Posted 9/30/11 10:39 am EST by Charles Webb in Comic Books, Creator's Commentary, IDW
This week sees Peter, Ray, Winston, and Egon getting their own ongoing series by writer Erik Burnham and artist Dan Schoening, taking place after the events of this year's infestation miniseries. The guys are back in business, ghosts sightings are on the rise, and there's slime all over the place. We spoke to Burnham about the new series, bringing a childhood favorite to the comic page, and some special guests making their way into the premiere issue.
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Posted 9/16/11 4:28 pm EST by MTV Geek in Comic Books, Creator's Commentary, DC Comics
The Sweet Tooth and Animal Man writer goes big, crazy action in this New 52 reinvention of Frankenstein (the gun and sword-toting monster, that is), the Creature Commandos, and an updated version of the mysterious mad science organization S.H.A.D.E. (think S.H.I.E.L.D. if Nick Fury was a domino mask wearing school girl). Lemire spoke to MTV Geek by e-mail recently about making such an abrupt shift pivot away from the more sensitive, character-driven work with which he's normally associated to Frankenstein totally wrecking stuff. We also learn a little about the pleasures of working with Unknown Soldier artist Alberto Ponticelli, and what went into creating a new version of the Creature Commandos for the New 52.
****Spoilers below!****
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Posted 9/2/11 1:31 pm EST by Charles Webb in Comic Books, Creator's Commentary, Dark Horse, Interviews
Magic is gone. Giles is dead--Angel killed him. So are most of the Slayers Buffy spent the last couple of years training and leading against the many monsters and menaces of the world. Some of that was Angel's fault, too. He was working with and sort of possessed by the entity calling itself "Twilight" and for a while there he was moving a bunch of pieces around the board--including Slayers, high-tech vampires, the very fabric of the universe--for his own purposes. Now with Buffy M.I.A., Angel's wracked with new levels of broody guilt. Along comes Faith, the once "bad" Slayer who entered a sort of mentor/partner relationship with Giles in Season 8. She's taken it upon herself to try to guide a pretty much wrecked Angel back to the light--or at least get him out of his room.
That's pretty much the rough outline of where things start in the first issue of Angel & Faith, which marks the full-on return of the vampire with a soul to Dark Horse Comics after the conclusion of "After the Fall" at IDW. Written by Christos Gage with art provided by Rebekah Isaacs, the book plunges headlong into the post-Twilight messiness of Season 8. We picked Mr. Gage's brain about the first issue and he gave us a guided tour into a Buffyverse that was looking a bit grimmer than it did last time we saw it.
****Spoilers after the break****
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Posted 8/12/11 11:55 am EST by Charles Webb in Comic Books, Creator's Commentary, DC Comics, Interviews
If you're going to be putting out a book about the Justice League when they had digs in the Motor City, what better writer to handle it than the one who originally had Aquaman and Martian Manhunter lead a team of superhero newbies in Detroit: Gerry Conway. Conway took writing chores on this week's DC Retroactive 1980's: Justice League of America, bring back Gyspy, Vibe, Vixen, the Elongated Man, Zatanna, and Steel for one more adventure before the lights get turned out on the current incarnation of the DCU. Mr. Conway was kind enough to answer a few questions about the story, which pits the underdog lineup against longtime JLA foe Felix Faust.
****Warning: Spoilers below!****
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Posted 8/5/11 1:15 pm EST by Charles Webb in Comic Books, Creator's Commentary, Marvel
He's cut a blood swath through the Marvel U, only to get cut up by Daken, the son of Wolverine, only to then get resurrected as the protector of monsters, FrankenCastle. Now writer Greg Rucka (Gotham Central, Queen and Country, Stumptown)--with artist Marco Chechetto (Daredevil, Amazing Spider-Man, Squadron Supreme), have put the Punisher, the seemingly unstoppable Frank Castle, smack dab in the middle of the Marvel U again.
Bringing Frank back as part of Marvel's "Big Shots" initiative which saw new number 1's for Moon Knight, Daredevil, and Ghost Rider, Rucka has taken the helm to show readers a different take on the antihero, while both attempting to stay true to "the mission" while trying to keep Castle under the radar of the rest of the 616. So of course we had to talk about this debut issue with the man responsible for all of the horrible things the Punisher is about to do in his new series.
****Spoilers ahead.****
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Posted 7/29/11 1:31 pm EST by Charles Webb in Comic Books, Creator's Commentary, Image Comics
The writer of Image's new supernatural nautical horror mini thinks you should be careful where you dive and drill.
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Posted 7/8/11 12:15 pm EST by Charles Webb in Comic Books, Creator's Commentary, Image Comics, Interviews
Palmiotti and Gray's latest is a mix of hi-tech hitmen, time travel, and gunfights in the Old West. The writing duo spoke to us recently about their new title for Image.
