NYCC09: Read Will Eisner on iPhone
Melissa Pope and Helen Cho Anthos, co-CEOs of Genus Corp, a software development firm focused on mobile devices, have developed a new application for reading graphic novels on the iPhone and iPhone Touch. The application is called Kamikaze, and will be available this week through the iPhone App Store. The two software developers were roaming the floor of the New York Comic-con discussing the new application and their new licensing deal with the Will Eisner estate that will allow Kamikaze to be downloaded with a selection of Eisner’s acclaimed literary graphic novels. A Contract With God will be available immediately for $1.99 in addition to other titles like The Building and Life on Dropsie Avenue. Mobile comics company Uclick also has an iPhone comics application but Kamikaze has advantages. Unlike Uclick, Kamikaze makes use of all of the iPhone functionality—the easy swipe, pinch and scale-up functions as well as functionality specifically designed for Kamikaze. There are full-page layouts, panel by panel slide-shows, easily enlarged word balloons and much more. Genus’s elegant ebook technology has been used for the ebook version of the Green Book, the New York Times evironmentalist bestseller by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas Kostigen. Pope and Anthos are in the process of negotiating new licensing deals to bring more comics and graphic novels to the Kamikaze.—C.R.
NYCC09: Marvel Sets X-Men Stage
In a panel focused on the X-Men franchise, Marvel staff and creators announced that the main Wolverine title, currently set 50 years in the future for the "Old Man Logan" storyline by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven, will wrap up later this year in a giant-size special. It will be followed by the launch of a Dark Wolverine series co-written by Daniel Way and Marjorie Liu, starring Logan's mutant son Dakken, who has taken over as the official government-sanctioned "Wolverine" in the post-Secret Invasion Marvel Universe. The ubiquitous Logan will still get play, however, in titles like Jason Aaron's upcoming Wolverine: Weapon X. The Young X-Men series will also be replaced by a New Mutants title, including most of the original New Mutants team, written by Zeb Wells and drawn by Diogenes Nieves. Chris Claremont will begin an X-Men Forever title in June that he says will be an unpredictable and "totally fresh new direction" for the characters.
March will bring an X-Force/Cable crossover called "Messiah War," the next large event in the story of Cable and the mutant baby named Hope he is currently raising—a baby who Marvel says is key to the future of all mutants and will eventually play a large part in Matt Fraction's primary Uncanny X-Men title. Marvel marketer Jim McCann emphasized repeatedly that Hope's "red hair and green eyes" are critical, suggesting that she is associated somehow with the powerful and long-dead mutant Jean Grey. —E.N.
NYCC09: Focus on the DC Universe
Friday's DC Nation panel helmed by DC Comics Executive Editor Dan DiDio focused on fan Q&A and confusion around the cryptic and recently wrapped Final Crisis series by Grant Morrison, but Saturday's Battle for the Cowl panel announced a bevy of new titles and directions for the Batman franchise. After the apparent death of Bruce Wayne in Final Crisis, the series' last issue suggested he is alive and lost in time—but until he finds his way back, DC will highlight the characters vying to step in and control Gotham City's rapidly escalating chaos. Dick Grayson, Tim Drake and Jason Todd will engage in a three-part Battle for the Cowl in March, written and drawn by Tony Daniels.
Greg Rucka and artist J.H. Williams will take over the Detective Comics series, beginning with several arcs focusing on Batwoman. Rucka also noted that characters from his and Ed Bruaker's popular Gotham Central crime series will make appearances in Detective, "because I just can't stay away from them." Batman-related one-shots dedicated to satellite characters such as Man-Bat and Commissioner Gordon will lead into eight Batman titles in June, revealed to be Detective, Batman, Red Robin, Batman and Robin, Outsiders, Batgirl, Gotham City Sirens (focusing on female villains including Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn) and Batman: the Streets of Gotham.—E.N.
NYCC09: Marvel at 70
To close the convention on Sunday, Marvel celebrated its 70th anniversary with a Mondo Marvel panel during which editors and creators announced upcoming projects across the publisher's lines. July will bring The Marvels Project, an eight-issue espionage series by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting that will explore the origin of superheroes in the Marvel Universe. Veteran letterer-turned-writer Chris Eliopoulos will pen the four-issue Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers starring superhero pets, including Frog Thor, Speedball's cat Neils (now dubbed Hairball) and, in good news for fans of 1980s cartoon "Spiderman and His Amazing Friends," Aunt May's dog Ms. Lion.
