Posted 26/04/2004
Source CBR
by Jonah Weiland

For years the only consistent producer of horror comics in the industry was Brian Pulido. Through his Chaos Comics, Pulido published a wide variety of horror comics filled with colorful characters. He's probably best known for the characters Lady Death and Evil Ernie. Today, horror comics have found a new audience and Brian Pulido hopes those fans will embrace his new work. Beginning later this year, Pulido returns to the world of horror comics with four new creations of his own published through Avatar Press. Pulido spoke with CBR News about his new creations.

First up from Pulido this September are two new titles, "Belladonna" and "Killer Gnomes." Speaking about "Belladonna," Pulido said, "['Belladonna is] set in Wexford Ireland around 950 AD. Colleen MacGrath was to wed Donovan O'Connor and bring together two powerful Irish families and unite Ireland. Instead all their hopes and dreams are laid to waste by marauding Vikings. A year later on Samhain, Morrigan the Celtic goddess forces Colleen to rise up as Belladonna and claim vengeance for all the Celtic people!" "Belladonna" is a five-issue series with art by Clint Hillinski, featuring an alternate cover by Ron Adrian, and a wraparound and premum cover by Hillinski. If things had gone as originally planned, Pulido told CBR News that "Belladonna" wouldn't have actually had her own title. "For Belladonna, I wanted to create a character who could stand up to Lady Death. Originally I conceived her to appear in a continuing adventure of 'Lady Death; a Medieval Tale,' but the character of Colleen MacGrath took on a life of her own and demanded her own story. Once I settled on the time and place, the story - a revenge story - emerged."

Also in September is the one-shot "Killer Gnomes," with art by Eddy Barrows. This book features a regular and wrap-around cover. "As the story goes, life is going along pretty good for Brad and Penny until the day Brad went to the newly opened nursery on the edge of town," said Pulido. "While there, he bought a smiling garden gnome. Brad hoped he would protect their garden. But Brad didn't know the nursery hid a deadly secret about the gnomes and their diabolical owner. What started out as an innocent present turns into a deadly, relentless nightmare as the Killer gnome takes protecting the garden to the extreme." "Killer Gnomes" is based on a screenplay Pulido wrote for a short horror film he directed called "There's Something Out There." "This isn't simply an adaptation, it is an expansion of the story," continued Pulido. "The movie leaves several key questions unanswered by design. The comic serves as a template for a feature film version of the story."

Later this year Avatar will publish Pulido's "Unholy," with art by Di Amorim. A preview of the book will be available this September. "Unholy" is set in the seediest parts of modern day Detroit, about a non-believer, rebellious teen named Penny. After Penny is murdered, she's "drafted" by God to be His assassin. As a fallen angel, she finds herself caught in a shadow war waged on city streets, in plain clothes, between Heaven and Hell. Her only allies are a hard-as-nails dominatrix named Victoria Black, an ex-mod hit man named Scalzo and an alcoholic priest named O'Connor. With friends like these, indeed. "I want to make an over-the-top, blasphemous, big budget action film on paper. That's why I created 'Unholy,'" said Pulido. "Big budget films have squeaky clean heroes. I want to find out what happens when the person you least expect is given the hero's role.

"For 'Unholy,' I knew right away I wanted to set it in a present day city. I've visited Detroit quite a few times. It is a tough town and fit the tone of the series. "I suggest this series for lapsed Catholics," added Pulido. Next up, in early 2005, Pulido is set to launch "Gypsy," with art by Paulo Sequeira. A preview of this book will also be available this September. The series focuses on two gypsy thieves named Antoinette and Liza, who love to trick townspeople out of their money and belongings, as gypsies are want to do. Things stop going smoothly for the duo once a were-beast terrorizes the town and the mayor blames the gypsies for the problems, convinced they were the ones harboring the beast. It gets worse when Antoinette is attacked herself.

"This is a story of two sisters," Pulido said. "In a harsh uncaring world bent on modernization, they have each other and they have their gypsy ways . Oh yeah, one of them has supernatural powers to begin with, but I'm not telling which one. For 'Gypsy,' I was looking for a time where a country was in flux between ancient traditions and embracing industrialization. England in the late 1800's did the trick."

When Pulido sat down to create these new series, his intention was to craft stories that would appeal to the Chaos Comics! Fan base. "These series are similar in tone to my first series of my major creations like Lady Death, Purgatori or Chastity," said Pulido. "After I launched each series I turned the reigns over to other writers. That won't be happening on these series. I learned that the fans want the guy who started the character out or not at all. Also I'm making sure the series stick to their genre and don't spill all over the place into other genres."

