Night of the Living Dead – Comics!
This June, the will dead rise again as Double Take (2T) launches Ultimate Night of the Living Dead, with three new comics set in the universe of the 1968 film. Digital previews of all three premier issues are available now at the Double Take Universe site HERE
Much more than just a singular launch, this marks the first releases in a major initiative surrounding the classic horror franchise, which frightened moviegoers all around the world and made zombies a household name. Having commissioned a new generation of writers to breathe new life into the classic franchise, 2T has a dozen series in the works – some following characters from the film in surprising new directions; other stories are all new.
Wes Craven teams up with Steve Niles
Wes Craven, the iconic horror director behind Last House On the Left, The Hills Have Eyes, A Nightmare On Elm Street and Scream, is partnering with 30 Days of Night co-creator Steve Niles, to adapt Niles’ upcoming comic The Disciples, drawn by Christopher Mitten, a sci-fi horror story set in space. Reported by The Hollywood Reporter HERE
Universal Cable Productions, which produced shows such as “Being Human” and “Defiance”, is in the process of picking up the rights to the title, which is due to hit stands in May from Black Mask Studios.
Craven, who is not writing or directing, will exec produce along with Sara Bottfeld of Industry Entertainment.
Here’s a description of the debut comic:
Dagmar, Rick, and Jules, intrepid private eyes/bounty hunters, have been hired by a high ranking Senator to retrieve his teenage daughter who’s run off to join a mysterious religious cult.
This is no ordinary cult though. In the near future of “The Disciples,” the ultra-wealthy have become true Masters Of The Universe by colonizing moons throughout the solar system. Billionaire industrialist McCauley Richmond is one such colonist: he’s built a new society on Ganymede, a moon of Jupiter, where his flock of cultists can have the religious freedom to worship him.
But when the team reaches Ganymede in their Starship Venture, they discover something has gone horribly wrong…
This ghost story in space reunites comics’ king of the macabre Steve Niles with his longtime collaborator Christopher Mitten, whose stylish mix of grit and flow matches Steve’s sharp characterizations and taste for screams.
Famous Monsters Announce Horror Comic Slate
The world’s longest-running entertainment fan magazine Famous Monsters (est. 1958), has announced that it is expanding its publishing division into original comic books.
“It has been a fun and successful seven years of covering some amazing talent while relaunching Famous Monsters back into the mainstream,” says Famous Monsters Publisher Philip Kim. “But I remembered something equally exciting that Forrest Ackerman penned: his own stories. Though we celebrate all Famous Monsters, we are itching to make new ones. It’s time to tell our own stories again.”
Famous Monsters has always featured work in tandem with Creepy, Eerie and most famously, founding FM Editor Forrest J Ackerman’s very own Vampirella. The first releases this year will feature work by Paul Tobin, Darick Robertson, Jeff Johnson, Nat Jones and Steve Niles… now if they could only get Bernie Wrightson to ink a few covers.
Fight Club 2
Dark Horse Comics has announced that the comic book sequel Fight Club 2 will launch this summer, with the first of ten issues hitting May 27.
If that’s not soon enough for you, there’ll be a couple of other offerings between now and then to tide you over. May 26 sees the publication of Palahniuk’s Make Something Up. The anthology features, among other things, a brand new short story about Tyler Durden.
And if you’re still feeling impatient, swing by your local store on Free Comic Book Day (May 2). Dark Horse will be offering a comic book that revisits the ending of Palahniuk’s Fight Club (which differs a bit from the ending of David Fincher’s Fight Club).
Reanimator – The Graphic Novel
Created in 1921 by Lovecraft as a semi-parody of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the Reanimator story follows the creepy doctor Herbert West on his quest to conduct freaky experiments and create terrifying zombies. The character is likely best known from the epic 1985 film version, starring Jeffrey Combs in the title role.
Now the classic H.P. Lovecraft tale of the Reanimator is being re-imagined as a new comic series later this year. The comic will be written by Keith Davidsen with art by Randy Valiente, and published by Dynamite. The new series will see West headed to New Orleans to revamp his experiments, though it sounds like he’ll run afoul of the locals. Cue the epic voodoo battles. Dynamite has dabbled with the Reanimator franchise a few times in recent years via a one-shot issue, an Army of Darkness comic crossover.
