Comics Alliance: An AOL Comic Book Community

I wouldn't be surprised if most of you weren't familiar with the work of painter/colorist/computer graphic artist Jose Villarrubia, with the possible exception of his gorgeous work adapting Alan Moore's Voice of the Fire and The Mirror of Love, both published by Top Shelf Productions. Nevertheless, working along the margins of comicdom is just the way Jose likes it, which is why I'm filling this week's space "outing" the wonderful work of my versatile and modest friend.


Behind the scenes, however, Jose is one of the comics industry's go-to professionals when it comes computer coloring, photography and digital illustration. In fact, the list of collaborators this ex-pat from Spain has worked with over the years -- excluding his work with Moore -- reads like a "who's who" list of industry luminaries, including Jae Lee on Fantastic Four1234, Paul Pope on Batman Year 100, J.H. Williams III on Desolation Jones and Richard Corben on Cage.

I feel a strong kinship to Jose (certainly not on the talent side), because his journey as a creative professional has taken him places he never expected, like his second career paralleling his comics work as a full-time professor of art at the Maryland Institute College of Art (one of my fond memories of Jose is his "Pied Piper of Hamlin-like" influence on his students following him around comic book conventions soaking up the creativity in the room).

Besides the links I've embedded along the way to provoke your interest in Jose's career, I suspect you'll feel some of the same warmth, kindness and creative intensity my talented friend projects effortlessly after viewing this video tour of Baltimore, his adopted town.

There are a ridiculous number of awesome comics coming out this week. I have to go read them now. Here is a list of one percent of them.

LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN THE BLACK DOSSIER HC
Not quite Volume Three (which will be coming out from our friends over at Top Shelf in 2009) THE BLACK DOSSIER is something of a LOEG 2.5. It's full of maps, text, 3-D stuff and (thankfully) some comics, too. It also has the distinguished honor of (probably) being the last thing Moore does with DC, as all of his new comics are (as far as I can tell) being published by Top Shelf.
Just buy the thing! It's a new book by Alan Moore! Is there anything else you need to know?





SCOTT PILGRIM VOL 4
If you've read SCOTT PILGRIM, you are very excited about this book. If you have not read SCOTT PILGRIM...GO READ SCOTT PILGRIM!! This story of a Canadian guy who has to fight his new girlfriend's seven evil ex-boyfriends has everything that I could ask for a in a comic. The rock music (in the form of Scott's band, The Sex Bob-Bombs), the videogames (the SUPER MARIO BROS 3 ad for volume 3 was amazing), cute chicks and even some Dragonball Z-style throwdowns!





SALVATION RUN #1
What happens if you put a bunch of supervillains on a semi-inhabited planet and leave them to fend for themselves? My guess is some kind of Thunderdome, but DC has come up with a seven-issue theory called SALVATION RUN, and it looks pretty bad-ass. Written by Fables-scribe Bill Willingham with art by Sean Chen. Word.






WORLD WAR HULK #5
Is there no end to the Hulk's smashing?!? Oh....I guess this is the end. Word is, someone gets punched in this issue. It's just a rumor, though. It is completely unconfirmed and I refuse to leak my source.................






BATMAN & THE OUTSIDERS #1
Batman gets a new team and the OUTSIDERS gets a well-needed jump-start. Expect a lot of action in this book if this first issue is any indication. Also, expect Batman to get unintentionally creepy, because, quite frankly, that's how Batman has chosen to live his life.

There's so much more stuff coming out this week. I refuse to type everything that I'm reading because it will cut into my time to read it! Fend for yourselves. The list is after the jump.

One of my favorite "slow day at work" pastimes is to log onto Amazon.com and gaze into the future. I'm referring, of course, to their Advanced Book Search Page. With the right set of variables you can find all sorts of things. Today it's all about the just-added-to-databases early-2008 publishing schedule for DC Comics. So set the year to 2008, the publisher to "DC Comics" (or "Vertigo" or "Wildstorm" to make sure you hit those publishing branches) and you just might find...

