DC Universe: The Source » Blog Archive » Welcome to SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE

This looks interesting, but I am not really wowed.  Do I have JMS burnout?

DC Universe: The Source » Blog Archive » Welcome to SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

By Alex Segura

This October, writer J. Michael Straczynski (Superman, Wonder Woman, Babylon 5, “Changeling”) and artist Shane Davis (Green Lantern, Superman/Batman) will take readers on a journey both familiar and new – a story of a last son looking for meaning amidst the skyscrapers and teeming crowds of a great metropolis.

This is a Superman for the 21st century.

With SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE, Straczynski and Davis inject the folk tale and legend that is Superman’s origin with a modern, vital and forward-looking energy that makes for a refreshing, epic and challenging super-hero adventure.

In SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE – the first original graphic novel retelling Superman’s origin — Clark Kent is a man looking for meaning in a new city and an age of failing newspapers, hand-held devices and instant gratification. But when you can fly through the sky and burn objects with a glance – things become a tad more complicated. Doubly so when a fleet of alien ships arrive on your doorstep.

SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE channels the best tales of Superman with a look toward the future, by two of the brightest talents the industry has to offer. We’ve got a first look at the graphic novel below. Prepare to be wowed.

Teen Titans: Games cancelled, resolicited later?

I was just checking my order over at DCBS, and noticed that I had been credited the money I had paid to preorder Teen Titans: Games.

A quick look over at the The Comic Forums confirmed that I wasn’t the only one that got credited for that book.  Looking further into it I see that Teen Titans: Games is in fact on Diamonds cancel list for September

Amazon still has it listed, but its ship date has been moved to January 11th 2011.

Anyone know what happened here?

Legion of Substitute Podcasters » Blog Archive » Episode 95 – The Unbearable Light Lass of Being

Legion of Substitute Podcasters » Blog Archive » Episode 95 – The Unbearable Light Lass of Being

Episode 95 – The Unbearable Light Lass of Being

August 2nd, 2010 by Paul

The Great Darkness Saga is over, and it’s time for the Legionnaires to unwind. Join the Subs as they look at an early tale of the Legion as they meet up with the Green Lantern Corps. Meanwhile, Light Lass is leaving the Legion and Timber Wolf has a choice to make. Are seeds of the Crisis being planted? All this and a Stump The Subs!

Quick and the Read #11 – CHOKE!!! The Return of Comic Book Reviews?!?!?!?!

Ok I’m just going to admit it now.  I suck at this comic blog.  Basically I am a lazy SOB who likes to do a little as possible and play computer games whenever I can, watch TV and read comics when I am not doing that.  Every once in a while (five days a week unfortunately) I have to go to work for a while and pretend I care so I can make money to eat, buy more comics, and pay other bills I am forced to pay.

I already get comics late through the mail/UPS, and I take way too long to read them when I do.  By the time I get around to writing about what I have read, they have already been blogged to death, and no one cares anymore.

So from here on out, no more excuses; no more grand exclamations that I am going to do things different, because we all know that is a bunch of shit.  I will do comic reviews when I do them, so let’s just all move on from here shall we?

There it is, I said it; and I feel so much better.

Now that we have that out of the way, here are a few reviews that I took some time out of my busy schedule to do.  Hope you get something out of them.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #35 (Dark Horse Comics) – Wow, serious jumping the shark here guys. Last issue was way over the top with the partial nudity, and this one was barely incomprehensible.  I have to admit that I have been buying this out of habit for a while now (something that I need to change on a lot of titles).  It started out great at first, but after “the gang” had to go into hiding when vampires got popular, things started to go downhill fast.  I love Brad Meltzer’s stuff I have read on other comics (Lighting Saga being the first that comes to mind) his arc on this book was really out there (though I did like the Superman references), and hard to follow.  I was glad to hear that this title is taking a breather for a while, because I think this run has more than run its course.

---

Astro City: The Dark Age Book Four #4 (WildStorm) – I am big fan of Kurt Busiek’s writing, and it was his work on Astro City that made me that big of a fan.  Astro City was probably my first try outside of the “Big Two” (or three or four, depending on who you talk to) and I have never regretted it for one second.  The Astro City stories have always been great, and this last issue of the “Dark Age” saga is no exception. Kurt Busiek is one of the greatest comic book writers of our time.   I can’t wait to read what he has for us in the “Silver Agent” series!

