Time sucks.

That’s the oh-so-profound and utterly original conclusion I’ve come to. And with each passing year—more of them than I generally care to reflect on—I’m more and more convinced of that. I was one of them kids who couldn’t wait to grow up, to be able to decide what I ate or when I went to bed. The joke was, of course, on me. Because what I wouldn’t give to be able to take a nap every day….

Most comics don’t have that problem. In the majority of cases, the characters stay the same basic age for years, even decades. We all know the reasons for that, and they’re valid and, unrepentant fanboy that I am, I’m pretty much in favor of ’em. Which isn’t to say that when a book has real, honest-to-goodness change, it’s not a delightful…change.

The characters in ASTRO CITY, for instance. They really do grow and develop and, well, change. None illustrate this better than Astra Furst. A ten-year-old girl the last time we saw her, she’s all grown up now, and graduating from college. And taking her boyfriend to a reality-nexus the likes of which no human’s even heard of, much less visited.

It’s enough to make a certain father of young girls queasy.

But that’s one of the great things about ASTRO CITY. Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson and Alex Ross have created characters so fully realized that I’m actually a bit verklempt at the idea of one of them graduating from college. “But…but…” I find myself thinking. “No! It seems like just yesterday you were in grade school!”

Of course, it wasn’t just yesterday. Actually, that was back in the previous century. But the point is that Kurt and Co. have created a character so believable that she makes even a crusty editor get a lump in his throat and want to rush home to give his daughters a hug. (Or lock them in a tower.)

So. Astra, I may not be ready for you to be so grown up yet, but I’m mighty glad Kurt and Brent and Alex have given us this here miniseries starring you, a wonderful addition to the ASTRO CITY canon. I guess some change is pretty swell after all.

Just don’t tell my daughters I said that.

(And I still wish I had my old metabolism back.)

San Diego Comic-Con 2009 is behind us, but through the miracle of modern technology and our dedicated web team, we can share the visual portion of our presentation with you here in The Bleed. You no longer need to wonder what you missed—between the podcast and the presentation below, it’ll be like you were actually there!

We had a lively audience, and an even more lively panel of creators. Thanks one and all for attending and showing your support. Special thanks go out to Chris Selby for the top-notch design of the presentation. Please be sure to post and let us know what you think

Watch the WildStorm Universe video now

Watch the Creator Driven video now

Watch the Other Media video now

So, most days, I get to check off at least three of the things on my to-do list. Which leaves ten things for the next day, but such is life, right? Lots of the diversions are good: SLEEPER SEASON TWO proofs came in, and I get to stare at 280 pages of Sean Phillips art. NORTH 40 #4 lettering is done, and I get to crack up over the Aaron Williams dialogue. The translated-into-German copies of THE LIFE EATERS arrive, and I get to email David Brin and Scott Hampton and tell them how nice their book looks (even if I can’t read it anymore).

And some days, there are really good diversions: like the day someone said, “TOM STRONG is a really great series—think we could do that as a Deluxe edition?” Which meant I got to drop everything, grab the TOM STRONG books, and read them all again. Because just counting up pages isn’t enough, you need to make sure you’re stopping each volume in a good place. And when you’ve got over 800 pages of story, plus 50 or more awesome covers, plus a few short stories to check out? That’s one heck of a diversion!

We floated a few different ideas, picked the version where we split the series into three volumes, and got to work. It took a few months to get sketch and design materials from Chris, re-size all the art to Deluxe Dimensions, generally make sure we dotted each i and crossed every t, but we finally had a book ready for the printer.

And now, TOM STRONG: THE DELUXE EDITION Book One is done, and I’ve got copies sitting on my desk, and I’ve moved from being diverted by it to being diverted from it. But at least now, when I want to see Chris’s first drawing of Pneuman, or check out his watercolor drawing of the Strong Family driving/ flying and shooting their way through Millennium, I know exactly where to turn.

