NewsOK Comics Podcast: Wolverine 74, X-Men Forever 1, Toy Story 1, Unwritten 2
Kyle Roberts and Matt Price discuss Wolverine 74, X-Men Forever 1, Toy Story 1 and Unwritten 2 in this week’s comics podcast.
NewsOK Comics vodcast: Unthinkable 1, Wolverine 73, Unwritten 1 and Fusion 1
It’s an UNlikely week for comics, as three comics starting with the prefix “UN” are released. Kyle Roberts and Matt Price discuss two of them: Unwritten #1 and Unthinkable #1. Also discussed in this week’s NewsOK Comics Podcast are “Fusion” No. 1 featuring a Marvel-Top Cow crossover, and Wolverine 73.
“Sweet Tooth” among Vertigo launches in 2009
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - DC Comics’ mature-readers line, Vertigo, will launch three new ongoing series in 2009, it was announced at the annual ComicsPRO meeting of comic-book retailers.
Vertigo’s new series in 2009 are “The Unwritten,” “Greek Street” and “Sweet Tooth.”
“The Unwritten,” set for a May release, is by the “Lucifer” creative team of Mike Carey and Peter Gross. Vertigo Executive Editor Karen Berger said “The Unwritten” was along the lines of a “classic” Vertigo series like “Sandman” and “Books of Magic.”
“It really blends the best of reality with fantasy,” Berger said.
The second series, “Greek Street,” is written by Peter Milligan (”Shade the Changing Man”).
“It does for Greek mythology what ‘Fables’ has done for fairy tales,” Berger said, referencing Bill Willingham’s series about fable characters in the real world. “It’s taking themes you find in Greek classics and reinventing them in modern times.”
The third series, announced for the first time at ComicsPRO, is “Sweet Tooth.” This series is written and drawn by Jeff Lemire (”Essex County”).
“Sweet Tooth” features a young man, born with antlers after a nuclear apocalypse, finding his way through his post-apocalyptic world after the death of his father.
Berger said the book had lots of Western elements and an indie flavor.
“We try to support new visions,” Berger said. “This is a book you can give to people who don’t read comics.”
– Matt Price
“Fables” gets ABC pilot commitment
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Vertigo series Fables will be adapted into a pilot for the ABC network.
The comic-book series, created by Bill Willingham, features fairy-tale characters in the real world. It’s one of the best-selling series from DC Comics’ Vertigo line and has won multiple awards.
“Six Degrees” creators and executive producers Stu Zicherman and Raven Metzner are writing the screenplay.
– Matt Price
Comics podcast: Cable, Echo, New Frontier, Young Liars, Logan
Kyle Roberts, Lindsay Hodges and I discuss this week’s very interesting crop of new issues, including “Cable” No. 1, “Echo” No. 1, ” “Justice League The New Frontier Special,” “Young Liars” No. 1 and “Logan” No. 1.
– Matt Price
Vertigo’s secrets revealed!
The Beat points out this hilarious mockup of Golden Age and 1950s predecessors for several of the most popular Vertigo titles. Funny stuff, probably funnier the more comic-book nerdy you are. (Yes, I thought it was really, really funny.)
– Matt Price
“Y: The Last Man” comes to an end
The Eisner-award winning “Y: The Last Man” finishes its 60-issue run today. Writer Brian K. Vaughan, who became a writer for television’s “Lost” in part due to the success of “Y,” says it’s been difficult to say good-bye to his characters.
“It’s been weird because it’s a gradual [form of] saying good-bye,” he tells CNN. “First, you finish the script, but then it still has to be penciled and inked, and there’s so many stages in comics that it’s sort of been like the stages of death.”
“Y: The Last Man” follows escape artist Yorick Brown, the last man left on earth after a plague wipes out all the males of the species. Along with his newfound bodyguard, Agent 355, and medical researcher Alison Mann, Yorick searches for answers, as well as his missing girlfriend.
