith hired him to write Doc Savage.

In addition to Doc Savage, Dent wrote a variety of other pulp genres before his death on March 11, 1959. But there was one genre of which he wasn’t particularly fond.

Murray quotes him as saying: “I was raised on a ranch. Now wouldn’t I be crazy to go writing about something I knew all about?”

by Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman ]]> http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/2009/11/13/character-makes-savage-return-to-comics/feed/ 0 http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/2009/11/09/rock-band-guitar-hero-to-highlight-norman-library-event/ http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/2009/11/09/rock-band-guitar-hero-to-highlight-norman-library-event/#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:01:19 +0000 nerdblog http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/?p=5676

The Norman Public Library will host an adult gaming night from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13 in the Lowry Room.  Those 18 and over can join in the games, which will include Rock Band, Guitar Hero, Dance Dance Revolution, Halo 3, Left for Dead, and more.  Systems available will include Xbox 360, Playstation 2, and the Nintendo Wii.

No registration is required for the event. For more information, contact Norman librarian Jamie Hale at 701-2620 or stop by the Norman Information Services Desk.

According to MTV’s Splash Page blog, Tulsa author S.E. Hinton will bring several projects to comic books, from Bluewater Productions.

The first project will adapt Hinton’s young adult novel “Taming of the Star Runner.”  That series is planned for early 2010.

According to the Splash Page, Hinton’s children’s book “The Puppy Sister” is set to be adapted, and Hinton

S.E. Hinton

plans to create an entirely new title for Bluewater.  Don Smith, CW Cooke, Guilherme Rafid and Yasir Fajardo will collaborate on Hinton’s projects, according to the blog.

“I grew up reading S.E. Hinton’s books, so to bring these to a graphic novel format is a dream come true for me,” said Bluewater publisher Darren G. Davis at MTV Splash Page. “The best part is getting to work with Hinton one on one. We have talked about the new title, which is on the lines of her iconic work ‘The Outsiders.’”

Hinton is one of Oklahoma’s best-known authors. It’ll be interesting to see the local response to comics based on her work.

- Matt Price

World’s Finest #1, kicking off a miniseries teaming Superman and Batman family characters, is in stores today, written by Tulsa native Sterling Gates.

At DC Comics’ official “Source” blog, Gates is called a “writer to watch.”

“Gates has made a name for himself for his tight plotting and knack for strong and precise characterization,” blogger Alex Segura writes.

Meanwhile, at Newsarama, Vaneta Rogers has an extended Q&A with Gates about the series.

“The Batman universe is so full of change right now. So is the Superman universe,” Gates tells Newsarama. “Bruce Wayne is dead and Superman has left the planet Earth to be with his own people on New Krypton. The world is suddenly without its two greatest heroes. To me, that makes it a very exciting time for the DC Universe. You’re seeing new and different characters come to the forefront and stepping up to fill the void left with Superman and Batman gone.”

Gates talked to Nerdage back in September about the project:

“Each issue focuses on a different Batman-Universe hero and villain teaming up with a different Superman-Universe hero and villain,” Gates said. “So, you’re getting four great characters coming into conflict, and you just have to sit back and watch the fireworks.”

Gates said ” World’s Finest” also has some of his “all-time favorite villains.”

“Catwoman’s in there, Mr. Freeze, Penguin, Kryptonite Man, Toyman,” he said. “It’s gonna take all of these heroes working together to rein these supervillains in!”

- Matt Price

Kristin Chenoweth, left, was chosen as a celebrity look-alike for Sally Brown, right.

Is your child a ringer for Linus, with or without security blanket? If your son or daughter has the look of a “Peanuts” comic strip character, you can submit photos at www.peanutsphotocontest.com.

Entries can be submitted through Nov. 3, and the grand prize is an all-expense-paid trip for four to Cedar Fair amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, home of Planet Snoopy.

Jill Schulz, daughter of “Peanuts” creator Charles Schulz, will join judge Jo Frost (“Supernanny”) and two Oklahomans — Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood — in selecting finalists. The public vote begins Nov. 11.

Brooks and Yearwood are fans of the “Peanuts” characters, Jill Schulz said.

“They are also great role models for parents today and advocates for children in general,” Schulz said in an e-mail interview. “And, they know the work involved in posing for the camera — not to mention getting your kids to do it!”

