In his dreams Alan Donald is a multi-award winning
writer of comic books, animation, theme park shows and rides, children’s books,
novels, television, internet animation and more.
In real life Alan writes this column,
which has been described as
more than a lifestyle than a
weekly column. He used to write
SBC's All The Rage.
Hello and welcome back once more to The Final Draft. My name is Alan Donald and I am your host for this fantastic weekly voyage through the world of comicbooks. Before you ask, yes I am the same Alan Donald who used to write All The Rage but please don't hold that against me as I'm trying to make amends for my sins as best I can with this column.
I won't hold you up too long I just wanted to remind you of that you can catch SBC at the UK comicbook festival (www.comicfestival.co.uk for details) next weekend, 24th/25th May.
This Week
As seems to be the case for the last few weeks, very little caught my interest in the world of comicbook news. Here's the few bits that did:
The headline: Hellboy picture on the web.
The history: The Hellboy film is in production and comicbook fans have been chomping at the bit for any details on it.
Personally: I love the comicbook series, so this makes me (another fanboy, yeah) sit waiting impatiently.
The story: No story just this:
Opinion: Ron Perlman looks great. I'll let you make up your own minds on this.
The headline: Travolta Signed for The Punisher As the Heavy.
The history: Marvel are determined that the Punisher film will succeed. Travolta has made a niche for himself in the tough-guy parts since his return from obscurity in Pulp Fiction.
Personally: I'm ready for the Punisher film, expect a lot of news snippets from me over the next few months.
The story: Quoting ICV2: "He'll play Howard Saint, an underworld figure that's hidden his criminal background until his son is murdered and his darker, vengeful side emerges. Travolta has had an illustrious career that includes two Oscar nominations (for Pulp Fiction and Saturday Night Fever) and a Golden Globe for Get Shorty. Marvel is flogging The Punisher hard, including trailering it with The Hulk this summer, a year before its planned release."
Opinion: I've no problem with Travolta being in the film as long as it's done right. Too often will scripts be adapted to fit big stars and I hope this won't be the case here.
That's it. No more, perhaps it's just taking more to interest me lately but there just doesn't seem to have been as much news that gets me going over the last few weeks.
Ah well, on with the rest of the show - which is far more interesting.
The Panel
Nine very different people from different parts of the comicbook industry, with different experiences and ideas on the industry come together to answer your questions. Jock, the New Boy just breaking through internationally; Peter David, the Old Boy, he's been there and done that, a comicbook superstar; Evil Rick Shea, the Retailer, he's on the front line pushing comics, listening to fans; George St.Nicholas, the fan, he supplied this week's question; Shawna Ervin-Gore, the Editor, she's Dark Horse's newest Editor and the only woman on the panel (until I can persuade any of the Panel to have the op); Joe Quesada, the Publisher, he's the Daddy at Marvel; Lee Dawson, Dark Horse's Publicity guru; Craig Lemon, the Hack, SBC's second-in-command, he edits loads of columns and runs one of the most respected review sections in the industry; and me, The Columnist because I really ought to get involved lazy bugger that I am.
This week's question is:
"What is your favourite comicbook at the moment and what is your favourite of all time?"
New Boy: "Favourite comic at the moment? The one I probably enjoy the most is 100 BULLETS. It's just one of those things that I have to read immediately when I have a new issue. Favourite of all time? CAGES by Dave McKean. Awesome."
The Old Boy: "At the moment? Probably Fables. Of all time? Probably the Lee/Ditko Spider-Man."
The Editor: "This might sound silly, but I was just reminded last week how good League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is. I hadn't read beyond the first miniseries, and after talking with some pals here about the current issue, I decided to dive back in. On the other side of the spectrum, I also thrill every time James Kolchaka or Craig Thompson comes out with something new. Same with Mike Mignola. My all-time favorite is a toss-up between two greats. One is Blade of the Immortal...specifically, the story arc called Dreamsong, which I love so much that I almost wish Dark Horse didn't publish it. My love of this book has nothing to do with company fealty, I swear. Dreamsong is the book that indisputably shows the coolest, strongest, most compelling female character I've ever met in a comic, which is one reason I initially loved it. But after multiple reads, I remain amazed at the beauty of the art and the subtle -- but ultimately gut-wrenching -- emotion of the story. The other contender for all-time favorite is Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing with Steve Bissette and John Totleben. And Rick Veitch. In terms of overall impact, I think Swamp Thing takes the prize, really. When the other girls in 7th grade were reading Sweet Valley High novels to get their romance fix, I was reading Swamp Thing to get mine. And, boy, does that stuff hold up over time ... I'm still floored by it."
