DRAGON'S BREATH

The Official Newsletter of Heroes and Dragons

http://www.heroesanddragons.com

Issue # 8.12 — August 10, 2003

Now with Individual News Sections!

No doubt about it — IN THE NEWS has become the most popular feature of the new Dragon's Breath.  And when convention season rolls around, there's plenty of news reports to compile for our loyal readers.

So, to make the Dragon's Breath a little easier to navigate, we're splitting our mammoth news report into individual sections starting with this issue.  You'll be able to use the CONTENTS list to jump directly to COMICS NEWS, TOY NEWS, or this week's INTERVIEWS WORTH READING.

Comic Club Reads Blankets for September

For September, Comic Club will tackle a brand-new graphic novel almost immediately after its release — Craig Thompson's highly-anticipated Blankets!

We at H&D have been looking forward to Blankets all year, and we're delighted to share our first reading of it with the rest of the Comic Club.

Here's what Blankets publisher Top Shelf has to say:

From the author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling graphic novel Good-Bye, Chunky Rice comes Craig Thompson's all-new masterpiece. Blankets — the most anticipated graphic novel of the year — is already being regarded as the defining moment of this comix generation.

Wrapped in the landscape of a blustery Wisconsin winter, Blankets explores the sibling rivalry of two brothers growing up in the isolated country and the budding romance of two coming-of-age lovers. A tale of security and discovery, of playfulness and tragedy, of a fall from grace and the origins of faith. A profound and utterly beautiful work.

We may sell out of our initial copies, but more are guaranteed available on August 20.  Regular price is $29.95, but Comic Club members pay only $23.95.

REMEMBER:
Comic Club members save 20%
on all graphic novel purchases at H&D!

What are you waiting for?  Join the Club!

Correction: Prism Comics

We owe an apology to the folks at Prism Comics for a garbled statement we made in Dragon's Breath # 8.7.

In the original news item, we stated that Prism is a publisher and will be "launch[ing] a new line of titles" starting with Prism Comics: Your LGBT Guide to Comics.

Prism is not a publisher, but a fan and activist group dedicated to promoting the work of homosexual, bisexual, and transsexual creators and others who address themes related to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) communities.

Prism does have a single publication at present (the aforementioned LGBT Guide to Comics), but this is not the beginning of a publishing arm for the organization. For now, it's planned as an annual guide to the world of LGBT comics.

To learn more about Prism, visit their web site.

A hearty thanks to Prism Comics President Zan Christensen for pointing out the error.  We'll do better in the future, Zan!

Comics News

DC is launching a new line of titles called "Focus."  Four initial titles will start the line, about a world where superhuman powers are just surfacing.  Those first four titles will be:

• Touch by John Francis Moore and Wesley Craig

• Fraction by David Tischman and Timothy Green

• Kenetic by Kelley Puckett and Warren Pleece

• Hard Time by Steve Gerber and Brian Hurtt

more on Focus

Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, and Adam Kubert will work together on the new Ultimate title, Ultimate Fantastic Four.  David Mack will take over the writing on Ultimate X-Men when Bendis's run is over.  The Ultimates will get a new # 1 (but will keep the same creative team of Millar and Hitch) following issue # 13.  more

Paul Jenkins, who wrote last summer's Origin mini-series, will also write Wolverine: The End.  more

Ron Marz and George Pérez will craft a mini-series called The War for CrossGen.  While not billed as a crossover, the mini-series promises to include characters from all across the universe of CrossGen.  more

Beginning in October, Future Comics will suspend publication of all their monthly titles.  This doesn't mean the end for Freemind, Metallix, Deathmask, and Peacekeeper, though — the titles will continue as original graphic novels.  more

Ivan Reis will be the artist on Chuck Austen's run of Action Comics.  Matthew Clark and Nelson DeCastro will take over Adventures of Superman with new writer Greg Rucka.  more

Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo will shed new light on Superman's archnemesis in the 6-issue mini-series Man of Steel: Lex Luthor.  more

Look for two new 6-issue mini-series series featuring The Question and Vigilante!  As previously speculated, The Question will be written by Rick Veitch with art by Tommy Lee Edwards.  Vigilante will be handled by writer Micah Wright and artist Carlos D'Anda.  more

See INTERVIEWS WORTH READING for comments from both Rick Veitch and Micah Wright.

