WGBGB: Running From The Truth

(Editor's note: this is republished from 2008. I had taken it offline as a draft, but put it live again because I think there's some revisionist history going on with the D'Orazio/Sims thing. I might try to restore the proper date if I can track it down.

For the record, this exchange makes me look worse than it does Val, because I was thoughtless in how I initially expressed my point.)

Originally ran on 2/25/2008.

I was going to blog about how Valerie was being so selective about her approach to minority characters (black characters that are, in some ways, copies of white characters is bad, but Batwoman being a copy of a straight character with no defining characteristics but rich and gay is great) or the flaw in her assuming that Devin Grayson's aborted Batwoman series got killed because it was just too edgy and scared DC rather than any more realistic option (including the possibility that it just wasn't good).

But then I said the following on her blog (since deleted):

"I don't think it was because Grayson was a poor writer. If I had to take a guess, it was probably too real, too powerful, too original, too controversial, too sensual, and it scared the shit out of DC."

Ugh. Really. Ugh. All this unfounded crap about a writer that the best you could say earlier was "dependable mainstay" and included her in a group of writers with "a varying degree of talent". Talk about damning with faint praise.

Was there a switch in editorial? Could it have something to do with the timing with the movie? Was there possibly a plan to launch her with a Rucka/Williams mini or start off arc and that crumbled?

Fan reaction to Devin on Nightwing was terrible. If I remember correctly, she was losing paid readers, too. The "too sensual" comment? I don't know that sensual is what DC'd want to go for consistently in any DC Universe book. So, if Devin forgot her market, that'd be a valid reason for jettisoning her work.

For all the cries of inequality in the industry, aspiring female creators have the option of sleeping with ex-editors/current hot writers, assuring their pitches get read by someone. What? Someone acknowledge it. If we're going to boo-hoo her losing a gig, her beginnings put it in perspective.

Valerie's responses?

"For all the cries of inequality in the industry, aspiring female creators have the option of sleeping with ex-editors/current hot writers, assuring their pitches get read by someone. What? Someone acknowledge it. If we're going to boo-hoo her losing a gig, her beginnings put it in perspective."

you are an asshole.

and

Further, I don't tolerate such personal accusations like that against other freelancers, or posters, or anyone, on this blog. That sort of misogynistic tripe has no place here. Kevin, go take your readership elsewhere.

It is a fact that Devin was involved with Waid when she broke in. I'm not saying that she got involved with him IN ORDER TO BREAK IN...but that such a relationship certainly helps her pitches get read and her phone calls taken. To suggest it doesn't is stupid.

I do acknowledge, though, that my initial statement could be misconstrued as to suggest that she was using a writer to break in. So I tried to clarify with the following:

Accusation? I'm not saying she got involved with the person BECAUSE she wanted her pitches seen...but who she was dating certainly helped her get looked at by editorial. As does any kind of networking. New writers don't break in cold to DC or Marvel without knowing someone personally. That just happens to be the person she knew...and it just so happened to be in the Biblical sense.

and

By the way, it isn't misogynistic to point out that having a relationship with an ex-editor and current hot writer at DC certainly helped Devin break in.

Her response?

we don't discuss the private lives of freelancers here.

Which is hilarious given:

You're kidding, right? The blog site where you talked about your ripped vagina can't allow a comment that acknowledges a contention that has dogged Devin around since she broke in?

And then I say:

You know what, Val? If you're going to delete my comments that clarify my original statement, you should just go and delete the original statement...instead of trying to leave it up to contend that it is something other than it really was.

Val:

Kevin, please stay off this blog. You're saying things that can eventually get you sued for libel. Stop.

Me, again:

Val, I'm not saying anything libelous. It is ridiculous that you delete my comments and then post things to make it appear that I'm saying things I'm not.

As I said, I make no suggestion that she got involved with someone IN ORDER TO BREAK IN, but that it benefited her. I'd like to live in your world where having such close relationships with popular creators DOESN'T assure that your pitch gets read, but I'm stuck here in the real world.

Further ridiculous comments:

Kevin, trust me, you do not want a legal notice from Grayson. Drop it.

And the end from me:

Yeah, Val...you have my greater good at the top of your thoughts. That's why you're allowing the original post (which can be misunderstood) to stay up but not the follow-up posts that clarify that I'm not saying her boyfriend was a means to an end but that a relationship like that just happens to be a networking godsend.

and

Deleting my original comment, since you're obviously just trying to spin this into something it wasn't. You're just so professional. :)

That was, unfortunately, followed up with Val, again, trying to spin it into something else:

who Devin Grayson dates is of no concern to this discussion. I find your persistence in this extremely disturbing. please go find another blog or forum.

