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The News Blog of Comics Culture

Pull Quotes: Where for art thou, Norse dialogue?Today

Stan Lee talks to Marvel.com about writing a new story for THOR #600, and how times have changed:

“When I used to write Thor, I had all the characters talk the way I imagined that Norse gods would talk. “Thou shalt not” and “get thee gone” and “so be it” and stuff like that. But I’ve been reading the Thor books lately and he talks like you or me! So I just had him talking like a regular guy because I didn’t want to throw the readers off balance.

Every balloon that I wrote, every panel, I was tempted to have him talk the way he used to, but I figured, well, that’ll confuse people.”

Would Marvel’s original THOR comics have been successful without that over-cooked, faux-Elizabethan dialogue? Verily, we say nay!

Meanwhile, in the previously-mentioned wide-ranging interview with Bookslut, Jason Lutes (BERLIN) talks about the virtues and vices of Stan Lee’s writing in the ’60s:

“Sure, it’s terribly written in the technical sense, but the kind of energy and creativity there is great…

“I do a slide-show with my students where I talk about my early influences. Marvel western

Marvel Month-to-Month Sales: November 2008Today

by Paul O’Brien

November was meant to be the final month of SECRET INVASION, but that slipped into December, taking some high-profile crossover issues with it. In fact, perhaps the most striking feature of this month’s chart is the number of high profile books that are missing: no SECRET INVASION, no NEW AVENGERS, no MIGHTY AVENGERS, no ASTONISHING X-MEN, no THOR.

Since Marvel are saving most of their new titles for the upcoming “Dark Reign” promotion, there’s not much in the way of new books either. The month’s highest profile release was ULTIMATUM #1. There’s a couple of low-profile miniseries, and, uh, that’s about it, really.

With FINAL CRISIS and JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA also absent, it’s a weird month all round. As usual, Marvel had the biggest share of the direct market, but it’s closer than usual. They led DC by 43% to 35% in unit share, but in dollar share, it’s a mere 37% to 34%.

Thanks as always to Milton Griepp and ICV2 for permission to use their figures for these calculations.

1. ULTIMATUM 11/08 Ultimatum #1 of 5 - 114,230

In the absence of SECRET INVASION (which would probably have beaten it by 35,000 or so), ULTIMATUM takes the top spot this month. This series is supposed to reinvigorate the Ultimate imprint, which has been flagging a bit over the last year or so. And at first glance, it’s off to a pretty strong start - 115K is roughly what FINAL CRIS

NYCC panel lineup announcedToday

New York Comic-Con has announced its programming for the Feb 6-8 show. There’s lots to like, with a lot of diversity and variety among the topics. The major film and TV programming will be unveiled closer to the show date. We’re scheduled for two panels:

The Beat Presents The Art of Storytelling
Sunday 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM 1A06
As comics have become a more influential part of pop culture, their stories and characters are known more widely than ever. Step inside the minds of some of the comic biz’s best storytellers to find out how they approach their craft and shape their visions to create their best known works. Moderated by Heidi MacDonald, with Jim Lee, Marv Wolfman, and more.

Lilly Renee Phillips Spotlight
Sunday 1:45 PM-2:45 PM
Lily Renee Phillips was one of the pioneer women cartoonists in the Golden Age of Comics, working primarily for Fiction House publishers. Fleeing Nazi Germany to America as a child, she went on to draw covers and such features as The Lost World, Senorita Rio, and Werewolf Hunters for Planet Comics, Rangers Comics, and Fight Comics. With her then-husband Eric Peters, she also drew covers and interior stories for a number of Abbott & Costello Comics. Phillips talks about her amazing life and career with He

CEREBUS: A DiablogToday

As briefly noted, yesterday marked the debut of Cerebus: A Diablog which features journalist Laura Hudson and Top Shelf’s Leigh Walton blogging each issue of CEREBUS, one issue a week. (That’s nearly 6 years of labor. Will there even BE blogs by then?) It’s a strong debut, as the millennial duo parses the grammar of a comics industry long gone while mining the kernels of eternal content. Walton:

What’s interesting about the “Cerebus is an aardvark” juxtaposition — seemingly the point of the comic — is that the comic largely doesn’t notice. The opening few pages of this issue, when the human characters are shocked to see a warrior aardvark riding a horse and entering a bar, comprise pretty much the only time in the series (I think) when the comic draws attention to the conceit. “Thought later he would be called the finest warrior to enter our gates, at the time, he was but a curiosity…” “I can’t serve YOU here… YOU’RE A…” etc. But then he’s hired by two thieves to join their heist, with a minimum of hesitation, and that establishes the treatment for the rest of the book: Cerebus is funny-looking, and he’s recognized as an unnaturally skill

Wossy Wampage at Marvel?Today

As you know, we’re a bit skeptical of celebrities who suddenly yearn to write comics, having discovered this long-buried dream now that comic book movies are all the rage in Hollywood. There are a few slebs we’ll give a pass to, however, based on the fact that they were out and about being comics lovers long before it become fashionable. Such a figure is English chat show host Jonathan Ross, known as “Wossy” in Blighty because of a famed lisp. Ross — who gained comics fame for smooching Neil Gaiman at the Eisners in 2007 — has been on enforced hiatus due to a suspension over a phone prank, but hasreportedly put the spare time to good use by writing some comics for Marvel :

Wossy, 48, a keen collector of old comics, said: “I’m writing some comic books but it’s a lot harder than I thought.”

Comic expert Rich Johnston said: “Jonathan has a good relationship with Marvel. It would be a dream come true.”

In fact, Ross may be eager for a return engagement at the Eisners — according to a Twitter just yesterday “I’d it weird to be getting excited abo