Schulz says that, over the years, she’s heard from many fans about “Peanuts” look-alikes.

“Practically every fan we’ve ever met has told us that they have a particular Peanuts character they relate to — or that a family member, friend or child reminds them of a certain ‘Peanuts’ character,” Jill Schulz said. “With the 60th anniversary coming up, this seemed like the perfect time to give people the chance to share their stories — and their pictures!

“Also, our team met Simon Pegg at Comic-Con a year ago, and he said that people are always telling him he looks like Charlie Brown. That inspired us to follow up with a gallery of celebrity look-alikes.”

The celebrity look-alikes include Oklahoma’s Kristin Chenoweth, who is matched with Sally, Charlie Brown’s younger sisters. Chenoweth even played Sally in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” on Broadway.

“Whether in costume for ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’ or not, Kristin really captures the essence of Sally’s personality,” Jill Schulz said. “Their physical resemblance is remarkable, of course. Both are petite perky blondes who look great in pink — with spunky attitudes to match, too!”

Jill Schulz is a former professional ice skater, dancer and actress and now oversees Woodstock Ice Productions and also directs and choreographs the All Wheels Xtreme sports entertainment shows. She lives in Santa Barbara, Calif., with her husband, Aaron, and children, Kylie, 11, and Tyler, 7.

“I know my dad would have loved this project,” Jill Schulz said. “Growing up, I would always hear fans ask him, ‘Which character are you most like?’ Occasionally, he would say ‘Charlie Brown,’ but more often than not, he would simply say, ‘Read the strip, and you will know me.’ Personally, I believe there was a little bit of each character in him — and I know he would have enjoyed seeing how other people had fun with it all!”

- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman ]]> http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/2009/10/23/contest-to-reward-peanuts-look-alikes/feed/ 0 http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/2009/10/13/high-moon-takes-harvey-award/ http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/2009/10/13/high-moon-takes-harvey-award/#comments Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:12:34 +0000 nerdblog http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/?p=5472

Congratulations to former Oklahoma resident David Gallaher, whose “High Moon” was named Best Online Comics Work at this weekend’s Harvey Awards in Baltimore.

Check out the comic for yourself at http://www.zudacomics.com/high_moon or in the recent print collection.

The Beat has the full list of winners.

- Matt Price

Related posts:

Oklahoma among inspirations for High Moon series.

High Moon continues on Zuda.

TULSA — A former “Uncanny X-Men” artist and the writer of “Supergirl” are among the scheduled guests at this weekend’s Tulsa Anime & Comic Expo.

Whilce Portacio, who drew “Uncanny X-Men” during the comics boom and was the creator of “Wetworks,” is among the show’s guests. Portacio is currently the artist of Todd McFarlane’s “Spawn.” He was the plotter and penciller of “Uncanny X-Men” following Chris Claremont’s exodus from the books in the late 1990s, and introduced the Bishop character in “Uncanny X-Men” No. 282.

Tulsa native Sterling Gates plans to return to his hometown, celebrating this week’s release of “Action Comics” No. 881, part one of a four-part crossover Gates is writing with Greg Rucka. Gates said he was looking forward to returning to his former stomping grounds.

“I always look forward to any time I get to spend in Tulsa, but what really excites me is to be a part of Wizard’s Asylum’s convention,” said Gates, current writer of DC Comics’ “Supergirl.”

“I always really miss Oklahoma’s beautiful fall weather, so it’ll be great to see Tulsa in the full fall swing.”

Gates’ next major project is “World’s Finest,” a crossover between characters from the “Superman” and “Batman” families of books.

“Each issue focuses on a different Batman-Universe hero and villain teaming up with a different Superman-Universe hero and villain,” Gates said. “So, you’re getting four great characters coming into conflict, and you just have to sit back and watch the fireworks.”

Gates said “World’s Finest,” which kicks off Oct. 28, also has some of his “all-time favorite villains.”

“Catwoman’s in there, Mr. Freeze, Penguin, Kryptonite Man, Toyman,” he said. “It’s gonna take all of these heroes working together to rein these supervillains in!”

“Dragon Ball” voice actor Sonny Strait also is scheduled to appear at the convention.