As has been widely reported, horror comics once again play an important role in the world of comics. With the work of Steve Niles, Ben Templesmith, Robert Kirkman and others blazing new ground in horror, interest is higher than ever. While Pulido's work differs from the three previously mentioned writers, he's loath to paint himself with a single brush.

"I don't see myself in any given place. I'm just expressing myself. I love horror and have written a fair share of horror comics like the first Evil Ernie series or later Evil Ernie mini-series like the Trauma storyline or 'Pieces of Me' one shot, but truthfully a lot of my stuff take bits and pieces from a lot of different genres and mixes it up. "I've been influenced by horror, action and cult movies, Jack Kirby's Fourth World, Kamandi, Marshall Law, Warlock 5, Jim Starlin cosmic comics, Simonson's Thor. It is a bizarre and diverse group of influences, but I can see them on the page. The first Lady Death series, 'The Reckoning' was a straight forward fantasy with horror elements. The second series 'Between Heaven and Hell' even had a touch of super heroic in there. It's not like the characters were acting heroically, but Lady Death and Purgatori had big, super hero battles. Even later in the series 'Lady Death: The Crucible,' the story was a combination of epic adventure and disaster movie genre."

When Pulido relaunched "Lady Death" as part of CGE, the sex appeal of the title character was toned down for mainstream audiences. Pulido explained that these books are aimed squarely at fans who liked the style of the old days.

"It is not like my feelings have changed. With the CGE 'Lady Death' we agreed on the direction and given that doing 'mainstream' comics was edgy to me, I was and am all for it. It's been a terrific experiment. I love writing the series. I believe people reading the current 'Lady Death' will enjoy 'Belladonna' and 'Gypsy.' They are fantasy stories. Unholy is a big budget action film with a rock n roll sensibility. These books are different. Boobs and blood and blasphemy are part of the game here. But don't get the wrong impression. Just because the ladies are well built, they are not victims. They are very much in charge. We are taking the same liberties with the female form that mainstream super hero creators take with the male form. Do people complain about the size of Hulk's biceps or Superman's chest or for the fact the Superman wears his underwear on the outside of his clothes? A couple of our gals are over proportioned. I have no apologies for that. I notice that the guys who complain about this - the male feminists - are the same guys who spend too much time in the bathroom with Maxim Magazine, you know what I mean?"

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Given the fact that I've seen the Andrew Lloyd Webber Musical 3 times now, when I heard they had tapped Joel "Batnipples" Schumaker to direct Phantom as a movie, I was a little worried.

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Personally, the trailer is AWESOME! I'm completely blown away by it and can't wait until Christmas to see it.

Oh, and I've watched the trailer upteen times now!

First off, I want to make this very clear. If you plan on discussing anything by Michael Moore, prepare to fan the flames of controversy.

My personal opinion of Moore is that he's a liberal hack looking to make every other liberal out there look like the gutter trash he comes off as. His speech at the Oscars 2003 completely turned me off from even wanting to see Bowling for Columbine. Now he comes forward with Fahrenheit 9/11. Touchy subject, perfect material for Moore.

All this film is, is Moore's chance to take potshots at the President. Same thing he did at the Oscars. The guy has a big mouth, a very big mouth. They'll give anyone a camera won't they?

Now, not that I agree with anything the President has done or will do throughout his remaining time as President. But...he IS the President. That affords him a certian amount of respect even if you don't agree with his views and ideas and the things he has done. Moore's stance on Bush is a slap in the face to every person who's been overseas in the military dealing with the daily bombings in Iraq and scouring Afgahanstan. But he claims to care for the troops? Hello? You talk smack about someone's boss and expect the people who are putting their lives on the line daily for his belief to accept you?

Let's see what Moore could do as President? If he thinks he's such a better person than GW, then let's see him run the country into the ground as well.

And just a disclaimer...-I'm a democrat. I didn't vote for Bush, I'm not endorsing Bush or anything like that. I am however, a staunch supporter of my country and my beliefs. When someone who lives here, takes advantage of the great things this country has to offer, then makes a film like this? It makes me want to just ship the guy off somewhere... far away...like in a rocket...

Thought I would finally post these images. I have been messing with them on and off since I first created Liath. You may recognise them from some of the banners I created.

Just for your interest the original Sketch was by Joe Maduriera of a character that featured in Battle Chasers. I inked it in PSP (altering some of the elements as I did) and then added all the leathers etc.

Posted 24/06/2004
Source The Pulse

BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO
This summer the world of Spider-Man heats up. Not only is Spidey the star of his second major motion picture, but a summer event, Sins Past is raging through the Amazing Spider-Man series. Although tight-lipped we got a few details from writer J. Michael Straczynski about this tale.