****Spoilers after the break!****
Posted 7/1/11 12:00 pm EST by Charles Webb in Comic Books, Creator's Commentary, Dark Horse, Interviews
The Goon's back and he ain't puttin' up with no sparkly vampires.
Writer-artist Eric Powell’s The Goon returned to shelves this week with issue number 34. After a little bit of a hiatus for the book (dude explained to us a couple of months back that he’s been busy), so with its return, we thought we'd invite him along for an installment of Creator's Commentary. In his cantankerous interview, Powell talks about vampire baseball, the terror of tween girls, his Hannah Montana game, and we even get around to talking about what's next for the book.
****Spoilers after the break.****
Posted 6/17/11 1:26 pm EST by Charles Webb in Comic Books, Creator's Commentary, Dynamite, Interviews
It takes a lot of guts to resurrect the work of the man they called "The King," but if anyone would be able to handle it, it would have to be writer Kurt Busiek, co-writer and artist Alex Ross, along with artist Jack Herbert in Dynamite's new miniseries, Kirby: Genesis. In this sci-fi adventure, the trio unearth some of Kirby's unpublished characters and concepts in the midst of a strange confrontation between humanity and powerful beings from other planets.
Here's the official synopsis:
GENESIS explodes into action! A message to space has been heard and answered -- but what has come to Earth isn't what anyone would expect! As cosmic visitors begin to be revealed to the world, a deadly battle begins -- and three ordinary people are caught up in it. Featuring: Captain Victory, Silver Star, the Glory Knights and more -- and this is just the beginning! Superstars Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross bring Jack "King" Kirby's creations to life in a way you'll never forget! This is the beginning! This is the GENESIS!
Both Mr. Busiek and Mr. Ross were kind enough to answer a few questions by e-mail for MTV Geek about working on the legendary artist's creations while shedding light on this all-new story. Read More...
Posted 6/14/11 3:55 pm EST by Charles Webb in Comic Books, Creator's Commentary, Image Comics
The Frank Cho and Doug Murray co-created space adventure 50 Girls 50 hits recently hit shelves from Image. With art by newcomer Alex Medellin and edited by Joe Keatinge, the story pits a crew of super-smart, super capable ladies against the perils of space as they attempt to find resources to salvage an ecologically-endangered Earth.
From the synopsis:
A sexy sci-fi romp set in a far-flung future, 50 GIRLS 50 chronicles the fantastic voyage of the Space Vessel ESS Savannah and her beautiful crew as they fight to escape hostile aliens and exotic worlds, searching for the wormhole that will take them to their ultimate destination: Home.
Murray, who wrote the script based on a story he and Cho co-created, has in the past written for titles as diverse as Marvel's The 'Nam, What If, and Savage Sword of Conan, and he's collaborated previously with Cho on Red Sonja and Jungle Girl. Read his creator's commentary on 50 GIrls 50 #1, and then stick around for a video interview with Frank Cho on the series.
***Super sexy space spoilers after the break.***
Posted 6/10/11 10:55 am EST by Charles Webb in Comic Books, Creator's Commentary, Interviews, Marvel
Welcome to another installment of Creator's Commentary.
This week, Rob Williams, the mind behind Cla$$war, who's written everything from 2000 A.D. to Deadpool Team Up, to the upcoming Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force is taking the helm on Ghost Rider with its 0.1 issue, with Matthew Clark on art. Well, helm wouldn't be right--that's for ships, so maybe takes the handles. Either way, Williams is taking the title over and from the solicitations we've seen that starting with issue #1, there'll be a new Spirit of Vengeance blazing down the back roads and fighting evil in the wake of Fear Itself.
So what happened? What would cause Johnny Blaze to "give up the ghost" as it were when world-beating evil is on the loose? If you want to find out, you'll just have to read on.
****Watch out for road hazards and spoilers!****
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Posted 4/29/11 5:43 pm EST by Charles Webb in Comic Books, Creator's Commentary, Interviews
This week saw the release of The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde, from Dark Horse Comics. The mini, written by screenwriter Cole Haddon (on Twitter at @ColeHaddon) with art by illustrator and graphic designer by M.S. Corley, it takes its cue from Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, placing that classic work on a collision course with Jack the Ripper. Taking place some time after Stevenson's novel, Hyde follows Scotland Yard Inspector and prominent forensic investigator Thomas Adye as he begins investigating the string of murders in the Whitechapel area of 1890's London. The killer appears to strike with almost preternatural ability and Adye finds himself forced to rely on a certain serum-sipping doctor if he has any hope of stopping this vicious murder.
In a recent interview with Mr. Haddon, MTV Geek learned about the origins of the story, the potentially dense layers of fictional and historical content embedded in the work, and geeking out over history and classic horror.
