One of the great things about Comic-Con International is how the different publishers, creators, and panels are always trying to one up each other on releasing the biggest stories they can muster. There is a bit of an art to these as to where and when they come out and sometimes it is completely by accident when a panelists lets the cat out of the bag. Here is a list of the top news stories to come out of CCI 2012.
1. Neil Gaiman Returns To Sandman
Fans have been dying for
Neil Gaiman to return to Sandman, the series that made him a superstar in the comic book realm. He had alluded before to the fact that he would love to go back to Sandman, if
DC would pay him for what he is worth. It would appear that someone in DC is doing just that and we now have a new mini-series to look forward to.
2. Legendary Comics Fills Its Stable With Top Talent
Most of us know the film arm of Legendary with such films like The Dark Knight Rises, The Hangover, and Clash of the Titans. Comic fans may know of the company with their release of Frank Miller's Holy Terror. It would seem that Legendary is taking a que from
BOOM! a few years back and bringing on a bevy of comic talent to supercharge their comic lineup. Mark Waid,
Alex Ross, and J. Michael Straczynski are just a few of the big comic book names that are coming to Legendary. This is a big move by the fledgling comic book company and they have scooped up a great group of talent. It will be interesting to see the kinds of comics that are coming out of Legendary and if they will become fodder for their film arm as well, which is what I'm thinking this move is all about.
3. The Eisners
The Eisners came and went and there were some big winners and some big losers as well. Daredevil and Jim Hensens Tale of Sand were two big comic book winners taking home multiple Eisners. Waid himself being the writer of Daredevil took home the top writing prize for his work there, but it was DC that was the big loser overall, which was surprising considering their rise in the market. Take a look at the full list of
Eisner winners here.4. New Marvel Movies
The amount of big Marvel movie news was pretty mind blowing. If I put them in each in their own spots then seven of the ten spots would be taken up by Marvel movie announcements. First off was the announcement of three sequals from
The Avengers lineup. Iron Man 3, Captain America: Winter Soldier, and Thor: The Darkest World were all announced.
Fantastic Four and Daredevil were also announced that they were getting rebooted which was huge for fans as the first films fell far short of this current crop of Marvel films. We also got to see footage from the upcoming Ant-Man film and it was also announced that the next Marvel film in the works is Guardians of the Galaxy. It seems like Marvel movie mania is in full force here and I just hope that they keep up the quality in these new works.
5. The Goon Goes To Kickstarter
Creator Eric Powell has long been working on bringing his comic
The Goon to life on the screen and has finally resorted to pursuing Kickstarter for funds. This is a lofty goal since his budget is about forty-five million dollars, but it is surely doable. Fellow comic creator Rich Burlew of the online comic
The Order of the Stick raised over 1.2 million dollars for a reprint drive. It would be awesome to raise that kind of money for this project as it would show the world that just about anything is possible if you have the talent and a fan base strong enough.
6. New Strangers In Paradise
Terry Moore, the creator, writer, and artist of Strangers in Paradise, closed the series with issue #90 in 2007. The series was a huge success, especially since it was a creator owned and creator published series. The new work will coincide with the 20th anniversary of the series, but this time around it will not be in comic book form. Rather, the book will be an illustrated novel. I'm sure the hardcore fans of Strangers in Paradise won't mind as any new product is sure to send them into fits.7. Thirty Years Of Love and Rockets
The Hernandez brothers have made a huge name for themselves in the indie market with their work on Love and Rockets, a comic series that combines short stories, jokes, and two main long running storylines called Locas and Palomar. The brothers announced three new graphic novels through their publisher
Fantagraphics. The other big news is that Love and Rockets will begin to be available digitally through
Comixology, a huge boon for fans new and old. This is a great move that will only bring more fans to their line of comic books.
8. Pilot Season Goes Digital
I was a big fan of the
Pilot Season concept, giving comic creators a shot to show their stuff and get into the business. It didn't seem like a good business model though as Top Cow would release eight number one issues, choose a winner, then put out the winning series much later. This time though, Pilot Season is going digital and free which should make it much more accessible to fans. This is a good move I think and will generate a lot more hits and bring more fans to check out their lineup.
9. Fan Dies Before Comic-Con Opens
I didn't quite know where to place this item in the list, but decided to put it last. I'm not saying this was the least important news item, on the contrary, it was very important. The fan, Gisella Gagliardi, had been waiting in the Hall H line since Sunday to attend the latest Twilight panel. The rumors have it that the woman was trying to reclaim her place in the Hall H line after workers at Comic-Con decided to move the front of the line to a different location, sending fans into a mad rush. She tripped and fell into oncoming traffic and later died at the hospital. If Comic-Con International is found negligent in their dealings with the move, they could also become liable which could spell some hard times ahead for the con. My heart goes out to the family and the whole thing situation is very sad indeed.
