WizardWorld Chicago Saturday: Comments

What we Learned and what we Thought about it:

(links courtesy of Newsarama)

HITCH IS A LIAR: MILLAR/HITCH ON FANTASTIC FOUR


It's the 'Misdirection of the Year Award. Checking the previous teasers about the new title, they were always followed by 'Bryan Hitch confirmed it's NOT the Fantastic Four'.

The interview makes me hopeful for a good run, especially saying that they will try new ideas and locales, instead of just bringing back the Frightful Four, Dr Doom and Galactus (mr McDuffie, I'm looking in your general direction).

Who else chuckled at Hitchy proclaiming this will be a monthly? Honestly now... I'll adopt a 'wait and see' attitude here.

What I really hope here is for an actually significant run in terms of sheer issues produced. Millar hasn't stayed on a title for more than 12 issues, other than Ultimate X-Men. The last Fantastic Four writer to give us a significan run was Claremont and it wasn't even a good one. And the last time I seriously enjoyed a Fantastic Four run was Scott Lobdell's three issues of Heroes Reborn.

'Wait and See'


DC'S NEW KIDS COMICS

Right there is the biggest mistake on DC's part. 'Kids' titles, instead of 'All Ages'. Kids don't really like being talked down to. And where are the digest collections to get these comics into their hands anyway. Anyway:

The direct animation-linked comics (JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, TEEN TITANS GO) are being scrapped (amen) and replaced by some new concepts:

TINY TITANS by Art Baltazar (creator of the horridly boring, but cute PATRICK THE WOLF BOY), which again looks too cute to resist, with that distinct mini-Marvels appeal. I'm sure it will do wonders in merchandising.

BILLY BATSON AND THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM by Mike Kunkel (HEROBEAR) which follows thematically from Jeff Smith's excellent recent mini.

SUPER-FRIENDS which actually uses the JLU cast? I'm not going near that.


FRANCIS MANAPUL NEW LEGION ARTIST

A Top Cow alumni to follow up after the super-talented Barry Kitson? Disgraceful I'm sure Leonard Kirk was available and a wiser choice. Manapul is apparently also ditching most of Kitson's designs and replacing them with a mix of old and new in Image 90s style... Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl's costumes say it all. Btw, no Supergirl!


GENNDY TARTAKOVSKY & BLAXPLOITATION LUKE CAGE

The image really says it all here. G.T. is the infamous creator of Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack. Now I'd love to see a Cage cartoon in this style! This is "a new four-issue mini-series that puts Luke Cage at the center of ’70s-style butt-kicking action".

Hey, as long as he has a 'fro and is sporting that tiara, I'm there!


COUNTDOWN: ARENA

A 4-issue mini in the popular 'YOU decide' format. What it is, essentially, is a fan-voted vote between different versions of popular characters from different Elseworlds projects. Like seeing Kingdom Come Superman, versus Superman Red Son and True Brit Superman (just as an example). The winners of the fan voting will win the in-comic battle and make it into Countdown.

It's more 'DC versus Marvel' than Jason Todd, I'm surprised the interviewer didn't bring up that connection instead.


SI SPURRIER ON SILVER SURFER

I met simon in a recent signing in Manchester and he explained just how he pitched this project, putting in every crazy idea he could muster, to make the book completely un-pitchable and unpublishable. Then Marvel green-lit it. It should be fun, I won't spoil anything beforehand.