Say, is that Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes Volume 2, hitting shelves in April? Because long-time readers of Comics Alliance will know just how crazy the first volume was. (And what a coincidence, that should also include Jim Shooter's first Legion stories, just in time for him to take over the current book with issue #37. This second Showcase will have the same contents as Volumes 4-6 of the Archive Editions.) Also in the Showcase Presents front is a surprise in the form of a Booster Gold collection at the end of March. Presumably that means the problems with reprinting later material in this format is now resolved and we might get the postponed Showcase Presents: Suicide Squad before too much longer. (One of my all-time favorite comics, I might add.)

There are lots of other "heeeyyy" things in the DC publication schedule, though. A hardcover Starman: The Complete Saga series sounds awfully intriguing, and at 448 pages is going to collect an awful lot of issues. And I'd love to revisit Grant Morrison and Mark Millar's short-lived Aztek: The Ultimate Man series (which really deserved better sales to go beyond ten issues). Oh, and more Batman than you can shake a stick at. Gee, you'd think there's some movie hitting screens in 2008.

And that's not even including things in the Wildstorm line, like the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier Absolute Edition now scheduled for June 2008, a second volume of the late, lamented Stormwatch: PHD (trust me, this book was fantastic), a hardcover (and with almost 300 pages) edition of Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris's Ex Machina, and (because I know you Comics Alliance fans love this show) a Supernatural: Origins collected edition.

By the time I've bought myself copies of the final edition of Y: The Last Man (June? Can I wait that long?), a rushed-into-bookstores Faker from Mike Carey and Jock, the third Absolute Sandman, or (best of all) a sixth Sandman Mystery Theatre collection... I don't know about you, but I'm feeling broke. But in a good way, right?

What books are you looking forward to from the future?

It's Wednesday all over again and it's a good week to be a comics fan of any stripe. Just take a look at what's coming out this week.

First, I've got an overflow of superhero goodness.

WORLD WAR HULK #4
I bet you think I'm sick of World War Hulk. I wrote what felt like a bazillion reviews and have now turned into a giant slacker in regards to all things gamma-irradiated. The thing is, WORLD WAR HULK remains incredible. Madison Square Garden turned into a battle arena? Yup. But, seriously, you had me at "puny humans".




GREEN ARROW BLACK CANARY WEDDING SPECIAL #1
Ah, but didn't we get a Wedding Special last week? It ends up that was just the first issue of Dwayne McDuffie's run on JUSTICE LEAGUE with strippers in it. Doesn't matter. It was a great kick-off to what should be a fun year of JLA. This week we get the real deal wedding with some superhero fisticuffs thrown in for good measure. It's all held together by a humorous script from Judd Winick and great, expressive Amanda Conner artwork. Plus, it has at least three times as many strippers as last week's JLA Special.

HIGHWAYMEN #4
I could try to stretch and say this is a superhero comic but it's not. What it is is an awesome action movie in comic form about two over-forty bad-asses protecting a human WMD from the government by driving really fast and shooting a lot of stuff. The art is a little like Quitely, a little like Dillon and the comic is a whole lot like awesome.

What can possibly as good as that, McElhatton?


Tezuka's pretty hard to argue with. That's just the tip of the iceberg this week, though. MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS, UMBRELLA ACADEMY, TALES OF THE SINESTRO CORPS: PARALLAX, a sweet new FINDER collection, JLA: HITMAN and (sadly) the last issue of Kirkman's memorable IRREDEEMABLE ANT-MAN all hit the stands today as well. So enjoy a great week of comics!

