Oh, hey! REMINDER: Eli Roth today at FP NYC.
I can’t tell you how pumped I am for Eli Roth today, but I wanted to take a moment and say how pumped I am to get my hands on a Quentin Tarantino script.
I’m a bit of a collector of such things. I live down the street from the MET and there is always that vendor in front of the museum selling copies of screenplays. I have copies of personal favorites like The Big Lebowski and The Usual Suspects but not a Tarantino script. I feel like I’m not actually a collector of screenplays until I have a Tarantino script. I’m pumped to meet Roth, because I hear he’s a cool guy and his Hostel films are deliciously violent affairs, but considering this summer has been such a sad sack of really terrible summer movies (the only good ones I’ve seen this summer are District 9 and The Brothers Bloom), I think Basterds is the last chance for a genuine quality summer movie. When I say summer movie, I mean fun, and face it: while Tarantino really hasn’t had a movie of the caliber of his early work, he does know how to make enjoyable, fun summer movies.
So, with today’s signing from 4-5pm, I hope I get the chance to talk to Roth about working with Tarantino and hopefully have some photos and some quotes.
Keep it locked here for post signing discussion, and make sure you get in line early to meet the director of Hostel.
Playboy previews Vertigo Crime Comics out this week.
With books like “Criminal” and Darwyn Cooke’s adaptation of a Richard Stark novel, and Jason Aaron’s “Scalped” Vertigo Comics is starting to produce their own crime line of comics. Announced at SDCC, the Crime Line will feature works from Ian Rankin, Brian Azzarello,and Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba. Playboy has an online feature previewing the first two books coming out this week.
Azzarello’s book “Filthy Rich” is described by Vertigo:
Richard “Junk” Junkin has always lived on the wrong side of trouble. A former pro football star whose career was cut short by injury (and a nasty gambling problem), Junk now spends his time dreaming of what might have been, selling cars in Jersey and lusting after the boss’s unbelievably spoiled, unbelievably sexy and unbelievably rich daughter, Victoria. So when the boss asks him to be Victoria’s personal bodyguard while she tears up the New York City club scene, Junk leaps at the chance. But before long, he’s finds that Victoria wants a lapdog and not a chaperone, someone who’s going to do all of her dirty work—all of it—someone who wants to get filthy rich…
I’ve read a preview of this book. It has this glorious “Sin City” like lighting to it and Azzarello’s acid-tipped tongue that became a morsel of delicious nasty language in “100 Bullets” will put this book on the top of my list.
Ian Rankin, best selling crime novelist has a Crime Line book starring Vertigo’s longest running character, John Constantine, in “Dark Entries”.
Occult detective John Constantine has seen his share of strange things in his career, but nothing could prepare him for the horrors of…reality television. “Haunted Mansion” is currently the hottest show on tv, but when the macabre house actually starts attacking the contestants, Constantine is hired to be the ultimate mole. Locked inside with a cast of wannabe-celebrities, his every move being monitored by a deadly figure from his past, Constantine must figure out who (or what) is pulling the strings before he gets cancelled—permanently.
I don’t know, I’d like to see something other than Constantine thrown into a House on Haunted Hill scenario for a reality television program. I guess if there was some cool satire going on with the stars of this Reality TV program being takes on programs like Jon and Kate Plus Eight, or some of those vapid losers from NYC Prep getting killed gruesomely than I think I’d check it out.
Both books come out this Wednesday, August 19.
Azzarello talks Doc Savage.
With comics version of “The Wire” sadly over in the form of “100 Bullets”, Brian Azzarello has been keeping busy. With a weekly installment of Batman comics in Wednesday Comics, and coming out this week an installment to Vertigo’s Crime Line, titled “Filthy Rich”.
Coming in November he’s going to re-introduce Doc Savage to comics.
