The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
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Wednesday, July 9, 2003
SPIDER-MAN ANIMATED UPDATE
Audu Paden, executive producer of MTV's Spider-Man animated series, told The Continuum that the computer-generated environment created for the show will allow extensive web-swinging action.
"Of course the most significant issue is perspective," Paden said. "We can have Spider-Man swinging through the city, and our camera can be moving around him. It's going to be cinematic. All the things that they can do in a live-action feature film, we can do with the disciplines of our model domain."
In Spider-Man, the background exists in a virtual set, with real virtual distances between subject and buildings and backgrounds and props.
Said animation producer Steven Wendland: "For example, you're so often in a situation in Spider-Man where you're up high on top of a building and you're looking down from Spider-Man's perspective. So much of that is in the comic books, giving that sort of almost vertigo. But you never really get that full dynamic effect in cartoons that you've seen. Except now, we've suddenly got the ability to move the camera. Even moving the camera just slightly gives a really dynamic effect on perception and distance to the subject. It really brings the audience into that sense."
In other Spider-Man news:
* Electro, the villain of the series premiere on Friday, will likely appear again.
* Cheyenne, the alter ego of Talon, a villain created for the show, will be involved with Harry Osborn.
* MTV.com has launched a Spider-Man site, with an extensive slideshow of designs from the series.
* For images from "Sword of Shikata," CLICK HERE.
MYSTERY OF THE BATWOMAN UPDATE
Warner Home Video has announced an Oct. 21 release for Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, a full-length movie from Warner Bros. Animation.
Kevin Conroy returns as the voice of Batman, and the movie also features Kelly Ripa, Kyra Sedgwick and Hector Elizondo.
The DVD will include such features as an exclusive-to-DVD original Batman animated short, "Chase Me," as well as a behind-the-scenes production featurette, filmmaker and animator commentaries and a look at creating a scene.
Conroy, supervising producer Alan Burnett, producer/director Curt Geda and screenwriter Michael Reaves will appear at the Comic-Con International in San Diego for a panel on Friday, July 18. Look for coverage of the movie next week here in The Continuum.
ONI PRESS' LOST AT SEA
Oni Press will launch Lost at Sea, an original graphic novel by Bryan Lee O'Malley, in October.
O'Malley was the artist of last year's Hopeless Savages mini-series, Ground Zero.
Here's how Oni describes the book, the tale of a teenager named Raleigh, stuck on a cross-country road trip with three other kids she doesn't know and doesn't really want to know:
"Raleigh might not have a soul. She doesn't think she does, anyway. She's fairly certain a cat stole it when she was younger. The same incident may or may not have turned her two younger siblings into cats, too. She's not sure. Her mom never talks about them, but Raleigh is sure she remembers it happening. Now, Raleigh, a smart, weird, loner girl (who may or may not have a soul) is stuck getting a ride with Ian, Dave, and Steph-three high school friends who went to her school but who she never ever socialized with. Can these three strangers help Raleigh find what she's looking for or has she really had everything she needed all along?"
"Lost at Sea is about Raleigh finding her way home," added O'Malley. "Raleigh (and Ian and Dave and Steph) slowly realize that a map won't always tell you where you're going or how to get there. Sometimes you just have to go in the direction your heart tells you."
"Bryan's unique voice is a welcome addition to the chorus of comic creation," said editor James Lucas Jones. "In Lost at Sea, he's mixed real emotion, compelling and witty characters, and a touch of the surreal into a haunting comic melody. Readers will find themselves falling into Raleigh's song. She may think her problem is one of a kind, but anyone who's been through the trials and tribulations of adolescence will know the truth."
Lost at Sea ships on Oct. 29. The 160-page, black-and-white book will cost $11.95.
FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 SELLS OUT
DC Comics continues its string of sold-out debut issues with Formerly Known as the Justice League #1, sold out at the publisher less than a week after its on-sale date of July 2.
"Whaddaya know... lightning does strike twice," said Keith Giffen. The six-issue mini-series is written by Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, with art and cover by Kevin Maguire and Joe Rubinstein.