Here’s the official synopsis for the run:
In Reanimator, Dr. Herbert West heads to New Orleans to continue his life’s work: the revival of the dead by purely chemical means. To accomplish this task, he recruits Susan Greene, a young and wide-eyed pharmacologist fascinated by his macabre experiments. Initially unfazed by West’s unorthodox practices (including how he funds his research – by selling zombie brain fluid as a narcotic), Susan may regret her scientific curiosity as sinister forces – those aligned with Elder Gods and Haitian Voodoo – begin to align against the Reanimator.
Doctor Strange – Benedict Cumberbatch
Marvel has finally found its Doctor Strange. It look very likely that Benedict Cumberbatch is the studio’s choice for the superhero flick, and if true it appears to be perfect casting. The news comes after talks with Joaquin Phoenix around the time of Comic-Con went south, and Marvel went back to the drawing board. With names like Jared Leto and Tom Hardy also in the mix, this is obviously a coveted role. Great news for Marvel and fans alike.
Scott Derrickson is directing Doctor Strange and Jon Spaihts is writing the script for the movie (the first draft was penned by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer). Doctor Strange was hatched by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko during that Marvel Comics heyday of the early 1960’s. He’s a neurosurgeon who becomes Sorcerer Supreme, protecting Earth against magical and mystical threats with powers of sorcery, mysticism, and martial arts. Marvel’s Kevin Feige is producing.
Frankenstein by Mignola
One of my favourite books re-imagined by one of my favourite artists. In 2015 Dark Horse Comics will publish ‘Frankenstein Underground’, a new five-issue miniseries written by best-selling comic book creator Mike Mignola, with covers by Mignola and interior art by acclaimed artist Ben Stenbeck (Baltimore). The miniseries follows the Frankenstein monster, who is alone, abandoned, and wandering underground, where he discovers both other monsters and the dark secrets to the universe.
The miniseries will be the second appearance of the Frankenstein monster within the mythology and continuity of Hellboy, B.P.R.D., and the other Mignolaverse titles; the character first appeared in the graphic novel ‘House of the Living Dead’ by Mignola and Richard Corben.
“It’s intimidating as hell to take on an icon like the Frankenstein monster,” said Mignola. “I’m trying to do something that’s true to the origin Mary Shelley created for the creature but also captures a bit of the feel that Boris Karloff brought to the role in the classic Universal films. At the same time I’m throwing the monster into an entirely new environment, so I think the result will be something new. It’s an odd one, but ultimately will add an important new wrinkle to the Hellboy/B.P.R.D. world.”
Mignola is no stranger to Frankenstein’s monster. He’s long been fascinated by Shelley’s novel and the iconic Universal Studios films that it spawned. In 1991, he drew scenes from classic Universal Studios horror films for Topps trading cards and recently drew a Bride of Frankenstein Mondo print.
Kirby and Marvel Settle Out of Court
Just days before the Supreme Court was set to take the matter into conference, Marvel and the family of Jack Kirby have settled their long running legal dispute over the comic legend’s rights to the characters he created or co-created. Here’s their joint statement:
“Marvel and the family of Jack Kirby have amicably resolved their legal disputes, and are looking forward to advancing their shared goal of honoring Mr. Kirby’s significant role in Marvel’s history.”
Widely viewed as one of the Kings of Comics, Kirby created or co-created some of the biggest names on the page and now on the big screen in the superhero blockbusters that Hollywood has profited from in recent years. However, while his often partner Stan Lee was a Marvel employee, Kirby was a work for hire and had no rights to Captain America, The Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, the original X-Men and the plethora of other characters he played a pivotal part in bringing to life. The settlement between Marvel/Disney is confidential, but you don’t have to be a Supreme Court Justice to know that if a deal was reached this late in the process, it must be a healthy one for the Kirby’s – who were holding a lot of the cards for once.
It was a long legal road for them and Marvel to get to today’s deal. After failing repeatedly in lower courts, Lisa Kirby, Neal Kirby, Susan Kirby and Barbara Kirby petitioned the High Court on March 21 for a hearing on the matter. In their petition, the heirs wanted SCOTUS to rule in favor of their assertion that they had the right in 2009 to issue termination notices on 262 works that the comic legend helped create between 1958 and 1963. Those 45 notices went out to Marvel/Disney, Fox, Universal and Paramount Pictures and others who have made films based on the artist’s characters under the provisions of the 1976 Copyright Act. Marvel sued in 2010, after failing to reach an agreement back then with the Kirby family to invalidate the termination notices. Jack Kirby himself passed away in 1994.
