by Peter Sanderson
While WonderCon, one of the nation’s largest comics/multimedia conventions was going on in Anaheim, last Saturday New York and New Jersey area comics fans were listening to comics greats speak in the more intimate setting of the Wonder Bar at the Asbury Park Comicon, now in its third year.
The convention took place in Asbury Park, New Jersey, along the celebrated Jersey Shore. Founded in the 1870s, the town still has picturesque Victorian architecture. But the town is now most famous for its prominence in popular music history from the 1970s on, most notably the early career of Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band.
Only a year ago founders Cliff Galbraith and Robert Bruce held the Asbury Park Comicon in Asbury Lanes, a combination music club and bowling alley. But this year the main venue for the con was the grand old Asbury Park Convention Hall, part of an enormous complex that includes the Paramount Theatre and was constructed in the 1920s on the boardwalk along the beach. Exhibitors filled two floors of the Convention Hall. The theatre and arcade are connected by an arcade, where a 1960s style Batmobile and a Back to the Future DeLorean were displayed; the arcade was also the site of the Comicon’s cosplay competition. If anyone wanted to take a break from con activities, they could gaze out the windows to see the light glittering on the Atlantic Ocean on a beautifully sunlit day.
Panels were held across the street at the Wonder Bar, decorated with images of Tillie, a grinning cartoon figure who is an icon of Asbury Park history. Starting roughly forty-five minutes after the Comicon opened at 10 AM, the remarkable line-up of panels ran until closing time, with the Beat’s own Torsten Adair as master of ceremonies. This was a pleasant venue, with a stage on one end, but food and drinks were being served at the other end of the tavern, and the noise from people talking down there rose in volume during the course of the day, becoming a problem by late afternoon.
First up was “Of Clerks and Comic Book Men.” Asbury Park is not far from Red Hook, New Jersey, the location of Kevin Smith’s comic book store Jay and Bob’s Secret Stash, the setting of AMC’s reality television series Comic Book Men. Present on this first panel of the day were Ming Chen, Bryan Johnson, and Mike Zapcic, all regulars on the show, and Brian O’Halloran, the lead actor in Smith’s films Clerks, Clerks II, and the forthcoming Clerks III. The panelists bantered entertainingly, sometimes aiming funny but affectionate insults at one another, while reminiscing about how they first met Kevin Smith. It came as something of a shock when it was pointed out that the original Clerks is now nearly twenty years old. Asked how he got the role of Dante in Smith’s film, O’Halloran started by claiming he “had some provocative pictures of his [Smith's] mom,” but then told the story seriously, how he auditioned to be an extra and unexpectedly ended up getting a lead role. As for Clerks III, which Smith is now writing, O’Halloran said that from what he knows about it, “I think it will be one of his best written pieces.” Johnson pronounced it “pretty amazing” and “really funny.”
Asked about Stan Lee’s appearance on Comic Book Men, Johnson noted “how nice” and “cool” Stan is. Then he recalled how when he was riding in a limousine with Lee during the making of the episode, he asked Stan “if he was that excited about always getting comic book questions.” After getting an unexpected response, Johnson said, “I swore to him I would not tell his answer.” Was it “shocking,” he was asked. “A little bit,” Johnson replied.
Then came the Comicon’s keynote address by Michael Uslan, an executive producer on all the Batman live action movies from director Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman onwards and author of the memoir The Boy Who Loved Batman. This keynote was a variation on Uslan’s familiar, well-crafted presentation, recounting his life starting with being a young boy engaged in the then lonely hobby of collecting comics, who saw the debut of the 1960s Batman TV show, was appalled that it was a comedy, and vowed (not unlike the young Bruce Wayne, as he says) to devote his life to showing the world that Batman could be done as a serious hero. And then Uslan recounts how he achieved his dream, teaching the first academic course on superhero comics, becoming a writer at DC Comics, and after ten years of struggle to make a serious live action Batman film, finally triumphing with the Burton blockbuster.
What made this version of his speech different were his many references to the Jersey Shore. As a boy Uslan lived in nearby Ocean Township, but regularly came to Asbury Park. “It is so cool to be back home,” Uslan declared. It was in “a place twelve miles from here,” a flea market called Collingwood Auction, that Uslan said he began amassing his colossal collection of Golden Age comics, paying only a nickel for each. He also recalled driving around “the Circuit” in Asbury Park in the late 1960s, trying to pick up girls; unfortunately, Uslan said he wore a Batman helmet to try to look cool, and “it didn’t work.” Uslan said that the last time he had been in the Wonder Bar, where he was giving his speech, was when he had his very first drink!
At noon comics historian and publisher Craig Yoe, introduced by Torsten Adair as “the Indiana Jones of comics archaeology,” interviewed cartoonist Bob Camp. “I have him up on a pedestal,” Yoe said about Camp. “And I’m afraid of heights,” replied Camp, setting the tone for this witty look back at his lengthy career in comics and animation.
As for just when he started cartooning, Camp said, “I don’t remember not drawing. It’s all I ever did,” joking, “It’s why I have no other skills.” He was fascinated by animated cartoons as a boy, especially Warner Brothers cartoons, but also “any cartoon I could watch,” singling out Famous Studios’ Herman and Katnip series and Terrytoons’ Gandy Goose and Sourpuss. Camp likened Gandy and Sourpuss to two famous characters he later worked on, Ren and Stimpy., “One mean guy, one happy-go-lucky guy, and they’re both gay.”
Camp talked about learning his craft by drawing caricatures in Provincetown on Cape Cod. He said he knew nothing about comic books when he started working at Marvel. “Blame Larry Hama,” he said, since Hama hired him, and Camp began cartooning for Marvel’s humor magazine Crazy. He also did art corrections in Marvel’s Bullpen, where, he said, he learned to imitate the styles of every 1980s Marvel artist, including John Byrne and Bill Sienkiewicz. Camp also confessed that editor in chief “Jim Shooter scared me,” and reminisced about the stories inker Vince Colletta would tell about crime.
Camp then segued into recounting his career in animation, talking about working with animator Bruce Timm on The Real Ghostbusters, working alongside “the greatest guys in animation” on Tiny Toon Adventures, and meeting animator John Kricfalusi, leading to their collaboration on Ren & Stimpy. But, quoting Charles Dickens, Camp referred to his time on that show as “the best of times, the worst of times,” describing what he saw as Kricfalusi’s self-destructive relationship with the Nickelodeon network and his own falling out with Kricfalusi.
Camp ended by talking about his current work, including a Kickstarter project that he and Larry Hama have launched for an animated cartoon called “Hard Heart an Strong Arm.”
Next, at 1 PM, came “Al Jaffee: 57 Years of Going Mad.” Jaffee, now 92 but as sharp as ever, provided his characteristic snappy answers to the far from stupid questions put to him by comics writer and editor Danny Fingeroth. “I have never hosted a panel in a bar before,” Fingeroth began, adding, “Is everyone drunk?”
Fingeroth and Jaffee explored Jaffee’s life going back to his childhood in Savannah, Georgia. “I think I started cartooning a day after I was born,” Jaffee said. His mother took him to live for years in what Jaffee called “the Siberia of Lithuania.” There comics proved to be “critical” to his survival, Jafgfee said, explaining that “It was like the 18th century where I lived in Lithuania,” but his father sent him a collection of Sunday and daily newspaper comic strips from America every six months. “My brother and I spent hours copying all the cartoons.”
Returning to America “in the depths of the Depression,” in 1936 Jaffee entered the High School of Music and Art, newly founded by New York’s legendary (and comics-loving) Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. “I think he saved all our lives,” Jaffee said, whose best friend there was future Mad co-worker Will Elder.
Unable to get work from advertising agencies, Jaffee and other artists turned to comic books instead, and Jaffee started by selling his idea Inferiorman, which he called “a shameless takeoff on Superman,” to Will Eisner, who put him to work in his studio.
Then Jaffee started a long relationship working for Stan Lee at Timely Comics, the company we now know as Marvel. “Stan was 19. I was 20. I immediately saw what a firebrand Stan was. He had just taken over from Simon & Kirby” as editor of Timely Comics. For Timely Jaffee wrote and drew Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal, and later took over Patsy Walker. Under Fingeroth’s questioning, Jaffee also recounted how he took over another Timely funny animal series, Super Rabbit, and gave the character believable problems, even “fits of depression,” and Fingeroth pointed out this prefigured Spider-Man. Jaffee said his “relationship with Stan Lee was not close, but it was warm,” and Lee never edited him, giving him a free hand.
Referring to the Senate hearings condemning comic books as causes of juvenile delinquency, Jaffee declared “In my opinion the U. S. Senate was causing juvenile delinquency,” to applause from the audience.
Jaffee began discussed his work with Harvey Kurtzman, whom he called a “strange genius,” on the short-lived magazines Trump and Humbug, and then his going to work for editor Al Feldstein on Mad. Fingeroth and Jaffee went through the familiar and surefire stories of how Jaffee created his best-known Mad features, “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions” and the Mad Fold-Ins. Jaffee had thought his first Fold-In “was a one-shot gag,” and believes that if Kurtzman had still been editing Mad, there never would have been a second one, since Kurtzman was always looking for new ideas. But Feldstein directed Jaffee to come up with a second one. “And that was 49 years ago,” concluded Jaffee, who has been doing Fold-Ins all during those years, and teased the audience by telling them the set-up for the one he is woking on now—but not the punch line.
