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Telltale games announces Michonne mini series start date.

Debuting today at NYCC, here’s the first trailer for Cinemax’s adaptation of Robert Kirkman and Paul Azaceta’s Outcast. Outside of The Knick, there’s not a lot drawing my eyes over to that network, but perhaps this can change that.

Robert Kirkman sits down with Seth Myers to talk about what grosses him out about zombies.

Robert Kirkman‘s media conquest continues.  Today, Cinemax debuted the first trailer for Outcast, a new TV series based off the Image comics series with the same name.  This is Kirkman’s second TV adaptation following The Walking Dead.

We’re just a little bit over a week from one of the biggest video game trade shows around, E3. Publishers and developers are readying snipitets of their upcoming games for a select few to go hands on with. Before the madness ensues, Bethesda Softworks (Elder Scrolls, Skyrim) took it upon themselves to make a major pre-show announcement earlier this week. Meanwhile, Telltale Games revealed they won’t have much to demo at E3, but teased something big for Walking Dead fans. Finally, Microsoft wants to bring the general public a slice of E3…Let’s Go!

The creative force behind popular games such as Skyrim and Elder Scrolls confirmed the long rumored next chapter of the Fallout game series. This past Wednesday Bethesda Softworks officially announced Fallout 4 and dropped the game’s first teaser.

The only things certain about Fallout 4 is that it won’t be coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360. This one will be a modern console and PC only game. But from the trailer we can deduce for certain a return to Vault 111 with some good ol Nuka Cola, oh and it’ll have a dog and well that’s about it. More details about the game will be revealed during Bethesda’s E3 showcase on June 14 at 7pm PST. Fans can watch it live on the developers YouTube channel here.

Our thought:

Since the trailers debut the Internet has given Fallout 4 the scrutinizing response many a film and celebrity have enjoyed. Some have said “it doesn’t look as good as it should”, while others have made fun of the Baahston setting with Fenway Park. Bethesda’s previous entry, Fallout 3, was a technical and visual achievement for previous gen consoles. In this current shiny 4K era, visual achievements are few and far between. The room left for evolutionary leaps rests in the gameplay mechanics. If you enjoyed Skyrim on a PS3 or Xbox 360, then it’s fun to imagine what Bethesda’s mind could do with the power of this new generation of consoles, maybe even giving the game an online capability it’s never seen before.

What’s most interesting about the rumors still swirling around Fallout 4 is its possible release date. The Bethesda online store suggest it could be this year. Its estimated ship date is listed as “TBA 2015,” both before and after Fallout 4 is added to your cart. This could certainly just be a placeholder date because “dates subject to change” is always a thing. If gamers do indeed see the next chapter of Fallout in 2015 then it means Bethesda have pulled off something rare in today’s spoiler filled world. They’d have to have been working on Fallout since 2012 and kept it a secret from the public and press, something I didn’t think possible this day in age. Which will also mean we’ll see a heavy PR campaign bombard mainstream media and your favorite convention this Summer.

How mind-blowing would it be if Bethesda went on stage and said “pick up Fallout 4 this August”? The only thing that could top this is if Gabe Newell from Valve came to an E3 press conference and said Half-Life 3 is on STEAM today, then he Gallagher mallets an old Atari and walks off. Man I could go for some watermelon right now.

Just when we think we’ve got all the answers; Telltale Games changes the questions. While the award winning developers of story driven game adaptations such as Fables, Borderlands, and Game of Thrones won’t have a large presence on the E3 show floor; it doesn’t mean they won’t make waves. This past Tuesday the company’s Director of PR, Job J Stauffer, tweeted the following.

While they’ve previously made it clear their Walking Dead series would not get a season 3 in 2015; they haven’t said what fans will get in its place this year. Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman will be on the official E3 YouTube live stream to help make whatever this announcement is. You can watch it go down here Monday morning.

Also, fans of Minecraft expecting details on Telltale’s Minecraft: Story Mode game will have to wait till Minecon in London, this July 4-5.