Yeah...ignore that most arguments involve persistence, regardless of subject matter. Never mind that, when someone tries to paint you as being misogynist for something that is simply a misunderstanding, you'll generally try to persist to set the record straight. I'm just disturbing. :)

PR: MyDigitalComics.com Goes BOOM!

For Immediate Release: MYDIGITALCOMICS.COM GOES BOOM! BOOM! STUDIOS ANNOUNCES NEW VENUE TO OBTAIN BOOM! STUDIOS' DIGITAL COMICS WITH MYDIGITALCOMICS.COM HIT RECENT RELEASES AVALIBLE TODAY ENTIRE BACKLIST AVALIBLE SOON! Thursday, October 7th, 10am PST – Los Angeles, CA, / NYC, NY / Fort Wayne, IN – BOOM! Studios proudly adds MyDigitalComics (www.mydigitalcomics.com) as another venue to bring you some of the finest, award-winning BOOM! Studios comics digitally this fall. Take your digital comics anywhere as MyDigitalComics offers BOOM! Studios' comics online through MyDigitalComics new page flipper format that fans everywhere can read on a either Mac or PC! MyDigitalComics now makes it easier than ever to read your favorite BOOM! Studios titles! MyDigitalComics launches its partnership with BOOM! today with some of BOOM!’s most recent top-selling comics, such as 28 DAYS LATER, DIE HARD, the Eisner Award-nominated graphic translation of Philip K. Dick’s DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?, as well as BOOM!’s bestselling original Mark Waid penned Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated IRREDEEMABLE, companion series INCORRUPTIBLE, and supernatural thriller THE UNKNOWN among a host of others. All BOOM! Studios single issue digital comics are priced at $1.99 with the first half of each series’ first issue available to download for free. “BOOM! Studios is always looking to further our commitment to getting our comics and graphic novels into the hands of fans everywhere ,” said BOOM! Studios Marketing Director Chip Mosher. “This new agreement with MyDigitalComics only shows how strong the commitment to our fans is. BOOM! Studios publishes some of the most diverse comics out there, and the addition of MyDigitalComics shows that we have the most diverse options for new and old fans alike to experience our comics digitally.” Fans of BOOM! Studios should also be aware that the entire BOOM! Studios backlist will be released through MyDigitalComics in the coming months, so make sure to frequent www.mydigitalcomics.com to keep up to date with all the latest BOOM! Studios digital releases. MyDigitalComics' groundbreaking association with online print retailers Discount Comic Book Service (DCBS) and InStockTrades also allows fans an immediate opportunity to buy print versions of their favorite BOOM! titles at a price point sure to excite readers! BOOM! Studios’ addition of MyDigitalComics (www.mydigitalcomics.com) as a digital distributor of a BOOM! Studios front and backlist comes soon after BOOM!’s summer 2010 release of the BOOM! Studios Comics App on the iPad and iPhone, developed in partnership with comiXology, which came in at #7 in all ebook free app downloads on the day of release, coming right behind Marvel's app. MyDigitalComics joins a growing list of digital distributors such as comiXology, iVerse, Graphic.ly, and Panelfly, offering BOOM! Studios publications digitally and extending BOOM!’s commitment to reach comic fans everywhere. Long a leader in the digital comics space, BOOM! Studios shocked the comics industry in early 2008 with the first day-and-date print and digital release of their comic book NORTH WIND, in partnership with MySpace.  BOOM! is also noted as one of the first comic book publishers to make their comics available through mobile devices such as the iPhone, iPod Touch and Android mobile devices. Along with an aggressive digital distribution strategy, BOOM! Studios also has some of the most varied and diverse print distribution of any comic book publishing company. This past spring, BOOM! Studios announced that Haven Distributors would be carrying the full line of BOOM! Studios and BOOM Kids! new releases to the direct market. In the Summer of 2009, BOOM! Studios announced mass market distribution deals with Simon & Schuster and HarperCollinsCanada, with Simon & Schuster distributing BOOM! Studios and BOOM Kids! lines of graphic novels in the United States and HarperCollinsCanada distributing in Canada. In the Spring of 2009, BOOM! announced a newsstand distribution deal for their BOOM Kids! line through Kable Distribution Services, Inc., best known amongst comic book fans for distributing Archie Comics throughout North America in the United States and Canada. The entire BOOM! Studios and BOOM Kids! line of publications are also offered in the direct market by Diamond Comics Distributors and Haven Distributors. About BOOM! Studios: BOOM! Studios (www.boom-studios.com), 2009 "Best Publisher" of the year, generates a wide-ranging catalog of multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated comic books and graphic novels featuring some of the industry’s top talent, including Philip K. Dick's DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?, 20th Century Fox's 28 DAYS LATER and DIE HARD, The Henson Company's FARSCAPE, and the original Mark Waid series IRREDEEMABLE. This fall sees BOOM! teaming up with the legendary Stan Lee, creator of Marvel Comics’ characters Spider-Man, The Hulk, and The X-Men for a line of original superhero series, the legend’s first new superhero creations in nearly 20 years. BOOM!'s youth imprint, BOOM Kids!, is an undisputed industry leader publishing Disney/Pixar's THE INCREDIBLES, CARS, and TOY STORY, as well as Disney's THE MUPPETS, DONALD DUCK, UNCLE SCROOGE and WALT DISNEY'S COMICS AND STORIES. This year, BOOM! Studios celebrates its fifth anniversary. About MyDigitalComics: An up and comer in the digital comics market place, MyDigitalComics (www.mydigitalcomics.com), provides fans a digital option for their comics and offers titles in PDF, CBZ, and page flipper formats. MDC works in affiliation with Discount Comic Book Service (www.dcbservice.com). DCBS is one of the nation’s largest comics retailers and its sister store, InStockTrades (www.instocktrades.com), is a mainstay of the collected edition market, keeping over 11,000 individual trade paperback and hardcover titles in stock.