At 2 PM one of the Comicon’s organizers, Cliff Galbraith, interviewed underground cartoonist John Holmstrom, who in 1975 co-founded the magazine Punk, which chronicled the punk rock movement in its heyday.
Then at 3 PM it was back to the Golden Age of Comics, with Fingeroth back onstage, this time interviewing another of the few survivors of that period, artist Allen Bellman. In 1942, when he was a teenager, Bellman started working for Timely Comics, as Marvel was known in the 1940s, drawing backgrounds for artist Syd Shores’ work on Captain America. Bellman was hired by artist Don Rico and did not meet Stan Lee until two weeks later. His initial image of Stan was as a young man following around his uncle Robert Solomon, the brother-in-law of Timely publisher Martin Goodman. Bellman recalled that the Timely Bullpen was divided into two separate rooms, one for “the animators,” his name for the funny animal artists, and the other for “the illustrators,” the superhero artists such as himself. The first series that Bellman drew on his own was The Patriot, but he also worked on Marvel’s trinity of stars, The Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, and Captain America.
Perhaps surprisingly, Bellman never met Jack Kirby and never met Joe Simon until 2007. At the Comicon earlier that day Bellman was reunited with Al Jaffee. “I was so happy to see him.”
Bellman was one of the hundreds of comic book professionals who were forced to leave the business thanks to the outcry against comics in the 1950s. Referring to Dr. Fredric Wertham’s Seduction of the Innocent, Bellman said, “That book put me out of commission.”
Bellman is well aware that he is one of the few survivors left from the Golden Age of Comics. After reminiscing about the late Gene Colan, Bellman commented, “There’s not many of us left.” And at the end of the panel, asked about his former colleagues, Bellman said simply, “They’re all gone but me.”
Following at 4 PM was “Marvel Days,” a panel surveying the history of Marvel Comics from the 1960s onward. Moderated by Christopher Irving, the author of Leaping Tall Buildings, a book of interviews with comics creators, the panel also included Sean Howe, author of the recent history Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. However, the discussion was dominated by Herb Trimpe, longtime Marvel artist who started collaborating with Stan Lee on The Incredible Hulk back in the Silver Age of the 1960s, and Papercutz editor Jim Salicrup, who rose from messenger to editor at Marvel, where he became best known for editing the Spider-Man titles.
Oddly, both Trimpe and Salicrup had anecdotes about Stan Lee’s hair. Trimpe said that when he first worked at Marvel, Stan, who was in the process of undergoing a hair transplant, “hated” Trimpe’s thick hair. In recalling his early days at Marvel as a messenger, Salicrup recalled going on a mysterious mission to an East Side town house to pick up an equally mysterious package, which turned out to be Stan’s toupee!
Salicrup got his foot in the door at Marvel by sending in a postcard and getting hired by Roy Thomas, just as Marvel was starting a massive expansion in the early 1970s; as Salicrup observed, it is hard to believe that anyone could get hired this way by today’s corporate Marvel. “I loved it when Stan was there, for the first ten years I was there,” before Lee moved out to California to promote Marvel properties as potential TV shows and movies.
Trimpe explained that the “problem he had at Marvel” was that he considered himself a artist more in the cartoon-like style of Jack Davis, who instead had to try for a “classic look” like that of Marvel mainstay John Buscema. Trimpe turned to the work of Jack Kirby. “As far as I know, Stan never ordered anyone to copy Kirby’s stuff,” Trimpe said. “Kirby’s stuff had a language to it” that was “very powerful stuff. He is the central comic book artist.”
Asked about office politics at Marvel, Salicrup said that he was aware of it at the time, but preferred to avoid it. “Marvel was big enough that I could easily get lost in it,” he said. “I was just enamored about being a kid from the Bronx who was in this Oz-like place like Marvel Comics in the 1970s.”
Questioned by Irving, Salicrup gave his take on the now familiar tale of how Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s “The Dark Phoenix Saga” evolved, and how editor in chief Jim Shooter ordered that the ending be changed so Jean Grey would die, thereby, in Salicrup’s view, transforming the saga into a classic.
Salicrup also spoke of Shooter’s emphasis on “clarity of storytelling” and noted that nowadays “some DC and Marvel books can be very hard to read” for newcomers to the medium, such as the kids who read Salicrup’s Papercutz comics. Hence, Salicrup said, “Sometimes I feel like I’m deprogramming” artists from Marvel and DC, by “having to explain the real basics of storytelling” in comics, like leaving enough room for the word balloons!
Finally, from shortly after 5 PM till the convention’s closing time, Jon B. Cooke, editor of the magazine Comic Book Artist, interviewed Jay Lynch, a leading member of the original generation of underground comix creators. In 1968 in Chicago Lynch launched and edited Bijou Funnies, one of the pioneering underground comix. He was also one of the principal artists for Topps’ Garbage Pail Kids and Wacky Packages.
Lynch recounted how he first saw Harvey Kurtzman’s original version of Mad in 1953. “When I saw Mad, I decided to be a cartoonist.” But Lynch said he initially did one-panel gag cartoons. “I didn’t start doing comix until Zap came out,” Robert Crumb’s landmark underground comic. Lynch likened underground comix to other cultural phenomena of the 1960s, including the Free Speech movement and the taboo-breaking comedy of Lenny Bruce. Lynch recalled how he, Crumb, and another underground comix pioneer, Gilbert Shelton, would trade their comic books, with each other. Thus enabling them to keep in touch with each other’s work. Lynch also explained that President Richard Nixon launched a pornography investigation that made publishers nervous about possible prosecution, thereby sending sales of underground comix into decline.
Turning to Lynch’s work for Topps, Cooke asked, “Is that what you’re best known for—Garbage Pail Kids?”
“No,” replied Lynch, “I think my performance of Swan Lake.”
Nowadays, Lynch said, he is doing paintings which he sells on eBay.
Lynch wound up the panel by recounting an anecdote which captured some of a sense of the good and bad sides of the 1960s. It was the day that the Beatles’ White Album came out, Lynch was working for Topps, and “everyone on the subway has a copy of the White Album.” Lynch went to see fellow underground cartoonist Spain Rodriguez, who was living in a building in an area ridden with crime and drug addicts. Lynch went out and bought pizza for both of them, but on his way back was accosted by thugs, who asked him what he was carrying. Lynch lied and said it was the Beatles’ White Album, whereupon one of the thugs, impressed, said, “Okay, we’ll let you go.”
Photo © Danny CenturyMany more photos of the con in the link.
DC has released its graphic novel schedule into February 2014, and it’s a huge list of 147 books. The whole list is below, with Vertigo first and then the DCU.
A couple of notes: The Invisibles and DMZ are getting the deluxe hardcover treatment; Brian K Vaughan’s Swamp Thing run is finally being collected; and in the entire list there is exactly one new original graphic novel: The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Ship that Sunk Twice. That doesn’t mean there might not be some more announced, but the program seems to be on hold for now.
On the DC Comics side, it’s mostly all new 52 collections proceeding in an orderly fashion — new hardcover and previous paper back paired. Planetary is getting an Omnibus, as is the DC ONe Million stunt from years back—yet another Grant Morrison led project—The Authority is getting the hardcover collection treatment. Various recent notable Batman story lines are being collected — Court of Owls and Grant Morrison again. Various cool older things are being collected like Deadshot and old Joker and so on.
Also, given how the digital versions are selling, we’ll be curious to see how the Injustice: Gods Among Us video-game tie-in sells. Our guess: very well.
