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IN
THE NEWS
OCTOBER 27, 2000
Australia Bans Moore/Campbell's
FROM HELL
Australian customs officials have intercepted
a shipment of an issue of Alan Moore and
Eddie Campbell's acclaimed FROM HELL,
a mini-series centered around Jack the
Ripper (also soon to be a movie starring
Johnny Depp and Heather Graham).
Apparently all media has to be rated by a
censorship arm of the Australian
government before it can be sold, so until a
rating is determined, FROM HELL is on
indefinite hold there.
For the full story, check out Warren Ellis's
"Come in Alone" column for 10/27/00 at
comicbookresources.com.
OCTOBER 14, 2000
While Batman isn't a title that would normally
discussed here at Fanboy, I wanted to let you
all know there is a new Elseworlds Batman
mini-series out written by none other than
Mike Mignola (HELLBOY)! THE DOOM
THAT CAME TO GOTHAM is sort of a what if
the Cthulhu mythos came to Gotham City.
The Peguin is an Antarctic researcher that has
uncovered something in frozen caves. An
undead figure, a kind of slave or guardian
to the frozen monster, will apparently be Mr.
Freeze (they build him a suit to keep him from
decaying).
The demon Etrigan makes an appearance, as
does Oliver Queen (aka the Green Arrow).
Alfred is there, and while there is no Robin, all
three Robins from the series (Jason Todd,
Timothy Drake and Dick Grayson) work for
Bruce Wayne. The first of the three issues is
available now, and Talia al'Ghul (daughter of
Rhas al'Ghul) appears as a major antagonist.
Great stuff!
SEPTEMBER 26, 2000
Well, it's over. Garth Ennis has finally wrapped
the PREACHER series. It was a terrific title,
easily earning its place as the flagship series
for Vertigo. If you haven't read it, any of it, then
you're really missing out. Check back soon for
a special feature review on the series.
SEPTEMBER 20, 2000
ANOTHER SHAKEUP
Well, first Joe Quesada is expected to shake
things up at Marvel. Rumors abound that he's
looking outside Marvel to bring in some big
name editors.
And Axel Alonso, Vertigo's main man in the
editorial office, has just skipped out on DC.
Coincidence? Maybe.
But if not, and he is headed for Marvel offices,
then there's a possibility we can see some
more shakeups out of Marvel. Sure, Vertigo
put out some stinkers. But the guy's gathered
some top-notch talent in guys like Warren
Ellis and Garth Ennis, not to mention being
able to keep the Vertigo horror titles moving
despite failures of things like the Helix line of
books (of which only Transmetropolitan
survived).
Things could get interesting soon, folks.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2000
It's official, folks: Marvel Comics has removed
Bob Harras from his position as Editor-in-Chief
and promoted Marvel Knights co-founded
Joe Quesada into his position.
If you ask me, this is a good move.
Let me tell you why.
Many of the Marvel titles have been stagnating.
Need proof? Look at all the gimmicks coming
and going. Look at the rise and fall of the MC2
line (that took what, a month? two?). Look at
all the creators getting fed up and walking
away from titles.
Enter Marvel Knights.
Two guys, Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti,
co-founders of Event Comics (publishers of
ASH) are all there is to it. They tell Marvel
"Hey, give us the old favorites that aren't
doing anything at the moment."
Marvel, probably figuring no further harm can
be done, hands the guys characters like
DAREDEVIL, THE PUNISHER, and
THE BLACK PANTHER.
But then the amazing happened: these
characters became -popular- again!
Daredevil was on the verge of getting
canceled before Quesada and Palmiotti
handed him over to indy film favorite Kevin
Smith (CLERKS, DOGMA). Despite a few
hitches with the first PUNISHER mini, the new
12 issue, back-to-basics run by Garth Ennis
(PREACHER, HELLBLAZER) is kicking
some ass. They even brought Grant Morrison
(THE INVISIBLES) back from threats to quit
comics for good after his poor treatment at
the hands of DC Comics. He's writing the
current MARVEL BOY, and they've given
him almost complete authority to do what
he wants with the character, unlike the
stringent policies I understand most
Marvel editors place on their writers.
