Thursday, June 28, 2001

SPIDER-MAN MOVIE/TV ROUNDUP

Marvel Comics' Bill Jemas said Wednesday that the company will be publishing an adaptation of the Spider-Man movie.

"And we have kind of a fun announcement as to who's writing it," Jemas said. "But I think Joe's (Quesada) going to do that the next week or the week after that."

Peter David, who is in talks and will likely write the novelization of the movie for Del Rey Books, told The Continuum he isn't involved with the comic. "Not to my knowledge, no," David said.

Sources told The Continuum that creators known for their Spider-Man work will likely be involved.

In other Spider-Man movie news:

* Kirsten Dunst, who plays Mary Jane in the movie, was featured on E!'s Celebrity Profile on Wednesday night. The Spider-Man film was mentioned toward the end of the hour program.

Dunst was determined to get the role of Mary Jane, she said in an interview for the show.

"When I want a role and I want it so badly and I go in there and I kick butt, and I concentrate on getting it," she said. "I picture myself in the role and I do all that kind of stuff. If it's meant to be, it will happen."

Dunst said she was involved in stunts in Spider-Man. "You should see my arm and the back of my arm. So bruised."

* Dunst will appear on CBS' The Late, Late Show with Craig Kilborn on Thursday night.

* Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire turned 26 on Wednesday.

* After airing the three-part "The Alien Costume" episode of the Spider-Man animated series, Fox Kids will air the two-part "Venom Returns" on Saturday, July 7 and Saturday, July 14.

* Marvel Studios' Craig Kyle told The Continuum that an animation house has not been chosen for the new Spider-Man animated series, which will be produced by Marvel and Sony. "As far as this office knows, no one has the contract for the Spider-Man animated series yet," Kyle said.

There have been conflicting reports on whether Spider-Man will be for Fox Kids or Kids' WB!. Representatives of Fox Kids could not confirm the network's interest in the show.

KARL KERSCHL ON ICEMAN

Marvel Comics editor Mike Marts told The Continuum that Karl Kerschl will be the artist of the Iceman limited series.

Kerschl recently drew Deadpool #56 for Marts.

As previously announced, Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning will be writing Iceman.

Marts said that Steve Uy will be providing covers. Iceman will be four issues and will start in October.

MARVEL PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

Marvel Comics' Bill Jemas discussed the online trailer for the "Weapon X" story arc in Ultimate X-Men and Marvel's upcoming ratings system during a telephone press conference on Wednesday.

For an edited transcript, CLICK HERE.

SCOTT McDANIEL, ED MCGUINNESS RENEW AGREEMENTS WITH DC

DC Comics announced that Batman artist Scott McDaniel and Superman artist Ed McGuinness have renewed their exclusive agreements.

"Batman has been my favorite comics character ever since I was a boy, when I wanted to be Batman, so this is my chance to live vicariously through my pencil," McDaniel said. "Working for DC has been extremely pleasant. (Editor) Bob Schreck gives me the freedom to explore my creativity, and everyone at DC has been very generous and encouraging to me."

Said McGuinness: "It's like a dream come true working on Superman. I couldn't enjoy it more, and seeing how well received it's all been has been a real blessing. It's awesome working with Eddie Berganza - he's a really good friend, which makes everything easy and comfortable."

"Both Ed and Scott have proven themselves truly unique visual stylists," said DC executive editor Mike Carlin, "but then they're also professional, reliable and nice guys, as well! No downside for us - it's our pleasure to extend our working relationship with them!"

In addition to Batman, McDaniel's work can be seen in Nightwing: The Target, which is scheduled for a July 25 release.

FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS FOR OCTOBER

Following are Fantagraphics Books' solicitations for October, with information coming from the company.

LUBA #6

By Gilbert Hernandez

Luba gets involved with her husband Khamo and his deal with the police to expose drug dealers. And remember in Luba #5 the guy who safely escorted Luba's children Socorro and Joselito home late one night? He's back and he gets intimate with Luba's sister Fritz -- and Petra?

24 pages, black and white, $3.50.

NAUGHTY BITS #35

By Roberta Gregory.

Just in time for Halloween, the ghosts in Bitchy's past come back to haunt her. Marcie has not been seen since #31: wonder what she's been up to? And lesbian couple Barb and Lanie and their little girl Tanya have not appeared since #18. Find out how they figure in the plot. And don't be surprised by an appearance from Kenney, last seen in #19. Plus, also scheduled for this issue, a biographical piece about surrealist painter Remedios Varo.

24 pages, black and white, $2.95.

BLAB! VOL. 12

By various, edited by Monte Beauchamp.

Monte Beauchamp's annual of the graphic design and illustration world is back. Blab!'s contributors past and present reads like a Who's Who of the contemporary visual art world, including Mark Ryden, Chris Ware, Gary Panter, Joe Coleman and more. Volume 12 features front and back covers by Christian Northeast, as well as a stories by the Clayton Brothers, Northeast, Peter Kuper, Peter Hoey, Lou Brooks, Fred Stonehouse, and children's book illustrator Mike Bartolas, appearing for the first time. Blab! stalwarts Gary Baseman, Drew Friedman, Spain, Blanquet, and Walter Minus are also back, along with newcomer and Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh, who contributes a four-page color story, and several others.

120 pages, $19.95.