The series has been one of the strongest sellers in DC’s Vertigo imprint as well as a critical favorite.
The fourth season of “Lost,” for which Vaughan is a writer, premieres Thursday night, but the writer’s strike has shut down production on both “Lost” and the planned “Y: The Last Man” feature.
In the meantime, you can still pick up the finale to one of the most entertaining and thought-provoking comic books of recent years as “Y” draws to a close today.
– Matt Price
2008’s best comic books were super
WORD BALLOONS
Periodical comic books are still staples of comic-book stores, and the origination point for many great storylines. While Marvel and DC Comics dominate the sales charts for comic books, they aren’t the only ones publishing great material. The following are the top ten periodical comic book series of 2008.
1. Action Comics
Writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank took Superman to new heights in 2008. First, Superman visits the far-flung future of the Legion of Superheroes, where he is powerless, then, he returns home to face the menace of Brainiac invading Earth. As the year ends, Superman is faced with 100,000 Kryptonians who now want to call Earth home.
“Action Comics” lived up to its title, yet also brought character development to the forefront. Frank’s dynamic artwork enhanced Johns’ writing.
2. Criminal
Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ noir drama continues to impress. “Bad Night” stars insomniac cartoonist Jacob, who gets in over his head in as his past as a forger comes back to haunt him.
3. Captain America
Another Ed Brubaker title, with art by Steve Epting, Luke Ross and others. Captain America’s former sidekick, James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes, now wears the garb of Captain America. This reluctant hero knows how to fight like the original Captain America, but he’s still learning to inspire people. The new Captain America’s journey is Marvel Comics’ best ongoing superhero narrative.
4. The comics of Kevin Huizenga
Indy comics creator Kevin Huizenga created three different comic books in 2008 that have to be considered among the best. “Ganges” No. 2, from Fantagraphics’ Ignatz line, parallels the dot-com era to a first-person shooter video game. Huizenga’s everyman, Glenn Ganges, is one of the most remarkably real characters in comics, regardless of the strange situations he encounters. Huizenga also released the fifth issue of his pocket-sized comic “Or Else” in 2008 through Drawn and Quarterly. Among the stories in this issue are an adaptation of a Giorgio Manganelli story and story about wasps and spiders making their way into Glenn’s home. From Buenaventura, Huizenga released “Fight or Run,” an exploration of the “fight or flight” complex in comic-book form. It’s more of an exercise than a story, but under the direction of Huizenga, worth the time.
5. All-Star Superman
Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely finished their 12-issue run on what will surely be an enduring classic for the Man of Steel. 2008 marks a great year for the Superman titles, with two titles starring Superman on the top 10, and a third related title also on the list.
6. Echo
Terry Moore, best-known for “Strangers in Paradise,” is the writer and artist of “Echo.” Photographer Julie Martin sees a strange explosion in the desert sky, which covers her in a mysterious metal.
7. Nova
Richard Ryder, the last of the intergalactic police force known as the Nova Corps, helped fight off the Secret Invasion that ran throughout the Marvel titles. This “Nova” series, which launched in 2007, remains one of the best science fiction comics on the stands.
8. RASL
Jeff Smith made a major change-of-pace from his all-ages fantasy epic “Bone” with RASL, a mature readers title that features an interdimensional thief. Smith proved he’s more than “Bone,” and one of the best writer-artists making comics today.
9. Northlanders
Brian Wood and Davide Gianfelice concluded “Sven the Returned” in the pages of “Northlanders” in 2008. The return of the prodigal son is a theme that’s been covered from the Bible to Shakespeare, and if Wood isn’t quite in that league, he’s still writing a must-read comic that’s the best remaining in the Vertigo lineup after the end of “Y: The Last Man.” Two more story arcs took place in “Northlanders” this year, each with a different setting and characters, a brave move in the periodical comic book format.
