NEWS FLASH! Criminal Auction for John Ostrander.

As Newsarama reported this weekend, Ed Brubaker is auctioning off three opportunities to be "killed off" in an upcoming issue of Criminal, to benefit the extensive medical costs for legendary writer John Ostrander.

Here are the details, from one of the eBay listings.

"The eagerly anticipated upcoming story in CRIMINAL features three dead mobsters. Each of the three winning bidders will not only be donating to this great cause, but will have their name (or the name of their choice) given to one of the dead mobsters in the comic itself! Ed will also create a 'mobster nickname' for each winning bidder, making this one of the most fun and rare comic-related items ever auctioned!

"Finally, winning bidders will receive a copy of the issue that their dead mobster appears in, autographed and personalized by Ed Brubaker himself!"

As of the writing of this blog entry, there's just over 15 hours left to bid.

Blog and Twitter Updates: Black Sails?

I spoke too soon. Since my post yesterday, both Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have reminded readers that the extra-long finale to Incognito is in stores now.

(Just read it this afternoon, and the overall story now strikes me as an unfolding, epic riff on the "origin stories" from Sleeper, and I mean that as quite high praise.)

Brubaker appears to be focusing on his Twitter page rather than his Myspace blog, and today he has several noteworthy tweets. He asked readers to spread the word that the new issue is out, and he announced that Bill Hader is writing the introduction to the trade collection of the series. He explained to a curious fan that Marvel doesn't actually get any revenue from his Icon work, and he answered a fan who (like me) was wondering if the late release of this last issue will cause a delay for Criminal, relaying that the first issue of the new arc "goes to print soon."

Most interestingly, Brubaker highlighted an "expanded version" of Jess Nevins' essay on "The Zeppelin Pulps," which graces the few pages of this week's Incognito #6. Nevins writes, "this may be the single thing I’m most proud of having written, if only because doing research on the zeppelin pulps and the background to Complete Zeppelin Stories was such a challenge."

(N.B. This isn't the first time an official source has published a version of an essay found in the back of Brubaker and Phillips' Icon work. We reported last year that Patton Oswalt's essay on Blast of Silence was also available online, but the link now appears to be broken.)

Also this week, our own Alan David Doane has published his third eBook, a free book in PDF format that features nearly 50 comics-related interviews. Ed Brubaker was interviewed in 2004 and again in 2006, and both interviews are published here. Also included is a 2004 interview with Sean Phillips, where Phillips mentions a Brubaker collaboration that's completely new to me: a project called Black Sails.

A quick search revealed that, in September 2004 -- before I really kept up with comic news sites -- Newsarama published a press release about the project, along with a brief interview with Brubaker. The project was a three-issue horror mini-series about vampire pirates manning the ship on which Dracula sailed.

From the interview and subsequent forum comments from Brubaker and Phillips, we can see some ideas that have almost certainly stuck around in some form.

Ed Brubaker: "As for why horror, it's probably because I've been working out a longer project that Sean and I are going to do with IDW after this, that has elements of all kinds of pulp -- horror, crime, adventure, mystery, even some sci-fi -- and because of that, I'd been reading more old pulp horror, and this idea just hit me. So I thought, okay, before we jump into an epic, lets do something shorter, for a break, and to establish ourselves as a team outside of Sleeper."

Sean Phillips: "The format is going to be 32 pages of STORY per issue. I'll be painting the pages and taking care of the lettering and design as well. One of the only things I asked of IDW was total artistic control."

Arguably, we're seeing "all kinds of pulp" with the Icon work, where the two work to provide cover-to-cover content in every issue, and where Sean Phillips is really responsible for the entire art design.

But where is Black Sails?

Obviously the project never saw completion. The press release explains that the horror comic was to be published by IDW in the spring of 2005, but that February Marvel announced its exclusive contract with Brubaker, beginning with Captain America. Criminal debuted the following year.

