Monday, August 11, 2003
WIZARD WORLD CHICAGO: MARVEL PANEL
A new Avengers writer, the moving of The Punisher to the MAX imprint, new creative teams and new Epic series were highlights of the Marvel Comics panel Sunday at Wizard World Chicago.
Chuck Austen will follow Geoff Johns as writer of Avengers. He said that there will be a few changes to the lineup, including "one major returning hero who has never been a member of the Avengers."
That hero will be featured in a story called "Lionheart of Babylon."
On the art side, Olivier Coipel remains, with Scott Kolins drawing Austen's second arc. Look for Steve Sadowski to do the art of Avengers #71 and Avengers #76.
For a rundown of all the news from the Marvel panel, CLICK HERE.
WIZARD WORLD CHICAGO: WILDSTORM PANEL
Brian K. Vaughan's first creator-owned project since Y: The Last Man, a six-issue mini-series called Ex Machina, will be released through the Cliffhanger imprint, it was announced at WildStorm Productions' panel at Wizard World Chicago on Sunday.
The series, drawn by Tony Harris, is described as "The West Wing meets Unbreakable." Ex Machina introduces Mitchell Hundred, better know to the citizens of New York as the super-hero The Great Machine. But Mitchell faces his greatest challenge when he decides to run for mayor.
"I came up with this before Arnold," said Vaughan, referring to Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign for California governor.
"Y: The Last Man has a set ending. We have a five-year plan, but I didn't know if it would last six issues. I hope Ex Machina turns out he same way. I am pouring in as much passion into it as I did Y."
For more from the panel, CLICK HERE.
SOULWIND COLLECTION
This November, nearly three years since the series first concluded, Oni Press will be printing the entirety of Scott Morse's Soulwind as one book.
Originally published as five graphic novels, The Complete Soulwind is a 520-page epic, spanning time and space-both literally. The fantasy/science-fiction adventure has a legendary sword at its center-a sword capable of bending the fabric of our universe. What begins as the tale of a young boy who has been chosen to wield it ends up veering into territory that unravels the myths behind creation, the things we worship, and the nature of storytelling itself.
"Soulwind, for many years, was my big project," Morse said. "This was the story that drove me, it was my main avenue of creation. It took some time to get it all out, but I think, in the end, all the effort was worth it. It's always been intended to stand as one large piece of work, and I think when people have it under one cover, they'll be able to see how the puzzle pieces fit together in ways they may not have noticed when they read them all separately."
This will be most evident in the art itself. Throughout the Soulwind series, Morse tried on several different art styles, all of which return for specific sections of the finale.
"Scott has done a lot of work since Soulwind," Oni Press publisher Joe Nozemack said, "and built up quite a following. Magic Pickle, Elektra, Sam & Twitch, Ancient Joe-but this still remains his biggest project, his largest story. When we call it an epic, we aren't kidding."
"This going to be a fat book," Morse said. "You're going to have to have a decent grip just to hold it in one hand. I think the only thing more substantial than the book itself is the story it contains. Hopefully, readers can dive all the way in and let their brain feed on the material."
The Complete Soulwind trade paperback ships Nov. 19 and retails for $29.95.
WIZARD WORLD CHICAGO: A WRAP-UP
In case you missed The Continuum's previous coverage of Wizard World Chicago, here are some links:
For DC's Superman panel, CLICK HERE.
For Top Cow's Witchblade panel, CLICK HERE.
For DC's Vertigo panel, CLICK HERE.
For Marvel's Ultimate panel, CLICK HERE.
For Marvel's X-Men panel, CLICK HERE.
For DC's DC Universe panel, CLICK HERE.
For the Aspen panel, CLICK HERE.
BRIEFLY
Copyright © 2003, The Comics Continuum