THE PULSE: It's been several years since we've seen a massive Spider-Man crossover. What interested you about taking on a project of this scope?
J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI: It's not really a crossover, though it will have impact beyond these five issues. There's a follow-up story planned for one of the other titles, and there will certainly be a new character available and running around to be used, but it's not a crossover situation per se.

THE PULSE: Which "past sins" are coming back to haunt Spider-Man now?
STRACZYNSKI: That would be telling. In broad strokes: we all have secrets, we all do things that come back to haunt us, sometimes without our knowing we've done them, other times from someone we knew and trusted. As secrets go, this one is a biggie, and a pretty dark one at that.

THE PULSE: How tough was this to coordinate with Paul Jenkins and Fiona Avery? We've been told "Sins Past" crosses over in Spectacular Spider-Man and Amazing Fantasy.
STRACZYNSKI: Fiona isn't involved in the story, she's doing Amazing Fantasy, and Paul will be doing the follow-up. On the topic of Fiona for a moment, though, there's one thing I'd like to clarify. There are a number of writers for whom I've given a leg-up over the years. I bought John Shirley's first TV script, did the same for J. M. DeMatteis and Craig Miller and Arthur Byron Cover and about a half-dozen others, helped writers to learn the craft better, working with Steven Barnes on pitching to TV...working with new (or new to TV) writers is something I *do* because I think it's important. One of those writers was Fiona, and the unfortunate thing is that Top Cow decided it could best market her stuff by making her my "protege," but she's no more (or less) a protege than any of the other people I just named. The problem is that in doing so, she kind of got put under my shadow, and that's completely unfair in that she's done work for other producers on other TV shows, like Earth: Final Conflict, wrote a pilot for Gale Ann Hurd, she's just sold a novel, she's her own person. But somehow this protege thing just stuck, and I would very much like to un-stick it if possible. I've mentored at least a dozen different writers over the years, and that mentoring should not be used as a reason to slam them. (I've actually taken on a few more since then, and have told them not to refer to me specifically in public because of just this sort of thing.) I firmly believe that those who make it as writers have a moral obligation to lend a hand to those coming up behind us. I know there are others who feel differently, who feel it's important to quash anyone who might be perceived as a threat, or competition for assignments, but I've had others help me out over the years, as I became a writer, and the only pay-back they asked was that I do the same for others myself. And that's what I intend to continue doing.

THE PULSE: Sounds like a great way to be. Going back to Amazing Fantasy for a minute ... besides the young woman getting the spotlight there, what other new characters are introduced in this story?
STRACZYNSKI: Unfortunately, to name the two in the ASM book would be to give away crucial information. Other than that, the cast is pretty small, I really wanted to focus on Peter's situation here.

THE PULSE: What existing Spider-Man rogues or cast members will be present?
STRACZYNSKI: The Green Goblin, but only in flashback.

THE PULSE: A lot of people felt burned by the last multi crossover Spider event - how is this crossover going to be different from what people are expecting - ie. a huge crossover where we HAVE to buy every issue to understand or a huge crossover where its too confusing to figure out anything going on ....?
STRACZYNSKI: That's not what this is, so it's not an issue. The full story is contained in ASM.

THE PULSE: How does a project like this excite you as a writer and get your creative energies going?
STRACZYNSKI: It's a chance to get fully into Peter's head, and to play around the corners of one of the most pivotal moments in the Spidey mythos without tipping anything over or being disrespectful to precedent.

THE PULSE: What other projects are you working on?
STRACZYNSKI: The pencils on Dream Police are about halfway finished -- Mike Deodato is doing the art on this as well, and it's just glorious to look at -- and I'm hip-deep in the Doctor Strange mini as well. I've also turned in the first issue of a new book for Marvel, a creator owned title, but I don't want to name it yet only because that should properly come from Marvel, not me. They'll probably announce it after we get a few more issues under our belts. I've also turned in the last three Rising Stars issues, the first one was turned in late March and the rest not long thereafter, once the problems with Top Cow had been resolved, so they should be coming out whenever Top Cow can get them together.

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And here's a few details from editor Axel Alonso that previously ran on THE PULSE.

Editor Axel Alonso gave THE PULSE a few soundbytes on why this particular Spider-Man storyline shouldn't be missed. "Sins Past digs deep into Spider-Man's history and unearths something big - something that no one will see coming," stated Alonso. "It also introduces a new character into the Spider-Man pantheon who's bound to raise some eyebrows. (The effect the story will have on all the titles) is hard to calculate, but it's safe to say, there will be no going back," continued Alonso. Alsonso also clarified what the Sins Past storyline means to the whole Spider-Man family of titles. "This is not a crossover," assured the editor. "Sins Past is a complete story arc in and of itself, but it raises questions that will be reconciled in the pages of Spectacular Spider-Man." As one might imagine Alonso cited loose lips as the biggest challenge to editing this project. "Keeping the #^&@ secret!" he immediately responded when asked what was the toughest part to this job. "Mike (Deodato) did a great run on INCREDIBLE HULK," Alonso replied when asked what made the artist a good fit for the story. "He's a big fan of Straczynski's work -- and vice versa -- so it seemed like the thing to do."

