Posted in: Comics | Tagged: avatar, c2e2, Comics, crossed, panel

C2E2: Avatar – High Kicking Chicks

Published Sat, 14 Apr 2012 16:00:47 -0500

Last updated Sat, 14 Apr 2012 18:32:51 -0500

John Bailey is writing from C2E2 for Bleeding Cool;

The panel starts right on time at 12: 15. On the panel are Michael DiPascale and Keith Davidsen.

Michael's new project announced at C2E2 is Hero Worship which will premier in July. Keith says that Avatar Press rarely does superhero comics, noting the exceptions by Warren Ellis, and Christos Gage, saying they don't do them unless there's something unique about them. He then describes Hero Worship a bit, telling us Zak Penn will be writing, and it's a six issue miniseries and is about society's worship of superheros and how that can be used to screw the system. The main characters are Adam and Zenith. Adam is a normal boy and Zenith is a Superman-style superhero. Adam is Zenith's biggest fan, and the book is not really about him, so much as the world around him.

The audience is then told that if they have any questions about Avatar Press to please ask. The Emerald City Comic-Con panel was then discussed, including mentioning the little girl that continually ran up and asked questions, and Mike Wolfer's reaction and the creative answers to her questions.

Crossed News! Keith tells us about Crossed: Badlands, that it's a bi-weekly series, and that Garth Ennis is writing the first story, Jamie Delano does the second, and then David Lapham. Covers will be by Jacen Burrows, with other people such as Michael, doing covers as well. A cover is then shown of an issue with a plane heading towards the Sears Tower. Si Spurrier's Crossed: Wish You Were Here is talked about, with the website given, crossedcomic.com, and Keith tells us that it is the "first long-form Crossed story ever." He compares it to the Walking Dead, with readers following twenty-four characters that you will follow and see live and die for years. New content is published every Thursday, it's free, and the older chapters will remain up on the site so that if people want to go back they can, and if they enjoy reading the stories in large chunks you can!

I jump in and tell about how I got someone interested in Crossed by reading Wish You Were Here in public (not recommended). Some decent laughs I thought. The audience is then asked if there is anyone that doesn't know about Crossed, with a brief summary of everyone's favorite psychopath's given. The infamous Magic Salt situation in Garth Ennis' first series is discussed, saying that it was put in so that nothing that graphic would have to be put in again. Keith then says that David Lapham is an entirely different writer and enjoys the graphicness.

Stitched! Ennis's and Mike Wolfer's ongoing series at Avatar is covered, described as "zombie action in the desert". Also, Dicks by Ennis and John McCrea, which features two wanna-be detectives that never solve crimes because they get wrapped up in their own lives. Keith "If you like the Boys, you'll love Dicks." The previous black and white series is going to be collected and then new content will be coming out.

Ferals! Keith's favorite series (ongoing), written by David Lapham and a re-imagining of the werewolf mythos. The werewolves live in rural Minnesota and are militant about keeping their privacy and secrets. But a local police-man is pulled into their world with all the problems that entails. Next, Dan the Unharmable, is talked about also by David Lapham. Keith "If you like Stray Bullets, if you like Young Liars, you'll like Dan." It has a superhero element in that Dan is completely unharmable, but the other people in his life are not. Dan acts as a detective in New York and the series will follow his cases as well interactions as his new family. First issued out in 3 weeks. Keith mentions that more Gravel should be coming, possibly on a monthly basis.

Any chance of Stray Bullets getting published by Avatar?

Excellent question. I have no idea. We've asked him, everyone has, but he has his own plans for that.

Any more Neonomicon goodness coimng out?

Nothing planned, but Neonomicon won the Bram Stoker Award for horror. Alan Moore delivered an excellent acceptance speech that you can find online. Alan Moore said that the Bram Stoker Award is the only one he's ever cared about. New Alan Moore series coming out, TOP SECRET, but it's a ten issue series.

Any new Night of the Living Dead content?

Yes, there are plans, but they want to get it right, since it's the grand-daddy of all the zombie films, with everything being based off it.

There's a brief discussion about how Avatar gets such great writers, and they say they are just willing to take risks and let the writers do what they like. And then, using Warren Ellis as an example, those writers tell up and coming writers, such as Si Spurrier to work with Avatar, while telling Avatar to give Si Spurrier a shot.

For Michael, what is the most horrific Crossed cover you've worked on?

Several are mentioned, with the Sizzling cover talked about, but the most horrific cover he's seen was the issue with Crossed kindergarten teachers leading children down a slide into a wood-chipper.

Crossed C-day is talked about, especially how several retailers went all out, having employees dress up and hit other people with home made horse-cocks, and the Hulk being violated by Crossed up people, which can be found on crossedcomic.com

Boundless Comics! Avatar Press's sister company, which is basically "the return of the bad girl comics" and is built on Lady Death.

Michael tells us how he is doing multi day covers that will be available for only a single day of conventions. He tells us how originally, the Lady Death gradually lost her clothes, but now she will be in different outfits, such as the Easter Bunny and steam-punk outfits, along with Stars and Stripes bikini. My favorite is the Lilu outift from the Fifth Element costume.

There are currently two Lady Death series, Lady Death: Origins and Lady Death proper which is up to issued fifteen!

War Goddess! It features classic bad girls in Avatar's stable, featuring a lot of action with "high-kicking chicks". An ongoing series, it's up to issue six. And a new TOP SECRET title that will be announced later this year.

The Caligula trade should be coming out in a few weeks. Caligula follows the real life of Caligula, however in the series he can't be killed and is possessed by a demon. More Caligula should be coming out soon, along with more Warren Ellis work and George R. R. Martin Fevre Dream, as well as more adaptations of his novels. Max Brooks of World War Z fame will be writing some books and are currently being worked on.

Will we be seeing more of Christos Gage's Absolution?

Yes! Paul Duffield of Freakangels fame will be doing a one shot featuring Hello Kitty, with a cover by Michael, as well as a second series coming up.

Any chance of more webcomics outside of Crossed?

Yes, there should be a fantasy series coming out later this year, Disenchanted, also by Si Spurrier, in November or December of this year. They're working on having lots of Disenchanted work in the can before launching, and it's a long form story that will entertain for many years to come.

Can we get a Crossed or Ferals boardgame?

We've been discussing getting a Crossed role-playing game, Dungeon and Dragons style, but more cautious minds have prevailed and currently no plans for a boardgame. If any is really into roleplaying and wants to come up with their own Crossed game they can film it and Avatar will put it online, same thing with cosplay.

Will Wish You Were Here be collected into trades?

Yes, the first volume should be available in November, with Crossed: Badlands released in trade paperback as volume 4 in the Crossed series.

Is Avatar Press doing a book for Free Comic Book Day?

This year Avatar is doing a book, forty page release, collecting Lady Death premiere and issue 0 from 2010, along with a preview from War Goddess #1. There might be a Halloween free comic day, it's still being developed, but it's industry wide so it's worth a visit to the shop that day.

Anything about Return of the Living Dead?

Probably not, there aren't any current plans.

How do you determine what are put into a trade or collection?

For the most part we collect everything in trades, but not everything. Some things we only sell in packs of singles.

Finally, Bleeding Cool magazine was discussed, with Keith describing the Bleeding Cool website to the audience, and that the magazine will feature more cerebral articles, while not becoming "high-falutin'".

And with that the panel wrapped! Onward!

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