Our Thought:

Kirkman has always spoken highly of simply having Telltale come up to him with the story and letting the developer run with it. With Robert on hand for the official announcement it could mean the developer’s first move into synergy with other Walking Dead properties. With AMC well into production on the upcoming Fear The Walking Dead spin-off we could see a game prequel that leads into the show’s debut.

Also, some have criticized Telltale for not showing Minecraft: Story Mode at E3. It’s actually far from a mistake. Minecon is the perfect setting to build a media frenzy with fans who are all but guaranteed to go crazy for the game in a market that often needs more push than the US. Telltale have been more questions than answers as of late but when they do peel back the curtains they have a knack for picking the most opportune time.

While we all knew Sony is sure to show more Uncharted 4 at their upcoming press event. PlayStation let leak the expected news of an Uncharted PS3 collection port for the PlayStation 4. Bluepoint Games, a studio with a portfolio full of stellar ports is tasked with bringing Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection to the PS4 on October 9, 2015.

In addition to the full 1080p 60FPS and texture upgrades, the game not only brings the story modes but includes all the previously available multiplayer goodness.  Buying the Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection grants you exclusive access to Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End multiplayer Beta version.

Our Thought:

Sony has put too much of its resources on ports. The ratio of good new PS4 experiences to ports is dismally lopsided. I love my PS4, but when I go long periods of time without turning it on… I start to wonder why I even bought it in the first place. Admittedly, when you consider that the PS4 console sales lapped the PS3 within its first year; it translates to an audience of Xbox 360 converts who might not have previously played Uncharted. In a way it makes them a necessary evil towards the success of a triple-A title like Uncharted 4 by removing any kind of high wall putting a #4 on the end of a game might place in consumers minds.

On a side note, Sony would be wise to include the six issue mini-series published by DC Comics as part of the Uncharted collection. Either as a bonus or on disc digital. Cause you know… comics!

Electronic Entertainment Expo or as it’s commonly known, E3, is the biggest trade show in gaming. It takes up the entire Los Angeles Convention Center and overwhelms the senses more so than SDCC ever could. So many have growled about it not being open to the public, but most trade shows typically aren’t for fans. While that’s not likely to change anytime soon, many developers and publishers that contribute to the spectacle of the show throw orbiting events the public CAN attend. Microsoft is taking full advantage of this.

Xbox want to bring Los Angeles gamers as close to the action as possible. While their social media guru, Major Nelson and company, will be delivering content from the show floor all week on the Xbox YouTube channel, the company is also putting together Xbox FanFest: E3 2015.

Xbox will give 500 lucky fans a one-of-a-kind ticket for E3 week, the gaming industry’s biggest showcase.  The Xbox FanFest Ticket will include:

• Entry into the Xbox E3 2015 Briefing on Monday, June 15^th, 9:30 am PT, at the Galen Center in downtown Los Angeles.
• Invite to the exclusive Xbox FanFest Party, Monday afternoon, June 15^th, where fans will get to play the best exclusives and biggest blockbuster games this holiday and beyond.
• VIP access to the Xbox esports Celebrity Challenge & Twitch Party sponsored by Xbox.
• Meet-and-greet with some of the industry’s top developers, leaders and influencers.
• Even more surprise events during the week.

To be one of the lucky 500:

Fans can begin lining up at Microsoft at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles, starting at 10 p.m. PDT on Saturday, June 13. This Microsoft store is located at 10250 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, though the line will start near the LensCrafters on Avenue of the Stars.

Tickets will be distributed on a first come first served basis beginning at 11am on June 14 at the Microsoft Store at Westfield Century City.

In order to be eligible, fans need to be at least 21 years of age with a valid Xbox Live gamertag (Gold Membership not required)

Our Thought:

Want to know a bit of insider info? Jeff Rubinstein of the Xbox team is a former part of Sony’s PlayStation Blog team. If you previously followed their E3 events, he was primarily responsible for all the run of the mill gamers getting into E3 every year they threw an event. Sony’s followers would line up like it was SDCC in front of the LA Sports Area to try and ensure their entrance into the press conference and be rewarded with a complimentary exhibits pass to E3. How the man did it, I have no clue.

