Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. July 8, 2015

COMICS You put your ring in my bridge! You got your nacelles in my lantern! It’s too good to be true as the Federation meets the Corps in the anticipated Star Trek Green Lantern #1 - The Spectrum War! Set your Phasers to Construct! … Without Will Eisner we wouldn’t have graphic novels, hence we’d have no fun at all. Here’s to many years of Denny Colt in Will Eisner’s The Spirit A Celebration Of 75 Years. …”Lando’s not a system, he’s a comic” might be the most predictable comics pitch yet, but hey, its true. Lando #1 expands the Marvel/Disney/Star Wars Universe. Punch it! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

MATT WAGNER TALKS About WILL EISNER'S THE SPIRIT! - COSMIC TREADMILL AT FORCES OF GEEK

FOG! Chats With MATT WAGNER About WILL EISNER’S THE SPIRIT!

Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) is this week and Dynamite Entertainment gave us an inside scoop about some upcoming announcements.

At the top of the stack is today’s solicitation for the complete creative team for the July’s new ongoing Will Eisner’s The Spirit written by Matt Wagner and drawn by Dan Schkade (San Hannibal). Also, notably, keep on the lookout for some amazing covers by Alex Ross, The Goon’s Eric Powell and so many more.

Of course Matt is most well known for such classics as Grendel, Mage, Sandman Mystery Theatre and a number of memorable Batman stories — my favorite being Batman: Faces (Legends of the Dark Knight). 

Recently at Dynamite he has taken on Green Hornet, Zorro and The Shadow—so no one was surprised at Matt being assigned to scribe Eisner’s The Spirit.

Well, maybe Matt was, and he is here to join us and tell us about it!

FOG!: Matt, thanks for joining us today! The Spirit ongoing is exciting news, and we’re excited you are the one to take it on, though you’ve mentioned that even for you this is intimidating! What made you relent to the requests to take on Denny Colt?

Matt Wagner: Well, I’ve been a big fan of both Eisner and The Spirit for many, many years. As a result of my reverence for both the creator and the property, I at first said, “No” when Dynamite offered me the chance to write an all-new relaunch in honor of the character’s 75th anniversary. 

But both Dynamite publisher Nick Barrucci and their Editor-in-Chief Joe Rybandt were both persistent in getting me on board; “We think you’re perfect for this gig!” Eventually, they broke through my resistance and now I’m happy they did.

When did you first get inspired by Eisner or The Spirit?

I first discovered The Spirit via the over-sized, B&W reprints from Warren Publications in the mid 70s. 

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK ]

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DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for October 23, 2013

COMICS!

The inimitable team of Brubaker & Epting (Captain America) deliver an all new, extra-sized issue number one of Velvet to Image Comics. The superspy vixen Velvet Templeton is on the case in 1970s Paris! … Joining IDW’s animation resurgence is Jim Zub’s (Skullkickers) Samurai Jack #1. Jack faces demons as he attempts to thwart Aku and string together the Rope of Eons! Rejoice, old school Cartoon Network and Samurai Jack fans! … Issue 2 of The Rocketeer and The Spirit: Pulp Friction soars by today with a bi-plane punch-fest and the Rocketeer’s way of the future swooping in! Plus some romance too, thanks to Mark Waid and Paul Smith! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

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Triple Shot: THE ROCKETEER & THE SPIRIT #1, ARMY OF DARKNESS VS. HACK/SLASH #1, THE SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #14

Mark Waid continues his winning streak and takes to the skies by pairing up The Rocketeer and The Spirit;  we get our groovy on with S-Mart employee of the month—housewares, 1999—Ash as he joins the Hack/Slash universe written by Tim Seeley and witness an even more unlikely team-up of Superior Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson in this week’s Triple Shot!

THE ROCKETEER & THE SPIRIT #1
WRITER: Mark Waid
ART: Paul Smith
Publication Date: July 24, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: IDW Publishing / DC Comics
UPC: 82771400477900111
Buy it HERE

Have you also been watching The Aviator on a loop, quoting “Way of the future” and “show me all the blueprints” for the past month? Me neither, that would seriously harm the close relationships in your life. “Bring in the milk”.

A perfect companion (or welcome break) from the OCD Howard Hughes biopic would be the latest in Mark Waid’s take on The Rocketeer, co-starring Will Eisner’s The Spirit, subtitled “Pulp Friction”.


Alderman Cunningham is found murdered 3000 miles away in Hollywood from his home in Central City.

After The Spirit, Denny Colt makes his way to California to investigate, The Rocketeer, Cliff Secord and mentor, Peevy grow suspicious.

The Rocketeer picks up The Spirit for an amazing round of hand to hand combat hundreds of feet in the air, unlike anything seen before!

You’ll have to tune in next month to find out more, as Cliff’s Betty starts to fall for none other than The Spirit!

Mark Waid, ladies and gentlemen, teaming up classic characters and telling the best stories in monthly comic books on the shelves this year.

[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

EARTH PRIME TIME: WILL EISNER WEEK 2013

Today we get to celebrate comics by remembering the birthday of the father of the graphic novel, Will Eisner (March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005). Known for creating The Spirit and longer stories such as A Contract With God, Eisner continues to be a reigning influence on comics and graphic storytelling. The high school friend of Bob Kane started his comics career at an early age and continued working until his death. Tufts University screens the 2007 film Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist on Thursday as we celebrate Will Eisner Week at Earth Prime Time.

Sure, we’ve gushed about Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, but a man important to comic books has escaped the public’s consciousness over the years. Will Eisner’s cinematic visions of the comic book page alongside a kinetic lettering style continues to define the look of the comic book page as professional artists continue to learn from his masterful storytelling techniques.

The Spirit is perhaps Eisner’s most notable work. The presumed dead police detective Denny Colt establishes a hideout in Central City’s Wildwood Cemetery.

The Spirit was a dashing vigilante, hunting down his arch enemy, The Octopus, and solving crimes with sidekick Ebony White. The stories ran the gamut of crime and detective noir to romance and horror.

Many great comic artists have had their hands on the domino-masked hero, from launching the career of Wally Wood in 1952 to modern day vintage illustrators Darwyn Cooke (New Frontier) and J. Bone (Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror). Sin City’s Frank Miller made the jump to full time director and filmmaker, only to release a vacant and vapid adaptation of the character on screen in 2008′s The Spirit.

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]