LYING IN THE GUTTERS VOLUME 2 COLUMN 154
Welcome to the most popular and longest running comics column on the internet. In its various forms, Lying In The Gutters has covered rumours and gossip in the comics industry for fourteen long glorious and quite scary years.
All stories are sourced from well-connected individuals. But I urge you to use your judgment and remember, context is everything.
The traffic light system is on hold for now. They usually represent how reliable each story is, but with the column on a little skeleton staffing of late, I'd just take everything with a big handful of salt and hope for the best. Normal service will be resumed soon.
Lying In The Gutters is for your entertainment. Neither Fair Nor Balanced. Please don't shoot the messenger.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "It would take a third atomic bomb to stop manga" - Moebius
ITEM! Continuing to be the go-to place for new Warren Ellis news (Alan Moore news is so passe, hey?), LITG is pleased to announce "No Hero" by Warren Ellis and Juan Jose Ryp for Avatar. 8 issues, starts in July, #0 for $1.
"Black Summer" meets "Mad Men" maybe?
ITEM! My pieces for The Daily Show/Colbert Report's website Indecision 2008 continue here and here. I wonder if I could be their online John Oliver?
ITEM! Andrew Dabb is joining the writing team of the TV show "Supernatural." He talks about it here
ITEM! From the New York Comic Con, I hear Brad Meltzer is working on a new heavy-DC-continuity series. A thematic sequel to “Identity Crisis.”
ITEM! During the DC Nation panel at NYCC, someone asked Geoff Johns a question about Booster Gold's future. Johns told the questioner he couldn't answer. However, one Gutterati on the front row heard him say something aside to Ian Sattler about Dan Jurgens, to the extent that Dan may be the new writer of the character/series.
ITEM! As LITG'd a while back, yes J'onn J'onnz dies in the first issue of “Final Crisis.” But in the last issue, Barry Allen comes back. So everybody's happy. But remember how we LITG'd as of early March that #2 of "Final Crisis" was mid way being drawn? I further understand that as of the weekend #3 is still to be completed.
ITEM! One of the rarest and most valuable Alan Moore collectibles has been put on eBay again. "Outbreaks Of Violets," a specially commissioned high end volume created for VIPs at the MTV Europe Awards, has a mimimum bid of £800, around $1700, but has sold for more than that before. The seller has kindly provided scans for this column.
Someone is going to walk away with a wonderful item...
ITEM! Were you one of the many who signed up to Marvel's DCU digital comics service at NYCC? Already fed up up the fairly shonky reading interface? Then why not use Digital Comic Downloader allowing you to read the comics with whatever software you like...
UPDATE: Shortly after this article was sent to Marvel representatives for comment, a Marvel IP address downloaded the program. Shortly after that, the Marvel DCU code was amended to make this downloader unusable. Shortly after that, the downloader was amended to work again. Expect this to keep going on for some time.
ITEM! Women now outnumber men in the new Spanish government cabinet. The first pregnant minister.
That's when the newly elected Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi decided to make mockery of this.
This weekend, Barcelona based newspaper "El periódico de Catalunya" featured a full cover drawn by Milo Manara, one of the guests in the 26th Barcelona International Comic Fair.
Here's a video of Manara drawing the front page at the editorial office of the paper. Leading to this reaction from Carme Chacón, pregnant defense minister, "Thanks a million, Mister Manara."
ITEM! Coming up from the NYCC floor... look for Paul Dini writing a new "Zatanna" comic. With the announced Vixen, Power Girl, Terra (and unannounced Batwoman), that's quite a few new DCU solo female books… worth pointing out. Anyone got as many?
ITEM!Just flicking through the new "Torchwood" magazine to discover that Paul Grist is drawing the comic strip. That is brave, clever, superb and all round excellent casting. Good call, unknown Titan editorial choice!
ITEM! Who let that guy on set? Also, anyone else going to the Iron Man premiere in Leicester Square on Thursday? I'll be interviewing on the red carpet.
ITEM! When “Torchwood” returns for a new series, it will only be one story, five episodes long. And probably on BBC1.
ITEM! Best known in the comics industry for writing “Smoke,” “Kat & Mouse,” Les Humanoides work yet to be translated - and getting on the wrong side of both Marvel and DC staffers - Alex De Campi has been forging a rather wonderful career directing music videos. When this very-low-budget video hit the headlines, she was snapped up to be the go-to girl for "The Puppini Sisters." Her latest videos for them are here, and she's currently working on a new video for Puppini collaborators "Real Tuesday Weld." She's also working on a Radiohead video project and could use your support. She also has a pencilled and inked Batman Confidential story sitting in a drawer. Possibly to see print when her feature film opens.
Meanwhile, Antony Johnston has seen his Oni graphic novel "Three Days In Europe" picked up as a movie starring Hugh Jackman and Jennifer Garner.
Morrissey, take it away.
ITEM!David Lapham doing all he can to keep "Young Liars" working at DC/Vertigo. Send him a copy with a stamped and addressed envelope and he'll return it, signed with a head sketch of anyone you want.
David Lapham
P.O. Box 3911
Glendale, CA 91221-0911
ITEM! Graig Weich, creator of "Civilian Justice," who now claims it was meant to be a liberal book but censored by Diamond into being neo-con propoganda, is the lead voice of "Calvin Ayre" a new web cartoon found here.
ITEM! Watch out for Hong Kong art thieves.
ITEM! Film Ick writer and friend of the column Brendon Connelly is teaching film summer school at Oxford .
ITEM! Do you want to transform your attire into a living, working Bat Signal? Or would you prefer to play a Joker?
Let's have a photo op...
Welcome to modern merchandise, folks!
ITEM! Chip Kidd Frankness.
ITEM! My stuff hits eBay again. Free Worldwide shipping now. Clean me out.
ITEM! They Walk Among Us, Richmond comic shop, is having an impressive Free Comic Book Day. Signings from Nick Abadzis, Jamie McKelvie and Mike Carey signing the Marvel FCBD book wot he wrote this year...
SMALL PRINT
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