Despite initial indifference and then objections from Disney-owned Marvel, SCOTUS agreed to take the case into conference to consider if they would actually hear it. That conference, where the nine Justices would ostensibly be sitting around talking about comic as well as copyright, was scheduled for September 29. The Kirby family and their legal point had a lot of support and not just among the fanboys. SAG, the WGA and the DGA back in June submitted a brief to the High Court in favour of having the Kirbys’ petition granted.
All things considered, and with the billions that Marvel/Disney have made off the films filled with characters Kirby created, this 11th hour deal should come as no great surprise – except for how long it took them. The bottom line and PR risk that the media giant was taking if SCOTUS had agreed to move the family’s petition up to an actual hearing would have sent a shudder through the market and the town. As well, if there had been a hearing and if then the High Court had found for the Kirbys, the results would have thrown Marvel/Disney into turmoil as they would have to negotiate for millions and millions with the family on everything from The Avengers, this summer’s big hit Guardians Of The Galaxy, with the popular Groot character a Kirby creation, and the all the characters in the notices if they wanted to keep the franchises going at Disney and other studios. And there would have been royalties on the already made movies like the 2008 hit Iron Man and 2012’s The Avengers with its billion dollar plus box office, to name a few. As well a wide variety of copyrights across the industry, including those at Warner Bros and DC Comics, would suddenly be in play as the work of writers, composers and others designated under a freelancer or the work for hire status could suddenly gain a piece of what they created in what would now be seen as a much more traditional employee/employer arrangement.
Outcast – By Robert Kirkman
This title has been long anticipated and you can bet that has a lot to do with the name on the cover page. Kirkman is a non-stop dynamo with heavy hitter titles like The Walking Dead and Invincible under his belt, not just writing but creating the popular series. When it was announced he would be tackling a new horror title, anticipation was high. And damn was the wait worth it. Outcast is a comic that is introducing you into a whole new world head-first, it’s not going to tip toe you through the origins of the main character and general plot, it just plunges in and hits the ground running. And you keep up because it’s damn good. Like always, Kirkman does an excellent job at building real characters with realistic personalities and forty-four pages we have a demonic plot and a cast of characters we already know and sympathize for. It’s like reading a fantastic horror movie, where we get the bright sunny day exposition and then on a dime we get the gritty, terrifying plot threads. Artist Azaceta is a perfect fit for the title, creating smoky, grainy characters that fit into the world that’s being created. ShockTillYouDrop.
Big Trouble in Little China – Eric Powell
John Carpenter’s 1986 kung fu fantasy masterpiece Big Trouble in Little China was a flop when it was first released, but a long life on home video helped foster a retroactive appreciation for star Kurt Russell’s fast-talking Jack Burton and the style with which Carpenter delivers his crazy tale. It is now a bona fide cult classic, and it is getting resurrected in comic book form.
Beginning with the first issue on June 4, Boom! Studios will be rolling out Big Trouble in Little China, the new comic book series co-written by Eric Powell (creator of the awesome series The Goon) and Carpenter, with art care of Brian Churilla (creator of the critically acclaimed The Secret History of D.B. Cooper). In the comic, Burton — still played by the likeness of the mullet-clad Russell — finds a series of new adventures aboard the Pork Chop Express, the big rig he kept trying to recover in the film.
Though they hadn’t met before, Carpenter and Powell found kindred spirits in one another. “I had a definite idea of what I wanted to do with it,” says Powell. “The minute we sat down and started talking, what he thought we should do was exactly what I had in mind. We were on the same page from the beginning.” Carpenter describes their working relationship thusly: “Eric works really hard, sends his stuff to me, and I say, ‘Good job!’” the director says. “It’s a great process. It’s one I can actually do.”