When the exclusive contract was announced, Brubaker mentioned having "unprecedented freedom to finish all [his] prior commitments and to do creator-owned work, either at Marvel or elsewhere."

That apparently didn't include Black Sails, but that raises the question of the project's current status and ultimate fate. Has the comic been started or even completed? Must the comic be published by IDW, and is that company waiting for the exclusive contract with Marvel to run its course?

Or could we see the mini-series published by Icon, as an interlude between their crime and pulp titles?

(For that matter, was Phillips really "painting" the comic?)

If I can get any answers to these questions, I'll report them here.


UPDATE, Sept 3rd: I had a little more time to do some digging this morning, and over at Brian Michael Bendis' JinxWorld forum, I found a June, 2007, thread where people were asking what happened to Black Sails.

Ed Brubaker briefly replied:

"Here's the deal. It came down to a few things, partly contract stuff with the publisher we were talking to, and partly that suddenly there were two other pirate vampire ideas announced right at the same time. Then Sean and I just decided we wanted to do a crime book, instead.

"Maybe someday I'll do it somehow. I have the whole outline."

Some preliminary work has already been completed, and we might see the comic eventually, but it's probably not part of the foreseeable future. If I ever come across more information about this unfinished collaboration -- particularly any rumblings that the vampire comic might actually see the light the day -- I'll be sure to let everyone know.


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Incognito #6 In Stores Wednesday.

The fantastic fall begins, as the final, extra-length issue of Incognito hits stores this week.

I haven't seen much online about it -- either at the personal sites for Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips [UPDATE: never mind], or in the major comics news sites -- but Marvel.com still lists tomorrow as the issue's on-sale date.

Over at Savage Critic, Brian Hibbs lists the issue among the products arriving tomorrow at his store, San Francisco's Comix Experience.

(Hibbs also lists the fourth issue of Chew, the breakout comic of the summer. Ed Brubaker has already praised the darkly comic police procedural, and I'm finding it to be the perfect, off-kilter complement to the Brubaker and Phillips' work. A preview of Chew #4 is available at CBR, and in an IGN interview with writer and creator John Layman, Dan Phillips brilliantly describes the book as "Chuck Palahniuk by way of Chuck Jones.")

Most importantly, this afternoon, I called the good folks at my local comic shop -- Great Escape Comics in Marietta, Georgia -- and confirmed that today's shipment for tomorrow's new books includes the latest issue of Incognito (and the latest issue of Chew).

It looks like Incognito #6 should be in stores nationwide this week. I know what I'll be reading tomorrow night.

Update on Upcoming Incognito & Criminal.

There are a few things I've noticed over the last week or so.

Glancing at the world of crime comics in general, I see that the first two entries of Vertigo Crime are reaching stores today. (I already have my copy of each book.) Recently, DC's November solicitations have revealed that the next entry in the series -- The Chill, by Hard Case Crime regular Jason Starr -- is due to be released on January 6th.

Our own Ed Brubaker finishes his run on Daredevil with the landmark issue #500 this week, and Marvel's November solicitations give us hints about future issues in his high-profile mini-series, Captain America: Reborn and The Marvels Project.

Most importantly for fans of Brubaker and Phillips, we have a little more information about their upcoming collaborations.

First, Sean Phillips reports that he has finished work on the last issue of Incognito. On his Twitter page, Ed Brubaker confirms the additional pages that Phillips told us about a couple weeks ago, writing that the finale is "practically double-sized."

On the heels of the mini-series, Marvel's November solicitations confirm that the trade paperback is scheduled to go on sale on November 25th, Thanksgiving Eve. After that? Again on Twitter, Brubaker writes, "yes, INCOGNITO will return next year, after CRIMINAL: THE SINNERS. But only if you all buy CRIMINAL, too."

Second, while we're on the subject of Criminal, Sean Phillips relays that work has begun on the first issue of "The Sinners." We're given a very slight preview of the first page, the first two lines of dark but funny dialogue that is, appropriately enough for Tracy Lawless, told in the third person.