Blizzcon 2009 was nuts. Crazy nuts. But I’ll tell you, there is an amazing energy at this show that you won’t find anywhere else. Wall-to-wall gamers devoted not only to WORLD OF WARCRAFT, but all of Blizzard’s incredible roster of games, every one of them in attendance for two full days of gaming goodness in Anaheim!

It’s hard to believe that we are approaching two years of epic storytelling by Walter Simonson (joined by his better half, Louise, for the current arc). Just three Blizzcons ago we went to soak up what being part of this world even meant. Were we in for a surprise. I know a decent amount of DC continuity (I wouldn’t go up against Geoff Johns), but the fans with whom we chatted at our booth are hard-core. They know thousands of years of history. Thousands! And they’ll let you know when you get it wrong, too.

Thankfully, we have a great collaborative partnership with Blizzard, and all of our stories go through a rigorous review process. We have conference calls and a flurry of emails to get the story right, ensuring it fits within the tightly held lore of Azeroth. All the hard work is paying off for you – issue #22 hit stores last week. This week, we have two collected editions. It really wasn’t intentional – it just worked out that way!

WORLD OF WARCRAFT Book 2 Hardcover collects issues 8-14 of the monthly series, and brings Lo’Gosh into conflict with…himself? This arc is by Walter Simonson, with art by Jon Buran and newcomer Mike Bowden.

We also have the softcover edition of WORLD OF WARCRAFT Book 1, with an incredible Jim Lee cover! This collects the zero chapter as well as issues 1-7 of the monthly series, by Simonson with art by Ludo Lullabi and Sandra Hope.

You don’t need to play the game to enjoy the comic, and you don’t need to read the comic to enjoy the game. But if you do both, you’ll certainly enjoy the experience that much more!

Join us – we’re just getting started!

I originally broke into this business as a penciler. There were a few artists who were breaking big at the time and I so wanted to do what they were doing. One of those artists was Jim Lee. So after a slight (14 years in Hollywood!) detour, here I am. Getting to work with the characters I originally fell in love with some 15 years ago.

In my mind, WildStorm is home to all of Jim’s creations. I’m hoping, now that I’m in the sandbox, we can further establish why these creations are not only incredibly relevant but…fun. I’m having fun. The teams I’m assembling for this are having fun. We’re all answering the battle call to create something fun. Something we’d want to read. Hopefully something you’ll want to read. Blasting from the uber-awesome events of World’s End, we’ll be continuing the charge!

We’ll take a new look at some familiar characters—but also reveal where EVERYONE who was ever in a WildStorm book is currently. Hey, I bought everything WildStorm before starting here…I had questions. Fun thing is now I’m the guy who gets to answer them.

Starting with an epilogue in issue 17 of THE AUTHORITY, Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman are bringing the interstellar widescreen drama along with superstar artist Al Barrionuevo. This book is going to continue to address the big questions—and, more importantly, provide the big answers in ways you never expected.

On the stellar front, with issue 19 of WILDCATS, Adam Beechen is prepared to give ’Cats fans more action and more characters than they could ever have possibly imagined. Joining him is New York Times bestseller (for Hack/Slash) and powerhouse artist Tim Seeley. I have asked Tim to draw at least 70 characters on each page and so far he’s doubled that every time. This is widescreen action at its very best. It’s everything John Woo dreams about and then some!

So there ya go. As a fan, I’m happy. As a comic book professional, I’m happy. And we’re all hoping you join us for what’s about to be WildStorm’s best year ever!

Storm out!

-Shannon Eric Denton

So this isn’t the way it normally works in comics. You don’t usually have an outstanding creative team call you up with a project already basically finished. Sure, sometimes you’ll get a great writer who’s got a killer idea, or you’re talking with an awesome penciller at a convention and he says he’s got some time coming up and he’d love to work with you. But a top-notch writer, paired with a truly great penciller and topped with another first-rate penciller who, in this case, was going to be inking? And the story already laid out from beginning to end, in a half-dozen complete story arcs?

That’s just crazy.

And yet that’s how it happened. I answered my phone and there was David Tischman, all New York accent and Hollywood smoothness, saying he had an idea for a series of miniserieseses he’d created with Philip Bond and David Hahn was going to ink it and would I be interested in hearing a pitch?