In essence, Quesada and Palmiotti proved
that if you put the right writers onto the project,
these titles can be successful again! Any
mook can churn out scripts every week. It's
the guys that churn out the "good" scripts
that you need to pay the big bucks and make
sure they stay happy!
A few weeks ago, Jimmy Palmiotti stepped
down from his Marvel Knights position.
Basically, events in his personal life have taken
precedence over the comics (as it should be).
That worried me, because I wondered if
Quesada would be able to handle everything on
his own. Some of the titles already suffer from
Cliffhanger Syndrome (chronic lateness for the
non-fanboy among you). The titles I collect from
the Marvel Knights line are all that I buy from
Marvel, and I didn't want to see them suffer.
Instead, I couldn't be happier. Quesada cares for
the business. No, scratch that: the current bigwigs
obviously care for the business and that's about it. I
should say Quesada cares for the "properties".
He loves the characters. He knows the good
writers from the bad.
Here's hoping the rest of the suits stay the hell out
of his way.
SEPTEMBER 1, 2000
Well, the powers that be have shutdown the Irish site
featuring the black & white bootleg of the dropped
HELLBLAZER issue "Shoot" by Warren Ellis.
I'll be keeping an eye out for it to pop up again. I
also know of a certain somebody that downloaded
copies of all the pages, so they may even appear
elsewhere anyway . . .
AUGUST 22, 2000
The main reason
Warren Ellis left the HELLBLAZER
title was because of an editorial conflict. Essentially,
he wrote a story that the editors refused to run.
It was a story about schoolyard
shootings.
And by coincidence of
timing, it would have coincided
with the media frenzy surrounding the Columbine
shootings.
While I'm not one for
censorship, I am one for taste
and I do feel it would have been a bad move for
Vertigo to print the
issue at that time. Let's face it,
they no doubt would have been crucified by the
media and Ellis would have had his name
dragged through the mud as well.
Well guess what, folks:
you can now read this issue
on the web! Someone in Ireland has obtained a
black and white copy
of the issue, possibly one of
the previews that the publishers send out to comic
shops as promotional materials (they typically
hand them out at conventions, too). Surf
over to
http://www.iol.ie/~jmcmahon/shoot/
and you'll
be able to read that issue
in its entirety.
I'll say that it's not
the best HELLBLAZER story
ever written, and it more or less boils down to
Ellis telling the world what he thinks of these
liberals that try to blame things like TV, music,
and video games for children shooting one
another. In fact, it's almost downright preachy,
considering Constantine's speech near the end.
But it makes for interesting reading and I have
to admit I agree with where he's coming from.
Check it out before it
gets yanked. Remember,
DC owns HELLBLAZER, so this isn't a creator-
owned deal where Ellis and the artist, Phil
Jimenez, would have the final say as to whether
or not to leave the issue up. I imagine the site
owner will get a "cease and desist" letter fairly
soon.
AUGUST 20, 2000
I suppose it was only a matter of time.
TOP COW, publisher of such hot properties
as
WITCHBLADE, THE DARKNESS, RISING
STARS, TOMB RAIDER, and FATHOM, has
been doing several crossovers in the past, both
with Marvel and DC properties (for example,
DARKNESS / BATMAN and WITCHBLADE /
WOLVERINE for starters).
Next up? They ally with DARK HORSE COMICS,
lately best known for their media tie-ins with
properties like ALIENS, STAR WARS, and
TERMINATOR (yet publisher of fan favorites like
Frank Miller's SIN CITY and several Manga titles).
The crossover will be - *deep breath* -
WITCHBLADE / DARKNESS / ALIENS /
PREDATOR.
I have to admit, I'm skeptical. Apparently
they'll be
tweaking the histories of the WITCHBLADE and
the DARKNESS yet again so there's something
in all four characters'/groups' pasts that lets the
crossover make sense.
Top Cow's more or less admitted to being
a
whore for a dollar, and this is just another
indication of it, IMHO. It's no secret that the
company pushes for more ways to sell their
properties, from video games to action figures
to movies and beyond. That's all well and good, I
just wish they wouldn't do it at the expense of the
comics - while Top Cow is not the worst as far
as chronic lateness (CLIFFHANGER is the
champion there, hands down), some of their titles
have lost their luster. And as cool as RISING
STARS is, the publisher replaced its artist a few
issues ago to put him on another title in an
attempt to bolster its sales.
