Mark Waid: ‘Pinocchio’ is ‘The Greatest Thing I’ve Read All Year’

On the Slave Labor Graphics blog, editor/awesome blogger Jennifer de Guzman just posted a pretty cool note about Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer (my graphic novel with Dustin Higgins).

Mark Waid — who in addition to being evil is Boom! Studios editor in chief and writer of Kingdom Come, among many other awesome books — gave a pretty amazing plug for our book:

It’s funny. It’s scary. It’s suspenseful. It’s romantic. It’s the greatest thing I’ve read all year. And you’ll notice my nose didn’t grow one bit when I said that.

I don’t think my mom’s ever said anything so nice about my writing. Thanks again, Mark!

Recommendations: ‘Hurt Locker,’ ‘Wednesday Comics,’ ‘The Unwritten’ and Dr. Dog

Here’s a random sampling of stuff — comics and otherwise — I’ve enjoyed lately and would recommend you check out:

***

My friend Derek and I caught The Hurt Locker last night in a preview screening, and it’s so far easily the best film of the year that I’ve seen (missed Gomorrah in the theaters, unfortunately). Jeremy Renner will get all the attention, but all the actors are top-notch in this story of U.S. soldiers tasked with disarming bombs in Iraq.

It’s possibly the most intense movie I’ve seen, with nearly every scene slowly (or, suddenly) building to explosions of violence (most often in the form of explosions). And those scenes that don’t include warfare muster just as much intensity, as the soldiers psychologically inch toward their doom when not fighting.

***

Wednesday Comics #1

I finally had the chance to sit down with Wednesday Comics, DC’s 16-page comics series printed on 24-by-20-inch newsprint. Simply put, it’s a joy to read. I’ve pored over each page several times, appreciating every inch of oversized storytelling.

There isn’t a dud in the crop of stories, and the variety of content reaches “something for everyone” levels. Congratulations to everyone who put it together for a job well done.

If you haven’t yet, read my interview with editor Mark Chiarello about the project in this week’s Publishers Weekly Comics Week.

***

Bunk Moreland from The Wire visits The Unwritten

I’m continuing to really enjoy Mike Carey and Peter Gross’s new Vertigo series, The Unwritten. The general concept — an adventure story set within the world of fiction writing — has been done before, with Alan Moore fairly owning that real estate in comics.

The Unwritten feels very fresh, though, a new slant that shoots off the success of Harry Potter without being derivative or cheeky and combines that with an engaging mystery and compelling characters.

In tone — alternately thrilling, funny and dramatic — it reminds me a little of Y: The Last Man, and there’s some similarity between the lethargic, 20-something protagonists forced to grow into much better men.

Also, nice reference to The Wire in issue 2, which is very cool, but also subtle and believable in the context of the story. See image at right, and google “Bunk Moreland” if you have to.

***

Dr. Dog, "Fate"

When the first trailer to the new Judd Apatow movie, Funny People, came out, a lot of people online wanted to know which song played during the first half of the trailer. (You can see the trailer right here.)

That would be “My Friend” by Dr. Dog, a Philadelphia-based group who don’t easily fit into any genre. I simply describe them as awesome. (Head over to their MySpace page and decide on your own glowing adjective.)

The missus and I saw the band in Athens, Ga., earlier this year, and it easily was one of the best shows I’ve seen. Like Band of Horses, Dr. Dog unironically revives the best of 1960s rock, though, again, I would hesitate to call them a “rock” band.

Their latest album, “Fate,” is not to be missed, but their discography is filled with great tunes.

Are Marvel’s ‘Foilogram’ Covers a Joke?

"doing the '90s right"

Marvel PR just sent over a breathless announcement about a new invention, “foilogram” covers, to debut on the revamped Ultimates line. Here’s the text:

Part foil, part hologram, these reflective covers will jump at you from shelves! Watch as Spider-Man’s webbing catches the light! Examine the intricate technology of Tony Stark! And, yes, that’s Captain America’s shield shining back at you!

“This is Marvel doing the nineties right,” explained David Gabriel, Marvel Comics Senior Vice President of Sales & Circulation. “We’re taking two of the most popular cover treatments of all time—foil and holograms—to create an all new kind of cover, as a ‘thank-you’ to fans who’ve been demanding this kind of variant! Retailers and fans don’t need to worry.  We’re only doing this on a limited basis.  You won’t see one on Ms Marvel #46 or Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #4.  We’re using them to mark very special occasions…such as the launch of Ultimate Comics line.”

