Category: Authors
Who is Jake Ellis?
I don’t read many comic books these days, but one I am really looking forward to is, Who is Jake Ellis. Written by Nathan Edmondson and with art by Tonci Zonjic, this comic series looks to be not only a change of pace, but a lot of fun. Here’s how Josh Wigler at CBR.com describes, Who is Jake Ellis?…
- “The story centers on Jon Moore, a highly sought-after espionage expert working in the European underground. Unknown to his clients — to anyone, for that matter — is the fact that he’s assisted by Jake Ellis, a seemingly all-knowing entity that nobody can see. Nobody, that is, except for Jon himself. The high-octane comic book series spans five issues and multiple European locations, providing fans with a reading experience that sits comfortably alongside the tensest thrillers the spy genre has to offer.”
And speaking of CBR.com, they are running the first eight pages of issue one with commentary by Nathan Edmondson and Tonci Zonjic. Who is Jake Ellis? #1 is available at comic shops now.
Darwyn Cooke Takes on The Outfit
Darwyn Cooke’s adaptation of Richard Stark’s classic crime novel The Outfit is now available. In case you’re late getting in the game, The Outfit is Cooke’s follow-up to his award-winning adaptation of Richard Stark’s The Hunter. Stark aka Donald Westlake gave his blessing to the original plus three additional adaptations. In honor of the release of The Outfit Darwyn Cooke sat down for an in-depth interview with Tucker Stone for the Comics Alliance. Here’s a taste:
Palance was Westlake’s only visual reference. When I changed Parker, the idea was always to use plastic surgery as a metaphor for his emotional regression. He’s meant to look like a rawer, more stripped down version of himself… His jaw, and most importantly, his eyes, are the same. The rest is meant to reflect a man drained of things like remorse and compassion. A loveless, unadorned man.
I’ve got two more of these books to do. My plan is to finish the fourth one for my 50th birthday… I can tell you that it’s not wearing on me, working on this character. I can see him being a part of what I do for a long time. Maybe not constantly, but he’s going to be there.
Again, this is the benefit of having a few exchanges with Donald. One of his concerns was that I understood that Parker doesn’t operate out of anger. He never commits a violent act out of anger. He does it because it’s the expedient thing to do. It’s the practical thing, a survival mechanism.
I could continue to pull interesting quotes from the interview, but why not just read it. You’ll get insight into Cooke’s process in adapting the Stark novels, his [and Stark’s] take on what makes Parker tick, which crime movies were influences [and which modern crime classic Cooke thinks is over-rated], and so much more. Congrats to Tucker Stone and Comic Alliance for a great read and thanks to Darwyn Cooke for bringing Parker back.
CBR.com also has a nice little interview with preview art from Darwyn Cooke’s adaptation of Richard Stark’s The Outfit.
Chaykin, Batman & Catwoman
Howard Chaykin has a Batman one-shot coming out this November that he’s writing and drawing. It’s called Batman/Catwoman: Follow the Money. Since I’m a huge Chaykin fan, I’m in. If you want to know more, then check out this interview with Howard Chaykin posted by the fine folks at CBR.com.
Andrew Vachss’ Heart Transplant
Andrew Vachss has a couple of new books coming out later this year. The Weight is a crime novel which is what most Vachss fans would expect. Heart Transplant is something totally different. It’s not a novel. According to the product description it’s…
Neither a graphic novel nor a self-help book, it uses elements of both to reach parents and children alike… Heart Transplant is aimed at actually changing the way we deal with perhaps the most critical issue for children and parents alike today. To accomplish this mission, an entirely new genre was created.
As John Travolta said in Pulp Fiction, “That’s a bold statement.” Of course Andrew Vachss has always been a bold author. If Heart Transplant sounds like something you’d like [and it definitely has a lot of experts endorsing it], then you can check out this preview to learn more. Of course you can also go here to learn more and/or order it.
Victor Gischler… and Me
Last week I read a tweet from Victor Gischler (one of my favorite authors) saying that he was going to do a signing at Comic Central in Sanford, Florida. I decided that when I got off work I’d drive over and see if I could get Victor to autograph a couple of my novels. I’m really glad that I did.
Victor Gischler is a talented writer and an all-around great guy. Not only did he autograph the four novels that I took over (Gun Monkeys; Pistol Poets; Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse and The Deputy — all highly recommended!), but he also posed for photos (I should have had my wife take a second shot since I appear to be sleep-standing), and spoke at length with each fan that came in. It was very clear that Victor appreciated each person who came in to meet him.
It’s always nice when someone you admire for a skill (writing, drawing, etc.) turns out to be as nice as they are talented.
Heroes Con 2010, Part 5
I can’t think of a better way to jump start Part 5 of my 2010 Heroes Con report than with a photo of Dave Wachter holding a commission of Sly from The Expendables that he did for me at the show. I first met Dave at Heroes Con 2009 and got a head sketch from him. Since then I’ve been back for several other sketches. As you can imagine, I hope that the one pictured won’t be my last. You can bet I’ll post a scan of it soon so you can see it in all it’s glory.
Mick Foley was a guest at Heroes Con this year. I took along my copy Have a Good Day so that I could get Mick to autograph it. Mick was only going to be at the show on Saturday. Since he’d never been at any convention I’d ever attended, I wasn’t sure what kind of crowd he’d draw.