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Zatanna #1 (DC Comics) – I was really disappointed in this one.  Paul Dini is a good writer, I have liked his work on “Batman: the Animated Series” and on “Detective Comics” in the past.  However this book’s concept is a complete and total robbing of Jim Butcher’s “The Dresden Files” novels in my opinion.  So much so I think Butcher should sue.  Other than that the art was pretty good.  This is the only issue of this I will be getting.

Well that’s it for this time around, hopefully it won’t be almost a year before I do another one of these; but I’m not making any promises.

DC Universe: The Source » Blog Archive » Marc Guggenheim joins up with the JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA

There are those evil words again “new direction”, didn’t they just do
that this month with JSA?  After what happened with Action Comics, I am surprised
to see Guggenheim working for DC again.

DC Universe: The Source » Blog Archive » Marc Guggenheim joins up with the JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

By Alex Segura

This October, the Justice Society of America is getting a new chairman. And, by “chairman,” we mean a new writer: Marc Guggenheim. Guggenheim, who has a long list of film and comic book credits, will bring his fast-paced storytelling and refined eye to one of the DCU’s most legendary teams.

We’ll have more info on the new artist joining Guggenheim for his run, but we can announce superstar Shane Davis will be providing the lovely covers, like the powerful image above. What more can we say about the new direction? Well, take it away, Marc:

“For me, one of the advantages of working for “the Big Two” is getting to play with the biggest toys in the sandbox. The Justice Society so fits that category, my inner fanboy is squealing with delight. I was a huge fan of the JSA back when they were ensconced on Earth-2 and I was introduced to their exploits in the pages of Adventure Comics and the annual JLA/JSA crossovers. I’m equally thrilled to be working with Scott Kollins. Scott and I were supposed to collaborate on another project years ago, but fate intervened and I’m glad to finally be getting the opportunity to work with him. Our goal is to craft as JSA run for the ages and I think we’ve come up with something that’s revolutionary while still feeling uniquely “Justice Society.” Pay close attention to that second word. Big clue there.”

SCOOP: Marvel’s Digital Payment Letter To Freelancers Bleeding Cool Comic Book News and Rumors

Whomever was the first to announce royalty payments to creators aside, looks like DC is ahead of the curve of actually implementing it.  Lots of fluff and “working on it” is all I see here.

So it really looks like DC took so long to get in the game because they were getting all the royalty stuff figured out BEFORE they got in the game.  Marvel looks like they did just the opposite.  I wonder if they will give back pay for the digital stuff already sold?

SCOOP: Marvel’s Digital Payment Letter To Freelancers Bleeding Cool Comic Book News and Rumors

SCOOP: Marvel’s Digital Payment Letter To Freelancers
Submitted by Rich Johnston on June 25, 2010 – 10:00 am (0) comments

Bleeding Cool was the first site to run DC’s letter to freelancers concerning digital payments in full. Now we’re doing to the same with Marvel. The following letter was sent out to Marvel’s exclusive freelancer talent on Monday, June 21st, as part of a new communication missive. Non-exclusive talent will receive the letter this coming Monday, as news about digital “incentive payments” will then be released by an official source.

First Joe Quesada addressed the troops saying;

Hi Gang,

Y’know, one of the coolest things about being a part of the Marvel family is recognizing just how extended the family is. Thanks to the leaps and bounds of technology, it’s even easier for those of us here in New York to work with folks all over the country and overseas. We’ve got most of the continents covered and we’re just waiting on Antarctica. Heck, some of you are in a different day than me. How’s the future? Do you guys have Hover Boards yet?

And there’s the point. There’s a lot of stuff to know and an amazing amount of information that is useful to you. Here at the office, we have it all flow past us. We’ve got pretty ready access to getting the questions we all have answered. What’s new with the company?What’s changing, what’s not? What resources are available to me? And, more close to
home, when can I expect my pay? What’s Marvel offering to make my life easier? But forthose of you not in the office, you might feel left out of the loop and oceans away. So we want to fix that. This is the first of a new newsletter email we’ll be sending out periodically to you… our life’s blood, the folks that help make Marvel tick. In it, we’ll do our best to provide answers to your questions. If we’re really good at our job, maybe even before you ask ‘em.

