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Francoise Mouly "said to me on several occasions that she doesn’t really want to be doing what other book publishers are doing. Why should I? There’s lots of them out there doing that. Let’s try some new stuff. That is her attitude. She loves experimentation."

With so many new comics, TV shows, and films out there; it’s easy for even the most open readers to fall down a jaded hipster hole of “meh” when something comes along that tells a bold tale. Dark Horse Comics is set to launch a new crime drama series in August sure to grab even the […]

I talked with Mike once before about Battlepug, and was happy to do it again following its recent grande finale. I asked him more about the process for his webcomic, how he feels about ending it and his Image series Revival. Read on to learn how Mike’s grown as an artist and his experiences concurrently drawing […]

Katherine Waterston and Alison Sudol feature in Fantastic Beasts as sisters, Tina and Queenie Goldstein. The Pottermore Correpondent caught up with them to ask about their auditions, and how they manage to portray the bond between the sisters so well.

According to Pottermore, Katherine Waterston and Alison Sudol were cast as the Goldstein sisters after Eddie Redmayne had been cast as Newt, and David Yates was looking for two actresses with a ‘very specific type of chemistry’. Alison Sudol describes the moment they showed that they were the right fit:

‘We were introduced and it was kind of like, “Okay Katherine, this is Alison. Alison, this is Katherine. Why don’t you have a seat on that couch and be sisters?” We were both like, “Right, okay!”’

‘And so I [Alison] sat down and something happened: I just looked at Katherine’s face and felt incredibly empathetic towards her. In this scene, she – Tina – was suffering and I could see that. I started playing with her hair, and plaiting her hair, and it was a really emotional moment for both of us.’

But, according to Katherine, it wasn’t the first time she’d seen Alison act:

‘The truth is that I saw Alison in a scene first. I got to watch her work a little bit before we did the improvisation, so I already knew she was a really good actor,’ Katherine says.

‘So I went into the improvisation knowing I was with someone who would be able to hold up their side of the bargain. With things like that when you’re nervous and you’re auditioning, to know you can trust your partner gives you confidence you might not otherwise have in that situation. 

‘I think that made a big difference.”

J.K. Rowling’s focus on family, love and relationships in the Harry Potter series has continued to be a prominent theme in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and it seems we’ll get to see another side to this in the sisterly relationship between Tina and Queenie in Fantastic Beasts.

Katherine Waterston says that being a sister makes the role slightly easier to play naturally, given that she knows all the quirks of such a close bond:

‘I have a whole life’s history of that feeling of being a sister. That’s really what it comes down to with acting like this: it’s trust and love. We both felt that connection on the first day, Alison and I. But also, I’ve got a sister. I am a sister, so it wasn’t tricky to call on that. Sometimes my sister and I have come downstairs wearing the same outfit or we’ve called our mom at exactly the same time. There’s something witchy about being sisters anyway, don’t you think?’

Read the full article here!

If you haven’t seen it already, catch the sisters in the Fantastic Beasts trailer here, and read an interview with Katherine Waterston on working with David Yates here.

Being the son of The Boy Who Lived isn’t always easy according to Sam Clemmett, the actor portraying Albus Potter in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Clemmett goes as far as to describe the relationship between Harry and his middle child as “fractious”, and being that Harry Potter is as famous in the Wizarding World as he is in ours, it’s not hard to see why.

Of the father-son relationship, Clemmett says:

“There are issues. It’s like having a massive celebrity figure as a dad. People react to you in different ways whether you want that attention or not. Whether you are able to live up to that person or not, it affects your self-esteem.”

Clemmett also joins a number of other Potter alumni in defending the casting of Noma Dumezweni as Hermione in Cursed Child–a decision that has been the topic of much discussion as of late.

“The films have painted a picture of the Harry Potter world and it is hard to put that aside. But JK Rowling never specified ethnicity in the books. Noma is a brilliant Hermione and does a wonderful job and tells the story beautifully — and that is all that matters.”

Sam Clemmett and the rest of the cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child continue to charm audiences at the Palace Theatre. For those of you who have seen the play, we ask that you please remember to #KeeptheSecrets in the comments!

Read more from the interview at Digital Spy and Standard.

David Yates, the director of The Legend of Tarzan and the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them did a Q&A with USA Today and told how he pulled off two massive blockbuster releases in one year.

When asked about what exactly attracted him in the script for The Legend of Tarzan, Yates responded that the screenplay, written by Adam Cozad and Craig Bewer, caught his attention due to its “fun elements that you would enjoy when you went into the movie theater” – elements like action, great landscapes and amazing animals. Yates mentions also being excited about the prospect of working in Africa and producing a type of action/adventure/romance film that he hadn’t seen for a while.

The Legend of Tarzan relies heavily on the use of CGI and according to Yates the biggest challenge he faced was creating the world of the movie and making it feel romantic and heightened, yet believable.

