Neil Gaiman's Past (Now With Added Ministry Of Space Update!)

By Rich Johnston

Update: Ministry Needed

As part of a post the Image Comics message board, publisher Jim Valentino wrote "For example, we sent out a memo a couple of months ago that ANY book solicited between January and October of this year that isn't at the printers by December 15 WILL be canceled."
Darn... even more delays to Ministry of Space 3 it seems. However, writer Warren Ellis didn't seem to have heard the news...
This Has A Rumour Value Of 7 Out of 10

Gaimanghast

On http://www.neilgaiman.com, Neil Gaiman reports that, according to Joe Quesada, if Neil pushes the Miracleman thing any further, Todd McFarlane is going to find as much dirt as he can on Neil and expose him to his fans.

I've been doing this rumour and gossip column for nigh on ten years. I get everybody's dirty laundry going through this place, much of which I never publish. Occasionally they make a blind item, mostly they don't. They've included prostitutes as perks, company paid trips to buy pornography, blow jobs in dungeons, offices and company lifts, arson, physical abuse, breaking and entering to steal art, closeted homosexuality, racism, homophobia, sexism, comics traded for drugs, drugs traded for comics and defecation, urination, vomiting and spunking from a variety of high profile comic book professionals (often onto lesser profile comic book professionals).

In all that time, I've heard only one personal rumour about Neil, that may reflect a little badly if true, but wouldn't damage him or his reputation in any way.

I also printed way back a rumour about his tardiness on the Death series. After which he called me up, gave a different side to the story which exonerated him and seemed to fit the facts a lot more snugly. He also gave me a quick bollocking while he was at it.

Some of his peers and comics readers think he's arrogant. A common accusation is that he writes stories to show off what he's read, rather than to tell a good story. Oh, and he wrote stuff for the likes of Penthouse, general hackery for a British tabloid and a Duran Duran annual. And his dad was a Scientologist.

That's it. In ten years.

Todd on the other hand...

I've heard the story about his treatment of Lance Gueck - co-writer of Spawn #1 and creator of much of the backstory to Spawn's world. We all saw the photos of the sweat shops he proudly boasted of in his comics. We've seen how he seems to have alienated creative employees like Brian Michael Bendis, Paul Jenkins, Alan Moore, and, oh yes, Neil Gaiman. It's clear to see how he turned from the world's greatest defender of Rob Liefeld to his worst enemy over night. I printed the critical letter he's alleged to have received from Amnesty International. Then there was the huge rumours and allegations that he lied to staff at McFarlane Toys and then used Larry Marder, Nexus Of All Comic realities, to pressurise resignations from his toy staff. Let alone his reported behaviour over Neil's rights to his Spawn work and his Miracleman work.

Before Todd decides to start calling attention to the gossipy speck in Neil's eye, maybe he should be worried about the log in his own. With a flashing neon sign above it saying "LOG! THIS WAY! LOOK! IT'S A BIG FAT GOSSIPY LOG!".

That can be seen from space.

This Has A Flashing Neon Sign Value Of 8 Out Of 10

Princess Lea

Ironclad Petal, the third Texas Steampunk OGN and sequel to Clockwork Angel and Cathedral Child, by Lea (Killer Princesses) Hernandez will serialized online in the coming year.

This Has A Rumour Value Of 9 Out of 10

Gregory Pick

Jenni Gregory is to reluanch her Dreamwalker series for a fourth and final volume next year and will put uploading a preview online in January. Also look for a resumption of the Abby's Menagerie online strip at http://www.abbysmenagerie.com.

This Has A Rumour Value Of 9 Out Of 10

The Benefits Of Recycling

Jim Steranko is soliciting a fundraiser poster of Captain America in the new Previews. Funny thing is, no one seems to mention it's a re-use of a cover he did decades ago for an index to Tales Of Suspense and Captain America…

This Has A Rumour Value Of 8 Out Of 10

The Wizard's Staff

Be careful who you make redundant. I'm not talking about my employees here, I'm talking about WizardWorld. Subscribers to the WizardWorld emailing message list that used to go though the Yahoo Egroups but has remained unused (if active) for the last few months received a surprise new email this week.

