SDCC ‘07: BRIAN LYNCH ON ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL – NEWSARAMA

SDCC ‘07: BRIAN LYNCH ON ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL – NEWSARAMA

SDCC ‘07: BRIAN LYNCH ON ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL

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by Troy Brownfield

It’s been a hope of many fans of the Buffyverse ever since “Buffy Season 8” kicked off, and now that hope is finally realized. Angel gets to continue fictional life (or is that undeath?) in comic form at IDW with Angel: After the Fall.
The man tapped for the writing chores by creator Joss Whedon himself
will already be familiar to fans of Angel-related comics: he’s Brian
Lynch, the writer of Spike: Asylum and Spike: Shadow Puppets.
We’ve spoken to Lynch, and he delivers as much as he can from behind
the cloak of secrecy (and pesky Wolfram and Hart contracts).

Newsarama: You’ll be working on Angel: After the Fall; how did you get involved with the project?

Brian Lynch: I wrote a comic called Spike: Asylum, based on a character from Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel
named, of course, Asylum. Literally the day before issue 1 came out I
ran into Joss at breakfast and told him what a huge fan I was and told
him that the comic book was coming out. He said he’d check it out, and
hurried away before his people tackled me and made me sign certain
documents saying I would never come within fifty yards of him again.

A few weeks went by and IDW Editor in Chief Christopher “Chris” Ryall
sent an e-mail telling me to call him and I did and Chris proceeded to
read this very complementary, somewhat life-changing e-mail from Mr.
Whedon saying that he enjoyed Spike: Asylum and thinks that maybe the time is right to officially continue the Angel story and that I would be the guy to write it.

We traded e-mails back and forth for a while and eventually met up for
breakfast and he told me all his ideas and I told him the one I had
(“Angel should fight monsters!”) and then I put some of the ideas to
paper, slowly the story’s spine started to form, I’d send him an e-mail
with more ideas, he’d send an e-mail back with even better ideas, it
slowly but surely became the greatest story of all time and he was all “this is neat” and here we are.

NRAMA: With the involvement of Joss Whedon, this is the canoncial follow-up to the five seasons of the television series, right?

BL: Yes, it certainly is. Everything that happens in these pages
officially happens to these characters. It’s pretty exciting and kind
of daunting. But the script for issue 1 is ready and the first five or
six issues or so are very tightly planned out and I must say, it’s a
fine continuation. I think people will be pleased. And shocked. And
hurt. And then pleased again. But a little hurt. But mostly excited.
And a little sleepy. Because man, they stayed up too late last night.

NRAMA: Can you tell us anything at all about the plot basics or characters involved?

BL: Spike definitely enters into the story. But I must say, I’m
writing who or what the story needs. It’s not about favorites at all,
it’s about telling the best story we can.

And certain characters are surprising me. There is a character in the
first issue that I never really “bonded” with on the show. Joss had a
wonderful idea for said character in the book, so he-or-she is in the
first issue, setting up his-or-her (Good Lord this is annoying, sorry)
story, and it was kind of a revelation as to how cool this character
really is.

I e-mailed Chris and Joss last week and told them “I just wrote
character X, and I was shocked by how much fun he-or-she was to write.”
I told Ryall I wanted to give them a spin-off. continued…

Newsarama’s Comic-Con International ‘07 coverage is brought to you by Witchblade – The Anime Series. Available on DVD September 25th. Click here to view trailer.

NRAMA: Who’s handling the art and cover chores for the series?

BL: I’ve decided I’m going to tackle it. Little stick figures with teeny tiny little stakes.

Actually, myself, Mr. Ryall and Mr. Whedon all wanted one man, Franco
Urru. I have already worked on 9 issues with him (between SPIKE: ASYLUM and SPIKE:SHADOW PUPPETS) and each time he surprises me.

And I can’t wait to see his take on all the other ANGEL characters. So far I’ve only see a quick appearance of Angel, Wes and Illyria in SPIKE:SHADOW PUPPETS #2,
and they weren’t really Angel and company, they were all in Spike’s
version of them. Angel was dashing and young and high school jockish,
Wesley was kinda nebbish and Illyria was…playing in the background.
He’s gonna blow people away and if I could I would clone him so we
could do ninety different projects together at once.