With text like “… doing the nineties right,” it has to be asked, is this a joke? Because, if so, it’s pretty funny. But, there’s no indication that it’s a joke.

So, really? Foilogram? Using the ’90s as a good example of how to publish comics? What the holy hell? Who are the “fans who’ve been demanding this kind of variant”? How could a fan demand something that hasn’t been invented? Foilogram?

It’s too early to be this befuddled. Since we’re on the subject, you should all pester Jimmy Palmiotti to tell his story about a sick kid, a table full of foil-covered comics and vomit.

io9: ‘Pinocchio’s New Vampiric High Concept = Win’ and More Pinocchio News

Thanks to my old pal Billy, who pointed out that io9 had picked up on the Slave Labor Graphics official press release about Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer, my debut graphic novel with art from the amazing Dusty Higgins.

Read the post right here. Seems like they’re excited about the book (which comes out in September), so that’s cool.

And most posters had nice things to say. However, Pinocchio does get his first real taste of Internet snark in the comments…

He… kills them… with his nose? Fail.

But then…

@AvenueOfTheStrongest: Win!

There have also been a few other mentions of the book around the ‘net, prompting some pretty interesting metaphors.

Major Spoilers says: “This is like whipped cream on chocolate ice cream.”

Blog@Newsarama says: “…you could not have a higher concept if you put it in a hot air balloon…”

Meanwhile, my wife says she wants me to stop reading this stuff before my head becomes a hot air balloon.

PWCW Interview With Mark Chiarello on ‘Wednesday Comics’

Artist Mark Bagley reads a proof of Wednesday Comics #1 at Heroes Con.

DC’s big summer splash/experiment Wednesday Comics comes out today, and I talked with the man behind the newspaper-comics-page-formatted superhero stories about the project in this week’s Publishers Weekly Comics Week.

Mark Chiarello, the DC editor behind such projects as Solo and Batman Black & White, had much of interest to say about how Wednesday Comics came to be. A sample:

PWCW: Did you want it to be on newsprint from the beginning?

MC: Yeah, absolutely. That’s how I saw it. So many of the artists said, “Mark, it’s got to be newsprint or I’m not doing it. It’s got to be authentic.” The basic point of Wednesday Comics is a fun reading experience. It’s not, “Wow, this thing is $15,” or, “It’s printed on the best possible paper.” It’s about the experience of being a kid and reading comics on the living room floor.

Doomkopf.com ‘Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer’ Interview

I forgot to post this last week, but I did an interview with my pals at Doomkopf.com about Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer, but most of it is just old friends joshing each other.

You can read the interview right here.

Also, Dustin Higgins, the artist on the book, just did a really phenomenal “making of” post on Comicmonsters.com. Dusty is a phenomenal artist, and this post does an excellent job of detailing his creative process.

Sarah Palin Doesn’t Understand Basketball

You may have heard that yesterday Sarah “Barracuda” Palin stepped down as governor of Alaska. It did bump the Michael Jackson drug rumors off the CNN lead.

I watched her press conference, which was pretty bizarre in general (though not quite “I was actually in Argentina banging my mistress” bizarre), but one point stuck out. About two minutes in (watch the video at the New York Times site), she explains her decision with a basketball metaphor.

I’ve played and followed basketball most of my life, so of course I was very interested in how the former high school roundball star would analogize. Here’s my transcription of what she said:

… a comfortable analogy for me, and that’s sports. Basketball. I use it because you are naïve if you don’t see a full court press from the national level picking away right now. A good point guard, here’s what she does, she drives through a full court press, protecting the ball, keeping her head up because she needs to keep her eye on the basket, and she knows exactly when to pass the ball so that the team can win. And that’s what I’m doing. Keeping our eye on the ball. … And I know when it’s time to pass the ball for victory.

Sounds good, right? Eye on the basket. Pass the ball. Win.

Except, if you know anything about playing basketball, you know Palin’s metaphor makes no sense. First, she says she’s the point guard, and there’s a full court press. Every coach knows the best way to beat the press is to immediately pass the ball. Ideally, no one dribbles during a press break.

