Omnivoracious

Thunder and Lightning: Prepping for Thor's Big Screen Premiere

On May 6th, Marvel Comics will attempt to translate the blonde god Thor from printed page to screen, and the signs of his impending media rule are everywhere: Walter Simonson’s legendary run on Thor will finally be collected in an omnibus come late April; Jeph Loeb and Frank Cho bring the character back from the dead in the goofily titled Ultimate Comics New Ultimates: Thor Reborn; early tales by dream-team Stan Lee and Jack Kirby come housed in the new Thor: Tales of Asgard hardcover (purists take note: the stories are presented in “all-new, modern coloring”); and Thor’s helmeted visage adorns the cover to the new X-Factor collection even though he stars in only one chapter (the book is great, by the way).

The most recent trailer for Thor, full of government black ops and Chris Hemsworth in the title role, looks less like Classic Thor and more like the Ultimate Thor, and in a new hardcover collection by writer Jonathan Hickman and illustrator Carlos Pacheo, the latter incarnation’s origins are explored. It also looks to be about the best place to start prepping for the film, with flashbacks to Thor’s time spent battling frost giants with his brother, Loki, and bearded comrades in fabled Asgard (spotted in the trailer), to a mysteriously hooded individual who makes nefarious deals with Nazis in favor of a pouch full of glowing runes. In the comic’s modern day scenes, however, Thor sits in a government containment facility (monitored by Captain Britain, natch) and scribbles Norse poems on the floor. No one believes he’s actually who he says he is in either the trailer or comic, but it’s not too long before he starts wielding that famous hammer.

Graphic Novel Friday: Interview with Mike Mignola

One the last day of Emerald City Comicon, Mike Mignola and I met for an early morning interview, and we spoke while vendors and guests set up their booths and wares.  Eventually, a line formed in front of Mike's table--before the show even opened--but we still had time to cover the world-changing events that occurred in both Hellboy and B.P.R.D. in 2010.  As Mike reveals below, though, 2010 has nothing on 2011 and the future of his universe is primed for a big state of flux. 

Amazon.com: The B.P.R.D. panel this weekend was a shocker with two big announcements. The first was that Guy Davis is leaving the title. What does this mean for the series?

Mike Mignola: You know, we hate to lose him. Guy’s been on the book for something like eight years, punching it in almost on a monthly schedule, which nobody does anymore. Guy has done amazing stuff; he’s made that book his. We’re sad to see him go, but I certainly understand it. There were certainly no hard feelings or anything. It was like, “Guy, believe me, we certainly understand. It’s time. You want to go and do other stuff? That’s cool. You ever want to come back? We hope to see you again.”

Emerald City Comicon 2011: Interview with Chris Roberson

A three-time World Fantasy Award finalist, Chris Roberson was previously best-known as a science-fiction author, but Chris recently stepped into the comics foray and over the course of the past 20 months he's written approximately 30 issues--no small feat.  At Emerald City Comicon 2011, Chris shared his smoke-break with me and spoke at length (and with great humor) about his two most popular series, Cinderella and iZombie, both published by Vertigo. 

Amazon.com: You have a background in novels and short stories, Chris, but how did you become involved in comics?

Chris Roberson: Comics were my first passion. I’ve been an every-Wednesday-comics-purchaser since Wednesday happened on Thursday. I’ve been going to the comics shop once a week for something like 32 years, and it’s all I ever wanted to do as a kid--write comics. I went to college, realized it was really, really hard to break into comics, but I still liked making up stories…so I became a novelist by default. While trying to break into comics, I also tried breaking into the prose market, and it’s easier to break into that, even though it’s really, really hard to do that, too. [From] 2004-2009, I published 13 novels and about three dozen short stories, but unfortunately, you know, they didn’t sell so great and I was going to have to go get a day job. I didn’t want to work at Kinko’s.

Emerald City Comicon 2011: Interview with Scott Allie

At Emerald City Comicon 2011, I sat down with Scott Allie, Senior Managing Editor at Dark Horse Comics, who, in addition to his editorial duties, is also a comics writer.  Recently, his name has been attached to several high profile projects, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Season Eight finale with creator Joss Whedon.  We discussed his process for co-writing with Joss Whedon on the monumental event, as well Scott's turn at penning a story for B.P.R.D.  But it wasn't all about Scott: it's a busy time for Dark Horse as a whole, and Scott shared insight into the publisher's upcoming titles in 2011.

