Yes, that time has come again. After the previously detailed delay-for-pulping, Phonogram should be available in the US today (And the UK Tomorrow). The first five pages are available to read here, though spoilers from the off, and there’s been a selection of reviews already. Do they like it?

Comics Daily: “We’re past the point with Phonogram where it can really be judged by any sort of normal critical standard.”
James Hunt, Comic Book Resources: “Issue #5 of “Phonogram” might be the most challenging comic I’ve ever read, and in case there’s any doubt, that’s a good thing.”
Scott Cederlund, PopSyndicate: “This a nearly perfect comic book.”
Newsarama: “The ending itself is simply marvelous in its beauty and its mystery… you’ve got yourself one great comic.”

Yes, it appears they do. Though I wish they’d come out and say it instead of using such mealy-mouthed language.

(We’re totally due for a critical backlash, I suspect. Bring it!)

One of the darker, more character-study issues, I think. Hope you enjoy it as much as it can be enjoyed.

Well, that went pretty well.

The responses were mostly the array I was expecting. A lot of people seemed surprised by the tone, as they were expecting - to steal a line from a commenter - something more Warren Ellis and less Joss Whedon. But yeah - there was a reason “His Girl Friday” was at the top of the list of influences. I think I finally got my interview-style for S.W.O.R.D. nailed down in the new one I did for Newsarama, which sort of gives the best taste of the bally thing.

And the positive reviews were - generally speaking - enormously positive. To take a selection of the less spoilery ones…

Newsarama: “It really is a cut above the rest”
Chris ISB: “I think S.W.O.R.D. is great.”
Comics Daily: “SWORD trumps both Batman & Robin and the writer’s own Phonogram to deliver this week’s essential purchase.”
Paul O’Brien, House To Astonish: “The dialogue is great.”
Greg Comics Should Be Good: “I certainly hope that it smashes sales records and Gillen gets to write it for the next decade”
The Pull List: Pull Of The Week.
Dave Ferraro:“I’m definitely onboard after this strong debut issue for what seems will be a pretty amazing book.”
Fantastic Fangirls: “I highly recommend checking out SWORD #1.”
Panels on Pages: “I’m going to stick with the book for the foreseeable future, as I really enjoyed the first issue “
Funnybook of the Week: Funnybook of the week.
Richard Bruton, Forbidden Planet International: “S.W.O.R.D. begins very well indeed – fast, witty, silly, big sci-fi stuff with the characteristic scattershot dialogue of the Ellis, Whedon school of superhero sci-fi writing.”

Also, there’s been quite a few podcasts talking about it. Awesomed By Comics! 11 o’Clock Comics! Monkey On My Back! And a tiny splash in the ever-splendid Ifanboy.

Crikey. That’s enough linking. My Cut and paste skills are fading.

What’s people’s problems with it. Putting aside the people who just don’t like tone - c’est la vie - the thing which is popping up a lot is Steve’s art style generally and his Beast design specifically. Well, I’ll give you that it’s a radical take on Quitely’s design. But, in case you’ve forgotten - and when as determined a Morrison fan as Tim Callahan has forgotten, it’s probably worth reminding people - Quitely’s beast looked like this…

The guy had a snout. Most artist are minimising the snout, or even removing it entirely. Sanders is a little unfortunate that he maximised the snout when most other people went the other way, but it’s not nearly as radical a diversion as people are presuming. It is a little unfortunate that Mr Cassady’s take on the cover is at one extreme of the interpretations and Steve’s is at the other. And Beast has… well, as some has noted, has always wandered a little. Going through issue 3’s pencils right now, I think it the design will only grow ever more convincing. This is hyperstrong stuff.

Alternatively, as a lovely gent on the CBR forum put it…

Which does make me smile.

What else? Well, wrapping SWORD 4’s script up this week. Gets stronger ever issue, I think, unless I blow this one near the end. At least 3 is splendid. PG2.5 is out this week - in fact, was gettable last week if your local shop felt like doing it, as Rich Johnson reports with some hilarity . And my fourth Thor issue’s solicit and cover is live.

Oh - and issue 4 of SWORD’s one too…

Which is also splendid. I’m big on the word “splendid” today.

