Per Variety, Paul Pope’s Battling Boy graphic novel for First Second has been optioned by Paramount. Brad Pitt’s Plan B will produce the adaptation.

Here’s the description of the book that Variety provides:

Gritty tale centers on the son of a god or superhero who comes down from the top of a mountain at his father’s behest in order to rid a giant city of monsters.

I guess they’re kind of unsure about the plot. They also report that the graphic novel will finally be published … in 2010. Which is just way too far away.

The author of the acclaimed book Alan’s War shows you how he drew the blessed thing.

Related: Cory Doctrow reviews the book over at Boing Boing.

On his blog, Paul Pope teases us with art from a staggering 50-page fight scene from his much-anticipated First Second graphic novel Battling Boy.

“In Batman Year 100, I had room for a couple of long fight sequences,” Pope writes, “but I felt cramped even with 200 pages. This fight scene from Battling Boy alone is about 50 pages. It’s liberating to have no page restrictions. I wish Kirby could’ve had 50 pages for one fight scene, imagine what he would’ve done. … The extended cinematic sequence is one of the best gifts we’ve inherited from manga.”

Nick Bertozzi has a few sample pages up on his LiveJournal page from his next graphic novel that he’s working on with Colbert Show writer and producer Glenn Eichler. Titled Stuffed, the comic will see print next year from First Second and, according to Bertozzi, “it’s about racism.”

– Kai-Ming Cha looks at First Second’s plans for the upcoming Prince of Persia book.

– Wil Moss talks to Comics Foundry masterminds Tim Leong and Laura Hudson.

– RedOrbit talks with British cartoonist Posey Simmonds about her latest graphic novel, Tamara Drewe. I just read an advance copy by the way and it’s excellent. Keep an eye out for it come September.

– Paul Levitz discusses digital comics with Laura Hudson.

– John K. finds wrinkles hard to draw.

– Bob Levin on the problem of keeping yourself out of your story. Or not as the case may be.

– Ted May ponders the whole “death of the indie pamphlet” issue.

On his blog, Derek Kirk Kim says that he’s completed The Eternal Smile, a book he’s been working on with American Born Chinese creator Gene Yang:

As I mentioned before, this book is my collaboration with Gene Yang. Gene writing, me illustrating. This project has consumed my life for the past year, leaving little room for anything else. (As I’m sure you’ve noticed from this vacant website.) I worked my ass off on this book and I think I can safely say it’s the best artwork I’ve ever done in a comic. Okay, that’s not saying much, but still. (That’s a full page panel from the book above.) But even better, the three stories that make up this book are some of the best pieces of fiction Gene has ever written, in my opinion. It was an honor to be drawing for Gene. Being that this book is Gene’s follow-up to his towering masterpiece, “American Born Chinese,” I’ll be even more honored to ride his coattails.

Kim says the book will be published by First Second next spring.