Press Release

On November 7, DC Comics will publish HEROES, a hardcover graphic novel collection based on NBC's Emmy and Golden Globe® nominated television series "Heroes," featuring covers by comic book superstars Alex Ross and Jim Lee and an introduction by "Heroes" star Masi Oka (Hiro). The stories, which mark the first printed graphic novel adaptation of the show, were originally created for the "Heroes" website at NBC.com (www.NBC.com/Heroes) where new chapters continue to be exclusively available. The collection spotlights the fluid artwork of legendary comic book artist Tim Sale (BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN), whose work was featured prominently during the first season of the series through the visuals created by a drug-addled painter with apocalyptic visions of the future. In addition, the hardcover collects the work of an all-star cast of television and comic book creators, including Michael Turner, Phil Jimenez, Koi Turnbull, Marcus To and more

The book will be published under DC's WildStorm imprint. It is developed through a licensing agreement with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group

"We're thrilled that Wildstorm is bringing the online comics to the printed page for the very first time. They've worked painstakingly with every aspect of the publication - from the color to the paper, to the printing itself - to make sure this is a spectacularly handsome collection. The Alex Ross and Jim Lee variant covers as well as The Tim Sale Gallery are wonderful bonuses. If you're a fan of the show, we're sure that you'll want to share in this amazing experience," said Tim Kring, creator-executive producer, "Heroes."

"Heroes" returns to NBC for its second season on Monday, Sept. 24, 2007, at 9:00 p.m. EST. Season 1 becomes available on DVD and HD DVD on Aug. 28, 2007.

Simon Oliver, best known for his work on Exterminators, is expanding his horizons--taking on a 6-issue arc of Wildstorm's Gen-13 (as revealed in San Diego), and just announced--writing a Hellblazer spinoff mini-series featuring Chas, John Constantine's long-suffering cab-driver friend...with art by Goran Sudzuka (Y: the Last Man, Lady Constantine) and covers by Glenn Fabry (Hellblazer, Preacher).

So for those of you who don't read Exterminators (your loss--great comic!), and probably even those who do, you probably don't know much about Simon Oliver. Neither did I. As far as I knew, his first comic work was Exterminators #1, but I thought it was possible he had done some work for 2000 A.D. or something. So I called him up to get the lowdown.

In a nutshell.... After leaving South London to pursue his fortune as a scuba instructor, Simon Oliver met his wife in Honduras. She convinced him to move back to Los Angeles with her. There he worked as a camera assistant, and "started writing 4 years ago--movie and TV scripts--just kind of for the hell of it."

"I was not a 'comic reader'", he said. "I had read Watchmen and some Frank Miller stuff. But when I read 100 Bullets, I said to myself, 'Wow! You can do this kind of stuff in comics?'" So he took the Exterminators ("a TV pitch that I knew was never going to get made"), and flogged it to Vertigo. And after 10 drafts of the script, they went for it.

New comics! But really, honestly, you need to pay close attention to what may be the best Alan Moore stories you've never read (besides Supreme). It's first on the list so you don't even have to scroll down that far. We know you're lazy like that...

ALAN MOORE THE COMPLETE WILDCATS TP
Look – I know I endorse a lot of different books here and I tell you that you absolutely must read certain ones, but this...this you must read. You must own this. This is everything you need to know:

Written by Alan Moore; Art by Travis Charest, Mat Broome, Ryan Benjamin and others; Cover by Charest

Alan Moore is considered by many to be the finest comics writer of the last quarter century. His standout achievements in the medium include WATCHMEN, V FOR VENDETTA, THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN, and FROM HELL. Now Moore's defining run on WildC.A.T.s is collected into a single volume, collecting WILDC.A.T.S. #21-34, plus a story from issue #50, featuring the impressive art of Travis Charest and other fine artists who provide breathtaking visuals.

Alan Moore took the WILDC.A.T.S back to their roots and stirred up the WildStorm Universe considerably, creating a perfect starting point for catching up the flagship WildStorm superhero team. It's a tale filled with unsettling revelations and gripping drama - and the introduction of one of WildStorm's great villains: Tao!