Oh - as a final note, when going to CBR I find an interview with Jamacia Dyer’s Weird Fishes. I’ve loved her work when she was back in her Kitchen Sink days. I’d somehow fell out of following her, but I’m very excited to see that she’s got a book out - WEIRD FISHES from Slave Labor, which is a collection of her webcomic. Which begs the question why I wasn’t reading it. I don’t know. I must have been insanely busy for the last five years. I’ll make up with extravagant compliments now.

This is insanely beautiful insane stuff. Go read!

So, with PG2.5 falling by the wayside, it leaves a single comic with my name on out this week. It’s S.W.O.R.D. 1, which you’ll find sporting this handsome John Cassaday cover.

(And, yes, part of me is very much aware the idea that the decade I found myself being dragged into comics via a John Cassady comic ends finding me releasing a comic with a John Cassaday cover is… well, exactly as weird as it feels. But more on that sort of feeling in December. I have things to divulge)

Okay. S.W.O.R.D. Out in the US today. Out in the UK tomorrow. I like it a lot.

This is the biggest Marvel comic I’ve had out yet. It’s about an planetary defence organisation, who were created by Joss Whedon in his splendid run on Astonishing X-men. That informs its tone, more than a little. In terms of the (generally really positive) reviews of the comic I’ve seen so far, a leitmotif has been it being not quite what they expected. Which I can understand - I threw around a mass of references in interviews - but the more playful end of Whedon’s emotional frame is kind of where it initially ends up, except warped because I’m writing about a couple-which-drives-the-story rather than anything else. I’m beginning to suspect, at least from the early part of the series, of all the references I mentioned HIS GIRL FRIDAY is actually the best one. Which suits me fine, as it is the best one.

Here’s an example of the better reviews out there from Newsarama, here’s an interview I did over at CBR just prior to release and here’s my beloved artist Steve Sanders’ being interviewed. Honestly, it’s worth clicking through just for a picture of Sanders’ splendid beard.

And, most relevantly, here’s the preview.

Buy the bloody thing. The first five issues are a self-contained joyride. Get on board.

Crikey! How frustrating. As reported on the electric internet that the new issue issue of Phonogram is going to have its entire run pulped. Why? Because due to mysterious powers beyond our ken, the bar-code was messed up on it. What makes it more frustrating is that a whole load of comic shops don’t even use the bar-codes. Man!

On the bright side, it should be in the shops next week. Sorry about the delay. It’s enormously annoying for everyone - especially after the six-week delay after handing the book to Image due to a Production Bottleneck, without even getting onto the perennial dragging of the series - but we’re really close now. PG2.6 should hopefully lob off to Image later in the day, so… well, let’s not jinx it, eh?

However, the PR efforts strike! There’s been a few reviews. Here’s Comic Book Resources and here’s Comics Daily’s. Oh, and for those who want to tease themselves, there’s a five-page preview which you can see here. Though there’s spoilers right from the off, and I’d wait.

But I am ludicrously precious over Phonogram. Like, no shit, yeah?

However, the previously arranged launch party will still happen, not least because S.W.O.R.D. 1 is out, which Jamie also has a story in. It’s at the Prince Arthur near Euston in London from - ooh - 7:30 or so. Facebook details here. Come join us! We’re very friendly.

Oh - I mentioned issue 6. Well, since we’ve never shown it, here’s the cover. Ta-dah!

William Avatar actually had a poster of my first project at Avatar up at the stall at the MCM. While there’s no art to actually see yet, I was allowed to talk to people who interviewed me about it as much as I like. I’m not saying much yet - if only because I’m still feeling out the exact angle of how best to explain it - but the just-up Den of Geek interview with Jamie and I includes the first details. There’s lots more about what we’re up to in the interview, but the Heat relevant bits…

William [Christensen, Avatar Editor-in-Chief] came to me, and basically wanted a female-led action comic, and apart from that, it was entirely open. That’s an incredibly open brief, so I sat back and started thinking. I was thinking about cyberpunk, and I was thinking about Riot Grrl, Judge Dredd, Tank Girl, Kill Yr Boyfriend… The most important thing, is that it’s a cop drama on Mercury. It’s the idea that, especially after Obama got in, people seemed to be thinking about the future again, the idea that we’re going to have a future. So a lot of the problems that we have today, are not problems in this particular world. Specifically, environmentalism becomes very important, as in Environmentalism is actually very close to what religion is now, but they still have this energy need. So what they’ve ended up doing is solar panels on Mercury. And Earth is kind of like a lived-in Utopia, but Mercury is a bit harsher, kind of the new Wild West. And the lead character is one of these cops, who goes to Mercury, and has to deal with crime there. Of course, The Heat. So the focus is both on Mercury, because it’s very, very hot, and the police.