Did you know we’re in the process of building a SketchUp 3D library of everything from Cap’s shield to Avengers Mansion? Are you hip to the fact that we’ve got a print program for our exclusive talent that allows you to easily order special edition prints for you to have at shows and appearances? There’s all kinds of stuff to share. The plan is to make sure we let you know all about it. Oh, and if you have any suggestions, we’re all ears.

So, if you’ve got a question? We want to answer it. If it’s something that you feel your fellow freelancers would want to know too, drop us a line and we’ll include it in the next newsletter. E-mail George Beliard at XXXXXXXXX and tell him I sent ya.

Now, I’m going to let David Bogart kick-off this edition talking about a biggie. Recently, we announced the Marvel App for the iPad to much fanfare. What does this mean to you? Well, I’m not going to spoil it – I’ll let David fill you in. But I’ll say this much… remember that bright future I was talking about up top? Yeah, i think this is definitely a part of it.
Now where’s my Hover Board? See ya in the funny books!

And David Bogart (the man who made me the man I am today) followed with;

We were very excited by the positive feedback the Marvel Comics App received during the release of the Apple iPad. Many of the press reports and reviews mentioned how great the comics looked. Digital formats and distrdmtion are a great opportunity for Marvel to reach new fans and to present your amazing work on new platforms.

Please know that Marvel is working to include digital comics in the Marvel Comics Standard Talent
Incentive Plan.

We plan to make incentive payments for downloadable digital comics by the beginning of August, after the San Diego Comic-Con. Digital downloads of comics – such as through the Sony PSP, and the Ipad/Iphone/Ipod Touch devices – are sold to consumers on a per issue basis, and we can more easily calculate the revenue tied to specific issues.

The incentive plan for digital comics available in subscription services – the Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited service on marvel.com – is more complicated, since consumers are granted access to a great number of issues for one flat fee. Our goal is to finalize a plan by the end of this year to pay subscription-based digital comic incentives.

The email continued with links to CGI models of various Marvel buildings and props, and links to an online version of the Official Handbook To The Marvel Universe from 2004-2007 full of extra visual reference material for characters as well…

Newsarama.com : So… Who IS COMIXOLOGY, The Digital Comics Leader?

Another great article by Vaneta Rogers

Newsarama.com : So… Who IS COMIXOLOGY, The Digital Comics Leader?

So… Who IS COMIXOLOGY, The Digital Comics Leader?
By Vaneta Rogers
posted: 24 June 2010 05:31 pm ET

One year makes all the difference.

When ComiXology launched its “Comics by ComiXology” iPhone app in July 2009, the company appeared to be one in a crowd of developers. After all, there was more than one way to read a comic on Apple products.

But one year later, and ComiXology is all over the news because of its involvement with Marvel and DC. The two leading publishers have chosen ComiXology as a partner in their digital program, and the company is working with more than 30 other publishers, as well as holding exclusives with more than one creator.

So who is ComiXology? Where did they come from? And what are they up to next?

Business Plan

David Steinberger, CEO of ComiXology, grew up as an avid reader of comic books. He founded the company with another comic book fan and a friend because they saw an opportunity for comics to utilize digital technology.

In 2006, Steinberger entered a business plan competition at NYU, where he was a student and eventually got his MBA. His startup, then called “Iconology,” won the top prize, which gave him funding to launch the ComiXology software.

“That’s how I got started,” he said. “We won a few thousand bucks from the Stern Business School to get going.

“I can tell you, though, that we never, ever expected all of this to happen. In the business plan, we were very careful to say that our vision does not wholly depend on Marvel and/or DC being a part of it. Meaning, we never expected this to happen,” he said with a laugh.

“So to be here, feeling like we’re just getting our legs under us, feeling like we’re just getting started, and yet we’ve done the thing that nobody thought, or nobody who invested in us or judged us in a competition was led to believe that we could do? It’s just surreal,” he said.

