Nominated for 4 Eisner Awards, MADAME XANADU, written by Matt Wagner, continues to mystify and seduce the mere mortals that we are. In this 5-issue story, brought to life by illustrator Michael Wm. Kaluta, Madame Xanadu investigates a murder that spans from the time of the Spanish Inquisition to 1940s New York City.

Here’s a pencil, ink, and final page colored by Dave Stewart from the upcoming issue #13 to make you salivate. And as a bonus, check out the covers of all five issues (#11-15) linked together—beautiful, don’t you think?

After a catastrophic event, amateur magician Yorick Brown discovers he’s the last man on Earth. Can you imagine? What would all the women do? Heading out with his monkey Ampersand to find his fiancé Beth, Yorick finds himself on the adventure of a lifetime. He encounters a government run solely by women, biker chicks, pirates, astronauts, amazons, convicts, scientists, a special agent assigned to protect him and oh yeah, a ton of women who want to sleep with him. Full of cliffhangers galore, the New York Times bestselling Y: THE LAST MAN by Brian K. Vaughan, writer for Lost and artist Pia Guerra is a fascinating story of what if.

But you don’t have to take my word for it.

“The best graphic novel I’ve ever read.”—Stephen King

“Provocative. . . . Full of . . . twisty double meanings and thematic echoes that reward careful reading.” —NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

“Pia Guerra’s expressive naturalism and Vaughan’s razor-sharp plot and dialogue make Y the most emotionally addictive read in comics today.” —WASHINGTON POST

“One of the more interesting comic book series of the last 20 years, up there with Neil Gaiman’s SANDMAN and Alan Moore’s issues of  “SWAMP THING…. The series is a comic-book masterpiece.” —LOS ANGELES TIMES

“Y: THE LAST MAN…. has steadily proved to be one of the best examples of its art form–the monthly comic book…. Fascinating.” —CHICAGO TRIBUNE

So, if you haven’t read it yet, or want to go back and read it as it was originally published, there’s no excuse not to pick up the special $1 edition of issue #1 in stores Wednesday.

PUBLISHERS WEELKY reviewed NORTHLANDERS Vol. 2 calling it “An effective psychological portrait of the two main characters in a highly enjoyable book that is as smart as it is action packed.”

On Wednesday NEW YORK MAGAZINE/Vulture ran a preview of THE NOBODY. If haven’t already seen it, you should definitely take a look!

NYLON GUYS MAGAZINE July issue has a great interview with Jeff Lemire about his job before taking on comics full time and designing the cover of the Art Brut vs. Satan album cover.

In yesterday’s post we had a great quote by Garth Ennis. Speaking of Ennis, PREACHER, one of the most celebrated Vertigo titles ever, will be available in hardcover for the first time next month. Book One includes a new intro by Ennis himself, titled ’The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread’ and a pinup gallery of art from issues 50 and 66.

Read the first issue here.

And now for the pinups. Below, are a few that are included in this special volume.

Order yours now!

Just days away from publication and GREEK STREET has people (well, not just any people, some of the most renowned names in comic history) yelling its praises from the US and across the pond from London. Ah, London, the setting of GREEK STREET and all its glorious inhabitants.

“Sex, death, ambition, revenge and a reminder that some stories are too true and too dangerous to ever die. GREEK STREET crackles with Promethean fire.” —Grant Morrison

“A mind-bending mashup of ancient myth and modern mayhem!” —Dave Gibbons, artist of WATCHMEN

“A new monthly from the man who brought us Skin, Skreemer and Bad Company? Count me in!” —Garth Ennis, writer of PREACHER

“A spellbinding blend of modern crime and classical tragedy, GREEK STREET sparkles with wit, style and energy, yet is as brutal and unrelenting as the mythical Furies themselves. I can’t get enough of it.” —Cliff Chiang

And for those of us looking forward to shouting TGIF! we have this toast to GREEK STREET by Lee Bermejo, artist of the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller, JOKER:

“Milligan & Gianfelice mix delicious elixir with GREEK STREET. With a combination of totally unique characters, challenging themes, and a complex, multi-layered narrative, you’ve got one hell of a stiff drink. It’s aged well, with the smooth taste of Greek tragedy mixed with the tart bite of urban noir. But don’t just down it…SIP it. Let the flavors sink in and then go back for some more.”