I was interested.

The story, he explained, was called RED HERRING, which also happened to be the name of one of the two main characters. It was a conspiracy story about a con man, or a story about a con man who gets tangled up in a conspiracy. Or maybe it’s about a young woman who thinks she’s somewhat worldly and jaded but is really kinda naïve, unless maybe she’s not?

It’s a complex story—which conspiracy, or con game, isn’t?—told in an incredibly clear manner; it grabs you from the first page and never lets go for a moment. In fact, the tricky thing is trying to explain it in a sentence or two. Which is why it’s nice to fall back on David’s tag line: “it’s like The X-Files meets The Daily Show.”

And did I mention it’s funny? Like really really funny. It has one of my all-time favorite captions: “The couple met via an online dating service, which paired their mutual interests in crossword puzzles, romantic comedies and Boston Beans.” I mean, come on. That’s just gold. (And now I’m kinda hungry.)

And then there’s Philip Bond. Any chance to get to see more Philip Bond artwork is a chance not to be missed. To be one of the very first to see new Philip Bond artwork? Is a chance for which I would very seriously kneecap loved ones. (Sorry about that, honey; I’m sure you understand.) He puts more thought into each page’s thumbnails than some Nobel laureates did into their dissertations. And yet the end result never feels labored—just the opposite, in fact; his pages have a natural, improvisational feel to them which totally belies their intellectual origins.

Meanwhile, David Hahn—or, as Tischman calls him, “the good David”—has been the glue that holds the book together. You’d have to go a long, long way to find someone who appreciates inkers more than I. But even given my inker-centric nature, The Good David’s been invaluable, his unfailingly cheerful demeanor (totally at odds with his rather alarmingly evil Twitter persona) and professional behavior enabling the book to keep on a steady course.

Toss in Guy Major’s lush colors and magnificent facial hair, Rob Leigh’s inventive lettering and imposing presence and Kristy Quinn’s incisive snark and it all adds up to a book which has been (almost always) a total joy to work on, and one of my favorite series to read of this entire century.

Now, if only I could figure out what the deal with Red’s fake eye really is…

Wow, I can’t believe San Diego Comic-Con is already here. It’s no longer on the horizon, we are actually T-Minus ZERO. Months of plotting and planning — hopefully it will all pay off and the show will go off without a hitch. I’m heading out early to attend Preview Night — that is usually a great indicator of how the rest of the show will go!

We’ve been teasing you with things for a while now, leading into the convention. “Show, don’t just tell” is our policy, and you can now add “give” to that phrase. There are some GREAT items that you can pick up by visiting us at the booth this year, as well as the booths of our partners. In addition to the many free sample WildStorm comics, here’s a handy checklist of everything else you’ll want:

• THIS IS WILDSTORM UNIVERSE #0: Austin’s been teasing you with imagery this last week, but there’s nothing like holding a printed book in your hands, right?

• GOD OF WAR Poster: The Sony booth will be distributing the GOD OF WAR poster, featuring the stunning cover artwork by Andy Park.

• TRICK ’r TREAT Preview: The Original Graphic Novel will be in store the first week of October, but if you stop in the Warner Home Video booth, you can pick up a preview chapter (by Marc Andreyko and Fiona Staples) of this awesome adaptation. Be sure to check out tomorrow’s panel and screening of the film, too!

• DANTE’S INFERNO Lithograph and #0 Preview Book: The amazing Diego Latorre will be signing an EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED EDITION lithograph at the EA booth, plus he and writer Christos Gage will be signing the #0 book at the EA and the WildStorm booths.

• PLANETARY POSTER: You’ve heard the news — #27 is coming this October! Until then, enjoy the impressive 27” x 34” poster, featuring the entire triple-sized final cover by John Cassaday and Laura Martin! I know I’m biased, but this is really a beautiful sight to behold.

If you see me at the WildStorm table, please introduce yourself. If I rush right by you, don’t take it personally — I am sure I’m running late to my next appointment.