Be A Hero

MARK WAID &

THE HERO INITIATIVE

WANT YOU

TO BE A HERO

Help support The Hero Initiative by using your Ralphs, Food4Less, and Cala/Bell rewards card

Comic fans, its your turn to help comic creators!

Monday, September 27, 2010 - Mark Waid and The Hero Initiative want comic fans to rise up and be a hero! If you live in California, Nevada, Illinois, and Indiana, sign up your Ralphs, Food4Less, Cala Foods or Bell Markets rewards card with the “Community Contributions” program and the next time you shop using your rewards card you'll be helping comic book creators in need of emergency medical aid, financial support, and other necessities. It's never been easier to be a hero!

As part of the “Community Contributions” program, Ralphs, Food4Less, Cala Foods and Bell Markets will make a donation to The Hero Initiative every time you shop with your rewards card. Not only are you saving money but you're saving lives.

Here's how you too can become a hero!:

1) Log onto your www.ralphs.com and sign into your rewards account. If you don't have a Ralphs.com account sign up, it's free and it saves you cash!

2) After signing in, click on the following link:
https://customer.ralphs.com/ManageCommunityRewardsStep1.aspx
or if that doesn't work try the second link blow:
https://customer.ralphs.com/ManageCommunityRewardsStep3.aspx

3) Fill out the information form including The Hero Initiative NPO# and corporate name:
NPO#: 80680
Corporate Name: A Commitment To Our Roots.

4) Start shopping!

If you've already signed up but it's been more than a year, sign up again! Every Sept 1st “Community Contributions” are reset which means if you're not sure your purchasing power is helping The Hero Initiative, now's the time to find out!

So tell your family, friends, comic shop acquaintances, Mark Waid is looking for heroes! Sign up those rewards cards and shop at your local Ralphs, Food4Less, Cala Foods and/or Bell Markets to help The Hero Initiative and uphold a tradition of generosity towards comic creators in need of medical, financial, and moral support.

To find your local Ralphs use the Ralphs Store Locator.

To find your local Food4Less use the Food4Less Store Locator.

About The Hero Initiative
The Hero Initiative (http://www.heroinitiative.org) is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work.

About BOOM! Studios
BOOM! Studios (www.boom-studios.com) 2009 "Best Publisher" of the year, generates a wide-ranging catalog of multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated comic books and graphic novels featuring some of the industry’s top talent, including Philip K. Dick's DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?, 20th Century Fox's 28 DAYS LATER and DIE HARD, The Henson Company's FARSCAPE, and the original Mark Waid series IRREDEEMABLE. This fall sees BOOM! teaming up with the legendary Stan Lee, creator of Marvel Comics’ characters Spider-Man, The Hulk, and The X-Men for a line of original superhero series, the legend’s first new superhero creations in nearly 20 years. BOOM!'s youth imprint, BOOM Kids!, is an undisputed industry leader publishing Disney/Pixar's THE INCREDIBLES, CARS, and TOY STORY, as well as Disney's THE MUPPETS, DONALD DUCK, UNCLE SCROOGE and WALT DISNEY'S COMICS AND STORIES. This year, BOOM! Studios celebrates its fifth anniversary.

