Tag: Vertigo

The artwork of Jeff Lemire just gets inside your head. Like David Lynch, Lemire is at his best when he puts trembling innocents face-to-face with the predatory and the perverse in settings that play out with the rhythms of fable. This Wednesday, Lemire is one of the contributors to the 80-page ”Strange Adventures” from Vertigo Comics (others include Brian Azzarello, Peter Milligan, Sylvain Savoia, Ross Campbell, Denys Cowan and Inaki Miranda) and we’re happy to show you an exclusive preview of two pages from Lemire’s short story about Ultra the Multi-Alien, a character who dates back to the LBJ years. “Strange Adventures” (Vertigo)  Ultra the Multi-Alien’s history may be long but it’s not distinguished. He made his first appearance back in 1965 in the pages of “Mystery in Space,” that grand old DC sci-fi series that veered from the old-school sublime to the retro ...

Find the best and the brightest of the comic book world right here, before the books hit the shelves. We’ll update the post throughout the month so check back to see this growing gallery of covers and pages from upcoming releases from top publishers. To see more art from recent releases, check out our comic book news section and archive of comics-art galleries. RELATED ‘Green Lantern’: Reynolds promises  ‘a space epic’ ‘Hunger Games’: Hutcherson and Hemsworth join in ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and Season 9 ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’: New film will make sense Kelley: ‘Wonder Woman’ is ‘out of my comfort zone’ Rick Baker sets sail with ‘Tales From the Grave’ Nintendo 3Ds: 3-D brings a depth of discovery

On Sunday, Hero Complex contributor Deborah Vankin wrote about Joyce Farmer and her 208-page illustrated family memoir “Special Exits.” Today we continue our look at  female cartoonists, with Vankin’s snapshot portrait of Sarah Glidden. Sitting on the sidelines doesn’t come naturally to Sarah Glidden. In 2007, she yearned to better understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, so she signed up for a free, two-week Birthright trip to Israel. “How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less” is her literary debut, a 206-page graphic memoir rendered in simplistic drawings that are rounded out with careful, delicate watercolors. Just out from Vertigo/DC, the book is part travelogue, part coming-of-age memoir and part intrepid if relentless quest for cultural understanding. Despite the intensity of the subject matter, it’s dotted with humor — especially in Glidden’s fictional depictions of historical figures —that add moments of intermittent ...

Alicia Lozano is back as a contributor to Hero Complex and today she revisits “The Unwritten.” It’s been almost a year since writer Mike Carey and illustrator Peter Gross launched “The Unwritten,” the Vertigo Comics literary adventure that follows the exploits of Tom Taylor, a man whose childhood has been immortalized by his author-father through a popular fictional character named Tommy Taylor. In the series’ first issue, Tom is outed as a con. Nothing in his past appears to be real and soon he begins to question if he actually exists outside of the Tommy Taylor books, which bear a not-so-subtle resemblance to the “Harry Potter” franchise. The series spins in a magical, mysterious whirlwind of self-discovery that blurs fact and fiction for the reader and, more often than not, reluctant Tom. The result is fantastical storytelling laced with literary allusions and an undercurrent ...

THREE-PAGE PREVIEW BELOW When it was announced in October that Scott Snyder’s new monthly comic book series, “American Vampire” from Vertigo, would feature the contribution of suspense novelist Stephen King, it wasn’t long before the phone started ringing. “We got all these crazy phone calls from movie producers wanting to know when they could see it, who they should cast in it. … It was nuts,” Snyder said. “It only existed as a script then, and DC and Vertigo weren’t showing it. It hasn’t physically existed until now. … Hopefully, people will still be interested.” The comic book’s first story arc, which hit shelves last week, centers on two primary characters in two different eras — aspiring actress Pearl in the 1920s and violent cowboy-turned-vampire Skinner Sweet in the 1880s. So who does Snyder, best known for his short stories, ...

