Comics Briefly
This story originally appeared in PW Comics Week on February 27, 2007 Sign up now!
-- Publishers Weekly, 2/27/2007
NYCC ‘07: The Spirit Movie
Producer Michael Uslan kicked off the panel on the film adaptation of Will Eisner’s The Spirit by reading a statement from writer-director Frank Miller, who was unable to attend because of a hip injury. “Don’t expect a nostalgic, tongue in cheek romp. Remember how dark Will could get,” Uslan read. The film was said to be not as dark as Sin City and it will retain Eisner’s sense of humor.
Miller is finishing a final draft of the script, with production able to start very quickly thereafter. Casting has been discussed, but no deals finalized. The story will include many of Eisner’s famous femmes fatales, with a major role played by Sand Serif. The Octopus also will play a major part in the film, though sidekick Ebony will not appear at all.
Uslan unveiled a teaser poster of The Spirit, drawn by Miller in the Sin City style. He also hinted that animation projects based on The Spirit are in the works. Denis Kitchen, Eisner’s former agent and publisher, says that the artist’s graphic novels all are in print now or soon will be republished. —T.M.
NYCC ’07: Schrag’s ‘Potential’ Headed to Film
Teenage comic book prodigy Ariel Schrag has grown up. Her comic book, Potentials, first published with SLG, is being made into a movie by Killer Films, which produced Boys Don't Cry, Far From Heavenand Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Rose Troche, who directed the lesbian classic, Go Fish will direct. Schrag herself wrote the screenplay. Shooting locations have yet to be decided. Schrag says, "The movie will take place in Berkeley, just like the book, so wherever we shoot will have to look something like that.Potential, which Schrag drew during her junior year in high-school, is about her coming out as a lesbian and her subsequent romances and triangles.
She is currently a writer for Showtime's hit series, The L Word. "The collaboration aspect is very exciting compared to the solitude of comics,” said Schrag. But Schrag is still known and loved in the comics world. Some of her work will appear in the new Juicy Mother anthology coming out this September.
NYCC ‘07: Spotlight on Degrassi High
Speaking to a crowd of devoted fans, the Degrassi Spotlight panel addressed how the graphic novel series Degrassi: Extra Credit complements the long-running Canadian teen drama Degrassi High:The Next Generation. Panelists included J. Torres, author of the graphic novels, Ramón Pérez, illustrator of the second volume in the series, and Sarah Barrable-Tishauer, who plays Liberty Van Zant; Christopher Jackson, director of digital media and merchandising at Epitome Pictures, served as moderator.
According to Torres, "The goal of the books is to fill in the gaps in the summer months" between Season 5 and Season 6. He explained that the graphic novel form allows him to take the characters into situations that the show could not afford to film, such as fantasy sequences. Pérez said the biggest challenge was living up the accuracy the show's knowledgeable, passionate fans demanded.The first two volumes of the books were released in Canada by Fenn Publishing and in the United States by Pocket Books in fall 2006, with the second two to be released in April and May 2007.The first two volumes were also recently released in France by PEPS Albin-Michel Jeunesse and a French version of the first volume will be available in Quebec in March, published by Les Messageries ADP. Depending on sales, more volumes may be planned in the future. —K.C.
NYCC ‘07: New Stuff from Vertigo
The Vertigo panel included announcements of new ongoing series (a Swamp Thing spin-off called The Un-Men and a forthcoming Brian Wood-written series about Vikings called Northlanders, inspired in part by Icelandic sagas), as well as a new Mike Carey and Jock miniseries due this summer called Faker. Rapper Percy Carey, a.k.a. MF Grimm, spoke a bit about his forthcoming autobiographical graphic novel Sentences, and Dean Haspiel announced that Jonathan Ames has finished a draft of their previously announced book The Alcoholic. Brian K. Vaughan, asked if he had any comics plans after Y: The Last Man and Ex Machina end, noted that he had some ideas in the "seedling" stage, "but whatever I do in comics next will definitely be for Vertigo." And a question from the audience about whether Vertigo is an imprint or a brand led to a discussion centering on Testament writer Douglas Rushkoff, who's just published a book about branding. ("The long-term solution" to attracting more readers to Vertigo, he noted, "is for people in this room to have more children.").—D.W.
NYCC ‘07: Web and Mobile Comics
Illegal file sharing, differing revenue models and the burgeoning global marketplace for on-line comics were all discussed at the Web Comics Today: Models, Trends and Opportunities panel. While still a virtual infant, webcomics offer a vast potential to reach new readers in a new format. Richard Bruning of DC ComicsM explained their program of offering free on-line previews of many titles to support the direct market business, while Platinum Studios' Scott Rosenburg described the advertising and merchandising business model at drunkduck.com, a self-titled webcomics community. NetComics publisher HeeWood Chung detailed a subscription service approach employed by netcomics.com, a method embraced in Korea but not widely used here in the U.S. "Korea may represent the future of online comics," ventured moderator Milton Griepp.
Tokyopop’s Jeremy Ross ended the panel, Mobile Comics for the Emerging U.S. Market, on a high-note, presented a video of the Tokyopop Mobile iManga Motion Graphics application for cell phones. Ross, director of new product development for TokyoPop, showed an impressive display which combines sound and moving video to create a 2-3 minute personal manga viewing experience. Despite technological issues surrounding adequate screen size and memory limits, the product seems poised to take advantage of ever-improving cell-phone capabilities. —T.S.
