Posts Tagged ‘Vertigo Comics’
Posted by bob in Comics, Films, News on July 30th, 2008
JC Spink told UGO that is his choice to play 355 opposite Shia LaBeouf in the feature adaptation of Vertigo’s Y: The Last Man. The project, adapted from his own comics by Brian K. Vaughn, has been in development for some time but is finally inching closer to actual production to be directed by DJ Caruso.
For those unfamiliar with the comic, something has wiped out every male on Earth except Yorick Brown and he crosses the planet in search of his fiancée Beth. Agent 355 is an agent for a shadowy government agency and becomes Brown’s bodyguard.
“I think Alicia Keys would be fantastic,” Spink said. “Or Zoe Saldana. By then Star Trek will be out and she’ll be huge. I don’t think Jada Pinkett Smith would be right but a lot of people like her”.
Has LaBeouf, who has campaigned for the role been signed? “We’re trying,” Spink admitted.
Posted by bob in Comics, News on July 26th, 2008
At a Vertigo panel on Friday at Comic-Con International, several new projects were mentioned including a new five-issue miniseries featuring the beloved Haunted Tank. The project will be written by Frank Marraffino (The Dark Goodbye) and illustrated by Henry Flint (Omega Men).
The original series, which debuted in the 1950s, featured a World War II tank crew headed by a descendent of Civil War General Jeb Stuart. Written by Robert Kanigher it was largely illustrated first by Russ Heath then Sam Glanzman and ran through the early 1980s. (more…)
Posted by bob in Comics, News on July 9th, 2008
Vertigo’s Exterminators comic book has been signed by Showtime and is being developed into a new series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series was initially a television notion from Simon Oliver before turning it into a comic book with artist Tony Moore.
The series will focus on the Bug-Bee-Gone crew which is described as a “dysfunctional family of exterminators whose greatest enemies aren’t the insects and rodents they meet and kill on a daily basis but rather their own self doubts, vices and inner demons.”
The comic debuted in January 2006 and although Oliver hoped for a 50-issue run, it will be canceled after only 30. Four trade paperbacks, collecting the first 23 issues, are currently in print.
Executive Producer Sara Colleton (Dexter) will oversee the project for the cable channel.
Posted by bob in Comics, Interviews on June 29th, 2008
Writer/Artist Matt Wagner has been a powerhouse in comics since he gained attention with Mage back in the 1980s. Since then, he is perhaps best known for his character Grendel, published at Dark Horse Comics. He is no stranger to DC Comics, having produced works featuring the big three — Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman — along with smaller projects. This week, his first Vertigo work arrived in the form of Madame Xanadu. Last Sunday we profiled who she was and today, we speak with Matt about his approach to the new ongoing title.
FM: Hey, Matt, it’s been a while since you delved into the supernatural. What do you find alluring about the subject?
Matt: Well, let’s face it…dealing with the supernatural is, for a writer, just unadulterated fun in all respects. It’s like the doors of the Imaginarium have been thrown wide open and all its many toys are ripe for the playing. I tend to utilize a certain structured sense of narrative so it’s really fun to be able to mix that up with an “anything-can-happen” sort of approach.
FM: Mage also dealt with magic, how will this be different?
Matt: Right off the bat, this is a far more feminine approach. The main character is female and privy to a very ancient form of mysticism so the magic tends to strike a decidedly intuitive and contemplative tone. You won’t find any bombastic magical battles here because that’s just not what the character’s all about. Again, she’s a seer so her magic is more geared towards uncovering secrets (and, by reflex, maintaining them as well) rather than inflicting any sort of damage or engaging in direct conflict. (more…)
Posted by bob in Comics on June 22nd, 2008
On Wednesday, Madame Xanadu moves from the DC Universe to the Vertigo Universe in a brand new ongoing series written by Matt Wagner, with art by Amy Reeder Hadley. In anticipation of their look at her character and origins, FM is taking a look back a t what we already know.
She arrived for the first time on the cover of Doorway to Nightmare #1 (January-February 1978), a brand new title during one of DC Comics’ periods of expansion. Their line of horror/mystery titles was doing well so here was an expansion. She played tarot cards and foretold the future, but unlike the horror hosts Cain and Abel, she would interact with people coming to her Greenwich Village storefront (which would only appear to those in need). She was to be more like the Phantom Stranger as an occult figure although she was set apart from the DC continuity – at first. DC’s editorial hands didn’t seem to know what to do with her since the introductory team of David Michelinie and Val Mayerik gave way to a different team for each of the remaining four issues before the title was canceled. (more…)
Posted by bob in Comics, Reviews on May 7th, 2008
The House of Mystery is one of DC Comics’ more enduring titles. Launched at the onset of the Comics Code in the 1950s, it featured tame thrilled with cover stories like “Wanda was a Werewolf”. It gave way to superheroics when it was the only way to stay in business. Then came 1969 and the arrival of former EC artist Joe Orlando. As editor, he began a remodeling project that was incremental at best. He evicted the heroes and began offering older reprints as he geared up newer works. In time, the title was the place to be in order to sample the works of a new generation of talents: Neal Adams covers offered us stories from Berni Wrightson, Michael William Kaluta, Jeff Jones, Howard Chaykin and other. Old timers felt refreshed by telling short spine-tinglers and the writing grew sharper. As horror comics went, this title was clearly a trend-setter. (more…)
JC Spink told UGO that is his choice to play 355 opposite Shia LaBeouf in the feature adaptation of Vertigo’s Y: The Last Man. The project, adapted from his own comics by Brian K. Vaughn, has been in development for some time but is finally inching closer to actual production to be directed by DJ Caruso.