As for the cover artist, he’s so great a mere mortal such as myself cannot even type his name, I am not worthy (Editor’s Note: We’ll do it: Tony Harris). Just know I’ve been a fan of his for a really long time and the fact that he’s providing the covers is such an honor.

Actually this whole experience is one big honor after another. Having
Joss Whedon e-mail me and say he liked me stuff was amazing in and of
itself, having him ask me to continue my favorite show of all time?
That’s pretty shocking. And the cover artist…it’s more than I deserve.

NRAMA: Speaking at Wizard World Chicago a few years back, Whedon insisted that the ending of Angel
Season 5 was not a cliffhanger; rather it was an invocation of the
theme that the good fight never really ends. How much of that notion
plays out in the theme of the new series?

BL: That’s a huge part of the series. Angel and his friends took
a stand because he thought it was the right thing to do. They fought
the good fight even though they were probably going to lose, even
though they were facing insurmountable odds. But that’s the thing about
insurmountable odds…surmounting them can be quite a bitch. The series
begins to tackle the fall-out of Angel’s stand, and what it cost
everyone near, around, and close to him.

And there’s monsters. And much saving of days.

NRAMA: Chris Ryall at the IDW panel said that this is a “12 issue-plus” series – how does that work?

BL: It’s one long story told over the span of many, many months.
I think it will be an ongoing, but there are scheduled breaks for the
main series (only a month or two, tops) after an arc of the story
concludes.

What we have planned during those breaks, however, is
pretty amazing. Once this series begins, readers won’t be without the
characters for a while. Angel is definitely back.

NRAMA: If no one has ever seen the show or read an Angel comic before, what are they missing?

BL: What I love most about the show is it’s a big epic
good-vs-evil adventure, but it’s told in a way that’s highly personal.
The action is great and mythology is staggeringly thought-out and
impressive, but strip all that away and it’s a very tightly
constructed, pitch-perfect character story. Actually, it’s five or six
character stories, as each lead in ANGEL has so much going on they
could carry their own series.

And on top of all that, it’s funny as hell.

Also, if someone doesn’t watch or read Angel, they’re missing out on Lorne, I’d say. Demon lounge singer? Where else are you going to find that? Does Heroes have a demon lounge singer? No way. Does The Walking Dead have a demon lounge singer? Not hardly. Someday, hopefully. And then some crazy lady will pluck out his eye with a spoon.

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CCI: WARNER ANIMATION PART ONE — LEGION OF SUPER HEROES – Comic Book Resources

Comic Book Resources – CBR News – The Comic Reel

CCI: WARNER ANIMATION PART ONE — LEGION OF SUPER HEROES

by Hannibal Tabu, Staff Writer

Posted: July 28, 2007 — More From This Author

Warner Brothers animation had a lot to show on Friday at Comic-con,
with clips from new seasons of both the Emmy-winning “The Batman” and a
revamped “Legion of Super Heroes,” all moderated by TV Guide’s Rich
Sands. This article is part one of that reporting.

Starting with the
Legion, Sands introduced producer James Tucker, directors Brandon
Vietti and Michael Goguen, as well as voice actors Yuri Lowenthal
(Superman), Phil Morris (new villain Imperiex) and Alexander Polinsky,
who will be playing Chameleon Boy.

Things look a little
different than last season, leading some fans to wonder, “what gives?”
“The great thing about the Legion is every so often they do a reboot,”
Tucker said. “Going into the second season, the mandate was to up the
ante. Season one was the Silver Age version of the legion. Season two
we wanted to make it the Bronze Age, things happen that are a lot more
exciting and dangerous. The show’s got a lot more hard hitting action.
It’s darker visually, and the plots are more adult, but not adult
skewing. It’s a lot more exciting of a show.”

“This season starts a
year and a half to two years after the last season ended,” Tucker said.
“They’re closer to 17-18ish now. There’s stuff that’s happened between
seasons. I think it’ll be easy for fans to catch on.”

Wait, there’s a clone
Superman now? Lowenthal gets two checks? “I’m just happy to be playing
both,” Lowenthal said, confiding that, “in one episode I play three.
The big difference is the one you’re more used to has a sense of humor,
and the one that you’re not used to doesn’t have a sense of humor, and
that makes him even funnier. It puts him at odds with the rest of the
group.”

