Comics Alliance: An AOL Comic Book Community

As longtime readers of this site already know, I love me some Speed Racer. That said, it certainly came as a nice surprise to hear that IDW is planning the return of Speed to comics beginning in January with Speed Racer: Chronicles of the Racer. They're even plotting a generational saga, with writer Arie Kaplan and artist Robby Musso planning to explore Racers both known and unknown in these all-new adventures.

Toonzone.net quotes IDW honcho, Chris Ryall, as saying that the miniseries will "expand the entire Speed Racer legend. We look at the Speed Racers of the past-incarnations throughout history, from the Roman times to the medieval era, and even the swashbuckling high seas."

All of which has me thinking this miniseries could either be really cool ... or really lame. Fears aside, however, it's Speed Racer, it's a bold new direction, and it's comics, so you can bet I'll be tuning in next month to find out which way the wind blows.

While we're on the subject, for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, you've GOT to check out the super-sweet trailer for the upcoming movie, which premiered in HD on Moviefone last week.

Over the past several weekends, we've been breaking up the mix of news, views, interviews and features by talking up the work of living, breathing cartoonists hiding in plain sight on the Web, meaning those with a pulse. This week's tribute casts a spotlight on a group of cartoonists whose best days have come and gone, but are never forgotten, thanks, in no small part to the ongoing efforts of indy comics publishers, like Fantagraphics, Checker, IDW and Drawn and Quarterly.

I urge you to make a special trip to the closest comic book store very soon to pick up a FREE copy of Comic Strip Masterpieces, a co-op ad project by the aforementioned indy publishers that underscores their collective commitment to bringing classic comic strips -- think Peanuts, Dick Tracy, Flash Gordon and Steve Canyon -- and the work of long gone luminaries like Elzie Crisler Segar, Windsor McCay, R.F. Foucault and George Herriman to new audiences. What's more you'll sample these four-color, full-size strips in an attractive tabloid format.

Knowing and appreciating that most of you live on the outer stretches of civilization, finding a comic store as cool as, let's say Chicago Comics, Jim Hanley's Universe, Lee's Comics, Big Planet Comics, Meltdown, Alternate Reality, Mile High Comics or Austin Books and Comics, that stocks quality freebies like Comic Strip Masterpieces may be tough.

So, if you're unable to find this tabloid reprint masterpiece, download it via this link from the Fantagraphics' blog Flog. And, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page after hitting the link!

Transformers the movie. The tale of the struggle between the valiant Autobots led by Optimus Prime and the treacherous Decepticons led by Megatron ... but you already knew this. The story of the Autobots and Decepticons is now well know with Michael Bay's interpretation of the struggle, an interpretation that pay homage to the original 80's cartoon series and the animated movie from 1985. As a life long Transformers fan who remembers sitting in the theater and watching the epic struggle as Optimus and Megatron clashed and having read and owned the entire 80 issue US comic series I was the biggest skeptic for the new movie, and the character design. My fears were unfounded as the movie I soaked in on July 3rd was every bit as magical as the original series, thanks in large part to Peter Cullen voicing Optimus. I could not wait till the day I could take home this movie and put it up on a nice HDTV, to see the struggle renewed anew in the comfort of my home. That day has passed with the release of Transformers not only on DVD but also HD-DVD. Which ones the best, well that's what I'm about to spout off on.

Written by Steve Niles with artwork by Ben Templesmith

The story is set in Barrow, Alaska, during the northern winter, which is a time that apparently leaves Barrow in total darkness for the period of 30 days. Vampires attack the town, killing everyone they come across and feeding. That's pretty much the premise; although development of the story proves to have much more to it, and to the characters involved. Sorry, no spoilers!

I was not fortunate enough to have caught the 2002 series by IDW Publishing, to my very great regret; however, was fortunate enough to read the recently reprinted graphic novel, and I have to say I was impressed. Let me clarify what that means -- I tend to hate vampire stories, because I feel they are over-used monster types and I feel that there is rarely anything unusual or different enough about the stories to make them entertaining. That makes it extremely difficult to get me interested in your latest take on the vampire ideal.

Press Release

The undead will wreak havoc on the living in December with the re-release of Children of the Grave from IDW Publishing. And, keeping with the holiday spirit, IDW (and COTG co-publisher, Charlie Foxtrot Entertainment) are making this new printing of the critically acclaimed military/horror tale into something special for the book's many loyal fans, as well as those who may be new to the story. For the first time, Children of the Grave will be printed in full color, with new extras, including an all-new short story by COTG creators Tom Waltz and Casey Maloney, as well as a fantastic new cover by award-winning artist, Ashley Wood.

