Sneak Peek: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Reviews, Independent,
When Tony Lee set out to adapt Seth Grahame-Smith’s imaginative retelling of Jane Austen’s classic, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, his goal was simple and nerdishly fantastic: “I got to 150 pages and noticed that we needed more zombie scenes.”
Artist Cliff Richards seemed to have had no problem with adding to the graphic novel’s zombie population, as he’s worked with other classic monsters on his 5-year stint with Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8.
The book, published by Del Rey, is in stores now. Check out more previews of the novel after the jump!
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Read More 
| USA Today
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Dark Horse Teams Up With Hammer Films
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Movies, Dark Horse Comics,
Comic book publishing house Dark Horse is teaming up with Hammer Films to print a series of comic books and graphic novels in the horror genre (fitting, right?).
First up on their list is a storyline based on Hammer’s upcoming remake of last year’s Swedish film, Let the Right One In (which you must add it to your Netflix queue right now if you haven’t yet). Despite the fact that it has been released in the midst of the current teenage-vampire-lust trend, this tale of a 12 year-old boy and his friendship with a girl who only comes out to play at night is far removed from your typical Twilight fare—trust me!
No word yet as to the novels’ storyline, but the companies claim that it “will incorporate some of the film’s characters and mythology with some fresh themes.”
The American remake, starring Chloe Moretz of current Hit Girl fame and Richard Jenkins, is set to hit theaters on October 1st. Knowing those smart marketers, I’m sure we can expect some of the said comics to be sold in conjunction with the film’s release.
Read More | Reuters
Victor Gischler, Deadpool and The Deputy
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Marvel Comics,
Hey, do you like Victor Gischler’s work on Marvel Comics’ Deadpool: Merc With A Mouth and the new Deadpool Corps? I do, because I think they’re both laugh-out-loud funny while still being good “superhero” action. Did you also know that he’s a novelist? I’ve been a fan of his since Gun Monkeys came out and now he’s got a new book that just dropped called The Deputy.
There’s not a superhero in sight, but I think fans of Gischler’s comic book work will find much to enjoy in his prose. The Deputy is the story of a part-time Oklahoma deputy (see what he did there?) who’s called out to babysit a dead body. But when he gets distracted by his 17-year-old girlfriend and the body goes missing, The Deputy’s got his work cut out for him.
Sounds like fun and my copy’s already been ordered.
[Artwork: Cover to Victor Gischler’s The Deputy]
Read More | Victor Gischler
Shaun McLaughlin and Cheapjack Shakespeare
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,
My buddy Shaun McLaughlin was a producer at Warner Bros. and responsible for some of their best Bruce Timm-related toons like Batman Beyond, Static, and various incarnations of Justice League. It adds up to over 400 episodes of prime animated entertainment, so he knows how to make something with mass market appeal.
He’s moved on to freelancing, pushing several projects through the development wormhole, including both an animated feature (with Omens Studios) and a live-action one. But when you’re in development, you get a lot of down time while you wait for people to make decisions, give notes, and update their social networks.
You could watch a lot of TV or surf the web or blog about your cat, but Shaun’s put his thumb-twiddling time to good use and come up with a nifty little project with his biz partner Gabriel Benson: Cheapjack Shakespeare.
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Civil Warriors: Chuck Dixon and Gary Kwapisz
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Independent,
Sometimes a Civil War reenactor will don a floppy felt hat, pick up an old musket and spend a weekend in the rain chasing his beer-and-poker buddies down a hill. But if you’re Chuck Dixon and Gary Kwapisz, you’ll probably forgo the smell of soggy felt and take your action to the printed page. That’s what they’re doing with a new line of historical graphic novels. If you remember Savage Sword of Conan, then you’ve seen what happens when Chuck (Punisher, The Simpsons, Robin) works with Gary. Good stuff happens, that’s what.
Chuck and Gary have launched their own publishing company, History Graphics Press. Their first book, Civil War Adventure, is a 144-page b&w trade paperback anthology of historical Civil War stories, written by Chuck, illustrated by Gary. Stories feature the famous, guys like Winslow Homer and George Armstrong Custer and also the not-famous, guys in the trenches just trying to stay alive and help their cause. And there are lots of horses and soldiers, all beautifully and accurately illustrated by Gary. This promises to be merely the first book in a series of graphic novels on the American Civil War and American history.
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Read More | History Graphics Press
Alan Moore Gets Librarians Fired
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: DC Comics,
Celebrated comic book writer Alan Moore has indirectly caused the demise of two Kentucky librarians all while he was at home in the UK. Talk about super powers!
Sharon Cook and Beth Bovaire claim that they were fired when they refused to lend Moore’s graphic novel The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to an 11 year-old girl. Pulling it from her hold list, the pair felt that it was unsuitable for the pre-teen, calling it “pornography.” If they call that novel pornography, they’ve got to check out Lost Girls!
“Residents in Jessamine county do not realize that these books that are so graphic are available in the library let alone to their children,” Bovaire said.
I’m impressed that an 11 year-old knew to pick up a Moore book in the first place. Shouldn’t they be happy that she’s reading at all? I mean, let’s celebrate the fact that she didn’t request any of the Twilight books.
The Jessamine County Library Director did not want to discuss the termination, but did say that the responsibility of deciding what a child can or cannot read rested upon the parents.