Steven Seagle's Vertigo Superman project It's a Bird follows the trials of a screenwriter as he tries to adapt Superman's adventures for the big screen.  Vertigo's Will Dennis cited the movie Adaptation in describing the story.  more

Apparently Marvel Comics is migrating toward "full-script" writing and away from the "Marvel style" of plotting and scripting invented by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.  more

Some of America's Best Comics will continue after Alan Moore's departure as guiding light for the line.  DC already has plans for Tom Strong and Top Ten with different writers (apparently with Moore's blessing).  Moore will continue writing League of Extraordinary Gentlemen for the forseeable future, with Volume Three already in the planning stages.  more

Peter Bagge will do another Marvel one-shot in the same vein as The Megalomaniacal Spider-Man — this time featuring the Hulk.  more

DC has postponed the Teen Titans Swingin' Elseworlds Special.  According to artist Jay Stephens, the one-shot has been outright cancelled.  Seems a bit odd, considering how many people wish they'd gotten their hands on the pulped Elseworlds Special from a few years ago ....  more

Chuck Austen will take over The Avengers with Scott Kolins and Olivier Coipel, beginning with issue # 77.  more

Tony Salmons plans to write and draw a three-part Avengers mini-series for Epic.  more

Look for Carnage to show up in Ultimate Spider-Man.  more

Howard Chaykin will write and draw a 6-issue Challengers of the Unknown mini-series.  The series will introduce an all-new three-person Challs team and will not be set in the DC Universe.  more

George Romero and Richard Corben will kick off a new ongoing horror anthology for DC entitled Toe Tags.  Romero and Corben will write and draw the first six issues of the new series, then another team will begin the second storyline.  more 

The Punisher will become darker and more serious after the conclusion of Born.  With Garth Ennis back at the helm, the book is becoming a Marvel MAX title.  more

Fans of Scott Lang in Alias, take note:  Daniel Way and Clayton Crain will produce a new Ant-Man series for Marvel MAX.  more

Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris will produce a new series for WildStorm about a super-hero who runs for mayor of New York City.  The series is called Ex Machina.  more

Image will release Sword of Dracula # 1, Walking Dead # 1, and Something Wicked # 1 in October to celebrate Halloween.  more

DC has announced four new additions to their Archives series:  Sgt. Rock Archives Volume 2, Supergirl Archives Volume 2, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents Archives Volume 3, and The Spirit Archives Volume 12.  more

DC also announced plans for fall trade paperbacks.  Softcover editions are on the way for Batman: Child of Dreams, The Sandman: The Furies, and Green Lantern: Willworld.  more

CrossGen hinted at plans for a role-playing game and collectible card game based on their comics, along with new hints about their line of MageKnight-scale "toy soldiers."  more 

CrossGen's comics on DVD will now be called "DVCs," or Digital Video Comics.  The collections will cost less than $10 (MSRP) and be targeted toward mass-market outlets such as Wal-Mart.  more

The fourth volume of the Marvel Encyclopedia series will be the Spider-Man Encyclopedia.  more

Joe Kelly and Doug Mahnke's JLA spin-off, Justice League Elite, will involve a team led by Manchester Black's sister.  more

TokyoPop is adding titles to its fledgling manga line like wildfire.  This week's new title announcements include DNAngel, The Candidate for Goddess, One, Girl Got Game, and Mink.  more

DC will publish Michael Turner's Aspen Comics line, starting with Fathom, Soulfire, and Ekos.  more

Echo will return in David Mack's upcoming run on Daredevil — and Kabuki will return in The Alchemy from Image Comics.  more 

