The PW Morning Report, July 22, 2008

By Dermot McEvoy -- Publishers Weekly, 7/22/2008 5:50:00 AM

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

A daily round-up of the latest publishing news: Robert Kirkman to Image Comics; Beckett Festival in Dublin; Jerome Holtzman Dead; Thumbs Down to Brideshead; Richard Kidd Dead; and Alec Baldwin Gets Cranky

Robert Kirkman Hooks Up With Image Comics, reports New York Times
Deal will be announced at this week’s Comic-Con International in San Diego. MTV is also adapting "Invincible," his superhero series

Beckett Festival Playing at the Gate Theatre in Dublin, reports New York Times
Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Barry McGovern will be acting in Beckett’s plays. The Gate was established by Micheal MacLiammoir. When asked what was the difference between the Gate and the nationalist Abbey Theatre, he replied: "It’s the difference between Sodom and begorra"

Jerome Holtzman, Dean of Chicago Sportswriters, Dead at 82, reports New York Times
He was the author of No Cheering in the Press Box and was responsible for the (often insignificant) baseball statistic known as "the save"

Thumbs Down to Brideshead Revisited, sez Reuters
New film based on the Evelyn Waugh novel does not match the 1981 TV series because the screenwriters and director "have taken some liberties that will likely upset purists and leave others feeling merely unsatisfied"

Richard Kidd, Children’s Author, Drowns, reports UPI
The author of Almost Famous Daisy, drowned while on vacation in the Philippines. He was 56

Alec Baldwin Gets Testy With Diane Sawyer, reports Rush & Molloy
Poor Alec, the AC wasn’t working and he got a little cranky. He was plugging A Promise to Ourselves: A Journey Through Fatherhood and Divorce, coming from St. Martin’s in September