So to anyone considering trying to be one of the 500, do it. Last year those at the Microsoft event had to go through a lottery to try and win their way in. From what I heard, 200 Xbox fans were granted entrance to the Xbox press event and access to the E3 show floor. Jeff’s highest number with Sony was 250, could he top that this year with Xbox? If you’re an LA area SDCC Hall H veteran, you’re no stranger to this and the loot is worth spending a summer night in an LA mall to find out.

With one week left till E3 don’t expect much in the way of major announcements in the next few days. If you’re one of those people that kills time on social media follow @Comicsbeatlive on twitter for some of the sights and free energy drinks of E3. Follow the Instagram account as well for blurry pics from the show as my finger partially covers cameras all week. How can I get fire on this iPhone again?

Following the success of Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul, AMC has pre-emptively ordered two seasons of a Walking Dead spinoff series, which is set in a time period prior to the original show.

AMC ordered a pilot episode in 2014 and has greenlit a 6-episode first season run, set to debut late this summer, and has also ordered a second season for 2016. The spinoff is said to be a prequel that takes place in Los Angeles during the early stages of the zombie outbreak. AMC has confirmed the setting, but has not yet confirmed all of the plot details. The pilot was penned by Robert Kirkman, creator of the comic series, and Dave Erickson, who will serve as showrunner.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series will star New Zealander Cliff Curtis (Gang Related) as Sean Cabrera, a teacher who shares custody of his son with his ex-wife and is trying to do good. Kim Dickens (House of Cards, Sons of Anarchy, Gone Girl) will play Nancy Tomkins, a guidance counselor working at the same school as Cabrera. Frank Dillane (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) and Alycia Debnam Carey (Into the Woods) have also been tapped to play Nancy’s children.

Given that The Walking Dead is the most-watched scripted program on cable, the move isn’t a huge surprise. The Walking Dead is already well into its 5th season, and AMC has recently said goodbye to its groundbreaking series Breaking Bad. AMC will also see the sun set on Mad Men, one of its more critically-acclaimed series, this year. The network seems to be ushering in a second generation of companion programs in hopes to continue the success of these properties and broke records with the series premiere of Better Call Saul.

The question is whether the series will do as well in spite of its prequel status – can it maintain audience interest while headed towards a known, inevitable world state?

After The Walking Dead became a massive hit for AMC, it was only a matter of time before another network came calling for Robert Kirkman. This time around it’ll be Cinemax, as Variety reports that the premium channel just picked up his and Paul Azaceta‘s Image series Outcast for a full series order.

Patrick Fugit (Gone Girl, Almost Famous) stars in this 10 episode series centered on a young man who sets off to find answers as to why he’s been possessed by demons since he was a child. Philip Glenister co-stars as the evangelist who assists him.

The initial pilot has already been filmed and was directed by Adam Wingard, who you may know best as the filmmaker behind last year’s The Guest (a really fun film) and 2013’s You’re Next. The pilot’s script was written by Kirkman.

There’s no word on when the series will see an air date, but given the timing and the status of the pilot, it’s quite possible that it debuts as early as the Fall of this year.

Will this be enough to get you to subscribe to Cinemax if you haven’t already?

The Walking Dead, America’s favorite cable television series, returns this Sunday for its mid-season premiere. In anticipation of what’s sure to be another ratings smash, AMC has released the first two minutes of the upcoming episode, “What Happened And What’s Going On”.

The Walking Dead airs this Sunday at 9 pm.

It’s a rite of autumn —The Walking Dead’s new season debuts on AMC, and Walking Dead graphic novels start selling like crack again. Here’s the feed from the Amazon graphic novels best seller’s list. Note that The Oatmeal has sold a gazillion copies, and Roz Chast is back in the top ten following her National Book Award shortlisting.

Per the usual pattern, Walking Dead GN sales will slow when the 8 episode season ends, and pick right back up when it returns next year. I know Robert Kirkman has made a buttload of money from the hit TV series, but he, Charlie Adlard and Tony Moore have also made a buttload from the books alone, given the Image deal.