DC Comics title scheduled for September 2013:
World of Warcraft: Pearl of Pandaria TP
Writer: Micky Neilson
Artist: Sean “Cheeks” Galloway
Original graphic novel
$16.99 US, 128 pg
DC Comics title scheduled for December 2013:
Gears of War Book Three: Dirty Little Secrets TP
Writers: Joshua Ortega and Karen Traviss
Artists: Julius Gopez, Colin Wilson, Pop Mhan and Leonardo Manco
Collects: Gears of War #14-24
$19.99 US, 256 pg
DC Comics title scheduled for February 2014:
Masters of the Universe Vol. 2: Origins of Eternia TP
Writers: Keith Giffen, Joshua Hale Fialkov and Brian Keene
Artists: Frazer Irving, Ben Oliver, Keith Giffen, Scott Koblish and Pop Mhan
Collects: Masters of the Universe: The Origin of Skeletor #1, Masters of the Universe: The Origin of He-Man #1, Masters of the Universe: The Origin of Hordak #1 and Masters of the Universe #1-4
$14.99 US, 160 pg
Vertigo titles scheduled for September 2013:
American Vampire Vol. 4 TP
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artists: Jordi Bernet, Roger Cruz, Riccardo Burchielli and Rafael Albuquerque
Collects: American Vampire #19-27
$16.99 US, 208 pg
Neil Young’s Greendale TP
Writer: Joshua Dysart
Artist: Cliff Chiang
Original graphic novel
$14.99 US, 160 pg
Preacher Book Two TP
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Steve Dillon
Collects: Preacher #13-26
$19.99 US, 368 pg
The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Ship that Sunk Twice HC
Writer: Mike Carey
Artists: Peter Gross, Kurt Higgins and Zelda Devon
Original graphic novel
$22.99 US, 160 pg
Vertigo titles scheduled for October 2013:
The Fables Companion HC
Writers: Jess Nevins and Bill Willingham
Artists: Various
Original reference volume
$39.99 US, 256 pg
Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland TP
Writer: Bill Willingham
Artists: Craig Hamilton, Jim Fern, Ray Snyder and Mark Farmer
Original graphic novel
$14.99 US, 152 pg
Lucifer Book 2 TP
Writer: Mike Carey
Artists: Peter Gross, Jon J Muth, Dean Ormston and Ryan Kelly
Collects: Lucifer #14-28 and Lucifer: Nirvana #1
$29.99 US, 416 pg
Sandman: Endless Nights TP New Edition
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Artists: Glenn Fabry, Milo Manara, Miguelanxo Prado, Frank Quitely, P. Craig Russell, Bill Sienkiewicz and Barron Storey
Original graphic novel
$19.99 US, 160 pg
The Unexpected TP
Writers: Dave Gibbons, G. Willow Wilson, Alex Grecian, Joshua Dysart, Jeffrey Rotter, Mat Johnson, Joshua Hale Fialkov, Brian Wood, Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, Al Ewing, Toby Litt, Cecil Castellucci, Joe Kubert, Neil Kleid, Mary H.K. Choi, Paul Pope, David Lapham, Gilbert Hernandez and Geoff Johns
Artists: Dave Gibbons, Robbie Rodriguez, Jill Thompson, Farel Dalrymple, Lelio Bonaccorso, David Lapham, Rahsan Ekedal, Emily Carroll, Denys Cowan, Don Hudson, Rufus DayGlo, Mark Buckingham, Victor Santos, Amy Reeder, Joe Kubert, John McCrea, Phil Jimenez, Andy Lanning, Paul Pope, Gilbert Hernandez and Jeff Lemire
Collects: The Unexpected #1 and Ghosts #1
$14.99 US, 160 pg
Vertigo titles scheduled for November 2013:
Ex Machina Book One TP
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artists: Tony Harris and Tom Feister
Collects: Ex Machina #1-11
$19.99 US, 272 pg
The Sandman Omnibus Vol. 2 HC
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Artists: Duncan Eagleson, Vince Locke, John Watkiss, Jill Thompson, Dave McKean, Dick Giordano, P. Craig Russell, Bryan Talbot, Alec Stevens, Mark Buckingham, Michael Allred, Shea Anton Pensa, Gary Amaro, Steve Leialoha, Tony Harris, Marc Hempel, D’Israeli, Glyn Dillon, Charles Vess, Teddy Kristiansen, Richard Case, Jon J Muth, Kevin Nowlan and Michael Zulli
Collects: The Sandman #38-75 and stories from Vertigo Jam #1 and Vertigo: Winter’s Edge #3
$150.00 US, 1,040 pg
Vertigo Visions: Frank Quitely HC
Writers: Bruce Jones, Neil Gaiman, Ilya, Doselle Young, Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison, Robert Rodi, Doug Moench, Bronwyn Carlton, Gahan Wilson, Paul Yellovich, George Hagenauer, Paul Kirchner, John Wagner and Carl Posey
Artist: Frank Quitely
Collects: Stories from The Big Book of Conspiracies, The Big Book of Death, The Big Book of Freaks, The Big Book of Hoaxes, The Big Book of Little Criminals, The Big Book of Losers, The Big Book of Martyrs, The Big Book of Weirdos, Flinch #12, Heartthrobs #2, Gangland #1, The Invisibles #1, The Sandman: Endless Nights, Strange Adventures #1, Transmetropolitan #31 and Weird War Tales #3
$24.99 US, 144 pg
Vertigo titles scheduled for December 2013:
100 Bullets: The Deluxe Edition Book Five HC
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Eduardo Risso
Collects: 100 Bullets #81-100
$59.99 US, 512 pg
Fables Vol. 19: Snow White TP
Writer: Bill Willingham
Artists: Shawn McManus, Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha
Collects: Fables #124-129 and backup stories from Fables #114-123
$16.99 US, 176 pg
Saga of the Swamp Thing Book Five TP
Writer: Alan Moore
Artists: John Totleben, Rick Veitch and Alfredo Alcala
Collects: Swamp Thing #51-56
$14.99 US, 168 pg
Spaceman TP
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Eduardo Risso
Collects: Spaceman #1-9 and a story from Strange Adventures #1
$19.99 US, 224 pg
Vertigo titles scheduled for January 2014:
Animal Man Vol. 5: The Meaning of Flesh TP
Writer: Tom Veitch
Artists: Steve Dillon, Tom Mandrake, Dick Giordano, David G. Klein, Mark Badger, Bret Ewins, Jim McCarthy and Steve Pugh
Collects: Animal Man #38-50
$24.99 US, 352 pg
DMZ Deluxe Edition Book One HC
Writer: Brian Wood
Artists: Riccardo Burchielli, Kristian Donaldson and Brian Wood
Collects: DMZ #1-12
$29.99 US, 304 pg
Fables Deluxe Edition Book Eight HC
Writer: Bill Willingham
Artists: Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha and Andrew Pepoy
Collects: Fables #60-63 and 65-69
$29.99 US, 232 pg
Hellblazer Vol. 7: Tainted Love TP
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Steve Dillon
Collects: Hellblazer #62-71, Hellblazer Special #1 and a story from Vertigo Jam #1
$19.99 US, 320 pg
Preacher Book Three TP
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artists: Steve Dillon and Steve Pugh and
Collects: Preacher #27-33, Preacher: Saint of Killers #1-4 and Preacher: Cassidy — Blood and Whiskey #1
$19.99 US, 352 pg
Swamp Thing by Brian K. Vaughan Vol. 1 TP
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artists: Roger Petersen, Joe Rubinstein, Mark Lipka, Rick Magyar, Steve Lieber, Guy Davis and Paul Pope
Collects: Swamp Thing #1-9, Vertigo Secrets and Origins: Swamp Thing #1 and a story from Vertigo: Winter’s Edge #3
$19.99 US, 240 pg
The Unwritten Vol. 8 TP
Writer: Mike Carey
Artists: Peter Gross and Dean Ormston
Collects: The Unwritten #42-49
$16.99 US, 176 pg
Vertigo titles scheduled for February 2014:
The Invisibles Vol. 1 Deluxe Edition HC
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artists: Steve Yeowell, Duncan Fegredo, Jill Thompson, Dennis Cramer, Chris Weston, John Ridgway, Steve Parkhouse, Kim DeMulder, Paul Johnson, Phil Jimenez, John Stokes, Tommy Lee Edwards, Dick Giordano, Mark Buckingham and Mark Pennington
Collects: The Invisibles #1-25 and a story from Absolute Vertigo #1
$29.99, 328 pg
Strange Adventures TP
Writers: Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, Talia Hershewe, Peter Milligan, Lauren Beukes, Jeff Lemire, Ross Campbell, Kevin Colden, Paul Cornell, Brian Azzarello, Duane Swierczynski, Andy Diggle, Ming Doyle, Ann Nocenti, Nnedi Okorafor, Steve Orlando, Robert Rodi, Kevin McCarthy and Michael Allred
Artists: Denys Cowan, John Floyd, Juan Bobillo, Sylvain Savoia, Inaki Miranda, Jeff Lemire, Ross Campbell, Kevin Colden, Goran Sudzuka, Eduardo Risso, Ramon Bachs, Davide Gianfelice, Ming Doyle, Fred Harper, Michael Wm. Kaluta, Francesco Trifolgi, Sebastian Fiumara, Kevin McCarthy, Kyle Baker and Michael Allred
Collects: Strange Adventures #1 and Mystery in Space #1
$14.99 US, 160 pg
Unknown Soldier TP New Edition
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Kilian Plunkett
Collects: Unknown Soldier #1-4
$14.99 US, 112 pg
WE3 TP
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Frank Quitely
