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… Is one of the creators who got me back into comics after a long hiatus back in the late 90s.

He used to write and draw a book called ‘the 10th’ which may be better remembered than read as it comes off a little cheesy these days. But in the mid-late 90s I thought it was one of the best things I’d seen in a while.

Anyway, it didn’t do well enough for him to keep doing it and eventually he started drawing for DC where he worked on the Teen Titans and most recently, Batman.

Last month he started writing a short, but major, story arc for DC called Batman, Battle for the Cowl.

This was met with much public scorn. Tony Daniel hasn’t written comics for one of the major companies. In addition, the writer who left, the guy Tony is replacing, a guy named Grant Morrison, is one of the most popular comic writers around period.

I was so excited that Tony was writing again I actually went to the comic shop and bought a floppy for the first time in months (I’m mostly a trade reader).

Anyway, he had been keeping a blog for his fans at blogger. He apparently posted an image with spoiler text accidentally and had to immediately take it down. Before he took it down the contents were duplicated and posted by another blogger.

Since then he has removed his blog entirely.

Just wanted to say ‘bye’ to Tony’s blog. I really enjoy his work, and I liked feeling he wanted to keep up with his fans.

See ya around.

PS This is the image with the text blurred because Tony obviously wanted to show the image, but didn’t want to show the text.

-Alan

So, I checked out Dollhouse last week and I have to say I’m hooked and scared.  This show is so original, has so much potential, and has been cast so well that I’m scared that Fox will cancel it next week. Whedon has a great concept here and I’ve been trying to rack my little brain to find something to compare it to.  But the best I can come up with so far are the movies Brainstorm and Strange Days.  But actually those movies don’t really even come close to the Dollhouse concept.  I’m sure there is something out there that I’m either forgetting or that I just haven’t seen yet, but Dollhouse seems like a very original idea and I think there are a ton of places Joss Whedon can go with it.  The weird thing is I didn’t think the first episode was all that spectacular, but I’m in love with the idea behind the show.  One thing’s for sure…we’re going to see exactly how good of an actress Eliza Dushku is as she is forced to change her character from week to week.  Her acting may make or break this entire series. What I’m scared about is that people won’t keep up with the story each week or simply won’t understand what is going on if the overarching plot becomes complicated.  And it’s hard to believe that things won’t get complicated very quickly in the Dollhouse. I’m suggesting this show to anybody and everybody with the hope that 20% find it as intriguing as I do and stick with it.

Chuck Dixon seems pretty upset.

Dixon, primarily responsible for the grimmest and grittiest version of ‘in continuity’ Batman I’ve ever seen (Detective comics 1992-99), recently wrote an essay (you can read it at http://dixonverse.net/blog/?p=38) where he bemoans the current creator trend of exploiting the ‘grim and gritty’ in comics, explaining most classic creators had no such dark visions when these characters were imagined. He goes on to describe the creators who utilize this tactic as bereaved of imagination. His exact words: “Largely, the creators have eschewed plot for characterization. They want to explore what makes the character work and have that be what drives the stories.”

In addition to all this he calls us (comic readers) “…increasingly cynical fans who fancy themselves critics”.

Well, this ‘critic’ has a few thoughts.

When I came back to comics in the late 90s I excitedly purchased most of Dixon’s Nightwing run. A longtime fan of the Wolfman/Perez New Teen Titans, where Dick Grayson was finally allowed to grow up and become his own person, I was horrified by Dixon’s interpretation of the character. Dixon turned what was once my favorite character into ‘Batman light’. No one, not even Wolfman himself, has been able to undo the damage done to Dick Grayson by Chuck Dixon.

Furthermore, over the last decade I have found Chuck Dixon the author of nearly every DC book in which I was let down by characterization.

Additionally, Dixon’s complaints seems a little late. After all, the ‘grim and gritty’ infiltrating comics was something of a 90s phenomenon. The tide turned shortly before the release of Kingdom Come (1996) which was a commentary on comic heroes if that trend continued. While I agree with Dixon that some characters have become unnecessarily dark, in my opinion comics have never been better.

This forces me to conclude that Dixon’s essay is more a statement of frustration than a serious attempt to help solve ‘the problem’. Dixon’s departure from DC comics is shrouded in mystery. The online rumors have to do with malcontent on Dixon’s part related to RIP and Final Crisis. While I can certainly understand if that is the case, I for one, was happy to see him go, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the current flock of DC creators have in store.

That having been said, I would add that I’ve heard a number of good reviews on Dixon’s work at IDW, specifically, The Vanishers. It sounds fascinating. Not to mention his Wildstorm project, Storming Paradise with artist Butch Guice. Perhaps, untempered by previously established continuity, Dixon has finally found his calling. I will pick up a copy, in hopes of a better Dixon.

-Alan

I’ve been listening to a podcast novel called Sundered by Raphael Tehan for several months now.  The novel hasn’t technically begun yet, but the author is setting up the main novel with a series of short stories/preludes that have really caught my attention.  Now, I have to admit that Raphael has become a good friend of the Legion podcast, but his stories have really kept me wanting more each week.  The key word there is “KEPT”.  He has had some trouble getting out episodes on a regular schedule (a little problem with real life issues getting in the way of podcasting), but I think Raphael is back on track again and has been keeping his listeners up-to-date for when the next episodes will be released. So, what is Sundered all about?  Instead of giving an overview I think I’ll just direct you to Raphael’s website: http://sunderednovel.com/.   Give the entire first short story, “Traits”, a listen (there are two parts to it) and I think you’ll find yourself intrigued enough to listen to the second even better story called “Steel Drum.”  The podcasts are free of course and I’ve been pretty impressed with the first two short stories.

Check it out, Brian

Just caught the news that Fables, the Vertigo series by Bill Willingham, is possibly headed to ABC in the Fall.

My first problem with this was that Fables is kind of edgy, and I can’t see it playing well on ABC as opposed to a cable network.

My second problem is that one of the two main writers for the TV series at ABC is Raven Metzner, the writer of 2005’s Elektra: The Motion Picture.

Wait till Chip and Scotty hear about this…