And I’ll definitely see you at our panel this Saturday, Room 4, at 3:30!

WildStorm has developed in various dimensions since I came on staff in 2002—our creator-owned books and licensed titles are always in flux, but more importantly, the core books in the WS Universe have evolved. A few months after my arrival, we began the Eye of the Storm initiative and I found myself in the editor’s chair on WILDCATS Version 3.0 and STORMWATCH: TEAM ACHILLES, both terrific books to be part of.

The stories that Joe Casey and Micah Ian Wright told were compelling, exciting stuff compared to the ’90s material featuring the same characters. And the art? Damn…what better group to work with when starting at a new company than Dustin Nguyen/Richard Friend and Whilce Portacio/Scott Williams? A more friendly, professional, and talented group you’d be hard-pressed to find! And I also had the opportunity to wrap up the Garth Ennis/Glenn Fabry AUTHORITY one-shot, introducing readers to the wondrous Kev Hawkins and spawning several follow-up miniseries chronicling his sad, bizarre misadventures, I can’t help but laugh out loud while wondering: how many “heroes” get saved from their nemesis when he slips on a bar of hairy soap?

Eye of the Storm evolved into a different direction for the Universe and the challenging, though-provoking approach helped pave the way for and inspire World’s End. The creators involved approached the direction with gusto and excitement, which I think shows in the material produced to date, and we’re really only just getting started. At next week’s San Diego Comicon, more information will come available for the direction of the WildStorm Universe in 2010…

…and as a little nod to fans of Eye of the Storm check out a page from the next issue of Wildcats. Full circle, eh?

[For Part I of Scott's post on North 40, click here.]

I’d worked with Fiona Staples on the adaptation of TRICK ’r TREAT, the Michael Dougherty Halloween film which was, at that point, awaiting a release date. It was, I believe, the first full-length comic Fiona had ever drawn, although she’d colored some stuff, and it was insanely great work on her part. So great I immediately offered her a project which could not have been much more different than the claustrophobic horror book she’d already done for me: this time I offered her a superhero book that spanned the globe, hopped back in forth in time and, oh, yes, was actually a film noir tale in disguise. Pretty much the polar opposite of her previous gig. And yet I had not the slightest doubt she’d hit it out of the park.

Which she did. She teed off on SECRET HISTORY OF THE AUTHORITY: HAWKSMOOR like it’d just insulted her mother and then ran over her puppy. She smacked the bejeebers out of it and left it sobbing in the corner, begging for mercy as though it were a minor Mafioso and she were a Robert DeNiro character in a Scorsese flick. Which is to say, she did a really, really nice job.

So when NORTH 40 came around, I immediately thought of Fiona. Oh, sure, she hadn’t yet drawn a small town. And she hadn’t had to design many new characters. And NORTH 40 is essentially a western with fantasy and horror elements. In fact, basically, except for not having funny animals, NORTH 40 is pretty much everything Fiona hadn’t yet drawn for me. And did I have any doubts this time around?

I did not. One glance at any NORTH 40 image will illustrate nicely why I was as sure she’d be perfect for this as I am quite confident the sun’s going to rise in the east and set in the west tomorrow. (Well…except perhaps in Conover County. You can never tell for sure what’s going to happen there.)

I sent Aaron’s proposal to Fiona and a day or two later I got some preliminary sketches. Aaron and I conferred on what changes we’d like done and concurred that they’d look a bit better without the saliva we’d accidentally drooled on them (quite independently and several thousand miles apart, mind you), and that beyond that they needed no tweaking. A few days after that I received the colored versions. Aaron designed a tasty little presentation and I submitted it. A few days later I got the green light.

Needless to say, this is not the way projects normally go. The entire birthing process is usually a much more arduous one—not always, but generally. I mean, a comic book series is a serious investment of time and energy and resources. Everyone involved in the decision-making takes it mighty seriously, and evaluates each property from a bunch of different angles. And all that’s a good thing, and it takes time to do it right.