Paul Chadwick will illustrate two issues of Y—The Last Man dealing with how art and literature change in a world without men.  more

Scion # 39 will be told in a style reminiscent of Hal Foster's Prince Valiant.  more

Rick Spears and Rob G (of Teenagers from Mars) will contribute a new back-up series to Detective Comics.  Move over, GCPD — "Dogcatcher" will tell the story of the Gotham City Animal Control Department!  more

Shooting Star is actively recruiting new talent.  more

Meanwhile, Dark Horse is launching "Strip Search II" to discover new creators.  more

CrossGen announced the latest version of their revised shipping schedule, taking into account misprints and unavoidable disasters that have made several books run late recently.  more

More Exclusive Contracts

Phil Jimenez has signed a 3-year exclusive deal with DC.  He will write and draw a 12-issue series called Otherworld for Vertigo.  more

J. Scott Campbell has signed a 2-1/2 to 3-year exclusive contract with DC.  more

Someone has finally signed an exclusive deal with Marvel this summer!  X-Treme X-Men and Uncanny X-Men artist Salvador Larocca is exclusive with Marvel for the next four years!  more

Media News

Universal Home Video will release a 6-DVD set from the Incredible Hulk TV show (starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno) in October.  more

The Hellboy motion picture's release date has been moved up to April 2, 2004.  more

Attendance at this year's Comic-Con International in San Diego set new records.  more

Toy News

DC Direct clarified the shipping schedule for their upcoming toy releases — and also announced a wave of action figures based on the Jeph Loeb/Jim Lee "Hush" story in Batman.  The first wave of "Hush" figures will include Batman, Poison Ivy, Huntress, the Joker, and Hush himself.  more

more great coverage, with photos!

Diamond honcho Steve Geppi has purchased the original 12" G.I. Joe prototype that failed to sell in a recent Heritage auction.  Geppi paid $200,000 for the doll.  more

Awards News

The Small Press Expo (SPX) has announced this year's candidates for the Ignatz Awards.  The Awards ceremony will be held Sunday, September 7 at SPX 2003.  more

Legal News

The U.S. Supreme Court has denied an appeal from Texas retailer Jesus Castillo, who was convicted in 2000 of selling adult material in a comics shop directly across the street from an elementary school.  According to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund web site, the state prosector closed by saying, "I don’t care what type of evidence or what type of testimony is out there ... [c]omic books, traditionally what we think of, are for kids."  more

Responses to the Supreme Court Decision:

• Jesus Castillo talks about his obscenity conviction.

• CBLDF Director Charles Brownstein comments.

• Various comics creators respond to the decision.

CGC News

The new Overstreet's Comic Price Review magazine will only feature entries for CGC-graded books.  more

CGC updated their online census on July 30.  more

Oh, and here's what the new "Certified" label from CGC will look like:

Click for a Larger View

Interviews Worth Reading

• Chuck Austen on Nightcrawler's origin (with some fun comments from Nightcrawler creator Dave Cockrum)

• Epic editor Stephanie Moore on the first accepted submissions to Marvel's new line

• Rick Veitch on The Question and The One

• Micah Wright on the new Vigilante

• Mark Millar previews his upcoming "Millarworld" titles

• Brian Michael Bendis on the transition from Alias to The Pulse

• Kurt Busiek on Marvels: Eye of the Camera

• Mark Waid talks to Gail Simone about Superman: Birthright

• Chynna Clugston-Major on Scooter Girl

• J. Michael Straczynski on Supreme Power

• Bradley Kayl and Jet Anderson (of Team Red Star) on Assassin

• Jeff Johnson on Way of the Rat

Coming Events

Site to See

This week's Site to See is Dave's Dukes of Hazzard web site, a.k.a. Dukes Online:

Did you know there's talk about a Dukes of Hazzard feature film?!  For the full story, check out this article from The Scoop.

Question of the Week

... will remain on hiatus until we've caught up on your previous suggestions.

Thanks for all your great input, and feel free to send us any suggestions using this form.

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