[Another newbie, please tell the class a little about yourself - Alan]
"I joined the staff of Dark Horse in 1997 as the publicist and held that position for almost five years. After a six-month break from comics to try my hand doing publicity in the music industry, I very happily rejoined the staff at Dark Horse ... this time as an editor. I love my job too much for words."
[Thank you very much, a pleasure to have you onboard - Alan]
The Publisher: "Well, just to be fair, I'm excluding anything that we're printing at Marvel. That makes it a toss up between Powers and Y the Last Man on Earth.
My favorite of all time would have to be V For Vendetta, a true masterpiece that not enough people are aware of."
The Publicist: "My favorite comic of the moment is League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I absolutely love the concept and am knocked out by every issue. The last issue was a shocker to say the least...
My favorite of all time is Watchmen. I remember when this came out I would read each issue in my car in the parking lot of my comic shop instead of waiting until I got home because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. "
The Retailer: "My favorite comic book at the moment is Y the Last Man. It's an incredible mix of compelling characters, wild situations, unexpected humor and a flawless execution of a great concept. I've been more impressed with each issue and it has the absolute BEST cliffhangers every month. There's a greater diversity of comics being published right now than ever before, but this unexpected gem always makes it to the top of my list. The next two in line are Amazing Spider-Man and Batman, and these are my three best selling titles with a money back guarantee on any issue of each.
My favorite comic of all time is predictable as it gets, but you just can't top Watchmen. That comic is absolutely perfect and a shining example of what can be accomplished in this criminally under-appreciated medium. There are so many classics that I'll read over and over again, but Watchmen outranks even Preacher and Sandman as far as all around story."
The Hack: "Favourite of all time - Cerebus. Currently up to issue 288 out of 300, this limited(!) series is likely to conclude with the death of the lead character "alone, unloved and unmourned". All issues written (and predominantly) drawn by the same guy, Dave Sim, since #1...just let that sink in...288 monthly issues...this book has run the gamut from parody to politics, from dissecting religion to sheep-farming. There is nothing like it. Runner-up - V For Vendetta. The peak of Moore's craft. Better than Watchmen in many ways (more concise for one, smaller cast of characters allowing for greater depth, feels less "tricksy", and very little to do with superheroes) and very British.
Favourite at the moment - Astro City: Local Heroes. Touching, humourous and intelligent superhero stories, with the right hint of nostalgia and a healthy dose of maturity. Runners-up - LoEG II & Powers."
The Fan: "I love Ultimate Spider-Man and I really loved Watchmen."
The Columnist: "Wonderful, this looks like a really easy question on the surface but it bloody well isn't. Up until recently I would have said Gotham Knights, Devin Grayson was awesome on that. At the moment...even a manual on 'how to wipe your bum' by Bendis would be worth reading but then again I really love Loeb and Lee's Batman...SiP is still good...Dogwitch when I feel in that sort of mood (which is about as often as your average teenager despite my *a-hem* old age)...I love the current Megazine format...the current Astro City is brillant...aw jeez I read too many good comics...Ok, I'll go with the answer most people who know me will expect, Batman.
Of all time. That's easy, the Sandman. Then again there's the Watchmen, the Dark Knight Strikes Back, Batman: Year One, oh and of course V for Vendetta...mmm, V for Vendetta (Moore's finest hour as far as story telling goes)...oh bloody hell! I'll go with my first answer Chris (or Regis depending on where you live), Sandman, that's my final answer...
Now go away and leave me alone I feel like someone who has been asked to choose between his children - George St.Nicholas you are an evil man.
Why aren't you reading...
This is a regular feature where I'll look at some of the titles I've been reading lately that I think need a bit more publicity than they're getting. To begin with these'll be titles I read normally or that my local comic guy has recommended to me, eventually, however, I want to look at titles that you recommend to me. Have you read (or are you a creator on) a comicbook you feel is being overlooked? If so let me know all about it. If possible I'll have a chat with the creators/publishers and find out more about the story behind the title and what's coming up in the future.
Captain Marvel
Why not! Captain Marvel has always been a hidden treasure at Marvel. This is a title that has it all, great dialogue, action, characterisations, humour, stories and originality. With the new series Peter David suddenly (to use an overused phrase) 'changed the rules' and virtually threw out all he had done before. Everything was the same, the set up, the characters their actions etc but for one small difference, the main protagonist had been driven totally mad.
The new run has been extremely clever. Peter David knows exactly how to pace a story for humour and action simultaneously and we've been blessed with very clean, consistent and high quality art.
The set up is simple Captain Marvel is an extremely powerful superhero, Rick Jones is bonded to him. When the Negabands are struck together they swap places, one in our world, one in the Microverse. Unfortunately Captain Marvel's Cosmic Awareness has driven him mad and now we have a being with the powers of a God running round just one step behind the level of psychosis that the Joker displays.
