A Barrage of Bullets: Previews, Interviews, and More!

 

 

Brubaker and Phillips' Fatale

• Fatale #17 Preview.  The latest issue is out this Wednesday, and Paste Magazine has an exclusive five-page preview of the latest arc's "interlude" set in the present day.
• Interior Art from Sean Phillips.  Over at his blog (note the new URL), Sean Phillips continues to show us the occasional bit of artwork, including the inks for a partial page, presumably from issue #17.  A inked preview of Fatale #18 reveals a rare double-page spread, evidently the first (or second?) in more than 1600 pages produced by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.
• December Solicitations.  Image's December solicitations were recently released, and the year is set to close with the trade collection for the current arc and the first issue of the new arc: Fatale Volume 4: Pray for Rain and Fatale #20 are both scheduled to be released on December 18th. 
• Cover Art for the New Year.  Phillips has also revealed cover art for upcoming issues, with artwork for Fatale #21 being the latest preview.

 

Ed Brubaker

• USA Today Interview and Velvet Interior Pages.  Yesterday, USA Today's Life section posted an extensive "Sunday Conversation"  with Ed Brubaker, primarily about Fatale, Velvet, and the upcoming Captain America sequel.  The piece mentions his continuing to work on a film adaptation for "Coward," the first arc in Criminal, and Brubaker discusses his family's background in writing and espionage, his experiences in LA, and the surprising influence of The Sopranos.  The article also features our first look at three interior pages from the first issue, set in Paris, 1973.  Velvet is scheduled to debut on October 23rd -- or, going by Brubaker's Twitter feed, October 30th.
• Third Catwoman Volume Next Year.  The blog Collected Editions provided an early look at the hardcovers and trade paperbacks that DC Comics plans to release in early 2014.  The list includes Catwoman Volume 3: Under Pressure.  Evidently containing issues #25-37 of the 2002 series, the book will conclude Brubaker's run on the series.  Amazon suggests a release in the first week of April.
• Brubaker Honored in Top Ten of Batman Black & White.  To commemorate the recent revival of the Batman Black & White, Comics Alliance listed their top ten entries in the original award-winning mini-series and the subsequent back-up stories in Batman: Gotham Knights, all collected in three volumes (with a few additional stories).  The list includes Ed Brubaker and Ryan Sook's "I'll Be Watching," and for my money I would have included Alex Garland and Sean Phillips' "Sunrise," even before I recognized the artist by name.  The new mini-series is worth checking out, and the earlier stories are well worth a second look.

 

Sean Phillips

• Art of Sean Phillips Interview and Previews.  Sean Phillips' deluxe artbook will be released in just over three weeks, and Newsarama has an interview with the artist.  Among other topics, Phillips discusses the significant input he had on the book's design and contents, and he reviews his career from childhood to Marvel Zombies to his extensive collaboration with Ed Brubaker.  Phillips recently received advanced copies of the book, and he used his blog and Twitter feed to provide a few previews of the book:  one, two, three, and four.
• Art of Phillips Postcards for Comic Art Fest.  We previously mentioned the Lakes International Comics Art Festival in the UK, which will feature an exhibit on Sean Phillips from October 6th to November 10th.  Phillips will be bringing 500 postcards that he'll be giving away at the festival, and the cards feature art from Criminal and Fatale.
• Sean Phillips' First Film Poster.  Having created the artwork for four Criterion Collection releases, Sean Phillips has recently created a moody poster for We Gotta Get Out of This Place, a crime thriller debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival.  Bad Ass Digest has the details and a synopsis (h/t Comics Alliance), and Phillips reveals that he was responsible for both the painting and the design work.
• An Old Blog with a New Name.  Around September 4th, Sean Phillips changed the URL of his blog to http://theartofseanphillips.blogspot.co.uk/ which is reflected in the new links listed on the right.  Our old links to his blog are now dead, and it's not clear whether we'll have the time to correct them all in the near future.

 

Frequent Collaborators

• Film Adaptation for Greg Rucka's Queen & Country.  Brubaker's Gotham Central co-creator has his own espionage comic, the excellent Queen & Country, collected in four, undersized Definitive Editions, released by Oni Press between 2007 and 2009.  The series is being adapted for the big screen, and, earlier this month, Variety exclusively announced that Ellen Page is in negotiations with Fox to star as the central character, Tara Chase.  I do not believe a director or release date has been announced.
• Darwyn Cooke Adaptation of Slayground, Out in December.  Finally, Brubaker's Catwoman collaborator Darwyn Cooke will release his fourth Parker book at the end of the year.  IDW's December solicitations list the book as the publisher's Gem of the Month, and they feature the book in a summer press release.  This will be the fourth book Cooke has created from Richard Stark's Parker series, and the book will include "The Seventh," a short story previously available only in the large "Martini edition."