10. Supergirl
In just three issues, the new creative team of Sterling Gates (originally from Oklahoma, now living in Los Angeles) and artist Jamal Igle have transformed the Girl of Steel. With six different creative teams on the book in the past three years, Supergirl was in search of a direction and an identity. Gates and Igle have provided both, and made “Supergirl” the most improved title of 2008.
Ten Best Titles of the Year – Elwell Edition
Matt and I have been working on our lists for the best of 2007 and with the New Year rapidly approaching, here’s a look at my uninformed opinions on the matter.
Note: I cheated, as you can clearly see, by grouping a few titles together. But this ain’t rocket surgery, folks. I can do what I want. You’re not the boss of me!
1. Trials of Shazam!
Judd Winick breathes life into a character (Captain Marvel Jr.) that most people couldn’t care less about, making his three-dimensional and captivating.
2. DMZ
In the midst of the Iraq War, this comic book brings war home literally, and the adventures of Matty Roth have as much to do with the world we live in as the fictional world of a New York split apart by civil war.
3. Blue Beetle/ Booster Gold/ Checkmate
Spinning out of Infinite Crisis are three exceptional relaunches of three previously canceled series. These are the little engines that could and desperately must if only to prove that books without Superman or Batman can deliver big on story.
4. Stormwatch PHD
In the WildStorm Universe, heroes aren’t really heroes, so it’s up to normal folks like the Stormwatch Post Human Division to put them in their place. A spiritual successor to “Stormwatch: Team Achilles,” this book is entertaining from whole cloth, creating true characters out of a poorly defined world.
5. X-Factor
While the rest of the X-universe is mired in awful, dreadful continuity, only Peter David’s “X-Factor” enjoys the mutant community. Centered around Jamie Madrox’s detective agency, this book is consistently a source of big laughs and shocking twists.
6. Captain America
Captain America is dead! Long live Captain America! What could have been an unmitigated disaster (a book in which the lead character is dead) was given wings by Ed Brubaker. Add in a character many thought was a huge mistake (Bucky aka The Winter Soldier) and you’ve got a bona fide miracle.
7. Fables/ Jack of Fables
All bow down to Bill Willingham, who took one of the most simple ideas ever (What if storybook characters were real and living in New York?) and created a giant world from it. This year in “Fables” we’ve seen Flycatcher, a joke character, turned into a warrior king. Meanwhile, with Matt Sturges, “Jack of Fables” has become one of the funniest books on the shelves while adding a new layer to an already rich world.
8. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Holy God, do I love this series. Picking up where the TV show left off with creator Joss Whedon at the helm, “Buffy: Season 8″ is a wild ride that goes far beyond the budget of any movie. Dawn is a giant! The army hates Buffy! Next issue right now please!
9. Incredible Hulk
The genius of “Planet Hulk” and the follow-up “World War Hulk” is how much sense it makes. Of course The Illuminati would try to send Hulk somewhere that he would kill anybody. Of course something would go wrong and he’d end up a gladiator. Of course he’d come back, madder than ever before. The results by Greg Pak were astounding.
10. Nova
Much like Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, if you’d told me a couple years back that I’d be reading and loving Nova comics, I’d have called you a moron and questioned your human lineage. Now I have the luxury of reading Abnett and Lanning’s monthly space opera, starring a character who has really come into his own.
EW loves “Northlanders”
Brian Wood’s Viking epic “Northlanders” is praised by Entertainment Weekly:
Chalk up another creative victory for writer Wood (DMZ), who’s quickly emerging as one the medium’s premier scribes. Like his best work, Northlanders takes you into a well-researched, richly realized world that illuminates politics and culture without getting bogged down in history-book stuff.
Greg and I talked about how much we liked this book in a recent podcast, so I’m glad to see Entertainment Weekly coat-tailing on us again. (Just kidding, I love you Entertainment Weekly.)
Greg says: “It’s a real interesting story, it’s got some ‘Hamlet’ overtones to it. … Since ‘DMZ’ and Brian Wood’s other works, the things he did at AiT-Planet Lar, I’m on board with anything he does.”
– Matt Price