Retailer Software

ComiXology first entered the digital world as an online tool for retailers at retailers.comixology.com. Comic shop owners subscribe to a service that allows customers to view previews and place orders right there on the website.

Because of ComiXology’s relationship with retailers through its online service, the company has always been very active in promoting print comics as well as digital. All of its apps have a “BUY IN PRINT” link on each comic, and clicking on this button takes the digital reader to a list of comic shops near their current location.

This existing relationship with retailers has given ComiXology an advantage as it heads into the next stage of digital comics.

“We’re in a unique position where we’re friends with publishers, and we have a great consumer service, and we sell services to retailers on top of that,” Steinberger explained. “And our retailers, when they work with ComiXology, when their customers purchase a digital comic book, our plan is for the retailers to actually make revenue from the sale of that comic.

“I can already coordinate user names with retailers. For example, if you have bought digital from ComiXology and you shop at Isotope, I probably know that,” Steinberger explained. “So we can coordinate with retail locations. We’ve actually been tracking sales since January.”

That’s not to say the retailer affiliate program that DC announced yesterday will have anything to do with ComiXology’s retailing subscribers. “What we’re doing for DC is much wider. It won’t be tied to paid subscriptions on ComiXology,” he said. “All retailers will have the ability to take part in it.”

iPad Launch

When the “Comics” by ComiXology app launched on the iPhone OS, it already had 20 publishers on board and an exclusive from Robert Kirkman. Because it was among the first to utilize Apple’s new in-app purchasing, Comics by ComiXology became the leading multi-publisher app soon after its launch and has held onto that spot ever since.

Within months, other creators had jumped on board, and the company now has more than 30 publishers available on its app. With a kids app being launched this summer, and their website integrating digital comics with their apps, the company has been busy expanding its stronghold.

But ComiXology’s commitment to software for Apple devices paid off earlier this year when Apple announced it would release the iPad, which greatly enhanced the digital comics reading experience.

Suddenly, Apple’s devices looked like the place to be. And ComiXology was already there.

By the time the iPad hit stores, ComiXology had partnered with Marvel to launch its new app, and soon after, they were able to pick up DC Comics.

Winning DC

“We really didn’t think we could pull off DC after we got the Marvel app. We just figured they’d go with someone else because, you know… they’re supposedly arch-enemies,” Steinberger said. “But that’s not how DC saw it.”

But more significantly, the addition of DC to the Comics by ComiXology app rounded out the selection in a way that was really needed.

“It was the number one complaint we got,” he said. “‘Where’s DC? Where’s DC? Where’s DC?’ We get emailed that about 25 times a week, in one form or another,” he said. “And to be able to pull it off and be the only ones that offer DC on the iPhone OS and the iPad, and to be able to have them on our website and store, and to be making a web store for them is beyond my wildest dreams, really.”

After Marvel chose ComiXology as a partner in its iPad program, the user response was so great that the company had to quickly upgrade its server because of the demand. On Tuesday, Steinberger said the company had prepared for the influx of users it expected for Wednesday’s launch of the DC app.

“We expanded our server capacity incredibly well,” Steinberger said with a laugh.

Single Channel?

With yesterday’s announcement, ComiXology is definitely in the lead as the iPad/iPod/iPhone market shakes out. But other companies, including the much-anticipated but as-yet-unavailable Longbox Digital, are entering the marketplace, and that doesn’t even take into account all the digital comics providers on other devices.

A single channel would certainly streamline purchases and be advantageous for the market. As creator Jonathan Hickman told Newsarama yesterday, “I think it’s a mistake, and one that marginalizes an emerging market, not to have a single channel from which to buy.”

Whether or not ComiXology ends up being that “single channel” remains to be seen, and Steinberger isn’t taking anything for granted.

What’s Next?

“I feel like, after Wednesday’s announcement, we should be just cracking beers open and taking the weekend off, but that’s just not going to happen,” Steinberger said. “There are thousands of things we need to be doing next. The retailer affiliate program alone is a huge deal.