And finally some anti spoilerage:

After some of the comments about clones following the Sins Past interview with J. Michael Straczynski, the writer has asked us to reveal another piece of information.
[spoiler]"Just for the record: there are no clones in the Sins Past title, anywhere, at all. I'm not touching that storyline." After seeing this cover to Amazing Spider-Man # 511 , many speculated the blonde, who looked like Spider-Man's deceased ladylove Gwen Stacy, might be some kind of clone. However the writer has confirmed there are no clones in this tale.[/spoiler]

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Posted 25/06/2004
Source ThePulse

BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO

She's mean, green, and kicking butt and taking names - not just in the battlefield, but also in the courtroom. She-Hulk's one of the newer Marvel series that came in like a lion and shows no sign of going out like a lamb anytime soon. Dan Slott scripts the series while artist Juan Bobillo brings her adventures to life. Along with working on mainstream comics, Bobillo has done work with several independents and designed statues for Dynamic Forces. We chatted with Bobillo about all these projects and more. Plus Marvel gave us some preview art from issue # 7 of She-Hulk.

The artist told us how he came to be a part of the new She-Hulk series. "Andrew Lis and Tom Brevoort, I think. They talked with me and asked me what kind of comic I would want to do. Marcelo Sosa (the artist in charge of the inks) and I enjoyed doing Agent X so much that we choose to do another comedy humor comic. They gave us She-Hulk. As soon as I read what Dan Slott wrote I was so excited. Beautiful stuff goes on. The script is really interesting. He found a very interesting way of show Jen. Working with Dan Slott was the first time I read a She-Hulk story. I designed a big ugly women first. Before I read the script I thought she was Hulk's wife. I checked out on the internet and she's different. Less muscle formation, less tension. Since she was 'savage' I wanted to show her like Tarzan (she lives in a kind of a delicate monkey jail). A bit of Popeye too - big arms but hoping to be as beautiful as possible."

Bobillo quickly learned what sets Jennifer Walters apart from Bruce Banner. He told us a little about his art influences for the series. "We are trying to put some of the '50s pinups style there . Those girls painted on war airplanes - among other things. I'm trying hard to make her real but most of all feminine - big strong, but a girl to hug too."

Bobillo told us when he decided at age 18 or 19 to become a comic book artist and work in the field his parents were supportive. "They were worried at first I'm sure," said Bobillo. "But they were also encouraging.

Once the decision to pursue this career was in place, Bobillo worked hard to make it happen. "I took classes with Beatriz Gambert, then with Elizabeth Manzano and later I met Ariel Olivetti. I went to study with him, he was giving classes and I took those. I went to the Graphic Design University of Bs As. Haven't finished it."

Most mainstream comics fans know Bobillo for his work on the Chris Claremont series Mekanix and Agent X. But he has completed several other projects. He gave us the 4-1-1 on his work before She-Hulk. "I did some other issues for Marvel," said Bobillo. "I'm drawing SheHulk, now - it's coming out great. I'm having fun. I did 'Anita, la fille du bureau' (or something like that) published by Albin Michel. I did that with Marcelo Sosa inking and doing covers and stuff. The script was from my brother Gabriel Bobillo. Zachary Holmes' (by SAF and Dark Horse, I think), Sick Bird, 'Chocolat avec des frites' (SAF) These were written by Carlos Trillo. We did like six or seven books together. I'm so lucky. He's like a young legend for me. I grew up reading his stuff. His stories helped me shape the type of comics creator I would become. I also did a series of porn color stories written by Ricardo Barreiro (Kiss). Doing porn was the best, such a great experience for a drawer. I miss doing porn. Patience."

However a lot of independent comix fans came to know Bobillo through the work Sick Bird. "Sick Bird's about a young woman trying to escape and hide from her brother who wants to kill her, put her in a mental institution, and she becomes a model, and she's so famous but she had changed so much during the escape, now not even her brother recognizes her and she plans revenge," continued Bobillo. "It's like a dirty glamorous love thriller. I always think in some kind of theatrical design for the characters having in mind their personality. I did a nice mixture of races there. I tried to do a strong colored story in terms of character. With Carlos we designed some weird people. That was the best. At first we had to find out how she would camouflage. I was illustrating Moby Dick and I thought we could do her like the Mahori guy. I think she looks good."

