----
During the WizardWorld Chicago Convention, DC Comics outlined several plans
for both the Superman and the Batman line of titles.
Included in the changes were the new creative teams on the Batman books
following the conclusion of No Man's Land:
Detective Comics - focusing on the crime in Gotham and Batman's interaction
with the GCPD: Greg Rucka (w), Shawn Martinbrough (a)
Batman - focusing on the superheroic aspects of Batman: Larry Hama (w),
Scott McDaniel (p), Karl Story (I)
Batman: Shadow of the Bat will be canceled and replaced with a new Batbook,
Batman: Gotham Knights, written by Devin Grayson with art by Dale Eaglesham
and John Floyd
In addition, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight will return to its original
format of rotating creative teams telling multi-part stories. Bob Schreck
will edit.
The creative shakeups include the art teams on the ancillary Batbooks as
well, including:
Nightwing: Chuck Dixon (w), Greg (Bird of Prey) Land (p), Drew Geraci (I)
Birds of Prey: Chuck Dixon (w), Jackson (Resurrection Man) Guice (a)
Robin: Chuck Dixon (w), Pete (Deadpool) Woods (p), Jesse Delperdang (I)
Finally, the regular post-NML creative team on Catwoman will be Bronwyn
Carlton (w), Staz (Robin) Johnson (p), Wayne Faucher (I). All new teams will
begin with January 2000 issues of their respective titles.
-----------
My first thoughts are pretty positive. McDaniel leaving Nightwing is bad,
but he's off to Batman and he's being replaced by the BoP team, so that's
okay. If Hama's run is more 'Batman/Toyman' than LOTDK#121 then I'll be
happy.
The TEC and Gotham Knights teams look good. More crime and GCPD stuff by
Greg Rucka. Oh yes! :-) Should I have heard of Shawn Martinbrough?
Never heard of Bronwyn Carlton, AFAIK, but anything inked by Faucher always
looks good.
But where's the new Batgirl title?
JC007
--
http://www.weld18.demon.co.uk/
The Better Batman Bureau
Hama's stuff has been...different in the past few years. I practically
grew up reading GI Joe, which was GREAT, but his last few issues of
Wolverine, and his Generation X run, were not very good at all...
> The TEC and Gotham Knights teams look good. More crime and GCPD stuff by
> Greg Rucka. Oh yes! :-) Should I have heard of Shawn Martinbrough?
He did the art for the Creeper series a year or so back. Nice (and dark)
stuff...
> Never heard of Bronwyn Carlton, AFAIK, but anything inked by Faucher always
> looks good.
Carlton's primarily done Vertigo stuff (Dreaming and Books of Magic,
IIRC).
--
Check out the New Gods Library at:
http://members.tripod.com/fastbak/
***
Comics page: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dunes/7637/index.html
***
It wasn't =banned=. It's bad enough that Mania throws that word around so
carelessly; please don't repeat their mistake.
......
>The TEC and Gotham Knights teams look good. More crime and GCPD stuff by
>Greg Rucka. Oh yes! :-) Should I have heard of Shawn Martinbrough?
Yes, you should. {smile} He did inks for the recent /Challengers of the
Unknown/ and Milestone's /Shadow Cabinet/, and pencils for /The Creeper/.
>Never heard of Bronwyn Carlton,
Writer of /The Books of Faerie/ for the Vertigo folks.
>But where's the new Batgirl title?
A) Maybe she's not getting one. (I hadn't heard that rumour.)
B) Maybe they didn't consider that part of the "creative team" changes
(/Gotham Knights/ is really just an overhaul for /Shadow of the Bat/) and
plan to announce it later.
Cheers, Todd
I thought that Denny O'Neil would be editing LOTDK -- or either Jordan
Gorfinkel or Darren Vincenzo. How come Bob Schreck got the assignment?
-- John L. Lavernoich. c/o bj...@esslink.com & jlave...@hotmail.com
>>But where's the new Batgirl title?
>
>A) Maybe she's not getting one. (I hadn't heard that rumour.)
Nah, she's getting one. Dixon has been raving about how good it's
going to be over on his website.