Saturday rolled around and still no buzz about Mick being at the show. Perhaps getting his autograph would be a piece of cake. I went by the booth where Mick was going to sign and asked when he could be expected. They said he had just arrived in town, was getting lunch and should be at the booth around 1:30. They said if I showed up then, I’d be right on time. I checked my watch and saw that I had time to run across the street, grab a bite and still be back before 1:30.
So that’s what I did. In fact I got back about 1:25. I headed over to get in line and was surprised to find Mick already signing. I started back tracking the line which wrapped around a corner and then down a long aisle and then out of sight. Before I had taken 3 steps I was stopped by a young lady working at the show. She said, “If you’re wanting to get in line for Mick Foley, you’re too late. The line has been capped.”
I was stunned. She repeated herself. I explained that I had checked at the booth and was told if I returned by 1:30 I would be okay. She said the demand for Mick was more than anyone anticipated and the line was capped. I thought about arguing my case, but realized it would do no good and it wasn’t her fault. The line was huge, by far the biggest I’d seen at any show for any guest.
I hought, “Good for Mick Foley.” I was happy that so many people wanted to meet him and get a photo or autograph. Perhaps I’d meet him at another show. How could I complain? The day before I had gotten the most amazing sketch from Brian Stelfreeze for my Stallone art collection. I’d also received a call from my boss saying that I was getting a promotion! Heck, maybe I really would get a chance for Mick Foley’s autograph at another show… little did I know that my good luck wasn’t over (and I’ll tell you about that in another post soon)!
I wish I knew more about this piece. It was donated to the HEROES CON art auction. I don’t know the artist or who won the art, but I did think it was a pretty cool piece. Hope you like it as well.
I’ll Take a Blood Oath!
Today while I was checking out Bookgasm.com, I came across a review of Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth. I’d never heard of the book or author before, but the tag line intrigued me:
The Ultimate Secret. The Ultimate Agent. The President’s Vampire.
So I read a little further and was told…
Christopher Farnsworth’s book is an amalgam of the HELLBOY comic and the men’s adventure series THE DESTROYER.
The book sounded interesting and then I came across this trailer that made me want to learn a bit more. So I went to the Amazon page and saw that it had 36 customer reviews with an overall 4 1/2 star rating and with no rating lower than a 3 [and only 4 of those]! I’m putting Blood Oath on my To Be Bought List… or perhaps even my Father’s Day Request List [Hint! Hint! to my sons].
Chris Mills Spruces Up Atomic Pulp
My internet buddy [which means I’ve never met him in person], Chris Mills has retooled his main website. It will serve as a hub to his other internet joints. If you click over to this post about the new Gravedigger graphic novel, you might notice that the bad guy that gets the drop on Digger resembles someone we all know and love. We’ll at least my dog loves me… I think.
Chris Mills is a great guy. Swing by and show him some love.
Miller Talks Up Xerxes
If you enjoyed yesterday’s post about Frank Miller and Xerxes, his prequel to 300, then you’ll probably want to check out this interview with Miller posted at the LA Times. If you didn’t like yesterday’s post, my advice is to skip the interview. I’m just saying.
American Vampire: A Cover Story
Are you enjoying the American Vampire mini-series by writers Scott Snyder and Stephen King with art by Rafael Albuqerque?
If so (and even if you’re not), you might get a kick out of this post by Mark Doyle over at the Official Vertigo Blog. In it, Doyle takes us through the steps and changes that went in to the creation of the cover to American Vampire #3.
Francesco Francavilla’s Lullaby
How often do you get something good for free?
Well, if you’re a regular reader of Francesco Francavilla’s blog, pretty often would be the correct answer. So head on over and enjoy!
The Big Bang by Mickey Spillane & Max Allan Collins
The Big Bang: The Lost Mike Hammer Sixties Novel.
If you’re a Spillane fan, then we probably thought the same thing as we read the line above: I want it now. Although we’re going to have to wait a bit longer, at least we know the broad strokes:
Drawing on an unpublished partial Spillane manuscript dating from the ’60s, [Max Allan] Collins resurrects Spillane’s randy, two-fisted New York City PI, Mike Hammer…
From Max Allan Collins’ website:
In midtown Manhattan, Mike Hammer, recovering from a near-fatal mix-up with the Mob, runs into drug dealers assaulting a young hospital messenger. He saves the kid, but the muggers are not so lucky. Hammer considers the rescue a one-off, but someone has different ideas, as indicated by a street-corner knife attack.
With himself for a client, Hammer — and his beautiful, deadly partner Velda — take on the narcotics racket in New York just as the streets have dried up and rumors run rampant of a massive heroin shipment due any day. In a New York of flashy discotheques, swanky bachelor pads, and the occasional dark alley, Hammer deals with doctors and drug addicts, hippie chicks and hit men, meeting changing times with his timeless brand of violent vengeance.
The Big Bang is available for pre-order now.
Andrew Vachss: The Weight
If you’re an Andrew Vachss fan, then I’ve got some good news and some bad news. First, the good news: Vachss has a new crime novel coming out called The Weight. Now for the bad news: There will be a wait for The Weight, since it won’t hit stores until November. Arrgh!
To hold us over Andrew Vachss has posted a summary and some excerpts on his website.
Steranko’s Classic Noir
It’s no secret that Steranko’s classic noir illustrated novel Chandler: Red Tide is being reprinted in a hardcover edition. Although I’ve got an original copy, I’ve put in an order for the updated version. You’ll get a better feeling for why I’m so excited if you click here.