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Upcoming Schedule, Fall 2009.

Over at his blog, Sean Phillips has been posting artwork for the upcoming conclusion to Incognito, and he's also been posting "old stuff" such as art from his book Blow Up, because he can't really show preview work for the last, presumably crucial pages of the final issue.

It still might be a few weeks before this last issue reaches stores, as Marvel.com currently lists the release date of Incognito #6 as September 2nd, a late enough date that it might push back the release of "The Sinners," the upcoming Criminal arc.

(UPDATE, Aug 5: Sean explains in the comments below that the book has been pushed back a couple weeks because it's become presumably an extra long issue: Incognito #6 "contains 32 pages of story rather than the usual 23, and of course, those extra pages take time to draw...")

So, for fans of Phillips' excellent collaborations with Ed Brubaker, August will be a very quiet month in terms of new releases, but it's only the calm before the storm, as we'll see new releases for Criminal, Incognito, and even Sleeper in the months that follow.

Though all dates are, of course, subject to change, here's the upcoming schedule for the next few months, including a few other releases that I've mentioned previously.

• August 19
  Vertigo Crime debuts
  - Filthy Rich by Brian Azzarello and Victor Santos
  - Dark Entries by Ian Rankin and Werther Dell'Edera
  


• September 2
  The conclusion of Incognito
  - Incognito #6 by Brubaker and Phillips
  


• RECENTLY ADDED: September 9
  Second hardcover of Gotham Central
  - Gotham Central Book 2: Jokers and Madmen by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, and Michael Lark [see update]
  


• September 23
  Sleeper re-release, Criminal returns
  - Sleeper: Season Two by Brubaker and Phillips
  - Criminal: The Sinners #1 by Brubaker and Phillips
  


• October 14
  Crime anthology with a Criminal short story, Liberty Comics return
  - Noir from Dark Horse Comics
  - Liberty Comics #2, from Image Comics
  


• October 28
  Criminal continues
  - Criminal: The Sinners #2 by Brubaker and Phillips
  


• RECENTLY ADDED: November 25
  Incognito trade
  - Incognito by Brubaker and Phillips
  


• November
  The Criminal hardcover
  - Criminal: The Deluxe Edition by Brubaker and Phillips
  

Dark Horse's Noir anthology was originally scheduled for September 30th and has only recently been pushed back a couple weeks. I wouldn't be surprised if the first two issues of "The Sinners" is also delayed in light of the late release for the final issue of Incognito.

Criminal: The Deluxe Edition was advance-solicited, and I haven't been able to find a specific release date. Very soon after the hardcover was announced, Ed Brubaker relayed that it would be released in November.

[We've seen the cover art for the Incognito trade collection, but the trade hasn't been solicited, and I guess it will be released no earlier than November. UPDATE, Aug 19: Marvel's November solicitations now confirm a November 25th release date.]

And, we haven't seen any additional solicitations for "The Sinners," but another issue or two of Criminal might make it to stores before the end of the year.

So.

In the span of about three months, we'll see [UPDATED] the first two Vertigo Crime books and the second Liberty Comics; we'll have the final new trade collection for Sleeper and the second hardcover for Gotham Central; and we'll have the Incognito finale and its trade collection.

Last but not least, we'll have a Criminal short story in Dark Horse Noir, the return of the main series with at least two issues of "The Sinners," and the hardcover Criminal: The Deluxe Edition.

It's going to be a busy fall, leading right into the Christmas shopping season.


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Bullets: Brubaker on Marvels Project, Criminal Deluxe Page Count, Liberty Comics.

A few more things I forgot to mention earlier this week or have seen since.

• Marvels Project Interview. Ed Brubaker continues to be involved with high-profile work at Marvel, and yesterday Newsarama published an interview with Brubaker about the Marvels Project, a "Year One" sort of mini-series that debuts in just a couple weeks.
  