"Both new readers and those who enjoyed this team's Justice League from the 1980s are responding very positively to this project," said Bob Wayne, DC's VP - Sales & Marketing. "Retailers should go ahead and increase their orders on upcoming issues, since it looks like demand for this miniseries is going to continue to grow."
DC has no plans to go back to press on this issue at this time.
PVP #1-2 SELL OUT
Image Comics has announced that Diamond has completely sold out of PvP #1-2 by Scott Kurtz. Launched as an Image title in March, Kurtz's PvP originally debuted as a Web strip in 1998, before being published in comic book format by Dork Storm Press in 2001.
PvP follows the staff of Player Versus Player Magazine on their daily routine of covering the world of pop-culture.
"We couldn't be more pleased with PvP's performance," said Eric Stephenson, Image's director of marketing. "As with all Image titles, we did a substantial overprint on both issues, but demand for PvP has been nothing short of incredible."
"All I can say is thank you," Kurtz said. "PvP's debut at Image wouldn't have been as successful without the support of everyone at Image Central and the incredible word of mouth the book has received from fans, retailers and comic pros. Thanks for making PvP such a success!"
PvP #3 is due in stores July 23.
MOONSTONE BOOKS FOR NOVEMBER
Following are Moonstone Books' solicitations for November, with information coming from the company.
MR. KEEN: TRACER OF LOST PERSONS #2
Written by Justin Gray, art, tones and cover by Lee Ferguson.
Lucien Denali, aware that Ninette is in NYC to kill him for the unspeakable and perverse treatment of her and her twin sister, sends the cities' most chipper hitman after her. After a visit to the local Brujah, he lays siege on the safehouse she and Mr. Keen are operating out of. The intense violence spills more than Blood, as the binds of Ninette's mind come loose in an avalanche of horror, soaking Keen in the filth of her past.
32 pages, toned black and white, $2.95.
THE SILENCERS #3
Written by Fred Van Lente, art by Steve Ellis, colored by Dae Lim Yoo.
"Spree." Payback's a you-know-what: The Silencers strike back against the Syndicate in a series of lightning-fast raids -- but in doing so they become the Most Wanted supers in New York, and the Feds will go to any length -- any length -- to take them down,
32 pages, $3.50.
MOONSTONE NOIR: THE LONE WOLF
Written by Dan Jolley and Marie Croall, pencils by Gabriel Rearte, inks by Terry Pallot, tones by Corey Greene, cover by Doug Klauba.
"You will complete a task for us, in return for which we will not kill you." A thief who thrives on working alone, The Lone Wolf's past comes back to blackmail her into lifting a computer program worth billions of dollars for the powerful Thieves Guild. They force a partner on her, a man with to handle the technical know-how of the heist, a man with a secret or two of his own. Thrown together, they must quickly hatch a plan and pull it off, ot they may see first hand how "killer" this new "app" really is.
48 pages, $4.95.
KOLCHAK: TALES OF THE NIGHT STALKER #1
Written by Dave Ulanski, pencils by Chris Marrinan, inks by Keith Williams, colors by Ken Wolak, cover by Monte Moore and Ulanski.
The action not only heats up, but boils over in this brand-new, ongoing series featuring the original paranormal investigator! Bust out the crawfish and gumbo as Carl Kolchak heads for New Orleans to look into rumors about a human plant skulking about the hot summer streets. But the Crescent City is a magical and mysterious place, and our hero inadvertantly finds himself in the part of town where human skeletons are starting to pile high in the alleys... victims of a man-eating shadow! Carl would love to get to the bottom of this one, but unfortunately... he's a bit busy turning into a human plant, himself! This issue also features a short Mr. Nightmare back-up story by Dave Ulanski, in color for the first time. Ships with two covers in a 50/50 ratio. The first painted by fantasy artist Monte Moore, the second illustrated by Dave Ulanski.
32 pages, $3.50.
BRIEFLY
Copyright © 2003, The Comics Continuum