NYCC ‘07: The Art of Joe Quesada
The opening of Santerians: The Art of Joe Quesada at the Franklin H. Williams Caribbean Cultural Center/African Diaspora Institute was a crowded event Thursday evening with pros and press jamming the small two-level gallery on West 58th Street. The exhibit focuses on a group of Latino characters the Cuban-American Quesada created in the series Daredevil: Father, a story Quesada dedicated to his late father. This is the first solo exhibit for Quesada, who is editor in chief of Marvel Comics. Character designs, page layouts and the finished original art were hung next to large, full-color reproductions of the finished work.
A cadre of Marvel staffers were in attendance, including David Gabriel, C.B. Cebulski and Axel Alonso. Other comics pros in attendance included Top Cow President Matt Hawkins, Wizard writer Mike Cotton, Kabuki creator David Mack and Quesada’s wife, Nanci Dakesian. Quesada was late to his own party, and was introduced by the center’s founder, Dr. Marta Moreno Vega, and curator Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez. Exhibit runs through July 30. — T.M.
NYCC ‘07: Gay Identity in Graphic Novels
Patty Jeres (formerly of DC Comics, now one of the creators of Prism Comics, the nonprofit created to support LGBT comics, creators and readers) moderated the panel discussion Pride & Prejudice: Exploring Gay Identity in Graphic Novels. Participants included Abby Denson ( Powerpuff Girls, Tough Love: High School Confidential), Alison Bechdel (Fun Home), Ariel Schrag (Awkward, The L Word), and Jose Villarrubia, journeyman colorist and teacher, who referred to himself as "the token boy."
The talk picked up speed when the panelists moved away from issues of sexual orientation (as Villarrubia quipped, "there is no gay in color") and into the topic of autobiography and transcribing personal experience into graphic art. A questioner raised the issue of libraries in Missouri facing controversy over stocking Fun Home, while Schrag related that some of her books, which were being mailed to a person in Saudi Arabia, were actually burned at the border by government officials. A pair of students from Alfred University, representing a program called "Drawn to Diversity" that uses the graphic arts to introduce primary school students to issues of diversity and sexual orientation, asked the panel about the role of comic artists in education. Villarrubia responded that it was very difficult to use existing comic books to teach young children about anything, since the material is by its nature so adult-oriented, with content that is often violent or sexually explicit. —C.B.
Wondercon Opens Friday
The Wondercon Comic Convention runs this weekend from March 2-4.. The three-day show offers a wide variety of special events and appearances by dozens of celebrities in the world of comics. Attendees who have purchased a three-day pass for the convention or who have secured a ticket for Friday will be eligible to receive two free tickets to a special screening of the film 300. Other special events include the San Francisco International Children's Film Festival, theMasquerade costume competition and an entire three-day block of anime-related programming. The convention will be held in the MosconeConvention Center in San Francisco, California.
UVC Debuts AT NYCC
The magazine UVC, which stands for Urban Voice of Comics, released its first issue last weekend at the New York Comic Convention. The initial issue of the magazine features interviews with veteran comic creator Dwayne McDuffie as well as newcomer Korby Marks, tongue-in-cheek critiques of superheroic couture, and convention photos of famous celebrities hobnobbing with several comic creators. Ron King, the president and publisher, has said that the focus of UVC will be to cover the wide variety of characters of color currently appearing in comic books. UVC also plans to spotlight the independent publishers.
Lambda Legal Contest
The Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Prism Comics and The Advocate are currently holding an illustration contest. The contest calls for applicants to create their own Life Without Fair Courts webcomic. Life Without Fair Courts is a webcomic by cartoonist Mikhaela Reid that is showcased on the Lambda Legal Web site. The comic illustrates what life for individuals would be like without fair and impartial courts to honor their freedoms. Applicants can submit a strip detailing what they believe a world without fair courts would be like. The winning entry will be showcased in the Advocate magazine. The second and third prizewinner will receive a shopping spree at the comicbook store of his or her choosing.
Miller Becomes An Icon
The career of legendary comic creator Frank Miller will be given a spotlight in the March 4 edition of G4TV's documentary series Icons. G4TV is a cable network dedicated to pop culture and technology. The network has already released a short video of the documentary for fans to enjoy. The clip, which features a snippet of an interview with Frank Miller, has been posted on the G4 Web site. The full-lengthprogram, complete with interview and clips of Miller's work, will debut on March 4 at 11:00 PM.
Broccoli Books Begins Boys' Love
Manga publisher Broccoli Books has announced that it will launch a new yaoi-focused imprint called Boysenberry Books. The new boys' love line will debut with three new titles. The first title, Delivery Cupid, features short stories onromantic relationships between young men. Pet on Duty is aromantic comedy that focuses on a jobless young man who falls for his older brother's testy roommate. Sex Friend is the story of a young student who is unsure of his relationship with his classmate. Delivery Cupid will be available inbookstores in July of 2007. Pet on Duty and Sex Friend will be available in November of 2007.