One of the inspirations for it was… Whiteout! Not the film but the actual comic. Whiteout is fantastic because it takes a police procedural and then applies it to an unusual environment. And the environment becomes a character. I basically wanted to do the idea of ‘what would it be like to fight crime on Mercury?’. But Mercury’s incredible, one side melts lead, the other side freezes oxygen. These are incredible differences, how would you police it? In fact, how would the power plant work? How would the people live? How would the energy get back to earth? Mercury is very small, and it rotates very slowly. A Mercury day is about 88 Earth days long. It actually only rotates at around 10km/hr, in other words it rotates less than running speed. On Mercury, you can out-run the dawn. And that’s pretty much the opening scene, of somebody trying to out-run the dawn. And of course, you can out-run the dawn - just not for long. And that’s my noir-esque start of it. And the environment characterises and changes everything.

So that’s it then. Be gentle with the science phrasing, as it’s were off the top of my head for casual conversation. I’ve done enough research to at least not fail no that level.

Much more on this as art starts to emerge, but that’s enough to tease for now. Should be out in the first half of 2010.

Response has been generally positive to it. It was a tricky week to launch a first issue - there’s a lot of big books out, which seemed to suck up most of the early reviews (I’m surprised - say - CBR hasn’t reviewed it EDIT: I spoke too soon) - but when the reviewed masses up I didn’t actually see anything that was openly full out negative. In fact, most people seem pretty excited. Hurrah for excitements. It’s very much that kind of comic. Here’s some which caught my eye…

James Hunt, Comic Book Resources: “Ares, then, is an unlikely hit in just about every area.”
Kirk Warren, The Weekly Crisis: “This is someone that reads the source material and immediately understands what makes the character tick and begins crafting a story tailor made for them.”
But Before I Kill You: “This comic is about how not to fuck up Ares. And it was great.”
Paul O’Brien, If Destroyed Still True: “It’s brazenly over the top, but so it should be - it’s an Ares comic. Fun reading.”>
Klaus A, Corebrner: “So, I read this book not sure what to expect really. The only word I could utter after reading it was: “Fuckwin”. Read the review.”
Panels on Pages: “The dialog Gillen provides for Ares and his ragtag Shades is fantastic. “

Yes, Ares is a book which provokes positively-inclined swearing, which is only right.. Also Awesomed By Comics podcast said some very nice things about it too. Oh - just for a dissenting opinion, here’s IGN’s middling one.

Just back from Los Campesinos! who… well, remain a sort of iconic and useful band for me, in many ways. New material sounds interesting. Old stuff sounds furious. Gareth remains the angriest xylophone player on the planet. But aside from all that, there was a genuinely strange moment I have to write about.

I’ve mentioned in passing that there’s a couple of things which I wrote which Gareth appropriated - with permission - for lyrics before. The title of the second album is paraphrased from my description of them in an end-of-year write up and a line from Phonogram 1.1 (”A room full of vaccuum and a room full of air look the same”) is put to task in a particularly shouty section of opener “Ways To Make It Through The Wall”. Which always brings a smile to myself when I hear it, just because it’s so odd - and what Gareth does with it is very different from what I used with Kohl, openly defiant rather than the first part where old David even appears vaguely human.

Anyway - it’s a different thing to hear it sung live. Los Camp! fans are passionate. Lyrics are screamed out. Glancing to one side and seeing dozens of faces howling something which I abstractly wrote… well… there’s a couple of responses. Firstly, it’s a tiny moment of alienation - like I imagine (say) Chic feel when they hear something they created lifted and repurposes. As in, you recognise the craft and recognise that it’s part of something you did - but it’s also something else. Secondly, there’s the part that’s fuckinghelltheyaresingingsomeshitIwrote. Which is… well, I suspect it’s the closest I’ve ever felt to feeling like bloody Bono or something. It’s powerful and odd and direct, and I can see how people who get it every night, from every single line of every single song go proper mental so often. God know what Gareth feels like.