Collects: WE3 #1-3 plus new pages from the Deluxe Edition
$14.99 US, 144 pg
DC Comics Collected EDitions
DC Comics titles scheduled for September 2013:
Ame-Comi Girls Vol. 1 TP
Writers: Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti
Artists: Amanda Conner, Tony Akins, Walden Wong, Sanford Greene, Ted Naifeh, Mike Bowden and Santi Casas
Collects: Ame-Comi Girls #1-5
$14.99 US, 168 pg
Animal Man Vol. 3: Rotworld: The Red Kingdom TP
Writers: Jeff Lemire and Scott Snyder
Artists: Steve Pugh, Timothy Green II, Joseph Silver, Yanick Paquette, Marco Rucy, Dan Green, Andy Owens and Andre Balinger
Collects: Animal Man #12-17 and Swamp Thing #12 and 17-18
$16.99 US, 208 pg
Arrow Vol. 1 TP
Writers: Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg
Artists: Mike Grell, Jorge Jimenez, Sergio Sandoval, Julian Totino Tedesco, Eric Nguyen, Omar Francia and Xermanico
Collects: Arrow #1-5
$14.99 US, 160 pg
Batman/Judge Dredd Collection TP
Writers: Alan Grand, John Wagner
Artists: Simon Bisley, Cam Kennedy, Carl Critchlow, Dermot Power, Glenn Fabry, Jim Murray, Jason Brashill, Val Semeiks and John Dell
Collects: Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgment on Gotham #1, Batman/Judge Dredd: Vendetta in Gotham #1, Batman/Judge Dredd: The Ultimate Riddle #1, Lobo/Judge Dredd #1 and Batman/Judge Dredd: Die Laughing #1-2
$19.99 US, 304 pg
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Vol. 1 TP
Writers: Damon Lindelof, Jonathan Larsen, Tom Taylor, B. Clay Moore, Steve Niles, T.J. Fixman, Andrew Dabb and Joshua Hale Fialkov
Artists: Jeff Lemire, J.G. Jones, Nicola Scott, Wayne Faucher, Ben Templesmith, Trevor Hairsine, Christopher Mitten, Giorgoi Pontrelli, Tan Eng Huat, Phil Hester and Eric Gapstur
Collects: Legends of the Dark Knight #1-5
$14.99 US, 168 pg
Batwoman Vol. 2: To Drown the World TP
Writer: J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman
Artists: Amy Reeder, Richard Friend, Rob Hunter and Trevor McCarthy
Collects: Batwoman #6-11
$14.99 US, 144 pg
Batwoman Vol. 3: World’s Finest HC
Writer: J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman
Artists: J.H. Williams III and Trevor McCarthy
Collects: Batwoman #0 and 12-17
$22.99 US, 160 pg
Green Arrow Vol. 3 TP
Writers: Ann Nocenti and Jeff Lemire
Artists: Freddie Williams II, Rob Hunter, Tom Derenick, Art Thibert, Robin Riggs and Andrea Sorrentino
Collects: Green Arrow #0 and 14-20
$16.99 US, 176 pg
Green Lantern: Rise of the Third Army HC
Writers: Geoff Johns, Peter J. Tomasi, Tony Bedard and Peter Milligan
Artists: Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy, Keith Champagne, Mark Irwin, Cafu, Scott Hanna, Fernando Pasarin, Chriscross, Marlo Alquiza, Andrei Bressan, Amilcar Pinna, Aaron Kuder, Miguel Sepulveda and others
Collects: Green Lantern #13-16, Green Lantern Corps #13-16, Green Lantern New Guardians #13-16, Red Lanterns #13-16, Green Lantern Corps Annual #1 and pages from Green Lantern Annual #1
$29.99 US, 416 pg
Justice League Vol. 2: The Villain’s Journey TP
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Gene Ha, Carlos D’Anda, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Mark Irwin, Jonathan Glapion, Sandra Hope, Batt, Rob Hunter, Joe Weems, Alex Garner and Trevor Scott
Collects: Justice League #7-12
$16.99 US, 176 pg
Justice League Vol. 3: Throne of Atlantis HC
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Pete Woods, Pere Perez, Paul Pelletier, Marlo Alquiz, Ruy Jose, Sean Parsons, Cam Smith and Art Thibert
Collects: Justice League #13-17 and Aquaman #14-16
$24.99 US, 192 pg
Legends of the Dark Knight: Jim Aparo Vol. 2 HC
Writer: Bob Haney and Cary Burkett
Artists: Jim Aparo, John Calnan and Joe Staton
Collects: The Brave and the Bold #123-136 and 138-151
$49.99 US, 520 pg
Secret Society of Super-Villains Vol. 1 TP
Writers: Gerry Conway, David Kraft, Bob Rozakis and Paul Levitz
Artists: Pablo Marcos, Rich Buckler, Arvell Jones, Dick Ayers, Dick Dillin, Mike Vosburg, Ric Estrada and others
Collects: Secret Society Of Super Villains #1-10 and a story from Amazing World of DC Comics #11
$19.99 US, 208 pg
Shazam! Vol. 1 HC
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Gary Frank
Collects: Stories from Justice League 0, 7-11, 14-16 and 18-21
$24.99 US, 192 pg
Stormwatch Vol. 3 TP
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artists: Will Conrad, Cliff Richards, Eduardo Pansica and Julio Ferreira
Collects: Stormwatch #0 and 13-18
$14.99 US, 160 pg
Wonder Woman Vol. 2: Guts TP
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artists: Cliff Chiang, Tony Akins and Dan Green
Collects: Wonder Woman #7-12
$14.99 US, 144 pg
Wonder Woman Vol. 3: Blood HC
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artists: Cliff Chiang, Tony Akins, Dan Green and Amilcar Pinna
Collects: Wonder Woman #0 and 13-17
$24.99 US, 176 pg
DC Comics titles scheduled for October 2013:
Batgirl Vol. 2: Knightfall Descends TP
Writer: Gail Simone
Artists: Ardian Syaf, Vicente Cifuentes, Alitha Martinez and Ed Benes
Collects: Batgirl #7-13 and 0
$16.99 US, 192 pg
Batgirl Vol. 3: Death of the Family HC
Writers: Gail Simone, Ray Fawkes and Scott Snyder
Artists: Ed Benes, Daniel Sampere, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, Mark Irwin, Vicente Cifuentes and Admira Wijaya
Collects: Batgirl #14-19, Batman 19 and Batgirl Annual #1
$24.99 US, 224 pg
Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family HC
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artists: Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion
Collects: Batman #13-17
$24.99 US, 176 pg
Batman, Incorporated Vol. 2 HC
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artists: Chris Burnham, Jason Masters
Collects: Batman, Incorporated #7-13
$22.99 US, 160 pg
Batman: Odyssey TP
Writer: Neal Adams
Artists: Neal Adams, Josh Adams, Michael Golden, Kevin Nowlan, Bill Sienkiewicz, Scott Williams and Paul Neary
Collects: Batman: Odyssey Vol. 1 #1-6 and Vol. 2 #1-7
$19.99 US, 368 pg
Batman Unwrapped by Andy Kubert HC
Writers: Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman and Mark Waid
Artist: Andy Kubert
Collects: Batman #655-658, 664-666, 686 and 700, Detective Comics #853 and a story from 52 #46
$34.99 US, 272 pg
Batman: The World’s Finest Archives Vol. 3 HC
Writers: Bill Finger, Edmond Hamilton, William Woolfolk, Alvin Schwartz, David Vern and others
Artists: Bob Kane, Ray Burnley, Dick Sprang, Charles Paris, Jim Mooney, Lew Sayre Schwartz, Sy Barry, Stan Kaye, Sheldon Moldoff and others
Collects: Stories from World’s Finest Comics #33-70
$75.00 US, 512 pg
Catwoman Vol. 3: Death of the Family TP
Writer: Ann Nocenti
Artists: Adriana Melo, Julio Ferreira, Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Emanuela Lupacchino and Jaime Mendoza
Collects: Catwoman #0 and 13-18 and a story from YOUNG ROMANCE #1
$16.99 US, 176 pg
DC Comics One Million Omnibus HC
Writers: Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, Mark Schultz, Chuck Dixon, Ian Edginton, Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Dennis O’Neil, Doug Moench, Alan Grant, Devin Grayson, D. Curtis Johnson, Len Kaminski, Mark Waid, Michael Jan Friedman, Ron Marz, Garth Ennis, William Messner-Loebs, John Francis Moore, Tom Peyer, John Ostrander, James Robinson, Jerry Ordway, Karl Kesel, Peter David, Christopher Priest, Chris Roberson, Dan Jurgens and Geoff Johns
Artists: Val Semeiks, Phil Jimenez, Mike Wieringo, Richard Case, Georges Jeanty, Cully Hamner, Flint Henry, Norm Breyfogle, Dusty Abell, Ron Lim, Will Rosado, Tom Grindberg, Vince Giarrano, Yvel Guichet, Mark Buckingham, Jim Balent, J.H. Williams III, Shawn Martinbrough, Greg Land, Josh Hood, Bryan Hitch, John McCrea, Craig Rousseau, Howard Porter, Keith Giffen, Sean Phillips, Greg Luzniak, Tom Mandrake, Scott McDaniel, Jerry Ordway, Butch Guice, Staz Johnson, Peter Snejbjerg, Tom Grummett, Dusty Abell, Norm Breyfogle, Anthony Williams, Michael Collins, Todd Nauck, Angel Unzueta, Roberto Flores, Jesus Merino, Dan Jurgens and others
