The following press release has shown up online. Released from BOOM! Studios, it leaves a lot to the imagination. Hopefully all the removed information will be revealed at San Diego Comic Con?

BOOM! Studios is putting out a four part miniseries featuring writer Gary Phillips sharing his background and knowledge of Los Angeles, the foundation of his new series High Rollers.

This series has been an unexpected hit for BOOM!, and Phillips continues his comic writing career, which focuses on crime and the underworld. This is a good bonus for the many fans of this book, and also a good look at a writer’s process. Check the video out below, and look for future installments on YouTube.

One of the big criticisms for this crime thriller set in L.A. I saw in another review was that:

“Novelist Gary Phillips aims to paint a picture of the underbelly of the Los Angeles underworld, “showing us The Dark Side of the American Dream”. Unfortunately, what gets depicted is more like The Dark Side of Beverly Hills; perhaps 90211. Everything is pretty and clean. The gang leader, Trey, drives a Mercedes convertible and preaches his “bid’ness” to his desegregated officers over a lunch of wine and fine food. And the muscle-car driving protagonist, Cameron (or CQ, as he goes by on those impeccably-swept streets), has a sister, Rita, who lives the high-life with her gambling-addicted husband. If anything, the characters are culled from an episode of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and if this is what the “underbelly” of Los Angeles is like, then I’m on the first flight out.”

As one commentator pointed out “I actually kinda liked how the atmosphere wasn’t the same stereotypical hoods always on tv and video games”, which got me thinking about crime and how we perceive it. Read the rest of this entry »

BOOM! Studios continues it’s expansion by hiring big names in the entertainment industry. Following the appointment of Mark Waid as Editor-in-Chief last year, and Chip Mosher as Marketing and Sales Director, last month BOOM! appointed Wendy Wallace as General Manager.

According to the press release:

“Ms. Wallace started out at Universal Studios in the cable television department, ultimately becoming involved with the development, production, and distribution of many television series, movies-of-the-week, miniseries, and DVD releases. Some of her efforts include USA Network’s MONK and PRANCER RETURNS, as well as The Sci-Fi Channel’s INVISIBLE MAN series and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA mini-series. Since leaving NBC/Universal, Ms. Wallace has worked on such diverse projects as UPN’s AMISH IN THE CITY, USA Network’s DC SNIPER: 23 DAYS OF FEAR and the cable comedy hit, PSYCH. Most recently, she served as Co-Producer on The Sci-Fi Channel’s number one series to date, EUREKA. She has also functioned as a producer and consultant for feature films, music videos and various Internet-exclusive and print projects.”

The folks at BOOM! were kind enough to allow me to ask Ms. Wallace a few questions about her work and future with comics. Read the rest of this entry »

Hey kids! Sorry for not updating for a few days - the Convention was amazing! There was so much to see, so much to do - everything vaguely nerd was there - from Japanese designer toys to trading card games to comics. Walking around, there was so much going on you actually forget to eat and drink. You bump into famous people and realize they are human beings, or hear them speak and become more convinced they are a literary god. I’m still absorbing the events, but I’ll share with you some of the cool news I picked up. Read the rest of this entry »

The Spy Who Killed Me

Spy fiction in the 50s and 60s was one of the more successful of pulp fictions with a popularity bolstered by movies and TV. Due to the success of the spy formula, what followed was a repetition of the existing archetypes, usually drawing exclusively from James Bond. Recently, spy thrillers have tried to remind consumers of the very human emotions and struggles that spies would experience as humans, not empty stock characters. While many writers continue to fall back on the badass Bauer or swashbuckling Bond characteristics, Chip Mosher’s Left on Mission deals with the implications of being a spy AND a real human.

Mr. Mosher took time to speak with me about his Broken Frontier nominated series. Read the rest of this entry »

alexrossart.com

Mark Waid is an author whose books are staples in many (like mine) comic collections. His most popular work, Kingdom Come, was illustrated by Alex Ross and continues to shape the direction of DC today (Current issues of Justice Society of America feature the Superman from this series). He has worked for DC and Marvel, taking the reigns of characters like the Fantastic Four and helping write 52, DC’s weekly series detailing the fallout from Infinite Crisis.

Currently, his work includes Brave and the Bold, a relaunch of DC’s team-up book as well as the limited series, Potter’s Field, which he wrote for BOOM! Studios, the comic publisher where he is now Editor. I spoke with him about his work and BOOM! Studios for an upcoming article in The Buzz.

There is EXCLUSIVE information here about an upcoming project! Okay, it’s just a title, but let me have my moment. Read the rest of this entry »

I Don’t Even Have Any Good Skills

When Atlantic 654 crashed into the ocean, all of its passengers perished. Well, all but one. Breathing in the ice cold water, hours later, English professor Nicholas Dane was found alive. He was not, however, the only survivor.

Talent was a four-issue mini-series by the creative team behind one of my favorite book series, The Menagerie, Christoper Golden and Thomas Sniegoski.

Dane finds that he has been imbued with all the talents of the other fallen passengers. The skills of an assassin, the fighting techniques of a boxer, and the simple knowledge of origami are now Nicholas’ skills. He must use his power to finish the passengers’ business on earth, from a simple phone call to killing a mob boss. Pursued by assassins, the government, and a world-wide shadow cult, Dane has to stay one step ahead of his adversaries. It’s not just his life on the line, after all.

Now a trade paperback, Talent is a rare gem. Well-written and showcasing the writers’ versatility to venture out of pure fantasy and scribing, essentially, a conspiracy crime drama, Talent was able to capture my attention from the first few pages. But in the end, I don’t know how to feel about this series.

It ends, just *poof* - done. The plot isn’t resolved and Dane is left to go about his mission to avenge the fallen and put their souls to rest. I can see this as a 60-issue maxiseries, but as far as BOOM! and the writer’s websites show, there are no plans to continue the series beyond this four-issue book. As much as I want to recommend the book, it would almost be like giving candy to a baby and then taking it away.

It’s up to you if you want to read this book. It’s a great comic, but it was too painful to see it end as it did.

Limited Edition “Uncle Cthulhu I Want You” Poster

Boom! Studios has redefined H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos with their series Fall of Cthulhu. Now these same minds bring you a parody of the classic Uncle Sam “I Want You” recruitment posters. Join Cthulhu’s army or be devoured by the Old Ones!

Potter’s Magic

November brings falling leaves and a new issue of Mark Waid’s Potter’s Field. Read the rest of this entry »