“The difference between the two characters is that the newer one is more Conanish,” Vietti offered.

“There’s a little bit
of Mon-El in him,” Tucker said, “and a little bit of a character i
can’t name, but you recognize the color scheme.” That seems to imply
possibly the late Kon-El, who also had some super-clone issues.

Phil Morris is now the
voice of Imperiex, who will be the overarching threat to the Legion and
the galaxy this season. “In the comics he kind of sucked, to be
honest,” Tucker said. ” We needed a villain who we could do anything
with, who didn’t have baggage like Darkseid, and a guy who had some
heft to him. We picked somebody the fans wouldn’t be too mad if we
tweaked, and somebody we could develop. He’s way cooler in the show.
You’ll grow to appreciate him as a villain in his own right.”

“Imperiex was really
kind of a watered down entity in the original version of Legion,”
Morris said, “and here he is an intergalactic threat par excellence.
He’s got style, he’s got flair, he’s ultimate evil. James was like ‘can
you make him ten times more savage!’ The more you make him evil, the
better the heroes look. Imperiex is such a bad cat that you don’t know
if osmebody’s gonna get killed this episode, or if he’s gonna achieve
whatever goal he’s after. I know you’re gonna hate him!” Morris then
let out a crazed cackle, super villain style.

Lowenthal wasn’t so
convinced. “He’d be all evil on the takes,” the actor said, “and
between he’s like ‘oh, I’m on ‘Legion of Superheroes!’ He’s such a
geek!”

Chameleon Boy is
joining the show as a regular character. “He’s there because his dad
kind of funds the Legion,” Tucker admitted.

“We wanted to bring
another thing of comic relief,” Goguen said, “which is what Alex brings
to the character. He’s still a serious super hero, and he can still
kick ass.”

“We described him as Eddie Haskell as a shapeshifter,” Tucker offered, or Danny Bonaduce on ‘The Partridge Family.’”

Polinsky said, “He likes to get in trouble, and he’s a smack talker, I love him, he’s a great character.”

As for what other
Legionnaires we can expect to see, the panel noted Karate Kid, a return
for Matter-Eater Lad (also voiced by Polinsky), Dream Girl, Computo,
Nemesis Kid, Dawnstar and Invisible Kid. “He’s in every episode,”
Tucker quipped. The Legion of Substitute Heroes could be seen in
cameos, “and Tyroc rocks.”

As for dream LSH
stories to adapt, Tucker would go for Earthwar or the Heroes of Lallor,
saying that to do The Great Darkness would need more time and more than
a network show could handle. “Maybe on a DVD, so put your votes in.”

“The thing about ‘Legion’ is that there’s a ridiculous amount of characters,” Goguen said.

The new season premieres September 25th on the Kids WB.

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MARK WAID NAMED BOOM! STUDIOS EDITOR-in-CHIEF – NEWSARAMA

Ok, I have no idea what this means for his DC work.  I guess we will just have to see.

MARK WAID NAMED BOOM! STUDIOS EDITOR-in-CHIEF – NEWSARAMA

MARK WAID NAMED BOOM! STUDIOS EDITOR-in-CHIEF

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by JK Parkin

BOOM! Studios announced in San Diego that effective Aug. 1, Mark Waid
will join BOOM! as Editor-in-Chief. Waid will fill the position in the
company previously held informally by publisher and co-owner, Ross
Richie. Prior to joining BOOM!, Waid was under exclusive contract to DC
Comics.

Chief among Waid’s duties will be to institute a “steady hand at a
company that has seen explosive growth”, according to the publisher.
Day-to-day, he will “oversee the creation of all the BOOM! titles, work
with established and non-established talent on new properties designed
to ignite the medium’s boundaries, and shepherd BOOM!’s exciting slate
of licensed properties.”

While most recently in the spotlight as part of the writing team that wrote DC’s 52,
Waid began his career as an editor. Waid’s editorial accomplishments
include Grant Morrison’s run on DOOM PATROL, LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES,
SECRET ORIGINS, and a host of one-shot titles. Waid has written stories
for every major comics publisher, including stints on DC Comics’ THE
FLASH and Legion of Super Heroes, plus Marvel Comics’ CAPTAIN AMERICA
and FANTASTIC FOUR. Waid and Alex Ross’ seminal graphic novel, KINGDOM
COME, is one of the best-selling graphic novels of all time.

