Wizard World Chicago: Wildstorm - Comics Unplugged

Posted: Saturday, August 14, 2004
Posted By: Michael Diaz

The Wildstorm Panel was attended by Alex Sinclair, Jim Lee, J. Scott Campbell, Brian K. Vaughan, and Scott Dunbier. Here are the highlights:

• The Authority: Revolution comes out in Oct. It's a 12-issue mini written by Brubaker and penciled by Nguyen.
• Razor's Edge: The first five issues are a Warblade story, about a former superhero who finds himself unwelcome in a country ravaged by war.
• Absolute Planetary comes out in Oct. containing the first 12 issues plus extras.
• Desolation Jones by Warren Ellis and J.H. Williams is about an officially dead British secret agent. The book is full of "incredibly wonderful tasteless things" including "Hitler porn." J.H. Williams penciling and inking the book himself.
• Astro City: A Visitor's Guide comes out in October.
• Ex Machina: a new story arc starts with #6. The book will last about 50 issues. as it is almost in real time. The main character was mayor for four years, so the book will chronicle those four years in a four-year time span. The next arc will be about graffiti found in all five New York boroughs that gives seizures to people that see it.
• The Intimates: is the first series co-created by Jim Lee since DC bought WildStorm. Written by Joe Casey and drawn by Giuseppe Camuncoli, with Jim Lee doing the comic within the comic that one of the characters reads.
• Both StormWatch and Wildcats are done for a while. Scott Dunbier (editor of WS) noted that these two properties were something that WS would always return to but for now needed a break. Jim Lee then added that something will happen that incorporates these properties in a WildStorm Universe event that he is going to be working on, but that won't see the light of day until 2006. He noted that this might seem like a long time but in the comic book world it's just around the corner.
• Wildsiderz is J. Scott Campbell's new WS book. It takes place in modern times against the backdrop of a suburban high school. These kids are not mutants or alien, but instead wear suits that are wired with computers that emit holographic images that become tangible. These holographic force-fields take on the aspects of whatever animal that they are projecting. Campbell says he has taken a lot of time to develop these characters, that it's "not all fluffy." It's initially going to be five issues with a second five-issue arc scheduled to follow a short while after the first.
• Top 10: The 49ers is still being worked on. Apparently Alan Moore has just finished writing it and Gene Ha has about 2/3 of it penciled.
• Sleeper: Season Two sales aren't great, but the trade sales are good. The first trade is in its second printing. DC initially printed what they thought was a year's work of Sleeper trades and sold out in six weeks.
• America's Best Comics: Moore and O'Neil are working on another League of Extraordinary Gentleman mini that jumps around through different time periods. They are also discussing a fourth volume of the series.
• Global Frequency: Dunbier has posed the idea of 100 pg. OGN, but Warren Ellis isn't convinced that it would necessarily sell (Dunbier's words). Dunbier is convinced of it’s viability. There was also some talk of an Aleph GN.

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