Category Archives: Creators

Ethan van Sciver at Wizard World

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Newsarama’s Vaneta Rogers spoke with Ethan van Sciver at Wizard World Chicago last week about his upcoming projects, including Green Lantern: Blackest Night with Geoff Johns and an untitled Wonder Woman project with Gail Simone. They also discussed the rumors of an upcoming Flash project with Geoff Johns.

The artist had just come from a DC panel where Dan DiDio seemed to always turn to him to answer any question about The Flash. We asked: Why is that?

“Because he’s a sadist, deep down. He even told me that. He said, “I just like to see you squirm.’ I honestly have no idea. He likes to get the rumors going,” Van Sciver said.

We talked about the rumor mill and how most fans think his upcoming “secret project” with Geoff Johns is either Aquaman or The Flash.

“Aquaman’s leading the pack?” Van Sciver said in obviously feigned surprise….

The mysterious van Sciver/Johns project — whether it’s Flash, Aquaman, or something else — will be announced in San Diego later this month.

More at Newsarama.

Ethan van Sciver is no stranger to the Flash, having worked with Geoff Johns on the 2001 graphic novel The Flash: Iron Heights (now collected in the second edition of Flash: Blood Will Run, released earlier this year). He also worked on Impulse with Todd Dezago, where he helped create Inertia, and did several covers for The Flash in 2004 and for The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive in 2007.

What’s Next for Peyer and Williams

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The Flash’s current writer Tom Peyer and artist Freddie Williams II will both wrap up their runs with the conclusion of “Fast Money” in August’s Flash #243. So what’s next on their plates?

CBR spoke with Tom Peyer about his work on Stephen Colbert’s Tek Jansen at Oni and back-up stories for the upcoming Marvel Apes miniseries.

As for the artist half of the team, The Pulse interviewed Freddie Williams II about his past and current work at DC, including his return to Robin. He answered several questions about The Flash, including how drawing a super-speed family differs from drawing Batman’s protege.

Visually, they are almost completely opposite. Even though Robin can get a bit animated, he was pretty grim and hid in the shadows allot, as well being able to use his cape and his mop of hair to show motion and movement. As opposed to Flash, which was art directed to be more open and cartoony. Flash is basically just a naked figured with nothing except for lightening to help in showing motion. Also, drawing the team dynamic was a bit different as well – having to account for some many figures.

When asked which artists most influenced his work on The Flash, Williams cited Daniel Acuña (his immediate predecessor), and Mike Wieringo.

Michael Turner Passes Away

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Newsarama is reporting that artist Michael Turner has passed away at the age of 37, after an 8-year battle with chondrosarcoma. The founder of Aspen Comics is probably best known for his creator-owned book, Fathom, and his work at Top Cow in the 1990s — and to DC readers for his Identity Crisis covers and re-introducing the Kara Zor-El Supergirl.

Turner did a series of high-profile covers for The Flash in 2004 (Flash v.2 #207–211), at least three of which have been reproduced as posters and T-shirts.

Strangely enough, when I went into my local comic store this morning, I noticed a large Fathom poster at the back. It’s probably been sitting there for the last five times I’ve been in, but for some reason it caught my eye today.

Aspen has asked that anyone wishing to make a charitable donation in Michael Turner’s name should send it to either the American Cancer Society or The Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Catching Up: Impulsive Interview Round-Up

Some recent interviews with former Flash contributors:

Comics Worth Reading interviews Todd Dezago (who wrote Impulse for nearly half of the series’ 90*-issue run) about Perhpahanauts (co-created with art by his Impulse collaborator artist Craig Rousseau**) moving from Dark Horse to Image.

Newsarama interviews Mark Waid (1990-2000) and William Messner-Loebs about the upcoming adapation of The Necronomicon. Messner-Loebs and Waid together account for 12 years of Flash stories from 1988–2000.

Edit: Mark Waid, William Messner-Loebs, and Todd Dezago actually cover the entire run of Impulse, minus a handful of fill-in issues by other writers.

*Yes, 90. The October 1998 issue was numbered ,000,000 as a DC One Million tie-in.

**Correction: while Dezago and Rousseau both worked on Impulse, it was at different times. Rousseau worked on the book mainly with William Messner-Loebs.

