FINALLY FOUND THIS LOST EPISODE FROM NOVEMBER  2005. THE MAN BEHIND GRIMJACK, DC'S SUICIDE SQUAD , THE KENTS, WASTELAND , AND THE SPECTRE JOHN TALKS ABOUT THE RETURN OF GRIMJACK AT IDW , HIS STAR WARS WORK FOR DARK HORSE , AND COLLABORATING WITH ARTISTS, LIKE TIM TRUMAN AND TOM MANDRAKE. PLUS 1980'S CHICAGO MEMORIES OF FIRST COMICS, WINDY CITY INSTITUTIONS LIKE THE BUCKET OF SUDS, AND THE COMEDY GENIUS OF THE SECOND CITY AND IMPROV OLYMPIC , MUNDEN'S BAR WRITER DEL CLOSE.

Gerry Conway is back writing comics. The man who gave birth to the Punisher and took the life of Spider-Man's first love Gwen Stacy is here to discuss his current DC mini series The Last Days Of Animal Man.

We'll talk about his return to comics, and look back at collaborations with artists like Gil Kane, John Romita and Ross Andru.

Like the espionage characters in his comics and novels Greg Rucka knows how much information to leak, and stay spoiler free in this in depth examination of his work. We discuss the 2 new series debuting today in Detective Comics. Batwoman with art by JH Williams, and The Question with Cully Hammer. Plus a thorough look at the Superman books Action with artist Eddty Barrows and co-writing New World Of Krypton with James Robinson and art from Pete Woods.

We also get an update on the new developments in Greg's popular British Spy comic and novel series Queen and Country from Oni Press and Bantam Books.

Jeph Loeb is back, to talk about Hulk #600 and what the future holds for the Red and Green Goliaths.

We also talk about Ultimatum, and get into some in depth discussions about the creation of the classic X-men arc The Age Of Apocalypse, the rebirths of Flash Captain America and more.

On this episode of word balloon we talk comics and television with writer/producer Jesse Alexander. Jesse wrote last month's one shot story Shotgun Opera. an untold WW2 adventure of Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos. but the summer television season has begun and cable television reminds us that there's an equal amount of quality dramas this time of year as during the fall and spring.

Networks like FX the SciFi channel TNT ABC Family and USA trot out plenty of genre fiction, while the big 5 TV networks struggle to find the next Lost, or Smallville. Fringe made it to season 2. Reaper didn't make it past 2, neither did the Terminator. edged out by Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, it's own future to be determined this fall. Chuck and Heroes
are also returning, but on the bubble for NBC.

There are few guarantees from over the air networks to drama shows. The potential viewing audience is still larger than the basic cable shows and  the budgets are higher, but the network suits patience to grow a loyal and profitable audience is a risky guess.

Alexander is a verteran show runner and producer from 3 recent genre shows that made it past the sophmore slump. Alias Lost and Heroes. Jesse was let go from Heroes by NBC execs last winter, but a new regime at The Peacock has given him a green light for a new sci-fi series he's created coming in early 2010, Day One.

Some of the show's details are still under wraps,but Jesse gives us an idea of what the show is about, and discusses the chalenges of doing genre fiction in today's network television enviroment.
On this episode of word balloon we talk comics and television with writer/producer Jesse Alexander. Jesse wrote last month's one shot story Shotgun Opera. an untold WW2 adventure of Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos. but the summer television season has begun and cable television reminds us that there's an equal amount of quality dramas this time of year as during the fall and spring.

Networks like FX the SciFi channel TNT ABC Family and USA trot out plenty of genre fiction, while the big 5 TV networks struggle to find the next Lost, or Smallville. Fringe made it to season 2. Reaper didn't make it past 2, neither did the Terminator. edged out by Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, it's own future to be determined this fall. Chuck and Heroes
are also returning, but on the bubble for NBC.

There are few guarantees from over the air networks to drama shows. The potential viewing audience is still larger than the basic cable shows and  the budgets are higher, but the network suits patience to grow a loyal and profitable audience is a risky guess.

Alexander is a verteran show runner and producer from 3 recent genre shows that made it past the sophomore slump. Alias Lost and Heroes. Jesse was let go from Heroes by NBC execs last winter, but a new regime at The Peacock has given him a green light for a new sci-fi series he's created coming in early 2010, Day One.

Some of the show's details are still under wraps,but Jesse gives us an idea of what the show is about, and discusses the challenges of doing genre fiction in today's network television enviroment.