Wildstorm Universe | 393pg. | Color | Softcover | $29.99 US | ISBN 9781401215453

Go buy this.

I've seen the spontaneous combustion that comes when comics geeks have that rare chance meet their all-time fav writer/artist. You've probably practiced the moment in a mirror a thousand times, and knew it by heart. That is, until the opportunity arose to actually say it... Trust me folks, been there, done that.

I don't believe five minutes went by during today's hour-long Comic-Con panel honoring the short career of J.H. Williams III -- from Chase to Desolation Jones, Seven Soldiers of Victory and, lately, Batman – without being reminded just how much of a genius he really is.

Just don't ask Williams how he's able to transform a simple superhero story into a work of art, however. Lord knows, hosts Lauren McCubbin, Grant Morrison and Scott Johnson tried to get Williams to explain how he does it. Morrison tried to explain Williams' gift as a means to convey superhero drama by approximating the rhythms of music. Sounds good, but no dice...

The closest Williams comes to defining a real influence during the hour: An off-campus art course during his high school days on advertising art and design may have done more to influence his almost supernaturally, intuitive instinct for design. Frankly, I really care how Williams is able to import the look he gives Batman or Promethea from his brain to the canvas. It just works.

Full disclosure: During those halcyon days working for my close friend, Chris Staros (he's really more like a brother to me), behind the Top Shelf Productions booth for many years on the convention circuit, I had my chance to meet Williams in San Diego as his Promethia partner Alan Moore began diverting his comics work there. And, I was just as much of gushing fanboy when I met him. The word genius was mentioned at least once too...

A sidenote: Despite the interest in the room among Williams' fans, don't expect DC Comics to publish trades collecting his first mainstream work – Chase – anytime soon. Since the characters used in the series aren't an active part of the current DCU, the suits claim there's no incentive at this time to reprint them.

Bad call DC!

It's such an exciting time to be a comics fan...if you're in San Diego for Comic Con. The rest of us have to sit around and wait for news to leak back from the show. While we wait there are a few quality new releases to help us pass the time.


BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #5

It's so rare that something you have such high hopes for not only lives up to the hype, but actually surpasses any notion you had. Buffy Season 8 is so much like having the show back on the air that I keep checking my DVR for episodes and then I remember it's a comic. Then I make a sandwich. Then I check my DVR again. Then I make prank phone calls. That's a pretty average night for me.




ALAN MOORE WILD WORLDS TP

There are a lot of you out there sleeping on how good Alan Moore's work on books like Wild Cats and Supreme was. At some point you're going to read that stuff and post on this site about how much you owe us for recommending these titles to you. Then you're going to want to read this collection of Mr. Moore's other WildStorm work, which isn't as awesome, but is still real, real good.





BATMAN #666

Grant Morrison tells this evil tale of Batman's son Damien. You'd better be listening to Iron Maiden or Slayer when you read this.

DC Comics concludes its look at new collected editions with these titles scheduled to arrive in stores in December.

With collected editions from the DC Universe, Vertigo, WildStorm and more, December's highlights include:

* THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD VOL. 1: LORDS OF LUCK HC, featuring the first six issues of the hit series by Mark Waid, George Pérez and Bob Wiacek

* DCU: WORLD WAR III TP, collecting all four sold out WORLD WAR III Specials plus 52 WEEK 50

* THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES: AN EYE FOR AN EYE TP, collecting the first six issues of the 1984 series by Paul Levitz, Keith Giffen and Steve Lightle

* TALES OF THE BATMAN: TIM SALE HC, featuring rarely seen stories illustrated by Sale and written by Alan Grant, James Robinson and Darwyn Cooke

* WONDER WOMAN: AMAZONS ATTACK, collecting the hit miniseries by Will Pfeifer and Pete Woods

* WELCOME TO TRANQUILITY VOL. 1, the first collection of the acclaimed WildStorm series by Gail Simone and Neil Googe

This information is not final and may be subject to change.