But it’s been apparent to everyone at both WildStorm and DC Comics that NORTH 40 is a most unusual book, in the best sense. It’s unusually original, unusually well written and unusually well illustrated. Even the response has been (very pleasantly) unusual, in that I’ve been getting emails and calls from pros who’ve gotten sneak peeks and gone out of their way to rave about it.

Which is extremely pleasant and very gratifying but, I must say, not really as surprising as it might normally be. This book has been in the works for a while and we’ve known pretty much exactly what we’ve had for a year now. And we could not be happier to finally be able to share it with the rest of you. Or, given the subject and tone of the book, mayhap it would be more accurate to say we’re pleased to finally be unleashing it upon the world.

NORTH 40. Grab it while you can. But some caution is advised. Because there’s somethin’ mighty big and bad lurking just around the corner and you’re gonna need all the help you can get. And used properly NORTH 40 might be just what you need.

Or…it could just be the beginning of the end…

[Below: Pages 3 - 5 of the North 40 proposal.]

So here’s how it all happened.

I was at the San Diego Comic-Con. I was checking out the various booths when I spied my old pal Rob Simpson, a former Marvel editor, former DC editor who was then working at Dark Horse. He introduced me to the couple he was talking to, a friendly pair named Aaron and Cristi Williams. I was under the impression that they were old friends with my old friend but later learned it wasn’t true—they were just friends with pretty much everyone they met. Cristi offered me copies of Aaron’s books and not wanting to be impolite (I will now pause as Kristy Quinn collects herself) and because I’m a huge fan of free swag, I oh so kindly accepted.

Rob and I caught up and then I had to run for a meeting with another old pal, Eddie Berganza, to discuss the DC/WildStorm crossover DREAMWAR. Unusually for me, I was actually a few minutes early. As is not unusual for SDCC, Eddie got caught in the crush of people trying to leave the con, and called to say he’d be a few minutes late. As all I had to read were these new Aaron Williams books I’d been handed, I opened the first one…and was instantly sucked into the world of PS238.

I immediately discovered that Aaron had created a world populated with classic comic book characters, all of whom had been tweaked and tilted and turned just enough to be both completely, instantly recognizable and yet utterly new. They were old pals you’d never met before. And then Aaron grabbed ’em and put ’em through their paces, crafting stories that were clear and accessible and never went where you thought they were going and yet managed to be completely satisfying. Not to mention funny, which they were in spades. Great characterization, great pacing, great dialogue. The series was the real deal. By the time Eddie arrived I had a new favorite (non-WildStorm) comic book series.

Naturally, I asked Aaron if he had anything he’d like to pitch. This is sorta like asking a shark if it likes to eat…only not really. In fact, you know what? That was a lousy analogy. Because while it’s a half-decent comparison in that, like that shark and eating, I get the feeling Aaron would cease to live were he somehow stopped from telling stories, so let’s all fervently hope no one stops him from doing so, and why would anyone anyway? But the other thing is that it’s clear Aaron loves the art of storytelling. Whereas I’ve never heard any convincing evidence that a shark really loves eating, as opposed to simply doing it because it’s a biological imperative.

And, see, the thing is that PS238 is absolutely wonderful. But it’s not exactly WildStorm material, not in the way most folks think of WildStorm, at least. I mean, yes, the quality level is there, but it’s kid-friendly, and while it’s dramatic and has its tense moments, it really does seem, superficially at least, to not be our cuppa. And yet I could tell that a storyteller as imaginative and skilled as Aaron could almost certainly work in a bunch of different genres and styles. People who can tell stories are a rare and valuable thing and not to be pigeonholed.

Anyway, I asked Aaron to pitch me. And he did. He pitched me NORTH 40, pretty much complete, with the first story arc plotted and paced, broken down issue-by-issue, and the characters already in place. It was kinda crazy, actually, how finished an idea it already was. I mean…it was all there, down to the theme he wanted to explore with the series. The slightest of nips and tucks and we were good to go.

Now all we needed was an artist. And it took even less time figuring out who’d be perfect for that.

[Come back Wednesday for Part II of Scott's North 40 editorial. In the meantime, check out the first page of the North 40 proposal below.]