Can’t resist what io9 calls Brian Azzarello’s “profoundly creepy take on Greek mythology and the Olympic pantheon's political machinations”?
Check out io9's exclusive preview of WONDER WOMAN issue #6 drawn by Tony Akins, featuring Poseidon and Hades, on sale this Wednesday.
Ongoing series artist Cliff Chiang takes over as co-writer starting with issue #8 this April. NEWSARAMA spoke with Cliff about his exciting new role.
It's official. BEFORE WATCHMEN has officially been announced. To see the covers and read exclusive interviews with the writers of the seven mini-series, as well as the CURSE OF THE CRIMSON CORSAIR back-up story to be featured in each issue, visit the following media outlets.
• USA Today: RORSCHACH – Interview with writer Brian Azzarello
• LA Times Hero Complex: MINUTEMEN – Interview with writer/artist Darwyn Cooke
• The New York Times: THE COMEDIAN – Interview with writer Brian Azzarello
• Entertainment Weekly: SILK SPECTRE – Interview with writer Darwyn Cooke
• The Hollywood Reporter: NITE OWL – Interview with writer J. Michael Straczynski
• Wired: OZYMANDIAS – Interview with writer Len Wein
• Comic Book Resources: DR. MANHATTAN – Interview with writer J. Michael Straczynski
• Associated Press: CURSE OF THE CRIMSON CORSAIR – Interview with writer Len Wein and artist John Higgins
To be continued...
This summer, DC Entertainment will publish all-new stories expanding on the acclaimed WATCHMEN universe. As highly anticipated as they are controversial, the seven inter-connected prequel mini-series will build on the foundation of the original WATCHMEN, the bestselling graphic novel of all time. BEFORE WATCHMEN will be the collective banner for all seven titles, from DC Comics.
“It’s our responsibility as publishers to find new ways to keep all of our characters relevant,” said DC Entertainment Co-Publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee. “After twenty five years, the Watchmen are classic characters whose time has come for new stories to be told. We sought out the best writers and artists in the industry to build on the complex mythology of the original.”
Stepping up to the challenge is a group of the comic book industry’s most iconoclastic writers and artists – including Brian Azzarello (100 BULLETS), Lee Bermejo (JOKER), Amanda Conner (POWER GIRL), Darwyn Cooke (JUSTICE LEAGUE: NEW FRONTIER), John Higgins (WATCHMEN), Adam Hughes (CATWOMAN), J.G. Jones (FINAL CRISIS), Andy Kubert (FLASHPOINT), Joe Kubert (SGT. ROCK), Jae Lee (BATMAN: JEKYLL AND HYDE), J. Michael Straczynski (SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE) and Len Wein (SWAMP THING).
BEFORE WATCHMEN includes:
Each week, a new issue will be released, and will feature a two-page back-up story called CURSE OF THE CRIMSON CORSAIR, written by original series editor Len Wein and with art by original series colorist John Higgins. There will also be a single issue, BEFORE WATCHMEN: EPILOGUE, featuring the work of various writers and artists, and a CRIMSON CORSAIR story by Wein and Higgins.
“The original series of WATCHMEN is the complete story that Alan Moore and I wanted to tell. However, I appreciate DC's reasons for this initiative and the wish of the artists and writers involved to pay tribute to our work. May these new additions have the success they desire,” said Dave Gibbons, WATCHMEN co-creator and original series artist.
“Comic books are perhaps the largest and longest running form of collaborative fiction,” said DiDio and Lee. “Collaborative storytelling is what keeps these fictional universes current and relevant.”
Tony Akins is best known for his work on FABLES and JACK OF FABLES written by Bill Willingham. Now, he gives Cliff Chiang a breather as he takes over art duties for a two-part WONDER WOMAN story which begins on January 18th. I spoke to Tony about his art and getting the call to work on one of the most iconic superhero characters below.
Tony, you’re drawing Wonder Woman issues #5 and #6. This is your first time drawing a DC Comics superhero comic book. What’s it been like to be given the opportunity to draw such an iconic character?
TA: It’s really amazing. It’s also a little daunting. Amazons, in general, are heavy…and Diana is VERY HEAVY! It’s akin to what an executive officer on a navy ship-of-the-line would feel when given the bridge while the ship is still in port and has to take out to sea. In your mind you know that what you are charged with is awesome, and will be awesome and you’re in the chair because people believe in you. Still there’s that little voice in the back of your head yelling, “Don’t SUCK!”… which is one of my personal maxims, btw. If anyone can translate that to Latin, I’d appreciate it.
Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang have such a strong vision for the comic book. Was it a welcomed challenge to jump in?