Amazon.com: Let’s get right to that Buffy finale. Last Gleaming releases this June in paperback.  Fans have come to expect big things from Buffy’s televised season finales, but what can they look forward to in her first comics finale?

Emerald City Comicon 2011: Interview with John Arcudi

Writer John Arcudi initially made a name for himself on Hollywood-blockbusters-turned-comics like Predator, Terminator, Robocop, and more, and then on comics-turned-films like his series Barb Wire and The Mask.  Since then, he's become a staple in the Hellboy universe, writing B.P.R.D. and shaping that universe into what it is today.  In this lively interview at the Emerald City convention, John and I discussed his early work, what's ahead in the pipeline, and his growing number of side projects.  [Readers will note that this conversation takes place before artist Guy Davis announced his departure from B.P.R.D.]

Amazon.com: I have to admit that I did a bit of a background check on you before our interview, and I noted that earlier in your career you wrote for Cracked Magazine. I was a big fan of that book when I was younger. Can you share any memories from your time at Cracked?

John Arcudi: It was a long time ago. It was the mid-to-late 80s. It wasn’t the first professional job that I did--that was at Savage Tales for Marvel--but a friend of mine, Mike Delle-Femine (Mort Todd), was Editor-in-Chief, and he asked me to try out some stuff, and we worked together and it worked out really well. It was amazing, because I got to work with Steve Ditko, Wally Brogan--which was a lot of fun--John Severin…Gene Colan, yeah, that was a lot of fun.

Emerald City Comicon 2011: Interview with Dave Stewart

Colorist Dave Stewart has six Eisner awards to his name, and his projects run the comics gamut, from Abe Sapien to the X-Men. In looking at his list of accomplishments, however, it’s clear to see where he spends the bulk of his efforts--on the Hellboy and B.P.R.D. series. While illustrators may change on these titles, Stewart’s contributions lend a consistent, high quality mood and atmosphere to the pages, making him a stalwart among the supernatural. At Emerald City Comicon 2011, Dave Stewart and I sat down to discuss his approach to various projects, including the recently released Daytripper from DC’s Vertigo imprint.

Amazon.com: When a reader opens a comic, chances are it’s going to be in color. Yet, for most readers the coloring process remains a mystery. Can you walk me through your approach?

Emerald City Comicon 2011: Interview with Guy Davis

Last weekend, ewoks, intergalactic bounty hunters, Ghostbusters, and caped crusaders descended upon Seattle for the Emerald City Comicon. There, artists, writers, actors, publishers, vendors, and fans banded together at the Seattle Convention Center to celebrate all things comics. It’s grown to such a successful annual event that organizers extended it to three days, and it made all the difference. Of course, I wore my best Batman shirt and geeked out all weekend.

For fans looking to score commissions and autographs, Friday was the day to go, with lines at a minimum and aisles clear to wander and take in all the sights. Sunday was busier but still manageable, with everyone looking a little weary but still pleased to be among friends. Saturday was the big day, however, with throngs of costumed fans attending panels and carrying boxes full of books in hopes for autographs. Fittingly, it was on Saturday that the biggest news of the weekend was announced. At publisher Dark Horse’s panel, longtime B.P.R.D. series artist Guy Davis announced his departure from the book that he has illustrated for eight years. The news stunned fans, and I caught up with Davis after the panel to discuss the decision and what lies ahead for him.

Graphic Novel Friday: iZombie

While fans of AMC’s The Walking Dead gnash their teeth in anticipation for the second season, Vertigo offers a surprising new take on the zombie genre this month with iZombie. Written by Chris Roberson and with artwork by cult favorite Mike Allred, Volume 1: Dead to the World is a significant tonal shift from most zombie comics on the market. It’s told from the perspective of a female zombie named Gwen Dylan, whose undead existence comes with a great twist: in order to maintain the pretense that she’s alive, Gwen must consume human gray matter once a month or else her zombie instincts take over. Along with the brainy aftertaste comes selective memories from the deceased, and Gwen is cursed with flashbacks that are not her own. It’s a tough gig, coupled with a job digging graves (bright side: her day job provides those necessary late-night snacks that she reluctantly craves), and the irony is not lost on her:

This is, by the way, totally some kind of symbol for my entire existence. Digging holes in the morning, filling them up in the afternoon, and sneaking in at night to dig ‘em back up again. Over and over. Like that guy in the Greek hell who rolled a big rock up and down a hill all day. What was his name? Syphilis? Something like that, anyway. Whatever. Seriously, though, I’d switch places with the dead Greek guy in a second.