Yates was still in the process of filming The Legend of Tarzan when he got the script for Beasts sent for him. Once the filming of Tarzan ended, Yates moved directly to working with Beasts. He gives special credit to his editor Mark Day, who according to Yates, had one machine that had Tarzan on it and one machine that has Beasts on it, which allowed Yates to switch between the two all the time. While the work load seems heavy, Yates says that working on the two films was:

“All doable, all perfectly fine, but literally there wasn’t a single day when I was working Beasts that I didn’t at least peek at Tarzan in some shape or form.”

While to some extent working on the Fantastic Beasts felt like a homecoming to the Harry Potter world familiar to Yates, he says that the experience felt different, because this time around it is not Hogwarts and it is not about kids, but rather about grown-ups, as a result of which the film deals with “very adult themes”.

The Legend of Tarzan premieres in United States on Friday July 1, 2016. The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will hit theaters later this year on November 18th.

Radio Times writes that Daniel Radcliffe has not completely ruled out the possibility of returning to his iconic role as Harry Potter.

In light of the expansion of the wizarding world via Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Radio Times asked Radcliffe whether he would consider the possibility of playing Harry Potter as an adult, to which Radcliffe responded:

“It would depend on the script,” he said. “The circumstances would have to be pretty extraordinary. But then I am sure Harrison Ford said that with Han Solo and look what happened there! So I am saying, ‘No,’ for now but leaving room to backtrack in the future.”

Radcliffe definitely has his hands full at the moment, with the press of his new releases Now You See Me 2 and Swiss Army Man. He is also the star of Imperium, an upcoming thriller that is scheduled to be release on August 19, 2016 in limited release and through VOD. In 2017 Radcliffe can be seen in Greg McLean’s thriller Jungle which started production in April 2016 in Australia.

While we might not see Daniel back in the wizarding world for a good while, it is good to know he is still keeping that option open for the future.

"If you’re going to make a comic book make the most comic book comic that you can comic."

Nearly 60 musicians were enlisted to create the recent "Steampunks" musical episode of Nick's "Harvey Beaks."

The post ‘Harvey Beaks’ Composer Ego Plum: Modern Animation Deserves Orchestral Music appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Chris Sebela is everywhere. I first became aware of him thanks to the Everest crime thriller High Crimes from Monkey Brain, and since then he has worked with an array of publishers from Marvel to DC to Image to Dark Horse and, recently, with Oni Press and Boom! Studios for his latest creator-owned series. I talked to Chris about […]

2016 is the year of Hope Larson.

Today we are excited to host a guest post by the author of The Falconer Trilogy, Elizabeth May. We're concluding an action-packed blog tour schedule that includes the following:Tuesday, 6/21/2016: The Reader's Antidote Wednesday, 6/22/2016: Tales of... Read the rest of this post

Yesterday, the Fantastic Beasts Twitter page released an exclusive introduction to the protagonist of the newest film to be set in the wizarding world: Newt Scamander. There are some exclusive new clips in this video, so be sure to watch it below!

A new hero for a new era of the Wizarding World. Meet Newt Scamander. #FantasticBeastshttps://t.co/Yi5Ko4VPiy

— Fantastic Beasts (@FantasticBeasts) June 23, 2016

The video starts with J.K. Rowling (screenwriter and producer) introducing her concept of a hero:

“My heroes are always people who feel themselves to be set apart, stigmatised, or othered. That’s at the heart of most of what I write, and it’s certainly at the heart of this movie”

We are then shown an intriguing new image of Newt, Tina and Jacob in MACUSA, after what looks to be an arrest:

Newt then delicately and fondly touches Tina’s face:

Rowling then tells how a textbook used in Hogwarts in the Potter books and films became its own phenomenon in the muggle world of today – she became increasingly interested in Newt’s story whilst writing the Potter series, leading to the Fantastic Beasts movie!

“He’s been travelling the world studying magical creatures – he calls himself a magizoologist!

“Newt’s creatures live in his magical case – you open it up, you can go down, and it’s an amazing space”

Eddie Redmayne then introduces his character: “He feels more at home with creatures than he does with human beings,” we are told by Redmayne. It is here that the Bowtruckle is introduced.

“Come on, give me a smile.” Newt coaxes. The Bowtruckle responds by blowing a raspberry at him!

Pottermore says of the creature:

“A small twig-like creature that guards wand-wood trees” 

“Peaceful and shy, unless its tree habitat is threatened. Has long, sharp fingers”

Bowtruckles are found in the West of England, southern Germany and certain Scandinavian forests.

Read more here!

“Newt walks into a society he doesn’t really understand” Rowling continues:

“Mr Scamander, do you know anything about the wizarding community in America?”, Tina asks Newt.

“I know that you have rather backward laws about relations with non-magic people” he replies (notice he didn’t say ‘muggle’!), “You’re not meant to befriend them, you can’t marry them, which seems wildly absurd to me”

We are then told the crux of the Fantastic Beasts storyline:

“Jacob accidentally opens Newt’s case, full of magical creatures” Rowling says. “It’s something that has implications for the whole wizarding world’.

Read more at Pottermore here!