(BTW, for long term Amazon trend analysis I refer you to Beat contributor David Carter’s weekly blog on the topic, which someday I will feature here every week. Lots of other interesting things on his site, as well.0

#1: The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances

The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances
The Oatmeal (Author), Matthew Inman (Author)
138 days in the top 100
(77)

Buy new: $16.99 $10.74
61 used & new from $9.50

(Visit the Best Sellers in Comics & Graphic Novels list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.)
#2: The Walking Dead: Compendium One

The Walking Dead: Compendium One
Robert Kirkman (Author), Charlie Adlard (Illustrator), Cliff Rathburn (Illustrator), Tony Moore (Illustrator)
1857 days in the top 100
(1222)

Buy new: $59.99 $35.70
103 used & new from $31.00

(Visit the Best Sellers in Comics & Graphic Novels list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.)
#3: The Walking Dead: Compendium Two

The Walking Dead: Compendium Two
Robert Kirkman (Author), Charlie Adlard (Illustrator), Cliff Rathburn (Illustrator)
836 days in the top 100
(792)

Buy new: $59.99 $39.26
79 used & new from $34.24

(Visit the Best Sellers in Comics & Graphic Novels list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.)
#4: Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant?: A Memoir

Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant?: A Memoir
Roz Chast (Author)
183 days in the top 100
(383)

Buy new: $28.00 $17.71
77 used & new from $15.81

(Visit the Best Sellers in Comics & Graphic Novels list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.)
#5: The Walking Dead Volume 22: A New Beginning

The Walking Dead Volume 22: A New Beginning
Robert Kirkman (Author), Charlie Adlard (Illustrator), Stefano Gaudiano (Contributor), Cliff Rathburn (Contributor)
54 days in the top 100
Release Date: November 11, 2014

Buy new: $14.99 $12.33

(Visit the Best Sellers in Comics & Graphic Novels list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.)#6: The Walking Dead Volume 21: All Out War Part 2

The Walking Dead Volume 21: All Out War Part 2
Robert Kirkman (Author), Charlie Adlard (Illustrator)
182 days in the top 100
(78)

Buy new: $14.99 $9.48
68 used & new from $8.01

(Visit the Best Sellers in Comics & Graphic Novels list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.)

#7: The Walking Dead Book 10 HC

The Walking Dead Book 10 HC
Robert Kirkman (Author), Charlie Adlard (Illustrator)
115 days in the top 100
(19)

Buy new: $34.99 $26.06
54 used & new from $21.98

(Visit the Best Sellers in Comics & Graphic Novels list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.)
#8: Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened
Allie Brosh (Author)
506 days in the top 100
(2206)

Buy new: $19.99 $10.02
176 used & new from $2.96

(Visit the Best Sellers in Comics & Graphic Novels list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.)
#9: Saga Volume 4

Saga Volume 4
Brian K. Vaughan (Author), Fiona Staples (Illustrator)
37 days in the top 100
Release Date: December 9, 2014

Buy new: $14.99 $12.32

(Visit the Best Sellers in Comics & Graphic Novels list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.)
#10: The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia

The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia
Patrick Thorpe (Editor), Michael Gombos (Translator), Takahiro Moriki (Translator), Heidi Plechl (Translator), Kumar Sivasubramanian (Translator), Aria Tanner (Translator), John Thomas (Translator)
99 days in the top 100
(1891)

Buy new: $34.99 $19.63
117 used & new from $14.74

(Visit the Best Sellers in Comics & Graphic Novels list for authoritative information on this product’s current rank.)

It’s a rite of autumn —The Walking Dead’s new season debuts on AMC, and Walking Dead graphic novels start selling like crack again. Here’s the feed from the Amazon graphic novels best seller’s list. Note that The Oatmeal has sold a gazillion copies, and Roz Chast is back in the top ten following her National Book Award shortlisting.

Per the usual pattern, Walking Dead GN sales will slow when the 8 episode season ends, and pick right back up when it returns next year. I know Robert Kirkman has made a buttload of money from the hit TV series, but he, Charlie Adlard and Tony Moore have also made a buttload from the books alone, given the Image deal.

(BTW, for long term Amazon trend analysis I refer you to Beat contributor David Carter’s weekly blog on the topic, which someday I will feature here every week. Lots of other interesting things on his site, as well.)