Jeff is back to get us up to date on the Agents Of Atlas, Exiles, and Dark Reign The Hood For Marvel Comics, and his Wildstorm mini series Mysterius, The Unfathomable.

We also answer your questions, posted at the  Word Balloon Message Board.

Testing my Blackberry in the field, here's the few first minutes of the taping of Around Comics podcast , hosted by Chris Neesman and Tom Katers , joined by fellow Chgo podcasters John Siuntres and DC artist Mike Norton

On this edition of the Word Balloon podcast, writer Brian Wood previews Thursday's release of Northlanders 17. In this self contained story, Wood and artist concurrently weave the elements of a fierce blood match, a History channel style commentary of weaponry and warriors, and a plain speaking narrative that showcases the adventure behind epic poetry. The result is a excellent one-shot that defines the qualities of the series and allowss the curious to jump in to it's unique excitement .

"This story is an overview of as many aspects of Viking warfare as I could fit into a 22 page sword fight...I wanted to slow the pace of the battle...to give it a kinetic Manga style...that's when i could fold in all the technical information, and there's also the story of these two champions in battle...this is where i love working in this format of comics, because you can't really do it anywhere else.If anyone is curious to see what this book is about this a good sample issue.

It's no secret that I do a lot of research, but it's with this issue
where I have reached the glorious tipping point... where I stopped
having to find things in books...but knew the details about weapons I'd need  forthis story."

Wood discusses the challenge of crafting personal stories of the
real people of the age, combing the research of epic Norse mythology with his own dramatic suppositions of character motives and plot conclusions.

"I've kind of figured that formula out.....the poems aren't always very easy to read.  It's like reading Beowulf...reading about them is always more interesting...The next few issues of Northlanders are more stand alone...different voices and radically different context...the next issue, #18  focuses on the wives of slain Vikings, from their point of view...Who really knows what viking wives were thinking about? they weren't considered in the sagas... the histories are epic poems written centuries later...so I really had to tell their story about not being free to be anything, without being chauvinistic ...and I walked a careful line so i don't offend anybody... that's why this book is so fun for me ...cause in every new arc, I can start over again."

We also discuss his other Vertigo series DMZ, and many of his past and future works. Some other quotes from the conversation....

On DMZ...

"DMZ was always meant to run a vertigo length of 70 issues... once i reached that halfway point of 35 to create an end point...what I'd like to do is a few spin-offs on the side to get to what i want to do that are non Matty stories...keep going back to that issue 12 that was written like a magazine and pulling characters out of that.

It took me forever for my subconscious to let me know that Matty is like a blogger, with all their flaws...Not to diss on them, but they're like independent guys like Matty who messes up, and still has to battle the media giants...Ryan Kelly is doing 3 issues of DMZ starting with #42 ...issue 49 is the crazy cliffhanger of the series, which I've been calling The Rise and Fall of Matty Roth ...from 51 to the end it's like the fallout of the events that happen there. "

Wood is writing stories for the second volume of Demo with artist Becky Cloonan
.
"We're on issue 3, but the schedule hasn't been announced yet,  so it won't start till at least January 2010. "

Any future ideas for The Couriers ?

Rob G and I have an agreement that should The Couriers film ever go into production, we'd be fools not to do a sequel. We've read the film script and it's good, but still no director has been attached, so I think it's a way's off."

What's planned for more Local with artist Ryan Kelly?

"Local is a favorite of mine... I do have an idea in my head...we're doing Demo now which is scratching that sort of itch...I feel like I have to something more with Oni again, because they did such a great job with Local. "

Any mainstream/superhero projects in the future?

There is something in the works for DC that I'm halfway done writing...I'm actually worried because people are already talking about it online, and i think that some people are gonna be bummed (laughs)...it's an old book that I love...and have been chasing it for the entire 14 years that I've been in the comics business....I'm also the millionth person to have pitched an Inferior Five idea that was rejected. "

Geoff Johns is juggling 3 Epic stories from DC Comics. We talk about all of them. You'll hear behind the scene details of Flash Rebirth, Green Lantern The Blackest Night, and Legion oF 3 Worlds. You'll hear character discssions of all the major players, from the reborn Flash family to the GL Corps, and previews of what's to come in Adventure Comics and Superman : Secret Origin.


Here are some quotes from the conversation.

Answering the concerns that Johns current portrayal Of Barry Allen is so different from his silver and bronze age characterization.

