Comics

Continuing on the whole Image Comics kick we're on, here's a piece on NONPLAYER by Nate Simpson and why it might be the next NIGHTLY NEWS. Simpson -- not to be confused with Nate Powell or Nate Doyle -- is a relative newcomer to comics, but has a long background as a video game designer.

Deadline reports that Jeff Smith's RASL is being developed by SHERLOCK HOLMES roducer Lionel Wigram. The series, the follow-up to Smith's million-selling fantasy Bone, concerns an art thief who jump to different universes to steal priceless works of art, but at a great personal cost.

Another email PR this afternoon from Image Comics, announcing more sellouts and second printings, this time for THE INTREPIDS by Kurtis Wiebe and Scott Kowalchuk and Hoang Nguyen's CARBON GREY. While such press releases have a strong component of sheer hype, and don't necessarily indicate ginormous sales, it's worth noting that we get as many of them from Image these days as from Marvel (DC no longer sends out press releases). Given the recent strengthening of the mid-list, even as the top of the charts shrinks, this could be seen as another example of the increasing democratization of comics sales. We'd also note that both comics sport a a fresher, non-house style look. Maybe there is an audience for something new after all.

Continuing Thor's conquest of all media, Marvel is releasing a new animated Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers series, based on the Robert Rodi and Esad Ribic mini, that explains why they don't get along. The series will be available for download on iTunes, XBox and PlayStation starting 3/28 for $2.99 in HiDef and $1.99 in standard. The trailer debuted on Wired and producer Ruwan Jayatilleke talked about the story:

Dave McKean and Italian comics artist Lorenzo Mattotti will be in London this weekend and will be hold a discussion concerning Celluloid (McKean's upcoming graphic novel), Stigmata (Mattotti's recent graphic novel from Fantagraphics), and who knows what else.

This Vanity Fairinterview with Stan Lee is FULL of awesomeness, and shows that Lee can still turn a quip like a young man of 70. But the bit that is getting the most excitement this day is the part where Stan answers the question he dodged in MALLRATS all those years ago -- the one about whether the Thing's junk was made of orange rock. Only they didn't call it junk back then--they called it a dork!

According to DC's March 8th retailer email, BATWOMAN #1 by JH Williams III, W. Haden Blackman, and Amy Reeder has been delayed again. The book had been delayed from an earlier launch, although Williams said it was always a bit nebulous:

History repeats itself as one more Roger Langridge's Muppet comics have been put in the vault by a business move. Fans of his near-universally acclaimed run on Boom's Muppet franchise may recall that his run on the beloved puppets began as a strip for Disney Adventures magazine, which was cancelled before the strips could run. Langridge made a few mini comics which he furtively handed out at cobs and the legend of the strips greatness grew. Result: when Boom got the license a call went out.

The fine folks at Comics Alliance did a very sensible thing and hired artist Ulises Farinas -- whose previous Marvel art efforts have been widely admired -- to create a massive Marvel vs DC Where's Waldo type illustration. Your mission: find the Invisible Woman and dozens of other people and objects. We've reproduced only a tiny portion of the whole here -- to see the whole thing at once would overwhelm your senses!

Skottie Young, who has thrilled us with his Oz comics, and Pixar's Scott Morse have a sketch blog together and it's lovely. Today they are doing some Harry Potter sketches and they are, predictably, awesome. Above, Dumbledore by Young; below, Lumos by Morse.

Speaking of Vermont, Beat Spy Inky Jen passed along this epic photo of a huge Batman carved from the icy terrain spotted by a passing motorist/blogger. (Click link for larger image.)

Comedy writer Tom Gammill (Seinfeld, The Simpsons) has a comic strip called The Doozies, and has made a bunch of videos in which he teaches the ancient secrets of cartooning. In his 26th episode, he visits the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont and discovered things about the climate and the students. The humor is a bit, er, broad, but this video is quite charming.