"Carlos is amazing," said Bobillo. "I have so much fun with him. I think the best part is when we go to lunch and we start to imagine stories and characters. All our stories started there. The worst part is when he starts calling and torturing me with the deadlines. When I'm really late he writes me and leaves messages on my answering machine saying TIC ... TAC ... TIC ... TAC ...."

Another popular character/series Bobillo worked on with Trillo was Zachary Holmes. "I enjoyed doing that, I wish I only had more time to do it," the artist said. "The story was so great. I had to do four-pages per week, color and all. In that kind of stories I always try to give some realistic touch, so the magic has more sense. I would love to draw Holmes again in a far future. I'm not particularly interested in see it in English. I don't know really what has been translated or not. Not that I don't mind, of course. I thought most of them were in English."

Before coming to work with Marvel he was also working on statues with Dynamic Forces. He told us how he came to work on those. "I met Martin Canale somewhere, he offers me the job and I said 'sure!'. It's great to have the chance to design characters for him. He and Pablo Viggiano, the Goregoregore group does such great work. Have you saw those? You have to check them out. Truly professional."

Bobillo's not working on She-Hulk issues 5 & 6 but will be back in full force with issue # 7.

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Black-hatted villains need shades of gray

By Scott Bowles, USA TODAY

Here's one way to make Hollywood villains more interesting:
Make them less villainous.

The concept may sound self-defeating, but Marvel Studios chief Avi Arad believes "the more that people connect with a bad guy, the more convincing he becomes. If he's human, has feelings, maybe was in love, you'll feel for him. Who makes a connection with a monster?"

There are a few other ingredients experts say make for a fitting evildoer:

• Show that your villain wasn't always a monster. "No one is born evil," Arad says. "People might turn evil because of circumstances. But generally, we have a choice of the road we want to take."

Darth Vader, for instance, was once a heroic Jedi who lost his mother. Psycho's Norman Bates was a tormented mama's boy.

"It doesn't work if your villain is just a tyrant with no sympathetic qualities," says Alfred Molina, who plays Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2. "It's like eating ice cream every day for dinner. Eventually it becomes boring."

• Reveal their downfall. Magneto, the villain in the X-Men franchise, turned against the human race after being imprisoned with his family at the Nazi death camp in Auschwitz.

"Even in real life, I think a lot of your villains are a victim of circumstance," Arad says. "Perhaps they could have chosen two paths, and did not take the high road. The closer you get your movie to feeling like real life, the more effective your character is."

•Give your villaincharming characteristics. Class trumps crass any day, says Michael Brody, critic for the film Web site CinemaBlend.com. One of his favorite bad guys is Hans Gruber, the killer played by Alan Rickman in 1988's Die Hard.

"A good movie villain should have a certain hypnotic charm," he says. "Gruber is a charismatic, intelligent gentleman. The viewer warms to his presence, and, when he takes another victim, we slap ourselves in the face for thinking that he was not such a bad guy after all. But he is."

And humor always helps offset horror. One of Spider-Man director Sam Raimi's favorite villains is the Nazi Toht in Raiders of the Lost Ark. In one scene, Toht, played by Ronald Lacey, tries to force a medallion from Karen Allen's character, who refuses to surrender it.

"He's heating up this poker, getting ready to stab her with it, and says in this great voice, 'Why won't you give it to me now?' " Raimi recalls, bursting out in laughter. "It's just so funny because of what he plans to do to her. Those villains who can be droll and ominous at the same time are the best."

How to Bathe a Cat...

1. Thoroughly clean toilet.

2. Lift both lids and add shampoo.

3. Find and soothe cat as you carry him to bathroom.

4. In one swift move, place cat in toilet, close both lids and stand on top, so cat cannot escape.

5. The cat will self agitate and produce ample suds. (Ignore ruckus from inside toilet, cat is enjoying this)

6. Flush toilet 3 or 4 times. This provides power rinse, which is quite effective.

7. Have someone open outside door, stand as far from toilet as possible and quickly lift both lids.

8. Clean cat will rocket out of the toilet and outdoors, where he will air dry.

Sincerely,

The Dog

Posted 22/06/2004
Source The Pulse

BY JENNIFER CONTINO
With issue two of Astonishing X-Men hitting stands this week, now's the perfect time to catch up with artist John Cassaday and get a few quick comments about his work on the series.

THE PULSE: Right off the bat, let's talk Planetary. A lot of people are worried this new assignment means we won't see any more Planetary for a while. Is Planetary still something you'll be able to work on or is that going to have to be postponed for a while?
JOHN CASSADAY: I'll continue to work on Planetary. I've got two Planetary scripts in front of me. I plan to plug away at scripts as they come during my X-Men stint. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine.