Cary Bates Returns to Comics with True Believers

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The Pulse reports that former Flash writer Cary Bates has a new book coming at Marvel this summer after a long absence from comics. Here’s how he describes the book, True Believers:

It’s a new take on the group book. Although the True Believers have powers they’re not super-heroes per se, but a group of counter-culture subversives, each with his and her own reasons for lashing out at the disinformation routinely put forth by the establishment. They’re willing to take on any government, organization, group or individual that traffics in secrets or lies, cover-ups or conspiracies.

Cary Bates wrote more than 130 issues of The Flash from 1971 through to the end of the series in 1985 — essentially the entire Bronze Age — and edited it during the final two years. During his 15-year run, he changed the book from primarily stand-alone adventures to more ongoing storylines, including such high-profile stories as the death of the Flash’s wife, Iris Allen, and the multi-year Trial of the Flash.

The interview also discusses how Bates got his start in the industry:

THE PULSE: A lot of our readers might not know that you got your start in comic books by sending in cover ideas to DC Comics when you were 13 and had quite a few of them bought. When you were first sending in ideas, did you ever dream any would be bought or were you just writing to your favorite publisher?

BATES: Actually, when I first started submitting cover ideas I would always draw, ink and color them. My original aspirations were to become a comic book artist. In retrospect, having worked with so many truly talents artists over these years, I’ve come to realize my limitations. Though I’ve always been pretty good when it comes to visualizing things, my actual drawing ability was never anything to write home about.

Full interview: The Pulse: Cary Bates is a True Believer at Marvel

(via fuzzyelf)

Mike Wieringo: Tribute Book and Scholarship

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Anyone who read The Flash during the mid-1990s will remember artist Mike Wieringo‘s run on the book with Mark Waid.  Wieringo’s brief run as regular artist and occasional covers over the next year or so set a standard for Wally West as the Flash, and he co-created Bart Allen, a.k.a. Impulse.  His sudden death last August shocked fans around the world.

This weekend, Heroes Con in Charlotte, North Carolina will see two tributes to Mike Wieringo.

First, the Hero Initiative will release What If…This Was The Fantastic Four?: A Tribute to Mike Wieringo. This was the project he was working on at the time of his death.

With Mike’s passing, Marvel Comics generously provided access to the script and Mike’s art to The Hero Initiative, and Mike’s friends stepped up to finish the story, and pay tribute to Mike. Now, What If…This Was The Fantastic Four?: A Tribute to Mike Wieringo is a massive, 48-page tribute book that contains the full story, and additional written tributes to Mike.

The tremendous list of talent participating in the book includes Jeff Parker, Arthur Adams, Paul Renaud, Stuart Immonen, Cully Hamner, Alan Davis, David Williams, Sanford Greene, Humberto Ramos, Skottie Young, Mike Allred, Barry Kitson, and Val Staples. Cover artwork is by Mike Wieringo and Paul Mounts, and The Hero Initiative is publishing the book with the full support of both Marvel Comics, and the family of Mike Wieringo.

The book will be available at the Hero Initiative booth at the con, and will arrive in stores next week. (There’s also a Newsarama interview from back in March.)

Second, the artist’s family has gotten together with the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) to create the Mike Wieringo Scholarship, or ’Ringo. (via Warren Ellis)

Created by Mike’s brother Matt and his sister-in-law Suzanne, the ‘Ringo is designed to help provide similar help to artists at the Savannah College of Art and Design or SCAD. Domestic and international students with have a minimum 3.0 grade point average who demonstrate financial need and display a serious interest in pursuing comics as a career are eligible. The scholarship will take effect in the artist’s second year of classes, and is renewable for up to two additional years, provided the student continues to meet the criteria.

The recipient will be chosen from three finalists determined by the college in a portfolio review by Matt and Suzanne Wieringo, along with a rotating group. The ultimate goal for the ‘Ringo is to raise enough funds so that it can cover a full year’s expenses at SCAD, approximately $30,000.

The scholarship will be raising funds in Artists Alley at Heroes Con through selling sketchbooks, comics featuring his artwork, original art, sketches by other artists, and collecting donations.

Update June 22: Newsarama has coverage of the scholarship at HeroesCon, and adds that they plan to have an annual presence at the con.