PRINCE VALIANT VOL. 43

"Blood & Tears" by Hal Foster and John Cullen Murphy.

Fantagraphics' deluxe, full-color library editions of Prince Valiant were initially intended to end with 2000's Vol. 40, the final volume in which Foster was the chief architect of the strip's visual look. Due to public demand, however, Fantagraphics is continuing the series, reprinting strips written and roughed out by Foster and finished by Foster's prodigious assistant, John Cullen Murphy. Murphy, who had been quietly assisting Foster for several years, actively took over the bulk of the drawing chores in 1971 and immediately developed a fan following himself. Each volume of Prince Valiant features close to year's worth of full-page Sunday strips.

48 pages, $16.95.

SAFE AREA GORAZDE SOFTCOVER

By Joe Sacco, introduction by Christopher Hitchens.

In softcover for the first time, Safe Area Gorazde is Joe Sacco's 240-page opus about the war in the former Yugoslavia. Sacco spent four months in Bosnia in 1995-1996, immersing himself in the human side of life during wartime, researching stories rarely found in conventional news coverage. The book focuses on the Muslim enclave of Gorazde, which was besieged by Bosnian Serbs during the war. Sacco spent four weeks in Gorazde, entering before the Muslims trapped inside had access to the outside world, electricity or running water.

240 pages, black and white, $19.95.

ZIPPY ANNUAL 2001

By Bill Griffith.

All of Griffith's strips from 2000 and 2001 are collected. Millennium fever never seemed so, well, absurd. Frivolity is a stern taskmasker, and these black-and-white dailies and color Sundays spotlight Griffith's inimitably existential and surreal sense of humor.

160 pages, $19.95.

THE COMICS JOURNAL #239

Are conditions for creators improving, deteriorating or the same as they've ever been? In the second of a special two-issue focus, the Journal looks at present and emerging struggles between creators and corporations, including the recent legal setbacks of Dan DeCarlo and Marv Wolfman. Also featuring an investigation of the ongoing wave of copyright wars and how they could affect the comics industry: Can comics creators get it together?

120 pages, $5.95.

CLAYPOOL COMICS FOR OCTOBER

Following are Claypool Comics' solicitations for October, with information coming from the company.

ELVIRA #102

By various.

Elvira finds a loveable little baby on her doorstep, and all is bliss --- until she discovers that the child is really a greedy, soul-sucking monster and it goes off on a rampage. It's all in "Who's Yo' Mama?" by Frank Strom, Ronn Sutton and Bruce Patterson. Also, it's a comedy of bad manners when Elvira's job in a teen sexploitation flick leads her to discover the truth behind their source material, in "Austen-tation," by Jo Duffy, Ronn Sutton, Terry Austin and Bob Wiacek.

32 pages, black and white, $2.50.

DEADBEATS #50

Written and art by Richard Howell, embellishment by Ricardo Villagran, cover by Howell and Nick Cardy.

The mystery villain's been revealed -- but the true terror of the "House of Fiends" has only just begun. Everyone trapped inside --- human and undead -- becomes a victim. Which star-crossed couple's happiness will be destroyed forever? The heartbreaking answer is all in "After Life --- Beyond Death!"

32 pages, black and white, $2.50.

FIRST LOOK: SUPERMAN #172

Superman #172 will arrive in stores on July 5 from DC Comics. The issue is written by Jeph Loeb, with art and cover by Ed McGuinness and Cam Smith.

Here's how DC describes the issue:

"Superman is at ground zero witnessing the aftermath of Imperiex's first strike. He goes toe to toe with one of Imperiex's destroyer probes - but stopping it comes at a price -- and this is only the beginning."

Superman #172 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.25.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

FIRST LOOK: GREEN LANTERN #140

Green Lantern #140 will arrive in stores on July 5 from DC Comics. The issue is written by Judd Winick, with art and cover by Darryl Banks and Rich Faber.

Here's how DC describes the issue:

"Kyle's powers have been rapidly increasing in ways that he's not quite comfortable with. When he calls upon Alan Scott - the original Green Lantern - for help, the last thing Kyle expects is to get in a knock-down fight with the Golden Age hero. It's the old versus the new, in a fight that doesn't go the way either of them expected. All this, and a birthday rave for Terry."

Green Lantern #140 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.25.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

FIRST LOOK: 100 BULLETS #26

100 Bullets #26 will arrive in stores on July 5 from DC Comics. The issue is written by Brian Azzarello, with art by Eduardo Risso, Frank Miller, Jim Lee, Dave Gibbons, J.G. Jones, Paul Pope, Tim Bradstreet, Lee Bermejo, Joe Jusko, Jordi Bernet, and Mark Chiarello and a painted cover by Dave Johnson.

Here's how DC describes the issue:

"A special issue designed as a starting point for new readers. 'Mr. Branch and the Family Tree' follows Paris-based conspiracy nut, Mr. Branch (from issues #12-14), as he relates tales of the various main characters of the series. Series artist Eduardo Risso provides the framing sequence, with illustrations showcasing each main character by: Frank Miller, Jim Lee, Dave Gibbons, J.G. Jones, Paul Pope, Lee Bermejo, Tim Bradstreet, Joe Jusko, Jordi Bernet, and Mark Chiarello."

100 Bullets #26 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.50.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

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