The Walking Dead graphic novels sales are up again was originally published on The Beat

by Edie Nugent

From L to R: Dalton Ross, Robert Kirkman and Sean Mackiewicz at Skybound’s The Walking Dead panel at NYCC 

“The Walking Dead is a very unreal way to explore some very real topics: there’s loss, triumph and accomplishment against all odds,” creator Robert Kirkman explained Thursday to a packed audience of fans at the 2014 NYCC panel for his Eisner award-winning comic series. “Also there’s the zombie killing, that part’s pretty cool,” he added.  Kirkman was joined by Walking Dead Editorial Director Sean Mackiewicz, and the panel was moderated by Entertainment Weekly’s Dalton Ross. Ross had his hands full with quick-witted Kirkman who at one point jokingly informed Ross that he would be canceling his EW subscription based on Ross’ weak selection of twitter-submitted fan questions.

Kirkman proved an engaging and thoughtful speaker, and gave many hints to the future of The Walking Dead comic series as well as the hit AMC television show. Ross began his series of questions by asking about the recent time jump in issue #127 which both Kirkman and Mackiewicz affirmed is roughly two years after the events of the “All Out War” story arc. Kirkman confirmed he intentionally left the length of the time jump vague so he could craft the narrative without specific time restrictions. He cited that aging Carl helped move that character forward, and noted that Carl’s recent adoption of his one-sided sunglasses was an indicator of the character’s insecurity: “He wants to kinda hide that aspect of himself, and we’ll be exploring that a lot moving forward. You can expect Carl’s look to possibly evolve over time.” He also told the crowd to “be on the lookout for issue 134″ [due to be released November 12] to see big changes in Carl’s character. In terms of Carl’s eye loss eventually becoming a part of the AMC television series, Kirkman said: “I’m not saying it’s definitely happening-but it’s definitely an option. We don’t adapt the comic book directly, as everyone can see from watching the show, but we certainly wouldn’t shy away from a thing like that.” Kirkman then jokingly added: “so you know-season 7!”

Ross inquired when comic fans would finally get a good look at the ‘Kingdom’ and the ‘Sanctuary.’ “There’s a lot yet left to reveal,” Kirkman said, “there’s a lot of characters out there that haven’t been seen in a while.” This led Ross to reply: “Yes, Michonne!” Kirkman agreed, and said fans should anticipate the return of Michonne around issue #150.

When asked about the future of Rick’s character, Kirkman explained: “This current plan for Rick and the outcome of ‘All Out War’ is something that I’ve been working towards for a few years now…everything up to this point [in the comics series] was planned before the show existed-you know I never really go: ‘oh, I could make them go live on an island’ or ‘grow a vegetable garden.’ It always seems to just come to me and I go: ‘yeah, we’re doing that!'” Kirkman further explained that although he’d always had a road map for that particular story arc, he did adjust it along the way because he loves having the ability to “turn on a dime.” He went on to say that there were “certain deaths that I’ve just decided to do that issue because in life I feel like tragic events can happen without any kind of preparation, and I like to try and infuse that in the book.” He also said his decision to kill Shiva, Ezekiel’s pet tiger was one of these of-the-moment decisions. Kirkman then added: “Neegan was at no point going to die.”

In terms of character design, Kirkman indicated that artist Charlie Adlard often has the final say. He elaborated on how collaborative the process was between himself and Adlard in terms of creating Rick’s evolving appearance. Often, Kirkman said, Adlard will shoot down looks he imagines for the character. He also noted that he gave Adlard “no guidance” on how the Governor should look: the design was entirely Adlard’s creation.

Kirkman did not hesitate in his answer to the twitter-submitted question: “Will we ever see Lucielle again?” “Yeah, definitely,” Kirkman replied.  After a few cheers went up from the audience he continued: “these are questions you should be asking: ‘Where’s that bat? Who has it?’ Everything will be revealed eventually. There’s a lot of stuff people may not be thinking about that has been pulled out of the book that will be put back in when the time is right.”