Below is BOOM!’s full press release…

More information on the BOOM!, as well as ZOOM!, their new kid’s line, is forthcoming in a complete panel report, so stay tuned.

Press Release

Writer of DC’s 52 and KINGDOM COME to Make His Kingdom at BOOM!

July 27th, 2007

San Diego Comic-Con – In a surprise announcement that rocked the
comic-book world, BOOM! Studios revealed that fan-favorite scribe Mark
Waid will become BOOM!’s Editor-in-Chief effective August 1st, 2007.
Waid will fill a key position in the company previously held informally
by Publisher and co-owner, Ross Richie.

“BOOM! Studios is the next generation comic book company. They are
doing innovative work of astounding quality,” Waid says. “Co-owners
Ross Richie and Andy Cosby have an incredible vision for the future of
the industry and the company, and they approached me to partner with
them to realize that vision. ‘Here’s a comic-book company,’ says Ross.
‘Go run it, and run it your way.’ It’s an unbelievable offer.”

“Mark is as close to the Leonardo DaVinci of comics as you can get.
There’s nothing he hasn’t done. The man can write. The man can edit. He
designs characters, he can do production and layout, I’ve gotten files
on his books back with the colors Photoshop-corrected by the man
himself. He knows comics inside and out. And he is just an
honest-to-goodness genuine human being who loves this medium and got
taught all the right lessons by the heroes he grew up reading. His
standing in the comics community speaks for itself,” said BOOM!
Publisher and co-owner Ross Richie. “Mark is at the top of his game and
we look forward to him taking BOOM! into the stratosphere.”

Chief among Waid’s duties will be to institute a steady hand at a
company that has seen explosive growth. Day-to-day, he will oversee the
creation of all the BOOM! titles, work with established and
non-established talent on new properties designed to ignite the
medium’s boundaries, and shepherd BOOM!’s exciting slate of licensed
properties.

“BOOM!’s exploded – quite literally — in the last two years. Mark’s
two decades of experience will help us bring our A-game to the fans,”
co-owner Andrew Cosby said.

Waid’s relationship with BOOM! grew organically given his involvement with the company since its inception two years ago.

“Back when BOOM! started as four guys in a barn, they corralled me into
writing for their first comic, ZOMBIE TALES, and the experience was
terrific. They earned my trust, so I brought them my new creation,
POTTER’S FIELD with artist Paul Azaceta. That led to the E-I-C offer.
Working with Ross and Andy and all their little office Boomlets has
been a pleasure,” Waid said.

Fans who enjoy Waid’s mainstream superhero series such as FLASH or
BRAVE AND BOLD need not fret; the award-winning writer has no plans to
abandon his outside commitments, but BOOM! will serve as the home for
his upcoming–and numerous–creator-owned projects.

While most recently in the spotlight as part of the writing team that
spawned DC’s sales mammoth 52 which Waid wrote on a weekly basis along
with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Geoff Johns, Waid began his career
as an editor. Waid’s editorial accomplishments include Morrison’s run
on DOOM PATROL, LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES, SECRET ORIGINS, and a host of
one-shot titles. Waid has written stories for every major comics
publisher, including well-loved stints on DC Comics’ THE FLASH and
Marvel Comics’ CAPTAIN AMERICA and FANTASTIC FOUR. Waid and Alex Ross’
seminal graphic novel, KINGDOM COME, is one of the best-selling graphic
novels of all time.

The relationship with Waid solidifies BOOM! as a leader in the
industry, particularly on the heels of Thursday’s announcement
regarding the acquisition of THE GODFATHER license. THE GODFATHER will
be one of the many titles Waid will oversee in his new position when it
launches Winter 2007.

BOOM! has gone through a growth spurt like no other publisher this past
year. At the 2007 Book Expo in New York, BOOM! announced their new mass
market book distribution deal via Perseus, a unique relationship for a
comic book publisher that positions BOOM! with one of the market
leaders to book retailers. Perseus just recently acquired Publisher’s
Group West and continues to grow and expand its reach into the mass
market.
By the end of this summer, BOOM! will be offering a line of trade
paperback graphic novels collecting their popular series, including
TALENT, HERO SQUARED, TAG, DEATH VALLEY, and X ISLE.

