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Monthly Archives: March 2010

Judd Winick on Generation Lost (updated)

Justice League: Generation Lost co-writer Judd Winick has been interviewed by Jeffrey Renaud at Comic Book Resources. The first part of the two-part interview is about Winick’s work on the up-coming Batman: Under The Red Hood DVD-feature, but he does outline the rest of his current projects and mentions Generation Lost.

“Justice League: Generation Lost” is bi-weekly and it’s a very specific story that’s like a map. It’s very much one foot in front of another. It’s very, very episodic. It’s one of the things that I think will be a draw to the book. We’re not doing arcs. Each full issue is a wrap-up storyline. Every issue, you get a full story – beginning, middle and end but it is truly an ongoing. It’s a 26-issue adventure. So that makes one kind of story.

The second part of the interview appears tomorrow and should cover Generation Lost in more detail.

Updated Tuesday 30th March: Meanwhile, over at Newsarama, Judd Winick has an interview about his work on Power Girl as the replacement writer for Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray. He mentioned that Power Girl would tie into Generation Lost via Power Girl’s established connection to Justice League Europe and International.

The inciting incident of Generation Lost is something that will directly affect Power Girl, whereas other titles are not directly affected. She gets hit in the face with it. So she is going to have to deal with it head on.

I finished the first issue, and I can’t talk much about it except there’s going to be a major upheaval in her life. The story will be coming off the events of Justice League: Generation Lost. I wish I could share more, but we’re trying to keep wraps on the Justice League: Generation Lost.

Updated Wednesday 31st March: The second part of Judd Winick’s CRB interview (third if you include the Newsarama piece) focuses on Generation Lost. There isn’t a huge amount he can say about the actual plot, but he does discuss working with Keith Giffen and what it’s like to write comedy.

He also talks about his approach to the individual characters and how he intends to broaden Ice’s character.

For Fire and Ice, they did not interest me in such a grand way before we started. But as we got into it, it was about finding the voices of these characters. Over the years, Fire has been developed and Ice has been underdeveloped. She died. She came back and what not. But who is Ice? Who is Tora? Now Fire and Ice are two of my favorite characters, and I look forward to the direction that we’re taking them.

He also addresses whether Generation Lost will tie into other books beyond Power Girl (as mentioned in the Newsarama piece).

Will events that occur in the bi-weekly be touched on in other series?

Yeah, probably. This won’t be a bi-weekly that sort of threads throughout the DCU. “Brightest Day” involves the Green Lantern books, “Justice League of America” and “Flash,” but as of now, we’re staying here for the most part.

Our inciting incident that happens in “Generation Lost” appears in “Brightest Day.” So for those reading “Brightest Day,” something very major will happen in that title which will be picked up in ours.

JLA #43 Preview

“Team History”, the first proper arc of James Robinson and Mark Bagley’s Justice League, draws to a close with JLA #43. Green Arrow’s actions from Justice League: Cry For Justice were revealed in JLA: Rise and Fall Special, but how will the Justice League react and will Green Arrow even survive his encounter with the dark New Gods on the JLA Watchtower. A full 5-page preview can be found at DC’s Source.

Rise of Arsenal #1 the process

Geraldo Borges has posted to his blog images that show the entire art process for a single page of Justice League: Rise of Arsenal #1. It starts with J.T. Krul‘s script, from that Borges creates layouts, loose pencils used to design the pattern of panels and to block out the page, …

…based on the decisions made at the layouts stage he creates finished, detailed pencils of each panel…

Geraldo’s pencils are then handed over to inker Marlo Alquiza who faithful renders the pencils down as a black line suitable for printing…

The inked pages are then coloured by Hi-Fi Design and the speech is lettered by Rob Clark Jr.

The end results ends up as page 5 of Rise of Arsenal #1 – a “flash back” to events that happened “off-camera” in Cry For Justice. I’ve only shown a single-panel, but Borges’ blog has the entire page. He also shows the same process for his work on R.E.B.E.L.S. and other comics.