The comic book kicks off right where the film left us nearly 30 years ago, with a mythical Chinese creature stowing away on Burton’s truck. Carpenter says despite that open-ended finale, there was never a direct intention to make a sequel, though he relishes the idea of being able to explore the Big Trouble universe again. “It’s a story and characters and a world that I love, because I really loved making the film,” says Carpenter. “I hadn’t seen anything like it, and it gave me a chance to make a kung fu movie. I fell in love with kung fu films back in the ’70s. For as much fighting they had, they were also so fun and innocent. They had some outrageous stuff, and I thought what a great thing to be able to do in an American movie. It’s an innocence, a purity of character. I really love them.”
Powell was also instantly attracted to a property that he loved. “In my town there was a Dairy Queen that had a little video rental area in the back, and we would go in there on the weekends and rent movies,” he says. “My sister and I would always go in there, and we’d always need to get a funny one and a scary one. Big Trouble kind of covered both of those situations. It was a constant rental—one of those movies I was constantly picking up, along with The Road Warrior, Conan the Barbarian, and The Thing.”
Carpenter particularly appreciates Powell’s brand of fandom, particularly because Big Trouble In Little China was so mishandled and went generally unseen when it was first released. “It’s great that people are re-discovering it and like it. It’s a nice way to go into my old age to realize that movie finally got its due. There are some others I hope will come along too,” he says.
Carpenter says the team is already into the second arc of the book, and he’s particularly pleased with Powell’s take on Burton. “He really gets Burton’s sense of humor and who he is,” Carpenter says. “Jack Burton is really a piece of s— if you want to be honest. He’s a blowhard, he’s sort of incompetent but he thinks he knows everything. He’s really fun. He’s completely out of his league. That’s the most fun about it.”
The first issue of the ongoing monthly comic book series Big Trouble In Little China hits stores on June 4 with five different collectible covers drawn by Powell, Joe Quinones, Chris Weston, Terry Dodson, and Emi Yonemura Brown. But just to whet your whistle, you can take the first exclusive look at the first six pages below:
Batman 75
Warner Bros. Entertainment and DC Entertainment have announced their plans for Batman’s 75th anniversary as well as the commemorative logo, which you can view above. Check out the press release below!
To mark the milestone 75th anniversary of DC Comics’ Batman, Warner Bros. Entertainment and DC Entertainment have revealed plans for a year-long celebration befitting the world’s most popular Super Hero. Highlights of the anniversary program, which starts today, include a new commemorative 75th anniversary Batman logo and an exclusive “Cape/Cowl/Create” art exhibit, featuring 20 contemporary artists’ interpretation of The Dark Knight’s iconic cowl headpiece and cape from the upcoming Batman: Arkham Knight videogame. There will also be 75th anniversary-related activities across all of Warner Bros. Entertainment throughout the year.
First appearing in the comic book Detective Comics #27, which hit newsstands on March 30, 1939, featuring artwork by Bob Kane and a script by Bill Finger, Batman emerged from the shadows to become the world’s most popular Super Hero and dominate all media. In feature films, TV shows, radio, video games, publishing and merchandise, this most human of Super Heroes has battled some of fiction’s greatest villains using his intellect, cunning and an arsenal of gadgets to further his quest for justice.
“Batman is an incredibly important property with multi-generational appeal across all of the Studio’s businesses, and we’re proud to celebrate this milestone anniversary,” said Kevin Tsujihara, Chief Executive Officer, Warner Bros. Entertainment. “From billion-dollar blockbuster films to TV, home entertainment, video games and consumer products, The Dark Knight continues to resonate with audiences worldwide and rightfully deserves his place as a global pop culture icon for the ages.”
Batman is the single most successful Super Hero film franchise in history and there have been more theatrical movies released based on Batman than any other comic book character. In video games, the Batman Arkham franchise is also the most successful Super Hero game concept ever. Batman consistently breaks records in every incarnation of his character and remains the gold standard by which all other comic book sales are measured.
“Batman is one of the greatest characters ever created, in comics or elsewhere, and even after 75 years he continues to wildly fascinate fans. He is an integral part of pop culture and has successfully captured the imagination of the entire world,” said Diane Nelson, President of DC Entertainment and President & Chief Content Officer, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “The origin of Batman, Bruce Wayne and the famous citizens of Gotham are legendary and likely a story you know inside out, even if you’ve never picked up a comic book in your life, and that speaks volumes to the character’s immense popularity and the constructs of the original mythology.”