In the last twelve months, BOOM! has sold three of its comic book
series to Hollywood: THE FOUNDATION was just bought in a preemptive
pre-publication bid by Paramount Pictures, while Universal Studios
bought TALENT and TAG last year.

Last December’s launch of WARHAMMER 40,000: DAMNATION CRUSADE initiated
a new, successful series of comic books and graphic novels followed up
by the summer’s launch of WARHAMMER: FORGE OF WAR. BOOM! enjoys the
unique position of being one of only four licensors of Games Workshop
material, and will continue to grow and expand its line of WARHAMMER
40,000 and WARHAMMER series.

Following on the heels of its success with these comics, BOOM!
announced a comic book and graphic novels license with Epic Games’
mega-selling GEARS OF WAR video game. This fall will see a huge launch
for this exciting new property.

Prior to joining BOOM!, Waid was under exclusive contract to DC Comics.

ABOUT BOOM! STUDIOS

Winner of Wizard Magazine’s “Best New Publisher,” BOOM! Studios is a
unique new publishing house specializing in high profile projects from
some of the industry’s biggest talents. Founded by the creator of the
TV show EUREKA, Andrew Cosby, and his partner Ross Richie, BOOM!
Studios continues to be on the leading edge of comic and graphic novel
publishing.

BOOM! Studios co-founder Andrew Cosby’s television series, EUREKA, just
started its second season at the Sci-Fi Channel on July 10th, launching
to impressive ratings and winning several key demographics on basic
cable. EUREKA is the highest-rated series in the network’s history.

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The NYT’s speaks with Darwyn Cooke about the direct-to-DVD film “Justice League: The New Frontier”

I would have to say that The New Frontier has to be one of the best comics in the last four or five years.  I just got the Absolute Edition recently, and I read it again three times!

DC Comics

The NYT’s speaks with Darwyn Cooke about the direct-to-DVD film “Justice League: The New Frontier”
July 23, 2007

Epic Comic Book Miniseries Is Animated for DVD

By GEORGE GENE GUSTINES

“The New Frontier,” an epic comic book story that follows Superman
and other heroes of the DC Universe from the end of World War II
through the cold war, will soon be seen in a new incarnation: a
70-minute animated film.

The saga, which began as a six-issue series in 2004, has been
published in one hardcover and two softcover collections and has
inspired a line of action figures. Next week those attending the 38th
annual Comic-Con International in San Diego will get a preview of
“Justice League: The New Frontier,” a direct-to-DVD animated film from
Warner Home Video due out in February.

“The New Frontier” would be one of the first three adult-oriented
DC projects to be given the straight-to-DVD treatment and will sit
alongside similar full-length adventures of “Superman” and “Batman”;
DVD collections of the animated television series “Superfriends,”
“Justice League” and “Batman Beyond,” among others, have been popular
with fans. “I was kind of floored by the call and the fact that this
was being done,” said Darwyn Cooke, 45, the writer and artist behind
the comic. The news came from Gregory Noveck, the senior vice president
of creative affairs at DC Comics, a unit of Time Warner. The company
wanted to produce a series of direct-to-DVD animated films that would,
unlike its previous efforts, more closely follow the source material.

For Mr. Cooke, who was a storyboard artist on the WB network’s
“Batman” and “Superman” animated series of the 1990s, working on the
film version of “The New Frontier” was like coming home. “Having worked
down there in the studio and been involved in similar projects, I
couldn’t help being excited and moderately terrified,” he said during a
telephone interview. “Experience in the industry informs you of the
millions of ways things can go wrong. All of a sudden, it’s your baby.”

Read the rest here!

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Make your own Green Lantern ring!

I already have one of these (if i could just get a damn battery!!), but for the rest of you…

‘Beware my power … Green Lantern’s light!’

Monday July 23, 2007, 7:53 am

Are you itching for your own Green Lantern replica ring, but unwilling to shell out $90 for it? Well, itch no more. The good folks at Instructables provide a step-by-step explanation of how to make a resin-cast Green Lantern ring — including a glow-in-the-dark version.