Check out the character bios at MYSPACE

It’s 9:36 am in New York City. Do you know where your freelancers are?

First up: coffee, check my email, see if anyone delivered the work they owe me. My day is divided up by time zones: Morning means Europe as they’re anywhere from 5-6 hours ahead, early afternoon means East Coast, late in the day, Left Coast. So as I prepare to call FABLES penciller extraordinaire Mark Buckingham, who lives in Spain, I realize that he’s probably finished with the pages he has on hand and he’s desperate (i.e. taking a siesta) for the balance of script for FABLES #87. And that can only mean one thing: Willingham’s name, once again, is mud.

I’ve been editing Bill Willingham’s life intermittently since 1988. At that time, I was working for Comico, The Comic Company, a now defunct independent publisher that was located in Pennsylvania. Bill was writing THE ELEMENTALS — apparently — if I could find him. When I took over the editorial reigns on the comic book, he was somewhere in the mid-West in a mobile van avoiding me at all costs. When I finally tracked him down (sometimes through my keen deductive reasoning skills, often through the use of a private detective) he would deliver the most amazing scripts and it would all be worth it. The blood. The sweat. The many trips to Goomba¹s pizza (double dough, double cheese). The tears (of weight gain, of joy).

Speaking of Bill and his projects, for those of you who have been hiding under a rock for the past few months, PETER & MAX: A FABLES NOVEL is Bill’s first FABLES prose novel and it’s coming out this October. It’s a dark fantasy epic about sibling rivalry that infuses magic, music, revenge and murder. Spanning medieval times to the present day, the story of Peter Piper and Max “The Pied Piper” of Hamelin will leave you haunted as you watch two brothers come undone in the deepest dark that is the Black Forest. And prepare to be blown away by the many lush spot illustrations by FABLES inker Steve Leialoha who will not disappoint if you’re expecting an abundance of rats the size of cats.

And next time we meet, remind me to tell you about the time Willingham took the life-sized mannequin of Clark Kent from DC¹s 7th floor glass conference room and placed it behind my desk while I was next door in a meeting with my boss… And stay tuned for more strange and sordid stories about your favorite comic book writers and artists as I spill their deep, dark secrets with each and every blog entry.

Unless Bill strangles me first,
Shelly

Music to watch Deadlines go by:

1). All my Friends - LCD Sound System
2). The Big Boss Groove - The Style Council
3). Friday Night - Lily Allen

Now, check out some edited and final pages from FABLES #85 and PETER & MAX.

IGN calls UNKNOWN SOLDIER “A revelation in every sense of the word,” and continues “It’s truly rare to see a book of this high level of craft, importance and dramatic power come along. . . . UNKNOWN SOLDIER marks the arrival of an important and distinct new voice in comic book writing in Dysart. And in Ponticelli, he’s found an artist capable of carrying out his haunting vision every step of the way. Go buy this book.” Need I say more?

Join rogue CIA agent Jack Lee Howl as he’s coerced, kidnapped, lied to and beheaded . . . all in a days work.

Here a few pages from UNKNOWN SOLDIER #9 to get your blood pumping.

FABLES is a series that continues to keep me guessing and THE LITERALS #3 is no exception. Set in the picturesque Catskills, all seems calm and peaceful as Kevin Thorn, released from Writers Bloc, picks up his pen . . . about to destroy everything.

Will the Fables, the Literals and the Genres overcome their differences and live happily ever after? Or is it the end of the entire universe as we know it? Or both? Find out this Wednesday in the conclusion to THE GREAT FABLES CROSSOVER.

Here are a few pages to get you through until Wednesday.

Gone to the beach–well, that’s where I will be if the sun comes out–so there will be no post today. Be back Monday!

Oh, and don’t forget, Sunday is Father’s Day!

AREA TEN by Christos Gage and artist Chris Samnee

Glad you came back, right?