Comic-book artists scheduled to appear include Michael Lark (”Daredevil”), Tommy Castillo (”Detective Comics”), Josh Howard (”Dead@17”), Brian Denham (”Violator vs. Badrock”), John Lucas (”Deadpool”), Ben Dunn (”Ninja High School”) and Jeremy Haun (”Berserker”). Writer Gary Friedrich, the creator of “Ghost Rider,” is also a guest of the convention.

The dealer’s room of the show will be open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Evening events will run 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday. The event will be in Tulsa Convention Center, 100 Civic Center.

- by Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

LOS ANGELES — A U.S. Marshal investigating a murder at the bottom of the world is the premise of “Whiteout,” the graphic novel by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber, which was adapted into a motion picture starring Kate Beckinsale.

The comic-book limited series “Whiteout” from Oni Press was a big success in late 1990s. The sequel, “Whiteout: Melt,” nabbed the Eisner Award for best limited series.

At the press conference for the film “Whiteout,” Rucka said it’s an honor to see his creation make the jump to the silver screen, as a lot of comic books and graphic novels never make that jump.

“I’m still in awed shock that it made it this far, honestly,” Rucka said. “Steve Lieber and I created a comic to tell the story we wanted to tell. … All you can really be is incredibly flattered that this idea that you created in one format, because that was the format that you were working in, is something that somebody wants to take the time and the effort to translate.”

This month, Rucka’s moving from the icy wasteland of “Whiteout” to the heated action of “The Hunt for Reactron.”

The four-part crossover between “Action Comics” and “Supergirl” follows the “Codename: Patriot” storyline and features Supergirl, Nightwing and Flamebird on the hunt for Reactron, the villain who killed Supergirl’s father, Zor-El.

Supergirl and Flamebird, best friends in childhood, have been at odds since Zor-El’s death. But both want the man who killed Zor-El brought to justice. This Nightwing isn’t Dick Grayson, but is Chris Kent, Superman’s adopted son.

Rucka is co-writing the crossover with “Supergirl” writer Sterling Gates, a University of Oklahoma graduate.

“Sterling is fantastic, he’s a great collaborator,” Rucka said at the “Whiteout” film junket. “I’m loving writing with Sterling. He and I are doing two issues of ‘Action’ (and) two issues of ‘Supergirl’ together.”

The crossover begins in Wednesday’s “Action Comics” 881 and continues in “Supergirl” 45, on sale Sept. 23. The story concludes in October’s issues of “Action Comics” and “Supergirl.”

- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Things light up with Torch #1, and it’s the end of the world as we know it in Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #2. In Supergirl Annual 1, find out the origin of Superwoman and visit a day in the life of Linda Lang.

- Matt Price

Oklahoma native Larry Latham, creator of the Web comic Lovecraft is Missing, talks about his current work, as well as his years working on animated properties from Super Friends to TaleSpin, in this video.

A page from "Lovecraft is Missing."

If you watched cartoons in the 1980s, odds are you were exposed to the work of Tulsa’s Larry Latham. The 1975 University of Oklahoma graduate is an Emmy nominee, working on shows including “DuckTales,” “Smurfs,” “TaleSpin” and “Super Friends.”

Larry Latham

“I worked on a wide diversity of stuff,” Latham said. “When I started at Hanna Barbera, the first show I worked on was the Godzilla Power Hour, with Doug Wildey, one of the greats of comic books, and Dave Stevens of ‘The Rocketeer.’”

Now returned to Oklahoma from Los Angeles, Latham creates the Web comic “Lovecraft is Missing.”

Latham says he’s always been a fan of author H.P. Lovecraft, and was even part of the group helped raise money to provide a grave marker for the author. He’s turning that love into a mystery comic that takes the premise: What if Lovecraft’s stories were real?

New “Lovecraft is Missing” pages go up every Friday at lovecraftismissing.com.

While Lovecraft’s Chthulu tales are horror classics, Lovecraft has a science fictional basis, Latham said.

“One of his key precepts is that this stuff isn’t supernatural, it’s alien,” Latham said. “It’s so advanced it appears to be magic.”

Latham first developed “Lovecraft is Missing” as a CD-ROM game back in 1994. But after the crash of the CD-ROM market, the concept went back on the shelf. It was under development as an animated series in the late 1990s by Film Roman, but after some creative differences, the rights reverted back to Latham.