Justice League T-shirt design contest

Springleap is South Africa based t-shirt design company – described on their own site as “South Africa’s answer to Threadless”. All their designs are crowd-sourced from their online followers. A monthly-community-vote is held to decide which of the submitted designs should added to the company’s catalogue. The latest call has gone out and they’ve picked the Justice League to be the theme of their next project:

So Designers, here is your mission:

For this themed competition, we want your interpretation of the Justice League translated into a funky t-shirt design that everyone you know would love to wear. Using the core members as inspiration, think about which you identify with as they are represented in this alternate reality and what or who they symbolise in ours.

The submission process is now open and closes on April 6th April 13th, voting on the submitted designs begins on the 8th 15th. This could be quite special given the original and distinctive creations that past themes have thrown up.

Updated 05 April: updated competition deadlines.

Bagley JLA/JSA covers spotted at Isotope Comics

Kyle Minor, eagle eyed customer of San Francisco’s Isotope Comics, has posted some extra-special photographs to the Comics Geek Speak Forums. It turns out that JLA writer James Robinson is also a customer of Isotope Comics and has shared with them a photocopy Mark Bagley’s interlocking covers to the up-coming JLA/JSA crossover.

Go to the CGS Forums for better, larger pictures.

At the centre of it all of this is a Kingdom Come-like Alan Scott who appears to fighting the JLA and JSA. Eagle-eyed readers may spot Jesse Quick in a Johnny Quick homage costume in the first panel and Jade, Alan Scott’s deceased daughter, in the central panel. Jade’s name was mentioned at a recent convention panel so it looks like she could be heading for a post-Blackest Night resurrection.

The cover to JLA #46 – the first panel – was just released by DC Comics as part of their latest previews solicitation;

[via: Bleeding Cool]

Justice League of America (vol. 2) #41

Issue Credits

  • Writer: James Robinson
  • Penciller: Mark Bagley
  • Inker: Rob Hunter, Marlo Alquiza, and Walden Wong
  • Colours: Pete Pantazis
  • Letters: Rob Leigh
  • Associate Editor: Adam Schlagman
  • Editor: Eddie Berganza
  • Cover: Mark Bagley, Rob Hunter, and Pete Pantazis

Characters

Featuring

  • Batman (Dick Grayson, joins the JLA this issue)
  • Cyborg (Victor Stone, joins the JLA this issue)
  • Donna Troy (joins the JLA this issue)
  • Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi, appeared last issue)
  • Guardian (Jim Harper, Head of the Metropolis Science Police)
  • Mon-El (Lar Gand of Daxam)
  • Starfire (Koriand’r of Tamaran, joins the JLA this issue)
  • Vixen (Mari Jiwe McCabe, appeared last issue, resigns his issue)

Guest Stars

  • Robin (Damian Wayne, the sidekick of Dick Grayson’s Batman)
  • Wonder Woman (last appeared as a Leaguer in JLA #37)

Villains

  • Atomic Skull (Joe Martin, a Superman villain fighting Mon-El)
  • Neon Black (the Lightray-like villain who attacks Darwin Jones, first appearance, identified next issue)
  • Three unnamed, masked hostage takers (red, blue, and green suits, at Mercy Hospital, first appearance)
  • Yellow Wasp (a Wildcat villain, last appeared in JSA All-Stars #2 as part of the Injustice Society)

Other

  • Darwin Jones (a scientific investigator)
  • Child patents at Mercy Hospital
  • Unnamed Police Detective outside Mercy Hospital

Flashback

  • British Redshirts
  • Miss Liberty (Bess Lynn, Revolutionary era nurse and costumed adventurer)
  • Tomahawk (Thomas Hawk, Revolutionary era ranger)
  • Tomahawk’s Rangers
    • Anvil
    • Dan Hunter
    • Frenchie
    • Stovepipe

Cameos

  • Black Lanterns (shown in flashback on the first page)
  • Red Tornado (John Smith, destroyed JLA #39, his android remains are shown)