(Via Neatorama)

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The Scoop – Mondo Media: Transformers Grabs Over $152 M in First Week

Mondo Media: Transformers Grabs Over $152 M in First Week

Transformers Grabs Over $152 M in First Week

Mondo Media, Scoop, Friday, July 13, 2007

When Transformers opened last Monday night, July 2, we’re sure people
expected it to be a hit–but we wonder how many people could’ve guessed the
franchise, which first rose to prominence over 20 years ago, would debut with
$67.6 million in ticket sales in its first weekend, wrapping up an incredible
week that totalled $152.5 million since the Monday night previews!

If you haven’t seen the film already, check out its official website for
showtimes, trailers, and more: http://www.transformersmovie.com.

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The Scoop – Industry News: The Hopalong Cassidy Renaissance

One of my Dad’s favorites

Industry News: The Hopalong Cassidy Renaissance

The Hopalong Cassidy Renaissance

Industry News, Scoop, Friday, July 13, 2007

Hopalong Cassidy seems to be experiencing quite the revival this year–with
noteworthy collectible sales, an upcoming DVD boxed set release, and Gemstone
Publishing’s forthcoming book, Hopalong Cassidy: An American Legend.

In the past few months, an official Hopalong Cassidy holster set by All
Metal Products CO. sold in very fine condition for $1,544.56, and a Hopalong
Cassidy pocketwatch by U.S. Time, boxed and in near mint condition sold for
$2,625.37.

Infinity Entertainment will release Hopalong Cassidy: The Complete
Television Collection on August 7. The twelve-disc set will contain all 52
classic episodes along with ten bonus films starring Bill Boyd. Also included is
the Public Hero #1 documentary from Starz Encore’s Western Channel,
featuring Hoppy’s widow Grace Bradley Boyd, actor Dennis Weaver and film
critic/historian Leonard Maltin. The set will retail for $79.98.

Gemstone is still seeking photographs of childhood Hoppy fans for its
comprehensive book, Hopalong Cassidy: An American Legend, primarily authored by
Grace Boyd. Send your photos to russ@russcochran.com for
publishing consideration.

Click the images for a close-up view (when available)

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MELTDOWN: READYING THE TRADE – NEWSARAMA

One of my favorite books this year, a must read!!

MELTDOWN: READYING THE TRADE – NEWSARAMA

MELTDOWN: READYING THE TRADE

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by Ryan McLelland

Image Comics Meltdown was one of the best books of the year. Period.
Writer David Schwartz and artist Sean Wang introduced us to Cal – a
superhero who has just found out that his powers are killing him.
Months ago I had said about that book, “Not since Kurt Busiek’s Astro City has a comic brought so much impact into the comic book world and Meltdown
never aims to please – it just hits you with raw emotion and an
unyielding realism that will force comic book readers to look up en
masse. The unyielding power of Meltdown leaves the reader thirsting for more…a solid 6 star comic in a 5 star world.”

Meltdown was released and it not only lived up to the
expectations, it surpassed them, which is surprising, given its rather
unique story. As I wrote last October:

The story of Cal, short for Caliente (the Spanish word for hot and a
nod to Cal’s fire superpowers), is told in two parts. In the present
Cal has been labeled as a madman as, with his death sentence already
handed to him, he decides to go after all the supervillians he’s fought
and try to take them down for good. No more handing over to the police,
no more prisoners, he’s a man on a mission and his latest is his arch
nemesis Maelstrom. However, being his arch nemesis, Maelstrom is no
easy push over and their fight, starting in his Maelstrom’s lush
office, lands on the street where pedestrians can only watch as the two
superpowered humans unleash havoc on themselves in what should be the
final battle if not for both of them, at least for one.

Since the series was released I’ve read the duo prestige-format issues
perhaps a dozen times and couldn’t wait until the trade was released.

The wait is over. The Meltdown TPB hits comic book stores
on July 5th – hitting bookstores, Amazon, and other online retailers in
August. Guess it’s good to buy your books at the comic store, huh?

I sat down once again with the brilliant David Schwartz to find out what’s new and exciting in the Meltdown TPB.

“We wanted to give the direct market a special exclusive advance window
as a way of thanking them for all the support they’ve shown to Meltdown,”
Schwartz said. “After all, comic shops are the lifeblood of our
industry, and we wanted to do our (admittedly small) part to pitch in
and show our appreciation.”

