PW the Beat: DC’s Movies; Virgin Folds
PWCW coeditor Heidi MacDonald gathers links and online discussions about the Wall Street Journal story about DC Comics and Warner Bros. plans for future superhero movies; comments on the shut down of Virgin Comics; and links to an impressive story in the Washington Post on comics and graphic novels and the history behind the categories’ recent growth.
Best American Comics 2009
Cartoonists Jessica Abel and Matt Madden, the series editors of Houghton Mifflin’s Best American Comics, are calling for submissions for the 2009 book. To be eligible for inclusion creators must be North American and the work must be published between September 1, 2007 and August 31, 2008; Individual issues, collections, original graphic novels, self-published comics, and mini-comics will all be considered for inclusion. Entries should be labeled with contact information and date of publication; web comics should be submitted as printouts. All entries should be sent to: Jessica Abel and Matt Madden; The Best American Comics; Houghton Mifflin, 215 Park Avenue, South New York, NY 10003
O’Malley, Larson at SPX
Small Press Expo announced that Bryan Lee O’Malley and Hope Larson will be guests at this years show. SPX will be held October 4 from 11 a.m to 7 p.m. and October 5 from noon to 6 p.m. at the North Bethesda Marriott Convention Center in Bethesda, Maryland. More quests will be announced in the weeks leading up to the event.
New Vampire Hunter D Story
The New York Anime Festival is publishing a short story, Vampire Hunter D: The Wanderer’s Ship by Hideyuki Kikuchi in the Official Guide Book. The story has n ever been printed in any language. NYAF will be held at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City from September 26-28.
Middaugh on ICv2
Comics and pop culture trade news site ICv2 has a three part interview with Dallas Middaugh, the associate publisher of Del Ray Manga, on their website. Part one focuses on the state of the manga market and issues of limited shelf space; the second part deals with OEL plans, licensed material, and plans for digital distribution; part three is about the upcoming Marvel-Del Ray project and the categorization of manga.
Lansdale Writes Crypt Tales
Joe R. Lansdale, award-winning author of Leather Maiden, Bubba Ho-Tep, and The Bottoms, is writing for Papercutz’sTales from the Crypt. His story “Moonlight Sonata” is in issue #7, and is co-written with his brother John and drawn by Chris Noeth. The issue costs $3.95.
Death Note in Canada
The live action Death Note movie will be shown in theaters in Canada on September 15 at 9 p.m. The movie will be shown in over 60 Cineplex Entertainment and Empire theaters across Canada. Also, Viz Pictures is offering a special DVD advance ticket package, which includes the DVD and a ticket to the screening. The package will go on sale August 29, and costs $29.99. A list of participating theaters can be found on the Death Note website.
Quesada On MySpace
On this week’s MyCup o’Joe, Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada and journalist Jim McLauchlin will present new art, along with discussions about the new Marvel animated DVD, Next Avengers, and the new Spider-Man story arc “New Ways to Die.” They will be showing the new Nova 317 cover, and Quesada will be answering fan questions.