Death visited the industry again this week. Many a site has paid tribute to Rory Root, as well they should. I could include a quote or two, but really Mr. Parkin did a nice collection earlier this week, you should find a great sampling that pays fine tribute to a rare individual. Rory was all about celebrating comics, so it is in that spirit that I instead open with a quote from a kind-natured bull who loves good comics.

“… three years ago today, May 25, 2005, yours little stuffed truly sat down at the keyboard and tentatively typed my first entry in this blog, a review of Spider-Man #520 and other comics of the week, a Spidey issue that didn’t hint of an armored Spider-suit, a public unmasking, a deal with the devil and a universal reset. Ah, those were the days.”
- Bully celebrating his third anniversary (aka “Thirdiversary”).

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An important character reveal was made in the pages of this week’s Robin. Naturally, this is quite the spoiler, so consider yourself warned.

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In this week’s Cup o’ Joe, Marvel’s editor in chief devotes the whole column to reader questions. He also shares preview art for Daredevil:The End, Eye of the Camera and a Devil Slayer makeover (above) that’s due in September.

–Michael O’Hearn, who plays “Titan” on NBC’s American Gladiators, told Dr. Drew that he was reading for the part of Captain America next week. He also mentioned it to reporter Kate O’Hare with Zap2It:

I also got a call for ‘Captain America.’ At this stage, I just want to be a part of it. Before this, I did the bodybuilding, the fitness covers, the romance-novel covers, and that was great. I’ve done some shows and TV, it’s all great, but this is such a different league.

To hear what other projects he’s reading for, check out the May 22 Dr. Drew show … he mentions Cap and some other projects around the one hour, six minutes mark. (Thanks Jason).

–MTV.com has a clip from the upcoming Incredible Hulk film, featuring the Hulk versus a helicopter, with Betty Ross stuck in the middle.

–Variety reports that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opened to a strong-but-not-record-breaking $25 million yesterday. The film scored the fourth best Thursday opening ever, after Revenge of the Sith, The Matrix Reloaded and Attack of the Clones.

Congrats to former comics journalist/blogger Ian Brill, who has joined BOOM! Studios, according to a press release sent out by the company today:

BOOM! Studios announced today the appointment of Ian Brill to the role of Games Workshop Editor. Bringing heavy experience in writing and editing, Mr. Brill will helm BOOM!’s Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000 and Blood Bowl line of comics while providing steady leadership and unique insight to the expanding BOOM! catalog as the company continues its explosive growth.

“Ian has an unparalleled devotion for comics that makes him ideal to work at BOOM!,” said Ross Richie, the company’s co-founder and CEO. “Coming from comic book journalism, Ian has a unique vantage point that has allowed him to see every part of the comic business, and this, hands down, makes him one of the best-suited people in the industry today to make the jump to an editorial position.”

“I’m thrilled to see what ideas Ian will bring to the table,” said Mark Waid, BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief. “BOOM! continues to bring in top talent with various backgrounds, which gives us a cutting edge in what used to be a two-company market.”

Ian Brill started working on the other side of the comics business, writing article after article for The Comics Journal, Publishers Weekly and Newsarama. A graduate of San Francisco State University with a B.A. in English Literature, Brill is no stranger to writing and editing. Mr. Brill now takes his love of comics to BOOM! where he will oversee the bestselling Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000 and Blood Bowl line of comic books, licensed from Games Workshop.

Now I get the move to L.A. …

Clifford Meth announces on his blog the first round of auctions to benefit ailing comics legend Gene Colan. While most of the auctions are being conducted on Meth’s site, there’s one on eBay for the original art shown above by Jon Haward.

SF Crow’s Nest reports that fantasy author Robert Asprin passed away yesterday in his home in New Orleans.

He’s probably best known for his MythAdventures series of novels, which featured the adventures of a young human magician named Skeeve and his mentor, the reptilian Aahz. Phil Foglio drew the covers and illustrations for many of the novels, and also adapted the first one into comic series for WARP back in the 1980s. Asprin also worked with Jim Valentino on a comic that took place before the first and second novels.

In addition, Asprin edited the Thieves’ World anthologies, which took place in a shared world.

According to the MythAdventures website, he was working on several new projects and was set to be a guest at this weekend’s Marcon convention.