Imploring readers to visit a website, the destination is clearly one that even the Wizard fanbase might be shocked to find within the pages of the illustrious magazine. A quick snippet… "Name: Heather Age: 19 Sex: female. Sexual Preference: straight. Height: Average. Weight: 120-150 lbs. Hair color: blonde. Hair length: long. Eye color: green. Build: curvy. Vital Measurements: 75C. Ethnicity: white. Special: shaved."

I hear that one of WizardWorld's departing IT employees had a bit of a play on their way out. Also one of the reasons given why the site and operating system went down for a short while…

Check out the mailing lists here… http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wizard-world/messages

This Has A Rumour Value Of 6 Out Of 10

Full Booth

I hear that Brett Booth is drawing a five issue mini written by Robert Weinberg for Wildstorm Comics. Is this Weinberg's first comics work outside of Marvel? And Booth is a name that older Wildstorm fans may well welcome...

This Has A Rumour Value Of 8 Out Of 10

Does Authority Have A Price?

I hear that Marvel are interested in buying The Authority property from DC Comics. But the answer, predictably, is still a big Ian Paisley style "NO!"

This Has A Rumour Value Of 7 Out Of 10

Page Girls

Did you buy a copy of Killer Princesses #1 by Gail Simone and Lea Hernandez from Oni Press? Astounded at the dazzling new storytelling technique where page 5 is repeated on page 6? Not to worry, help is at hand from Oni in the form of a press release! With EIC Jamie S. Rich actually quoted, saying: “This is one of those things where we look at the situation and we can't believe it actually happened, because there is no explanation to how it could and how no one caught it. I have never had this sort of mistake make it to the final stages before, not in all my time at Oni or Dark Horse--which I know to Gail and Lea is no consolation. It's a bit like when the airlines lose your luggage and then tell you how many bags they don't lose. It's still your bag that is lost. I apologize to Gail and Lea. This is one of the worst things that can happen, particularly on the first issue of their book.”

Fans can download the missing page at, http://www.onipress.com/kp/, and will reprint the page in #2. Retailers can also email Oni at oni1@onipress.com and receive free copies of the missing page 6 to hand out with each sold copy.

This Has A D'Oh! Value Of 9 Out Of 10

Get Behind Me!

DC are ever so proud of Dark Knight Strikes Again. They made a lot of fuss about its sales, that the reorders were high, that they were manning the phones on the weekend and got a lot of media coverage.

However DC seem not to have told anyone about the success of the Left Behind books. Developed internally, it seems, by Wildstorm and published externally, Left Behind have been selling about 150,000 copies of each issue. And yet I haven't seen a word of promotion from DC as a result. It's almost as if they're embarrassed or ashamed.

If nothing else, they could try and find a way to get these wacky fundamentalist new readers onto Preacher...

This Has A Rumour Value Of 8 Out Of 10

Next!

Plugs ahoy! http://www.nextcomics.com has just updated with a nice big preview of their Never Mind The Comics. Mark Peyton's QUINTESSENCE OF DUST and WANDERING STAR by Alisdair Stuart and Tony Rollinson making it's way online. Enjoy…

This Has A Plugging Value Of 7 Out Of 10

Party Like It's 2000 AD

If anyone reading this will be at the 2000AD Christmas Party this week, come over and say hi. I look like the picture above, but with shorter hair and more of some weird beard/moustache thing going on. Come say hi, and make Tharg pay for the drinks.

Talking of 2000AD, check this link out… http://www.2000adonline.com/images/movies/tharg_advert.mpg

Nice!

This Has A Nostalgia Value Of 9 Out Of 10