Collects: DC One Million #1-4, Action Comics #1,000,000, Adventures of Superman #1,000,000, Aquaman #1,000,000, Azrael #1,000,000, Batman #1,000,000, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1,000,000, Catwoman #1,000,000, Chase #1,000,000, Chronos #1,000,000, The Creeper #1,000,000, Detective Comics #1,000,000, The Flash #1,000,000, Green Arrow #1,000,000, Green Lantern #1,000,000, Hitman #1,000,000, Impulse #1,000,000, JLA #1,000,000, Legion of Super-Heroes #1,000,000, Legionnaires #1,000,000, Lobo #1,000,000, Martian Manhunter #1,000,000, Nightwing #1,000,000, Power of Shazam #1,000,000, Resurrection Man #1,000,000, Robin #1,000,000, Starman #1,000,000, Superboy #1,000,000, Supergirl #1,000,000, Superman #1,000,000, Superman: The Man of Steel #1,000,000, Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #1,000,000, Wonder Woman #1,000,000, Young Justice #1,000,000, JLA in Crisis Secret Files, DC One Million 80-Page Giant #1, Booster Gold #1,000,000 and Superman/Batman #79-80
$99.99 US, 1,024 pg
Deadshot: Beginnings TP
Writers: John Ostrander, Kim Yale, Steve Englehart, Doug Moench, Gerry Conway and Paul Levitz
Artists: Luke McDonnell, Marshall Rogers, Terry Austin, Don Newton, Alfredo Alcala and Bruce Patterson
Collects: Deadshot #1-4, Batman #369 and Detective Comics #474 and 518
$14.99 US, 160 pg
Green Lantern Vol. 2: The Revenge of Black Hand TP
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy, Renato Guedes and Ethan Van Sciver
Collects: Green Lantern #7-12 and Green Lantern Annual #1
$16.99 US, 192 pg
Green Lantern Volume 3 HC
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy, Keith Champagne, Mark Irwin, Tom Nguyen, Marc Deering, Szymon Kudranski and Ardian Syaf
Collects: Green Lantern #0 and 13-20
$24.99 US, 224 pg
I, Vampire: Wave of Mutilation
Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Artists: Andrea Sorrentino, Dennis Calero, Scott Clark and Fernando Blanco
Collects: I, Vampire #0 and 13-18
$16.99, 192 pg
Injustice: Gods Among Us Vol. 1 TP
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artists: Jheremy Raapack, Mike S. Miller, Marc Deering, Axel Gimenez, Bruno Redondo and others
Collects: Injustice: Gods Among Us #1-4
$14.99 US, 168 pg
JLA Earth 2 Deluxe Edition HC
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Frank Quitely
Original graphic novel
$24.99 US, 144 pg
The Joker: Death of the Family HC
Writers: Ann Nocenti, Gail Simone, Adam Glass, Peter J. Tomasi, Kyle Higgins, John Layman, Scott Lobdell and Fabian Nicieza
Artists: Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Ed Benes, Daniel Sampere, Mark Irwin, Vicente Cifuentes, Fernando Dagnino, Patrick Gleason, Tomas Giorello, Mick Gray, Keith Champagne, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Jason Fabok, Andy Clarke, Timothy Green II, Wayne Faucher, Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund
Collects: Catwoman #13-14, Batgirl #13-16, Suicide Squad #14-15, Batman and Robin #15-16, Nightwing #15-16, Detective Comics #15-16, Red Hood and the Outlaws #15-16 and Teen Titans #15-16
$29.99 US, 376 pg
JSA Liberty Files: The Whistling Skull TP
Writer: B. Clay Moore
Artist: Tony Harris
Collects: JSA Liberty Files: The Whistling Skull #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg
Smallville Season 11 Vol. 3: Haunted TP
Writer: Bryan Q. Miller
Artist: Jorge Jimenez
Collects: Smallville Season 11 #9-12
$14.99 US, 144 pg
Suicide Squad Vol. 3 TP
Writers: Adam Glass and Ales Kot
Artists: Fernando Dagnino, Henrik Jonsson, Sandu Florea and Timothy Green II
Collects: Suicide Squad #14-20
$14.99 US, 160 pg
Superman Vol. 2: Secrets & Lies TP
Writers: Dan Jurgens, Keith Giffen, Scott Lobdell and Fabian Nicieza
Artists: Dan Jurgens, Jesus Merino, Kenneth Rocafort, Pascal Alixe, Marco Rudy, Tom Raney, Elizabeth Torque and Mico Suayan
Collects: Superman #7-12 and Superman Annual #1
$16.99 US, 176 pg
Superman Vol. 3 HC
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artist: Kenneth Rocafort
Collects: Superman #0 and 13-19
$24.99 US, 192 pg
Superman: Dark Knight Over Metropolis TP
Writers: John Byrne, Roger Stern, Dan Jurgens and Jerry Ordway
Artists: Bob McLeod, Brett Breeding, Arthur Adams, Dick Giordano, Dan Jurgens, Art Thibert, Jerry Ordway and Dennis Janke
Collects: Superman #44, Adventures of Superman #466-467, Action Comics #653-654 and Action Comics Annual #1
$14.99 US, 168 pg
DC Comics titles scheduled for November 2013:
All-Star Western Vol. 3: The Black Diamond Probability TP
Writers: Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti
Artists: Moritat, Phil Winslade and Staz Johnson
Collects: All-Star Western #0 and 13-16
$16.99 US, 176 pg
Aquaman Vol. 2: The Others TP
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Ivan Reis and Joe Prado
Collects: Aquaman #7-13
$14.99 US, 160 pg
Aquaman Vol. 3: Throne of Atlantis HC
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Julio Ferreira, Pete Woods, Pere Perez, Paul Pelletier, Art Thibert and Sean Parsons
Collects: Aquaman #0 and 14-16 and Justice League #15-17
$24.99 US, 176 pg
Batman Vol. 2: The City of Owls TP
Writers: Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV
Artists: Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, Rafael Albuquerque, Andy Clarke and Jason Fabok
Collects: Batman #8-12 and Batman Annual #1
$16.99 US, 208 pg
Batman and Robin Vol. 2: Pearl TP
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artists: Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, Lee Garbett, Andy Clarke, Ray McCarthy, Keith Champagne, Dustin Nguyen and Tomas Giorello
Collects: Batman and Robin #9-14 and 0
$16.99 US, 176 pg
Batman and Robin Vol. 3: Death of the Family HC
Writers: Peter J. Tomasi and Scott Snyder
Artists: Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, Keith Champagne, Ardian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes
Collects: Batman and Robin #15-18, Batman #17 and Batman and Robin Annual #1
$24.99 US, 176 pg
Batman, Incorporated Vol. 1: Demon Star TP
Writers: Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham
Artists: Chris Burnham and Frazer Irving
Collects: Batman, Incorporated #0-6
$16.99 US, 176 pg
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 2: Scare Tactics TP
Writer: Tony S. Daniel
Artists: Tony S. Daniel, Sandu Florea, Szymon Kudranski, Ed Benes and Rob Hunter
Collects: Detective Comics # 8-12, 0 and Detective Comics Annual #1
$16.99 US, 232 pg
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 3: Emperor Penguin HC
Writer: John Layman
Artists: Jason Fabok and Andy Clarke
Collects: Detective Comics #13-18
$24.99 US, 192 pg
Batman: Night of the Owls TP
Writers: Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Tony S. Daniel, Judd Winick, Peter J. Tomasi, Duane Swierczynski, Gail Simone, Scott Lobdell, Kyle Higgins, Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti
Artists: Jason Fabok, Tony S. Daniel, Joel Gomez, Sandu Florea, David Finch, Richard Friend, Marcos To, Ryan Winn, Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, Travel Foreman, Jeff Huet, Ardian Syaf, Vicente Sifuentes, Kenneth Rocafort, Guillem March, Eddy Barrows, Ruy Jose, Eber Ferreira and Moritat
Collects: Batman #8-11, Nightwing #8-9, All-Star Western #9, Catwoman #9, Batgirl #9, Batman: The Dark Knight #9, Batman and Robin #9, Birds of Prey #9, Red Hood and the Outlaws #9, Batman Annual #1 and Batwing #9
$19.99 US, 368 pg
Green Arrow Vol. 1: Hunter’s Moon TP
Writer: Mike Grell
Artists: Ed Hannigan, Dick Giordano and Frank McLaughlin
Collects: Green Arrow #1-6
$14.99 US, 160 pg
Joe Kubert Presents TP
Writers: Joe Kubert, Brian Buniak, Sam Glanzman and Paul Levitz
Artists: Joe Kubert, Brian Buniak and Sam Glanzman
Collects: Joe Kubert Presents #1-6
$19.99 US, 304 pg
The Joker: The Clown Prince of Crime TP
Writers: Dennis O’Neil, Elliot S. Maggin and Martin Pasko
Artists: Irv Novick, Dick Giordano, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Ernie Chua, Vince Colletta, Tex Blaisdell and Frank McLaughlin
Collects: The Joker #1-9
$16.99 US, 176 pg
The Judas Coin TP
Writer/Artist: Walter Simonson
Original graphic novel
$14.99 US, 104 pg
Justice League of America Vol. 1 HC
Writers: Geoff Johns and Matt Kindt
Artists: David Finch and Scott Clark
Collects: Justice League of America #1-6
$24.99 US, 176 pg
Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 3: Death of the Family TP
Writers: Scott Lobdell and Fabian Nicieza