BILL WILLINGHAM INTERVIEW: PART 1 Over the last decade, one of the most consistently compelling comic-book runs has been writer Bill Willingham’s “Fables,” an intricate tapestry that weaves together familiar characters from fables, fairy tables, literature, children’s rhymes and folklore. It’s a great time to revisit the Vertigo series — or discover for the first time — with the recently released hardcover “Fables: The Deluxe Edition, Book One,” which collects the first 10 issues of the dark refugee epic that chronicles the very unexpected modern-day adventures of Bigby (aka, the Big Bad Wolf), Snow White, Jack Horner, Mowgli, Geppetto, Old King Cole and many, many others. The 53-year-old Virgina native has also recently published “Peter and Max: A Fables Novel,” which takes his franchise into the prose novel sector with a tale of Peter Piper and his brother Max. GB: ...

The vampire world just got a new addition to its clan. Edward Cullen, watch out. Vertigo is launching a new monthly comic book series from short-story writer Scott Snyder (“Voodoo Heart,” “The Goodbye Suit”) and artist Rafael Albuquerque. “American Vampire” hits shelves in March, with a breed of vampire — more brawny and vicious — that has distinctly American characteristics.  The series’ first story arc, to unfold over the course of five issues, will feature two separate stories; one penned by Snyder, the other by horror novelist Stephen King.  Marvel has had success adapting King’s preexisting work such as the “Dark Tower” and “The Stand” mini-series. But this new series represents King’s debut in comic book writing.  He’ll provide the origin story of the first American vampire: Skinner Sweet, an outlaw of the 1880s. “He really made it his own thing,” Snyder said ...

There’s going to be some nasty business going on this summer when Vertigo Comics launches its pulpy, not-for-kids imprint called Vertigo Crime. The first release will be "Filthy Rich" in August, which is written by Brian Azzarello, the Eisner Award-winning Chicago writer who has shown quite the flair for blood-drenched drama with "Joker," the graphic novel that caused quite a stir last year, and "100 Bullets," the Vertigo series that racked up quite the body count during its decade of compelling gunplay. Here’s an early look at the cover of "Filthy Rich" and three pages of its hard-boiled street tale.    Looks like something to keep an eye on… –Geoff Boucher RECENT AND RELATED "100 Bullets," the final curtain falls The Sunday Review: The Alcoholic The Sunday Review: The Mammoth Book of Best Crime Comics The Sunday Review: Ex Machina-The ...

One of the more intriguing comics on the horizon is “The Unwritten,” a fantasy series that starts off as a dark, smirking riff on the Harry Potter publishing phenomena, then blends in some of the bitterness of Christopher Robin Milne’s life (the real-life model for the “Winnie the Pooh” character chafed under the weight of the literary legacy) and finally soars off into its own unexpected directions. I’ve seen the galleys for the first issue (which hits shelves in May) and there’s a lot of promise in its pages. Check out Hero Complex contributor Alicia Lozano’s interesting interview with creators Mike Carey and Peter Gross and peruse a three-page excerpt from the forthcoming premiere issue … – Geoff Boucher RECENT AND RELATED “100 Bullets,” the final curtain falls “The Alcoholic,” a scabby triumph “Fables,” a storybook ending on TV? Ed ...

Alicia Lozano has written for the Hero Complex about sci-fi writer Orson Scott Card’s "Ender" series as well as a quirky NYC band that makes music about the TV show "Lost." Today she interviews the creators of "The Unwritten," an upcoming fantasy series from Vertigo Comics.  Once upon a time, there was a brave boy wizard who faced down dark and powerful enemies with his two loyal friends at his side. The young hero’s name was … Tommy Taylor? Yes, clearly, the adventures of Taylor chronicled in the new Vertigo series "The Unwritten" take more than just a page from J. K. Rowling’s collection of Harry Potter stories — the comic book created by writer Mike Carey and artist Peter Gross has some acidic satire of the Potter canon (and its intense fans), but it also goes well beyond that ...