The first published adventure of The Bat-Man (as he was then known) was in the May 1939 issue of Detective Comics #27, conceived of and drawn by a 22-year-old Kane with his frequent collaborator, Bill Finger, scripting the story. The character was so successful, that one year later the first comic book devoted exclusively to the Caped Crusader’s adventures, Batman #1, hit newsstands. In that issue, Batman battled The Joker and Catwoman for the first time.
Now, DC Entertainment and the Studio’s various divisions, including Pictures, Television, Animation, Interactive Entertainment, Home Entertainment and Consumer Products, will mark this extraordinary 75th anniversary with a range of highly anticipated events and products.
The new commemorative logo, also released today across social media and websites, takes its cue from the famed Bat symbol, and features block-style lettering of “75 Years.” The mark will be rolled out on Batman-related promotions, products and initiatives.
Key activities planned for the Batman 75th anniversary celebration include:
DC Entertainment – DC Entertainment has an action-packed year filled with new Batman titles, commemorative issues and variant covers, including the recently released special edition of Detective Comics #27 commemorating Batman’s first appearance in the book in 1939, the new weekly series Batman Eternal launching April 9, and upcoming exclusive Batman variant covers planned for San Diego Comic-Con International in July.
Batman Day – DC Entertainment is also partnering with thousands of comic retailers, book stores and libraries for “Batman Day” on Wednesday, July 23. Each location will host a Batman 75th anniversary celebration and offer fans a free, special edition Batman comic.
Interactive Entertainment – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has invited celebrated fashion designer Asher Levine to create a cape and cowl based on the Batsuit of the recently announced Batman: Arkham Knight videogame developed by Rocksteady Studios. Favorite contemporary artists will have the opportunity to use the replicas as a blank canvas to produce their own, original interpretations of Batman’s iconic attire for an all new “Cape/Cowl/Create” art exhibit that will be showcased at San Diego Comic-Con International in July.
Home Entertainment – Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will bring fans an array of new Batman titles throughout the year, including the highly anticipated release of the Batman ’66 TV series for the first time ever. Other new releases include animated films Son of Batman (May 6) and Assault on Arkham (summer 2014). Additionally, a 25th Anniversary Edition of Tim Burton’s Batman feature film will be released in the fall.
Animation – Warner Bros. Animation has created two all-new Batman animated shorts set for debut in April, with fan-favorite producers Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series) and Darwyn Cooke (Batman Beyond) each presenting a unique and familiar take on the Batman animated universe. In addition, Timm will participate in a Batman 75th all-star panel at WonderCon in Anaheim on Saturday, April 19, which will also feature an exclusive premiere of Cooke’s animated short based upon Batman Beyond.
Television – Warner Bros. Television is in production on the pilot episode of the highly anticipated Gotham, a new one-hour drama for FOX which explores the origin stories of eventual police commissioner James Gordon and the villains that made Gotham City famous. In Gotham, Detective Gordon (Ben McKenzie – Southland) will encounter a familiar cast of characters – including a young Bruce Wayne – as he fights to keep the city safe. Executive producer Bruce Heller (The Mentalist, Rome) wrote the pilot, which is being directed by executive producer Danny Cannon (CSI series, Nikita).
Pictures – As Batman’s 75th anniversary is celebrated in 2014, Warner Bros. Pictures will begin production of Zack Snyder’s untitled Superman/Batman film starring Henry Cavill, who reprises his role as Superman/Clark Kent, and Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne. The film, slated for release summer 2016, will bring the two most iconic Super Heroes of all time together for the first time on the big screen.
Consumer Products – Warner Bros. Consumer Products has partnered with an array of licensees to celebrate Batman’s 75th Anniversary through special edition and limited-release products. From the classic 1960’s TV series to modern day comics, Batman’s presence will be larger than ever in celebration of his legacy through everything from toys to t-shirts.
DCComics.com – For the latest information and exclusive content celebrating Batman’s 75th anniversary, visit Batman75 HERE. The dedicated section on DC Comics’ website launched yesterday with the Batman 75 Sweepstakes which offers one lucky fan a one-of-a-kind prize package.
The Most Popular Superheroes On Social Media
At the end of another Superhero dominated year, check out this infographic from Mashable which charts the popularity of Superheroes and Villans over the last 30 days…
Fight Club Sequel
Amidst all the news coming out of Comic-Con this past weekend, one big announcement may have been a bit lost in the (project) mayhem. At a panel on Friday, writer Chuck Palahniuk revealed his plans to write a graphic novel sequel to his hit novel Fight Club. Palahniuk confirmed the news on chuckpalaniuk.net, saying the story will take place “ten years after the seeming end of Tyler Durden.”