Frank Tieri will write the next in Marvel's Noir line of period comics, "Punisher Noir," and Greg Pak will bring Skaar, the son that the Hulk doesn't know he has, to Earth in May's Planet Skaar. Joe Kelly, known for his superhero work in addition to critically acclaimed creator-owned work such as 2008's I Kill Giants from Image, will write a five-issue Amazing Spider-Man arc titled "American Son," with art by Phil Jimenez. The story will focus on the relationship between Norman Osborn, the villain now in charge of the Marvel Universe, and his son Harry, with Peter Parker caught in the middle.
In a final surprise, Marvel invited Saturday Night Live cast members Seth Meyers and Bill Hader to announce their upcoming Spider-Man one-shot "The Short Halloween," cooked up during 2007's television writers strike.—E.N.
NYCC09: Business of Webcomics
Scott Kurtz, creator of the iconic web comic PVP, and Robert Khoo, the business manager of Penny Arcade, one of the most popular comics on the web, spoke to a packed auditorium in a panel entitled "The Business of Webcomics! LIVE!" Together, they spent an hour discussing the best way to make money on a web comic and answering questions from the audience. Most important: a high quality webcomic published on a frequent and reliable schedule. Khoo emphasized the importance of running ads on a site, and the ineffectiveness of paying for ads on other sites. Kurtz took exception to print cartoonists who scorn the merchandising of web comics, explaining that he saw no moral difference between someone designing and selling his own shirts or allowing his comic syndicate to do it for him. Both Kurtz and Khoo were vehemently critical of allowing merchandise to dictate the direction of content, explaining that a good comic can't be written around possible t-shirt slogans. Instead Khoo, the businessman, went on passionately about artistic integrity and the absolute importance of creating the best comics possible, saying that there would always be a way to sell great work.—K.F.
NYCC09: Women In Comics
Creators gathered on Saturday to discuss the ever-evolving representation of women in comics at a panel sponsored by the Friends of Lulu, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting and encouraging women in comics. The panel was hosted by Abby Denson, creator of Tough Love, and featured Chris Butzer, creator of Gettysburg: the Graphic Novel, Robin Furth, writer/editor for the Dark Tower adaptations and Jillian and Mariko Tamaki, creators of Ignatz award-winning Skim. The discussion examined the representations of women found in comics and Boozer conceded that despite a wide range of female characters and creators in the industry there was still the obvious problem: women in skintight outfits being ogled by little boys. Nevertheless, Furth argued that women characters can be sexy and powerful, “I like the lycra suit because I think it’s how you wear it,” said Furth, who has also written Legion of Monsters: Satana, which focuses on the daughter of Satan. A character Furth says she likes because despite sexy outfits, no one messes with Satana.
Mariko Tamaki lamented the lack of of realistic and varied body types. “It’s frustrating not to see yourself in comics,” she said Mariko. Panelists touched on the issues of fan reception, poor representations of women in comics and manga before moving on to discuss what progress still needs to be made. “Every generation comes up with something that pisses them of,” said Mariko. “The things that bother me as a women right now are probably not the things that are going to bother people down the road.” Jillian Tamaki pointed out that there seems to be no shortage of women in indie comics and that to some degree, images of women are changing, although Denson argued that older women who grew up reading comics such as Little Lulu are still largely ignored. Denson, who is currently working on Amazing Spider-Man Family #3, discussed her efforts to take Aunt May out of her iconic role and reinvent her in the series. Joking that she told the artist to make Aunt May look like Helen Mirren. The panel wrapped up with a that the voice of women in comics is continuing to grow, as does the range of characters, body types and stories. “There’s a lot of incredible stories being told,” said Mariko.—S.M.
O'Neil NYU Comics Course
Long time comic creator and editor Dennis O'Neil will be teaching the course "Writing Comics and Graphic Novels" at New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies. O'Neil was a group editor at DC Comics for fifteen years and wrote many major Marvel and DC comic titles including Superman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Iron Man and The Question. The course begins February 11 and runs from 6:45-9:05 p.m. Wednesdays through April 11 at NYU in Manhattan.
Death Note II on DVD
Death Note II: The Last Name, the Japanese live-action movie based on the hit manga and anime series, will be released in the United States by Viz Media on February 10. The dvd release will feature both the original Japanese dialogue with English subtitles and an English dub voiced by the American voice actors who dubbed the anime series. Death Noteis the tale of a mysterious murderer known as "Kira", who found a magical paper that can be used to kill undetectably, and L, a young detective trying to find the killer.
