Tuesday, June 19, 2001

JUSTICE LEAGUE ANIMATION UPDATE

Warner Bros. Animation's Rich Fogel told The Continuum that fans will get a first look at Cartoon Network's Justice League animated series at the Comic-Con International in San Diego.

"We're just starting to plan the Justice League panel now, and although we probably won't have a finished episode, we'll definitely have some eye-popping visuals to share," Fogel told The Continuum.

"We're all very excited about having a chance to give some of our most devoted fans a sneak peek at what's coming up on Justice League."

The convention runs July 19-21. The date and time of the Justice League panel has not been released yet.

For The Continuum's two-part interview with Justice League producer Bruce Timm, click here for PART 1 and PART 2.

DAN JURGENS TALKS THOR - AND MORE

Dan Jurgens told The Continuum that he has plans for "major, major events" in Marvel Comics' Thor and a future one-shot collaboration with Kurt Busiek.

Jurgens currently writes both Thor and Top Cow's Tomb Raider and is ending his run on Captain America. The Continuum caught up with him on Tuesday to see what's coming up.

The Continuum: Thor #50 is not that far away. Are you already planning for something?

Jurgens: Yes, we do have something planned. It's safe to say that we're changing the status quo in Thor, which means we'll be moving several of the characters in new directions.

The Continuum: It was recently announced that Tom Raney will follow Stuart Immonen's run as the regular artist of Thor. Do you know when he starts?

Jurgens: I believe Tom will be starting with Thor #43 or #44. That's not 100 percent definite yet as we want to make sure everyone's schedule --Tom's, myself, Marvel's and Stuart's -- don't get compromised in the switchover. Tom and I have talked and I think he's the perfect guy to move Thor in the direction we're headed.

The Continuum: Can you give a sneak peek into Thor's future?

Jurgens: We have a large cast, which is about to get smaller. I've said before that the proper approach to Thor is a balance between Earth and Asgardian stories. We'll keep that up, even though our character focus will change.

I want to see Thor become a more emotional character and I'd also like to see his life become more complicated. In addition, we've been hinting at some major, major events in Thor's future. Those matters will eventually surface in the book.

The Continuum: After Captain America's run, will you be drawing again soon?

Jurgens: Yep. I have a project in the works that I'm very, very excited about. It's a bit too early to announce but all I know is that I can't wait to get started.

One of the things I'll be drawing after Cap is a one-shot project that Kurt Busiek is writing. It's been a long time since I've drawn something written by another writer and I'm looking forward to it.

The Continuum: More plans for any lithographs?

Jurgens: We just wrapped up the 225th Captain America litho for Dynamic Forces and I'm very, very happy with the way it turned out. We'll be following that up with another one featuring a different Marvel character as soon as I find the time to do it.

DARICK ROBERTSON TALKS FURY

Darick Robertson will be drawing one of Marvel's first mature readers books, Fury, a six-issue series written by Garth Ennis, which Robertson said he hopes will point the Nick Fury character in a fresh direction.

The Continuum caught up with Robertson on Tuesday for his take on Fury, which is inked by Jimmy Palmiotti and has covers by Bill Sienkiewicz.

The Continuum: How did this job come happen for you?

Robertson: Drinking with Garth Ennis in Belfast. We were watching a tape I had given him of underground Funniest Home Videos that were never aired. There's a scene in #1 that's inspired from that. We were talking about doing a Fury series and inspiration hit. Everything else fell into place, with our mutual former Vertigo editor Axel Alonso over at Marvel and getting a mature readers levy.

The Continuum: Is Fury a character you've wanted to draw?

Robertson: Not really, until I thought of doing him with Garth's script. That seemed a natural fit to me. Garth's a big war movie and Clint Eastwood fan and I think Clint would play the ultimate Nick Fury.

The Continuum: What do you like about Nick Fury?

Robertson: He's a grizzled old warhorse. I love those sort of characters. The genius thing about this series is Fury is dealing with the fact that guys like him are useless in our world today without the cold war. Just like the character himself, he's dealing with being outmoded.

The Continuum: What makes this a "Mature Readers" book, as opposed to mainstream?

Robertson: Blood, gore, cursing and tits.

The Continuum: What do you think of Marvel taking established characters and making Mature Readers characters out of them?

Robertson: For certain characters, it's a great idea. I'd like to see the Thing, Dr.Strange, Wolverine, Blade, and other dark characters, who have little or no following now, revived this way. When's the last time anyone cared at all about Nick Fury? And what a shame. He's a great character who just needed to be dusted off and pointed in a fresh direction. I hope this series does him some justice. Some characters should be explored with no holds barred. Create a kiddy line and an adult line. It's not that difficult of an equation. You see it at the video store, why not on the comics rack?

The Continuum: Can you say anything about the story?

Robertson: It's very funny, and dark. I think it's one of Garth's most original and funniest books yet. He grabbed a genius angle. S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury will never be the same after this series. It's a bit like a Dark Knight returns story for Nick Fury.

The Continuum: How's Transmetropolitan doing?

Robertson: It's chugging along into it's final year. I'm sad it's ending and a bit relieved. I think Warren Ellis is really working his craft at maximum and has a specific target to hit with this final year and I'm enjoying his work immensely.

CROSSGEN FOR SEPTEMBER

Following are CrossGen Comics' solicitations for September, with information coming from the company.