From the website:
About the graphic novel, it’s true. Chelsea Cain has been introducing me to artists and creators from Marvel, DC and Dark Horse, and they’re walking me through the process. It will likely be a series of books that update the story ten years after the seeming end of Tyler Durden. Nowadays, Tyler is telling the story, lurking inside Jack, and ready to launch a come-back. Jack is oblivious. Marla is bored. Their marriage has run aground on the rocky coastline of middle-aged suburban boredom. It’s only when their little boy disappears, kidnapped by Tyler, that Jack is dragged back into the world of Mayhem.
It will, of course, be dark and messy. Due to contract obligations it can’t come to light for a while. Next year is “Beautiful You,” followed by the story collection. But since the Fight Club sequel will appear serialized in graphic form, my book publisher might allow me to launch it earlier than 2015.
Feel free to release any or all of this information. We haven’t started to court a specific publisher, not until I hammer out the complete story.
Fight Club is the story of Jack, a frustrated office drone and insomniac who meets an eccentric and charming soap maker named Tyler. Jack starts attending a support group, which leads to he and Tyler starting an underground group of middle-aged men who therapeutically beat the hell out of each other. In 1999 director David Fincher adapted the novel to a film starring Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter.
A Tale Dark & Grimm – Henry Selick
The legendary Henry Selick will direct A Tale Dark & Grimm, a live action film based on the popular children’s book by author Adam Gidwitz, who put his own take on some of the Grimm Brothers’ more gruesome stories. Tale follows two unsuspecting children who run away from their own dark fairy tale in search of a better life only to find themselves amidst eight other tales just as fearsome.
Selick helmed the stop-motion classics The Nightmare Before Christmas, James And The Giant Peach, and Coraline. Marissa McMahon of Kamala Films will finance the development and produce alongside FilmNation Entertainment’s Aaron Ryder and Karen Lunder. John W. Mann and Jon Gunn adapted the script.
“I remain completely enraptured by Adam Gidwitz’ marvelous book A Tale Dark & Grimm,” said Selick. “It’s a hilarious, deeply inventive tale about survival in the world of fairytales and what it takes to forgive one’s parents. So it’s a huge thrill to be joining the team of Kamala Films and FilmNation as the director of the film based on it. Between the great material and a team that really gets it, I hope to make something really special that lasts.”
Spider-Man – Original Green Goblin Designs
Check out these designs, sculpture and Make-Up from the Stan Winston Studios for the original Sam Raimi directed Spider-Man… I love Sam, but he made a mistake in not using these…
FREE Steve Niles Comic – Edge of Doom
Steve Niles stated that he has received a really great response to posting free comics like PIECES FOR MOM and the free CAL MCDONALD prose story, so he spoke with IDW and asked if he could give away a few of my books. He has posted one of his favourites from last year, EDGE OF DOOM which he did with Kelley Jones… a cool little sci-fi story… Click HERE to download for free.
Moebius (Jean Henri Gaston Giraud) – R.I.P.
Moebius, the French comic-book artist whose spectacular science fantasy-based work wrought its magic on Hollywood classics such as “Alien” and “Tron”, has died after a long illness. He was 73.
“He died this morning following a long illness,” a friend and colleague told AFP on Saturday.
Such was the appeal of Moebius — or Jean Henri Gaston Giraud — that he won a devoted following as far afield as Japan and the United States, countries working in radically different comic-book traditions.
“The whole profession is in shock, totally devastated, even if we knew that he was seriously ill,” Gilles Ratier, head of France’s Association of Comic-Book Critics, told AFP. Colleagues paid tribute to the artist and writer generally acknowledged as having been one of the most daring and innovative in his field.
Giraud was born in Nogent-sur-Marne east of Paris on May 8, 1938. After art school he began training as an illustrator for advertisers and the fashion industry before turning to comic strips. Giraud, who grew up drawing cowboys and indians, published his first drawings in 1957 and found fame with the western character Lieutenant Blueberry in 1963.
“My ambition was tremendous,” he once told AFP. “I wanted to rock, so everybody in the comic industry would be stunned.”