I asked David to look back on Meltdown and ponder if the
series held up from his original vision to what we actually got on
shelves. “While I’m never 100% satisfied with my work, Sean (Wang) and
I really labored over page, every detail, and I’m really incredibly
pleased with how it all turned out,” replied Schwartz. “Yes, Meltdown
has definitely changed tremendously over the course of it’s gestation,
in both large and small ways, but I think those changes were all for
the better.”

He continued, “In fact, one of the things I’m most excited about in the
TPB is that we’ve got a pretty extensive Creators Commentary section in
the book, where we walk through the series, discussing the choices that
went into each page, and offering up deleted scenes, alternate endings,
and more surprises along the way. So, readers will be able to see some
of the other courses we considered along the way, and to judge for
themselves whether we made the right creative choices.”

I knew that I went nuts for the series as did many critics so I asked Schwartz his thoughts on the reaction to the book.

“I’ve been really blown away by the reaction to the series,” he
answered. “We sent out review copies very early on; literally months
before the first issue hit the stands. It was a risky gamble, because
if the early reviews were negative it would’ve killed our all-important
first-week sales. So, I was incredibly relieved when the reviews were
all so overwhelmingly positive. I had to double-check to make sure that
they were actually talking about our Meltdown and not just doing a retrospective on Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown.”

“But, while the reviews have certainly been wonderful, what’s really
thrilled me the most are the e-mails we’ve gotten from readers and the
reader reactions we’ve gotten at signings. I’ve really been touched by
the fans explaining how much Meltdown
has mattered to them, how much it’s affected them, and how it’s
inspired them to make positive changes in their lives. Of course, it
puts a ton of pressure on my next project, but that’s a great kind of
pressure to have!”

While the Meltdown series was the ending point for the main character I asked Schwartz if there would be a return to the Meltdown
world to see the earlier adventures of Cal. “We’ve gotten a LOT of
requests from readers for a return… and it’s something I’m seriously
considering,” Schwartz said. “I’m not sure yet whether it would focus
on Cal’s early days, or on some of the other characters we’ve
introduced, but it’s definitely something I’d be interested in
exploring.

Luckily there are plenty of new additions in the TPB to whet everyone’s
appetite. I asked Schwartz what we could expect and he replied, “We
really wanted to make this TPB a spectacular package, the comic book
equivalent of a movie’s platinum edition DVD release. Sean and I are
both big fans of “behind the scenes” bonus materials, and we made a
very conscious decision to give as thorough a look behind the scenes as
we possibly could.”

“So, we’ve got lots of great behind the scenes stuff, like pages ripped
from Sean’s sketchbook, showing the initial series design work. A very
cool, rare look at Chris Bachalo’s process, with his thumbnail, pencils
and inks for our issue 1 cover. (We have) a look behind the scenes of
Greg Horn’s process as well, as we get to see one of his original
penciled cover concepts for the series

“(There’s) the afore-mentioned Creators Commentary section, which is
similar to a DVD commentary track. I love those on DVDs, but I don’t
recall ever seeing anything similar in the comics world, so we’re
pretty interested to see what readers think. And, we’ve got a pretty
widely varied array of cool pin-ups from very talented folks like Josh
Howard (Dead @ 17), Micah Gunnell (Soulfire), Dan Hipp (The Amazing Joy Buzzards), Mark Haven Britt (Full Color), Robbi Rodriguez (Hero Camp), and Joelle Jones (12 Reasons Why I Love Here).
They’re all indie comics artists, and I’m very proud that we’re able to
include so many of our fellow indie comic creators in the TPB.”

There’s also an introduction by some guy named Robert Kirkman. “As far
as Kirkman goes, he’s one of my favorite writers out there. Invincible
is a tremendous amount of fun, and The Walking Dead is positively chilling. So, we were completely geeked to hear that he loved Meltdown
and was interested in writing our foreword for the book. He wrote a
great, and very funny, intro to the book, offering us many more
compliments than we probably deserved.”

If you missed Meltdown the first time now is the best chance to pick up the best series of 2006-2007 when the Meltdown TPB hits comic stores this week.

Click here for a 20 page preview from the first issue of Meltdown.

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Newsarama – BATMAN’S NEW OUTSIDERS REVEALED?

All hell, I liked things the way they were.

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