  
• Update on Eisner Nod for Staples. As we reported in April, our own Val Staples was nominated for an Eisner Award for his coloring work on Criminal and Incognito. As the blog The Beat reminded me, the winners were announced this weekend at the San Diego Comic-Con, and the award went to Dave Stewart for his work on eight different titles, including Hellboy, The Umbrella Academy, and Captain America: White.
  
  
• Criminal Deluxe Page Count. Earlier I relayed that Sean Phillips had announced his finishing the art design for Criminal: The Deluxe Edition. What I failed to mention was that the page count appears to be more than the 400 pages that was originally solicited.
  
  At his blog, Phillips implied that the hardcover has 432 pages. The first three trade paperbacks contained only the story arcs with no extra content, and from online retailers I gather that they have a combined page count of about 360 pages.
  
  That now leaves about 72 pages of extra content, more than enough to include the approximately forty pages of essays that were in the original monthly issues. With that much extra space, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Criminal "emission" from last year's Liberty Comics #1.
  
  
• Liberty Comics #2. Finally, while I'm on the subject, Comic Book Resources has an article on this year's second issue of Liberty Comics. The issue is once again published by Image Comics to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and it includes contributions from Gail Simone, Paul Pope, Mike Allred, Dave Gibbons, and Jimmy Palmiotti. The book promises to have a noteworthy collaboration between Neil Gaiman and Jim Lee, and it will feature two covers, one by John Romita, Jr., and one by Tim Sale (with coloring by Dave Stewart).
  
  I don't believe any of the Criminal creators are contributing to this issue. The next "emission" is the black-and-white "21st Century Noir" for Dark Horse Noir, scheduled for September 30th.
  
  Still, this second issue promises to follow in the footsteps of the first issue, as a good comic for a good cause. Liberty Comics #2 is scheduled to be released on October 14th.

Brubaker's interview above focused solely on the Marvel Project, but I imagine we might hear more from him about the Icon titles as Incognito draws to a close and Criminal makes its triumphant return.


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Bullets: October Solicitation, Incognito Trade Cover, and More.

It continues to be good times for fans of crime comics, and of Brubaker and Phillips' work in particular.

• Solicitation for "The Sinners," Part Two. Marvel's October solicitations were released last week, and among the titles listed is the second installment of "The Sinners," the new story arc for Criminal.
  
  Made men are turning up dead in what appear to be mob-style hits, and since criminals don’t go to the cops for justice, TRACY LAWLESS has been appointed the defacto “sheriff” of the criminal underworld by his boss, Crimelord Sebastian Hyde. But Tracy is the ultimate outsider, and the cons, murderers, and thieves don’t like or trust him any more than the police do.
  
  Sounds like there could be shades of a modern-day Western, mixed with a murder mystery, all with the brutal noir that we've come to expect from Criminal. The 40-page issue is scheduled to be released the Wednesday before Halloween.
  
  
• Cover Art for the Incognito Trade. I half expected a solicitation for the trade paperback for Incognito, but it looks like we'll be waiting for that until November at the earliest. In the meantime, Sean Phillips has shown us what is apparently the cover art for the trade collection. The orientation is more traditional than the preliminary image we noted in April, but the art direction is still quite unconventional for a comic book trade collection.
  
  
• Incognito Review. We're now beginning to discuss the trade collection, but the monthly installments of Incognito still haven't wrapped up. The penultimate issue was released almost two weeks ago now, and last week Comic Book Resources posted a glowing review of the issue.
  
  The review, which awarded the issue a full five stars, praised in particular the deliberate pace in which the story's larger universe unfolds, which is -- come to think of it -- perhaps the biggest difference between this series and Sleeper. The earlier WildStorm title was set in an established universe, so while there were plenty of surprises for the main characters, the setting itself wasn't a mystery. Here, Brubaker and Phillips have their first real opportunity to create a new super-powered fictional universe, and they take their time unveiling the story's setting. The pulp origins of the Incognito universe are becoming more clear only in hindsight, and only now do we really see the relevance of the issues' additional material, essays by Jess Nevins about classic pulp characters like the Shadow and Fu Manchu.
  
