Marvel Unveils '04 FF Plans Marvel plans three Fantastic Four series for 2004, and we've got the details and preview art. Check this out.
2F2F DVD Contest The hit street racing film 2 Fast 2 Furious is driving to DVD players near you. Win a free copy from Slush and Universal.
The Pitch:
Dan Jurgens & David Yurkovich By Dan Jurgens & David Yurkovich
09/25/02
Welcome to Slushfactory.com's weekly feature, "The Pitch." Every Wednesday two creators "pitch" you their newest, upcoming project in hopes of convincing you to give it a chance.
Your name: Dan Jurgens Title of book: Superman: Day of Doom Publisher of book: DC Comics Ongoing or miniseries: 4 issues, weekly(!), beginning in November Other collaborators on book: I'm writing and drawing, Bill Sinkeweicz is inking, John Workman is lettering, Hi-Fi studios is coloring and Eddie Berganza is editing. Expected on-sale date: November. As I said...WEEKLY!
(1) Fill in the blanks: My name is Dan Jurgens and I am best known for...the years I spent on Superman.
(2) What is your book about?
Ten years ago, the writers and artists on the Supreman titles did a story called "The Death of Superman" that became something of a media sensation. There hadn't been an event like that in comics before and I doubt there will be again.
(3) What is the origin of this project, secret or otherwise? Give us the origin story.
Over the last couple of years countless movies have been released on DVDs. As opposed to videos, however, they're more likely to have added footage and comments from directors. These comments help deepen the original story and provide context, and that's what we hope to do with Day of Doom. I look at it as something of an Afterword to the story, while also adding new elements to make the story work for today's readers.
(4) Aside from the promise of tall dollars, what drew you to this project? Why now?
Ten years seems logical, and it's been fun to go back to Superman after being away for so long.
(5) Why should a reader pick your book over, say, lunch on a given day? Pitch away.
Several reasons. If you read the original story ten years ago, I think this will be fun. If you didn't read the original story, this stands on its own as an interesting and entertaining story. It is no mere flashback story or simple retelling of what happened. At it's core, it's a story about death and Metropolis that affects Superman on a much more personal level.
(6) Anything else you'd like to add?
Jump in. The water's warm and the sharks are still in the pen.
Concluding Note: Where can readers go for more information:
Your name: David Yurkovich Title of book: Altercations: A History of Super-Hero Activity in 20th Century North America Publisher of book: Sleeping Giant Comics Ongoing or miniseries: 2 issue bookshelf series, full color, 64 pgs per issue Other collaborators on book: Writer/Artist: David Yurkovich; commentary by Alfred Pinchley. Expected on-sale date: December 4th, 2002
(1) Fill in the blanks: My name is David Yurkovichand I am best known for...Death by Chocolate (Xeric Grant receipient) and the s.h.o.p.
(2) What is your book about?
Altercations, which has been more than 2 years in the making, chronicles the history of super-heroics in North America during the 20th century, from their humble beginnings in 1906 through the violent confrontations in the 1980s and '90s. This is a 2-volume series, with each volume containing five complete stories.
(3) What is the origin of this project, secret or otherwise? Give us the origin story.
Altercations began more than 2 years ago when I was finishing Haunted (a collection of short, horror stories published by Sleeping Giant Comics in 2000). In reviewing the history of 20th century North America, it occurred to me the real history of super-heroics has never been explored, not with authenticity. Thus, I began to research the real history behind the masked men and woman who have engaged in altercations of a super-heroic nature throughout the millennium. While working on the project, I became friends with noted essayist Alfred Pinchley (Atlantic Monthly, New Yorker) who agreed to provide chapter-opening commentaries for each of the 10 chapters.
(4) Aside from the promise of tall dollars, what drew you to this project? Why now?
"Tall dollars?" This is a self-published work. There will be no dollars, tall or otherwise. There is only one reason a self-publisher commits to a project (and it isn't insanity--though sometimes I think it is): a passion and belief in the material he or she is creating. This project has consumed 2 years of my life and it's still not finished. The sacrifices, personal and financial, are enormous. It's an unflinching belief that what you are doing is of merit that draws an individual to self-publish. With few exceptions, there are never profits or delusions of such.
(5) Why should a reader pick your book over, say, lunch on a given day? Pitch away.
Lunch is highly overrated and can produce, at best, a brief respite from hunger, and at worst, heartburn and upset stomach. Altercations will love you forever and asks for nothing in return.
Here it is: Ten stories, each covering a different decade of the 20th century. Each altercation adding to the mythos of the super-hero genre. Altercations does not glamorize nor trivialize the concept of super-heroics. Instead, the material is presented in a "factual," sequential format, with great attention to historical details. The cover and interiors are full color, most of the pages were rendered in mixed media, creating a finished art look unlike most super-hero comics, and a look pretty much unheard of in self-published books.
(6) Anything else you'd like to add?
I think the preview pages speak for themselves. This book will appeal to readers who are bored with the super-hero genre and would like to see it treated maturely, and by maturely I do not mean that every other word of this book starts with F and ends with K. There is a vast difference between adult-oriented and "adult"-oriented. Altercations is a fictionalized work based on actual events. It does not pander to those seeking excessive language or gore. Its audience is the comic book reader who appreciates an individual style and voice and whose tastes are refined enough they are ready to accept something refreshingly different.
Concluding Note: Where can readers go for more information:
