Another brief week. Make sure you check out my pinch hitting on Ben Morse’s Watchtower column if you want some more Stevens in your diet. Or, if you just dig villains, and Spidey villains in particular. Hope you all enjoyed the 4th. Now enjoy the column
DC Plucks Fire From the Mountain…Or, You Know, Talent From the Industry. Whatever
DC Comics added another exclusive creator to its roster, today announcing that JH Williams III has signed a two-year exclusive contract with the publisher. While the news may come as a “duh†worthy event to some, given that Williams was the artist for the entire run of Alan Moore’s Promethea, but he had been doing work outside of DC.
That was a Prometheus reference above, if you couldn’t guess. Cause, you know, he draws Promethea. How urbane, no? Since such wit went into the headline, you kind of have to check out the article at Newsarama
Is Tying At the Harveys Like Kissing Your Sister?
For the First Time in Harveys History Voting Results in a Tie: Both Love & Rockets and Gotham Central win for Best Single Issue or Story NEW YORK, June 26, 2004: The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art would like to extend its congratulations to the winners of the 17th annual Harvey Awards, handed out tonight at a gala award ceremony in Manhattan’s historic Puck Building.
See how DC feels about that age old question at Newsarama
That’s Senior Vice President Rubin to You
Cheryl Rubin has been promoted to Senior Vice President – Brand Management, DC Comics, it was announced by Paul Levitz, President & Publisher, DC Comics.
For the newest in DC promotions, climb the corporate ladder on up to The Pulse
Miss the Letters Columns? Well…This is Close
DC reinvents the letters page for a new era with the “Ask the Editors” feature at DCComics.com, with hundreds of messages received in the first weeks! If you want to send a letter of comment to your favorite DC Comic, or you’re just looking more information, go to http://www.dccomics.com/about/contact.html. From there, you’ll be able to send a message to the editor of your choice.
Read all about the digital letters column at Silver Bullet Comics
So the way this column read at first was pretty much, “Yeah DC. Congrats to you and others mentioned in the article. Aren’t you all friggin’ grand.†Except without all that hostility. But with way more boredom. So, here’s the solution. One response to summarize it all up.
Congratulations to DC, Williams, Rubin, Rucka, Lark, ABC, Moore, O’Neill, and Baker. Huzzah to one and all on your awards, new contracts, greatness, etc.
Also, thanks to DC for sort of, kind of bringing back their letter pages. Now, if you just do it for real, you and I, well we might just be best friends for life. What do you say?
Human Target #12: Time to Take a Stand
DC Comics is targeting retailers with a free 50% overship of the acclaimed VERTIGO series HUMAN TARGET. Issue #12 (MAY040369) is scheduled to arrive in comic book stores on July 21. Overship quantities are based on initial orders only.
Celebrate a great title’s anniversary at The Pulse and then give the new issue a shot.
I don’t tend to pass along DC’s retailer focused press releases because generally, well, which readers would really care. However, this is an opportunity to help one of my favorite titles. Check out issue #1 at DC Comics and then you can head on over to the retailer with her or his 50 percent overship and show him it is worth ordering similar numbers in the future. Please…for America.
The New Will and Testament of Hal Jordan, According to Sciver
October’s Green Lantern: Rebirth mini-series will be sure to delight most and anger some with the return of one of the DC Universe’s most elite superheroes – Hal Jordan. Sure Hal Jordan went crazy, killed many, died himself, and became the mysterious Spectre, but that’s all in the past. Under the guise of writer Geoff Johns and artist Ethan Van Sciver, the five issue miniseries will see Hal Jordan back in the green and white costume he was born to wear.
Newsarama took a moment to sit down with Van Sciver to talk about Rebirth and the franchise DC is hoping will become one of its top three series.
See the pretty pictures of the previously dead at Newsarama
Turns out Van Sciver has a pretty quick sense of humor to go along with a pretty excellent art style. His work with Johns on Flash: Iron Heights was a thing of genius and these preview images confirm that regardless of how the rest of the series goes down, it sure is going to look excellent. Too bad about that whole no 36 percent more Plastic Man in the series, but I guess that is the way it goes. Still, I feel a single tear trickle down my cheek.
May, By the Numbers
DC Comics’ big event in May, for better or worse, were Jim Lee and Michael Turner’s alternative covers for SUPERMAN/ BATMAN #10 and SUPERMAN #205, respectively, a move that was likely designed to challenge the competition’s sales juggernaut of the month: Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s ASTONISHING X-MEN #1. To find out who emerged victorious from this crucial first battle in the Variant Cover Wars II (TM), — as well as why and by how much they won, naturally — read on.
Grab your calculator and make sure you aren’t late to The Pulse
As usual, there is just a ton of numbers, so my thoughts are just being written stream of consciousness, as they come. Enjoy.
A 500% increase for Superman over the course of a year? DAAAAAAAMMMMMNNNNNNNNN!
Oh, good, sales boosts are being attributed to variant covers. I was concerned that it would be a fad that would die quick. Thank goodness I was wrong.
Nice to see Flash and Birds of Prey on an up tick. They certainly deserve it.
Man, Mr. Show was damn funny. Oh…sorry. Back to the column.
Oh…Gotham Central, H-E-R-O, and Human Target so low. So sad. Such good books and no love, no love at all.
Focus Line = dead. Sorry Mathan.
Seems like good news for mainstream superhero fans, especially you Superman superfreaks (yes, the kind you do not bring home to Momma). Sorry to everybody else.
No, Its Not Cristal, Its Keith
Keith Champagne is a longtime Legion of Superheroes fan so he was happy to get the chance to write an adventure of the current team. LEGION # 34 came out this week and we’ve got some details from Champagne on what makes this story so special.
Get drunk on the writer with a sparkling wine name at the bar called The Pulse
I think this is the second time I have used the Keith Champagne/Cristal joke. It wasn’t very funny then and it isn’t very funny now. I’m really sorry about all this. I’d promise it won’t happen again, but…well, I’m not going to lie to you.
Next week, in addition to all the good DC news, I’ll have a flashback review of the Loeb/Lee Batman run with some distance from the hype, and the return of reviews of the week’s books. Until then, visit the boards and keep up the reading. And…please make sure you keep it real in the interim as well. Very real.
Your Momma don’t dance and your Daddy don’t rock and roll, but Un Gajje. He does both. And real nice like too.