Another twitter question asked-regarding the television series’ recently released season 5 teaser trailer: “Is the cop from the trailer female-Negan?” Kirkman answered: “What? No, that is definitely not female-Negan in the trailer,” then teased the audience by adding: “Close, though!”

During the fan Q&A portion of the panel Kirkman and Mackiewicz didn’t shy away from hinting at spoilers.  When Kirkman was asked “Will you ever bring the character of Morgan Jones back in the television series?” he replied: “It’s just a matter of when it’s right for the story and when Lennie James,  the fantastic actor that plays Morgan, will be available.” He went on to confirm: “that’s something we’re working toward, he will appear in the Walking Dead show again.”

Another fan asked how Kirkman came up with the character of Rick. The series creator went into great detail, explaining:”really the reason that Rick is this small town police officer-I mean, he’s a crappy police officer-he never really fired his gun, he’s not super-cop-often times in apocalyptic stories or action stories like ‘The Walking Dead’ you kind of deal with the best of the best: this guy who is uniquely capable of dealing with the situation, he’s Bruce Willis and he’s bulletproof.” By contrast, Kirkman continued, “I wanted to do a story about the normal people, the people that aren’t necessarily capable of handling this or accomplishing anything or really surviving-and see how long they survive and how they rise to the challenge,” at which point he added, “though I guess he [Rick] is a little bulletproof if I’m honest.”

When a nervous, star-struck fan timidly asked: “Which character in the comic book so you think is most like how you think you’d react in the zombie apocalypse?” Kirkman’s reply of: “Eugene maybe? The guy who lies so people will protect him” drew a wave of laughter from the audience, prompting him to quip: “just being honest!” More brutal honesty was displayed when both Mackiewicz and Kirkman answered which of the many deaths in ‘The Walking Dead’ comic was their favorite. “Probably Glenn’s,” Mackiewicz began-and continued over the sounds of anguish from the crowd-“it just affects me-in that I wonder what a miserable human being Robert is sometimes-every beat is just that much worse and is’ twist the knife,’ he can’t even get [Maggie's] name out and his eyeball is just on his cheek: like he can see himself dying!”

At that moment an audience member shouted “Masochist!” at Kirkman who conceded, “a little bit.” Kirkman went on to say that while Glenn’s death was important, his favorite death scene was probably Abraham’s “because it was so sudden” and that he thought Abraham’s ability to finish talking to Eugene as he was dying was weird, but cool. Mackiewicz added that Abraham’s death was a “last minute decision” and Kirkman agreed, saying that he originally planned to have both Eugene and Abraham survive issue #98, but ultimately decided it would be unrealistic. He jokingly noted that Eugene must have survived “so he could build a windmill.”

When asked why his Atlanta didn’t have more black people, Kirkman answered: “I feel like our cast diversified a bit as we moved on, but there’s always more we can do towards that.” He then joked: “we try to keep the cast as not-white as possible because white people are terrible.” The same fan asked if we would get to see the response to the zombie threat from places other than the Atlanta/greater Washington D.C. area we’ve seen so far. Kirkman explained that the companion/spin-off series to AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’ announced last fall would find it’s characters battling the zombie threat in new locations.

Further questioning led Kirkman to hint that Rick or Negan may not survive the coming events, and that if Rick did die Kirkman believed Andrea would be the most likely character to fill his shoes. But what if Kirkman was forced to choose a Walking Dead character to survive the zombie apocalypse with? Kirkman chose either Negan: “if I was on his good side” or “Carol-from the TV show-she’s pretty tough. She’d probably keep me safe the longest.”  When asked: “Could there be a female villain and could she be a Latina?” Kirkman replied, “Absolutely-there’s a very good chance of that, so keep reading! It’s possible that character’s already been introduced. There’s a spoiler for you!” A few murmurs from the crowd indicated that Rosita was the character they believed Kirkman may have been referring to.

Towards the end of the Q&A a young girl approached the microphone and asked: “Is there ever going to be an end to the zombie apocalypse?” Kirkman replied: “You look about my daughter’s age so, not ’till you’re in college! I mean, logically… the zombies aren’t going to last forever, and it’s true that there’s new zombies being created all the time, when people die,” he paused, then mused: “I’m talking about this to a child, which is awkward,” before continuing: “but you know, logically as the population’s getting smaller fewer zombies are being made, so it really is just a game to outlast them. It could end at some point if all the human beings don’t die before that point-which is an upbeat thing to think about-sweet dreams, kiddo!”