Well, in the US anyway. It’ll be out in the UK tomorrow.

I’m actually pretty pleased with this one. It’s also the easiest one for you to gague whether you’d like it or not. Go read the preview of the first six pages. If you like that, you should like the rest of it. The plot plays with the central concept a little, but the tone is just right there. That’s my Ares. Like him? There’s three issues more of him to come. While it’s a Dark Reign book, tying into the whole meta-arc of the Marvel Universe, it’s also one whose central high concept - Ancient God Of War Trains Soldiers And Then Takes Them On A Mission - which is pretty universal. Culture-collision dark action/comedy. Also: miniguns.

No reviews yet to point you at, but Fred Van Lente - writer of Incredible Hercules and the eternally-awesome Action Philosophers - twittered about reading it last night, saying “It’s awesome. #1 out Wed and all HERC fans should support it!”. I concur, because I am monstrously arrogant with an overblown sense of my own ability. Like, obv.

There’s also an interview about Ares and Thor up on Marvel.com at the moment, wherein things like this get said…

Marvel.com: Is that one of the things you like about the character of Ares? That juxtaposition? Or is it that slightly misogynistic personality?

Kieron Gillen: [Laughs] He’s not a nice guy. Anti-hero would almost be too strong. Ares is interestingly conflicted. He’s a bad guy. He’s done some pretty monstrous things. But in the last ARES limited series, he basically stormed hell to get his son back. That’s what I find interesting and what I found as a way in for Ares. What I find interesting about Ares is this sense of failure. He wants to be a good father and I think that’s a redeeming feature. Indirectly, I get into touching that. That sort of relationship is key to what I’m doing. That’s the kind of human hook: him trying to be a better man than he has been.

And I continue bumbling along in a similar vein. Go read!

I’ve been meaning to write a proper post on S.W.O.R.D. for a while now. In fact, I probably should have written this yesterday, because it was the last day that retailers can adjust their actual pre-orders for issue 1, and a prod in a you-should-order-now-if-you-want-to would have been timely. Don’t let that stop you from asking for a copy, of course. Retailers have all sort of dread science they wish to perform, and letting them know you’re craving the S.W.O.R.D. is always worthwhile. As - y’know - it’ll affect their orders for issue 2.

Ah, comics.

Just before the deadline closed, Marvel released some preview pages of the interiors, showing off Steven and Jamie’s work. I’m going to the ones at Matt Wilson’s blog - our Phonogram colourist, who’s doing everything S.W.O.R.D. - because the ones Marvel released of Steve’s page appeared to have some kind of formatting error which left the colours looking a little odd. In fact, they should look like this…

Click through to see ‘em larger. Also, Jamie’s page. Jamie’s story is an eight page short which deals with a certain large metal bullet and a certain Kitty Pryde, and why they haven’t been stopped and/or rescued yet. It’s where I most explicitly follow Mr Whedon’s Astonishing X-men, and a lot of fun. Also, Jamie’s page features the first public appearance of UNIT. He’s one of the characters I’ve created for SWORD. He’s my explicit attempt to create a proper functional supervillain - by which I mean, both having a novel power-set, and having a set of motivations which are possible to at least empathise with a little. The Magneto school of villainy, if you will.

I’ve got to do a lot of that with SWORD. It’s not only my first ongoing comic for Marvel. It’s my first ongoing comic full stop. This requires a different set of thinking. On one level, you’re reaching out for the future. On the other, you’re building for the present. Because - obviously enough - one doesn’t work without the other.

Launching an ongoing is tricky. You never know how much you’re going to get, for dozens of reasons, from sales to me just dropping dead. And nothing annoys me more as a reader than an ongoing which just stops, suspending in space. As such, when I’ve been thinking about this - and, any other ongoings I’m doing - I’m thinking of modularity. As in, making sure wherever we stop, there’s meaningful emotional closure. The route I’m trying with SWORD is making the narrative telescope. The first five issues plot - the forced extradition of all extra-terrestrial life - resolves neatly. If we stop there, it’ll be a fine and beautiful thing. However, while doing that we’ve also set up all the pieces required for the next plot. And so on and on. In short, no matter what happens, we won’t leave the reader hanging.