THE UNKNOWN: THE DEVIL MADE FLESH #2

I plan on reviewing this book sometime in the next week, so I thought I'd pop up this preview of the book that BOOM! Studios provided. Enjoy!

SDCC '09: BOOM STUDIOS' Eureka Signing

EUREKA TV SHOW CO-CREATOR
ANDREW COSBY
&
EUREKA'S “NATHAN STARK” ED QUINN
TO SIGN EUREKA COMICS AT COMIC-CON '09



BOOM! STUDIOS BOOTH #2543
FRIDAY JULY 24TH FROM 5-6pm

July 16th, 2009 - Los Angeles, CA— EUREKA TV show co-creator Andrew Cosby and actor Ed Quinn, who played Nathan Stark, will be signing copies of BOOM! Studios smash-hit EUREKA Vol.1 trade paperback and the follow-up EUREKA: DORMANT GENE mini-series at Comic-Con '09 on Friday, July 24th, from 5-6pm only at the BOOM! Studios booth (#2543.)

Told completely in continuity, BOOM!'s EUREKA comics, based on the smash-hit Sci Fi Channel TV show, were masterminded by series co-creators Andrew Cosby and Jaime Paglia. Ed Quinn starred on the series as the fan-favorite character Nathan Stark for EUREKA seasons one and two. His other credits include TRUE BLOOD, CSI: NY, and HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2.

The EUREKA TV show recently premiered its 4th season to record setting ratings. EUREKA has been consistently the highest rated TV show on the Sci Fi Channel.

EUREKA Vol.1 is by co-creators Andrew Cosby and Jaime Paglia with script by Brendan Hay (THE DAILY SHOW) and art by Diego Barreto. EUREKA: DORMANT GENE has a story by Cosby and Paglia with script by Jonathan L. Davis (THE DUKES OF HAZARD) and art by Mark Dos Santos

About BOOM! Studios
BOOM! Studios (www.boom-studios.com) is a unique publishing house specializing in high-profile projects across a wide variety of different genres from some of the industry's biggest talents, including Philip K. Dick's DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?, The Henson Company's FARSCAPE, and the original Mark Waid series IRREDEEMABLE. BOOM! recently launched its youth imprint, BOOM! Kids, with Pixar's THE INCREDIBLES, CARS, and TOY STORY, as well as Disney's THE MUPPETS. This year, BOOM! Studios celebrates its fourth anniversary.

Will Boom! Studios Make It The "Big Three"?

If you've been paying attention to numbers lately, you'd have noticed that sales estimates indicate that neither Marvel nor DC Comics had an issue that broke 100k.

That's just a few months into the Dark Reign event and with Batman: Battle For The Cowl debuting in this month's estimates. It's hard to imagine anything in the near future (other than maybe Blackest Night) charting higher than the Big Two's current offerings. Sales are a bit down all over, so I'm not trying to point to these sales as any indicator of the job DC and Marvel are doing (feel free to argue that in the comments).

Enter BOOM! Studios.

If you haven't noticed all the sellout notices from BOOM! Studios regarding their Muppet Show and Incredibles books, you might guffaw at this suggestion. OK, plenty of books sellout, so you might still have a chuckle. I'll give you two words that should quiet that laughter:

Newstand distribution.

BOOM!'s kids line will be getting broad distribution. It should already be available in Barnes & Noble, if not in other venues. These are properties with amazing mainstream recognition being put in places where mainstream eyes will see them.

Yes, I know that they aren't the only company with newstand distribution. But can you name a property that has a better chance of selling at the supermarket, bookstore or newstand than the Muppets or Incredibles?

I know it probably sounds like quite a leap from about eighth place to third place, but the Disney/Pixar/Muppets product has only just hit the shelves. While IDW has a potential cash cow this summer in their GI Joe product, they have a higher price point ($3.99 vs. $2.99) and are geared to a consumer that has many other options for entertainment when talking about the mainstream audience. While I'm sure BOOM! is selling more than a few copies to adults, they're putting out a product that parents can feel comfortable handing to their child that might just be learning to read.

This isn't to try to minimize the impact of the regular product that BOOM! is putting out. I'm sure the WARHAMMER product has been doing well for them in trades sold outside of the direct market. They're putting out stuff like UNTHINKABLE, UNKNOWN and IRREDEEMABLE. One can always hope for more HERO SQUARED, as well. Can't forget being impressed by COVER GIRL (which Kevin Church, of BeaucoupKevin.com, contributed to).

What I'm saying is: the moves that Waid, Richie, Mosher and company are making could reap great rewards for the company and a significant vault up the publisher rankings.