***It's Creator's Commentary, so you know the drill: there will be spoilers below the cut.***
Pages 1-5
MTV Geek: You seemed to be matching the cadence and style of dialog one would find in Stevenson’s original story in the first few pages. But the style becomes a little less formal in later pages. Was this deliberate?
Cole Haddon: I wasn’t sure if anyone would ever notice it, so thank you for being so astute. Each issue of The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde begins with a flashback to the events—at least my interpretation of the events—that took place during the original novel. I wanted these flashbacks to echo Stevenson’s voice if only because I think that stiff, rather formal interpretation of Victorian England is pretty much all that exists in the majority of people’s minds today. The rest of the comic book, the story proper, was intended to flip that point of view on its head, to, in a way, generate a transformation similar to the ones experienced or that will be experienced by my main characters. Read More...
Posted 4/8/11 5:00 pm EST by Charles Webb in Creator's Commentary, Image Comics, Interviews
Undying Love hit shelves last week from Image Comics. Co-created by filmmaker/artist Tomm L. Coker and colorist Daniel Freedman, the duo has in the past been responsible for works as diverse as Daredevil: Noir, 5 Ronin: Wolverine. Now they’re tackling a creator-owned title for Image, mixing vampires, Chinese mythology, fleet-footed demons, gunplay, and romance.
And what do you know? They wanted to talk join us for the latest installment of Creator’s Commentary to walk through the first issue.
****Bloody detailed SPOILERS after the jump!*****
MTV Geek: What was the genesis of Undying Love and how did you two come to work on it together?
Daniel Freedman: Tomm co-wrote and directed a film (Catacombs for Lionsgate) in 2007 and I was hired to cut it. We spent the better part of a year locked in a dark editing bay talking through stories and ideas. Eventually we decided to write one together.
Tomm L. Coker: This was a year before Twilight and the renewed interest in bloodsuckers. At the time we felt vampires were ready for some sort of rebirth – we just didn’t foresee the whole glimmer/rock-hard-abs thing.
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Geek: Why did you choose China—and in particular Hong Kong—as the setting for your story? Read More...
Posted 3/4/11 11:33 am EST by Charles Webb in Creator's Commentary, DC Comics, Vertigo Comics
Welcome to another installment of Creator’s Commentary, where we talk with comic creators about their work, digging into their books, sometimes page-by-page to learn more about their process—think of it as director’s commentary, but you know, for books.
This month’s issue number 19 of Jeff Lemire’s post-apocalyptic odyssey Sweet Tooth comes as something of a change of pace, as story switches its focus from leads Gus and Jepperd to fellow survivors, Lucy, Becky, and Wendy. In an even bigger change Lemire shares scripting and art duties on this issue with indie collaborators Nate Powell (Swallow Me Whole), Matt Kindt (Superspy), and Emil Lenox (Emitown), as the plot switches to flashback mode and the three characters reveal how their lives were impacted by the plague.
Mr. Lemire was kind enough to join us in digging into some of the secrets of this issue—so if you picked it up this week, follow along!
****WARNING: PLOT POINTS AND INFORMATION OF AN ARTISTIC NATURE WILL BE SPOILED BELOW!****
MTV Geek: [Pg. 1] How did you decide to place the emphasis on the ladies of the cast this month?
Jeff Lemire I felt like all three characters needed to be fleshed out a bit more before we move forward. Because so much of the plot revolves around Jepperd and Gus, I hadn’t had a chance to do that yet, and they really need to be developed a bit more before [the next arc] “Endangered” Species moves forward. As the book progresses into its second half these three characters will play an increasingly important role.
Geek: [Pg. 3] The first panel in this page by Nate Powell—the outstretched hands of the homeless man—is a really arresting image. In fact, isolated limbs are kind of a motif throughout his piece. To what degree was that a conscious element of his script?
JL You’d have to ask Nate. Truth is I let them each do whatever they want, figuring I would bit up on what they laid down and run with it later. We talked very briefly about his idea and about focusing on Lucy’s “trust issues.” I love those hand images he did though… very visceral and effective.
Geek: [Pg. 4-7] With your collaborators this month, how was the script handled, exactly? Did you give them any notes or beats to hit with each character? Read More...
Creator's Commentary: Brandon Thomas On Voltron
Posted 5/21/12 4:51 pm EST by Charles Webb in Comic Books, Creator's Commentary, Dynamite
With Voltron making it all the way into the final round of our Battle Arena Otaku contest, we thought it would be good to revisit the giant, monster-smashing robot in other media—particularly the new Voltron comic from Dynamite Entertainment, featuring the writing of Brandon Thomas. In the piece below, Thomas provides insight into the genesis of the book, resuscitating an 80's icon, and insight on how he wrote the second issue.
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