My first job today has been going through the lettering proofs of the first issue, making all the last minute tweaks. And… well, I’m struck by how different it is to anything else I’ve done for Marvel. I’m struck how different it is to anything else I’ve done, full stop. It’s a heart-on-sleeve, smile-on-lips piece of romantic scientific-thriller-malarkies. The characters are smart. They fence verbally at the slightest provocation. They’re fun to be around. I’m reminded of Fraction telling me about watching the first Iron Man movie, and thinking “Hey, I’d love to write this guy” for a half-second before realising “I am writing this guy” and how joyous that is. Scanning the pages is a little like that.

And it motors.

I mean, I’ve been talking about it being a comic-at-escape-velocity in the interviews, but it’s only when the balloons are on the page do I get a sense of how true that actually was. I mean, it’s not Casanova, but in the 30 pages of story in issue one - 22 of the main story, plus 8 of the back-up - we’ve managed to get in as much plot as a couple of more normally paced comics, with every narrative technique I could bring to bear (Watch how we work the mid-page transitions). And what pleases me most is that it doesn’t feel cramped - which is where Beta occasionally stumbled. We get our comic-silent beats. We get Steve showing off his techno-skills. It’s not claustrophobic nine-panel grids. It just feels fast.

So yeah: I’m pleased it. And that I think the second and third issues step up from the first, I’ve got orbital-high hopes for it.

Issue one out on November 11th. Make a special SWORD calender with Beast’s beaming visage on it to remind you.

Ooh, that really is a scary number. Marvel have lobbed up their catalogue for January. Here’s what I’ve got out coming from the House of Ideas…

Yes, in it, Thor faces off against the GWAR! rhythm section. No, really.

Okay, the solicit…

COVER BY: Billy Tan
WRITER: Kieron Gillen
PENCILS: Billy Tan
INKS: Matt Banning
COLORED BY: Christina Strain
THE STORY:
THE FINAL BATTLE! Dr. Doom has committed barbaric atrocities against the Asgardians living in his realm of Latveria. Now Balder has marshaled his forces, and called upon the counsel of his general, Tyr, the God of War. Even the outcast Thor has rallied to the defense of his people. But what secret weapon has Doom wrought with secrets plundered from Asgard?! And whose side is the duplicitous Loki truly on…? Rated T …$2.99

PRICE: 2.99
IN STORES: January 13, 2010

A picture speaking the proverbial thousand.

COVER BY: John Cassaday
WRITER: Kieron Gillen
PENCILS: Steven Sanders
INKS: Craig Yeung
THE STORY:
Agent Brand, Beast, Sydren, Beta Ray Bill, Marvel Boy, Jazinda, Karolina and all the other aliens on Earth have been captured by Henry Gyrich and his “NO MORE ALIENS” agenda. Only one person can free them and save the world: Lockheed. Rated A …$2.99

PRICE: 2.99
IN STORES: January 13, 2010

What a busy January 13th.

In an other comics update, apparently PHONOGRAM 2.5 has properly been approved at the printer now, so should be printing when a print slot appears. I’m almost nervous to ask when that’ll be in case they say February. We finished sent it off to Image over six weeks ago, so we’re entering Jack-Kirby-esque comics-will-break-your-heart-territory. As soon as I have a date, you will too.

I just realise I haven’t mentioned that I’ll be attending the MCM Expo on the 24th-25th. Jamie McKelvie and I will be sharing a table in the Comic Village - which brings to mind the Prisoner, for me. God knows what would happen if we tried to escape. Maybe an enormous spherical Emma Vicelli would come to biff us? - and will be involved with some various silliness too. Scanning down the list of comics people there this year - not least Avatar coming over from the states - it’s increasingly showing how MCM is growing as an actual functional comics con.

Of course it has all the Sci-fi TV folk too. Who will we assault in the green room this time? Stay tuned.

Oh - some stuff. Here’s the signing schedule for the comics people…

(Jamie and I, of course, will be at our table the whole time and happy to sign shit whenever)

And here’s the comic-stage event stuff. Jamie and I will be on the WRITERS VS ARTIST showdown which promises to be hilarious and/or disastrous.

And finally, here’s a map of the comic part. Jamie and I are C17. Beside Ellerby and Cadwell, so we’ll have to put up with their foul indie stink.