DC Universe titles scheduled to arrive in stores in December include:

THE ALL NEW ATOM: FUTURE/PAST TP
Writer: Gail Simone
Artists: Mike Norton, Eddy Barrows, Andy Owens and Trevor Scott
Collects: THE ALL NEW ATOM #7-11
$14.99 U.S., 128 pages

BATMAN/SUPERMAN: SAGA OF THE SUPER SONS TP
Writer: Bob Haney
Artists: Dick Dillin, Tex Blaisdell, Vince Colletta, Henry Scarpelli, Murphy Anderson and John Calnan
Collects: Stories from WORLD'S FINEST COMICS # 215, 216, 221, 222, 224, 228, 231, 233 and 238
$19.99 U.S., 192 pages

THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD VOL. 1: LORDS OF LUCK HC
Writer: Mark Waid
Artists: George Pérez & Bob Wiacek
Collects: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #1-6
$24.99 U.S., 160 pages

DCU: WORLD WAR III TP
Writers: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Keith Champagne and John Ostrander
Artists: Justiniano, Jack Jadson, Tom Derenick, Pat Olliffe, Andy Smith, Walden Wong, Norm Rapmund, Rodney Ramos, Drew Geraci and Ray Snyder
Collects: 52 WEEK 50, WORLD WAR III PART ONE: A CALL TO ARMS, WORLD WAR III PART TWO: THE VALIANT, WORLD WAR III PART THREE: HELL IS FOR HEROES and WORLD WAR III PART FOUR: UNITED WE STAND
$17.99 U.S., 128 pages

THE FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE: FULL THROTTLE TP
Writers: Danny Bilson & Paul DeMeo, Marc Guggenheim and Jon Boothby
Artists: Andy Kuhn, Ron Adrian, Art Thibert, Paco Diaz, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Tony Daniel, Rob Lea, Alex Lei and Lorenzo Ruggiero
Collects: THE FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE #7-14 and a story from the DC INFINITE HOLIDAY SPECIAL #1.
$12.99 U.S., 208 pages

THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES: AN EYE FOR AN EYE TP
Writers: Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen
Artists: Keith Giffen, Steve Lightle, Joe Orlando and Larry Mahlstedt
Collects: THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1-6
$17.99 U.S., 160 pages

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: JONAH HEX VOL. 2
Writers: Michael Fleischer, John Albano and David Michelinie
Artists: George Moliterni, Bill Draut, Luis Dominguez, Ernie Chua, José Luis García-López, Oscar Novelle, Tony DeZuñiga, Romeo Tanghal, Vicente Alcazar, Danny Bulanadi, Rich Buckler, Dick Giordano and Val Mayerik
Collects: JONAH HEX #1-22 and stories from WEIRD WESTERN TALES #34-38
$16.99 U.S., 528 pages

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: TEEN TITANS VOL. 2
Writers: Mike Friedrich, Bob Haney, Neal Adams, Steve Skeates, Marv Wolfman and Robert Kanigher
Artists: Gil Kane, Neal Adams, Nick Cardy, George Tuska, Carmine Infantino, Sal Amendola, Dick Dillin, Jim Aparo, Wallace Wood and Joe Giella
Collects: TEEN TITANS #19-36, THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #83 and 94 and WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #205
$16.99 U.S., 520 pages

THE SPECTRE: TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED TP
Writer: David Lapham
Artists: Eric Battle, Tom Mandrake and Prentiss Rollins
Collects: TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED #4-8
$14.99 U.S., 128 pages

THE SPIRIT ARCHIVES VOL. 23 HC
Writer/Artist: Will Eisner
Collects: SPIRIT stories from July 1, 1951, through December 30, 1951
$49.99 U.S., 204 pages