Palin, however, says her first focus as point guard and leader is to drive and “protect the ball,” which means, in layman’s terms, to dribble a whole bunch. Again, exactly what you shouldn’t do.

Then she says this metaphorical point guard needs to “keep her eye on the basket,” which means look to score, not to pass. If you apply this metaphor to reality (wherein our point guard is actually Governor Palin), so far she’s saying the hounds (liberal establishment/media) are after her and are hurting Alaska in the process, and to get through this confrontation, she’s going to “keep her eye on the basket,” or focus on herself. It’s about what’s best for Palin, not what’s best for Alaska.

But then she makes a sudden 180 and says in the same sentence that this point guard “knows exactly when to pass the ball so that the team can win.”  But eyeing the basket and looking to pass are diametrically opposed functions. So, is this point guard focused only on herself, or is she doing this for those around her, putting team above self?

The last bit of the metaphor — “And that’s what I’m doing. Keeping our eye on the ball.” — is almost gibberish, slipping between first person singular and first person plural. Again, Palin can’t decide if this move is for her or if it’s for the state.

I would imagine her intention was a bit of self-martyrdom, sacrificing her governorship to spare Alaska the cost of defending the mounting inquiries into her doings in office. And her metaphor is a classic attempt at saying very little while saying a lot. But, when you actually examine what she said, it appears the ball-dominating point guard, Sarah “Barracuda,” subconsciously made herself known.

Ideology of Madness Interview on ‘Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer’

Artist Dusty Higgins and I have another interview up regarding Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer, due in September from SLG Publishing (preorder it now!) at Ideology of Madness.

For those curious souls out there, here’s a sample that explains how the project came about:

So how did you guys get together to come up with the idea of something as cool as Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer?  It seems like such an obvious idea, but at the same time, it’s pretty darn unique.

Dusty Higgins: Coming up with the concept of Pinocchio as a vampire slayer was an unusually methodical process, and I still remember it clearly. I’d seen one of the Shrek movies, and really liked the way they’d treated the Pinocchio character and his character kept circling around in the back of my mind. I made a sketch of Pinocchio writing graffiti on a wall and being caught by the police. He had lied and his nose had grown out and stabbed the officer surprising both of them. Bad taste? Probably. But I think that drawing created the link to me thinking that this nose was a weapon and in the right situation could be used to fight evil. Once you think about it, the concept is really obvious. I was surprised to find that nobody had attempted what we’ve done. Pleasantly surprised, because that meant that I could actually see how far I could take the concept.

I knew Van from work, and more importantly knew he was interested in writing comics and I felt like I should get someone else to write this. I called him up, I might’ve showed him some sketches I’d been doing. He pretty much immediately said yes. He has really went beyond my expectations creating a story out of what essentially started as just a simple joke about Pinocchio’s wooden nose and vampires.

And when you’re done with the interview, be sure to check out the rest of the site. Lots of great stuff there. Thanks again to Paul at Ideology of Madness!

PWCW Interview with Isobella Jade About Graphic Novel on Modeling

I had the pleasure recently of talking to Isobella Jade about her upcoming graphic novel Model Life for an article in this week’s Publishers Weekly Comics Week.

Jade has an interesting story, in that despite her relatively slight stature at 5 feet, 4 inches, she’s pushed her way into a career as a model. The graphic novel is a fictionalized take on her ascendancy into the business.

For those interested in modeling (and even those not), you should visit Jade’s site, where you also can learn about her non-comics memoir.

Sadly, she had no tips for me on overcoming my many appearance-related hurdles in becoming a model.

Comicmonsters.com ‘Pinocchio’ Interview

I had the pleasure today of switching sides of the table and being interviewed by “The Big Bad Wolf” at www.comicmonsters.com about the Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer graphic novel.

You can read the whole thing right here, and make sure to check out the site, it’s a whole load of fun horror comics stuff. Here’s an excerpt:

The Big Bad Wolf: Can you talk about how seeing Geppetto murdered by vampires changes this little boy’s psyche?

Van Jensen: We set up Geppetto’s death as a turning point for Pinocchio. Before that, he was still pretty immature and carefree. Now, he sees that the world can be a dark place, and so he’s become much more emotionally guarded, even around his very small circle of friends. Geppetto’s death also gave Pinocchio a single-minded focus on revenge. He’s got one goal: wiping every last vampire off the face of the earth.