Marvel have a Digital Comics thingy. It’s a subscription service mainly, but occasionally they put up some free issues for people to get a taste. They’ve just lobbed up issue 1 of Beta Ray Bill Godhunter. You can go and consume. For free!

What a marvelous world we live in.

As another part of this marvelous world, Marvel.com ran an article on the forthcoming SWORD series. Wherein I do many things, including teasing new characters like…

“”In terms of new characters, UNIT is the one,” he states. “It takes until issue #3 until we get to see much of him, but he’s my attempt to introduce a useful, novel and quietly threatening villainous long-term foil. He’s basically a cross between C-3P0 and Hannibal Lecter and I don’t want to say any more than that.”"

And continue in much the same vein. Go read!

Crikey. Things have been so busy recently I didn’t realise this was hitting this week…

Galactus! He’s devoured worlds since the dawn of the Universe. Consuming the Korbinites’ home was nothing special. But for Beta Ray Bill � oathbrother to Thor and the Korbinites’ defender � it was a failure of his life’s duty… and has given him a certain clarity. How can a hero suffer such a threat to exist? Beta Ray Bill sets forth to hunt down Galactus, force him to his knees and make him pay - with a plan so audacious even the Planet Eater will feel fear.

Collecting BETA RAY BILL: GODHUNTER #1-3 and SECRET INVASION AFTERMATH: BETA RAY BILL - THE GREEN OF EDEN.

WRITER: Kieron Gillen
PENCILS: Kano & Dan Brereton
COVER BY: Patrick Zircher

This is a collection of all the Beta Ray Bill comics I’ve done for Marvel. GREEN OF EDEN is a spin-off the tail of Secret Invasion, and sets up the themes for GODHUNTER itself. All are worryingly high velocity superhero comics, and Messrs Kano and Breton do splendid work. You can pick it up from your local comic shop today in the US or on Thursday in the UK. If you want to order from a comic shop, Midtown is pretty neat in the US and Page 45 is splendid in the UK. Alternatively, if you’re the sort of person who likes to get everything from Amazon, if you’re willing to wait a few weeks for them to get it into stock, both Amazon US and UK allow you to pre-order it.

Oh - I also notice another ARES interview has gone live, including the first art by Manuel Garcia, who took over from Mr Nord. Go see. I wish I had beer and/or a minigun.

Of course, I have something else out in December…

PHONOGRAM, VOL. 2: THE SINGLES CLUB TP

Written by Kieron Gillen, art and cover by Jamie McKelvie.

The second series of Phonogram separates itself from the frenzied mob of adoring critics just long enough to transform into this handsome collected volume. Seven individual-yet-interconnected stories set in a single night in a single club, each starring a young phonomancer, each exploring a different mystery of music and magic. Includes a cover gallery and ìMaking Ofî extras. We’ve put you on the guest list. Don’t be late. This is one night you’ll never forget. Collects Phonogram: The Singles Club #1-7.

160 pages, $14.99, in stores on Dec. 16.

So that means, yes, the trade should be available for Christmas.

Probably best say a few words on the delays, since there’s some confused information out there. Issue 5 isn’t out yet. It’s not even at the printers, though hopefully will be with them imminently. It’s been held up publisher-side for a few weeks, due to reasons beyond anyone’s control. Which is annoying, but hopefully will be sorted out soon. That means issue 5 will almost certainly be in early October, with the final two issues following before the end of November. Abstractly.

That means a quite short gap between the final issue and the collection. We hope the fact we’ve actually made the final issue something rather special will help mitigate any frustrated retailers. Rather than the usual 6 pages of B-side artists, we’ve crammed in another 4 on top of that. Which means there’s 10 pages of art from Becky Cloonan, Nikki Cook, Andy Bloor and Sean Azzopardi which won’t be in the collection.

As a second point, I’d like to stress the importance of pre-ordering. I explain pre-ordering a bit here, but basically it involves going into your comic shop and asking them to get a copy of the trade for you. They’ll alter their orders appropriately, and image will print more and - basically - we’ll all get paid. Frankly, if the orders of the first issue were in level with the actual initial demand… well, Jamie wouldn’t have had to stop working and we’d have had a good chance of getting this all wrapped up back in Summer instead of stretching into this long autumn.

Anyway - that’s the overview of the situation right now. Just all FYI. Any changes, and we’ll make appropriate announcements. Sorry for the hassle. This is frustrating for everyone.