THE FIRST #11

Written by Barbara Kesel, penciled by Bart Sears, inked by Andy Smith, color by Michael Atiyeh.

Persha and Pyrem, father and daughter, meet for the first time. Ingra's kept them apart-what will it mean when Pyrem can't deny the truth? Seahn and Enson have a little secret in an underground lair...one that could change the power structure of House Dexter.

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on Sept. 5.

MYSTIC #16

Written by Ron Marz, penciled by Brandon Peterson, inked by John Dell, colored by Andrew Crossley.

Giselle faces a new kind of test as she confronts an opponent that feeds on magical energy. Making matters worse, the battle takes place in the repository of more magical might than anywhere else on Ciress - Giselle's own sanctum. Meanwhile, Genevieve begins to suspect Skitter is far more than a cute, cuddly pet.

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on Sept. 5.

SIGIL #16

Written by Mark Waid, penciled by Scot Eaton, inked by Andrew Hennessy, colored by Wil Quintana.

The war against the Saurians explodes across the star-system. The Union Army's hopes are pinned on their greatest weapon, Samandahl Rey, but the Saurians have a champion of their own--Khyradon, Tcharun's new ruler.

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on Sept. 12.

SOJOURN #3

Written by Ron Marz, penciled by Greg Land, inked by Drew Geraci, colored by Caesar Rodriguez.

Chained in the dungeon and facing a fiery execution at Mordath's hands, Arwyn meets the legendary bowman Gareth. But even if they manage to join forces and escape their chains, they'll still have to fight their way through a horde of Mordath's savage troll warriors.

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on Sept. 12.

SCION #16

Written by Ron Marz, penciled by Jim Cheung, inked by Don Hillsman, colored by Justin Ponsor.

Ethan attacks the bounty hunter Exeter, believing him responsible for the carnage at the Underground's Sanctuary. But when Exeter reveals the shocking truth of what really happened, Ethan is left to ponder one of the most important decisions of his life.

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on Sept. 12.

CRUX #6

Written by Mark Waid, penciled by Paul Pelletier, inked by Mark Propst.

Capricia has finally had enough of the taciturn mystery man who's been pulling the team's strings. It's not anger that drives her to the breaking point, though -- it's guilt. What has she done to jeopardize her fellow Atlanteans -- and what price will she pay?

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on Sept. 19.

MERIDIAN #16

Written by Barbara Kesel, penciled by Steve McNiven, inked by Tom Simmons, colored by Morry Hollowell.

The line has been drawn. Cadador is blockaded and its trade ships are being conscripted into the growing resistance army. It's war as Sephie's pirates take on Cadadorian ships in an all-out air battle, but the biggest danger is the plans created by the new alliance of Ilahn, Rho, and Reesha.

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on Sept. 26.

ALTERNATIVE COMICS TO SUB-DISTRIBUTE XERIC BOOKS

Alternative Comics will sub-distribute three Xeric Foundation Grant Award winning books to ship in October: Jacob Weinstein's Dirty Boxes, Frederick Noland's Shpilkes, and Ben Catmull's Paper Theater.

These books will all also be available from all of Alternative Comics' standard distributors. Alternative Comics is sub-distributing these books to help give readers a better chance to find the books.

"We're doing this so that these books will be carried by all of our distributors, ordered by stores, and ultimately in the hands of readers," said Alternative Comics publisher Jeff Mason. "We've also done this with Jen Sorensen's Slowpoke: Cafe Pompous book just now being released."

Here's a breakdown of the books

DIRTY BOXES

By Jacob Weinstein.

Dirty Boxes is a graphic novel consisting of three stories. "Refuse" is a post-industrial chutes and ladders game as if designed by Alexander Rodchenko. "Cleft Mallet" places Huckleberry Finn before a cracked rear-view mirror. And "Egg-Minus" stirs Russian legend, vaudevillian comic strip mayhem, and grimy Berlin realism into a meaty gallinaceous cocktail, as three tangentially related narratives, are woven around the motifs of love, betrayal, decapitation, and poultry.

96 pages, black and white, $6.95.

SHPILKES

By Frederick Noland.

Shpilkes itself is difficult to describe; A Yiddish name; expressionistic and dark with precious moments of backhanded slapstick humor and a decidedly underground sensibility. Stories include "Stagger Lee," the infamous hard drinking, hard gambling and itchy trigger fingered outlaw of lore, Cracked Actor, the tale of a long since fallen star, "King Curmudgeon," a suburban punk day-in-the-life-of, and the other worldly "Automaton." Noland's art draws the reader in with its intricate settings. His eccentric and humorous characterization of both the familiar and fantastic makes no apologies and takes no prisoners. But more than that, it's entertaining! Does contain naughty language, senseless violence, sexual indiscretion and existential angst.

32 pages, black and white, $3.50.

PAPER THEATER

By Ben Catmull.

Paper Theater is a collection of Catmull's self-published short stories. Included are a dream like story of childhood memories titled 'Emily'; A Victorian era space Adventure in 'An Illustrated depiction of the 273rd day of Interstellar Bathysphere 12'; 'Jeff goes to the Store' in which everything goes wrong on a mans quest for a bottle of whiskey, and more. See Death try in vain to keep zombies dead. Watch a drunken astronaut accidentally fly his rocket down to hell. Fun for the whole family except kids and old people.

64 pages, black and white, $5.

BRIEFLY