First published in 2005 as a four-issue mini-series by Shooting Star Comics, then collected in 2006 as a trade paperback by IDW, Children of the Grave is the story of a U.S. black ops unit who is investigating terrorist-caused genocide in the Middle East, only to discover the victims have returned from the dead, seeking revenge against their killers. COTG continues to be, in the words of its writer and creator, Waltz, "the little indie book that could."

"Both Casey and I are astonished by the resilience of our military/horror yarn," Waltz adds. "Seems like only yesterday we were showing off sample pages to publishers, and now we've been published in black and white by Shooting Star, then in grayscale by IDW, and now, again by IDW, in full-color. We've had a Dan Brereton cover and now an Ash Wood cover. Honestly, we were just happy to get the book published when we started, so everything else that's happened since has been gravy."

Recently, Waltz, a former Marine and Gulf War vet, embarked on another challenge as a managing partner in the multimedia entertainment company, Charlie Foxtrot Entertainment, which is founded and run by military veterans. It was Waltz's connection to CFE that led to the new printing of Children of the Grave to be done in full color.

"I first came to the attention of CFE through my work on Children of the Grave," Waltz explains. "And when IDW decided to do a second printing, CFE wanted to be involved, and was gracious enough to attach artists Jon Alderink and Gerry Kissell (also a partner at CFE) as colorists. CFE's got plenty of other things in the works, but we couldn't be prouder to have our first official production be in partnership with a company as awesome as IDW."

As far as where COTG goes from here, Waltz says the sky's the limit.

"Children of the Grave has gone beyond all expectations for Casey and me," says Waltz. "Especially considering it was our first published comic. It's opened doors for us that might have remained shut without it, that's for sure, and we've been lucky to have so many wonderful fans, both inside and outside the industry, supporting us all the way. We'll just keep enjoying the ride, wherever it takes us from here."

Children of the Grave is now available for pre-order. Diamond Order Code is OCT07 3610.

To learn more about Charlie Foxtrot Entertainment, please visit www.charliefoxtrotfilms.com.

Press Release

Weirdness will get a whole new meaning when rock legend Gene Simmons invades bookstores with his Sci-Fi outsider series, Zipper, this November. Featuring exciting cover art by Adriano Loyola and showcasing the long-awaited reunion of writer Tom Waltz and artist Casey Maloney, the creative team responsible for the hit trade paperback Children of the Grave (IDW Publishing), Zipper promises to take readers out of this world this Fall... in more ways than one.

Xeng Ral is a soldier whose sole purpose is to serve in defense of Etheria, his home planet. Xeng Ral is not an elite soldier, by any means-rather, he is simply one amongst many. But something happens to Xeng Ral while performing his duty, as has happened to others before him: he begins to question his purpose and contemplate his autonomy. He is affected by this... changed. He realizes his own capacity for individualism and wishes to explore it further. He begins to speak of himself as "One." In Etheria's collective society, this will not do. The Etherian solution to individualistic behavior is to "recondition" the Etherians who attempt to break away from the collective mentality. However, Xeng Ral does not want to be reconditioned, and is able to escape by donning a protective zippered dimensional suit (which will become the character's trademark look and claim to fame) and entering a wormhole that eventually lands him on Planet Earth.

This is where the adventure truly begins...

Series mastermind Gene Simmons credits a sci-fi classic as part of the inspiration for Zipper, as well as his own personal immigrant experience.

"The sense of ZIPPER came to me from Heinlin's Stranger In A Strange Land," says Simmons. "A human being, who was born on Mars and was raised by Martians, comes to Earth. The (Silver) Surfer is an alien, who comes to Earth. I was born in another country and came to America. All of us share a sense of being from the Outside. We are all Outsiders. Though I speak English well enough to have taught it in 6th Grade in Spanish Harlem (as well as all the other subjects), I still chuckle when I hear words like HOT DOG. I still envision a...'hot dog'. Literally. I find myself musing about how bizarre people are. 'What fools these mortals be'... indeed.

