Grant Morrison Comes to TV with His New Series, Bonnyroad
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Eisner-winning comics writer Grant Morrison revealed that he is creating a television series for the BBC. Bonnyroad, as the series is titled, will be a science fiction story influenced by Scottish folklore. It will be presented as broadcast event, airing in seven parts over the course of a week and will star Stephen Fry.
DC Hopes to Create Live Action Blue Beetle
According to DC Comics Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns, DC is hoping to develop a live action Blue Beetle television series. The series would be based on the current Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes, who no longer has his own comics series but still appears in Teen Titans and has been featured prominently in the cartoon Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Johns broke the news via Twitter, announcing that DC had just received live-action effects test footage of the Blue Beetle’s alien armor activating and why. Johns is hoping to unveil the footage at San Diego Comic Con this summer.
Wizard Buys ComiCONN
As part of the ongoing program of expansion that led to Wizard Comic Cons adding Wizard World Cleveland Comic Con to its tour of shows, Wizard has announced its acquisition of the Connecticut-based ComiCONN. Now renamed the Wizard World Connecticut Comic Con, the show, which had its 2010 event last month, brings the number of shows on the Wizard Comic Con Tour up to twelve. No word is available yet on when they plan to schedule Wizard World Connecticut. More details are available on the ComiCONN website.
Gaiman vs. MacFarlane... Again
Legendary comics creator Neil Gaiman and comics publisher Todd MacFarlane are back in court once again. In 2002, Gaiman successfully sued MacFarlane for a share of the royalties from Medieval Spawn and Angela, two characters Gaiman created for an issue of MacFarlane’s comic Spawn which he had written without a work-for-hire contract. Now Gaiman is suing MacFarlane again over the characters Dark Ages Spawn, Domina and Tiffany, three characters his lawyer says are basically the same characters Gaiman created and sued over, claiming MacFarlane “…just gave them different names” according to an Associated Press article on the subject.
iTunes Allows Gay Kiss in Oscar Wilde Comic
iTunes, the Apple-owned online entertainment store and the only Apple-approved source of applications for the Apple iPhone and iPad, has reversed itself after coming under fire for censoring non-explicit gay kisses in a digital graphic novel based upon Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest by comics creator Tom Boudon. In the unexpurgated scenes, shirtless men kissed, a man slept partially covered by a sheet and a man danced in his underwear. None of the images were pornographic. iTunes has become controversial for its definition of “inappropriate content” which has included images from fashion magazines and political cartoons from national newspapers which are available to people off all ages on any newsstand. Originally, iTunes rejected the comic altogether, eventually only accepting a version of the comic in which black boxes covered places in which the bare chests of the men touched. More details are available in an article on the subject on Prism Comics.
Greendale Preview at Huffington Post
The first thirteen pages of Vertigo’s new graphic novel Greendale, created by Josh Dysart and based upon Neil Young’s album of the same name, are now available free online exclusively on The Huffington Post.
Bill Ayers and Ryan Alexander-Tanner Live at MoCCA
Education expert and controversial figure political figure William Ayers of the University of Chicago Illinois will appear alongside his comics collaborator Ryan Alexander-Tanner at New York’s Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art to promote their non-fiction graphic novel To Teach. Publishers Weekly Comics Week’s own Calvin Reid will lead the discussion and talk to them about their work on June 17 at 7 p.m. at MoCCA itself, located at 594 Broadway, New York, NY. A donation of $5 is suggested for attendees.
Jackie Ormes Tribute at the Cartoon Art Museum
Tonight, June 15 at 7 p.m., the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco will host a talk and slideshow about pioneering comics creator Jackie Ormes from her biographer Nancy Goldstein. Ormes, who was African-American, was a successful cartoonist published in black newspapers from 1937-1956 with her comics Torchy Brown and Patty-Jo ‘N Ginger portraying black women in a smart and positive fashion. A donation of $5 is suggested for attendees. The Cartoon Art Museum is located at 655 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA.
Dark Horse Founder’s Art Collection Open to the Public
From June 18-23, Dark Horse Comics founder Mike Richardson’s private collection of original comics art and memorabilia will be on display in "Hometown Superhero", an exhibit courtesy of the Milwaukie Arts Committee in Milwaukie, Oregon. Saturday, June 19 will be a “VIP Night” at the exhibit, featuring a wine and cheese social and a presentation from Mike Richardson himself. Entrance costs a suggested donation of $5, except on VIP Night, tickets for which cost $25. The exhibit is hosted at the JC Lille Performing Arts Center, located at 11300 South East 23rd Street, Milwaukie, Oregon. More details can be found on the Milwaukie Arts Committee’s website.
How to Write for Animation Workshop at MoCCA
Beginning on June 22, the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art will be offering a special class in writing for animation from animation writer and story editor Anne D. Bernstein. Bernstein has written for Daria, Backyardigans and Viva Pinata among many others, and worked as Head Writer for MTV Animation Development. Classes will run from 6:30-9:00 p.m. on June 22 & 29, July 13, 20, 27 and August 3 and will take place at the Museum itself. Tuition is $385, with a reduced rate of $360 for MoCCA members. More information is available on the MoCCA website. MoCCA is located at 594 Broadway, Suite 401, New York, NY between Houston and Prince streets.
The Last Two Weeks @ Good Comics For Kids
This week School Library Journal’s blog Good Comics for Kids had reviews of Red Moon, Hiro’s Quest Vol.1, Mugen Spiral Omnibus, Classics Illustrated #10: Cyrano de Bergerac and Shrek Forever After: the Prequel, a preview of Boom!’s Cars #6, interviews with Van Jensen, Dave McDonald, Raina Telgemeier, and David McAdoo, the 6/3 and 6/9 listing of comics suitable for all ages and the, “Airbender, Scooby Doo, and comics for girls” and “What’s hot for summer” themed links roundups from Brigid Alverson.
The Last Two Weeks @ The Beat
The last two weeks PWCW editor Heidi MacDonald’s blog had a eulogy of classic comics artist Al Williamson, covered the very last installment of super long-running newspaper comic Little Orphan Annie, the stealth closing of beloved indie comics publisher Buenaventura Press, a new online video series about The Masters of Manga, the April sales numbers for DC Comics, popular convention Heroes Con in person and in depth, Marvel’s first simultaneous direct market and digital comics release: Invincible Iron Man Annual #1,andvarious industry reactions to it,Marvel’s promotion of Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada to Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment, writer Paul Cornell’s new exclusive contract with DC Comics, The Beat’s (and Publishers Weekly’s) move to new offices and hosted the latest installment in a series of Batman movie analysis from playwright and movie critic Todd Alcott - Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.