SUPERMAN: CAMELOT FALLS VOL. 2 HC
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artists: Carlos Pacheco & Jesus Merino
Collects: SUPERMAN #662-664 and 667-668
$19.99 U.S., 128 pages

SUPERMAN: KRYPTONITE HC
Writer: Darwyn Cooke
Artist: Tim Sale
Collects: SUPERMAN CONFIDENTIAL #1-6
$24.99 U.S., 160 pages

TALES OF THE BATMAN: TIM SALE HC
Writers: Alan Grant, James Robinson and Darwyn Cooke
Artists: Tim Sale and Jimmy Palmiotti
Collects: BATMAN LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #32-34, BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #7-9 and stories from SOLO #1, SHOWCASE '94 #3-4 and BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE VOL. 2
$ 29.99 U.S., 240 pages

TALES OF THE MULTIVERSE: BATMAN - VAMPIRE TP
Writer: Doug Moench
Artists: Kelley Jones & John Beatty
Collects: BATMAN & DRACULA: RED RAIN, BATMAN: CRIMSON MIST and BATMAN: BLOODSTORM
$19.99 U.S., 296 pages

WONDER WOMAN: AMAZONS ATTACK TP
Writer: Will Pfeifer
Artist: Pete Woods
Collects: AMAZONS ATTACK #1-6
$24.99 U.S., 160 pages

VERTIGO titles scheduled to arrive in stores in December include:

HELLBLAZER: BLOODLINES TP
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artists: Will Simpson, Steve Dillon, Mike Hoffman, Mike Barreiro, Kim DeMulder and Stan Woch
Collects: HELLBLAZER #47-50, #52-55 and #59-61
$19.99 U.S., 296 pages

LOVELESS VOL. 3: BLACKWATER FALLS TP
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artists: Danijel Zezelj and Werther Dell'Edera
Collects: LOVELESS #13-20
$14.99 U.S., 192 pages

WILDSTORM titles scheduled to arrive in stores in December include:

DANGER GIRL: BODY SHOTS TP
Writer: Andy Hartnell
Artists: Nick Bradshaw & Jim Charalampidis
Collects: DANGER GIRL: BODY SHOTS #1-4
$12.99 U.S., 96 pages

WELCOME TO TRANQUILITY VOL. 1 TP
Writer: Gail Simone
Artists: Neil Googe
Collects: WELCOME TO TRANQUILITY #1-6
$19.99 U.S., 160 pages

CMX titles scheduled to arrive in stores in December include:

EMMA VOL. 6
Writer/Artist: Kaoru Mori
$9.99 U.S., 192 pages

EMPTY EMPIRE, THE VOL. 6
Writer/Artist: Naoe Kita
$9.99 U.S., 200 pages

FROM EROICA WITH LOVE VOL. 11
Writer/Artist: Yasuko Aoike
$9.99 U.S., 208 pages

GO GO HEAVEN!! VOL. 4
Writer/Artist: Keiko Yamada
$9.99 U.S., 192 pages

MOON CHILD VOL. 9
Writer/Artist: Reiko Shimizu
$9.99 U.S., 192 pages

PIECES OF A SPIRAL VOL. 10
Writer/Artist: Kaimu Tahibana
$9.99 U.S., 192 pages

TOWER OF THE FUTURE VOL. 9
Writer/Artist: Saki Hiwatari
$9.99 U.S., 192 pages

THE YOUNG MAGICIAN VOL. 10
Writer/Artist: Yuri Narushima
$9.99 U.S., 192 pages

So it's Memorial Day. Time to reflect on past wars...and past war comics. But since all the continuing war comics ceased publication over a generation ago, I figured a few of you might need a little primer on the war comics of yester-year....