(originally composed via e-mail; apologies for misspelling Ross Richie's last name prior to touch up editing this evening)

Irredeemable

Mark Waid's new title seems like an interesting enough book. I'm sure the orders will be helped by the viral marketing done on its behalf. I wonder whether Rich Johnston was a willing participant in the viral marketing when he showed the MARK WAID IS EVIL t-shirt in his column.

Mind you, it was all harmless stuff. I'm certainly glad it didn't involve any marvel_b0y chicanery.

Press Release follows:

A DIRECT MARKET EVENT!

NEW ONGOING MARK WAID SUPERHERO SERIES

FROM BOOM! STUDIOS

MARK WAID IS EVIL

MARK WAID ISŠ

IRREDEEMABLE

AN APOCALYPTIC SUPERHERO TALE

IN THE VEIN OF KINGDOM COME

WITH AN EMPIRE TWIST

ISSUE #1 COVERS BY JOHN CASSADAY AND BARRY KITSON

January 27th, 2009 - Brace yourselves for a comic industry event: BOOM! Studios presents a new monthly ongoing superhero series from Mark Waid - IRREDEEMABLE!

With IRREDEEMABLE, Mark Waid dares to ask the question: what if the world's greatest hero decided to become the world's greatest villain? IRREDEEMABLE is a "twilight of the superheroes"-style story from the writer of KINGDOM COME and EMPIRE!

IRREDEEMABLE #1 will feature variant covers by John Cassaday (ASTONISHING X-MEN, PLANETARY) and Barry Kitson (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN) in a 75/25 split. The first twelve issues of the series will feature incentive covers by hot newcomer Jeffrey Spokes that will spell out I-R-R-E-D-E-E-M-A-B-L-E! The first issue incentive cover will be a special 1-in-50 rarity with every copy signed by Mark Waid. IRREDEEMABLE issue #1 will also feature a special afterword by Grant Morrison.

Peter (POWER OF SHAZAM) Krause has committed to doing the interiors for the first twelve issues.

"In superhero comics, pretty much everyone who's called upon to put on a cape is, at heart, emotionally equipped for the job. I reject that premise," said series writer and BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Mark Waid. "IRREDEEMABLE is, in a way, my third and most complex chapter on the cost of superheroics - a pulp adventure tale of horror exploring how the lessons we learn about right and wrong as children can become warped and twisted when challenged by the realities of the adult world. "

"IRREDEEMABLE is a fresh start, a way to enjoy superhero comics without forty to eighty years of back story and following dozens of titles," said BOOM! Studios managing editor Matt Gagnon. "It's the superhero book fans have been waiting for!"

IRREDEEMABLE #1 features variant covers by John Cassaday and Barry Kitson in a 75/25 split with incentive covers by Jeffrey Spokes and is a "Featured Item" in the Diamond Previews Catalog with an order code of FEB094134.

BOOM! Studios Holiday Party

HEXED From Boom! Studios

Chip Mosher sent out a press release and a few preview pages of HEXED, a new series from the writer behind FALL OF CTHULHU.

BLOOD. THEFT. SEX. MAGIC.

BOOM! STUDIOS' DEBUTS NEW MINISERIES

HEXED

There's no honor amongst thieves, especially when you're operating in the occult underground.

"This is one of the best books BOOM! has published," says Mark Waid

July 19, 2008 - Los Angeles, CA - BOOM! Studios announced today its exciting new mini-series HEXED, written by horror sensation Michael Alan Nelson (FALL OF CTHULHU) with art by Emma Rios and colors by Cris Peter.

"This is, honestly, everything I look for in a series and in a first issue," said BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Mark Waid. "Michael's got his craft down better than just about anyone, and his ideas are terrific. Weird and chilling and compellingly disturbing, but terrific. Okay, actually, the boy clearly needs therapy. But HEXED is great."

HEXED follows nineteen-year-old Luci Neves, a.k.a. "Lucifer," a Brazilian thief who specializes in the otherworldy and the enchanted. Ordinary crooks can rob banks. Lucifer's the girl you call when you need someone to steal a demon's collar, a feather from an angel's wings, or the hinges off the gates of Hell itself. Luci's life has been plagued by macabre adventures and ethereal encounters, and now that an ill-satisfied client from her past has come back to haunt her...well, there may be no place in any dimension left for her to run!

HEXED, the brand-new series by Michael Alan Nelson (the critically acclaimed author of FALL OF CTHULHU) and hot new art talent Emma Rios, delivers a whole new take on the supernatural detective thriller!

Best-known for his work on FALL OF CTHLUHU, Michael Nelson has also written DOMINION and SECOND WAVE as well as the upcoming series LAST REIGN and the forthcoming FALL OF CTHULHU: APOCALYPSE. BOOM! has given Nelson almost unprecedented creative autonomy to bring his ideas to life, and he has yet to falter in his ascent within the comics industry.

