Who Is Charles Webb?
A frequent contributor to Comics Bulletin, Twitchfilm, and his own blog, Monster In Your Veins, I do more than write about comics, movies, and games – I make my own. I was the lead writer on the horror-mystery mobile game “Exile,” and contributing writer to several other titles for both classic mobile and home platforms. Most recently I’ve taken on the Lead Game Designer position for the North American arm of Advanced Mobile Applications where I hope to have some interesting projects to tell you all about soon.
Emails on the Edge
By Martijn Form
Hello Vertigolovers,
Do you ever get emails that are quite strange? No, I don't mean spam that mysteriously declares you've won a lottery you haven't participated in, or ones that advertises some kind of weird Amazon herb that will make your…ehmm Thing as large as a donkey.
No, I'm talking about the email I got that read, "It is back!" Just those three words. I couldn't recognize the email address, so it could be spam, right? I did a little back tracking though, and the sender used the email address that I use for this Vertigo Spotlight column. So I put on my Sherlock Holmes hat, with matching pipe, and started thinking.
There are three possibilities, I think, that are related to Vertigo and the words "It is back." Let's investigate.
Possibility number one: The Big Executive is back vetoing all that is good to the land of the dead. I'm talking about the news that HBO has cancelled further development of the comic series Preacher into a one-hour TV series. Mark Steven Johnson told Comics Continuum, "The new head of HBO felt it was just too dark and too violent and too controversial. Which, of course, is kind of the point!" Johnson continues, "It was a very faithful adaptation of the first few books, nearly word for word. They offered me the chance to redevelop it but I refused. I've learned my lesson on that front and I won't do it again. So I'm afraid it's dead at HBO.”
Sad news. And yes, that marks the almighty executive is back in his seat, canceling all that could be really good.
Possibility number two has to do with last week's column and with the new Previews that came out last week."It is back." I think the email is referencing Sandman. Sandman is back. November 5th will see the first issue of The Sandman: The Dream Hunters, a four issue series adapting Neil Gaiman's prose story of the same name. P. Craig Russell will be the captain of this new project as he will be adapting Gaiman's story and covering all the art chores. The prose novella won the prestigious 1999 Bram Stoker Award and the 2000 Eisner Award, and now finally, after ten years, it will get a lovely comic make over. Not only does it mark the ten year anniversary of the release of the prose novella, it also be 20 years since Neil Gaiman started his Sandman saga. So, yeah, you can say it is back.
It always comes to basic elementary, my dear Watson.
But one the other hand, maybe it's something else.
The last possibility can be that Vertigo's free first issues are back. The first thing that springs to mind though is, were they even gone? Well, were they? Don't look at me, I have no clue here. Sure, I look at Vertigo's site every other day, and roam around twenty more sites that are maintained by Vertigo creators. I mean Brian Wood and his little daughter are practically family to me. Well, not really, but… ehhm… some sort of cyber-family if that's possible. Physically, I'm 3652 miles away from Brian Wood, although a lot of his thoughts, feelings and emotions are right by my side in some short boxes. He posts so many pictures of his daughter, that I, 3652 miles away, can watch her grow, thanks to modern technology. But when it comes to comics, I'm really an old fart. I like to call it "No school like the old school."
By that I mean, I don't read a lot of comics online. I like to hold them in my hands, smell the paper, actually flipping pages to create a page-turner moment. It doesn't work that way with a LCD monitor. My wife feels the same way; when she saw me sitting in my favorite reading chair with a monitor on my lap, she remarked that it looked odd. It doesn't work, at least not for me, but speak your mind and let me know if you like reading Vertigo comics on a digital screen.
Getting back to my train of thought, "It is back" can also be referring to those free online first issues. Almost thirty of them. Wow. It ranges from Preacher and Swamp Thing to newer series like Jack of Fables, Army@Love and Vinyl Underground. So if you are a more progressive person than I am, you can spend a whole weekend at your favorite computer screen, reading all those great first issues Vertigo has been putting out. Hell, throw in some popcorn, a coke and a girl, and you got yourself the best date you've had in years.
Hmmm, if there are so many free first issues, then why did the email declare, "It is back"? Shouldn't it be, "They are back"? Or is some company (one we shall not name here) holding the rights to the words "They are back"?
I wonder.
Maybe it's more than just elementary and instead on the level of quantum physics where every possibility occurs
Nah, I think I'm just going to delete the email and block the sender. That would be a much smarter option.
So let me get my feet back on the ground and provide you with a shopping list of Vertigo goodies that will be in comic stores this week. I know there is a recession, but your brain needs food too.
Army@Love: The Art of War #2 (of 6)
Fables #75
Hellblazer Presents: Chas – The Knowledge #3 (of 5)
House of Mystery #5
The Un-Men #13
The Vinyl Underground #12
That's a full plate for me! I can't wait to get my hands on all of those titles, especially The Un-Men #13 and The Vinyl Underground #12, which will be the final issues for both series.
I expect a grand finale, even more so after reading these respective taglines:
"Vertigo's strange band of mutants and misfits save the best for last in this powerfully perverse conclusion to The Un-Men."I can only say that it has been a hell of a ride, which I enjoyed immensely.
"It's time to turn the tables before everything goes up in flames"
Oh, and don't forget: if you are not an early adopter like I am that the trade Hellblazer: The Laughing Magician is also on sale. Andy Diggle and artist Leonardo Manco did Hellblazer a lot of good.
See you in seven days, and as always, I love getting your thoughts, but please no more mystery emails. It keeps me up all night and checking underneath my bed.
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