Synopsis

Previously: The Justice League had suffered a run of narrow victories that had left them depleted and battered. The super villain Prometheus engineered a massive scheme to teleport entire cities to random places in space and time. He injured many Leaguers and ripped Red Arrow’s arm off before he was captured. He then blackmailed the Justice League, forcing them to vote to release him in exchange for the cities’ safety (Justice League: Cry For Justice #1-7). Shortly afterwards, the remaining members of the League (Vixen, Red Tornado, Doctor Light, and  Plastic Man) with Gypsy and Zatanna found themselves assaulted by Black Lanterns, corpses animated as cruel undead parodies of their original personalities. The Justice League barely survived the attack. The Black Lanterns were defeated, but the psychological and physical wounds they caused run deep (Justice League of America vol. 2 #35-37, Blackest Night #1-8).

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Justice League: A Knight of Shadows Part One

Screen Shots

Episode Credits

Writer Director Music Voice Director
Keith Damron Butch Lukic Michael McCuistion Andrea Romano
Main Cast Guest Cast
Kevin Conroy Batman Michael T Weiss Etrigan/Jason Blood
Susan Eisenberg Wonder Woman Olivia D’Abo Morgaie Le Fay
Carl Lumbly J’onn J’onzz Pam Grier My’ria’h
Michael Rosenbaum Flash Soren Fulton Mordred
W. Morgan Sheppard Merlin
Dave Thomas Harv Hickman
Michael Gough Professor Moss
Jim Meskimen Knight
Cam Clarke Paramedic
Jim Wise Bouncer
Animation Timing Director Storyboard Character/Prop Design Animation Services
  • Frank Andrina
  • Kirk Tingblad
  • James T. Walker (as James Tim Walker)
  • Butch Lukic
  • Ricardo Morales
  • Bob Smith
  • Sean Song
  • Bruce Timm
  • Robert Fletcher
  • Shane Glines
  • Art Lee
  • Glen Murakami
  • Tommy Tejeda
  • Bruce Timm
  • James Tucker
  • Glenn Wong
Koko Enterprise Co. Ltd.
Animation Directors
  • Byunggi Lee
  • Sungman Huh
Series Story Editors Series Directors Producers Associate Producers
  • Stan Berkowitz
  • Rich Fogel
  • Butch Lukic
  • Dan Riba
  • Rich Fogel
  • Glen Murakami
  • Bruce Timm
  • James Tucker
Shaun McLaughlin
Executive Producers
Sander Schwartz
Theme: Lolita Ritmanis, Main Title Design: Bruce Timm, Main Title Animation: Cantina Pictures Visual Effects

Synopsis

It is the fall of Camelot. King Arthur’s knights defend the embattled stronghold of Camelot against the inhuman forces of the sorceress Morgaine Le Fay. The walls may have yet held if it was not for the treachery of Jason Blood, one of Arthur’s Knights and the Morgaine’s secret lover. He opens the gates to the invaders believing that Morgaine will reciprocate his love. However, Blood is just a pawn in Morgaine’s campaign to place her infant son, Mordred, on Camelot’s throne. She poison’s Blood and then leaves him to die in the dirt as the battle ranges about him. Merlin’s ghost appears to the dying knight and admonishes him that “all my great dreams are undone in the name of thy tainted love.” He then curses Blood to live until the day his monstrous deed is atoned for and marks his soul by  binding him to “a creature from the pit” – a demon called Etrigan.

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JLA Solicitations for June 2010

It’s seems that the year has barely started – March already?? – and DC is already releasing their preview solicitations for June. The biggest JLA news is the start of a 5-part JLA/JSA crossover which appears to feature on complications with the Starheart – the mystical force that power’s Alan Scott’s unique mystical Green Lantern. We see Jesse Quick on the cover of JLA #46 in the version of her father’s costume she adopted in Flash: Rebirth and used in the James Robinson penned Blackest Night: JSA.

