ftp.pasteur.org/FAQ/

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ ftp.pasteur.org/FAQ/ / ftp-pasteur-org-FAQ.zip / FAQ / comics / vertigo < prev

Wrap

Internet Message Format | 1999-11-11 | 18.3 KB

Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!howland.erols.net!newsfeed.berkeley.edu!agate.berkeley.edu!agate!kts From: kts@socrates.berkeley.edu (Katie Schwarz) Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.dc.vertigo,rec.arts.comics.info,rec.answers,news.answers Subject: Vertigo Comics FAQ Followup-To: rec.arts.comics.dc.vertigo Date: 10 Nov 1999 07:06:19 GMT Organization: University of California at Berkeley Lines: 401 Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU Message-ID: <80b5hb$f19$1@agate.berkeley.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: socrates.berkeley.edu X-Trace: agate.berkeley.edu 942217579 15401 128.32.25.13 (10 Nov 1999 07:06:19 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@berkeley.edu NNTP-Posting-Date: 10 Nov 1999 07:06:19 GMT Summary: Frequently Asked Questions about DC's Vertigo comics Originator: kts@socrates Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu rec.arts.comics.dc.vertigo:42772 rec.arts.comics.info:8629 rec.answers:53875 news.answers:170801 Archive-name: comics/vertigo URL: http://www.idyllmtn.com/rac/dc/vertigo/ This is the Frequently Asked Questions list for the Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.comics.dc.vertigo. Please send e-mail if you have any suggestions or questions: kts@socrates.berkeley.edu -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vertigo Frequently Asked Questions Last updated: November 9, 1999 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. When are PREACHER and THE INVISIBLES going to end? 2. What new SANDMAN-related material is coming out soon? 3. Where are the Sandman Frequently Asked Questions and Sandman Annotations? 4. What's up with the SANDMAN, DEATH, BOOKS OF MAGIC, and STARDUST movies? 5. What's up with the PREACHER movie? 6. What comics has Tim Hunter appeared in besides the current BOOKS OF MAGIC ongoing series? Where did Tamlin first appear? 7. Is there a connection between the Genesis creature in PREACHER and the angel and demon lovers in Garth Ennis's HELLBLAZER? 8. Is there a connection between Crazy Jane in DOOM PATROL and Ragged Robin in THE INVISIBLES? 9. How much of SWAMP THING was reprinted? Why was it in black and white? Which reprint issues correspond to the trade paperback collections? 10. Are Vertigo books part of the DC universe? 11. Where are some Vertigo-related web sites and mailing lists? 12. Which Vertigo creators participate in this newsgroup? 13. How can I send letters to Vertigo by e-mail? 14. How can I get Vertigo's submissions guidelines/send submissions to Vertigo? 15. What are the collections, in order, of HELLBLAZER, SANDMAN, PREACHER, THE INVISIBLES, BOOKS OF MAGIC, and TRANSMETROPOLITAN? -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. When are PREACHER and THE INVISIBLES going to end? PREACHER's final story arc, called "Alamo", begins with #59, due Jan. 5, 2000, and ends with #66 in August. THE INVISIBLES Volume 3 is numbered in reverse order, counting down to the final issue, #1, in April 2000. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. What new SANDMAN-related material is coming out soon? THE DREAM HUNTERS is a new Sandman story, based on an old Japanese folktale, with text by Neil Gaiman and full-page paintings by the acclaimed Japanese artist Yoshitake Amano, who did the Sandman 10th Anniversary Poster. The 136-page hardcover came out Oct. 27, 1999. THE SANDMAN COMPANION, due out Nov. 10, 1999, is a 304-page hardcover containing story-by-story analysis and interviews with Gaiman and many artists. Miscellaneous Neil Gaiman stories will be collected in MIDNIGHT DAYS, due December 1999. This trade paperback will include SANDMAN MIDNIGHT THEATER, HELLBLAZER #27, the Brother Power story, and a previously unproduced Swamp Thing story. WINTER'S EDGE III, due Nov. 17, 1999, will have a Gaiman/Zulli Desire story. The third and fourth SANDMAN PRESENTS titles will be * MARQUEE MOON, by Peter Hogan, about the mother of the girl in the werewolf story from SANDMAN #38 and her adventures in a punk band in London in 1977, one-shot, due date unknown * PETREFAX, the adventurous mortician from Sandman #55. Four-issue miniseries by Mike Carey/Steve Leialoha, starting Jan. 5, 2000. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Where are the Sandman Frequently Asked Questions and Annotations? Sandman Frequently Asked Questions http://www.holycow.com/dreaming/lore/sandfaq0.html Sandman Annotations http://www.holycow.com/dreaming/lore/sandfaq0.html or ftp://theory.lcs.mit.edu/pub/people/wald/sandman Also see The Wake, with freshly revised hypertext Sandman Annotations. http://www.dyve.net/sandman/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. What's up with the SANDMAN, DEATH, BOOKS OF MAGIC, and STARDUST movies? Warner Bros. optioned a SANDMAN movie based on issues 1-8. Jon Peters is the producer; Neil Gaiman has no involvement with it. Eight or nine scripts have been written and junked over the years. A DEATH movie for Warner Bros. would be based on the "High Cost of Living" miniseries. If the movie happens, Gaiman will write and direct. Gaiman is also executive producer of a BOOKS OF MAGIC feature film, based on the original miniseries; as of December 1998, he said its condition is "encouraging". Matt Greenberg (Halloween: H20, Mimic) is the screenwriter. Finally, Gaiman is involved with adapting NEVERWHERE and STARDUST for Dimension Films. More details and new rumors about any of these movies may appear on the Corona Productions rumor pages, http://www.corona.bc.ca/films/filmlistings.html. They also have an interview with Neil Gaiman, http://corona.bc.ca/films/WC/990908.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. What's up with the PREACHER movie? The movie was optioned, and Garth Ennis did a few drafts of a script based on the first storyline of the series, but the project seems to be defunct in 1999's anti-violence climate. For more, see the Corona Productions rumor page, http://www.corona.bc.ca/films/details/preacher.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. What comics has Tim Hunter appeared in besides the BOOKS OF MAGIC ongoing series? Where did Tamlin first appear? * THE BOOKS OF MAGIC (1991 miniseries): Tim's first appearance. Written by Neil Gaiman. * MR. E miniseries (4 issues, 1991). By all accounts this is not recommended to fans of the ongoing Books of Magic series, since Tim's powers and characterization are totally inconsistent with it. John Ney Rieber, writer of the ongoing series #1-50, said as far as he is concerned, this miniseries never happened. * ARCANA: THE BOOKS OF MAGIC ANNUAL (1993): Part of the Children's Crusade crossover, introduced Marya and Daniel; also started the Tamlin storyline. John Ney Rieber's first work on the title. Included in the collection of the BOOKS OF FAERIE miniseries. * THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE 1 and 2: "Bookends" of the crossover. * "The Lot": 6-page story introducing the Narls and the Wobbly; first appeared in Vertigo Rave, reprinted in SUMMONINGS collection. * HELLBLAZER/BOOKS OF MAGIC, two-issue miniseries * WINTER'S EDGE: each of these Vertigo specials had an 8-page Tim story. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Is there a connection between the Genesis creature in PREACHER and the angel and demon lovers in Garth Ennis's HELLBLAZER? No. Garth Ennis has said in interviews and at cons that they are not meant to be connected. PREACHER is creator-owned and not part of the mainstream DC universe. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. Is there a connection between Crazy Jane in DOOM PATROL and Ragged Robin in THE INVISIBLES? In Grant Morrison's DOOM PATROL, one of the primary characters was Kay Challis, a.k.a. Crazy Jane. She was introduced in DOOM PATROL #19, which was produced in 1988 (it came out in late 1988/early 1989). At the end of the series she was sane, mostly. Ragged Robin in INVISIBLES was born in 1988, the same year Crazy Jane was created (she is a time traveler from the future -- see INVISIBLES Vol. 2, #6 for her origin); her birth name is Kay, according to Vol. 2 #2. In response to a letter (vol. 1 #6) asking about the connection, Grant Morrison replied: "I'm not allowed to answer this one for copyright reasons (Crazy Jane belongs to DC, Ragged Robin belongs to me), but I'm sure you thought long and hard about what happened to Kay Challis after she left Danny the World." Reader Ste'phane Savoie comments, "Admittedly, Grant could just be being whimsical, but this seems as close to a definite answer as we'll get." -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9. How much of SWAMP THING was reprinted? Why was it in black and white? Which reprint issues correspond to the trade paperback collections? Essential Vertigo #1-7 original series #21-27 SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING Essential Vertigo original series #28-34, #8-15 Annual 2 LOVE AND DEATH The Essential Vertigo reprint also included a brief "Crisis on Infinite Earths" reference that was cut from the LOVE AND DEATH collection. (As of November 1999, both collections appear to be out of print from DC.) The reprint series was cancelled due to very low sales. The last issue was #24, corresponding to #43 of the original series, the story of Chester Williams and the psychedelic tubers. The original color separations were done for letterpress printing, which is obsolete, and they could not be used for offset printed reprints. DC decided to do the reprints in black and white instead of redoing the colors, which would have driven the price up. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. Are Vertigo books part of the DC universe? You can always start an argument over this. Officially, the books that started out in the DC universe (most of them before the Vertigo imprint existed) never left it -- that's SWAMP THING, HELLBLAZER, DOOM PATROL, ANIMAL MAN, BLACK ORCHID, SANDMAN, SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATER, and THE BOOKS OF MAGIC. The old issues where Morpheus met the Justice League, Swamp Thing met Batman, etc., weren't erased, and there are still occasional appearances of the new Dream in the Justice League, Swamp Thing at Hal Jordan's funeral, and so on. But in practice, of course, these books usually ignore the world of the mainstream superheroes -- and lots of readers hate to impose nerdy continuity between one book and another. It was definitely no favor to Garth Ennis when the editors made him come up with some contrived explanation about the difference between the Devil and "the First of the Fallen" so that HELLBLAZER would be consistent with SANDMAN. Neil Gaiman says: "I used to describe SANDMAN as being a long bus ride from the world that Superman and Batman live in; these days it's probably a long plane ride, but obviously Superman exists somewhere in the same world as Tim Hunter et al. ... But it's now a lot harder to cross characters over between DCU and Vertigo. Permissions need to be sought and so forth. There obviously isn't a 'Vertigo Universe', or if there is it's just a subset of the giant DC universe. ... Nobody left the DC universe (as a big concept, not as defined as 'those comics edited by Mike Carlin') when Vertigo was started; SANDMAN 5, SWAMP THING, ANIMAL MAN 1-20, didn't un-happen." SHADE's presence in the DC universe was argued over; John Constantine appeared, but then they apparently destroyed San Francisco and nobody else noticed. Michael Blakeman Cleveland notes, "Spectre #50 adds another piece of evidence that Shade was in DCU continuity because the American Scream (the antagonist from Shade #1-18, and occasional later issues) shows up." Most of post-1993 Vertigo (INVISIBLES, PREACHER, etc.) is creator-owned and outside of the DC universe. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11. Where are some Vertigo-related web sites and mailing lists? See the web version of this FAQ for links: http://www.idyllmtn.com/rac/dc/vertigo Mailing Lists GARTH-L, mailing list for Garth Ennis fans. To subscribe, send e-mail to majordomo@owl.english.vt.edu containing the single line: SUBSCRIBE GARTH-L Your Name Onelist offers mailing lists for INVISIBLES and BOOKS OF MAGIC: http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/invisibles http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/booksofmagic -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12. Which Vertigo creators participate in this newsgroup? The following creators have appeared from time to time, although they may not be participating currently: * Warren Ellis, writer on TRANSMETROPOLITAN * Jill Thompson, artist on FINALS, SANDMAN, etc. * Peter Gross, artist/writer on BOOKS OF MAGIC * Peter Hogan, writer on THE DREAMING * Paul Jenkins, writer on HELLBLAZER * Stuart Moore, former editor * Sean Phillips, artist on HELLBLAZER * Steve Gerber, writer on NEVADA * Caitlin Kiernan, writer on THE DREAMING * Steve Dillon, artist on PREACHER * Nancy Collins, former writer on SWAMP THING and DHAMPIRE -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13. How can I send letters to Vertigo by e-mail? Vertigo's e-mail address for letters of comment is DCOVeMail@aol.com Letters should include the sender's home address, and it helps if you tell them whether you want your home and/or e-mail address printed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14. How can I get Vertigo's submissions guidelines/send submissions to Vertigo? Instructions are at DC's official web site, http://www.dccomics.com/guides/veguide.