  
• Crime Comics: Vertigo Crime. The latest issue of Incognito isn't the only new release worth mentioning for fans of crime comics. Following the one-dollar "After Watchmen" previews that DC Comics continues to offer, DC's Vertigo imprint has begun selling inexpensive previews of its high-profile titles, such as Bill Willingham's Fables. Last week, Vertigo released a one-dollar preview of 100 Bullets. The preview not only features the first full issue of Azzarello and Risso's recently completed series, it also features previews of the first two graphic novels for Vertigo Crime, about which we first reported in February. The first two entries of this upcoming series of smaller, black-and-white hardcovers will apparently be released simultaneously, this August.
  
  
• Crime Comics: Parker. From previews of new crime stories, we turn to an adaptation of a classic: as I reported last time, Darwyn Cooke's adaptation of Richard Stark's The Hunter has just been released. My copy of the hardcover arrived last week, and, having finished the book, I cannot recommend the comic more highly.
  
  Even at a glance, the book is obviously a work of craft. Its smaller size would make it a better fit alongside novels rather than graphic novels, and beneath its dust jacket -- which features a blurb from our own Ed Brubaker -- is a traditional hardcover binding that makes it look like it was published from the novel's setting of New York City, 1962.
  
  Within its perfect presentation is a damn near perfect story, a brutal and hard-boiled tale -- conveyed in a sparse fashion that rewards careful reading -- that should appeal to any fan of Criminal or the Hard Case Crime paperback imprint. The Violent World of Parker fansite pointed out a very good review and analysis at Comixology. The review conveys that the comic stands as its own work while remaining quite faithful to the original novel -- which is still in my daunting stack of books to-read. The review nails the comic's monochrome blue as "handpainted steel," and it highlights the story's tension between romantic love and an almost mechanical professionalism, a tension that's echoed in one of my favorite films, Michael Mann's Heat.
  
  This is apparently the first and only time that the late Donald Westlake (under the pseudonym Richard Stark) allowed the name "Parker" to be used in any adaptation of his work, and it's an adaptation that honors the character, who Brubaker describes in his blurb as "the most iconic criminal ever created."
  
  
• Donald Westlake in Hard Case Crime. While I'm on the subject, Parker fans should take note that Donald E. Westlake's final, never-before-published novel Memory will be published next April by the acclaimed paperback imprint Hard Case Crime. Ed Brubaker strongly recommended the imprint, which publishes a new or classic crime novel about once a month. I've already read about two dozen of the fifty-plus books, and I recommend them as very taut and enjoyable weekend reads.
  
  In the meantime, the early Parker books are being released by the University of Chicago Press, which is why The Hunter is waiting for me on my shelf. The third group of three books should be out in August.
  
  
• Flashback: Brubaker Essay on Critics. I hadn't seen this before, and I don't know where else to document this, but it appears that, around August of 2001, Ed Brubaker wrote an online essay for the launch of a comic site called The Fourth Rail, whose doors closed in 2006. It's an interesting essay about how otherwise useless critics can become a "necessary evil" in the marketplace, by pointing the audience toward good work and away from garbage.
  
  I wonder if Brubaker's opinion of online comic critics has changed over the last eight years. It's certainly true that good work is getting noticed in terms of sales, but the best-sellers continue to be precisely what you would expect them to be.
  
  
• Angel of Death on DVD. Finally Angel of Death, Ed Brubaker's online live-action mini-series starring Zoe Bell, has been repackaged as a full-length movie. It was screened at the San Diego Comic Con this past weekend and was broadcast on Spike TV, but if anybody else missed it like I did, it is now on-sale as a DVD, complete with bonus features.

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