Doc Savage was originally created in 1933 by Street and Smith Publications editors Henry Ralston, John Nanovic and Lester Dent. They published 181 issues of “Doc Savage” magazine from 1933 to 1949. Dent, the original writer, said the character was a combination of Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan and Abe Lincoln.
Azzarello’s restart will open as a One-Shot coming in November with Phil Noto on art, and co-star Batman. Following that it will continue into a mini-series, drawn by Rags Morales.
Azzarello gives Comic Book Resources a look into his reimagination :
Will the “Batman/Doc Savage” one-shot stand alone or does it roll into what you’re doing with Rags Morales in the series?
It will roll in but it’s definitely going to stand on its own. We’re setting up the rules that we’re going to play by.
So if Batman exists in this world does Superman?
Batman, yes. Superman, no. The world that we’re creating has no superpowers.
Is Bruce Wayne Batman in this world?
Yes.
Was a world without superpowers one of your stipulations for taking on this project?
Dan came to me because he wanted that kind of world. The pinnacle of humanity in this world is Doc Savage. He’s top of the food chain.
I like the fact that its set strictly in a world where there are no super powers, and it has a timeless sensibility. I’m not going to say: “there aren’t enough comics set that way anymore” but then I’d be wrong. When was the last time you saw Hal Jordan use a cell phone or anything?
Go Look: Amanda Palmer Signing @ FPI Edinburgh
Joe Gordon, he of the fantastic Forbidden Planet International Blog, has photos and video up this morning from the Edinburgh store’s signing with Amanda Palmer. You might remember Amanda from such books as, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, a collaborative photo book featuring Neil Gaiman and a host of other talented folks.
We had a great turnout for Amanda Palmer’s visit to the Edinburgh FPI store. Edinburgh right now is in its annual Festival mode — basically the biggest arts festival in the world is running here and if you’ve never experienced it you’d struggle to imagine how insanely busy it is here right now. Its mad, its crowded but there’s a great buzz on the streets and yesterday we added to the crowds and the energy with a great line of folks waiting in the sun to come in and see Amanda, who entertained us all with a suitably sc-fi-themed song on her ukulele to kick off proceedings.
And because you kids like the pretty moving pictures:
There’s also some more photos from the well-attended event here at FPI’s Flickr page.
2009 Hugo Award Winners.
Presented in Montreal over the weekend, Science Fiction’s version of The Eisners or The Oscars with toastmasters Julie Czerneda, and translation by Yves Meynard. Presented below here are all the award winners:
- Best Novel: The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins; Bloomsbury UK)
- Best Novella: “The Erdmann Nexus”, Nancy Kress (Asimov’s Oct/Nov 2008)
- Best Novelette: “Shoggoths in Bloom”, Elizabeth Bear (Asimov’s Mar 2008)
- Best Short Story: “Exhalation”, Ted Chiang (Eclipse Two)
- Best Related Book: Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: A Decade of Whatever, 1998-2008, John Scalzi (Subterranean Press)
- Best Graphic Story: Girl Genius, Volume 8: Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones, Written by Kaja & Phil Foglio, art by Phil Foglio, colors by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)
- Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: WALL-E Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter, story; Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon, screenplay; Andrew Stanton, director (Pixar/Walt Disney)
- Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Joss Whedon, & Zack Whedon, & Jed Whedon, & Maurissa Tancharoen, writers; Joss Whedon, director (Mutant Enemy)
- Best Editor Short Form: Ellen Datlow
- Best Editor Long Form: David G. Hartwell
- Best Professional Artist: Donato Giancola
- Best Semiprozine: Weird Tales, edited by Ann VanderMeer & Stephen H. Segal
- Best Fan Writer: Cheryl Morgan
- Best Fanzine: Electric Velocipede edited by John Klima
- Best Fan Artist: Frank Wu
And the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (presented by Dell Magazines): David Anthony Durham
Congratulations to Mr. Gaiman, Mr. Scalzi, Mr. Stanton, and the Whedon family. In our honest opinion, you all can’t get enough awards.