--
*****************************************************
* "I get my kicks *above* the waistline, Sunshine!" *
* - Murray Head *
**************************mat...@mindspring.com*****
I'd consider it 'banned' whether this was due to outside or inside forces,
but I'm willing to settle on 'censored'. :-)
> >The TEC and Gotham Knights teams look good. More crime and GCPD stuff by
> >Greg Rucka. Oh yes! :-) Should I have heard of Shawn Martinbrough?
>
> Yes, you should. {smile} He did inks for the recent /Challengers of the
> Unknown/ and Milestone's /Shadow Cabinet/, and pencils for /The Creeper/.
I've just flicked through Creeper #8 which features Batman and Jim Gordon,
amongst others, and I am now officially quite happy about this choice.
They're pretty much casting Bobby as the new Archie Goodwin -- not
that Arch could be replaced -- and looking to him to bring variety and
some adventurous choices to both LEGENDS titles.
So, that mean Chuck's writing it? :)
scott tilson (not that that'd be a bad thing).
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
>>Never heard of Bronwyn Carlton,
>
> Writer of /The Books of Faerie/ for the Vertigo folks.
Former editor of the Cartoon Network books, and also wrote The Big Book of
Death.
"B. J. Lavernoich" <bj...@esslink.com> wrote:
> I thought that Denny O'Neil would be editing LOTDK -- or either Jordan
> Gorfinkel or Darren Vincenzo. How come Bob Schreck got the assignment?
Pure speculation here, but if Denny is planning on contributing, he can't
edit. Gorf's left DC to freelance.
--
Johanna
Joha...@mindspring.com
Comics Worth Reading at http://www.mindspring.com/~johannadc
>Todd VerBeek <ver...@bigfoot.com> wrote...
>> It wasn't =banned=. It's bad enough that Mania throws that word around so
>> carelessly; please don't repeat their mistake.
My pal JC007 said:
>I'd consider it 'banned' whether this was due to outside or inside forces,
>but I'm willing to settle on 'censored'. :-)
No argument here; it =was= censored, by DC. Publishers routinely censor
their own publications. We also call that "editing". {smile}
>> >The TEC and Gotham Knights teams look good. More crime and GCPD stuff by
>> >Greg Rucka. Oh yes! :-) Should I have heard of Shawn Martinbrough?
>> Yes, you should. {smile} He did inks for the recent /Challengers of the
>> Unknown/ and Milestone's /Shadow Cabinet/, and pencils for /The Creeper/.
>I've just flicked through Creeper #8 which features Batman and Jim Gordon,
>amongst others, and I am now officially quite happy about this choice.
Noted.
Cheers, Todd
He's not writing it, but he apparently knows who is. He says it's
the perfect people for the job. My prediction: Puckett and Gorfinkel
writing, Scott pencilling.
>I thought that Denny O'Neil would be editing LOTDK -- or either Jordan
>Gorfinkel or Darren Vincenzo. How come Bob Schreck got the assignment?
As Johanna mentioned, Gorf is now a freelancer. O'Neil wasn't ever
the editor of LotDK prior to NML - they've always been pretty content
to let that title go off on its own.
My pal Matches Malone said:
> As Johanna mentioned, Gorf is now a freelancer. O'Neil wasn't ever
>the editor of LotDK prior to NML - they've always been pretty content
>to let that title go off on its own.
Schreck is also a logical choice given his extensive experience "out
there" beyond DC, particularly on anthologies like /Dark Horse Presents/
and /Oni Double Feature/, which involved lining up and working with
various creators on an ongoing basis. The main difference between that
and this is that they'll all be doing Batman stories for him instead of
using their own characters.
Cheers, Todd
Does anybody else not like this idea of certain books "focusing" on certain
aspects of a character? I'd really like it if they just got someone who could
write all kinds of Batman stories. Preferably in two books, like things used
to be. Oh well....
Not all who wander are lost- J.R.R. Tolkien
If different titles didn't have different themes or styles, then what'd be
the point of publishing them with different names? :)
I'd rather the books had a focus, but even with what's been said up there,
it's not like the limits are too narrow. Tec will "focus on crime in
Gotham", which is what Batman's always done, except that he'll have a
little more interaction with the GCPD. That's where they usually showed up
anyway.
As for the main Bat-book, "focusing on the superheroic aspects" doesn't
exactly mean much, unless it'll be more of a Batman solo book, like it was
before.