"Zipper is not from here," Simmons continues. "He is from the Nether Ether. A place Not Here. A place with different values-in fact, if you take Nietzche's take 'there is no universal good or bad' it's simply a cultural point of view, then you might understand some of the areas we will deal with. What I mean is, for head hunters in the Amazon, killing and eating a human being is perfectly fine. But here, if you're Jeffrey Dahmer, you are a monster and depraved. It's all a point of view. Zipper is not from here and the suit he wears is what we might wear when we do very deep into the depths of the ocean. The pressure would crush us, if we didn't have 'protective outer covering'... and that's what Zipper has. Picture Spider Man's outfit and inside is Venom."

I know what you're thinking. Summer is barely over and I'm trying to get you to think about October? Well, my local grocery store is already putting out Halloween candy, and even more terrifyingly the solicitations for the November books are being released even as I type. So here's a dip through ten books that you might otherwise miss, all scheduled for an October release. From rock stars to trolls, it's all good.

DRAWN & QUARTERLY

MOOMIN: THE COMPLETE TOVE JANNSON COMIC STRIP VOLUME 2 HC
by Tove Jansson
Drawn & Quarterly's best-selling collection of the Tove Jansson's Moomin comic strips, original published in the London Evening News in the 1950s, continues in this second volume. The Moomins - a family of Scandinavian trolls that resemble hairless hippos - attempt to hibernate, discover love and jealousy, meet new neighbors, and reinvent themselves in a "return to nature." Discover the comic strip that Neil Gaiman calls a "surrealist masterpiece" and Jeff Bone describes as "gentle, witty, and completely engrossing."
HC, 8x12, 88pgs, B&W, SRP: $19.95

A friend of mine is Moomin-crazy; he's been talking about the original novels by Tove Jansson for years and even has a Moomin tattoo. Needless to say, when someone is that in love with something I become a little skeptical. (It's why when I start waxing nostalgic about Doctor Who I'm not surprised to see friends slowly backing away.) That said, the first volume of the collection of the Moomin comic strip that ran in newspapers back in the 1950s was a real treat. It's very stream of consciousness, one random but funny event following another in rapid-fire succession. It's great because Jansson uses the serial format to her advantage, keeping everything moving at a brisk pace with repeated new cliffhangers. And come on, it stars trolls that look like hippos. Trust me, it's all good.

Ever wonder how the comics medium could translate the crackling excitement and dramatic tension of the TV series 24 in the world of comics? Rather than trying to duplicate the series on the page, a publisher might be better off creating his own "Jack Bauer." Or, better yet, look for a "real" one.

So begins the fascinating story of Pierre Dragon, an ex-commando and anti-terrorism chief in France, who, with Swiss cartoonist Frederik Peeters, hit paydirt this past spring in Europe with the debut of their graphic album, RG: Riyadh on the Seine from Gaillimard, as skillfully described by Sebastian Rotella in today's Los Angeles Times.

The RG (Renseignements Generaux, or General Intelligence) series was hatched, in part, as a means to humanize the lives of anti-terrorism agents dealing with the tedium of investigations and surveillance with kids, shopping lists and family problems (a bit more mundane than teenage daughters fighting cougars), Dragon says, so you can see the obvious 24 parallels.

What interested me most about the LA Times story wasn't the realism or even its success, but how Dragon even considered the possibility of sharing his adventures via the Bande Dessinees format, the French hardcover equivalent of graphic novels in America, in the first place.

When the comic book industry releases its upcoming solicitations (two months in advance), there's always a lot of buzz and fanfare over the announcements for the four "front of the book" publishers: Dark Horse, DC, Image, and Marvel. The thing is, some of the most exciting books due to hit are actually the ones from the other publishers. This, then, is the second in a series of monthly rundowns of the other books you should be talking about, the big books you might have missed.

Trust me, if you've never checked some of these other creators or series out, you've seriously been missing out.

:01 FIRST SECOND

LAIKA GN
by Nick Abadzis
Laika was an abandoned puppy destined to become Earth's first space traveler. This is her journey. Nick Abadzis masterfully blends fiction and fact in the intertwined stories of three compelling lives. Along with Laika, there is Korolev, once a political prisoner, now a driven engineer at the top of the Soviet space program, and Yelena, the lab technician responsible for Laika's health and life. This intense triangle is rendered with the pitch-perfect emotionality of classics like Because of Winn Dixie, Shiloh, and Old Yeller. Abadzis gives life to a pivotal moment in modern history, casting light on the hidden moments of deep humanity behind history. Available in Softcover and a Collector's Edition Hardcover.
208pgs, color, $17.95 (hardcover $29.95)

You know how every now and then two different movies are in production for years and then are released in a matter of months of each other, at which point you wonder why two movies so similar ended up completed around the same time period? (Antz vs. A Bug's Life, or Deep Impact vs. Armageddon.) That's almost how I feel about Laika, because even though Nick Abadzis has been working on it for quite a while now, just recently released through Oni Press was James Vining's First in Space (about Ham the chimpanzee, though, not Laika).