"I think a great story needs more than flashy gimmicks and a couple of neat concepts", said HEXED writer Michael Alan Nelson. "You absolutely must have a compelling story and fleshed-out characters before you can start throwing labyrinthine plots into the mix. I look for chilling conflicts, then find ways to make them as unsettling and riveting as possible."

"And wait until you see the art in the first issue," said Nelson. "Emma is a phenom and will be turning some heads when this issue hits the stands."

"I'm really proud of this series," said HEXED series editor Matt Gagnon. "Getting new pages from Emma, with sensational colors by Cris Peter, makes every day like Christmas morning. These two women are extremely talented. And working with the masterful Mr. Nelson is always a pleasure. We're all having a blast."

HEXED #1 features two variant covers by Emma Rios and Joe Pekar, with Diamond Order Codes of OCT083924 and OCT083925 respectively.

Waid On LA INK At 10PM EST

From Chip Mosher over at BOOM! Studios:

On Tonight! LA Ink vistis the BOOM! Studios office to talk to Mark Waid. It's don't miss TV!

Here's the full episode info:

LA Ink

Comic Relief

TV-PG (DL)

Oct 16, 10:00 pm

(60 minutes)

Hannah attempts to transform the crew at the shop into larger than life comic book characters and meets with comics guru Mark Waid. Naheed has her work cut out for her with the serious business of managing the shop while trying to bond with the crew at the same time.

Mark Waid On BRAND NEW DAY

Now, I like Mark Waid. I know, I know...he's cussed me out and all...and I've pointed to several of his flubs. But he's human, thus prone to the occasional mistake or a flare up of his temper.

But he said something (in a Newsarama interview) that makes me think that he must be reading a different BRAND NEW DAY or skipping most of the Dan Slott issues:

They're very careful and very respectful, whether the hardcore fans believe it or not; the team that I've seen on the Spider-Man books is very respectful toward them in terms of not going out of their way to thumb their nose at the readership, or try to make fun of them or mock their concern.

Slott has gone out of his way to put little nose-thumbing bits somewhere in every one of his arcs, thus far. From the opening of BRAND NEW DAY immediately showing Peter kissing someone (which even Quesada said was a way to slap the reader across the face, I believe) to MJ saying "it's magic, you don't have to explain it" to a bit or two already in the current arc.

So that bit, along with him guarding J. Jonah Jameson's relation to his upcoming story as if his life depended on it, yet giving away what happens with Venom in this current arc for no apparent reason, counts as a noticeably large mistake.

Mark Waid's Next Bat Villain Opinion

Mark Waid shared his ideas for the next villain to be used in the Bat flicks over on MTV's Splash Page:

Mark Waid (“Infinite Crisis”): “Catwoman needs to be part of it, that’s even more obvious now that he’s living on the other side of life. What a great parallel to Batman’s situation as a fugitive. But it would have to be something we haven’t seen before. The jewel thief thing was interesting, but it’s hard to relate to a jewel thief. It’s even harder to relate to a prostitute.

Of course, because people related to a psycho terrorist Joker so well. You're right, Mark, let's not risk having the next movie turn out like THAT bomb. Don't forget how little folks related to a genocidal psycho (Ra's Al Ghul) and a psychologist that was nuttier than his patients.

Besides, I don't know how hard it is to relate. How many straight guys would whore themselves out if there were a bigger market for their goods? ;)

Update: The anonymous comment below led me to think two seconds more about this topic and remember: PRETTY WOMAN. Yeah...people sure couldn't relate to Julia Roberts. Any character can be made relatable, it just takes a good writer putting forth enough effort.

“It would be fun to see them put a spin on a less obvious one like they did with Ra’s Al Ghul. I’d be hankering for the Mad Hatter. Granted, crimes about hats are a specialized field, but if you take it back to ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ and give it a weird, almost psychedelic worldview from that, it could be cool in their hands.”"

So, people can relate to a crazy, hat-obsessed, mind-controlling midget with a psychedelic worldview is easier to relate to? I mean...I dig this idea, definitely. But the rationale used in making one bad and the other good is just silly.

Of course, Mark's not the only one to defecate on the prostitute Catwoman thing. But none of the others followed up with an idea that blew their logic. Then, again, Mark might have explained it much better only to have MTV trim it down. But since I'm just having a little fun with it, I won't be torn up if that was the case. ;)

Chip Mosher, You Sly Dog!