Justice League: Generation Lost #3-4

Written by Keith Giffen and Judd Winick • Issue #3 art by Fernando Dangino • Issue #4 art by Aarom Lopresti • Covers by Tony Harris & J.D. Mettler • 1:25 variant covers by Kevin Maguire

DC’s biweekly Justice League event continues here! The heroes of the once-great Justice League International – Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Fire and Ice – have reteamed in order to stop a threat to all mankind. But will the heroes of the DCU take this group of misfits seriously? And what happens when Blue Beetle – a new hero with an old legacy – joins the team? And whose side is he really on? Be here to find out!

Issue #3 on sale JUNE 9 • Issue #4 on sale JUNE 23 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Justice League of America #46

Written by James Robinson; Art by Mark Bagley and Rob Hunter;  cover by Mark Bagley and Jesus Merino

“Brightest Day” continues with the start of an all-new, 5-part JLA/JSA crossover! The return of one hero heralds the release of the powerful Starheart that empowers Green Lantern Alan Scott. Now this chaotic force is unleashed on Earth, causing magic to go wild – and new metahumans to emerge! It’s more than one super-team can handle, but can even the combined efforts of the Justice League and the Justice Society contain the light and dark power wielded by one of their own? Witness the transformation of the moon and a journey into the Shadow Lands that will corrupt a hero!

Continued in next month’s JSA #41, this epic event features a 5-part connected cover spotlighting both teams in glorious action illustrated by Mark Bagley with inks by Jesus Merino!

On sale JUNE 30 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US

As well as the developing Brightest Day storylines June also sees the release of a brand new Green Arrow series. I wouldn’t normally mention it in these postings of JLA blurbs, but the cover by Cry For Justice’s Mauro Cascioli is absolutely beautiful:

Unused Mayhew spread from Rise and Fall Special

Can you believe that this amazing double-page spread by Mike Mayhew of Green Arrow addressing a crowd of heroes wasn’t used for Justice League: The Rise and Fall Special #1! I particularly like how he renders Gongorilla as a real gorilla and not just a furry-human. You can see the full thing on Mike Mayhew’s Comic Art Fans page along with several other pages and that great splash of Batman swooping on Razer.

ECCC 2010: Robinson in “Speedy” save

Seeing the phrase “Star Wars Burlesque” in your twitter stream is a fairly good sign that the 2010 comics convention circuit has begun in style. The biggest news out of Seattle’s Emerald City Comic Con has so far been that Detective Comics has won a GLAAD award for Rucka and Williams’ Batwoman feature and that Boom! have launched a Darkwing Duck comic book (“Let’s get Dangerous!).

Comics Alliance and Pop Culture Zoo have notes on the DC Nation Panel where the opening questioner (Pop Culture Zoo:  “a distraught fan”) challenged the DC panel (include James Robinson) over the dead (“fridging”) of Lian Harper in Cry For Justice.

From Comics Alliance:

James Robinson: “That decision [was] a controversial and one that I know has been greeted with some displeasure by some people… I’m sorry if it upset people. In all honesty, they wanted to kill Speedy too, and I said no, so give me some credit for that.”

Ian Sattler: “I’m happy it upset people because it means that the story had some weight and emotion.”

I wish I was surprised that DC had wanted to kill Speedy off. People aren’t upset because the story had “weight and emotion.”  They’re upset because the story was badly told!

Pop Culture Zoo also noted a comment made later in the panel:

The next big reveal was from Robinson, who said he will be revisiting Opal City with a new Shade series down the road. Asked about an appearance from Jack Knight, he gave no answer. Staying with Robinson, he emphasized that while readers may be upset with Green Arrow’s current direction, the outcome will make everyone happy in the end. Star City will be one of the greatest cities in the DCU.

Nice to hear that the Shade is coming back and that there are plans for Star City. However, I think the issue of Harper’s death and the current direction of Green Arrow is going to be an issue that runs for most of the convention season.