WONDER CON'S VERTIGO PANEL

[MattBrady]

by Matt Brady and Jericho Wilson

Sparsely attended, with Bill Willingham the only pro on hand, Sunday’s vertigo panel at Wonder Con allowed DC to show art and lay out the imprints schedule for the coming months.

Grant Morrison and Cameron Stewart’s Seaguy begins this month, while both We3 and Vinanarama are slated for August and early 2005, respectively.

As for We3, a tad more about the three-issue miniseries was revealed, including that it’s a view of The Incredible Journey as only Grant Morrison could imagine it – three ultimate cyborg assassins: a dog named Bandit, a cat named Tinker, and a rabbit named Pirate, armed with missiles, poison gas, state-of-the-art computer technology, rapid fire chain guns and unbreakable exo-skeletons.

Described as a “heartbreaking adventure,” the three issue mini is drawn by Frank Quitely.

Dave Gibbons’ The Originals is currently slated for October, after being announced eighteen or so months ago. The OGN is set in the future, with “the Originals” being the coolest gang, the one that everyone wants to be a part of.

As Newsarama reported in November of 2002: Best friends Bok and Lel want only one thing in life: to be part of the Originals, the coolest gang in the city. Life in the Originals takes them on a fast-paced journey fueled by drugs, tribal loyalty, first love, and inter-gang violence.

"If I was going to spend a year or more on a single project, it was going to have to be something I had a real emotional investment in, something that related to the real world I've lived in," Gibbons previously told us of the project he considers his first major work as a writer and artist. "Not a science fiction story, although The Originals is not set in mundane reality. Not a tedious real-life autobiography or a thinly disguised philosophical treatise, but a piece that communicated aspects of life that had been overpoweringly important to me when I was growing up."

In The Originals, DC Comics says Gibbons creates a culture that is as "convincing and tangible as the one we live in, but dramatically skewed and surreal. The attention to detail that characterizes his work are being brought to bear on both story and art, as are his storytelling and design skills."

"Just as Dave did with Watchmen;, he is creating a distinctive world and art style for The Originals," said Karen Berger, Vertigo's VP - Executive Editor. "Dave has already proven himself a writer to be reckoned with, and he's overdue to create a body of work all his own. The Originals marks the beginning of that body of work."

"I wanted to come up with a visual style and presentation that are unique to The Originals and I think I've succeeded," added Gibbons. "Actually, I'm having such a great time working on this that I really don't know why I waited so long!"

Judd Winick and Tomm Coker will return for a second helping of Blood + Water early next year, the debut of which coinciding with the release of a trade of the first miniseries.

The Witching will be previewed in Fables #26, both ship in June.

Sandman: Endless Nights will be available in softcover in August.

Brian K. Vaughan’s summer storyline for Y: The Last Man features Yorick searching for forgiveness from the remains of the Catholic Church – three women who, as it turns out, want to stop him at all costs.

September’s Hellblazer #200 will feature a 48-page story written by Mike Carey, with art by Steve Dillon, Marcelo Frusin, and Leonardo Manco – the former, current, and upcoming artists on the series. The story itself will be a Groundhog Day-style story, telling of the lives John Constantine might have led had he married Kit, Zed, and Angie…and had demonic children.

The July-August Fables storyline will detail Bigby Wolf’s adventures with Frankenstein in World War II, and will be drawn by Tony Akins and Jimmy Palmiotti. Regular series artists Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha return in September in a story where Bigby’s father, the North Wind, is introduced.

In the pages of Human Target this summer, Christopher Chance must head to Mexico for “Crossing the Border,” a two part story, wherein he makes some harrowing discoveries regarding the U.S. sex trade.

Ale Garza will fill in as regular artist for an upcoming issue of The Losers, which will be a solo adventure starring the deadly Afghan warrior Aisha.

In a very brief Q&A Garth Ennis and Steve Dillion’s City Lights was said to be currently unscheduled, but likely for early 2005.

[Zadillo]

Hrmm, cool to get a taste of upcoming stories in Fables, the Losers and Y. We3 sounds like it should be strangely fun too, and I'm already looking forward to Seaguy.

Hellblazer #200 sounds like it should be a treat too.

By far though, I'm really happy to finally hear about Dave Gibbons' The Originals. When Vertigo was previewing all of the stuff that was coming out for the "Vertigo X" anniversary, The Originals was one of the ones I was most looking forward to.

Can't wait to read it.

-Zadillo

[Warewolf]

Still nothing on Wintermen? I'd like some news one way or the other...

[The_Adventurer]

The July-August Fables storyline will detail Bigby Wolf’s adventures with Frankenstein in World War II, and will be drawn by Tony Akins and Jimmy Palmiotti. Regular series artists Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha return in September in a story where Bigby’s father, the North Wind, is introduced.

Well it's not the 6 issue mini series estravaganza I wanted, but, god damn, it will do. *throws confetti*

[magellan]

is 100 bullets going monthly again?

[ChrisArrant]

I believe Wintermen has moved to be under the Wildstorm banner. It was never formally announced, but it was mentioned in an interview with a Wildstorm editor at some point.