Artists: Pasqual Ferry, Ig Guara, Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Timothy Green II, Pascal Alixe, Wayne Faucher, Ardian Syaf, Robson Rocha, Ken Lashley, Jaime Mendoza and Le Beau Underwood
Collects: Red Hood and the Outlaws #0 and 14-17 and Teen Titans #15-16
$14.99 US, 160 pg
Red Lanterns Volume 3 TP
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artists: Ardian Syaf, Vicente Cifuentes, Miguel Sepulveda and Will Conrad
Collects: Red Lanterns #0 and 13-20
$19.99 US, 224 pg
Superman: H’el on Earth HC
Writers: Scott Lobdell, Tom DeFalco and Mike Johnson
Artists: Kenneth Rocafort, R.B. Silva, Rob Lean, Roger Robinson, Iban Coello, Amilcar Pinna and Mahmud Asrar
Collects: Superman #13-17, Superboy #14-17 and Supergirl #14-17
$29.99 US, 296 pg
Swamp Thing Vol. 3: Rotworld: The Green Kingdom TP
Writers: Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire
Artists: Marco Rudy, Dan Green, Andy Owens, Kano, Yanick Paquette, Andre Balinger, Steve Pugh, Timothy Green II and Joseph Silver
Collects: Swamp Thing #12-18 and Animal Man #12 and 17
$16.99 US, 208 pg
Worlds’ Finest Vol. 2 TP
Writer: Paul Levitz
Artists: Kevin Maguire, George Perez, Sandra Hope, Cliff Richards, Cafu, Yildiray Cinar, Phil Jimenez, Barry Kitson and Geraldo Borges
Collects: Worlds’ Finest #6-12
$14.99 US, 160 pg
DC Comics titles scheduled for December 2013:
The Authority Vol. 2 HC
Writers: Mark Millar, Doselle Young, Tom Peyer and Grant Morrison
Artists: Frank Quitely, Trevor Scott, Scott Williams, Mark Irwin, Chris Weston, Garry Leach, Derek Fridolfs, Sal Regla, John McCrea, Dustin Nguyen, Richard Friend, Jason Martin, Arthur Adams, Tim Townsend and Gary Erskine
Collects: The Authority #13-29
$34.99 US, 416 pg
Birds of Prey Vol. 3: A Clash of Daggers TP
Writers: Duane Swierczynski and Gail Simone
Artists: Romano Molenaar, Vicente Cifuentes, Juan Jose Ryp, Daniel Sampere and Admira Wijaya
Collects: Birds of Prey #13-17 and Batgirl Annual #1
$14.99 US, 160 pg
The Creature Commandos TP
Writers: J.M. DeMatteis, Mike W. Barr and Robert Kanigher
Artists: Pat Broderick, John Celardo, Fred Carillo, Bob Hall, Jerry Ordway and Dan Spiegle
Collects: Weird War Tales #93, 97, 100, 102, 105, 108-112, 114-119, 121 and 124
$19.99 US, 288 pg
Deadman Book Four TP
Writers: Bob Haney, Len Wein and Gerry Conway
Artists: Ric Estrada, Dick Giordano, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Jim Aparo and Frank Chiaramonte,
Collects: DC Special Series #8, DC Comics Presents #24 and stories from Adventure Comics #459-466
$14.99 US, 168 pg
Doctor Mid-Nite New Edition TP
Writer: Matt Wagner
Artist: John K. Snyder III
Collects: Doctor Mid-Nite #1-3
$14.99 US, 160 pg
The Flash Vol. 2: Rogues Revolution TP
Writers: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
Artists: Francis Manapul, Marcus To, Scott Kolins, Diogenes Neves, Oclair Albert, Marcio Takara, Wes Craig and Ray McCarthy
Collects: The Flash #9-12 and The Flash Annual #1
$16.99 US, 176 pg
The Flash Vol. 3: Gorilla Warfare HC
Writers: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
Artists: Francis Manapul, Marcus To, Ryan Winn and Marcio Takara
Collects: The Flash #13-19
$24.99 US, 176 pg
The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men Vol. 3: Takeover TP
Writers: Dan Jurgens and Joe Harris
Artists: Dan Jurgens, Ray McCarthy, Yildiray Cinar, Marlo Alquiza and Karl Kesel
Collects: The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #13-18
$16.99 US, 176 pg
Green Lantern Corps Vol. 2: Alpha War TP
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artists: Fernando Pasarin, CAFU, Scott Hanna and Marc Deering
Collects: Green Lantern Corps #8-14 and 0
$16.99 US, 192 pg
Green Lantern Corps Vol. 3: Rise of the Third Army HC
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artists: CAFU, Scott Hanna, Fernando Pasarin, Chriscross and Marlo Alquiza
Collects: Green Lantern Corps #15-20 and Green Lantern Corps Annual #1
$24.99 US, 192 pg
I, Vampire Vol. 3: Wave of Mutilation TP
Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Artists: Andrea Sorrentino, Dennis Calero, Scott Clark and Fernando Blanco
Collects: I, Vampire #0 and 13-19
$16.99 US, 192 pg
Nightwing Vol. 3: Death of the Family TP
Writers: Tom DeFalco, Kyle Higgins and Scott Snyder
Artists: Andres Guinaldo, Mark Irwin, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Juan Jose Ryp, Roger Bonet, Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion
Collects: Nightwing #13-18 and Batman #17
$16.99 US, 176 pg
The Savage Hawkman Vol. 2: Wanted TP
Writer: Tom DeFalco
Artists: Joe Bennett, Art Thibert,
Collects: The Savage Hawkman #0 and 9-20
$19.99 US, 288 pg
Superman: Action Comics Vol. 2: Bulletproof TP
Writers: Grant Morrison, Sholly Fisch and Max Landis
Artists: Rags Morales, Gene Ha, Cully Hamner, Karl Story, Ben Oliver, CAFU, Brad Walker and Ryan Sook
Collects: Action Comics #9-12 and 0, and Action Comics Annual #1
$16.99 US, 224 pg
Superman: Action Comics Vol. 3: At The End of Days HC
Writers: Grand Morrison and Sholly Fisch
Artists: Travel Foreman, Rags Morales, Mark Propst, Brad Walker, Andrew Hennessy, Chris Sprouse and Karl Story
Collects: Action Comics #13-17
$24.99 US, 224 pg
Superman Vs. Mongul TP
Writers: Len Wein, Paul Levitz and Alan Moore
Artists: Jim Starlin, Dick Giordano, Frank McLaughlin, Romeo Tanghal, Curt Swan, Dave Hunt and Dave Gibbons
Collects: DC Comics Presents #27-28, 36 and 43 and Superman Annual #11
$14.99 US, 144 pg
Teen Titans Vol. 3: Death of the Family TP
Writers: Scott Lobdell and Fabian Nicieza
Artists: Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira
Collects: Teen Titans #14-20
$14.99 US, 160 pg
Young Justice: Invasion TP
Writer: Greg Weisman
Artist: Christopher Jones
Collects: Young Justice #20-25
$12.99 US, 128 pg
DC Comics titles scheduled for January 2014:
Batman—The Dark Knight Vol. 2: Cycle of Violence TP
Writer: Gregg Hurwitz
Artists: David Finch, Richard Friend, Mico Suayan and Juan Jose Ryp
Collects: Batman—The Dark Knight #10-15 and 0
$14.99 US, 160 pg
Batman—The Dark Knight Vol. 3: Mad HC
Writer: Gregg Hurwitz
Artist: Ethan Van Sciver
Collects: Batman—The Dark Knight #16-21
$22.99 US, 144 pg
Batman: Arkham Unhinged Vol. 2 TP
Writer: Derek Fridolfs
Artists: Jorge Jimenez, Mike S. Miller, Darick Robertson, Peter Nguyen and others
Collects: Batman: Arkham Unhinged #6-10
$14.99 US, 168 pg
Batman: Arkham Unhinged Vol. 3 HC
Writer: Derek Fridolfs
Artists: Mico Suayan, Jheremy Raapack, Eric Nguyen, Federico Dallocchio and Davide Fabbri
Collects: Batman: Arkham Unhinged #11-15
$22.99 US, 168 pg
Batwing Volume 3: Enemy of the State TP
Writers: Judd Winick, Fabian Nicieza, Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti
Artists: Marcus To, Ryan Winn, Richard Zajac, Beau Underwood, Fabrizio Fiorentino, Allan Jefferson, Phyllis Novin, Juan Castro, Eduardo Pansica and Julio Ferreira
Collects: Batwing #13-18
$16.99 US, 144 pg
The Demon: From the Darkness TP
Writer: Matt Wagner
Artists: Matt Wagner and Art Nichols
Collects: The Demon #1-4 (miniseries) and The Demon #22
$14.99 US, 128 pg
Demon Knights Vol. 3 TP
Writers: Paul Cornell and Robert Venditti
Artist: Bernard Chang
Collects: Demon Knights #13-18
$14.99 US, 144 pg
Earth 2 Vol. 1: The Gathering TP
Writer: James Robinson
Artists: Nicola Scott, Trevor Scott, Eduardo Pansica and Tomas Giorello
Collects: Earth 2 #1-6
$14.99 US, 160 pg
Earth 2 Vol. 2: The Tower of Fate HC
Writer: James Robinson
Artists: Nicola Scott, Trevor Scott, Yildiray Cinar, Ryan Winn, Tom Derenick and Ruy Jose
Collects: Earth 2 #0 and 7-12 and a story from DC Universe Presents #0
$24.99 US, 176 pg
Green Lantern: The Animated Series Vol. 2 TP
Writers: Art Baltzar, Franco, Ivan Cohen and Cecil Castellucci
Artists: Dario Brizuela and Luciano Vecchio
Collects: Green Lantern: The Animated Series #6-11
$12.99 US, 128 pg
Green Lantern: New Guardians Vol. 2: Beyond Hope TP
Writer: Tony Bedard
Artists: Tyler Kirkham, Batt, Tomas Giorello and Marcio Takara
Collects: Green Lantern – New Guardians #8-12 and Blue Beetle #9
$14.99 US, 144 pg
Green Lantern: New Guardians Vol. 3: Rise of the Third Army HC
Writer: Tony Bedard
Artists: Aaron Kuder, Andrei Bressan, Andres Guinaldo, Greg Adams and Amilcar Pinna.
