Comic book creator Rob Liefeld gets a bad rap, some of it undeserved, but most fairly accurate. Of course, one of those things that makes him so misunderstood is an incredible sense of arrogance and self-aggrandizement, which is evidence at once by the fact that he’s not just working on movies based on his characters, but he’s working on a movie about his own life in the comic industry.

Sure, you may be saying, but people write about their own lives and times with incredible consistency, but there’s no money in writing a book until you sell it. Instead, Liefeld’s proposing that some studio or investor somewhere give him money to make a movie about himself. Now that’s the kind of hubris you can take to the bank. (more…)

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In 2012, All-Star Marvel and DC artist Mike Norton further moved toward creator owned projects, continuining his Eisner Award winning Battlepug saga online (and in collected editions through Dark Horse) while also co-creating Image Comics’ rural noir zombie book Revival and Dark Horse Comics’ brand new costumed hero book, The Answer, which debuts today.

Here, Norton tells us about how he picks his projects, why he doesn’t hide from superhero tropes, how Revival isn’t your typical zombie book, battling zombie fatigue, and if he’d like to see Battlepug live on as a cartoon series.

Along the way, we also discuss the challenges of telling a slow burn story, the appeal of The Answer‘s female lead, and how a costumed hero fits in at Dark Horse.

All that and more with Mike Norton after the jump.  (more…)

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Todd McFarlane is one of the true forces in modern comics. A rockstar artist and writer who left Marvel 20 years ago to take his pencil and create a new icon in Spawn and co-create a new company in Image Comics, McFarlane is now taking time to reflect on his career, the industry altering decision to help form Image, and the evolution of his signature style in The Art of Todd McFarlane: The Devil is in the Details.

I had the opportunity to speak with McFarlane a few weeks ago about the inception of Image, his new book, his thoughts on reboots, what Marvel and DC have become, the business side of toys, and Spawn. The result is an in-depth look inside the mind of one of comicdom’s most influential and opinionated individuals. Enjoy.  (more…)

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The headline is rather confusing, right? Al Simmons is the alter-ego of the superhero Spawn in the comic book of the same name, so how can Spawn creator Todd McFarlane being suing Al Simmons for being who McFarlane tells him to be? Interesting question.

The answer is that McFarlane came up with Spawn’s secret identity of Al Simmons by basing him on his friend who has also named Al Simmons. The real life Al Simmons was also once an employee of McFarlane Productions and his duties included making personal appearances as, you guessed it, Spawn. So the two of them were pretty close, right? What could possible make McFarlane want to sue the man he was so chummy with that he named his best selling comic book character after him?

In a word: book. Simmons wrote a book called The Art Of Being Spawn, in which he takes no small credit for being the inspiration for Al Simmons. According to McFarlane, writing the book has violated Simmons’ employment terms and breached his duty of loyalty. He’s also libel for damaging his reputation, and exposing trade secrets, false endorsements, false advertising and both trademark and copyright infringement. McFarlane is suing both Simmons and his wife for at least $75,000.

Further, the lawsuit claims that “Al Simmons, who was flattered and eagerly gave his consent to McFarlane in 1993 for his name to be a part of ‘Spawn,’ was not the inspiration for ‘Spawn’s’ central character and no one has ever confused the character with Defendant Al Simmons… Curiously, Defendant Al Simmons has, over the years, as ‘Spawn’ enjoyed popularity, remarked on how his association with Plaintiffs has provided him with some name recognition or notoriety, where he had none before ‘Spawn.’… Defendant Simmons has, in effect, traded on Plaintiffs’ fame, brand and copyright protected creation, and now is deliberately using falsities in the Book to further attempt to improperly capitalize and infringe upon the McFarlane Companies’ property interests and McFarlane’s name, likeness and identity.”

Of course, this isn’t McFarlane’s first turn at litigious endeavors, but it is his most recent. One wonders if McFarlane just misses the courtroom, and just what Simmons might have written to get the artist to hammer down so hard with the lawyers on his old buddy. Either way, it’s great press for Simmons’ book. Way to guerrilla market, Al!

Source: Bleeding Cool

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*Yes, this headline should be read sarcastically.

You’ll remember that post X-Men in 2000, a lot of production companies started buying up comic book properties in the hops of spinning newsprint into celluloid gold. Could we be looking at something similar happening now post-Avengers?