Kirkman went on to affirm that he does know how he plans to end the comic series, but that it’s “a very long way away-you know, my daughter getting through college and all.” He added that telling the story over a number of years is what “excites him” the most, and that he wants to fulfill that dream-a dream he’s had since he began the series over ten years ago.

OUTCAST #1, the new book by Robert Kirkman and Paul Azaceta has been a huge success, we’re told with orders surpassing The Walking Dead #128 with a print run of 86,000 copies. Even more impressive? The book shipped without ANY variants.

However it still shows up on the Diamond chart at #11 because 10% of the orders were subtracted because it shipped returnable.

There haven’t BEEN any returns, but that’s how Diamond runs the numbers, and even though the second printing was enormous, and there are more than 4000 copies on backorder, it still gets the returnability discount from Diamond.

Which, to be fair, is how they do things. It’s just that in this case it isn’t representative of how the book actually sold.

Personal to Chris Rice: nota bene

As for the book itself, it was a pretty groovy double sized first issue with a strong new lead character and some tasty art by Azaceta.

What did y’all think?

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“As more people are able to make a living doing it, I think we’re moving into an atmosphere were creators are able to define their careers more than creators in the past have been able to,” he observes. “Relying on Marvel and DC is no longer becoming a viable option, because the contracts aren’t viable and the rates aren’t set. They make the rules. A lot of people have fooled themselves into thinking that’s stability but are now realizing that it’s the exact opposite. The real stability is controlling your own career and being in a position to hire yourself, generating ideas that are enough to make you a sustainable income, and also controlling those ideas and your own destiny. That’s the new stability and that’s something people are realizing. I’m very optimistic that it’ll be something that is here to stay.”

With 11,525 votes, The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling has won the Best Fiction award at the Goodreads Choice Awards. Earning 20,328 votes, Veronica Roth was named Best Goodreads Author for Insurgent.

We’ve collected all the winners below, each winner nominated and picked by Goodreads users.

What do you think of the choices?

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Blood, rubble, fear, fire foe…you know the drill.

As previously reported, for its 100th issue, Robert Kirkman’s superhero saga INVINCIBLE is following in the “issue 100 = a heartbreaking death” comics tradition, by teasing said heartbreaking death. And here are the teasers that have run since Monday, each featuring a different set of blood-spattered remains strewn around the rubble.

By Steve Morris

Buoyed  by the storming success of Walking Dead #100, Image have taken the opportunity to remind readers that the 100th issue of Robert Kirkman’s OTHER megaviolent series, Invincible, is not too far away. With what looks like the first of several teasers released this week, it seems that Kirkman is going to offer up yet another sacrifice to the Legions of the Dead, whom he has served so faithfully for the past few years.

But will that sacrifice be Invincible himself? After deigning fit to let protagonist Rick survive Walking Dead #100, is Kirkman planning this time to go all out and push Mark Grayson into the skeletal hands of Vengeful Lady Death?

It’s like that today, tomorrow and the rest of the week will see some more teasers released for the book, suggesting that many of the other characters from the series are going to hang in the balance. Who else might be in trouble? Well, knowing Kirkman, basically anyone. It’s a little-known industry secret that after each fresh kill Kirkman absorbs the life-energy of the character into his chest, Shadowman-style, with every new soul adding to his power and inevitable ascent to all-destroying Godhood.

Is anybody else worried for what’s going to happen in Super Dinosaur #100?

CBR has a nice roundtable on creator-owned comics that rounds up Robert Kirkman, Mark Millar and Steve Niles. Since they are all “strongly for” the piece doesn’t really ignite any banter, but it does allow many long, entertaining manifestos. For instance, how Millar terrorized Alan Moore when he was a teen.