THE PULSE: It seems a no-brainer with Joss Whedon writing that almost any artist would be thrilled to be working on this project, but you've worked on tons of high profile assignments before. What, besides Joss, were the reasons you wanted this assignment?
CASSADAY: Well, I love the X-Men. It's really the perfect team book with a fantastic cast of well-defined characters. Characters I have an affection for. Since my career began, I knew that at some point I must do X-Men. I didn't think it would happen this soon, but when Joss was pulled into the mix, it all seemed to fit. It felt like the right time.

THE PULSE: How, as an artist, were the wheels turning in your head when you heard "Joss Whedon, X-Men" in the same sentence? What thoughts immediately sprung to your mind about what YOU could do with something like that?
CASSADAY: Well, Joss and I have been talking about getting a project together for some time. We both lacked in the time department. I was busy on Planetary and Captain America and several other things and Joss was doing a TV show or something ... Joss is well known for his humor and team genre writing, but what most people don't realize is what a fantastically energetic flamenco dancer he is. Okay, sorry. You never know what to expect from screenwriters when they try their hand at comics. I've heard a lot of horror stories and have dealt with this problem myself. I was relieved, not to mention incredibly excited, when I read Joss' first script. He fucking nailed it. He's an excellent comic writer. He understands pacing, he certainly understands the visual side of storytelling. That element of a writer makes my job so much easier. Warren is very much the same type of visual writer. They both know how to take full advantage of the medium and let the art do the work when possible or necessary. Joss is a big Planetary fan too, so I think he knew what kind of storyteller I was and how I'd been working ...

ART FROM ISSUE ONE
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THE PULSE: How does it feel to be a part of this Reload event?
CASSADAY: It's exciting, but to be honest, I haven't been reading up on all that's going on. I tend to stay off-line about that sorta stuff. I know there's a lot of buzz going on about it and I'm very happy about that. I get e-mails all the time about it. They don't launch a new on-going X-Men book every day and the other X-books have some amazing talents involved. It feels special. And not like just another X-thing happening. This will be something substantial that, with any luck, people will remember in the years to come.

THE PULSE: How, if at all, does being a part of Reload put any extra pressure on you?
CASSADAY: Not really. I suppose if I stopped to soak it all in, I might feel differently, but who wants to live like that? Listen, the script is excellent, I'm busting my ass on it and Marvel is 110 percent behind us. If it doesn't work and people don't like it, then that's just the way the cards fall, right? But from my point of view, there's nothing we aren't doing to make it the best work we can do.

THE PULSE: When hearing "reload" you get an idea of putting in a new round and seeing if you can hit any of the targets with that. What were your expectations for this new project?
CASSADAY: Success and glory. And buckets of nacho cheese. It's written in my contract.

THE PULSE: What kind of new designs or elements are you incorporating into the Astonishing X-Men?
CASSADAY: Actually, at the first meeting Joe and I had, I told him that if I agreed to do the book, I'd want to put them back in costumes and shake it up. And without me knowing it, that's exactly what Joe and Marvel were wanting. To that end, some of Joss' story deals with the "why?" of the costume argument. I won't go into it here, but the team has very specific reasons for suiting up in costumes. Costumes, not uniforms. I like the leather look of the movies as well as Grant's run, but for the comic, it's time for change. My designs deal with the costumes looking less like painted-on spandex, and more realistic. More like thicker protective material that a hero might truly wear. Still tight, but not paper thin. Then I start with the detail elements and patterns. Some of which, I'm sure you'll recognize. I'm keeping it as simple as possible. Early on, certain parties involved were looking to have the characters loaded up with all sorts of pouches and extra belts and ... stuff. Pointless stuff. I did away with practically all of that and did my best to streamline the outfits. These people are about what they can do, themselves. They don't need pouches and five armbands and headbands and six buckles on their head ... You get the idea. All along I wanted to bring the designs back to what they were in the first place. I think we've gotten too far away from the simplistic beauty of the original designs.

THE PULSE: How does the title reflect the content within this series?
CASSADAY: Honestly, when Joe told me the title, I didn't like it. My first impression was that it sounded slightly retro and tired. I went back and forth about it with Joe and company and it was left up in the air for a while. During that time, I'd see it written on paper, I'd see a logo, the script ... and suddenly it works! I think it's perfect now. Not only do I like the sound of it, I like the slight retro feel of it. Like we're going to the root of what's great about X-Men. And, as you'll see, the team is looking to be larger than life. Joss makes it evident how the title works in the context of the book, right in the first issue. It actually "means" something.