Regardless, though, that shouldn't keep you away from Laika. Abadzis is a brilliant cartoonist, and what I've seen so far of Laika shows a real sensitivity to the material as well as keeping it interesting and exciting. First Second's books are always packaged beautifully, and I'm sure this is going to be another great volume that you'll want sitting on your bookshelf.

Depending on who you want to believe -- Box Office Mojo or the Los Angeles Times -- and how studios and the media calculate box office gold, Michael Bay's Transformers topped or nearly topped the record for an opening week for a nonsequel film, set five years ago by Spider-Man.

A half-dozen films have enjoyed higher first-week grosses than Transformers, but all of them (the most recent being Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest in 2006) were sequels. In the long run, however, movie genies predict Transformers won't do as well as Spider-Man 3 or Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, but will certainly do well enough to merit its own sequel.

Knowing so many of comics fans in the metro Austin area would be "getting their geek on" over the week-long July 4 holiday watching Optimus Prime, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema staged one of their niftiest promotions ever: An honest-to-God appearance of a real-life Robosaurus crushing cars, breathing fire and generally being monstrous (in a stiff sorta way) in the parking lot of the Alamo's south Austin theatre.

Hit the link to watch all FOUR YouTube videos, or enjoy the best of the lot below, complete with the Transformers theme song.

I discovered another sign of the coming movie apocalypse that is the Transformers after receiving my latest Sharper Image catalog last weekend.

Sharing space on the inside back cover with the "official" Yoda Lightsaber (with Star Wars sound effects) and a "listening, talking" R2-D2 is a 10-inch-tall Beatmix Bumblebee functioning as an animated speaker for your friendly, neighborhood iPod or MP3 player.

And, according to Hasbro.com, Mr. Bumblebee dances too...

It's been a strange couple of weeks around here at Comics Alliance. There's been talk of prison, Kelly Clarkson albums, enjoyment of the second Fantastic Four movie...in short it's really been time to expect the unexpected. Even with all of these surprises turning up, it's nice to know that we can always count on new comics coming out every Wednesday...except when there's a holiday and they ship on Thursday...and the times when there's bad weather and they get held up...and that one time there was a UPS strike...



ALIENS OMNIBUS VOL 1 TP

Just seeing the word "omnibus" (the Latin word for "Transformers" derived from "Omni" meaning "form changing robots" and "bus" meaning "public transportation") means that I'll buy a book. In this case I will be buying the Aliens Omnibus even though it has nothing to do with that old show Alien Nation or The Last Starfighter.






BRAVE AND THE BOLD #4

This book is like a superhero relay race, except awesome because...you know...track & field events kind of suck and Brave And The Bold certainly doesn't suck.











FLASH THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE #13

The last issue of the series? Maybe so - but good things are headed this way for Flash fans.

Michael Bay does everything big. Big movies. Big budgets. Big action. So it should be no surprise that his official website is home to the biggest and best Transformers: The Movie images we've seen so far. We're talking lots of really high-res stuff here.

So let's get started on the inevitable debate: Do you like the way these Transformers look?

I grew up watching the Transformers cartoon and reading the comics and buying the toys and having the bed sheets and eating the cereal and wearing the Halloween costumes...so I feel a certain fondness for the classic look and style for Optimus and Megatron. BUT - I also understand that when you try and make the robots look just like the cartoon in a live action movie, things tend to look silly.

I'm OK with these designs...for now. Yeah, it's hard to tell where their features are, but I'm taking into account that these are static images. The footage I've seen of them moving on screen look pretty amazing (Transformers on fire + explosions on a freeway = amazing). If the action in this movie is anywhere near as awesome as I think it's going to be, then I don't care that these guys don't look like the classic Autobots and Decepticons. I'm thinking a lot of you may disagree with that though...

Press Release

In July 2007, rock legend Gene Simmons takes the stage in an all-new capacity-as the mysterious master of ceremonies for his own quarterly horror anthology, GENE SIMMONS HOUSE OF HORRORS, which kicks off with a deliriously gruesome cover image by the legendary creator of Spawn, Todd McFarlane, based on an idea by Simmons.