Millar: And then I met Alan Moore when I was 13. It was around the same time, and there was a small comic convention in Glasgow where Alan showed up. He was still a new superstar then. He hadn’t really made his name in American comics except for a couple of issues of “Swamp Thing.” So he introduced me to “Warrior” where his early worked appeared. I’d never heard of him, but he was a really nice man and stood with me for an hour, which must have been torture for him, but for me it was fascinating because I got to talk to a comic book writer. And Alan was explaining to me about “Marvelman” and “V For Vendetta” and that he was starting on “Swamp Thing.” I remember I didn’t have enough money on me, so he bought me an issue of “Swamp Thing” and one of “Warrior,” which was the British independent comic that made me realize there was more going on beyond Superman and Batman.

Niles: I think content wins out in the end. In the end, you can sniff out those companies and those comics. You can tell when a comic is just a movie pitch or when it’s made with a genuine love of the medium. And I’ve been accused myself of just doing stuff to make movies, but everything I’ve done at its core is about loving comics and putting out good comics. There’s always that pile on where if something good happens for comics, EVERYBODY starts trying to do it, but we’re starting to see a lot of those companies that you’re referring to…well, I haven’t heard from a lot of them in a while. So I think the good stuff is floating to the top now.

Niles: On top of the fact that you’re not told what to do – which is amazing since every time I’ve done DC and Marvel stuff, the things I’ve been criticized for are the things I was pushed into doing – I am totally ready to get shredded for anything I chose to do in a creator-owned book. I can take that criticism. But when you do something with a character that’s against your better judgement because it’s the order, that’s not very smart publishing – to hire a creator because you think they’re talented and then you don’t allow them to do what they want to do.

Kirkman: But I do think there’s one t

6 Comments on Kirkman, Millar & Niles gab about the creator owned world, last added: 7/8/2012

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Jeffrey O. Gustafson said, on 7/6/2012 10:26:00 AM

“I’m pretty sure Chew has a longer running regular team than any mainstream comic at this point.”

Incorrect: INVINCIBLE IRON MAN by Fraction and Larroca has had the same creative team for four years now, their *55th* consecutive issue coming out this month. And it has shipped more than 12 times a year. AND it is arguably Marvel’s best superhero comic.

(The exception to the rule in the Big Two, I know.)

Oh, and (the superb) CHEW by Layman and Guillory is not the best example for timely shipping – it has skipped months at least seven times in its run, with multiple instances of two-month gaps.

And are any of these folks going to call Millar out on his transparent movie-pitch comics? Because that’s most of them, honestly.

Josh said, on 7/6/2012 11:24:00 AM

Millar is not the worst offender of the movie pitch comic. Pretty much everything from Top Cow’s pilot season felt like a movie pitch.

Apollo9000 said, on 7/6/2012 12:06:00 PM

A lot of Millar’s comics are what he would do with Big Two characters if the Big Two would allow it and pay handsomely for said work.

Niles is right about the Big Two companies hiring talent but not allowing them to actually use their talent. DC in particular feels like that is the work environment that have in place with the New 52. ( Johns, Morrison, and Snyder being the exceptions)

Kirkman is right about there being more variety available. With webcomics and the increased digital efforts, there’s even more titles around.

I do think that there’s room for growth in terms of genres to be explored ( re explored) in the current American comics landscape.

There’s an awful lot of creator owned titles that veer close to horror/ sci-fi just as the Big Two titles leaning heavily on superheroes.

Josh said, on 7/6/2012 1:52:00 PM

If feels like writing for the big two and other people’s IPs these days is a completely different skill set.

Gosh darn it said, on 7/6/2012 4:41:00 PM

“If feels like writing for the big two and other people’s IPs these days is a completely different skill set.”

Yeah and only half of it creative!

Blade X said, on 7/8/2012 12:59:00 AM

Millar: I like the Marvel and DC guys, so I don’t want to do any name calling. But I don’t like them so much that I’d create a character for them. [Laughter] I wouldn’t give them a free concept, but they’re fun to work with

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I guess Millar forgot about SKRULL KILL KREW (which was inspired by a Byrne FF story) and AZREK:THE ULTIMATE MAN that he co-created with Grant Morrison.

OMT, Millar is the poster boy for creating movie pitch comics.

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