TA: Is there another sort of challenge? I was in Seattle over the summer, was there to visit and to pursue a project with a publisher in the area but had extended my stay a week to avoid the miserable weather in the Midwest.
I was walking along Pike St. with my girlfriend when my phone rings…it’s Jill Thompson calling and she wants me to call Brian, which I do. He lays the possibility of my contributing to Wonder Woman in my path and tells me what he has planned to do with the title. I’m interested but I say that I have to really consider the other job I’m after as I’m intending to take the Cascadia Run down to Portland, OR to try and seal the deal with this other series, you know? So as excited as I am about the possibility of working with Brian again, ducks need to be in a row…
So I am literally standing at a crosswalk while having this conversation, waiting for a light to change so I can cross the street when I hang up with Brian. I get the green light to cross… by the time I’ve reached to opposite side of the street the phone is back in my hand and I’m dialing him back because I’ve made up my mind that I’m on board with the Wonder Woman relaunch.
Who could say no?
Cliff and Brian’s vision for the title is very striking, very deliberate, unique and independent. I believe I can compliment what Cliff is delivering to the title. The challenge for me is the genre; Superheroes. So… the challenge, for any artist worth their salt, means engaging the opportunity to grow and expand skill sets. Who would turn such a thing down?
How has your FABLES work influenced your art on Wonder Woman?
TA: It hasn’t. These are two totally different arenas of the comic craft. I don’t think I’d approach Wonder Woman the same way I’d approach Fables or Jack of Fables or Hellblazer. There are different dynamics that need to project from superhero page; the highly emphasized poses, aggressive posturing, you know…the standardized visuals that I will acknowledge but try to break and reset in my own strange way. I never said I was a conformist. Brian told me, directly, “This is a horror story…there’re monsters in this series…this is all You.” That’s all I needed to hear.
Are you a long time reader of superhero comics?
TA: I was never a reader of superhero comics. I’ve read a few here and there over the years, a select few; Watchmen was the first superhero series I had ever followed monthly, and then more recently I followed, again monthly, DC’s New Frontier over it’s run. The New Frontier was iconic and completely electrifying… I remember reading the end of The Losers in the first issue, the very last page with those last two panels where John Clouds’ grenade illuminates the silhouetted grave markers… wow…just, Wow. As I remember it now, I could feel the wave of heat and the shock of the blast. I know the cat remembered it too because I whooped and stood with the issue rolled in one hand smacking it into the other hand laughing and yelling, “This…THIS is a (freaking) comic book!” If I’m fortunate and clever enough, maybe I can bring that to the page and give the reader a similar effect. This is my hope.
Comic books for me, as a young person “under the influence”, were CREEPY and EERIE, MAD and then Heavy Metal. As an adult, comic books became my profession, so I have to spend more time making them than reading them. I hope that would not cheat me of the state of the craft. If there is a series I hear about and that I need to read, I have friends that will lend me the titles. I trust their suggestions.
Are you a fan of Greek mythology? What are your favorite stories?
TA: Orpheus and Eurydice has always been a favorite of mine. The Artemis Mythology is terrific and I am fond of the childhood of Zeus in the cave on Crete and the by-products of that story like Aegis and Cornucopia. The loss of Argos, the watchman and how he was mourned and then celebrated. Then there’s the mountains of paintings and sculpture of the Romantic Period inspired by all of this that I like to pore over…
Which of the Gods has been your favorite to draw? Why?
TA: Of course I’m going to be fondest with the Gods I create… but if there has to be a favorite among those that we’ve seen so far, it has to be “The Wax Child”, or Hades. From “go” he was a little creep. Brian’s initial direction on him was that he had to be a kid, like “Village of the Damned”…pale, mean, powerful. Horace Vernet painted a work called “The Dead Go Fast” and it’s always been a favorite of mine. His other works are dramatic enough, but with this painting… he must have gotten into some bad Absynthe because it’s brilliant. That’s where my Hades comes from. That’s the sepulchral king-child with his deadlights that I want standing in your thoughts at night…and, you’re very welcome!
Wonder Woman finds herself back in London where you introduce a new character named Lennox. Tell us about your creative process. Do you have a sketch or two you can share with us?
TA: Sure. As you know this is a collaborative process between Brian and Cliff and I. For Lennox, Brian described the manner of Lennox, his powers and how he fit into the Wonder Woman scheme in London. Brian has an idea of the look for him, a Jason Statham type, but more of a bulldog, pug-nose tough. We wanted a “superhero” but sans cape, but a look that was still iconic. Lennox got his black top coat to serve as cape, and it’s stylish. In leui of tights, he gets Bruce Lee ‘Game of Death’ trackpants; urban and definitely kick-ass. Beyond this, it’s basically me drawing versions of Lennox and Brian saying “no” until he says “yes” and then I can stop. Lennox was the toughest chase of them all, but he was bang-on when he arrived.