After first pitching the project as a graphic novel, Latham in 2008 began working to bring his story to the Internet as a Web comic. Eric Lee, co-creator of the web comic Boodachitaville, helped Latham learn some of the tricks of the Web comic trade.

Latham’s comic fandom goes way back, as he was a founding member of the Oklahoma Alliance of Fans, a pioneering comic fan club that began in the late 1960s.

“We moved a lot when I was a kid. About every 18 months, my dad just had to move. And yet we stayed within Oklahoma City, Tulsa, once we moved down to a little town called Wewoka,” Latham said. “But pretty much every year I was going to a new school. And I got real comfortable, made good friends, but I didn’t keep friends because we didn’t stay around. And comic books were, they were my friends. I read a lot, I loved reading, and wanted to be a comic book artist.”

And now, Latham has achieved that childhood dream.

From Tuesday’s The Oklahoman
By Matthew Price

John Michael Freeman

John Michael Freeman of Stillwater will represent Oklahoma in the World Championships of the Pokemon video game.

“Me and my friends have played the Pokemon games forever,” Freeman, 21, said. “We finally decided we weren’t ever going to get over it, so we decided to try out a competitive tournament.”

The Pokemon national championships in St. Louis

After playing a regional tournament in Dallas and getting “destroyed,” Freeman wasn’t sure if he wanted to play at another tournament. But when the national championships were announced in St. Louis, Freeman decided to try again. But the Lawton Eisenhower graduate would need some luck – he’d have to win a lottery to even enter the tournament. Since his rankings at regionals didn’t immediately qualify him, it came down to the luck of the draw.

“You could walk in and play in Nationals, if you were lucky to get drawn,” Freeman, an Oklahoma State student, said. Freeman went with three friends, two of which, along with Freeman, were drawn into the tournament.

The St. Louis tournament was a Swiss format tournament for the first day, in which Freeman posted a 4-1 record.

His record on the first day of Nationals got him through to the second day, which a single-elimination bracket, with best-of-three determining who would advance. That second day, Freeman won his bracket, which gained him a seat at the world championships in California.

Freeman said unlike “Halo,” the requirements of “Pokemon” are more mental preparation than muscle memory.

“Pokemon is a strategy game, and like any other strategy game, a lot of it’s thought,” Freeman said. “The upfront side of it is all kinds of planning and critical thinking.”

The World Championships begin today at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront in San Diego. The winner will receive a trip for four to Tokyo, New York or Oahu, Hawaii. The winner also receives an invitation to defend his or her title at the 2010 World Championships, in addition to other prizes.

- Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Man of Rock, by Bill Schelly

The show will feature comics, pulps, Big Little Books, movie posters, toys, artwork and more.
Dealers from across the USA are attending this show bringing lots of affordable comics and collectibles!
Among the events and guests planned for the show:

* The Big Little Book Collectors Club Meeting

* Art display from fantasy artist Kenneth Smith

* Writer Bill Schelly will have on hand his book on the life of comic-book artist Joe Kubert, “Man of Rock.”

The show is hosted by the Oklahoma Alliance of Fans.

For more info, see http://oafcon2009.blogspot.com/.

Oklahoma’s Sterling Gates gives an in-depth interview about his upcoming plans to Newsarama’s Vaneta Rogers.  Superfans should go check it out, as more hints are revealed about what the Super-team writers are building to in the coming year.

Gates also lets some information slip about the upcoming “Supergirl Annual,” but reminds readers that sometimes it’s best if not everything is spelled out.

“You’ll see a lot of Lucy Lane’s back-story in Supergirl Annual #1, and some — and I said ‘some’ — of the questions about Superwoman’s origin will be answered there,” Gates tells Newsarama. “We won’t answer everything. I think it’s fun not to know everything about a character all at once. I mean, I was obsessed with Wolverine when I was a kid because his back story was this huge mystery, and it was great to just get little bits and pieces as I kept reading.”

- Matt Price

Sterling Gates and Greg Rucka

SAN DIEGO — A group of all-stars held court on Superman at the Superman: Two Worlds panel at Comic-Con International: Geoff Johns, James Robinson, Ian Sattler, Matt Idleson, Francis Manapul, Tulsa-born Sterling Gates, Jamal Igle, James Robinson and Greg Rucka.