You guys want to make more money? Spend
more money on talent. Michael Turner
(FATHOM, TOMB RAIDER) may be a
dynamite artist, but that doesn't mean every
artist you hire from that point on has to has
has to follow his style. And let's not forget
forget Garth Ennis (PREACHER, PUNISHER)
was part of the creation of the Darkness.
With Preacher wrapping up this month,
Punisher wrapping in another half-dozen
issues, and the mini-series TALES OF THE
RIFLE BRIGADE coming soon, I imagine
he'll have some more time on his hands . . .
hint hint.
In other Top Cow news: Fathom's schedule is
going to suffer a bit. Writer/artist Michael
Turner has recently undergone emergency hip
replacement surgery following a motorcycle
accident. After recovery, he'll be going through
a period of rehabilitation. Not only will this
interfere
with his creative time, he'll no doubt
have difficulty returning to his kick-boxing
hobby (if he can return at all). Best of luck
on a speedy recovery, Michael.
AUGUST 17, 2000
Comic
Book Resources reports the following
updates on the various comic flicks in production:
"Director Stephen Norrington, who
directed
BLADE, is in the running for directing the
next Marvel horror-related title to hit the big
screen, GHOST RIDER. BLADE scripter
David Goyer may tackle the script for GHOST
RIDER as well, and if BLADE is any indication,
these guys make a good team. In a rehash of
somewhat old news, Jon Voight (ANACONDA,
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE) is producing and
possibly starring in the flick, and Johnny Depp
(THE ASTRONAUT'S WIFE, EDWARD
SCISSORHANDS) is looking to land the lead
role.
"BLADE 2 will start shooting in February,
with
both Wesley Snipes and Kris Kristofferson
returning. It will have a November 2001 or
February 2002 release date, and Goyer's
looking at the possibility of a trilogy.
"Finally, Snipes' production company,
Amen
Ra, is set to produce a BLACK PANTHER flick.
Artisan Entertainment will be the distributor, as
they had picked up the film rights. Snipes and
Goyer hope to work together on the flick.
Ice Cube (ANACONDA, THREE KINGS) is going
to produce and star in the SHADOWMAN movie.
Keith Domingue, apparently a newcomer, is set
to write.
This is still apparently at the rumor
stage, but
Nicolas Cage (RED ROCK, WEST, 8MM), who
looked to land the SUPERMAN lead role a
couple years ago, is now hoping to get involved
in SPIDER-MAN. He supposedly wants to play
the Green Goblin. IMHO, he'd be better at that
than Superman . . .
In further Spidey news, William H. Macy
(PSYCHO [1998], FARGO) is said to be in the
running for the role of Peter Parker's boss, J.
Jonah Jameson. CBR reports this is unlikely,
however, as Macy is set to star in JURASSIC
PARK 3 (obviously not based on a book, as
there were only two books . . . not that
Spielberg ever even read the first two anyway,
judging by the way the movies went).
That's all for now. (Ain't it enough???)
AUGUST 15, 2000
GET TO YOUR
COMICS SHOP NOW
PEOPLE!
Pick up VIOLENT
MESSIAHS.
The second issue just hit the stands, and it's
not hard to see why the first issue is going for
five bucks at some places already.
The best way to describe
it is SE7EN with
super-villains. You've got a gritty atmosphere, a
take-no-shit female detective, and a bad ass
pair of vigilantes wreaking havoc on the city.
Look for a review here
on Fanboy of Fear in the
next month or so, when the first story arc winds
down. Also, I'd like to note the author mentions
selling movie rights in his afterword, and has
completed the screenplay. Will be
something to
look for!
JULY 27, 2000
GET TO YOUR
COMICS SHOP NOW PEOPLE!
This week is just huge
with horror titles! I don't
know if there's some weird planetary
alignment I'm
not aware of, or maybe the end of the world has just
come a few steps closer, but comics like these
NEVER hit the store all at once! I highly
recommend you get down to your local
store
before these suckers disappear.