ART FROM ISSUE ONE
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THE PULSE: Why did you want to do both pencils and inks? How much time does that add to the creation process involved with each page?
CASSADAY: It's how I've always worked. In fact, I haven't "only penciled" any of my work since probably 1997. I'm a bit of a control freak. Laura, the colorist, will attest to this! I need to finish the art as much as possible. I do a page a day, sometimes more. Inking doesn't really add on any time. If I weren't inking, I'd be spending that time tightening up every little detail in the pencils for the inker. So I might as well do it myself!

THE PULSE: Which members of the merry mutants are featured in Astonishing X-Men?
CASSADAY: Cyclops, Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, Beast and Emma Frost (I just can't bring myself to call her THE WHITE QUEEN!). But you never know when someone else might drop by and join up. No, that's not much of a hint, but that's all you get.

THE PULSE: How are you pushing yourself to be different on this project as opposed to your other superhero comics work?
CASSADAY: I've never really worked on a true-blue team book. It is a challenge, but not a particularly tough one since I'm working with a writer like Joss, who is so accustomed to the team soap opera genre. His characters interact realistically and that takes a lot of the weight off me. Actually, this may be the most super-hero-ey project I've done. It'll definitely be one of the funnest. Doing X-Men on one hand and Planetary on the other, I have two sides of the spectrum working at the same time. This will be an interesting year. In my spare time, I plan to climb Everest.

THE PULSE: What's your current time of creativity? Are you working early in the morning or late into the night?
CASSADAY: Late night works better for me. No phone calls, no deliveries, fewer distractions. I feel like if most of the population is asleep, I can concentrate. I may be mental.

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THE PULSE: Is Whedon writing full scripts or plots? Which, as an artist, do you prefer?
CASSADAY: Joss is writing full script. Does anyone write plots anymore? I don't know. I don't work from plots. I like to know what's being said. It helps to flesh out the characters.

THE PULSE: How tough is it to work with Whedon? When you have a problem or question about the script, do you have to go through his "people" or are you able to just e-mail, call, or talk to him in person about it?
CASSADAY: [laughs] Joss and I are friends. He's a super nice dude. We talk a lot.

THE PULSE: How did you develop your storytelling technique for this particular title? Does your technique change with each new assignment?
CASSADAY: Not with each new project, but there are differences. I like to experiment when the story allows.

THE PULSE: What do you do if you face the blank page and just feel blocked and can't get started? How tough is it to overcome the intimidation factors?
CASSADAY: I can almost always get something down on paper. If a page isn't working, I can put it down for a bit and do thumbnails or cover designs or do lettering or coloring notes or any number of things that are involved with getting the book out. A lot of things many people may not think about. Have I mentioned that I'm mental?

THE PULSE: One or two times, but I thought you were joking. About how many pages are you able to create each week? What factors add to the length of time?
CASSADAY: A page a day. Five a week, if not more.

THE PULSE: What's coming up in your first Astonishing arc?
CASSADAY: Let me give you a list of some things you might see : Fun, fun, fun, danger, danger room, excitement, blood, sex, white lipstick, claws, lasers, costumes, students, guns, parties, the jet, a press conference. And Sentinels.

THE PULSE: You've always been working on a few different projects both in and out of comics - at least when I talk to you it seems like you've got a lot going on. What - if any - outside comics projects are you working on along with Astonishing?
CASSADAY: I'm doing my best to say no to anything else this year besides comics. Producing twelve issues of Astonishing X-Men in twelve months, and a few issues of Planetary on top of that, will be taking up most of my time.

THE PULSE: When you're not creating comics, how do you wind down? How do you spend your free time?
CASSADAY: I'd rather not say. Flamenco anyone?

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DC Comics has officially confirmed its forthcoming manga line, CMX, which will launch in October. Launch titles for the imprint will include the initial volumes of Madara, art by Tajima Sho-u (who created the character designs for the anime sequences in Kill Bill: Volume 1) and written by Otsuka Eiji from Kadokawa; Mekakushi no Kuni, illustrated and written by Tsukuba Sakura from Hakusensha; and Eroika Yori Ai Wo, illustrated and written by Aoike Yasuko from Akita Shoten.

"There's tremendous enthusiasm for manga in the States," said DC Publisher and President Paul Levitz in a press release. "New readers, particularly girls and women, have rushed to embrace new talent from abroad, which we're excited to bring to American audiences as part of DC Comics' commitment to publishing diverse and exciting works from around the world. "

Upcoming CMX titles will include Fujii Mihona' s Gals (the inspiration for the anime series SuperGals! from Shueisha), Tenjo Tange, by Oh! Great from Shueisha; 9 Banme no Musashi, by Takahashi Miyuki from Akita Shoten; Swan, by Ariyoshi Kyoko from Akita Shoten; Monster Collection by Sei Ito from Kadokawa Shoten; Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, by Tanemura Arina from Shueisha; and Akuma De Soro by Takanashi Mitsuba from Shueisha.