Collects: Green Lantern: New Guardians #0 and 13-20
$24.99 US, 224 pg
Green Lantern: Sector 2814 Vol. 3 TP
Writer: Steve Englehart
Artists: Joe Staton, Bruce Patterson, Mark Farmer and Bob Smith
Collects: Green Lantern #194-200
$16.99 US, 200 pg
Katana Vol. 1 TP
Writer: Ann Nocenti
Artists: Alex Sanchez, Cristina Coronas and Bill Sienkiewicz
Collects: Katana #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3: The Fatal Five TP
Writer: Paul Levitz
Artists: Francis Portela, Scott Kolins, Keith Giffen and Scott Koblish
Collects: Legion of Super-Heroes #15-21
$14.99 US, 160 pg
The Planetary Omnibus HC
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artists: John Cassaday, Jerry Ordway, Phil Jimenez and Andy Lanning
Collects: Planetary #1-27, Planetary/Batman #1, Planetary/JLA #1 and Planetary/Authority #1
$75.00 US, 832 pg
Superboy Vol. 3 TP
Writer: Tom DeFalco,
Artists: R.B. Silva, Rob Lean, Ron Frenz, Roger Robinson, Iban Coello and Amilcar Pinna
Collects: Superboy #13-19
$14.99 US, 160 pg
Superman Family Adventures Vol. 2 TP
Writers: Art Baltazar and Franco
Artist: Art Baltazar
Collects: Superman Family Adventures #7-12
$12.99 US, 128 pg
Superman: Man of Steel Vol. 8 TP
Writers: Paul Kupperberg, John Byrne and Jerry Ordway
Artists: John Byrne, Ty Templeton, Ross Andru, Keith Williams, George Pérez, Karl Kesel, Mike Mignola, Jerry Ordway, John Beatty and Dennis Janke
Collects: Action Comics #598-600, Superman #16-18 and Adventures of Superman #439-440
$16.99 US, 232 pg
Terra Obscura: S.M.A.S.H. of Two Worlds TP
Writers: Alan Moore and Peter Hogan
Artists: Yanick Paquette and Karl Story
Collects: Terra Obscura Vol. 1 #1-6 and Terra Obscura Vol. 2 #1-6
$24.99 US, 320 pg
DC Comics titles scheduled for February 2014:
Batman: Li’l Gotham Vol. 1
Writers: Derek Fridolfs and Dustin Nguyen
Artist: Dustin Nguyen
Collects: Batman: Li’l Gotham #1-3 and stories from Detective Comics Annual #11 and Batman Annual #27
$14.99 US, 128 pg
Constantine Vol. 1 TP
Writers: Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes
Artists: Renato Guedes
Collects: Constantine #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg
DC Universe Presents Vol. 3: Black Lightning and Blue Devil TP
Writers: Marc Andreyko, Joe Keatinge and Tony Bedard
Artists: Robson Rocha, Oclair Albert, Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira, J.P. Mayer, Ricken, Federico Dallocchio and Jesus Saiz
Collects: DC Universe Presents #13-19
$14.99 US, 160 pg
Deathstroke Vol. 2: Lobo Hunt TP
Writer: Justin Jordan
Artists: Edgar Salazar and Scott Hanna
Collects: Deathstroke #0 and 9-20
$19.99 US, 296 pg
Dial H Vol. 2 TP
Writer: China Mieville
Artists: David Lapham, Alberto Ponticelli and Dan Green
Collects: Dial H #7-16
$16.99 US, 224 pg
Green Lantern: Wrath of the First Lantern Vol. 1 HC
Writers: Geoff Johns, Peter J. Tomasi, Tony Bedard and Peter Milligan
Artists: Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy, Dan Jurgens, Phil Jimenez, Mark Irwin, Tom Nguyen, Szymon Kudranski, Ardian Syaf, Fernando Pasarin, Scott Hanna, Chriscross, Marlo Alquiza, Aaron Kuder, Andres Guinaldo, Miguel Sepulveda and Will Conrad
Collects: Green Lantern #17-18, Green Lantern Corps #17-20, Red Lanterns #17-20 and Green Lantern New Guardians #17-20
$24.99 US, 192 pg
JLA Vol. 4 TP
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artists: Howard Porter, Frank Quitely, Ed McGuinness, John Dell and others
Collects: JLA #32-46
$24.99 US, 384 pg
Justice League of America’s Vibe Vol. 1 TP
Writers: Geoff Johns, Andrew Kreisberg and Sterling Gates
Artists: Pete Woods and Sean Parsons
Collects: Justice League of America’s Vibe #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg
Justice League Dark Vol. 3: The Death of Magic TP
Writers: Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes
Artists: Graham Nolan, Victor Drujiniu and Mikel Janin
Collects: Justice League Dark #14-19
$14.99 US, 144 pg
Martian Manhunter: Son of Mars TP
Writers: John Ostrander and John Arcudi
Artists: Tom Mandrake and Jan Duursema
Collects: Martian Manhunter #0-9
$19.99 US, 240 pg
The Ravagers Vol. 2 TP
Writer: Michael Alan Nelson
Artists: Ian Churchill, Ig Guara and Norm Rapmund
Collects: The Ravagers #8-12 and 0
$14.99 US, 144 pg
Power Girl: Power Trip TP
Writers: Geoff Johns, Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti
Artists: Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti
Collects: JSA Classified #1-4 and Power Girl #1-12
$29.99 US, 392 pg
Supergirl Vol. 3 TP
Writer: Mike Johnson
Artists: Mahmud Asrar and Sami Basri
Collects: Supergirl #13-19
$14.99 US, 160 pg
Via
Later this year IDW will be publishing Half Past Danger, a new series written, drawn, and created by Stephen Mooney. After working as artist on several IDW titles including Star Trek and Angel for the last few years, Mooney decided it was time to set up a creator-owned project, which he’d have full control over. In order to do so, he had to set aside a year in which he scripted, designed, pencilled, inked, coloured and lettered the project – six months in which he wasn’t earning money from any other gigs. It was quite the risk, taking himself out of the comics scene for a year in order to focus on a comic he had no idea would ever see the light of day.
However! The good news is that IDW decided to pick up the book, starting with issue #1 this May – preorderable now! I spoke to Stephen about making the leap into creator-owned work, the inspiration for Half Past Danger, and how the experience has been.
Steve: Half Past Danger is dedicated to your father, “who took me to the movies”. What kind of films would you go see? Were there any in particular which served as inspiration for Half Past Danger?
Stephen: Oh wow, yeah. Loads! The first film I can remember my dad taking my brothers and I to see was E.T. in the Savoy cinema in Dublin in 1982, when I was five years old. Still my favourite cinema to this day. I can remember it like it was yesterday; its one of my first real memories. The whole experience made such a huge indelible dent on my psyche, in so many ways. The bustling anticipatory atmosphere of the jam-packed theatre, the crowd reactions as the movie ebbed and lowed. I was absolutely hooked. It also started my love affair with Spielberg’s eighties ouevre. Films that followed included The Return of The Jedi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Goonies, Back To The Future, Big Trouble In Little China, Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, and many, many more.
The most obvious influences on Half Past Danger filmically-speaking are undoubtedly the first three Indiana Jones movies. They really colour and inform my entire storytelling style. That bang-zip-wallop rapid-fire action beats-ridden kind of a narrative, with a few gags interspersed. Half Past Danger aspires to be that style of tale. Strong influences also would be the very early Connery Bond films, and pulpy matinee-style fare like The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Then of course you have the classic Harryhausen dino movies. Great stuff, all.
Steve: How did the story of Half Past Danger start to come together? When did you first have the idea for it?
Stephen: The idea has been in my mind in some shape or form for years now, in that I’ve always known that if and when I ever attempted a story of my own that it would be 100% mired in that kind of pulpy action-adventure style, simply because that’s the genre I feel most comfortable in, and know so well. I always knew also that I’d want the main character to be an Irishman, since that’s the one thing I’ve been all my life, and nobody could tell the story of that particular character better than me, to my mind. I guess somewhat inevitably I injected much of my own personality and traits into a somewhat idealised version of myself, and placed him squarely into this scenario I’d begun to dream up. Hell, the guy even looks like me. If that’s not vanity wit large, I dunno what is.
The story came together over the last couple of years, I knew the high concept from the start, Nazis versus dinosaurs, but I wanted to really take my time and write something that hadn’t specifically been seen before, since as everybody knows, a lot of these themes have been done before on many occasions. The real trick is to give readers something they haven’t experienced as of yet, and I didn’t want to press too far ahead until I was sure I’d come up with a new spin on what in some ways could be seen as an old tale.
Once I figured out the main wheres, whys and whats, the rest came fairly rapidly.
Steve: This is your first creator-owned work – how did you decide that Half Past Danger was the right project to get off the ground?
Stephen: Well, it’s the only project that I’ve ever completely fleshed out, to be honest. I had this one idea that I thought was really strong, and it was bang in the middle of my wheelhouse, or more specifically what I wanted my wheelhouse to be, so I ran with it. To be honest I didn’t question it too much. Do I have other ideas? Yeah, but they all revolve around this universe! I guess I just had a single, enormous itch I needed to scratch for the time being, and I’ll see where I go from there.
Steve: You’ve said that you took six months off to focus on this project, writing, drawing, inking, colouring, lettering…. Where did you start with the project?
Stephen: With the writing. I didn’t put pencil to paper drawing-wise until the full series was totally written and put to bed. Then pencilling, inking, coloring, lettering, in that order. Then back to the start again for issue 2 and go again; rinse and repeat.
Steve: Did you work issue-by issue on the story, or plot out an entirety and then start filling it in? How did you approach the story once you had the concept locked down, in essence.
Stephen: I worked out the entire plot first. I’d be terrified to embark on a story without knowing how it was going to end. To be honest, I’d probably never GET to the end in that scenario, I’d just circle the drain narratively until I eventually flushed the project. In order to commit myself to this massive body of work, I had to make sure everything was utterly and clearly signposted. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to visualize my goal, and I’d be second-guessing myself all the while. Because the writing was the only element that I’d never approached before, I wanted to give it all of the respect it deserved, and to take the time to get it done right. Or, at least as right as I could get it!
Steve: How long has each issue taken you to complete? Did you find yourself surprised by how difficult certain aspects of the process were?
Stephen: Man, too long! The writing took about 2 months all-in, including research. That was fine. It was when I got stuck into the art side of things that I began to get bogged down a little. One of my dreams for the book was to do absolutely everything myself; complete creator control. That proved to be somewhat of a pipe dream in a way, though. The first issue of the book took me four months to pencil, ink, colour and letter. That was just unsustainable, the book would take another two years at that rate, and I was already six months in. Hence the addition of Jordie Bellaire as series colorist from issue 2 onward.