Per one of his studio mates at Periscope, Sea Freak is “’the tale of an atomic sea mutant in 1962 with a hunger for poetry and a taste for human flesh.’ The story is creepy and funny and compelling, and the art is drop-dead gorgeous. See if you don’t find yourself wondering, as we all have here at Periscope, how the hell can a guy’s very first work be this insanely good?”

Check out the first chapter here.

The Last Musketeer by Jason, Fantagraphics Books, $12.95.

This may well be my favorite of Jason’s works yet, and considering how highly I esteem books like The Left Bank Gang and I Killed Adolph Hitler, that’s high praise indeed.

For those unfamiliar with his work, the Norweigan artist known as Jason primarily toils in the realm of genre mash-ups. Why Are you Doing This is an ode to Hitchcock with an existential bent. The Living and the Dead is a zombie pastiche. Meow Baby offers comedic takes on various horror and sci-fi icons. The only book that really avoids easy genre classification is the emotionally powerful Hey Wait, which served as his American debut and to an extent left some readers (at least those disdainful of genre trappings) with a sense of unfulfilled expectations ever since. (more…)

On Marvel’s Spider-Office blog, Editor Steve Wacker announces the departures this week of Associate Editor Molly Lazer and Assistant Editor Aubrey Sitterson.

Lazer is leaving to attend graduate school, while Sitterson has been hired as a digital content writer for World Wrestling Entertainment.

After a lengthy deliberation, Macomb County, Mich., Circuit Judge James Biernat this morning upheld the jury’s conviction of retailer and convention organizer Michael George in the 1990 murder of his first wife Barbara.

Defense attorney Carl Marlinga had argued that the evidence wasn’t sufficient for the March 17 conviction of his client on charges of first-degree murder, felony firearm, insurance fraud and obtaining money from an insurance agency under false pretenses.

George faces life in prison without parole.

Update: The Detroit Free Press has more extensive coverage, including quotes from attorneys and Barbara George’s family.

I’ve been meaning to post this for the past week, but between technical problems and a sieve-like memory, I didn’t get around to it. Until now: Bully provides a terrific overview of James Bond book covers through the years. There’s some wonderful work represented, but those most recent covers by Michael Gillette for Penguin are just amazing.

• Hero, Perry Moore‘s well-received young-adult novel about the world’s first gay superhero, may be heading to television. Moore says the live-action series has received offers from two networks: “It’s not campy either — it’s not The Gayest American Hero. He just happens to be gay. It’s just one of the many things he wrestles with.” [Vulture]

• The June 9 episode of NBC’s American Gladiators will be Hulk-themed to promote The Incredible Hulk movie, which opens four days later. Lou Ferrigno, who played the Hulk in the ’70s TV series, will guest star. In addition, 1,000 pairs of Hulk Hands will be given to audience members, and be worn by gladiators as they compete in the Gauntlet. The arena’s water, lighting and, well, pretty much everything else will be turned green for the episode. NBC Universal owns the television network and Universal Pictures, which is producing The Incredible Hulk with Marvel Studios. [The Hollywood Reporter]

• Sony Pictures has renewed its movie rights to the Spider-Man franchise, which means we could see a fourth installment in 2010 or 2011. [IESB]

• Peter Cuneo confirms that Marvel Studios won’t make any R-rated movies. That’s not necessarily the case with films made in partnership with other studios, though. [IESB]

• Hellboy II‘s viral-marketing campaign — Humans for the Ethical Treatment of Fairies, Elves and Trolls — goes commercial, with T-shirts, coffee mugs, buttons and the like. [Underwire]

• New webcomics for NBC’s Heroes will debut this summer, and will feature some new characters. [ComicMix]

• Want to see more scans of the cast from the Dragonball live-action movie? Yeah, me neither. [Topless Robot]

• Then how about a first look at Kristin Kreuk as Chun-Li in Street Fighter? [First Showing]

New York Magazine’s Vulture blog has an excerpt from Hope Larson’s Chiggers, which comes out in June from Simon & Schuster.

On his LiveJournal, Brian Wood asks a “purely, 110% hypothetical, not based on anything real or actual” question that relates to the never-ending “trades vs. monthlies” debate:

Let’s suppose a book like DMZ stopped coming out monthly and instead you got a 150-page original graphic novel every seven months or so, same production values as the trades, same everything as the trades. But obviously the cover price would have to go up…

So how much would you pay for it? What’s the highest that price tag could be before you decide it’s too expensive to buy it?

