Weekend Reading: Avengers, Alan Moore, Before Watchmen, and Don McGregor

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Movies, Reviews, DC Comics, Marvel Comics,

I once met Alan Moore, had dinner with him in fact. A dinner that included Stephen Bissette and John Totleben.

I must stress that they did not have dinner with me at my invitation - I was at the table as a guest of Gary Groth and Kim Thompson from Fantagraphics. Also in attendance was Dave Olbrich. The creative trio - currently on DC’s Swamp Thing - was on their way to NY and had stopped in at the Fantagraphics offices to meet with Gary and Kim and head for Chinese food. And I got to tag along.

I spent a couple of hours listening to Moore and his companions regale the group with story after story. At no point did I ever think of Alan Moore as crazy. In fact, I thought he was one of the smartest guys I’d ever met. He was also not like anyone I’d met either before or since. He was different, alright. But crazy? No. Weird? Hardly.

Which brings me to this:

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Avengers, Alan Moore, Before Watchmen, and Don McGregor

Weekend Reading: Before Watchmen, Mark Waid, Pogo & Ultraverse

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Reviews, DC Comics, Image Comics, Marvel Comics,

Welcome, weekend warriors! The internets have released a bounty of digital delights, so let's check 'em out!

John Rogers (Leverage) talks about his role in Mark Waid’s digital comics venture, and also talks about digital comics in general. John's a very smart guy, so he's well worth listening to.

One of my favorites, SF author Jay Lake (Rocket Science; Mainspring), is profiled in the Sunday Oregonian.

Over at John Scalzi’s Whatever, author Justin Jordan writes about the trade collection of his Image comic, The Strange Talent of Luther Strode, inspired by those Charles Atlas ads in old comics. After reading about it, it’s now something I need to get.

Heidi nails what’s going on over at Disney, with link to Nikki Finke.

David Brothers nails Before Watchmen. I love the phrase “ethical rot.”

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Before Watchmen, Mark Waid, Pogo & Ultraverse

Weekend Reading: Apes, Captain America and Spongebob Squarepants

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Conventions, Editorials, Movies, Reviews, DC Comics, Independent, Marvel Comics,

If you’ve been following the post Comic Con International discussion about female creators and DC Comics, you should run over to Fleen and read Gary Tyrrell’s take on the matter.

Apes: My pal Rich Handley gets himself interviewed at Newsday about Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes.

Fan: My funny book acquaintance David Seidman was profiled recently in Jewish Journal. All I can say is that the interviewer would probably be overwhelmed by the San Diego con.

Actors: Chad Michael Murray of One Tree Hill has written a graphic novel that Archaia will publish.

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Apes, Captain America and Spongebob Squarepants

Weekend Reading: Reboots, Disney, Superman and Cheech Wizard

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, DC Comics,

With all the talk of DC’s big reboot, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at something Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Mark Millar, and Tom Peyer put together for DC back in 1998: Superman 2000. And it was. I would totally read these comics.

Now let's see what else can be read:

Euro: I always get a kick out of it when someone reads their first graphic novel. Karen at the Euro Crime blog (a terrific blog for crime fiction) read a Doctor Who graphic novel. Her verdict: “looks beautiful but doesn't take long to read!”

Halloween: It’s never too early to talk about The Halloween Legion, a new project from Martin Powell.

Bambi: It wasn’t always a classic of children’s literature as some might suspect. The Storyboard blog at the Walt Disney Family Museum breaks it down. Bonus: rabbit death.

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Reboots, Disney, Superman and Cheech Wizard

Comic Book Jobs: DC Comics Editor

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, DC Comics,

You don’t often find a job listed for comic book editor. They rarely pop up and often are handled via inside search as opposed to an actual job listing.

Now DC’s posted one: they want an Editor for the DC Editorial department to “manage a line of editorial product within the DC Universe imprint.”

It’s for a minimum of 5 monthly titles (and please hope that one of them is not yet another relaunch of Metamorpho).

You’ll be handling the creative process “from conception through publication.” That means not just the talent stuff, but also schedules, budgets, quality and goodies like that.

As always, you’ll be required to seek “ways to keep ongoing series fresh and exciting” and “identify and develop new editorial products for the DC Universe.”

Lots of job requirements as you might expect, including experience doing this kind of thing before. Domestic travel is 5% of the job, which probably means a trip to San Diego for CCI in 2011.

Good luck, job seekers!

[And if you need a writer for that new Metamorpho relaunch, you can reach me here!]

For more about what a comic book editor does, you would do well to read this post by Mark Waid.

[Artwork: Metamorpho © DC Comics]

Weekend Reading: Halloween, Stan Lee, and The Walking Dead

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Reviews, Television, DC Comics, Image Comics, Independent, Marvel Comics,

Happy Halloween to all of you!