Something had to give, and of all of the aspects visually, I was spending the most time on the colours, which was crazy. Jordie is a very close friend, and when she saw me floundering she offered to dive in and help me out. She’s an amazing colorist, and a big fan of a lot of the same source material as I am, so it was a pretty seamless transition really. It also doesn’t hurt that Jordie’s a phenomenally talented colorist, in constant demand at all the biggest companies. I’m certainly beyond delighted that she chose to climb aboard.
With Jordie alongside, I’ve been spending two months a piece on the subsequent issues, almost all of that time spent drawing and inking the 26-odd pages per issue, then a couple of days of lettering at the end.
Steve: I was really struck with a blog post you wrote about the role of writing and art in comics - http://www.halfpastdanger.com/2011/10/writing-vs-art-this-time-its-personal.html . Now you’re further into the story, how have you found the balance between writing an issue and drawing it?
Stephen: It’s very hard for me to separate the two, if I’m being honest. In this instance, it’s all just the story. When I was writing it, I knew exactly how every beat and scene would look on the page (or at least how I’d like it to look), and now that I’m drawing it, I almost know off by heart the entire story and script, so it all just flows onto the page. Again, it’s all just utmost inseparable elements of the story, for me. The script is more a broad outline with fairly tight dialogue than anything. Stage directions.
Steve: I’ve read the first issue of the series, and really enjoyed the central character, Tommy Flynn. Did you find the design process easier for a character you created, and would be writing yourself? Has it been easy translating your ideas to the page, rather than interpreting an established work, as you’ve done before for IDW?
Stephen: Yeah, I think it has. I wouldn’t say easy, but I certainly haven’t had to wrestle it into submission or anything like that. Probably because the main character is a bit of a cypher, in that he acts and reacts pretty much the way I would assuming I were a lot braver and a tad more selfless. Working with the established characters, like say Angel or Spike wasn’t that difficult either though, in terms of working what was written on the page, because I had such bloody good writers whom I trusted implicitly. I’ve been very lucky that way. I’ve never had trouble portraying any given character on the page, the acting and character beats are one of the very few aspects of the drawing that come totally naturally to me.
Steve: With more control over the final product, have you noticed yourself experimenting more with pacing and panel layout?
Stephen: Oh god, yeah. WAY more. I’m very respectful of a given writer’s script when I get it on a work-for-hire job, I’m loathe to mess with what they’ve asked for in their direction. They spent time working that stuff out, so I stick pretty religiously to it when at all possible, even when I might disagree on the shots called for. Or maybe there might be a crazy talking order or something going on that just isn’t feasible without the addition of an extra panel or the use of a slightly different angle. Perhaps I should go more with my own gut, I don’t know. Usually I just want to make the writer happy. If there’s leeway there, I’ll certainly take it. This kind of touches on that article on the Half Past Danger process blog that you mentioned in one of the earlier questions.
On my own book, I’m much freer to go with my initial instincts, storytelling-wise. It’s one of the most satisfying elements of the whole venture, and one of the reasons I actually wanted to attempt it. I think one of the reasons that people seem to be responding to how ‘cinematic’ the storytelling is, is because that’s my natural modus operandi, and my default setting.
Steve: How has the experience of working on a creator-owned project been for you?
Stephen: Absolutely wonderful, so far. Dizzying highs, terrifying lows, creamy centres. It’s as hard as I’ve ever worked, and in even more of a vacuum than before. It’s incredibly scary and daunting, because at the end of the day, for better or for worse, it’s all me on the page; nobody to hide behind. But at the same time, that’s pretty much the most incredible aspect. Where else can a sole creator be responsible for almost every aspect of production? Film? Animation? It just doesn’t happen, and that’s one of the reasons I love comic books so much.
Steve: Do you see yourself doing more creator-owned work in future, or are you looking to alternate with some more work-for-hire projects?
Stephen: In a perfect world, I’d love to do further HPD series every year or two in the Hellboy model, with the odd work-for-hire gig interspersed between. But obviously, that all depends on how the first series is received. I’ll certainly stick around for as long as Chris Ryall and the amazing guys at IDW will have me, I genuinely don’t think that there’s a better home for Half Past Danger.
Steve: Jordie Bellaire will be coming on as colourist as of issue 2, as you’ve mentioned, whilst I believe Declan Shalvey will be drawing a backup strip for each issue. There seems to be quite a growing community of comics creators in Ireland recently. How important is it to have that sense of a creative community? Is it helpful to have people to bounce these ideas off?
Stephen: Oh, it’s invaluable. it really is. Having guys (and gals!) like Dec, Jordie and also Nick Roche, Will Sliney, Stephen Thompson and all the other Irish pros to bounce stuff off and get opinions from is simple indispensable. We’re a very close network. Almost collaborators in a way. I couldn’t do this without their help, I mean that. Otherwise I’d just be floating along in a nebulous void of gibberish. And I wouldn’t even know if it was good gibberish. So yeah, absolutely essential.
Steve: What advice would you give to anybody looking to create their own comics?
Stephen: Get off the pot and do it. Let go of the doubts and the maybes, and just make it happen. Everybody is afraid; everybody wonders if they’re actually good enough. I know I do. The only way to find out is to light that touch-paper, and have at it.
At the end of the day, even if Half Past Danger doesn’t hit that sweet spot critically or commercially, I’ll still have the satisfaction of knowing I tried.
I did my best. Otherwise, as dramatic as it sounds, I’d go all the way to the grave wondering what might have been.
Many thanks to Stephen for his time! If you’d like to find out more, you can read all about the process on his blog, which has been constantly updating with information and thoughts on the creation process for the last few months. You can find his pencilling, inking, colouring, bits of script, all sorts of things on there – I really recommend you have a look. You can also find him on the twitters! Half Past Danger #1 is out in May.
Open areas like the food court and outside atrium were a welcome oasis, but it also continued to be easy to exit the con into the outdoor plaza areas for a rest and there was no difficulty with re-entry. Though the floor only allowed a couple of doors for access, the many exterior doors were open for comings and goings, with several food trucks outside, far enough from the entrance not to cause back ups. One other surprise was that Sunday seemed just as busy as Saturday, as I heard retailers commenting. They were turning over sales at just as high a rate that day. This feeling may be due to the fact that there were slightly fewer panels on Sunday, making the floor more of a feature, or simply that people waited to do their shopping on the floor on Sunday. When I stumbled into the Arena, a venue I hadn’t seen before, I was impressed with the numbers it could hold, and also that it was completely full for a Joss Whedon Shakespeare film adaptation event. This suggested to me that the con was handling numbers well, since I generally had no idea that so many people were even at the con on top of the numbers moving in the open spaces of the con. It was Easter Sunday the last day of the con, and it closed a little early, at 5PM, perhaps for this reason, but fans still had a sense that they would have been happy for the con to go on a little longer, a good sign regarding WonderCon’s appeal.
Final thoughts: it was a well run and appealing con, offering plenty of choice in terms of panels, keeping up with what’s going on in comics and pop culture right now. Marvel were a little under represented, though Dan Slott was participating in panels, and several pros who were there for DC panels were formal Marvel people. Marvel didn’t have a booth on the floor, driving up the demand for DC variants and signings, which they happily accommodated. I was also impressed by the energetic presence of the mid-sized presses like Dark Horse, Archaia, Image, IDW, and ComiXology, for taking the opportunity to flourish and interact with fans when given a little more space to do so. The mid-sized presses really shone in their engagement with fans on the floor, their foresight in bringing new and upcoming books to purchase and get a sneak-peak at, and also through their involvement on panels. This gave the general impression that mid-sized presses are on the rise and taking on the role, collectively, as contenders for the Big Two. Good for them!
That outdoor plaza was a great addition (up until sometime last year it was a street separating the the two nearby hotels) for this sort of con, not just adding room for food trucks, but as a place for people to hang out and rest, socialize, hold photoshoots, etc.
While I’d still like to see WonderCon move back to San Francisco, they’ve shown that they can put on a good mid-sized con here in Anaheim, and if they do move back, I like the idea of adding another convention to the circuit the way they were talking about doing this year if they were able to get fall dates in San Francisco.
That said, it also showed that Anaheim, at least right now, can’t handle the parking needed for both Disneyland and a Comic-Con sized event. Wondercon is, what, a third the size of SDCC these days, and it was still problematic at best.
My own recap is still in progress, but if anyone’s interested, here’s my WonderCon photo gallery on Flickr.
Thanks Kelson! I should’ve commented on the parking- you’re right. I was lucky enough not to have to drive, but my friends did have some issues. On the first day they turned up way early and were fine but on the second day they were only a little early and had to park really far away and it made life difficult for them- it’s true.
They expanded their square footage, moving from Hall D (221K) to Halls A+B (292K).
The interior courtyards are a nice amenity. While I expect they might be crowded during WC, during the library show, they were spacious and sunny, and a nice way to escape (temporarily) from the hustle and bustle. There were also some food vendors there.
Parking… Disney’s Toy Story lot is not that far away, directly east of the convention center. $15 for the day. Can the general public park there? Or is it only for theme park visitors?
Torsten, Disney does open the lot for convention overflow and I believe some of the others as well.
[...] wrote a wrap-up of my impressions of the con, comparing it to my opening article, and included with it is Michele’s excellent photo [...]