The lean, mean gunslinger was to become one of the most iconic figures in French comic-book history. He adopted the pseudonym Moebius for his illustrations in science fiction books and magazines. But he also worked under other pseudonyms, including Gir, Giraud and Moeb.
However, as Moebius, he said, he operated on a whole different level. “When I am in the skin of Moebius, I draw in a state of trance, I try to escape from my ‘ego’,” he told AFP in 2010.
In 1975, Moebius was one of the cofounders of “Metal Hurlant” (Heavy Metal), a spectacular blend of visually arresting comic-book art that was heavily inspired by the counter-culture vibe from across the Atlantic.
The magazine’s blend of science fiction, epic fantasy and politically incorrect humour — which featured in a 1981 animated film of the same name — provided the perfect platform for Moebius’ far-out creations.
As his reputation grew, he collaborated with US comic-books legend Stan Lee on an adventure featuring the enigmatic The Silver Surfer character. And in another style entirely, he tackled the story of Icarus with Jiro Taniguchi, a master in the Japanese manga tradition.
His influence also spread into cinema, as he put his visual stamp on the first “Alien” film and the science fiction adventure “Tron”.
In 2010-11 France’s Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art acknowledged his stature, staging a major retrospective of his work.
Tributes were quick to come in as news of his death spread:
Fellow artist Boucq told AFP his friend Moebius had been a “master of realist drawing” with “a real talent for humour, which he was still demonstrating with the nurses when I saw him in his hospital bed a fortnight ago”.
Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, whose bestselling 1995 novel “The Alchemist” was illustrated by Moebius, paid tribute to his collaborator on Twitter. “The great Moebius died today, but the great Moebius is still alive,” he tweeted. “Your body died today, your work is more alive than ever.”
Benoit Mouchart, artistic director at France’s Angouleme International Comics Festival, compared him to artistic giants such as Germany’s Albrecht Durer and France’s Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. “France has lost one of its best known artists in the world,” Mouchart told AFP. “In Japan, Italy, in the United States he is an incredible star who influenced world comics.
“Moebius will remain part of the history of drawing, in the same right as Durer or Ingres,” he added. “He was an incredible producer, he said he wanted to show what eyes do not always see.”
French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said France had lost “two great artists”, referring to Giraud and his alias.
In 2007 one of his drawings sold for 58,242 euros ($76,433) at an auction.
ALIEN – By an 11 year old
ALIEN age 11 is a homemade comic, or graphic novel if you like! – commenced around late 1979 by an 11 year old. 32 years ago! It’s now a 2012 web-comic, check it out here.
This movie adaptation was made at the time that ALIEN hit theatres around the world but long before the underage artist had actually seen the film itself. That wouldn’t happen for 3 or 4 more years.
It’s brought to you by the maker of the popular Star Wars age 9 web-comic. Much of the artwork here is better – so not as silly – but it was done with nothing but an Alan Dean Foster novelisation with its few colour glossy photos as a visual reference, and a satire by Cracked Magazine that came out much later.
Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes
Hot on the heels of BOOM!’s sold out, best selling PLANET OF THE APES ongoing series comes a brand new four issue mini series co-written and drawn by Gabriel Hardman. Best known for his series-defining work on HULK and AGENTS OF ATLAS and his storyboard work on hit films such as Christopher Nolan’s mega hit INCEPTION, Hardman and writer Corinna Sara Bechko (HEATHENTOWN, FEAR ITSELF: THE HOME FRONT) bring you another ape story: PLANET OF THE APES: BETRAYAL! Taking place during the continuity of the original seminal fan-favorite film, the feared and respected General Aleron finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could transform ape/human relations! Aleron’s journey puts him face to face with…Dr. Zaius! A not-to-be-missed mini-series with story and art that is sure to make you go…ape!
FREE Steve Niles Comic – Pieces for Mom
FREE Steve Niles comic book, Pieces for Mom, with artwork by Andrew Ritchie.
Click here to download a FREE Bloody Pulp PDF download of PIECES FOR MOM.
It’s one little self-contained story. It’s a TAD violent. Be warned.
30 Days of Night – Free iTunes App
30 Days of Night, the Steve Niles comic book series is now available as a free iPhone and iPad app at the iTunes store. Click on the link to download now.
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