 



John Lange Revealed! Michael Crichton & Hard Case Crime.

For me, the intersection between Hard Case Crime and comic books is double-edged.  On the one hand, the award-winning line of new and classic crime fiction was featured in the back pages of early issues of Criminal (and I discovered that HCC books returned the favor), and I'm not sure I would have explored the books without that advertising. 

On the other hand, Hard Case Crime is a big reason I no longer read many new comic books:  few provide the same bang for the buck, either on the first read or for the long haul.

We previously noted the imprint's hiatus and its return, moving from mass-market paperbacks to hardcovers and trade paperbacks.  This summer has been especially big, as Stephen King published Joyland exclusively through HCC without any digital distribution -- it's been startling to see the book at Kroger's and Costco -- and big events just keep coming.

Earlier this week, I noticed the website listed eight(!) new additions for October, two being familiar books in a new edition.  The Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy blog has the details, and at his blog, novelist Paul Bishop has evidently published the email newsletter from editor Charles Ardai.

As a Harvard med student, Michael Crichton wrote eight paperback thrillers that were published between 1966 and 1972 under the pen name of John Lange.  Hard Case Crime previously reprinted two of these books -- Grave Descend (HCC-026) and Zero Cool (HCC-041) -- under the name of Lange, never acknowledging the now fairly open secret of who really wrote it.

Crichton passed away in 2008, but with his family's blessing, all eight Lange novels are being reprinted by Hard Case Crime this October, under his real name for the first time.

(The earlier HCC books will have new numbers and the new authorship, "Michael Crichton Writing as John Lange," as the original listings have been removed from the site.)

What sort of books did "John Lange" write?  Ardai explains:

The books are terrific reads, really delicious examples of Michael experimenting with the genres he would become famous for in later life – you’ll find sinister consequences of bioengineering (on a secret island vacation resort, no less!), you’ll find a race-against-the-clock political thriller penned long before the TV series “24,” you’ll find an archaeology professor hunting for a lost tomb in the Egyptian desert decades before Harrison Ford ever donned a fedora…plus a heist of a luxury hotel planned with the aid of a computer, a case of mistaken identity that pits an innocent man against a league of assassins, and more, all presented behind the gorgeous painted cover art of Greg Manchess and Glen Orbik. 

Unlike Stephen King's latest entry, these books are also available digitally through Open Road Integrated Media, but I think Ardai's comment to WSJ is right on the money:  "We publish books that were meant to be in paperback, with covers that make your pulse race, which is how Michael always wanted these books to appear."

Each book will retail for ten bucks, and they may end up being discounted to about the same price range as the e-books.

Fans of Criminal and the rest of Brubaker and Phillips' work can find a great way to kill a weekend with any of the books from Hard Case Crime.

New Fatale Out Today: Previews, Interviews, and More.

After a brief delay of a couple weeks, Fatale #16 is in stores today.  A five-page preview of the latest issue can be found all over the place, including Comic Book Resources, Geekality, Rockin Comics, and Comicsity.

Keen-eyed readers might spot a revised cover for the issue.  At his blog, Sean Phillips explains that, since Nicholas doesn't appear in this issue, they'll save the original cover for another time.

Sean Phillips is also spending the next few months highlighting "reject" images that didn't make the final cut for The Art of Sean Phillips, due in October.  Fans of his collaborations with Ed Brubaker will be particularly interested in two pieces from Sleeper: a preliminary pencil of the cover art for issue #2 and a rough demonstration image for the colorist.  More is sure to come.

Speaking of Brubaker, he announced on his Twitter feed that his upcoming comic Velvet made the October cover of the solicitations magazine Previews.

A few weeks ago, I belatedly mentioned an interview with Brubaker at MTV Geek.  The interview focuses on Fatale and Velvet, I noted a few tidbits about the former.  The next arc will include an experimental issue and a "really weirdly experimental storyline" -- both the result of the freedom inherent in creator-owned comics -- and there are events set in the 1960's that we'll get to, eventually.

MTV Geek subsequently posted a brief video interview with Brubaker at San Diego Comic-Con, focusing on "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," the upcoming movie based on his recent run at Marvel.

Finally, the horror magazine Rue Morgue published an interview with Brubaker and Phillips this past June, promoting Fatale's third trade paperback "West of Hell" and the new story arc "Pray for Rain".  The creators go into what makes the medium effective for horror, and Brubaker discusses the benefits of reading the monthly issues.

"...the best benefit of getting the single issues is that you ensure we get to keep making comics. We earn most of our living on single issue sales, because there’s no big company backing us. The way Image works, you’re basically publishing with them, not working for them, so those single issue sales are what keeps this train running, and our readership has really supported us over the years when our projects weren’t as successful as Fatale has been. It’s important to point that out from time to time, because I feel like sometimes we take stuff we read for granted, not realizing our patronage is what makes those books possible." [emphasis mine]
 

Sean discusses his goal as an artist -- "to make the reader forget they're reading a comic, to get totally involved in what is happening in the story" -- and the two relish the immediacy and the artistic control that comes with their creator-owned work.