Captain Marvel is a title that is very easy to fall into but extremely hard to climb out of.
Digging Deeper
This column will be back next week when I talk to Bill Rosemann on his time at both Marvel and CrossGen.
Do you want a sneak peek?
Ok then...
3) What have you been doing for the last 10 years in the industry?
"I planned, wrote and edited Marvel's monthly section in the Previews catalog...planned, wrote and oversaw all house and outside ads...invented the "Your Man @ Marvel" secret identity and wrote a weekly online column...did all I could to make their convention appearances professional and fun...worked with journalists to generate and manage media coverage...worked with editorial to help maximize sales...wrote the four-issue superhuman murder mystery Deadline (that the great Guy Davis illustrated)...joined the terrific team at CrossGen, morphed into "Your Friend @ CrossGen" and started repeating all my Marvel efforts for them...and made a ton of great friends!"
5) What do you hate about the industry today?
"Not enough monkeys!"
Want more? Well I'd better go and question him then.
Noticeboard
From the biggest comic-con to a signing in a shop the size of a postage stamp by the guy who edits a self published magazine on wanking printed on toilet paper, we'll promote them all. All you have to do is email me to let me know. The noticeboard will be here every week to promote your events.
Not much pinned to the noticeboard this week but I'll get right on down to it:
An Evening with Neil Gaiman There's a Novello Evening with Neil Gaiman on Saturday 18th October at 7.30pm. Check out: http://www.novellofestival.net/events.asp for more details.
The UK Festival - Are you ready yet?
May 24th - 25th, Bristol, www.comicfestival.co.uk for more details.
The charity deck has been decided on and it would appear I didn't make the grade (pretty much as expected). I am, however, trying to get the art back to sell (for the charity) on the SBC table. This would also allow you to make your own judgements on just how bad it is relative to the rest of the pack (quite bad...). Again, that's why I'm a wannabe writer and not artist.
May 24th, the charity deck is sold off in the evening, if you can make this then it's well worth it.
SBC's table is really coming together and we got our prizes from CrossGen this week. 6 Volume 1 Graphic Novels. There's something for everyone in this selection, here are my favourites:
Ruse - Great detective work, Batman, Sherlock Holmes and more all mixed up. Way of the Rat - Martial arts spectacular. The Path - Samurai action (including a couple of brief cameos from Lone Wolf and Cub). Route 666 - Great modern horror.
Remember which table has all the best prizes, gives you the chance to meet your favourite columnists, has exclusive goodies from the comicbook companies that can't make the Festival and will be offering some of the best signings around! SBC that's who!
All this and a stack of very cheap comics for you to buy.
Craig, Regie, myself and everyone else at SBC who'll be coming along look forward to seeing you there.
Remember I need you to be sending in your announcements, signings, events and such like to pin up on the Board. Meanwhile you should check out previous week's Notice Board as many of the announcements on there will still be current.
Thank you for reading and I hope you have enjoyed the column. Please remember that you can get involved in many ways as you can:
1) Send in questions for the Panel.
2) Send in your favourite websites.
3) Send in your favourite online comics.
4) Nominate a title to be featured in 'Why aren't you reading...?' .
5) Send in things for the Noticeboard, any event at all.
6) You can also send in your feedback and suggestions to improve the column.
You can't say fairer than that.
TTFN - Alan Donald signing off from a new home...HUZZAH! Stability after so long...now to pay all the bills and debts...
Quote of the Week: "So, in search of realism we have to revisit the tortured soul of The Batman. Multi Billionaires are rare, I grant you, but they do exist. I’m certainly prepared to go out on a limb and assert that there are more Billionaires in the world than old blokes who can control magnetic fields with the power of their minds. Once the money thing is accepted, the rest is easy. Bruce Wayne doesn’t do anything that some real person out there can’t do. I’ve seen the Olympic games. I’ve seen real men move with the grace of the Bat on the high bar. I’ve seen real men use half a dozen forms of unarmed combat, hell, I’ve even seen real men use boomerangs to hit targets.
I’ve seen men who can drive a five-foot wide vehicle through a five foot one inch gap at seventy miles per hour without scratching the paintwork, and I’ve seen scientists crack forensic clues (well, I’ve seen C.S.I., which is nearly the same thing)."
The Final Draft, its contents, its style and the concept in general are the intellectual property of Alan Donald. All contributions remain the property of the contributors who have given Alan Donald permission to use them in this format. The views expressed herein by contributors are theirs alone and not necessarily those of SBC nor the columnist. Conversely the views expressed by the columnist are not necessarily shared by the contributors, SBC or even the columnist himself.
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