[This is a regular spot for news items from around. If you want to send in an item contact us at comicsbeat at gmail.com.]
§ There was some anxiety last week when it was reported that Marvel/Disney had sent a cease and desist regarding STARSTRUCK, the 30-year-old property owned by Elaine Lee and Mike Kaluta. Disney had a movie called STARSTRUCK a few years ago, and Epic, Marvel’s long ago creator-owned line once published STARSTRUCK, but Lee reported that the matter had been quickly ironed out. Lee did offer this:
I’m currently doing an interview for a new book on women in geeky professions. They asked me to give advice to young women starting out. My advice is do your own thing. Keep the rights to your work. If you sell your work, make sure you get Hollywood money, not comic book money.
§ On the annual holiday known as Fred van Lente Day, we were reminded that next year he’ll be publishing Action Presidents:
FVL: Yes. The first installment is “George Washington” (shockingly) and while it will first appear in the GRAPHIC TEXTBOOK produced by the Reading with Pictures non-profit, for you non-schoolchildren, though, we will probably offer it as a 99¢ single digitally on Comixology. We’ll collect ‘em all in a manga-style book once we have enough material.
Seeing as van Lente’s previous Action Philosophers and Comic Book History of Comics were so well-done, this is something to look forward to.
§ Alan Moore in the news? Say it ain’t so! But yes, this time his GN NEONOMICON has been banned from a library in South Carolina.
The graphic novel had been shelved in the adult section because of its content. But when the girl asked her mother, Carrie Gaske, about an unfamiliar word, Gaske filed an official challenge against the graphic novel in June. The library has now made an official decision to ban Neonomicon.
Wondering what that word was. NEONOMICON, drawn by Jacen Burrows, is among Moore’s most graphic works, but it was properly shelved in the adult section.
§ Jim Starlin is working at DC, he announced on Facebook.
I have just completed scripting the first two issues of an on-going series for DC Comics. Can't say what the title is until DC wants the news out. But I imagine a lot of people will be quite surprised to see me take over the writing chores on this particular property. Been having a (surprisingly) fun time with it so far.
With Starlin’s profile rising after the Thanos affair, this is no surprise. Hopefully the book in question isn’t BATGIRL, because no one deserves that.
§ Harlan Ellison is back in comics with HARLAN ELLISON'S 7 AGAINST CHAOS, a graphic novel that will be drawn by Paul Chadwick.
This extraordinary odyssey of mystery and adventure will take you to the rim of reality and beyond. In a distant future, Earth is in grave danger: The fabric of reality itself in unraveling, leading to catastrophic natural disasters, displaced souls appearing from bygone eras, and sudden, shocking cases of spontaneous combustion. The only hope for Earth's survival is a force of seven warriors, each with his or her special abilities. But can these alien Seven Samurai learn to get along in time to find the source of the gathering chaos and save all of reality?
§ Another new comics line, Amigo Comics. They say they will publish fantasy, horror, and SF, concentrating on creator-owned projects. El Torres is the publisher and author of the first book, ROGUES, which will be drawn by Juan Jose Ryp. The initial press release includes a plan to conquer the world, so we’ll see how that goes.
Looking forward to seeing more Starlin work out there…
More Paul Chadwick is always nice. Hopefully more Concrete will be next.
I’d be more enthused about Starlin getting a gig at DC if DC weren’t in such editorial disarray that it’s inevitable that he’ll leave whatever book he gets after about 7-10 months at the most.
Starlin is not famous for his tolerance of editorial meddling. DC’s editorial micromanaging right now doesn’t scream great fit.
Starlin doesn’t strike me as high enough profile to somehow wrangle a version of the editor-writer token.
This probably won’t end well.
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