“It just makes me feel like we can really do something here,” he said. “That’s silly, I guess. From the outside, I keep getting told we’ve done something. But the worldwide market is out there. It’s ridiculously big. Marvel and DC haven’t made great penetration into the worldwide market. And we have the kids app, and the website tools, and we have so much work to do.”

But Steinberger acknowledges ComiXology’s accomplishments are worth celebrating, although he prefers to call those accomplishments “feedback.”

“This is the best kind of feedback we could ask for, for whether or not we were going in the right direction. I guess that’s the biggest thing for me. The question of, did we make the right choices to focus on the print market? And information about comics? And connections to retailers? And retailer tools? Was that really the right base for moving into digital comic books and binding all of this together?

“I feel like Marvel and DC have said ‘yes,’” he said. “And it’s the best confirmation that we’re going in the right direction, that we’re making the right decisions. It’s crazy to step back and realize where we are, but it makes me very excited to see what is next, and what we can be doing to make all of this better in the next step.”

Quote of the day | Christine Valada, on digital royalties for creators | Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources – Covering Comic Book News and Entertainment

‘Nuff said.  Put up or shut up Marvel!!

Quote of the day | Christine Valada, on digital royalties for creators | Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources – Covering Comic Book News and Entertainment

Quote of the day | Christine Valada, on digital royalties for creators

* Posted on June 24, 2010 – 04:00 PM by Kevin Melrose

“This is certainly welcome news for DC creators, who have benefited from DC’s long-standing policy of equitable compensation over the long-term. Marvel has reproduced works in various electronic formats for years, and I can assure you that my husband hasn’t seen a goddamned dime for any such use of Giant-Sized X-Men #1 or anything else he ever created for Marvel. Meanwhile, royalties from DC for a relatively minor character got us through the worst of our past 15 months of hell. Until Marvel takes the steps that DC has to compensate the creators who made the company great, all it is doing is blowing smoke. Anyone who thinks Marvel is the better place to work is just deluding themselves.”

– photographer Christine Valada, wife of veteran writer and editor Len Wein, on DC Comics’ announcement of creator royalties for digital sales

DC digital fallout: Royalty war | The Beat

So the truth comes out, DC pays people a LOT better than Marvel

DC digital fallout: Royalty war | The Beat

DC digital fallout: Royalty war
13 Comments POSTED ON Jun 24 2010 AT 4:25 pm BY The Beat

Lots of reaction and ripples from yesterday’s announcement that DC was at long last joining the digital world with their DC Comics apps for iPad, iPhone and PSP. One of the more amusing developments came from the news that DC was definitely including creator royalties for digital sales, as announced in a widely leaked memo to freelancers:

Subject: A message from Jim Lee and Dan DiDio.
June 23, 2010

To our fellow creators,

Today we set in motion arguably the most significant program in the modern history of DC Comics. Through concurrent but separate partnerships with comiXology, the leading digital comics app developer, and the Sony PlayStation Network Comics Store, DC will now, for the first time, be offering for sale to fans all over the world digital issues featuring the world’s greatest characters. We chose the Sony PlayStation Network Comics Store and comiXology as the first two partners to distribute our titles because of their incredible marketing reach and technological expertise in authoring and optimizing the traditional narrative of print comics into digital form. In short, they make digital comics a pleasure to read whether you are reading them online on your computers, on your iPhone, on your iPad or on your PSP.

As we make this announcement it’s worth noting that, although DC is not the first major publisher to enter the digital comics arena, we are the first to announce a participation plan for talent, thereby setting the industry standard in that regard. Details of our initial compensation plan will be mailed to you in hard copy for your records and should be arriving next week. In broad strokes, the compensation is calculated on a net receipts basis in order to accommodate the various reporting structures of our digital publishing partners. Most importantly, we assure you that your participation in these digital works will be equal to or exceed the participation levels that you currently receive under our additional compensation plan for print.

There are other significant ways our digital program differs from those of our competitors and these differences underscore our belief that this new digital channel will improve our ability to better market and sell comic books to several new kinds of comics readers. Whether they be kids or lapsed fans or new fans coming into the art form through their love of comic book characters in film, TV or videogames, we are convinced our digital program will grow the entire business, not just for DC, but for our traditional book channels and also allow you, the creators, to reach more readers than ever in recent memory. To that end, you will see a wide and diverse selection of digital comics being offered in the upcoming weeks–hopefully some of your very own work!