Exhibit A: Adi Shankar‘s 1984 Private Defense Contractors production company has bought the film rights to Rob Liefeld’s Bloodstrike, one of numerous titles Liefeld co-created under his Extreme Comics shingle at Image Comics in the mid-90s. Shankar and Liefeld will produce the film with Liefeld’s manager Brooklyn Weaver.

For those without long memories, Bloodstrike was about a top-secret government squad of super-powered assassins who are recruited after death and revived by Project: Born Again. But it seems that Liefeld is intent on adding a financially friendly twist on the team with its transfer to the big screen, according to Variety. This Bloodstrike will be “aimed at creating a franchise appeal, focuses on a Bloodstrike unit consisting of a team of super-soldiers who have secretly been imbued with vampire blood — making them an elite strike force feared by all enemies.”

Never let it be said that Liefeld doesn’t know the best way to pander to make a buck.

What are the odds of seeing a Bloodstrike film sometime soon? Well, Shankar’s for a proven track record: he’s the producer behind the all-female :Expendables” concept, he co-financed The Grey, Marc Forster’s Machine Gun Preacher and Andrew Dominik’s upcoming Killing Them Softly starring Brad Pitt. So the man means business. Now we see if Liefeld can deliver.

More news as it develops.

Source: Geek Tyrant

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This article is going to be updated constantly as other companies and people get involved and as more details are firmed up. Scroll down for updates, the most recent one will be in bold.

For many of us, our local comic book shop is a safe haven, a hangout, and someplace special. I drive almost a half hour, past two other shops to get to mine, they know me by name, know my likes and dislikes. In harder financial times they’ve given me a little extra for things I had to sell, in good times they’ve taken a little off the price for things I got to buy. Mine is not a unique story.

All C’s Collectibles in Aurora, Colorado is the only comic shop in that town, the hangout and shop for some of the victims in the theater. One of their employees was in the theater and according to All C’s Jason Farnsworth, Tom Sullivan and his son Alex, who lost his life during the massacre on his 27th birthday, were regular customers with hold bins.

We’re all still reeling from the outskirts, all somewhat paralyzed by shock and grief, and battered by story after story on the killer — something that the media has become obsessed with, hounding the victims for interview requests (according to AJ Focht who is the All C’s employee that was in the theater) and Mr. Farnsworth with questions about the killer, who Mr. Farnsworth says was not a customer.

Through the sadness and through the onslaught of attention All C’s endures because they cannot stand still — they’ve got a community to service, and a lot of people who need the safe haven that a comic shop can provide. Comic book fans, professionals, and retailers are a family and in response to this tragedy, All C’s Collectibles is planning a fundraiser for the victims of the Aurora shooting called Aurora Rise and they’re asking for as much help as possible from the comic book community to help them help those most affected.

Two companies that have stepped up to help in this time of need so far, are Dark Horse comics and Image Comics — Dark Horse spokesman Aub Driver had this to say about the event which is tentatively scheduled for late August and which will benefit the victims and the families of the victims:

“I received a call from All C’s Collectibles in Aurora, CO [Monday]. They’re currently organizing a very large fundraiser for the families, survivors and victims of the Aurora shootings. They’re asking for support from all comics publishers, large and small.

It goes without saying that Dark Horse Comics will be showing full support for this fundraiser.

It’s very important to note that All C’s is the only comic book store in the city. This tragedy has rocked their community at large, as well as the rest of the nation. Some of their customers were present at the theater when tragedy struck, even one of their own employees. Showing your full support for the comic book shop and the comic arts medium is incredibly crucial during this dark time.

This is about community. This is about bringing the community of both Aurora and Comics together. This is about standing as one in the face of evil and knowing that one common factor, our love for comics, can unite us.”

Sarah deLaine from Image Comics has also been an early supporter of Aurora Rise, coordinating the donation for Image and it’s imprints. The goods that are being donated for the planned silent auction by Dark Horse and Image are listed below and more is expected from these companies and others.

[Update: All C's has just told me that Steve Niles will be involved and on hand for the event and that they are considering putting the auction on eBay. Mr. Niles joins Tim Daniel on the roster of comic pros who are set to be involved. Details to follow.]