Criminal fans will be most interested to read what Brubaker says about their upcoming plans.

"The plan is to either do a sci-fi or a period piece crime story after this... depending on what feels most ready whenever we get to the end of Fatale."
 

I'd love to see my favorite comic return with a period piece, but I'm also keenly aware that, in our world, Leo has been languishing in prison for more than six years.

I dig all their collaborations, but the sequel to "Coward" cannot come soon enough for me.

Eisner Award for Fatale Colorist Dave Stewart.

The 2013 Eisner Awards were announced last night, and Dave Stewart received the award for Best Colorist for his work on Fatale, Batwoman, and a handful of Dark Horse books including BPRD and The Massive.

Fatale and its contributors received six Eisner nominations this year, but the book was otherwise shut out, thanks mostly to the great work being done on Saga and Hawkeye.

We extend our congratulations to the winners and, indeed, to all who received the honor of being nominated.

Bullets: Fatale Ghost Variant, Brubaker Interview, Art of Phillips Promotions.

A few quick announcements.

• Fatale #15 Ghost Variant.  Can't believe I missed this, but Comics Beat noted that the latest issue of Fatale was released with a beautiful variant cover by Ed Brubaker's former Catwoman collaborator, Darwyn Cooke.  The "Ghost Variant" was announced on the issue's release date by the small and enigmatic group of retailers; you can find a copy by contacting the participating stores or searching the online auction sites.
• CBR Interviews Brubaker on Velvet.  At Comic Book Resources, guest contributor Casey Gilly provides a short interview with Ed Brubaker on his upcoming series Velvet.  The series will be "meta-textual," commenting on the Cold War, the espionage genre, and the way men and women are portrayed differently.
• Art of Phillips Bookplates and Exhibit.  Finally, in consecutive blog posts, Sean Phillips made a couple announcements concerning the promotion of The Art of Sean Phillips, out in October.  British store OK Comics will sell their copies with an exclusive bookplate signed by the artist, and the Lakes International Comics Art Festival will commemorate the book with an art exhibit from October 6th to November 10th.

Opening night of the Kendal, England, exhibit includes a screening of 12 Angry Men, for which Sean Phillips contributed the artwork for the Criterion Collection.  Phillips writes, "The original painting for that cover will be in the exhibition along with over a hundred other pieces."

UPDATE: ...and, I forgot to link to an MTV Geek interview with Brubaker, a fairly lengthy article about both Fatale and Velvet.

Velvet by Brubaker and Epting, Debuting in October.

We noted that Ed Brubaker had big plans for Image Expo, and the announcement came today.  As CBR reports, Brubaker is reuniting with Captain America artist Steve Epting for Velvet, an espionage comic that focuses on a spy who returns to the field after working as the personal assistant to the head of the world's largest intelligence agency.

Nerdist had the exclusive announcement and a brief interview with Brubaker.  The idea for the comic has been brewing for about eight years, Epting is now free to work on the book, and Fatale colorist Bettie Breitweiser will be joining the team.

VELVET #1
story ED BRUBAKER
art STEVE EPTING & BETTIE BREITWEISER
cover STEVE EPTING

OCTOBER 2
32 PAGES / FC / M
$3.50

ED BRUBAKER and STEVE EPTING redefined Captain America with the “Winter Soldier” saga… and everything they’ve done so far has been leading to VELVET!

When the world’s best secret agent is killed, Velvet Templeton, the Personal Assistant to the Director of the Agency, is drawn off her desk and back into the field for the first time in nearly 20 years… and is immediately caught in a web of mystery, murder and high-octane action.

Sexy and provocative, with a dark twist on the spy genre, this EXTRA-LENGTH first issue by two of the industry’s best-selling creators will knock you out!

The new ongoing series (with brief breaks planned between arcs) is scheduled to debut on October 2nd.  As he did with Criminal, Incognito, and Fatale before it, Brubaker is teasing the series with a short "trailer" which you can find at Nerdist and CBR, with slightly easier navigation at the latter.

Fatale Preview and Interview.

Fatale Book Three: West of Hell and Fatale #15 are both in stores tomorrow:  readers can catch up with the latest trade paperback and the first chapter of a brand new story arc.

Yesterday, the LA Times' Hero Complex site posted an feature on Fatale.  In an interview-by-email, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips discuss the tidal wave of Eisner nods that the series has received, the unique contributions made by the new colorist Bettie Breitweiser, and the Seattle grunge scene in which the latest arc is set.

The feature also includes an exclusive, six-page preview of the new issue:  check out the links in the article to find the full-size images.