[JDooley]

As for We3, a tad more about the three-issue miniseries was revealed, including that it’s a view of The Incredible Journey as only Grant Morrison could imagine it – three ultimate cyborg assassins: a dog named Bandit, a cat named Tinker, and a rabbit named Pirate, armed with missiles, poison gas, state-of-the-art computer technology, rapid fire chain guns and unbreakable exo-skeletons.

Described as a “heartbreaking adventure,” the three issue mini is drawn by Frank Quitely.

After reading this paragraph, I sold. I am looking for Tinker to be the breakout character. Seriously, with Morrison & Quietly, you can't go wrong.

[gOgIver]

We3 looks worth a look! How about another mini from the Beware the Creeper team?

[Zadillo]

Originally posted by magellan
is 100 bullets going monthly again?

I'm pretty sure this isn't supposed to be going monthly again until after Azz's Superman run is over (he's also got that 6 issue "Lex Luthor: Man of Steel" miniseries)

-Zadillo

[Nerby727]

I can't wait to read the Fables storyline. And normally I'm not a Hellblazer fan, but I like "what if . . " stories. I have a lot to look forward too.

[Rhyno]

Originally posted by Zadillo
I'm pretty sure this isn't supposed to be going monthly again until after Azz's Superman run is over (he's also got that 6 issue "Lex Luthor: Man of Steel" miniseries)

-Zadillo

I think it had more to do with the artist doing the higher-paying Batman arc. Now that it's over I'd expect Risso to be back on 100B, unless he has yet another side project.


And why do you sign your posts? Your username is right there next to the post.

[Zadillo]

Originally posted by Rhyno
I think it had more to do with the artist doing the higher-paying Batman arc. Now that it's over I'd expect Risso to be back on 100B, unless he has yet another side project.


And why do you sign your posts? Your username is right there next to the post.

Umm, I don't know, a lot of people sign their posts or use signatures. I'm not sure why that matters.

-Zadillo

[tim seeley]

We3 sounds greater than anything I have ever heard.
TIM SEELEY

[OcCaM]

Guess I'll give WE3 a chance, it sounds interesting.

And it's only 3 issues, I could suffer one of my least favorite artists long enough for that! (Even though he drove me from New X-Men!)

Fables sounds interesting as usual.

nothing else of interest for me here, except maybe the Originals, we'll see...

[JK Parkin]

I'm looking forward to We3 ... the three main characters look very cool.

Fables and Y continue to be the best monthly books out there. The stories they have lined up this summer sound interesting.

[Lobok]

"Bok", eh?

[TRaik]

Originally posted by Lobok
"Bok", eh?

I noticed that myself, too. Not because it's the last syllable of my username or anything, of course. But rather because in the Turkish language "bok" is a colorful word for, ummm, excrement.

I don't suppose Vertigo's looking at the Turkish market as a huge market for the Dave Gibbons work, but at the same time, one couldn't quite imagine a story with characters named "Scheisse" and "Merde"...

[BillReed]

...I'll probably end up buying We3. I mean, it's Morrison! And Quitely. Can't...resist...

And, hey, you! Buy Human Target.

[TTROY]

Vertigo still seems to be setting the pace for the comics industry always being there pushing the rest of the industry up a notch....

while not having the biggest sellers and the most high profile projects.. the influence of this imprint is felt industry wide.

Nice projects overall.

[GeorgeG]

Looking forward to Seaguy and of course Fables and The Losers (get Y-TLM in trades), the rest looks rather average.

[Michael Eidson]

I'd like to see a complete Hellblazer TPB library before the Constantine movie comes out. Looks like they're completing Ennis and Azzarello's runs, but what about the early Delano stuff?

I'd also like to know the status of Can't Get No, the Rick Veitch OGN.

Looks like a good summer for Vertigo, despite all the MIA projects.

[TTROY]

i do recall that they said they are completeing the delano and jenkins runs in trade paperback as soon a the catch up on the ennis ellis azzarello and carey runs...

200 issues is an amazing feat in this industry by any means....

especially in a non-super-hero book.

as it stand now 200 sucessive issues without a reboot or renumber is hard to come by ---

i think i can name the number of title on one hand that have survived such an accomplishment...

Great Job Vertigo.

[Lobok]

Originally posted by TRaik
But rather because in the Turkish language "bok" is a colorful word for, ummm, excrement.

Heh, nice. My name shows up everywhere.

[Reaper]

I like the three artist idea for Hellblazer and love all those guys' work. The Fables World War II arc sounds like a gas too.

As soon as the Hellblazer TPB library is complete, count me in for the entire shootin' match (boy, that'll be an expensive month).

-Tim

[Johnny Bacardi]

Originally posted by MattBrady

Ale Garza will fill in as regular artist for an upcoming issue of The Losers, which will be a solo adventure starring the deadly Afghan warrior Aisha.

So what does "fill in as regular artist" mean, exactly? Fill-in, or regular artist?

(...paranoid about losing Jock... )

Also, why no details on Vinanarama?