And LotDK is LotDK, so that's not any different.
...Loren
>ver...@bigfoot.com (Todd VerBeek) wrote:
>> My pal JC007 said:
>
>>>Never heard of Bronwyn Carlton,
>>
>> Writer of /The Books of Faerie/ for the Vertigo folks.
>
>Former editor of the Cartoon Network books, and also wrote The Big Book of
>Death.
Also wrote a (somewhat ho-hum) story in the Elseworlds 80 page Giant
in which the DC Universe is in fact the pop music business.
-------------------------------------------------
Driving for Loons
The American Southwest: Too many miles in too few days
http://www.pheasnt.demon.co.uk/Driving.html
I think you may just be right on the writer(s), but with McDaniel
moving from NIGHTWING to BATMAN, I doubt he's the artist. He's proven
to be a consumate professional, always meeting his dealines, not a fill-
in even once on NIGHTWING for its 3 year run, and still actually
improving his art slowly but steadily.
Now if someone at Bat-editorial was on the ball enough to structure a
new Batgirl series in story arcs, then maybe it could have 2 or 3
regular artists. I don't think Matt Haley could do a monthly, but if
it was effectively a quarterly for him, and likewise for other artists
such as Brian Stelfreeze and Tom Raney, maybe DC could get some of the
best artists (anyone got any others to suggest?) actually commited to
the series longterm?
scott tilson.
I believe Bronwyn *Taggart* edited those CN books. As far as I know,
Bronwyn Carlton is someone else (Books of Faerie).
--
-Thad Doria
"Oh God...I'm important to the plot..."
My pal VertigoDC said:
>Does anybody else not like this idea of certain books "focusing" on certain
>aspects of a character? I'd really like it if they just got someone who could
>write all kinds of Batman stories. Preferably in two books, like things used
>to be. Oh well....
On the contrary, I'm =glad= that they're doing this (as are the Superman
folks). For one thing, it's easier to find a writer who's good at
crime/detective-style stories, and another who's good at superhero
stories, etc. than one who's good at all of them. And it makes it easier
for a fan who doesn't care for one style of story to just skip those,
while giving the fan who digs detective stories, and superhero stories,
and Bat-team stories(*), and far-out stories the option of reading them
all. (I might even become a regular reader of one or more of them.)
(*) I'm assuming that /Gotham Knights/ will focus on Batman working
with his supporting cast, kind of like a grown-up version of
/Gotham Adventures/.
Cheers, Todd
> I believe Bronwyn *Taggart* edited those CN books. As far as I know,
> Bronwyn Carlton is someone else (Books of Faerie).
They're the same person. Marriage name change, I believe.
>>>But where's the new Batgirl title?
>>
>>A) Maybe she's not getting one. (I hadn't heard that rumour.)
> Nah, she's getting one. Dixon has been raving about how good it's
> going to be over on his website.
That must mean he's writing it.
I wouldn't mind Janet Harvey writing it.
- Elayne
> I believe Bronwyn *Taggart* edited those CN books. As far as I know,
> Bronwyn Carlton is someone else (Books of Faerie).
Nope, same person.
- Elayne
> Matches Malone <mat...@mindspring.com> happened to mention:
>> Nah, [Batgirl is] getting [a new title]. Dixon has been raving
>> about how good it's going to be over on his website.
> That must mean he's writing it.
Actually, he rather emphatically stated that he would not be writing
it. He didn't say who was, but he stated that he was not involved.
--
-Deepak
re: new Batgirl title
>> He's not writing it, but he apparently knows who is. He says it's
>> the perfect people for the job. My prediction: Puckett and Gorfinkel
>> writing, Scott pencilling.
>
>I think you may just be right on the writer(s), but with McDaniel
>moving from NIGHTWING to BATMAN, I doubt he's the artist.
Nah, I meant Scott as in Damion Scott, not Scott McDaniel. I agree
McDaniel's not up to two monthly books.
re: new Batgirl book:
>> Nah, she's getting one. Dixon has been raving about how good it's
>> going to be over on his website.
>
>That must mean he's writing it.
No, he's said in no uncertain terms it's not him. He has also
confirmed it's not Greg Rucka.