This is what you were teasing when I blogged about Mark Waid's comment about trading existing fans for a junior high school full of new readers, isn't it? Congratu-effing-lations...mighty good stuff, sir!

ANNOUNCE NEW LINE OF COMIC BOOKS

EXCLUSIVE COMIC-CON PREVIEW BOOK ON SALE AT THE BOOM! STUDIOS BOOTH (#2543)

When was the last time you gave a comic book to a kid?

July 23rd, 2008 - Los Angeles, CA - BOOM! Studios and Disney Publishing Worldwide announced today that they will bring brand new stories from beloved Pixar properties to the comic book medium. Comics will feature characters from the groundbreaking TOY STORY franchise and blockbuster FINDING NEMO film, as well as this summer's box office success WALL*E.

BOOM! Studios is also proud to announce Editor-in-Chief Mark Waid will be writing THE INCREDIBLES comic book, featuring cover art by DC: THE NEW FRONTIER writer and artist Darwyn Cooke!

"Today, American comic books are aimed primarily at an older readership. Comics produced for an upcoming generation of readers are scarce - and BOOM! Studios aims to do something about that," said Waid. "There will be comics for kids again!"

To commemorate this historic partnership, BOOM! will be releasing a special preview book featuring sneak previews of upcoming projects using the characters from TOY STORY, FINDING NEMO, and MONSTERS, INC. Featuring commentary by Waid, this preview will give comic fans and interested parents a look at the quality comics BOOM! will be producing for a younger audience by the end of the year.

Following on the heels of THE INCREDIBLES comic book release, BOOM! will be publishing all new stories featuring favorite Pixar characters from TOY STORY, CARS, FINDING NEMO and MONSTERS INC. New stories featuring this summer's blockbuster hit WALL-E will follow shortly thereafter.

"It's nothing short of an honor to work with Disney Publishing Worldwide and Pixar for this project," said BOOM! Studios co-founder Ross Richie. "We found kindred spirits in the creative counterparts we have at both companies, and have just really had a fantastic time finding the right writer and artist combinations to do the source material justice. I think young and old alike are going to love these books!"

The Pixar preview book will be available $5 during San Diego Comic-Con at the BOOM! Studios booth (#2543).

PR: BOOM! Studios Does Free Webcomics

For Immediate Release:

BOOM! STUDIOS LAUNCHES FREE WEBCOMIC SITE

Site allows easy fan access to select BOOM! titles every day

A comic page a day keeps the boredom away

July 14th, 2008 (Los Angeles, CA) -- BOOM! Studios today launches the BOOM! Studios Webcomic site at www.boom-studios.com, allowing readers to enjoy online access to select BOOM! titles for free! BOOM! Studios will be releasing a page a day from six different series beginning with the site's historic July 14th launch.

Starting off, readers will be able to read the critically acclaimed fan-favorites NINJA TALES, ZOMBIE TALES Volume 1, HERO SQUARED, 2 GUNS, SHMOBOTS, and CTHULHU TALES Volume 1! BOOM! will be continuing to do this all year round with many different series.

The first salvo of pages features a wide variety of incredibly talented creators, from a ZOMBIE TALE by KINGDOM COME writer Mark Waid with Marvel Comics artist Carlos Magno, to legendary FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE JUSTICE LEAGUE creators Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, as well as writer Steven Grant, known for his original run on THE PUNISHER. SHMOBOTS writer Adam Rifkin is no slouch either, having directed cult-faves such as DETROIT ROCK CITY and THE DARK BACKWARD. Rifkin is also well known for scripting the feature films MOUSEHUNT and UNDERDOG. These are just a few of the stellar talents on tap for BOOM!'s new initiative.

At launch, each series will have a handful of pages already posted so that fans can immediately sample the tone, characters, and storyline of each series. Thereafter, BOOM! will update each series with a page a day, averaging five pages of content per series, per week.

"This is a great way to get the word out about BOOM! titles," said Chip Mosher, Marketing and Sales Director for BOOM! Studios. "When people come to the site for free comics, they'll be able to take a look at the other quality books we're putting out. The interface ties all the parts of our website - the store, current titles, free stuff - into one beautiful package. New fans who might be stopping by for cool zombie or Cthulhu content can get turned on to what BOOM!'s doing across the board and check out the print editions in local comic book shops or at Amazon.com and mass market bookstores via our distribution deal with Perseus Books. We expect that people who aren't BOOM! fans will discover our series and titles and be excited to own print copies."