“Everyone is in a very different place at the beginning of  Flash Rebirth to the end, because I didn’t want to open up with a big Flash parade, and Barry running in with a big smile,. I might as well have started with Flash #1 and we’d be off and running, but there were other emotional explorations with Barry Allen and the Flash team. I wanted to go against expectations and do a 180 on everything. Flash is back, but Barry Allen isn’t…that’s what the story is about.

The great thing about it is it allows me to explore him emotionally... I love the discussion and debates, because I know where this story is going …I remember when we did The Sinestro Corps Wars, and Kyle at the end of the first issue was possessed by Parallax. People went crazy! They couldn’t believe how we could do this (laughs) …and Ethan was saying ‘We should tell them that he’s not going to be Parallax,.’ And I said “No! Let them get riled up, because they should, but we know where this story ends.’ … In Flash Rebirth Barry is searching for the same answers…this story is trying to solve a crime, but Barry is moving much too fast to do that.”

 

On Blackest Night’s further exploration of the multi colored Lantern Corps. “Every one of my artists has brought their own take  on the designs for each of the various corps and characters…Doug Mahnke’s first issue Green Lantern #43 is an all Black Hand issue. It’s one of the creepiest issues you’ll read.”

 

On the upcoming Blackest Night crossover stories, and how this GL story has morphed into a major DCU event.

 

“ Events are just big stories…sometimes there’s a bad connotation to that “event” term…You always want it to be good, and as a writer you want to protect your own story…with Blackest Night there’s just more story potential, so when (The Editors)  wanted to make it bigger and explore it more , it made sense to me, because you’re gonna have DCU characters face dead ones, and Black Lanterns on all sorts of levels…”

On this edition of The Word balloon podcast, a conversatio with the creative team on Supergirl, Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle. They discuss Supergirl, from the recent reveal that Lucy Lane is the new Superwoman, to the death of Zor-El, and the fallout from New Krypton. There's plenty of chracter dissections of Lana Lang, Allura Cat Grant and Kara Zor-El herself, and their views on where all these strong women fit, in this corner of the DC Superverse.

Some quotes from the conversation...

On Lucy Lane/Superwoman's role as Kara's new enemy.

Gates: "I wanted a villain that can act as a Lex Luthor type...when New Krypton
was told to me, I thought it was a master stroke on Geoff (Johns)  and James(Robinson's) part having General Lane be the main bad guy...what great drama you get having Lois's
family be against the Superman family?...There's some more crazy stuff coming up with Superwoman."

On the character designs for the leading women in the series..

Igle: When It comes to Supergirl the very first conversation I had with Matt Idelson He said, 'I don't want to see Supergirl's panties again,' and I agreed ...I think there should be a coy sexiness about her but I don't think it should be as overt as it's been drawn...it just didn't fit my image of what a teenaged Supergirl is supposed to be...she's Superman's cousin, and should be, even by default, sort of a role model to young girls..."

(For Lana's Asian influenced outfits) My wife Corrine works in the fashion industry for a company that does a lot of photo touch ups for Vouge, Cosmo, Louis Viton...
so I get to see all these fashion materials... I was thinking more in terms of something a little eclectic but business like...with Cat, it's all Victoria Secret and Fredrick's of Holywood...the sluttiest dresses I can find (laughs)."

Gates: "I guess that means write more Cat Grant scenes."

On The Death of Zor El

Gates: "Going in, Geoff and James really said we need to upset
things. This can't ne a predictable Superman story and I think the death
of Zor El made New Krypton completley unpredictable, because you realize,
'holy crap, no one is safe.'

Igle: With Supergirl 36, I think that  was one of the highlights for me working on the book
...when I was a teenager I lost a friend to gun violence so I was able to channel
all of those feelings in that opening scene.

Gates: .(Kara) doesn't get to (Zor) for nine pages,and she doesn't have powers, and is running across an open battlefield to get to him before he dies, to either save his life or talk to him one last time.....I lost my father when I was 17 not to violence but a massive heart attack...in those moments when Supergirl is holding Zor-El , and he's says 'I'm proud of
you.',  that was something as I held my father, I wanted him to say,and he couldn't. He was already gone

Given the scene in the Origins and Omens of Lana Lang spitting up some blood
how's her future looking?

"Lana Lang has her own set of problems coming up that we won't come to a head until Supergirl 47."

On Kara's new civilian identity as Lana's niece...

Gates: "Linda Lang is not going away...it kinda got side tracked with all the New Krypton stuff...I was happy to see Linda Lang appear in Superman Batman...as long as it happens elsewhere in the DCU, it's a real thing...We're going to do a story about her in the Supergirl Annual ...that's tenatively called Linda Lang Day One."