Marvel have decided that this month they will continue publishing comics rather than start producing cheeses. Full solicits here. Which is good, because I’d written three (Count ‘em!) comics for them. They are…

DARK AVENGERS: ARES #3 (of 3)
Written by KIERON GILLEN
Penciled by MANUEL GARCIA
Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
Ares and his men enter a suicide standoff! The God of War exposed his hand-picked H.A.M.M.E.R. cadets to intensive, real-world training in the field…by going up against a dark and deadly force from his distant past. But Ares got a deadly heap more than he bargained for, and his trainees are about to get schooled the hard way!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

I do like the skull motif on all the Ares covers. There’s a lot of skulls. It’s worth noting that while the series was originally solicited with Cary Nord as the artist, mr Nord has had to drop out and Manuel Garcia has stepped in. I mention, just to make sure you know. Garcia’s stuff is splendid, so the book’s in safe hands. Well, at least Manuel’s hands are safe. Mine remain the sort of hands you shouldn’t leave in any position of responsibility.

S.W.O.R.D. #2
Written by KIERON GILLEN
Penciled by STEVEN SANDERS
Cover by JOHN CASSADAY
Extraterrestrials are no longer welcome on Earth. So say goodbye to Marvel Boy, Beta Ray Bill, Karolina from the Runaways and a ton of others…including Agent Brand and Lockheed! Henry Gyrich has turned the tables on our heroine and her time as head of S.W.O.R.D. is coming to a close.
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

I’m planning on doing a longer post on S.W.O.R.D. to prod people who are interested towards pre-ordering a copy, because we’re getting to the point where retailers will be deciding on their final figures to order. As a new book - and a new ongoing book - initial orders are really important, so I’d appreciate anyone having a word with their friendly comics retailer. If you have an unfriendly comics retailer, I’d doubly appreciate it.

Sanders is having far too much fun with this book, by the way.

THOR #605
Written by KIERON GILLEN
Pencils & Cover by BILLY TAN
The invisible hand of Loki’s sly tricks has made plain the treachery that lay in store…and after the devastating events of THOR: DEFINING MOMENTS GIANT-SIZE and THOR 604, everything comes to a head! The volatile balance of power in Latveria is tipped, and all sides march toward all-out war!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

In passing, I think Billy’s doing the best work of his career on this. And I can’t say any more about this Latverian arc to avoid spoiling anything JMS has in his final issues. Suffice to say, I’m still stomping around the house speaking in Doctor Doom talk.

Also, as something to bring your attention to, Mr Bendis has released a new edition of his brilliant Hollywood Journal FORTUNE & GLORY. It was originally in black and white. Now thanks to the loving hands of Matt “Loving Hands” Wilson - who also does colours for Phonogram - it’s not. It’s in colourovision. Solicit is here…

FORTUNE AND GLORY: A TRUE HOLLYWOOD COMIC BOOK STORY DELUXE HC ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Cover by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Before ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, before NEW AVENGERS, before SECRET INVASION…Brian Bendis was an award-winning cartoonist, and this scathing Hollywood tell-all was one of his best! Entertainment Weekly gave him an A, Hollywood insiders fell all over themselves to praise him, and fans everywhere gave him a thumbs-up for hilarity. Now, for its tenth anniversary, Bendis releases his sold-out miniseries FORTUNE & GLORY in color for the first time — featuring colors by Matt Wilson (Phonogram). Marvel once again at the stupidity of Hollywood producers, and the enthralling mood swings and ego nosedives of a little indie comic-book creator caught up in the maelstrom of the motion picture industry. This deluxe collection features brand-new text pieces by Bendis, and pages and scenes left on the cutting-room floor. Featuring an introduction by Paul Dini.
144 PGS./PARENTAL ADVISORY…$19.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-4309-3

Hell of a book. One of my favourites of Bendis’ indie work, and one which I’ve bought as a present for quite a few people.

Candide turned to Martin:
‘Well, there you are,’ he said. ‘You will agree that there is the happiest of men, for he is above all that he owns.’
‘Don’t you see,’ said Martin, ‘that he’s sated on everything he owns? Plato said a long time ago that the best stomachs are not those which reject all foods.’
‘But,’ said Candide, ‘isn’t there pleasure in criticizing everything, in finding fault where other men think they find beauty?’
‘Which is to say,’ rejoined Martin, ‘that there’s pleasure in not having pleasure?’
‘Oh, all right. Have it your way then,’ said Candide.

Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter is out in the United States of America today. Out in Blighty tomorrow. Purchase it with your fine earth coins. There’s a preview of the issue over at Comic Book Rescources which shows a very poorly Galactus. Go read!

It’s been a fun series to do. It also motored. With the final issue, as is per usual with writing comics, I wrote a list of all the scenes I needed to round up the plot, and there was something like 18. Kano does magnificently throughout, pulling off stuff in a one-fifth-of-a-page panel which is more often seen in double page spreads. It’s available in a collected form in October, for those who crave spines.

In other news, some more Thor interviews emerge via CBR. It’s worth noting this is a phone interview and the first was an e-mail. It’s fun to compare and contrast how the two feel, if you know what I mean. I’m not exactly linear in how I verbalise ideas.

First of the Thor PR…

“As a relatively new writer to Marvel, making designs after a book like Thor… well, that’s total hubris. I’m as arrogant as the next megalomaniac British guy, but that struck even me as a bit too much. Space Lasers to annihilate my foes? No problem. Planning on writing Thor? What? Me? Nah, that’s the sort of thing beautiful men of the world like Matt “Golden Glow” Fraction or Ed “Healing Hands” Brubaker would be thinking about.

So when Warren called to suggest it, I believe I questioned his sanity in cheerfully expansive terms.”

More here.

And now I’m running off to Poland for a Wedding. Man! Busy.

The Marvel November solicits are appearing online. As well as the first issue of SWORD and the second of Ares - and I’ll do a post gathering all these up in the next couple of days - there’s a third Marvel book which I’m writing coming out then. It’s what I’ve been referring to as Secret Project: Codename Asgardian Thunder God. That is…

THOR #604
Written by KIERON GILLEN
Pencils & Cover by BILLY TAN
Gatefold VariantCover by OLIVIER COIPEL (see pg. 118 for full cover image)

Has Doctor Doom crossed a line…? And what role did Loki play in Doom’s sinister plans? What did Loki know…and when…? Now, as Thor heads to Latveria to settle the score, only one thing can happen: Thor sitting Doom down and having a serious chat about their feelings. By which we mean, STATE-OF-THE-ART SLEDGHAMMER SKY-SCRAPING SUIT-SMASHING SUPERHEROICS!

Billy Tan (NEW AVENGERS) draws the action-packed escapades while Kieron Gillen (NEW UNIVERSAL: 1959, DARK REIGN: ARES, Phonogram) starts his six issue run. Hold onto your runestones, True Believers – things get hectic quick!

Anyone who’s been following Anglophone comics will be aware that this is an enormous gig, in any way you choose to define it. It’s a gargantuan-selling Eisner-Nominated series. JMS’ sudden departure from the book leaves a pair of Galactus-sized shoes to fill, or at least waddle around amusingly in. So it’s a pressure situation. On the other hand, it’s also a fantastic opportunity - and not solely in terms of the size of the stage. JMS’ run has been personified with this slow and careful build, with all these pieces being put into motion. If left to their own devices, they’re moving in interesting ways. The best metaphor I can think of is a chess-game. A grandmaster has been playing and now, in its endgame, he leaves the table. With my handful of issues, I make these final moves. They’re mine, but to be at all effective, they’re a logical extension from what became before.

And besides: Thor, Loki, Doctor Doom. These are some of Marvel’s finest characters. How can this not be fun?

For those of you who aren’t followers of the anglophone comics industry and are here for the music malarkies, the explanation I’d use would be… well, remember 1995 when the Stone Roses had to pull out of Glastonbury when John Squire fell off his bike and broke his arm. Glastonbury Main stage on a Saturday night? Biggest stage in the UK. And into the gap comes… Pulp, with a single real hit to their name. This is a bit like that, except without the broken arms and instead of the Roses, work in someone with archetypal American Grandeur and grasp of storytelling - say, Springsteen - and it’s a Pulp who’s never had a proper hit yet. Actually, the more I think, the more it’s nothing like that at all.

But It’s not going to stop me acting like it is.

For those who are neither here for the comics or the music… well, it’s one hell of a big gig.