[Update: Matt Fraction will be at the event which is scheduled to take place on August 25th and August 26th. In the time since this article went live, Comic Book Resources, Bleeding Cool, and others have helped to spread the word, please do what you can to do the same. More updates to follow. (7/30/12)

Right now Mr. Farnsworth is looking for any help he can get, so if you would like to know more or if you are able to help please reach out to All C’s Collectibles at (303)751-6882 or by Email, allcs@comcast.net. You can also visit their Facebook page or the page that has been set up for the event.

I will stay with this story and keep updating it’s progress, but I want to ask my peers in the comic book media to write about this as well so that we can use what power we have for the good work of educating our readers about this positive and helpful act of charity for the victims of this tragedy. These people need all the help they can get to cover medical bills, counseling costs, and living expenses going forward and they are what is most important now.

Dark Horse Items for Silent Auction: (More items will be included)

2 GHOST Lithos signed by Adam Hughes
4 AGE OF REPTILES Lithos signed by Ricardo Delgado
5 USAGI YOJIMBO Lithos signed by Stan Sakai
4 GRENDEL Lithos signed by Matt Wagner
2 BUFFY Lithos signed by Jo Chen
3 UMBRELLA ACADEMY Lithos signed by Gerard Way
3 ABE SAPIEN Lithos signed by Mike Mignola / Jason Shawn Alexander
1 ONE-SHOT WONDER Litho signed by Mike Mignola / Joss Whedon

Image Comics Items for Silent Auction: (More items will be included)

From Image Comics’ Skybound imprint:

The Walking Dead Walkers Watch signed by Robert Kirkman
Rise of the Governor HC
Invincible Compendium
Invincible Shirts
Super Dinosaur Vol 1 and 2
Super Dino Shirts
Thief of Thieves Shirt
Thieves of Thieves Image Expo Variant

From Image Comics’ Top Cow imprint:

Walking Dead #100 (Marc Silvestri cover) signed by Marc Silvestri
Darkness #100 signed by Marc Silvestri
Witchblade #150 (cover G) signed by Marc Silvestri
Cyber Force Issue #13 Page 17, which will be signed by Marc Silvestri before they send it.

Image has also secured a copy of the Robot Chicken: Star Wars III DVD signed by Seth Green for the auction. Again, we will keep updating this and let you know how you can participate in this fundraiser when that information comes available.

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At Comic Con, I again had the opportunity to sit down with Moriarty writer, Daniel Corey for a quick catchup on his current projects. Moriarty is not only one of the best books I’ve read in the last few years, it gives you a lot to sink your teeth into. Highly, highly recommended.

You have two volumes of Moriarty out now, how is work progressing on volume three?

Daniel Corey: We’re just on a little break right now. I actually have it mostly written. It’s just a matter of catching up on production and such.

Since the last time we talked, you’ve announced that the first volume of Moriarty: The Dark Chamber, is going to become a musical.

Corey: Yes!

How did that come about?

Corey: It’s funny, because I had thought about that before. I was like, “Ah, this would make a good musical.” Never seriously thought about it. I was talking to the guys at SciFi Pulse and they told me, “Hey, we think this would make a great stage play. We love this opening monologue, it’d be great on stage.”I was seeing it in my mind. And a friend of mine, [composer] Ray Schnurr came up to me and said, “Hey, we should think about doing this as a musical.” It suddenly became a serious reality. Once he said that, it was like let’s go do it!

The stars just aligned?

Corey: The stars aligned. Kismet, I think! It came together. We’re in progress on that. We have a script, Ray is working on music this week as we talk here at Comic Con. Next week we’re going to sit down and really start working hardcore on the lyrics. As we paced through the script, we’d talk about, “Let’s have a song about this,” and a few ideas here and there but we’re really going to start working on the meat and potatoes lyric writing next week.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP

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Robert Kirkman is the creator of The Walking Dead, Invincible, Super Dinosaur, and Thief of Thieves. He recently released the 100th issue of The Walking Dead for Image Comics, and is presently at work on the 3rd season AMC’s The Walking Dead, for which he serves as a writer and an executive producer. He is also developing Thief of Thieves for the network.