I collaborated with Brian Azzarello on SUPERMAN: FOR TOMORROW, so that might make me a little biased, but I think he's one of the best writers in the comic book industry. His work is smart, funny and crisp. The kind of stuff that makes an artist look good.
Back in 2008, he teamed up with an artist named Lee Bermejo for an original graphic novel called JOKER. Lee's work is jaw-dropping already; he doesn't need anyone to make him look good, and the pairing was magic. They'd worked together on the LEX LUTHOR: MAN OF STEEL miniseries years before, but on this graphic novel they brought their collaboration to a whole new level. It's raw, gorgeous and provocative and it would make for one mean holiday gift.
It’s about to get hot as Brian Azzarello and artist Cliff Chiang take us to the depths of Hell in WONDER WOMAN issue #7 this March.
Remember the myth of Orpheus? Wonder Woman does. And we hope she’s learned its lessons well as someone she loves is in Hell’s clutches and she’s about to head out on a rescue mission. But Hades has no mercy—even for family members--and doesn’t intend to let her out of his domain without paying a price.
Now to reveal the incredible cover by Cliff Chiang:
Did you happen to catch The Simpsons last night? If you did, you know that industry legend Neil Gaiman was prominently featured. COMIC BOOK RESOURCES’ SPINOFF ONLINE interviewed Gaiman about his experiences working on the episode. When asked about what it was like receiving the script, Gaiman said, “I started to read it and discovered that I was in it all the way through and I was actually having to act and that stuff happens! It was enormously fun and kind of weird and kind of wonderful.” As for awards recognition for his appearance on the show? “I think if they ever hand out Oscars for Best Person Playing Neil Gaiman, I have a shot!” Gaiman joked.
And while you’re at COMIC BOOK RESOURCES, read their interview with MISTER TERRIFIC writer Eric Wallace. “The Kryl will definitely challenge Mister Terrific on a physical level,” Wallace revealed of the series’ newest villains. “They are a very brutal warrior race, bent on ruling the Ninth Dimension. However, they are not above using psychological methods to learn pertinent details about their opponents. Which is bad for Mister Terrific, because he is definitely their most formidable opponent yet!”
Last week saw the release of WONDER WOMAN #3, which included a new and much-discussed origin story for the Amazon princess. The conversation continues with NEWSARAMA, who interviewed the creative team behind the book about what this new origin means for Diana. “The whole reason for all this stuff is story, and adding this stuff to the origin gives us a huge family of hers to play with. She has responsibilities. This is blood we're talking about now. And it gives her a supporting cast that's tied so closely with her that it provides lots of story for us. And I think that's the most important thing,” said artist Cliff Chiang. “It brings the stakes home," writer Brian Azzarello agreed. "She's got a family now, you know? She's got a dysfunctional family now ... and how she deals with that family is what we're going to be dealing with for the next year."
To be continued …
WONDER WOMAN takes center stage again this Wednesday, with the much discussed issue #3 detailing her new origin and family heritage. USA TODAY spoke with writer Brian Azzarello about the storyline and ran an exclusive preview of the issue. And POP MATTERS also had the opportunity to interview Brian, so head on over to read their feature.
Now, for those of you who can't wait for the collection, here's the scoop. Collecting issues #1-6, the WONDER WOMAN Volume 1 hardcover (144 pages / $22.99) with art by Cliff Chiang and Tony Akins will be available May 2012!
So, get ready to pick up what is destined to be one of the most anticipated collections of the year!
All afternoon, THE SOURCE has been rolling out your very first look at DC Comics in February 2012.
February still seems a long ways off. But this Wednesday? That's right around the corner and we've got a whole new batch of third issues from DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 hitting stores. For ease of reading, we've compiled a comprehensive rundown. Tell your friends.
USA TODAY interviewed writer Brian Azzarello to accompany their exclusive preview of WONDER WOMAN #3, in which Diana’s new origins are revealed. "I can't wait to start really, really playing with the gods," Azzarello told them. "Look who she's immediately gaining as siblings — suddenly, the god of war is her half-brother … Now instead of protecting a mortal from the gods, she's also protecting her half-brother or sister."
POPMATTERS has your first look at I, VAMPIRE #3. “I, VAMPIRE is mythic in every way,” POPMATTERS wrote of the series. “It is the story of how the whole world is threatened by a love story that just darkens the character of each individual involved in that poisoned relationship. In some of the finest storytelling ever to grace the character of Andrew and his struggles with Mary, Josh Fialkov singularizes the character and the title among the recent crop of DC’s New 52. It is very much the evolution of the romantic vampire’s we’ve come to enjoy seeing on screen over recent years.”