The upcoming Codename Patriot arc is part of the overall plan building into a major Superman storyline in 2010, said Robinson, who is writing “Superman,” currently starring Mon-El.

“General Lane has been a factor in these books, obviously, what we want to make him into is the supreme strategist,” Robinson said.  “He has literally plans, and layers on top of these plans, which are all leading up to this event in 2010. We’ll see how it grows until eventually all the pieces come together and we’ll have an event that you’ll all love.”

OU graduate Sterling Gates will get his name on perhaps the most successful comic book of all time, Action Comics.  He and Greg Rucka will co-write an Action-Supergirl crossover that will feature Kara at odds with her former best friend, Thara, who now wears the Flamebird costume.

Gates also talked about his new miniseries, World’s Finest, which will deal with the issue of Bruce Wayne being missing from Superman’s circle after Batman’s presumed death.  Each issue of World’s Finest will pair a member of the Superman cast with a member of the Batman cast.

- Matt Price

SAN DIEGO — Supergirl artist Jamal Igle has made a limited-edition print of Supergirl, available at booth 4301 at Comic-Con.  Only 100 of these exist, so they probably won’t last the entire con.

Igle and Supergirl writer Sterling Gates, OU graduate, will talk about future plans for Supergirl at today’s Superman panel, 11:45 in room 6DE.

- Matt Price

Brian Winkeler at Comic-Con International: San Diego Preview Night 2009

SAN DIEGO — I caught up with the snazzily dressed Brian Winkeler at the Image Comics booth at Comic-Con’s preview night.   The Oklahoma native had Con-exclusive bookmarks promoting his comic series Bastard Road, which he creates with former Oklahoman Dave Curd.

Winkeler said two Bastard Road shorts are ready to go in the fourth volume of the “Popgun” anthology, which has housed the first two “Bastard Road” stories.   Eric Sanhop draws the second tale, which focuses on Bastard’s sidekick, Farel.  Curd returns for the 16-page story focusing on the title character.  Winkeler also said that there’s a chance for a “Bastard Road” standalone in the future.

Can’t get enough of Winkeler’s sense of humor?  He and artist Robert Wilson are working on an adventure-comedy that could see the light of day as soon as next year.

- Matt Price

Former Oklahoma resident David Gallaher and collaborator Steve Ellis won the online Zuda Comics competition in 2007. Now, his winning submission comes to print this October. “High Moon” is the horror-Western hybrid that was recently nominated for two Harvey Awards.

“High Moon” takes Western tropes and mixes them with supernatural and science fictional elements, said Gallaher, the writer of the series.

“The original story was going to be a retelling and re-imagining of the American Civil War with vampires and werewolves,” Gallaher said. “As I started to dig deeper and deeper into the research, ‘High Moon’ sort of grew from there – with elements of ‘Gunsmoke,’ Jim Bowie, Tom Waits, and Celtic mythology thrown in for good measure.”

The story begins with Matthew MacGregor investigating unusual happenings the Old West town of Blest, Texas. But the detective MacGregor has his own lycanthropic secret to keep.

“The theme of ‘an unchanging man in a changing time’ sort of stuck with me, and the story came out of that,” Gallaher said. “With few exceptions, I hate Westerns … and with this project I was able to write a Western that I enjoyed creating and enjoyed reading.”

“High Moon” is rich in Oklahoma connections, particularly in the comic’s second “season.” Seasons 1-3 will be collected in the print edition. The second season deals with a series of murders in Ragged Rock, OK.

“I spent my quite some time living in Norman, Oklahoma,” Gallaher said. “I was in this wicked class called ‘Monsters, Aliens, and Cyborgs’ that totally stuck with me. I was also enrolled in a Cherokee language course that really made an impression on me.”

These Oklahoma experiences became part of the genesis of High Moon’s second stanza.

“When it came to developing the second season, I wanted to do something that felt authentic to me,” Gallaher said. “The first thing that came to mind were my experiences in Oklahoma. I thought about the geography, the Arbuckle Mountain Range, all-black towns – like Langston – and everything developed from there.”

Creating for the Web first offers many advantages, Gallaher said.