A team of worldwide creators set to market Fantastic Beasts over the coming months was introduced this week at VidCon. As this is one of the biggest fan conventions based around the power of online video, (originally conceived by YouTube’s Vlogbrothers, Hank and John Green), it was only fitting that Youtubers led the panel and the new marketing strategy!

The event starts with the amazing trailer of Fantastic Beasts, of course (which you can find here)

The panel is then introduced by Youtubers Tyler Oakley and Ingrid Nilsen, telling us that more teasers are coming up in the next few months, let by ‘worldwide creators’ chosen by Warner Bros to market the film.

These worldwide creators are introduced on the Fantastic Beasts set, and give us a tutorial on correct posture and pronunciation of spells in the Wizarding World.

The panel of creators then introduce their houses, and kick off by answering a question by J.K. Rowling, who asks what it was like to be on set. Of course, most appreciate the level of detail behind the scenes of the film, and say how exciting it was to be on set!

The creators share stories on how they were introduced to the books and films, memories of being a part of the Potter fandom, why Eddie Redmayne is the perfect Newt Scamander, questions they have about the Fantastic Beasts storyline, and answer many more questions surrounding the new, expanded wizarding world we have been introduced to through Fantastic Beasts.

Be sure to watch the panel below to get to know the creators who will be marketing Fantastic Beasts – more teasers are soon to come!

This event came shortly after Warner Bros. release of another Fantastic Beasts poster, which you can find here.

Watch the video of the panel below!

"This is a classy toilet book, a 'Paris Review toilet book.'"

Earlier today, The Beat posted a review of Snotgirl #1, the latest book written by Seconds and Scott Pilgrim writer Bryan Lee O'Malley. Illustrated by Leslie Hung, the series focuses on Lottie Person, a prolific fashion blogger who is plagued by inner demons. Recently, The Beat had a unique opportunity to talk about Snotgirl #1 with O'Malley. We discussed how he met Leslie, what inspired Snotgirl, and even get a hint as to unannounced projects on the horizon... Read the rest of this post

Daniel Radcliffe shared his story of meeting Donald Trump on the Late Night With Seth Meyers before talking about his new off-Broadway play Privacy. 

Radcliffe tells that he met Trump while visiting New York City for the first time as an 11-year-old for an appearance on the Today Show. According to Radcliffe he was marched over to meet Trump and when the presumptive Republican presidential nominee asked how he was doing, Radcliffe told him that he was nervous about what to talk about in the show. Radcliffe states that Trump’s response was the following:

“You just tell them that you met Mr Trump!”

Radcliffe also talks about his new off-Broadway show Privacy, which is co-created and written by James Graham and Josie Rourke. According to Broadwayworld.com “Privacy is a timely exploration of the digital age that will feature a cast of seven, including Radcliffe as “The Writer.”” In addition to Radcliffe the cast includes De’Adre Aziza, Raffi Barsoumian, Michael Countryman, Rachel Dratch and Reg Rogers.

Broadwayworld.com writes:

“Inspired by the revelations of Edward Snowden, Privacy explores our complicated relationship with technology and data through the funny and heart-breaking travails of a lonely guy (Daniel Radcliffe), who arrives in the city to figure out how to like, tag, and share his life without giving it all away. The play uncovers what our technological choices reveal about who we are, what we want and who’s keeping track of it all. This provocative theatrical event will ask audiences to charge their phones, leave them ON during the performance and to embark on a fascinating dive online and into a new reality where we’re all connected…for better or worse.”

Privacy will begin previews for a limited engagement on July 5th in the Newman Theater. The official press opening of the play will be on Monday, July 18.

"The strength of a work commands interest more than where it's from." We celebrate Natacha Bustos, artist on MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR!

"The strength of a work commands interest more than where it's from." We celebrate Natacha Bustos, artist on MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR!

"I don’t want to worry about paying for those big names but I’m starting a publisher because I also want the freedom to put forward my ideals forward. After a certain size, your idealism becomes a liability if you’re looking to make money."

Deep in the grubby sump of one of those so-called ‘Social Media’ sites, there is a clump of aging comics fanboys called The Really Very Serious Alan Moore Scholars’ Group, known to its sad and lonely adherents as TRVSAMSG. When they’re not annotating everything in sight, or calling down ancient evils on the heads of […]

It’s been quite a week for master purveyor of words and professional mind f**k*r Chuck Palahniuk. The off the wall comic book sequel Fight Club 2 has a collected edition in stores now. He’s in the final hours of a successful Kickstarter campaign to adapt his novel Lullaby to independent film. If that weren’t enough, he just announced a new […]

Tony Fleecs had been grinding as an indy cartoonist for years, but it was his work for the My Little Pony license at IDW that got him the most attention. Now, he’s returning to creator-owned with Jeff Steinberg: Champion of Earth, written by writer and friend Josh Fialkov, for Oni Press. I talked to Fleecs […]

Skottie Young discusses the irreverant and hilarious I HATE FAIRYLAND.