Graphic Novel Friday: Swords, Sorcerers, and Spaceships

I’ve been in a 1970s mood lately, fleshing out my tiny vinyl collection and catching up on classic comics. I’ve trumpeted Dark Horse’s Creepy and Eerie Archives, but lately the publisher has been hard at work feeding my nostalgia with great reprints of lost gems from the 70s.

When an advance copy of John Carter of Mars: Warlord of Mars crossed my desk, I could not stop obsessing over it. I am a sucker for “complete” collections, and this 630-plus page tome boasts “all twenty-eight issues of John Carter: Warlord of Mars, plus all three annuals, collected for the very first time!” Sold! Underneath that: “Featuring a foreword by Michael Chabon.” Sold! Chabon edited McSweeney’s Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales and contributed a short story entitled “The Martian Agent, A Planetary Romance,” and its influence was clear: Edgar Rice Burroughs. To have Chabon now introduce Burroughs’ John Carter comics is perfect casting. After I finished the foreword, I looked at the table of contents and marveled at the names associated with the stories contained therein: Chris Claremont, Marv Wolfman, Gil Kane, Frank Miller, Walt Simonson, Carmine Infantino, George Perez, and more. You do not have to keep selling this collection to me, Dark Horse--but sold!

I first flipped to the chapter penciled by Frank Miller and it’s a stunner. John Carter’s love interest, the incomparable Dejah Thoris, lies captive, and Miller’s depiction of her is far removed from his jagged, splotchy portrayals of femme fatales in Sin City. The chapter also features a wild sword battle between multi-armed aliens, resulting in a tangled flurry of limbs, blades, fangs, and action lines. Dark Horse has reprinted these stories in crisp, sharp, black and white pages, drawing attention to the very fine details in expressions--both human and alien, costumes, weaponry, and otherworldly landscapes. These late-70s stories are alive with ideas, strange spaceships, and exclamation marks. The trade paperback comes with sturdy front and back covers, preventing the hefty collection from buckling or warping with all the loving attention that’s sure to come.

New Debut Fiction: Regarding Ducks and Universes

In Neve Maslakovic’s debut science-fiction novel, Regarding Ducks and Universes, protagonist Felix Sayers isn’t as unique as he’d like to think.

On an otherwise mundane Monday morning in 1986, the universe split in two, a bifurcation that gave life to a second universe: “Universe B.” The surprisingly not-so-cataclysmic split is known as “Y-day,” given that both Universe A and B stem from the same timeline but then diverge, allowing for subtle differences between the two. Felix’s favorite lunch spot, The Coconut Café, may exist in both realities and serve the same soup, but that soup might not taste the same to Felix in Universe B as it does in A. Of course, in order to taste such a difference, travel between universes would have to be possible, and in Regarding Ducks, it’s not only possible--it’s actually commonplace. It’s become so common, in fact, that travelers pass along tips like The Lunch Place Rule, warning others of the disappointment in trying to visit familiar haunts in both universes and expecting the same result (or taste).

The government, however, issued far more stringent rules and regulations to make sense of this event and to guarantee the safety and privacy of the populations settled in both universes. Any character born before Y-day in Universe A has a double, or “alter,” living in Universe B--and meeting this alter violates the Department of Information’s laws. But the further a character is born after Y-day, the less likely it is he or she has an alter in Universe B. This is where Felix’s troubles begin, as he was born after Y-day, or so he thought. A revealing photograph soon sends him on a universe-hopping adventure to find his supposed alter, a doppelganger who may or may not have already written the book Felix has always meant to write and who may or may not be trying to kill him.

Regarding Ducks and Universes is not “hard sci-fi,” meaning its main focus isn’t explaining the “hows” of Y-day or the ability to travel back and forth between universes. Sure, it has to make sense and it certainly does--the author has a Ph.D. from Stanford's STAR (Space, Telecommunications, and Radioscience) Lab, after all--but Regarding Ducks has more in common with Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy than, say, Star Trek in terms of tone. It’s a fun premise that gives its characters the ability to look at the choices they made in one universe and how they might have turned out differently in another, even if the alternative is as subtle as a spoonful of soup. It’s the ultimate “What If?”--a question readers may ask themselves every day, but it’s rarely one with the consequences that threaten Felix.

And as for the “ducks” promised in the title? Well, I can say there is a particularly important one, and it’s made of rubber. But in order to discover more, you’ll have to travel to the universe(s) created by author Neve Maslakovic. Thankfully, your journey is only a single click away.

--Alex