This is not BOOM!'s first foray into the digital distribution of their titles. Earlier this year, BOOM! and MySpace, the world's most popular online social network, announced a partnership to provide the MySpace Comic Books community with free editions of BOOM! Studios' highly anticipated new comic book series, NORTH WIND. Throughout the five-issue mini-series, MySpace users were able to view online or download all the issues of NORTH WIND for free exclusively on the MySpace Comic Books profile (http://myspace.com/comicbooks) the day each issue hit store shelves.

After pioneering the first simultaneous release of a comic book online and in stores with NORTH WIND, issue #1 sold out and went to second printing, and BOOM! Studios saw an unprecedented 30% increase in orders from issue #3 to issue #4.

"We're seeing a greater demand for digital comics, whether it be from casual readers or hardcore fans," said BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Mark Waid. "Partnering with MySpace showed us that releasing our books for free online actually helped our sales. After sampling BOOM! comics electronically, readers went out to buy physical copies. The BOOM! Webcomic site will continue spearheading this game-changing initiative."

"Working in the entertainment industry I see that, every day, the internet keeps changing things," said Ross Richie, Co-Founder of BOOM! Studios. "Companies are shaped around the internet, but for BOOM!, we're shaping the internet around us."

The BOOM! Studios Webcomic site goes live July14th at www.boom-studios.com.

About BOOM! Studios

BOOM! Studios (http://www.boom-studios.com) is a unique new publishing house specializing in high-profile projects across a wide variety of different genres from some of the industry's biggest talents. In its inaugural year, Wizard Magazine named BOOM! "Best New Publisher." 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.

Isn't Mark Waid The BMOC At Boom! Studios?

Heidi MacDonald reported the following bit from the State of the Industry panel at Heroes Con:

Waid declared that he would trade all the existing comics readers for a junior high school full of readers

Then Mark waded on to the blog over at The Beat and said:

“Wouldn’t that involve actually creating and marketing comics for junior high school readers instead of their parents?”

Yes, it would. As a creator, all I can do is create them for that readership, which I do. Pointedly. Whether I can actually physically get comics TO them or not. Marketing is beyond my control. But some of us have at least the first part of it covered. I wish more of the super-hero industry would follow suit, frankly, but that’s not my call.

Isn't he more than a creator at Boom! and in a position where he should have some control over trying to market their product? I mean, at least some influence?

It is possible that he was trying to speak more to his recent experiences creating work-for-hire over at DC, but he was on that panel as someone leading a comic book company. I'd like to see what he proposes to do to market Boom! Studios product to junior high schoolers.

DC's Legion Shuffling

Rich Johnston reported that Jim Shooter didn't wind up attending the Bristol convention because he's off Legion of Super Heroes. That was news to me.

In a follow-up thread about it in the Lying In The Gutters forums, a CBR poster named Ontire had the following to say:

I'd heard, more than a year ago, that Johns was going to take over shortly after the Bedard run. Shooter was going to come in and do a fill-in, leading up to Final Crisis, and Waid.2 Legion would cross-over with the Legion of the Lightning Saga, leading to Johns returning the Levitz era, pre-Crisis Legion, essentially intact afterwards.

Then, allegedly as a face-saving measure, it was decided that admitting complete failure on the re-launch was a bad move, and Shooter was made permanent, but as they say @ Grace Bros., "Our figures are slipping." So who knows now.

I had heard there was some interest in Geoff's version of the Legion before they even saw print in Lightning Saga or Action, but I never heard that it got anywhere near that sort of planning stage.

Mark Waid Is All Class

Further evidence that people need to bring their problems with me TO ME, instead of messing up other sites with their ignorance and frustration.

I simply said the following in a Blog@Newsarama listing many creators remembering Steve Gerber on his passing:

I know more of the manner in which Steve Gerber carried himself during his failing health than I do about him as a creator. In that time, I saw greatness.

Comment by Kevin Huxford — February 12, 2008 @ 4:45 pm

Mark Waid followed up shortly after with the following:

Jim Shooter’s work taught me how to write, but Steve Gerber is the one and only person who made me WANT to be a writer. The inventiveness and courage of his work was jaw-dropping to me when I was a teenager and still holds up for me to this day. Without Steve, literally, I wouldn’t be in comics.

And it moves me deeply to read so many similar tributes to the man and his work from so many who cared equally. Even Kevin Huxford, who’s no doubt pissed that Steve passed before Kevin could rat him out to the WGA for some perceived sin.

Comment by Mark Waid — February 12, 2008 @ 9:48 pm

Mark Waid: It speaks to your (lack of) class that you'd sully a place of remembering the dead with taking a lowly cheap shot at me. You want to take shots at me? You can certainly find a better place than the comments section regarding the death of someone you hold in high regard. I imagine that you'd have started an argument or taken a swing at me had we actually been at a wake at the same time?