As the flagship title for the newly-formed IDW Publishing imprint, Simmons Comics Group, GENE SIMMONS HOUSE OF HORRORS promises to bring readers the best in horror, fantasy and science fiction over all 64 full-color pages.

The anthology will feature intro and outro pages illustrated by Matt Busch and written by The Demon himself, as well as a short prose story by Nick Simmons-Gene's son, budding co-star on Gene Simmons Family Jewels, the top-rated A&E reality show, and the creator of the upcoming IDW comic Skullduggery. Top that off with five short horror stories by some of the hottest new talent in comics today and wrap it in the terrifying cover image by Todd McFarlane and Greg Capullo, and you've got all the makings of a deliciously scary treat.

"I had always loved the Twilight Zone. I never missed an episode," says Gene Simmons. "I read Amazing Stories and Analog. In short, I loved the anthology horror/sci-fi canvas and wanted to re-introduce the format into comic books. [Gene Simmons House of Horrors] is a chance to showcase the best in professional talent, and to introduce new talent, as well. Each story will be written and drawn independently, with wraparound commentaries by myself. The fact that I'm powerful and attractive will only add to the stunning effect of the stories."

Stories featured in the debut issue of GENE SIMMONS HOUSE OF HORRORS include:

"Into The Woods," written by Leah Moore & John Reppion (Raise the Dead) and illustrated by Jeff Zornow (American Werewolf).

"Into The Woods" is somewhere between Midwitch Cuckoos and Grimm's Fairytales. A teenage pyromaniac with mismatched eyes who destroys her village but doesn't know why. We follow the girl as she seemingly condemns herself and her neighbors to a gruesome death. We see wild animals and the forest itself turn on the hapless peasants as they fight for their lives. This is what might happen if Hansel and Gretel stumbled into The Evil Dead... they might need more than breadcrumbs this time.

"Circle Seven," written by Chris Ryall (Zombies Vs. Robots) and illustrated by Steph Stamb (Angel: Masks)

Dack is a new recruit to the Eternal Punishment Border Patrol, but he's got too much to prove to let simple inexperience slow him down. So he's set to be the Neil Armstrong of his generation, only instead of going up, he's headed down-into the newly discovered gateway to Hell. He's sent there alone, because you can't trust a partner once you enter the Stygian depths. There have been doomsday cries of big plans being made in the worst area of Hell, Circle Seven, and Dack's job is to see if a human being can successfully enter-and exit-Hell, and, most importantly, stop Hell from spilling into the real world.

"Crude," written by Tom Waltz (Children of the Grave) and illustrated by Esteve Polls (Mega-City Noir)

In 1991, Desert Storm rages in the Kuwaiti Desert. Iraqi forces, in a desperate attempt to delay the overwhelming Coalition onslaught and turn world opinion against the campaign for liberation, ignite many of Kuwait's oil wells, creating an unprecedented environmental catastrophe in the region. As the Coalition attack surges forward, pushing the Iraqi defenders back into their own country, an elite Delta Force team is sent in to investigate the damage done to the oil wells by the blazing, pollution spewing fires. The team goes in with six men, but only one man returns. Something massacred the Delta Force soldiers during the recon mission, and it wasn't enemy soldiers. No, it was something far more sinister, vicious and inhuman. It was something straight out of the depths of the earth itself.

"The Basement," by Dwight L. MacPherson (Dead Men Tell No Tales) and illustrated by Grant Bond (Revere)

When Agnes Beecham's 9-year-old daughter Rosa began telling fantastic stories about a visitor from another planet living in the basement, she dismissed them as childhood oneirism. One day, however, Rosa's father Michael decided to step into the basement to investigate and returned a vegetable. The doctors told Agnes her husband had suffered a stroke, but Rosa knew it was the man in the basement who made her father a helpless invalid. In the days that followed the incident, Rosa began drawing pictures of strange flying objects and telling her mother the man in the basement wished to take her to his home -- and then she mentioned the name Aleister Crowley.

"Nymph," by Sean Taylor (Fishnet Angel) and illustrated by Jon Alderink (City of Fire)

Jane is an eco-happy entymologist married to Dave, a commercial contractor who builds strip malls and parking decks. While celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary on a picnic in the mountains, Dave goes missing after an argument about his work. Jane looks for him, only to find him already consumed by the trees and herself the prey of a blood-thirsty tree nymph.

Gene Simmons House of Horrors #1 will be available in July and is available for pre-order now.