With the American comics industry really kicking into full gear in 1938-39, it's understandable that WWII would pervade the consciousness of the medium. Captain America, Daredevil (no relation), and the multi-cultural pilot ensemble The Blackhawks were kicking Hitler's butt even before we had soldiers in Europe. Unfortunately, even though these books are considered classics, I suspect they might disappoint a modern reader, other than as pieces of historical interest. If you're curious check out Blackhawk Archives Vol.1 from DC, featuring early work by Will Eisner and Bob Powell, and Marvel Masterworks: Golden-Age Captain America Vol. 1 by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.

Hey kids! New Comics! Let's get right into it this week:

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #3
ASTONISHING X-MEN #21

Two Joss Whedon books on a single Wednesday. It's not even my birthday and I know that for sure because if it were my birthday I'd be going to see Die Hard IV right now. But I digress...The best X-Men comic on the market and the coolest adaption of a TV show into a comic EVER on the same day. Get to purchasing.





INCREDIBLE HULK #106
WORLD WAR HULK PROLOGUE WORLD BREAKER

Every single week that goes by makes World War Hulk seem cooler and cooler. Go out of your way to check out the prologue. The whole Planet Hulk/WWH thing sounds stupid when you try and explain it out loud - but it reads like one of the best stories in ages.

Written by Gail Simone
Art by Neil Googe

Welcome to Tranquility is a title that thus far I have enjoyed immensely. It is about a town, Tranquility, where super heroes and super villains both go to enjoy their retirements. Tranquility is also home to the heroes' families.

The first story arc of this series focuses on the murder of Mr. Articulate, a hero who in his prime was known for solving mysteries and being, well, articulate. This seems like it should be an easy murder to solve, as it happens in the middle of a crowded diner, but that is not the case. No one is sure how he was injured in the scuffle and the town's sheriff, who possesses no super powers, is hell bent on finding out who killed him.

Over drinks Saturday night, Paul Pope shared his passionate belief in the importance of quality all-ages comics, so it's no surprise that his next major work will be just such an endeavor. He's busily writing and drawing Battling Boy, to be published by First Second. He also shared his concept of graphic singles to complement graphic albums – expect to hear more about that soon. Finally, Pope confirmed that director Stephen Daldry's Kavalier and Clay movie (for which he'd been working on what would be the on-screen comics content) currently remains in development limbo.

Speaking of Paul Pope, what promised to be a terrific panel this morning, "NYCC Comics School: Form vs. Function," featuring Pope, Matt Madden and Jason Little discussing the formal dynamics of making comics with moderator Calvin Reid of Publishers Weekly Comics Week ended up being one of the (few) disappointments of an excellent con. The panel was disappointing not because it didn't live up to its promise, but because -with the sole exception of its moderator- the program organizers neglected to notify the participants that they'd even been scheduled for the panel. Reid engaged the sizeable crowd in a lively discussion for twenty-five minutes before calling the game on account of, well, no team having been fielded.

NYCC special guest Brian K. Vaughan has been kept plenty busy this weekend, participating in multiple panels each day of the show, and today was no exception. Vaughan sat in on the Wildstorm panel and, with editor Will Dennis, sat for a one hour spotlight and Q&A with the audience. Between the two appearances, Vaughan shared a wealth of information, much of which involves upcoming storylines on his signature books, and these peeks behind the creative curtain were regularly revealed employing his trademark witticisms.

It was confirmed that Y: The Last Man will conclude in January, with the "double-sized mega issue" #60. In other Y news, Vaughan's final draft screenplay was delivered to New Line Cinema a couple of months back, and he says "everyone [at New Line] likes the script ... unless they're lying to me." The screenplay is currently going out to prospective directors, which fact prompted Vaughan to remark, 'it's been upgraded from development hell to development heck."

Responding to a question from the audience regarding the germination of the concept for Y, Vaughan mentioned that he's told several fictional origin stories over the years, but that the plain truth is that he "went to an all boy's Catholic high school," and that "every nerd's third grade fantasy [is that] the cute redheaded girl would fall in love with me if only every other dude in the class dropped dead." From a dramatic standpoint, his interest was in subverting that fantasy.