All the best–

Jim Lee and Dan DiDio
Co-Publishers, DC Comics

This was a clear — and welcome — play to creators fretting about making money in this digital era. But meanwhile, across town, Marvel’s CB Cebulski was pooping in the punchbowl on Twitter:

>yawn< (Not because I’m tired, but because I just saw today’s “news”.)

I’m not sniping at DC, just correcting misinformation that’s being sent out freelancers, some who work for both companies.

Sorry, DC, but despite what your nice letter says, you are NOT “the first to announce a participation plan for talent” for digital comics.

I’m thrilled I can read my DC Comics digitally now and this really shows the new age @JimLee00 and @GeoffJohns0 are ushering in for them!

Marvel editor Tom Brevoort joined in the sniping:

So today, DC invented the digital comic and payments for same. Interesting approach, taking a leadership position from the back of the line.

While public ribbing is par for the course for these crosstown rivals, it did raise the question of why DC is comfortable publicly announcing their incentive plans, which Marvel can only do so via passive-aggressive snark on a social networking platform.

After doing a little digging, we found out what really happened. It seems that on Monday of THIS WEEK, Marvel sent out a letter to its exclusive talent announcing a royalty program for their digital publishing — something that had been missing before. The plan is thus far only the promise of royalties — none have been paid — and hasn’t been announced to non-exclusive talent yet. The timing would suggest that Marvel got wind of DC’s impending announcement and wanted to head off any questioning by Marvel talent.

This does raise the larger question of Marvel’s entire royalty program, however. While Marvel creators we talked to were all happy as a clam with their compensation deals, and Marvel is winning the propaganda war for overall creator satisfaction and talent development, they are definitely wayyy in second place as far as royalties go. Their existing royalty program runs for a few years, as opposed to DC’s which runs in perpetuity. Also, and more famously, Marvel pays NO royalties on foreign sales, despite the huge success of Marvel properties around the world.

DC does. And that’s a very significant amount of income for creators.

The question of Marvel paying digital royalties for digital comics is one that had been uncomfortably bandied around in some interviews with Joe Quesada and others. The fact that Marvel has had to quickly pony up the announcement of a plan with DC announcing theirs shows that both companies consider digital publishing a key component of their future — not including creators in the payout simply isn’t a option for the future pixelated world of comics.

From where we sit, if Marvel and DC want to get into a war over who treats creators better and pays more royalties — it’s one of the BEST thing that could happen for comics.

UPDATE: I’m informed that the announcement to talent
was part of a long planned roll-out which included other information. If nothing else, this proves two things:

a) Marvel is very serious about making sure its creators are paid fairly for digital publishing

and

b) Marvel freelancers are a lot more tight-lipped than DC creators!

Newsarama.com : Comics Creators Respond to DC DIGITAL COMICS Plans

Read the rest of the article at the link below…

Newsarama.com : Comics Creators Respond to DC DIGITAL COMICS Plans

UPDATED: Comic Creators Respond to DC DIGITAL COMICS Plans
By Vaneta Rogers
posted: 23 June 2010 02:33 pm ET

With the announcement today that DC Comics has entered the digital comics marketplace, one of the more interesting aspects of the program — for the industry’s talent, anyway — was that DC will have a royalty program for creators when one of their digital comics is purchased.

DC has often been praised as a creator-rights leader for its royalty program, with former publisher Paul Levitz even winning an Eisner Award for his humanitarian work on behalf of creators. So creators weren’t shocked by the announcement, but were reacting positively nonetheless.

The internet has also been abuzz about the future of comics now that both major publishers are dedicated to digital comics.

So we went to the creators to ask:

- What is your overall reaction to the news of DC’s digital program?
- Do you have knowledge about or a reaction to the plan to pay royalties on digital sales?
- When do you envision the digital model being the industry’s dominant from of distribution? 2 years, 5 years, 10, or never?

What follows is the response, which we’ll be updating throughout the day:

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