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15. What are the collections, in order, of HELLBLAZER, SANDMAN, PREACHER, THE INVISIBLES, BOOKS OF MAGIC, and TRANSMETROPOLITAN? Hellblazer 1. ORIGINAL SINS -- #1-9, written by Jamie Delano 2. DANGEROUS HABITS -- #41-46, written by Garth Ennis 3. TAINTED LOVE -- #68-71, Hellblazer Special #1, and "Tainted Love" from Vertigo Jam. By Ennis/Dillon. 4. DAMNATION'S FLAME -- #72-77, by Ennis/Dillon 5. RAKE AT THE GATES OF HELL -- will complete the Ennis/Dillon run, will probably be out in 2000 6. The Gaiman/McKean story from HELLBLAZER #27 is included in MIDNIGHT DAYS, due December 1999. See above under Sandman-related material. There were also black-and-white reprints of HELLBLAZER and SWAMP THING by Titan Books, a British comics publisher, about ten years ago. They had 11 volumes of SWAMP THING, covering Alan Moore's entire run (starting with "The Anatomy Lesson"), and 4 volumes of HELLBLAZER, covering #1-14 and SWAMP THING #76-77, which complete the crossover story where Tefe was conceived. These were UK releases only and out of print for years, so lots of luck finding any. Sandman 1. PRELUDES AND NOCTURNES -- #1-8 (story arc called "More than Rubies") 2. THE DOLL'S HOUSE -- #8-16 (since 1999, new editions of this collection omit #8, "The Sound of Her Wings") 3. DREAM COUNTRY -- #17-20 4. SEASON OF MISTS -- #21-28 5. A GAME OF YOU -- #32-37 6. FABLES AND REFLECTIONS -- #29-31 and 50 ["Distant Mirrors"], #38-40 ["Convergences"], the Sandman Special ["The Song of Orpheus"], and "Fear of Falling" from the Vertigo Preview 7. BRIEF LIVES -- #41-49 8. WORLDS' END -- #51-56 9. THE KINDLY ONES -- #57-69 and "The Castle" from Vertigo Jam 10. THE WAKE -- #70-75 (contains three pages that were omitted from the original issue #72; these pages were also printed in THE DREAMING #8) 11. DUST COVERS -- a book containing all the covers from the SANDMAN series with commentary by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, plus a new 8-page story about what it was like to write SANDMAN DC is currently bringing out new hardcover editions of these collections with new, unifying designs by Dave McKean; the paperbacks will also be reprinted with the new covers, gradually phased in as the stock of old ones runs out. Preacher 1. GONE TO TEXAS -- #1-7 2. UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD -- #8-17 3. PROUD AMERICANS -- #18-26 4. ANCIENT HISTORY -- Saint of Killers/Arseface/Good Old Boys 5. DIXIE FRIED -- #27-33 plus "Cassidy: Blood and Whiskey" 6. WAR IN THE SUN -- #34-40 plus the Starr special 7. SALVATION -- #41-50 The Invisibles 1. SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION -- vol. 1 #1-8 2. BLOODY HELL IN AMERICA -- vol. 2 #1-4 3. COUNTING TO NONE -- vol. 2 #5-13 plus "And We're All Police Men" from Winter's Edge 4. KISSING MISTER QUIMPER -- vol. 2 #14-22, due out Jan. 19, 2000 The Books of Magic 1. THE BOOKS OF MAGIC -- 1991 miniseries by Neil Gaiman 2. BINDINGS -- ongoing series #1-4, by John Ney Rieber 3. SUMMONINGS -- #5-13 plus "The Lot" from Vertigo Rave 4. RECKONINGS -- #14-20 5. TRANSFORMATIONS -- #21-25 6. GIRL IN THE BOX -- #26-32 Transmetropolitan 1. BACK ON THE STREET -- #1-3 (originally Helix, reprinted by Vertigo) 2. LUST FOR LIFE -- #4-12 3. YEAR OF THE BASTARD -- #13-18 and story from Winter's Edge II -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Compiled by Katie Schwarz with help from: Lance "Squiddie" Smith often provides news about Sandman-related things. Mike Collins explained the UK Titan reprints and argued that SHADE wasn't in the DC universe. Achim Reinschmidt and Phillip B. Hume noted Tim Hunter's appearances. Phillip also commented on whether BLACK ORCHID was in the DC universe. Matthew Daly reviewed the Mr. E miniseries. John Ney Rieber informed the Vertigo newsgroup that he rejects the Mr. E miniseries. Michael Blakeman Cleveland discussed SHADE's continuity and Doom Patrol writers. Andrew Farrell, Donald MacPherson, v!v!d, and Charles R.L. Power noticed Vertigo creators in the newsgroup. Tom Galloway passed along Neil Gaiman's comments on whether SANDMAN is in the DC universe. Stuart Moore used to provide lots of official information on the Vertigo newsgroup. Christian R. Hojsting corrected information about the Titan reprints of Swamp Thing. Ste'phane Savoie and Bradly E. Peterson discussed Crazy Jane and Ragged Robin. and miscellaneous suggestions from: Andrew Watson, Anthony John Bailey, Curt Shehow, Christopher Bird