BRISTOL COMICS EXPO COVERAGE
Bristol Comics Expo took place again this year on the weekend of 12-13 May. Once more, the exhibition centre was packed with fans with a record attendance for british comics conventions! The Comics Nexus (=yours truly) was at hand to report on the panels, the guests and the big announcements! Stay tuned at the Nexus throughout this week for detailed coverage of the Expo.
DC NATION PANEL
The DC panel was the busiest panel of the convention, both in terms of audience and panel guests, as the organsiers had to bring in extra chairs on the panel table to fit everyone! DC always makes a point to have a presence in the great British conventions
Left to right: John McCrea (Hitman), Allan Heinberg (Wonder-Woman), Doug Braithwaite(Justice), Bob Wayne (VP, Sales), Kurt Busiek(Superman), Lee Garbett (Highwaymen), Jock (Losers, Green Arrow), Brian Vaughan (Ex Machina), Andy Diggle (see Jock)
Point by point:
• In the newest issue of Justice League of America, two team members are buried alive.
• Hitman returns in JLA/Hitman by Garth Ennis and John McCrea. McCrea says people should buy this to see Green Arrow get shafted.
• Metal Men is a new monthly spinning out of 52, written and drawn by Duncan Roulleau who did the art on the two-page origin of the characters in 52
• Batman/Lobo is Sam Kieth’s new DC project
• Ex Machina: Masquerade is a double-sized special ‘Halloween’ issue by Brian K Vaughan and art by John Paul Leon. The issue reveals the first time Mayor Hundred put on a costume. It’s completely self-contained and can be enjoyed by new readers as well since it’s a past story set before Ex Machina #1.
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The Highwaymen is a 5-issue mini premiering in June starring two retired couriers featuring car chases and shoot-outs aplenty. It’s written by Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman with art by Lee Garbett.
• The Programme is a new 12-issue limited series written by Pete Milligan, where a Russian living WMD with superpowers is uncovered
• Green Arrow: Year One by Andy Diggle and Jock retells the character’s origin story but features absolutely zero spandex and is similar to the creators’ first collaboration in Losers. (What noone seems to have picked up is that the acronym for this is GAY1. Yay DC!)
• In Superman #666, Superman appropriately goes to Hell.
• The new Teen Titans line-up was revealed on the cover of Teen Titans #50, with new members Supergirl and Blue Beetle.
• The Story of the Great Disaster is a new big collection of past material including stories of the Atomic Knight and Hercules Unbound.
• Answering a fan’s question about DC and Vertigo crossovers and the presence of Destiny’s book in current continuity, the panel answered that Destiny was originally a DC character before appearing in Sandman. Destiny along with Phantom Stranger are the only characters who can travel between the DC and Vertigo universes, or literally pass through floors 7 and 8 of the DC Comics publishing building where the respective imprints’ offices are. Most people are stopped by the elusive staircase.
• Another fan from the audience asked why the JLA doesn’t drop the A since they work to protect the entire world and not just America. Kurt Busiek rebuttled that Superman works to protect both men and women, so should he drop the ‘man’ from his name as well and go by ‘Super’. Justice League International was mentioned inside the guest panel with some negative comments, receiving a mixed reaction in the audience.
• On the Losers movie front, the director of Fantastic Four 2 has expressed interest in the property.
• In Brian Vaughan’s future plans after Y the last man is another stand-alone Original Graphic Novel like Pride of Baghdad and then a new ongoing book.
• The Question series by Denny O’Neill will be collected in TPBs.
Can you spot the icon in the audience?
The huge crowd exiting the panel and picking up their DC Nation badges from Batman
Check back in tomorrow for news and photos from the Vertigo Panel!