While at San Diego Comic Con yesterday morning, our Steven Sautter had a chance to sit down for an exclusive one on one interview with Mr. Kirkman. During the interview they talked about the progress of the Thief of Thieves TV adaptation, the reason why the most beloved characters meet the most brutal of ends in The Walking Dead universe, the future of The Walking Dead, and what Kirkman thinks about non-creator owned comic books and the “corporate entities” behind them.

So Thief of Thieves, congratulations on the pickup — how far away are we from seeing it on the screen?

Robert Kirkman: It’s very much in the early stages right now — we’re in pilot development, which means that we are working on developing the script for a pilot. That is the absolute first stage after something is brought into a network to be developed. Right now I’m working with Chic Eglee and we’re mapping out what the series is going to be and what parts of the comics we’re going to use.

And you’re going to act as a show runner or producer?

Kirkman: Well I’m not a show runner, because that is work and I do not like doing work. No, I’ll be an executive producer and I’ll be writing on the show and all that kind of stuff. Chic Eglee will be the show runner and he’s writing the pilot and it will be his show. You know, in much the same way that Glen Mazzara is the show runner of The Walking Dead. But you know, I’m in the writers room full time and I’m able to say don’t put lasers in the zombies eyes.

(more…)

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It’s one of those midnight questions — you’re on the couch with your friends, a 13 year old with mutant like hand eyed coordination has just dominated you on Black Ops and someone asks, “What kind of car would you want in a zombie apocalypse?”

The answers are typically diverse, hillarious, and often impractical — sure, the Ecto-1 is amazing, but it’s probably terrible on gas mileage. A Hyundai wouldn’t likely be the natural first choice (despite their impressive fuel economy) but Robert Kirkman’s Zombie Survival Machine is no ordinary Hyundai.

The car, which was dreamed up by Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and brought into reality by Gary Castillo from Design Craft Fabricators, is built from a Hyundai Elantra Coupe and features the following enhancements:

Exterior

• Staked Zombie Plow
• Armored windows
• Armored headlights and taillights
• Smoked headlights and taillights
• Reinforced body panels
• Rear bash bar
• Wheel spikes
• Adjustable front light bar
• Escape Hatch
• Winch
• All-Terrain Tires
• Forged Wheels
• Upgraded lifted Suspension

Interior

• Custom riveted sheet metal rear interior panels
• Food & Supply storage compartments
• 6×8 Net Cannon with rear-view camera
• Co-pilot controlled switch box with gauges
• Master Kill Switch
• Net Cannon Control
• Lighting Control
• Tilt front flood lights
• Pan rear flood lights
• Weapons: Kitana Sword, Baseball Bat, Machette
• GPS
• CB Radio
• First Aid Kit
• Nitrous System (120 hp/shot)
• Adjustable rear trunk flood lights
• Custom front seats with embroidery

Pretty bad-ass right? Well, apparently somebody thought it was missing a certain something, that somebody being the cars designer. Our Steven Sautter got a first hand look at the Zombie Survival Machine during Preview Night and caught up with Robert Kirkman to find out what that certain something was, here is his report:

After much wrangling with security, this intrepid reporter was escorted into the exhibit hall early and led toward the Future US booth for the unveiling of Robert Kirkman’s Zombie Survival Machine. Built to commemorate the landmark 100th issue of the Walking Dead comic book, this modified Hyundai Eleantra Coupe seems primed for all your zombie killing needs. Kirkman himself was on hand to unleash the awesome lethality of the Elantra and we were able to catch a few words with Kirkman on this auspiscious occasion.

Sautter: Does the car still have that fresh zombie smell?

Kirkman: Yes, it smells delicious! (laughs) It’s amazing. I’m sorry. For me, on The Walking Dead set, zombies smell like barbeque because they’re always eating.

Sautter: Was there anything from your designs that was too outlandish?

Kirkman: I wanted it to have jets, so it could take off. And they were like, “Cars don’t fly, man!” But they could come in handy.

You can check out the Zombie Survival Machine at the Future US Booth (#4445) throughout the convention, other activities at the booth include: a Zombie Make-up Station, a Photo Station, the Hyundai Sweepstakes Kiosk, and on Friday there will be a Zombie Costume Contest between 2PM and 3PM.

Follow @NerdBastards on Twitter for all of your #SDCC updates and floor pics of cosplayers, cool stuff, and comic-con madness.

Additional writing by Jason Tabrys 

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