Read More | Digital Spy
Weekend Reading: Jack Kirby, Wally Wood, and James Cameron’s Avatar!
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,
It’s back again, internets – the Weekend Read is here with a quick browse as the digital landscape turns up a few fun things to occupy your time when you could be out with your friends or drunk - texting your exes.
JACK KIRBY I: In honor of Jack Kirby’s 92nd birthday, Tom Spurgeon at The Comics Reporter has a breathtaking array of Kirby images on display. Words can’t even do it justice, so Tom doesn’t try. It’s just fantastic pictures and reminds us all how great Kirby really was.
JACK KIRBY II: If you do want some words to go with the pictures, Mark Evanier has quite a few of the nicer ones.
Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Jack Kirby, Wally Wood, and James Cameron’s Avatar!
PITSTOP: Green Valley Book Fair, Mt. Crawford, VA
There are two places where I can spend hours, literally lost in a literary world: one is a library book sale. The other is a bookstore that sells remaindered books. I’m never happier than when I stumble across a remaindered bookstore that’s temporarily moved into some vacant retail store for a few months and slapped together a wild mash-up of books in nearly alphabetical order in almost the correct sections. Finding a copy of William Saroyan’s The Human Comedy in the Humor section always makes me laugh.
But there’s one organization that does it up right. The Green Valley Book Fair is huge, it only happens a few times a year for two weeks at a time, and you will not walk away empty-handed. It’s impossible. The place is clean, brightly-lit, extremely well-organized, and well-staffed with helpful, courteous people who know their books. Plus, the prices can’t be beat.
If you’re down around the Mt. Crawford, VA area (near Harrisonburg), you might consider stopping by for a few hours of browsing. They have over 500,000 remaindered books displayed over 25,000 square feet, at prices usually in the $2.50-$10 range.
Click to continue reading PITSTOP: Green Valley Book Fair, Mt. Crawford, VA
COMIC BOOK JOBS: NOW HIRING? DC Comics & Harry Abrams!
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,
Nobody has to be told that it’s a crappy environment to be looking for a job. Books, newspapers, comic books – all parts of the print-related pie are dwindling faster than the Wookie-shaped cheesecake at a Star Wars-themed wedding. Here are two places that are looking for qualified comic book people. Okay, so it’s not writing and drawing, but they still look like fun gigs, if you pass the test. So study hard, whip that resume into shape and good luck!
DC COMICS, publisher of Superman, killer of Batman, and owner of Lesbian Batwoman, is looking for an “Executive Director, Publishing Operations.” Sounds like a nice suit-and-tie job with an expensive Manhattan haircut to match. But what’s that job entail? Lots of great items in the checklist of responsibilities, but the main one is: “Coordination of long term publishing plans and monitor costs/sales projections for project budgeting.” You’ll need a minimum of 7-years experience in the “comic book specialty market, mass market book or newsstand periodical sales” and the ever-elusive “management experience” to count those particular comic book budget beans. You can get more details here.
HARRY ABRAMS, the venerable artsy publisher of quality hardcovers, is looking for an “Editor, Abrams ComicArts.” This sounds like a sweet gig in one of the few potentially growing print segments: graphic novels. What do you get to do if you’re lucky to land this? You’ll “be responsible for editing and project managing titles acquired by the Executive Editor as well as acquiring individual titles for Abrams’s growing comic art and graphic novel list.” You’ll get to read a lot of comics and meet a lot of creative people, that’s what. But first, your qualifications: “10 years experience in an editorial capacity…keen understanding of the comic arts marketplace…established relationships in publishing and the comics market.” There’s more to it than that, but you can find out all the details about the job here.
If those sound like your dream jobs, what the heck are you waiting for?
(Artwork @ DC Comics, Inc.)
Here’s A Quick Guide To Start Reading Comics
Posted by Kris Madden Categories: Collecting, Editorials, Reviews, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, Marvel Comics, Wizard Entertainment,
1. Pickup A Graphic Novel
It can be hard to pick up a comic book for the first time. Many times you’re reading about a character who has a history spanning the last fifty years, which can cause difficulty in understanding the plot line and character’s motivations.
Graphic Novels are usually self-contained, meaning that in order to follow the plot and storyline, there is no prior comic book history knowledge required. All the characters, special powers, jargon, etc is all within the pages you hold in your hands.
If you like superhero stories with an edge, a great starting place is Watchmen. It was recently made into a film, so you can even get a headstart on your friends by reading the book, and surprise them with your clairvoyance.
Maybe you’re not a fan of super-heroes and want something more indie-flavored. Blankets is beautiful book about teen angst and a long distance relationship in the early 90’s grunge era. With quotes from songs by The Cure, it’s a can’t-miss.
And if you’d like something in between with superhero-like characters, an indie-edge, and a beautiful noir storyline; I’d suggest any of Frank Miller’s Sin City books. While you may have seen the movie, which is a spectacular translation of the work to film, the comics will introduce you to the format and structure of graphic novels.
Whenever someone tells me they think that comics are for kids, I usually give them a graphic novel to read. Though comics began with kids in mind, it has since changed drastically to include all age groups. While these are my favorites to give to friends and family, feel free to pick out whatever you find interesting.
Click to continue reading Here’s A Quick Guide To Start Reading Comics
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