“From a creative standpoint, it’s pretty similar. We have to keep the story fun, fast, engaging, and compelling,” Gallaher said. “But, in terms of distribution, the web offers an incredible place to bring your ideas to market, without the financial burden and liability that comes with print.”

- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

One of the more surprising stories to catch the mainstream media interest is the story of Supergirl’s bike shorts, instituted after editor Matt Idelson decided he was tired of the Girl of Steel showing off her underwear when flying around.   Jamal Igle talked about the decision with Newsarama, leading it to be picked up by NPR.  Now, Robot 6 has a rundown of the various interested parties, including a few who are upset about not being able to look at the teen’s underpants anymore.  (Image from Supergirl Comic Box Commentary, which Supergirl fans should bookmark.)

Tulsa-born writer and OU graduate Sterling Gates is the writer of Supergirl, and is one of the most successful active Oklahoma comic-book writers.  His “Supergirl” has been an extremely well-done book that examines her character in an incisive way, while building up a supporting cast and a sense of mystery.  It’s somewhat unfortunate that the press the book is getting is instead for the Girl of Steel’s choice of undergarment, rather than the outstanding work done by Igle and Gates.   However, I applaud the creators for making the Supergirl book more suited for girls and women to enjoy.

- Matt Price

Read more about the expo here, here, here and here.  See a photo gallery from the show on Saturday at BAM’s Blog.

- Matt Price

Graphic-novel author Rob Vollmar, as illustrated by his Bluesman collaborator, Pablo Callejo.

Norman writer Rob Vollmar is involved in what may be a Twitter first – he’s tweeting the script to his planned comic book “The Twin Cities,” 140 or fewer characters at a time.

Twitter is a micro-blogging site on which users share their thoughts in 140-character bursts, called “tweets,” with users who have chosen to follow them on the site. Twitter also can be used via cell phone and a variety of other applications.

Vollmar wrote the Eisner Award-nominated “The Castaways” and “Bluesman,” which has been optioned for film. Vollmar said his Twitter breakthrough came about as he tried to figure out how to use Twitter in a way that would be of interest to readers.

Art from Vollmar's Bluesman, by Pablo Callejo.

“I didn’t have the faintest idea what to do with Twitter,” Vollmar said in a phone interview. “I had the account. I kept staring at it. I would occasionally poke it with a stick to see what happened. I was really having trouble getting my brain around the technology to use it in a meaningful way.”

Vollmar decided that a comic script, broken up as it is into discrete units, might make for a better experience on Twitter than a novel or something in longer form.

Vollmar is tweeting a page per day from the “Twin Cities” script at twitter.com/robvollmar. He’s organized the tweets so readers can read each page in order, rather than posting it chronologically from first to last. (However, the overall pages are in reverse order, as he posts a new page each day.)

“I’m creating a picture, if you will, of the script page. I thought this project was uniquely suited for this kind of experiment, because I’m writing it in micro-installments of about five pages. So people, if they pay

Art by MPMann, by Rob Vollmar's Inanna's Tears.

attention for a week, are essentially going to get an entire episode of the series.”

“The Twin Cities” is a speculation on the afterlife, Vollmar said. He described it as “a dark comedy in the spirit of ‘Brazil.’”

“(The afterlife) might be filled with giant bureaucracies, where you’re constantly negotiating different bureaucracies and processes,” Vollmar said.

The lead character of “The Twin Cities” is Michael Thomas, who was shot to death when he wandered into a convenience store robbery. Michael finds, to his chagrin, that he must spend the afterlife in the clothes he was wearing when he died, so he is wearing cargo pants, combat boots and a “post-ironic … old-school Wham! T-shirt that says ‘Choose Life’ in big letters. But he’s dead, so that joke’s going to keep selling itself over and over.”

Readers also will meet Michael’s guardian angel Becky, who died at age 17 in the mid-1980s.

“She’s very enthusiastic, but she’s also got a bit of darkness,” Vollmar said. “She’s got this profound responsibility, but she’s also a 17-year-old Valley Girl.”

“The Twin Cities” eventually may be serialized as a drawn project in print or on the Web, but Vollmar’s main goal is calling attention to the literary value of the comic-book script format.

“I would love to get an artist attached to the project, but that’s not really my motivation in putting the scripts up online,” Vollmar said. “I think of comic scripts as a literature of their own.”

- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

At www.twitter.com/robvollmar, Vollmar is tweeting one page each day.  The reading process is a little unusual – as it is, by the nature of the medium, backwards – but this is an experiment that bears watching.

- Matt Price

After graduating from Edmond Memorial High School in 1993, Thomas attended the Art Institute of Dallas, focusing on computer graphics. Upon graduation, he found work in the video game industry, eventually working on the “Medal of Honor” and “Call of Duty” World War II franchises.

“I’ve been doing World War II games for longer than the U.S. was involved in the war, so I’ve got quite a bit of World War II knowledge rolling around up there,” Thomas said. “It was an absolutely incredible time. Some really great and heroic stories.”

Now living in Los Angeles, Thomas is the art director of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” based on the Michael Bay movie set for Friday release. The “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” video game will be released Tuesday. Thomas said several people working on the game were fans of the property and wanted to do it justice.

“The first and foremost thing that we concentrated on was getting the transformations right; really getting the feel of being one of those bots, one of those Transformers, this giant robot just kind of rumbling through the city,” he said. “The transformations are very fluid. … There’s lots of really quick activity. It’s almost like a parkour with these giant robots.”

Thomas visited the set of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” and pitched ideas to Hasbro for updating classic characters for the game.

“Who knows how much money my parents sunk into buying toys from them when I was a kid,” he said. “So, it’s kind of amazing. It feels like everything’s come full circle.”

By Matthew Price
From Monday’s The Oklahoman

OPUBCO videographers Kyle Roberts — who you know from the NewsOK Comics Podcast — and Tanner Herriott — who you know from his work on George Lang’s Static — discuss their works that will be in next week’s deadCenter film festival.
Also scheduled for deadCenter attendance are “Toxic Avenger” creator Lloyd Kaufman and hippie icon Wavy Gravy. The festival runs June 10-14; for more information see www.deadcenterfilm.org and George Lang’s story at NewsOK.com.

Jessica Akers, author

Local author Jessica L. Akers, who has written a book for young adults, will sign at the Moore Public Library on Saturday. Check out the full release:

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Young Adult Fiction author Jessica L. Akers will be signing copies of her newly released novel The Speaker at the Moore Public Library on Saturday, May 30, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Akers developed a passion for writing at a very young age. “I would write stories, draw pictures, and make them into books. Then I’d take them to school and my teacher would read them after recess.” Akers remembers. Akers got her inspiration for The Speaker while writing another book. She says that a line from the book just popped in her head and she immediately needed to know more about the girl who was talking and immediately The Speaker was born.

The Speaker takes place in Rapid City, South Dakota, revolving around the life of Nata Francis, a young Sioux Indian girl who discovers she has inherited the gift of orenda from her dearly departed grandfather. This gift is a sacred and honored power to possess, but Nata sees it all as a hoax and extreme inconvenience. It is not until one summer night, when a boy who needs help only Nata can give that she realizes she must accept this gift as well as her destiny. Nata must choose between following her head or following her heart.

Akers is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. Akers has worked in production and has written articles for The Vista and is a member of Oklahoma City Writers, Inc. For updates on upcoming books and other events please visit www.jessicaakers.com.

All American Rejects

The soundtrack to “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” will feature Oklahomans All-American Rejects, along with Linkin Park, Green Day and Nickelback, among others. The soundtrack will release on June 23, the day prior to the film’s release.

According to a release, the film’s director and executive producer Michael Bay asked Linkin Park to provide the theme song for the adventure film. The band wrote and recorded the film’s theme song, entitled “New Divide,” for the soundtrack and were asked to contribute to the score, which will also be released on June 23.  “New Divide” is currently available for purchase on iTunes.

The track listing for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: The Album is as follows:

1. Linkin Park “New Divide”

2. Green Day “21 Guns”

3. Cavo “Let It Go”

4. Taking Back Sunday “Capital M-E”

5. The Fray “Never Say Never”

6. Nickelback “Burn It To The Ground”

7. The Used “Burning Down The House”

8. Theory Of A Deadman “Not Meant To Be”

9. The All-American Rejects “Real World”

10. Hoobastank “Don’t Think I Love You”

11. Staind “This Is It”

12. Avenged Sevenfold “Almost Easy”

13. Cheap Trick “Transformers^TM The Fallen Remix”

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox in the sequel to 2007’s “Transformers,” based on the toy line from Hasbro.

