§ Go read Michael Chabon’s unused screenplay for Spider-Man 2 courtesy of McSweeneys. This is the version where Peter Parker investigates J. Jonah Jameson’s immigrant heritage before they both go to Alaska for a soul-baring confrontation that reveals what it really means to be a man and a father. Joke free aside: wait, that was THE HULK.

§ ICv2 talks to the folks behind Haven Distributors, the new owners of Cold Cut:

LS: It’s been my quest to get into the comic book business for years. I started self-publishing to get my writing noticed, but along the way I always seemed to find myself in more managerial roles.

So while my passion remained on the creative side, I took a strong interest in the business side of the industry. I wanted to help my fellow indie creators as much as I wanted to get my own work out there.

Along comes the news that the leading distributor of independent comics is up for sale. A little research revealed that it may well end up disappearing. From the moment I heard about this, I thought that if it was at all within my power, I could not let that happen.


§ The annual Brit comics get together ComicExpo is coming up in Bristol and a bunch of stuff if going on.

§ Geoff Johns grilled at IGN

IGN Comics: You know, when I open up Previews each month, it seems like half the book is taken up by books written by either you, Brubaker or Bendis. How do you manage to write so many books each month? Geoff Johns: Well I do four or five a month, on average. A lot of guys do four a month. Bendis does five or six. Brubaker does four or five. I don’t know, I do one a week, and there’s four or five weeks in a month, so it just kind of works out. I just enjoy writing, and enjoy writing comic books. IGN Comics: How long is the typical turnaround on one of your scripts?

Johns: It all depends, as far as first drafts go. Legion of Three Worlds took two weeks. An issue of Booster Gold probably takes me about three days for the first draft. It all depends what book it is and which issue it is. Ironically, Green Lantern takes a little longer with the “Secret Origins” arc because it’s much more deliberate and much more refined. There’s so much I want to have in that “Secret Origin” arc and that I’ve designed in that arc that it takes a long time to refine it. Every book is different. There are a handful of issues I’ve written in a day. And those are issues that I’ve had in my head for years. Like my Captain Cold rogue issue I did all those years ago for Flash, that was in my head for I don’t know how long, but when I started writing it, it was one of those fifteen, sixteen hour days where I just started writing and did not stop until I was done. Because the story was sitting in my head, and I had to get it out.

§ Friend up Rick Veitch and David Lloyd’s Kickback

at MySpace!

§ New York loses a comics shop:

It is with great sadness that I report that the enigmatically-named Sleep of Reason Comics Shop at 47 West 8th Street has somewhat unexpectedly closed its doors. While my comic collecting days are largely behind me (I still spring for the odd title every now and again), I was glad to know I had a comic shop nearby should I need a fix.

I know I recently said that W.8th Street has nowhere to go but up, but the departure of Sleep of Reason now seems like one more worrying step towards the Meat Packing District-ification of my back yard. Save Us, Dr. Strange!!!


Via Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York

§ The Daily News quizzes Jeffrey Brown about his ‘Little Things’

DN: Can you explain what your latest book, “Little Things,” is about? Jeffrey Brown: As the title would suggest, it’s about the everyday moments that we tend to overlook and how those are actually such meaningful parts of our lives. “Little Things” tries to champion the everyday normal life as something worthwhile and meaningful. Structurally, it’s a bunch of short stories that go back and forth in time, it’s more about atmosphere and mood than chronological narrative.


§ Actor James Urbaniak talks a bit more about viral marketing and The Spirit:

But, seriously: why would a studio promoting a film (let alone a visually arresting comic book adaptation) want to release intrinsically awkward reference shots that register no energy or sense of behind-the-scenes excitement? Shine a public light on them and all wardrobe photos look tacky. (“Scarlett looks as though she’s gearing up for a sketch on MAD TV” said a Beat commenter.) Are we to believe that the producers, the leading lady (stars have contractual approval of all publicity images that feature their likenesses) and the marketing company all thought it would be a good idea to “leak” and then “prohibit” these anti-pinups to generate buzz in the nerdosphere? Or did Special Ops Media simply plan to “leak” them and then, only after realizing the online reaction was less than overwhelmed, proceed to “prohibit” them? Or was Special Ops merely given the job of plugging an actual leak because they’re the movie’s online marketing people? Who can tell anymore? Mr. Wizard, get me the hell out of here.


§ You must be sick of this, but Marvel_B0y is back and this appears to be written by someone else entirely.

Anyway, it seems that this thing could get me in real trouble and that’s not why I started it. Maybe I was a little too honest on how I felt or maybe I went a little too far on my critiques. But if I did, it was only because I care. I wasn’t looking to hurt anybody or take food off of anyone’s tables I wasn’t looking for my 15 minutes. (I plan on getting that the right way through my writing, and trust me, its going to last longer than just 15 minutes.) I was just trying to point out what I thought was wrong as far as some of the things that we’re doing. It’s how you get things fixed and make sure they get better. You talk about a problem and figure out a way to fix it. People do that all of the time. Why my blog became such a big deal I have no idea. And I know there’s gonna be a lot of you out there saying that it was the “spoilers” but I hate to tell you that my blogs are about much more than just spoilers. They were about a guy who loves comics and works in the industry giving some insights on how we can make comic books better. How we can take characters that are broken and fix them so that the fans love them again. I don’t get why that’s wrong. If I worked at bank and saw something that didn’t make sense, would I get in trouble for saying that I know a better way of doing it? No, I’d probably get a promotion and a raise and an actual office. But instead I got attacked and now possibly fired. What sense does that make? Let’s fire the guy that is trying to make our company better. That’ll learn’em!

§ Joe Infurnari and his webcomic The Process are having a contast

As promised, I’m holding a drawing for a drawing! First off, what do entrants have a good chance of winning? Why this drawing, of course! As chosen by visitors to this blog, the prize most wanted was this piece of original art. It’s the unused art for page 23! This is a fully rendered, finished drawing and not a sketch. It’s the real deal, people. The media used are marker, ink, watercolor and colored pencil on watercolor paper. It measures 12″x16″, is signed by me and is ready for framing. This is a rare opportunity to own a piece of original art from this webcomic. I’ll not be parting with any until sometime after this project gets published (whenever that will be) so don’t let this drawing pass you by!

1 COMMENT

  1. With regard to the closing of “Sleep of Reason,” without invoking (too much) a whole conversation about the state of comics retailing nowadays, can I just say that I seem to have become curmudgeonly enough in my young old age to look at this as an opportunity to decry how New York’s 8th Street is becoming New York University’s food court or something. Bah!