Most of the responses fall in the $15-20 range.

As an aside in the comments, he later says, “I throw my singles away when I’m done (or rather, I recycle them). Like newspapers or magazines. Much healthier that way.” Just out of curiosity, does anyone toss out their comics when they’re done with them? I don’t, but I’ve read more than my far share of ones I should have recycled.

I got this a few times in my email box yesterday, but I’m still scratching my head over what the big deal is … earlier this month I (and others) posted about The New Yorker‘s monthly caption contest featuring a Jack Kirby monster:

Now the New York Post has a story up about a university professor from Wisconsin calling the New Yorker out on swiping from the King:

Thomas Lammers, a professor at the University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh, said he thought the cartoon looked familiar.

He then dug out the original from his collection, which had the same monster as the New Yorker cartoon and the same background.

He said he e-mailed the magazine about the similarities two weeks ago, but never heard back. He said the editors “probably had no idea what the source” of the image was when they saw the cartoon, but the lack of any credit to Kirby in the piece stuck in his craw.

Jeff Trexler, which is where I first heard about the homage, comments on the contention:

My initial take still holds. PR folderol aside, those who needed to know that this was an homage knew that it was an homage, which is why the artist & key editors aren’t being sacked. If Lammers had done his homework, he’d have connected the dots–the image is one of the most famous of the genre; the artist is a respected cartoonist with record of comics homages, and the New Yorker’s graphics editorial has strong comics connections & is quite familiar with Kirby’s work.

As does Mark Evanier :

I cannot speak for Mr. Kirby but I seriously doubt Jack would have considered this to be plagiarism. It’s one drawing put into a new, funny context. It’s also an obvious and famous drawing (I included it in my book) and it’s not like Mr. Bliss could have expected everyone would have thought it was his design. The joke in the visual is that it contrasts so totally with his own style.

On the other hand, Evanier points out that the New Yorker is guilty of something — not picking any funny caption finalists. (You’ll also note that they’ve added a “after Jack Kirby” credit under the image).

So what say you, comic fandom? Was the New Yorker in the wrong, or was the homage obvious enough for those familiar with the King’s work? And can you come up with a better caption? I’m sure you can.

Is there a new Marvel/DC comic on the horizon? Brian Michael Bendis is hinting at something on his board:

wizard world chicago! i will be there! will there be a panel called BENDIS VS. JOHNS?? what does that mean?? i’d so go to that!!

will there be big announcements in WIZCHI? yes!! really big? could be!

Hmmm.

If it’s Thursday, it must mean we have new Batman Gotham Knight images. These are from the chapter titled “Crossfire,” which is written by Greg Rucka …

Detective Crispus Allen (left) discusses his distrust of Batman with Lieutenant Gordon as a flock of bats passes the windows.

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It’s a good thing that Final Crisis is taking a month off. Otherwise, we’d have solicitations for its first four issues before issue #1 has even hit shops.

Of course, it’s not like FC won’t be represented in August, so let’s see what else is on tap from DC….

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Archaia Studios Press, which stumbled with its release schedule after announcing two big waves of new titles, revealed yesterday that it’s restructuring following the departure of co-publisher Aki Liao “for personal reasons.”

Founded in 2002 by Mark Smylie as a home for his epic fantasy Artesia, ASP later grew to include books like the steampunk-samurai-Western Robotika, the anthropomorphic fantasy Mouse Guard and the historical tale The Lone and Level Sands – all well-received. The publisher also released reprints of popular European comics The Killer and Okko: The Cycle of Water.

Then in March 2007, ASP announced a dozen new titles, followed last month by eight more.

“Our growth in the last year has clearly strained our workflow capacity,” co-publisher Smylie said in yesterday’s press release. “Lateness has historically been a problem with many creator-driven and creator-owned titles, but our own workflow issues have exacerbated the situation. We are as frustrated with our struggle to get books out on time as, I’m sure, are our readers, and we want to make sure we come out of the reorganization with a better workflow and solicitation process model. So while there will be some further delays in the release of recently solicited titles as we restructure, we also want to make sure we emerge in the next few months from our reorganization with a release schedule that we can hit on a regular basis, as guaranteed as possible. We can only ask that our many supporters, retailers and fans alike, be patient with us during this time.”

The announcement brought a swift reaction from writer Brandon Thomas, whose Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury debuted in February from ASP.

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