MAXIM previewed DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #3. The issue by Paul Jenkins and Bernard Chang continues Deadman’s journey of self exploration as he attempts to gain answers on how to gain control of his “life.”
Now that he’s bonded with his armor, can Jaime Reyes learn how to control it? Find out in BLUE BEETLE #3 by Tony Bedard, Ig Guara, Ruy Jose and J.P. Mayer, previewed exclusively at MTV GEEK.
It’s time for a fourth team member in BIRDS OF PREY #3! Head on over to COMIC BOOK RESOURCES for your exclusive preview.
With the Intruders neutralizing the ring powers of the Green Lantern Corps, it’ll be up to Guy Gardner and John Stewart to figure out how to stop this grave threat. Check out IFANBOY’s exclusive preview of GREEN LANTERN CORPS #3 by Peter J. Tomasi, Geraldo Borges and Scott Hanna.
IGN previewed Selina Kyle’s latest adventures in CATWOMAN #3. What trouble has the femme fatale got herself into this time? Find out when the issue by Judd Winick and Guillem March hits stores this week.
Following their exclusive preview of LEGION LOST #3 last week, TOR.COM has your first look at LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #3 by Paul Levitz and Francis Portela.
And that's not all. DISCOVER MAGAZINE highlighted the science in MISTER TERRIFIC in DC COMICS-THE NEW 52.
What else is going on the internet?
ADVERTISING AGE presented a 2011 Media Vanguard Award to the BURN NOTICE digital comic for “Most Innovating Broadcast Brand Extension.” (Congratulations to all those involved with the book!)
Meanwhile, BATMAN: NOEL writer and artist Lee Bermejo was interviewed by YAHOO! ASSOCIATED CONTENT. “I like a very ‘urban warfare’ look for my Batman,” Bermejo said of The Dark Knight’s costume design in the book. “I suppose it comes from my overall need to ground things in as much reality as possible. I like to approach all design from the inside out, trying to figure out what fabrics could be used to make the thing IF it were really being constructed. I wanted there to be a point to Batman having this more modern, utilitarian look. It fit in well with what I wanted to do in the story.”
“The idea for the project pretty much came when I had finished Joker,” Bermejo continued to THE MORTON REPORT. “And I had a blast drawing Joker. I really enjoyed it. But it was a really dark, brutal piece of work, and I kind of wanted to go in the other direction. To push myself creatively, but also to try something new.”
Finally, COMICVINE listed four reasons why Sinestro is the most powerful Green Lantern.
And speaking of Green Lantern, check out Francis Manapul’s breathtaking variant cover for next month’s issue #4. Amazing, right?
To be continued …
Ever since we launched DC COMICS-THE NEW 52, we’ve been trying to find the perfect outlet to post each exclusive preview. What better match, then, is there for BATMAN AND ROBIN than WIRED’s GEEKDAD? Head on over to their website to see an amazing 6-page sequence from issue #3, which is all about the tension between Bruce Wayne and his son, Damian.
USA TODAY previewed RESURRECTION MAN #3 and spoke with series writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. "His mortal soul is in jeopardy in a much greater way. The stakes are much higher than simply life or death," Abnett told them. “There are serious repercussions about heaven and hell and what these supernatural powers are interested in. That's really going to play out the next few issues where you've got forces both mortal and immortal fighting over him because he is so important."
LOS ANGELES TIMES’ HERO COMPLEX spoke with the acclaimed creative team behind WONDER WOMAN, Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang. “We’re striving for something that speaks to a certain timelessness but at the same time doesn’t get bogged down with older notions of the Greek gods,” Chiang said of the series. “We’ve done away with togas and sandals and stuff like that in order to make you look at them with new eyes. We want the characters to look and sound different, we want them to act different than you would expect … The fact that all of the Greek myths are really rooted in human behavior is great.”
IGN spoke with NIGHTWING writer Kyle Higgins about the Gotham hero. “He grew up a sidekick, studying under the best, then left to spread his proverbial ‘wings’ but ultimately came back to take his mentor's place,” Higgins said. “In a medium where change is hard to facilitate, Dick is a character that has grown and developed -- he's a character who is built on the very idea of change.” While you’re at IGN, be sure to check out their exclusive preview of SUICIDE SQUAD #3.
Curious what else is coming out this week? POPMATTERS previewed DEMON KNIGHTS #3, COMPLEX MAGAZINE previewed MISTER TERRIFIC #3 and DC Comics’ official Facebook page has your first sneak peek at this week’s GRIFTER #3.
To be continued …