HELLBLAZER #152 (Azzarello, Frusin --
w/Bradstreet cover!)
LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN
#6 of 6 (Moore, O'Neill)
GRENDEL: DEVIL'S LEGACY # 5 of 12
(Wagner, Pander Bros.)
FLINCH #14 (various)
And in the very damn cool, bad-ass book
(okay, they're
billed as superhero comics, but don't let that fool you
- these books blend a little of everything from sci fi
and action / adventure to blood & guts and suspense)
dept., we have:
THE AUTHORITY #17 (Millar, Weston)
PLANETARY #11 (Ellis, Cassaday)
If you're not reading any of these titles,
then God
damn it you're missing some terrific work.
Hey, would I steer you wrong?
JULY 19, 2000
MARVEL is
signing movie deals for many of their
properties following first the success of BLADE
and
now the huge buzz (and not-too-shabby box office
earnings) of X-MEN.
BLADE 2 is already in the works,
but the next horror-related property coming down the
pike is GHOST RIDER, the 'biker from Hell' character
that's bent on vengeance.
Most of you are familiar
with Artisan Entertainment
with their release of THE BLAIR
WITCH PROJECT.
They've picked up the properties to a whopping
fifteen properties, including BLACK PANTHER,
CAPTAIN AMERICA, and DEADPOOL.
Sam Raimi (EVIL DEAD,
A SIMPLE PLAN) will be
directing the SPIDER MAN flick for Sony, and now
MSN has just announced that
Fox subsidiary
Regency Productions is going to be producing a
DAREDEVIL flick, written by Mark Steven Johnson
(GRUMPY OLD MEN, SIMON BIRCH) and directed
by Johnson or John Singleton (SHAFT). According to
MSN, Singleton considers himself
a huge comic fan
(this can be good or bad).
Now that BLADE
and X-MEN
have shown that
Marvel's properties can survive the big screen like
BATMAN did (and not turn into putrid garbage like the
PUNISHER flick - and if anyone has
the reportedly
vile FANTASTIC FOUR bootleg by Roger Corman, let
me know! I'm not an FF fan, but I want to see how bad
this sucker really is). Hopefully they'll all get the same
respect the X-MEN did during production, but I have a
feeling some of these properties will get churned out
cheaply with half-assed directors and scripts, with the
sage Hollywood bigwigs figuring that a comic movie is
a comic movie. Only time will tell.
JULY 15, 2000
Mike Oliveri
starts his own section at Feo Amante with
his news and reviews of Horror, Suspense, Thriller, and
Dark Fantasy Comic books and animation in
MIKE O. Fanboy Of Fear.
In September 2000, Dark
Horse Comics releases
GREEN LANTERN vs. ALIENS.
Personally I'd like
to see the aliens tear the green
fruitcake apart, but do
you really think DC would let that happen? Is it me, or
are the aliens little more than cannon fodder these
days?
Members of HEAT (Hal's Emergency Action Team or
some such nonsense -- basically all the fanboys that
are whining because original Green Lantern Hal Jordan
bit the dust) should be happy, as apparently Jordan is
the Green Lantern in this book.
Matt Wagner's way-cool
MAGE: THE HERO
DISCOVERED
is getting the big screen treatment!
According to CSN, the movie is definitely
a go and
Wagner is very pleased with the script
and the studio.
Andrew Cosby will produce for Spyglass
Entertainment,
and the script is written by John
Rogers, who just sold a
JESSE JAMES script to Warner Brothers.
Warren Ellis (TRANSMETROPOLITAN,
HELLBLAZER)
announced via his email newsletter "From the Desk of..."
that he is writing a new miniseries called STRANGER
KISSES, a sequel to the Avatar Comics-published
miniseries STRANGE KISS. He has even attached an
.rtf file containing an excerpt of the script of the new
miniseries. Look for it to hit stores at the end of the year,
following a trade paperback of STRANGE KISS.
We rate using the RABID FANBOY
5 fanboys: YOU NEED THIS!
4 fanboys: Pretty damn good!
3 fanboys: s'okay
2 fanboys: Your point is?
1 fanboy: WHAT UNMITIGATED CRAP!
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