>It seems that Azrael will be canceled based on the list. It's not
>mentioned, so either the team isn't changing or the book's going away.
Maybe, maybe not. Since Denny writes it, it's not edited by the
BATMAN office.
Except that she's Bronwyn =Carlton= now. {smile}
>does it work better with a female writer--
It certainly lends a bit more credibility to the series. Women (and many
men) tend to find woman-written women more interesting than man-written
women. The question in such situations is - unfortunately - whether
enough of the =boys= will still buy it to keep it profitable.
>and Faucher underrated, but Staz Johnson
>doesn't draw very attractive women. I feel the same way about Guice on BOP (too
>much photo reference). I'd rather see Dodson or Giordano or paquette (from
>WW)take a shot. Pete Woods pushes a very humane, charming book like ROBIN too
>far into cartoon land ('Tho he'd be great on something like BLUE DEVIL)--rather
>see Grummett or Purcell take the reigns. And Martinbrough was on that lousy
>CREEPER book, abook that was written in that depressed Brit style from 6 years
>ago.
But what does this have to do with his art? Criticising him for the
writing hardly seems fair.
> Why are they stopping SOTB to put out another no. 1?
Well, #1's draw more interest than #95's. And they wanted a different
name for the series, to fit the new "every Batman series actually matches
its title" approach. So it makes sense from a marketing perspective. It
even makes sense from a creative perspective: it has a whole new creative
team, and this new series will be different from the old one; keeping the
title just for the sake of keeping the title would be almost as pointless
as it was calling that other series "Detective" for all those years when
it was really about a wacky superhero or an obsessed vigilante. {smile}
Cheers, Todd
>It seems that Azrael will be canceled based on the list. It's not
>mentioned, so either the team isn't changing or the book's going away.
The creative team isn't changing. But the book is not being
cancelled.
I have to disagree. McD's Batman has a fierce intencity that embodies
the character's anger and power. McD's Batman is a dark creature of
the night, one that certainly would "strike fear into the hearts of
evil-doers". I never got that feeling from Graham Nolan's casual
everyman interpretation when he was doing DETECTIVE.
I'm no fan of Larry Hama's writing, but I'll be checking out BATMAN
because of McD. I'm glad to hear that Gotham will be rebuilt. If the
new creative teams were just doing sloppy left-overs of NML, it would
keep me away.
> It took me a
> LONG time to appreciate his particular style, but that was partly
because
> his style was changing until he was into his current groove. It just
> doesn't feel right changing styles on a book, any book, but NIGHTWING
was
> the one that showcases McDaniel's talents best.
Because Dixon wrote it that way. I'm really going to miss McD on
NIGHTWING, but I'm already warming to the idea of Greg Land taking
over. He's doing great on BIRDS OF PREY, not to mention that issue
recently with Nightwing guesting, and that NIGHTWING annual of a few
years ago.
Well, that would explain why the artist is mentioned in the news as
doing the upcoming new SWAMP THING series. I do hope Denny doesn't
give up writing, but gets back to mystery stories. They're his
strength. Maybe another Gordon mini, but hopefully without Janson art.
re: AZRAEL
>> The creative team isn't changing. But the book is not being
>> cancelled.
>
>Well, that would explain why the artist is mentioned in the news as
>doing the upcoming new SWAMP THING series. I do hope Denny doesn't
>give up writing, but gets back to mystery stories. They're his
>strength. Maybe another Gordon mini, but hopefully without Janson art.
I stand corrected. I was just starting to warm to Robinson's art,
too. Maybe they'll drag Kitson back onto the book.
Why oh why can't the Nightwing and BOP rosters stay the same? I think
those two are perfect fits, and I'm afraid Guice without a good inker
might really hurt BOP. Land will do a great job on Nightwing, but I
liked the consistenc of McD always doing NW, and I don't think he'd be a
good fit for 'Tec. Now, Guice with a good inker would work there
(although Hama's NML work wopuld discourage me from getting
'Tec--which'll suck if McD's put there...)
Actually, you may be right. I misread your post, and thought you said
it was cancelled. Oops. I've seen nothing that says AZRAEL's ending or
that the artist is leaving, just that a "R. Robinson" was the SW
artist. Make what you will of that.