According to DC, each of the CMX titles are Japanese manga, which are being released for the first time in the United States, and will be published in the traditional manga format - sized at 5 x 7 3/8 ", with black and white interiors. Subsequent volumes of each series will be released on a quarterly schedule.

"We believe that manga readership is going to continue its rapid growth and also evolve in the US," said John Nee, Vice President of Business Development at DC Comics in the same release. "CMX is committed to publishing all genre of manga including horror, fantasy, science fiction and adventure titles and the line will be as diverse, and as author friendly, as that of DC Comics, Vertigo, and WildStorm."

Nee also announced today that DC Comics has hired Jake Tarbox as the Group Editor of the CMX imprint. Tarbox has spent the last 14 years living in Tokyo, Japan where he worked at Coamix, Inc. as the International Affairs Manager and Vice-Editor-Chief of Raijin Comics, administered the creation of the American subsidiary company Gutsoon! Entertainment, and edited the manga magazine, RAIJIN COMICS. Tarbox will handle the editorial responsibilities for the CMX imprint including overseeing the translation and printing of manga titles into English.

From DC’s release:

ABOUT THE LEAD TITLES AND TALENT:

MADARA Volume 1 (originally serialized in MARUKATSU FAMICOM magazine) represents the first work done together by the creators of the hit series MPD Psycho, artist Tajima Sho-u (who created the character designs for the anime sequences in the movie " Kill Bill " ) and writer Otsuka Eiji. When his village is attacked by demons, Madara, a blacksmith ' s apprentice, discovers that he possesses fantastic powers.

Artist Tajima Sho-u debuted as a manga artist in 1987 with the publication of Madara. He has worked on illustration and character design for computer games (including Galerians) and animation. He has illustrated MPD Psycho, Brothers Baby Baby, Madara Colors, and his current hit series Gorilla Kick.

In addition to his work with manga, writer Otsuka Eiji is a critic, essayist, and author of several successful non-fiction books on Japanese popular and " otaku " sub-cultures. In the 80s, Otsuka was editor-in-chief of MANGA BURIKKO, a leading women ' s manga magazine where he pioneered research on the " otaku " sub-culture in modern Japan.

Mekakushi no Kuni Volume 1 was originally serialized in LaLa DX magazine from 1998 to 2004. In this nine volume series, creator Tsukuba Sakura tells the story of Otsuka Kanade, a high school girl who can see visions of the future. Should she act to change their fate, or sit back and wait for events to unfold?

A rising young author in the shojo manga world, Tsukuba Sakura decided to become a manga artist in high school. As she was about to graduate college, she furiously distributed her work to publishers. Her first published work was A Bright Spring Day, in LaLa magazine. She has also written and drawn Invisible World: a Dog ' s Story (published in LaLa magazine) and Past Day Present (published in LaLa magazine).

Eroika yori Ai wo Komete Volume 1 was originally serialized in PRINCESS magazine from 1977 to the present. Eroika yori Ai wo Komete follows the adventures of a British aristocrat and international art thief who taunts his nemesis, Major Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach, by leaving notes behind at the scene of his crimes, signed " From Eroica with Love. "

Aoike Yasuko ' s first manga, Sayonara Nanette, was published in RIBBON magazine when she was fifteen years old. Afterwards, she garnered attention by publishing several hit stories in rapid succession, including Shojo Blend, When Roses Cry, Oh Carol, " I love you, Tetsu-sensei, " and " Hey, Young Guy. " In 1976 her sci-fi comedy Sons of Eve in PRINCESS magazine, represented a switch from pure shojo stories to a new kind of storytelling.

Debuting in 1977, Eroika yori Ai wo Komete became a huge best seller, and its sequel series is still being serialized today. The series is built on a great deal of research about European art history, and has helped to popularize many European painters in Japan as well as Japanese tours of European art museums.

Aoike Yasuko has continued a long and productive career in the pages of PRINCESS, a highly popular girl ' s manga anthology magazine. But her work is so popular that she is at present concurrently publishing stories in several magazines. She is the creator of Miriam Blue's Lake, Sons of Eve, Seven Seas, Seven Skies, The Castle, Ivy Navy, Trafalgar, Z, Der Freischutz, Alcasar, The Tale of a Priest and a Doctor, The Day of Saladin, Richard, the Lion-Hearted, Brother Falco, The Temptation of Scarlet, The Carthaginian Fantasy, The Melancholy of Her Majesty, The Knight of Drachen, and Plus Ultra.