My costume this year is simple - I’m going to walk around with my iPad and call myself The Future Of Comics. Which, I admit, is something I do pretty much every day.

First off, congratulations to my pals at Boom! Studios and their sales on Stan Lee’s Soldier Zero #1. And kudos to Boom for sharing their actual numbers.

And if you’d like a 10-page freeview of the November release of Stan Lee’s The Traveler #1 by Mark Waid and Chris Hardin, Scoop has that for you too.

Let’s see what else is out on the internets...

Zombies: Pop culture historian Jim Beard writes about the Walking Dead phenomenon that will soon be sweeping the nation thanks to the new AMC TV series.

Beard, by the way, is the editor of a new anthology that looks back at the Batman TV series of the 1960s, Gotham City: 14 Miles.

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Halloween, Stan Lee, and The Walking Dead

Stan Lee’s The Traveler

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Interviews, Marvel Comics,

I met Stan Lee once. (And I tell this story all the time, so if you’ve heard it before, feel free to move along.)

After Marvel Comics bought Malibu Comics, a big dinner was orchestrated at Chinois, a fancy restaurant in Santa Monica. All the big Marvel New York executives – all now long gone – were there, and so was Stan Lee. Malibu was represented by Scott Rosenberg, Dave Olbrich, Chris Ulm and myself.

Stan came over and introduced himself to me and then said, “I always forget, who bought who? I need to know if I have to kiss your ass or you have to kiss mine!” I could not have loved him more.

Since he left active duty at Marvel Comics and became their elder statesman, a media go-to guy, movie cameo expert and starter of other companies, he’s tried to duplicate his prior success at running Marvel. I think he likes to keep busy, has a ton of ideas floating around in his head, and has the ability to find outlets for them, and no trouble finding people who want to work with him. We should all live such a charmed life.

Click to continue reading Stan Lee’s The Traveler

Batman: Gotham City 14 Miles

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Television, DC Comics,

Mark Waid says it best in the blurb he wrote for the book I most want this Christmas. Says the man from Boom! Studios: “I now have a new book for my ‘Five I’d Take to a Desert Island’ list. Gotham City 14 Miles is the perfect companion to my favorite pop-culture phenomenon of all time!”

In case you need an explanation, 14 miles is the distance from the Batcave underneath “stately Wayne Manor” to Gotham City in the 1960s Batman TV show starring Adam West and Burt Ward. Gotham City 14 Miles is the title of a forthcoming book of essays about that TV classic, edited by my pal Jim Beard.

Inside, Beard’s bunch offers up a thoughtful reevaluation of the 44-year-old show, one of the first big comic book successes on the small screen. The series had an impact not just on pop culture, but on the DC Comics Batman as well. According to Beard, “essays examine Batmania, camp, the role of women, the show’s participation in ‘60s counter-culture, its many celebrated actors, its lasting cultural effects, and other critical subjects.”

Click to continue reading Batman: Gotham City 14 Miles

Paul Levitz: The Legion Of Super-Heroes #1

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, DC Comics,

When it was announced that Paul Levitz would be leaving his position as President and Publisher of DC Comics and transitioning to writing comic books again, I thought it was a little weird. Kind of like the CEO of General Motors leaving the executive suite because he really wanted to tighten bolts down on the assembly line.

At least DC appears to be making a big deal about Paul’s move by launching his return with the Legion of Super-Heroes #1, so he’s not taking over some book that’s already in decline. I’ve met Paul a bunch of times. We’ve chatted at con parties and had lunch and dinner together several times, especially when he was negotiating to buy Malibu Comics. I’ve even pitched him a couple of times in the past when he would visit the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank.

He has a lot of great industry facts and anecdotes in his head - we spent one lunch talking about paper trends and availability five years down the road (he kept track) as well as sales trends for comics during the various economic downturns over the industry’s history (he kept track). Since the guy was almost my boss, and he probably paid for some if not all of those meals, I have a pro-Levitz bias.

Click to continue reading Paul Levitz: The Legion Of Super-Heroes #1

Stan Lee And Boom! Studios: Top 10 Things Overheard

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Marvel Comics,

As any regular browser of the internets knows, Stan Lee‘s POW! Entertainment has pacted with Boom! Studios to launch a line of superhero comic books based on concepts from The Man himself. Here are 10 things that Stan said as he signed the deal.

10. “What a coincidence! A Mark Waid once interviewed me for Amazing Heroes.”

9. “‘Boom,’ huh? Have you thought about either ‘Krakadoom!’ or ‘Bah-bah-boom’”?

8. “Can we work 2099 into the title of something?”

7. “You can still get me a room at San Diego, right?”

6. “How will this affect my cameo in Iron Man 2?”

5. “With great power comes a really great contract.”

4. “Apple is talking to me about the iStan.”

Click to continue reading Stan Lee And Boom! Studios: Top 10 Things Overheard

Read More | Boom! Studios