A crew member walks by the house on the set of the movie "The Killer Inside Me" in Guthrie, Okla., Friday, May 22, 2009. Photo By Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman

The Oklahoman’s Gene Triplett has been covering “The Killer Inside Me” since even before filming started in Oklahoma.  For easy reference, here are links to the recent NewsOK stories by Entertainment Editor Gene Triplett on “The Killer Inside Me,” the crime movie starring Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba and Simon Baker being filmed primarily in the state of Oklahoma.

Action stars soon on “Killer Inside Me” (May 9)

The filming of a major motion picture starring Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson and Casey Affleck will begin Monday in New Mexico before moving to Oklahoma on May 18 for the remainder of the movie’s shooting schedule.

Filming was originally set to begin March 24, but was delayed due to actors’ conflicting schedules and a lack of full financing for the production. The needed funding has now been secured for the $10 million movie, according to producer Andrew Eaton. CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY

Major Movie begins filming in Guthrie (May 17)

Producer Andrew Eaton said cast and crew will spend about three weeks shooting in Guthrie before moving on to other locations in Cordell, Enid, Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

Directed by Michael Winterbottom from a script by Jim Curran, the crime thriller is based on a 1952 paperback novel by Anadarko-born Jim Thompson and features Affleck as a psychotic deputy sheriff struggling to hide his killer instincts.

“A lot of our locations are based in and around Guthrie, and then also there’s quite a lot of stuff in Oklahoma City as well,” Eaton said. “There are always little details of tiny little scenes in alleyways and things that are always the last ones to get nailed down.” CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY

Cameras Rolling on “Killer Inside Me” (May 19)

GUTHRIE – The action began in front of lights and rolling camera Monday as filming commenced on “The Killer Inside Me,” a $10 million film starring Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson.

The independent movie is based on a 1952 pulp novel by late Oklahoma author Jim Thompson, with Affleck playing Lou Ford, a deranged deputy sheriff fighting to conceal his homicidal urges.

Alba plays a prostitute and Hudson portrays Ford’s schoolteacher girlfriend.

“The main house that we’re using as Lou Ford’s house is here in Guthrie, so that’s pretty much like a block of about three weeks,” producer Andrew Eaton said.  CLICK HERE FOR REST OF STORY

Killer Inside Me continues work in Oklahoma

Filmmakers wound up their first week of shooting “The Killer Inside Me” in Guthrie on Saturday with stars Casey Affleck and Kate Hudson.

Jessica Alba is scheduled to arrive in the state within the next two weeks to begin filming, producer Andrew Eaton said.

“Our first four days of principal photography in New Mexico went well, but we are really glad to be back ‘home’ in Guthrie,” the film’s co-producer Susan Kirr said. “The town and the people here have been so welcoming to us. It is good to be back at our base.” CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY

Killer Inside Me brings Hollywood to Oklahoma

GUTHRIE – “All quiet please!”

That’s the assistant director’s command for all crew members to shut up and focus on the business of shooting another scene. Silence falls in the side yard of the old two-story house that’s crowded with technicians and equipment.

“Rolling!”

Sound mixer David Daniel sits beneath a colorful umbrella, sliding switches on a board and concentrating on the dialogue coming through his headphones. A TV monitor above his shoulder shows the semi-dark interior of the house’s kitchen, where actor Casey Affleck is frying an egg while talking to co-star Elias Koteas, who’s wearing a black ’50s-era suit and hat.

The conversational topic is murder.

“… I know there are flukes in murder the same as there are in anything else,” Affleck’s character is saying. “A woman crawls a mile with her brains blown out. A man is hanged and poisoned and chopped up and he goes on living …”

Such are the grim details of “The Killer Inside Me,” a crime thriller starring Affleck, Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson that’s being shot almost entirely in Oklahoma on a budget now estimated to total $13 million.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY

To keep up to date with “The Killer Inside Me,” keep checking The Oklahoman and NewsOK.com.

Want to talk to Tahlequah’s Mark Smith, the Ultimate Gamer champion? He and other competitors from the WCG Ultimate Gamer TV show will be participating in a live chat tonight at 7 p.m. Central (6 Eastern) at http://www.samsungusanews.com/.