Stuart Moore:
Blog, Biography, Bibliography

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Wednesday: Wolverine - Under the Boardwalk

WOLVUBOARD_15bot

One week late but worth the wait: WOLVERINE: UNDER THE BOARDWALK, a one-shot psychological thriller by me and Tomm Coker (DAREDEVIL NOIR). This one started with a simple idea: What if Wolverine, who's been around for a while, met up with a woman he'd had a brief fling with forty years ago? Of course, it's not as simple as catching up over tea. There's the matter of a beat-down that Logan never got over, and a body buried somewhere under the...yeah, you get it.

Tomm Coker really drew the hell out of this one, aided by the moody colors of Daniel Freedman. On sale Wednesday, December 9th from Marvel Comics, only $3.99 for a full 32 pages of story and art. The perfect holiday gift for someone you only want to spend four dollars on.

Oh, and there's an eight-page preview here.

WOLVUBOARD_20bot

Monday, November 30, 2009

Signing Update: Thursday, December 3rd

bloodywncrop

Please note, all aficionados of fine graphic literature: Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, new comics will arrive in stores on THURSDAY this week -- and so our end-of-the-year blowout signing at Jim Hanley's Universe has been moved as well. Join us from 6 to 8 PM at the midtown Manhattan location, 4 West 33rd Street, just around the corner from the Empire State Building's main entrance. Don't be distracted by those pushy guys trying to herd you onto NYC tour buses as you pass the ESB. THEY WANT TO KEEP YOU AWAY FROM YOUR COMICS!

At this writing, it looks as though I won't have WOLVERINE: UNDER THE BOARDWALK out yet as previously scheduled. But there'll be plenty of WOLVERINE NOIR (see above) and other ephemeral picto-fictions for me to sign, some of them floppy with staples and some hardbound with glue and board, like the Vikings used to make.

I'll also have little previews of upcoming titles, including the sublime SHADRACH STONE and the ridiculous DEADPOOL TEAM-UP #896 FEATURING U.S. ACE. And I promise I'll learn how to draw a laughably bad Wolverine head by then, so you'll get an instant collectable with every purchase.

Also in attendance: Fred Van Lente, David Gallaher, Steve Ellis, and new addition Neil Kleid. So come on by. Don't make us look bad in front of Neil, okay?

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Puttin' the Hammer Down!

28_DEADPOOL_TEAM_UP_896

February 2010 brings a book I'm very fond of: DEADPOOL TEAM-UP #896 featuring the incredible return of the CHARACTER YOU DEMANDED -- U.S. Ace, Marvel Comics' very own trucker supreme!

Now, that sentence might have confused you. Don't be scared. Here's everything you need to know:

1. U.S. Ace was originally called U.S.1. He was an original character created as a tie-in to a toy truck. The truck is gone, but the legend lives on.

2. U.S. Ace/1 was created to cash in on the CB radio/trucker craze. Sadly, the CB craze peaked around 1976. U.S. didn't come along until 1983. By the end of his twelve-issue run, they had no idea what to do with him, so they sent him into outer space. Somehow this made sense back when Reagan was President.

2a. Despite this, the last issue had kind of a nice fill-in art job by Steve Ditko. Go figure.

3. I took on the challenge of making U.S. relevant to the modern era. (Heh -- got through THAT sentence with a straight face!) Like a lot of working men, his life hasn't worked out quite the way he hoped. So now he's back on Earth trying to make it the best he can...which unfortunately means taking jobs from...

4. ...his brother, the demonic Highwayman. You may have seen the Highwayman recently, when he fought Ghost Rider. If you didn't, don't worry about it. This issue contains all you need to know about him. He runs a trucking company. How EEEEVIL!

5. It's just possible you haven't managed to collect the entire run of DEADPOOL TEAM-UP #1-895. If so, it's your own fault. Call up Mile High Comics or Bud Plant and start badgering them. Rudely.

6. This comic book also has killer raccoons, dated slang, and an original country song. Oh, and Deadpool.

7. It's the funniest thing I've ever written, and a lot of the credit goes to Shawn Crystal. Shawn has done some issues of the regular DEADPOOL monthly lately, but he's totally pulled out the stops here. I'll post some art as soon as I can. You won't believe Deadpool in a trucker hat with a CB radio.

There. All clear now? If not, come by my signing at Jim Hanley's Universe on December 2nd and ask me to explain. (Not rudely.) Or just buy the damn book in February!

Friday, November 6, 2009

December 2nd: Signing @ Jim Hanley's Universe

wolvbwp07bottom

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM: I'll be signing copies of WOLVERINE: UNDER THE BOARDWALK, a new one-shot by me and the amazing Tomm Coker. Note tantalizing sample panel above.

Also on hand will be the X-MEN NOIR crew of Fred Van Lente and Dennis Calero, celebrating the release of the second X-MEN NOIR series. I'll also be signing copies of the WOLVERINE NOIR hardcover, and Tomm Coker (not present) is the artist of DAREDEVIL NOIR, so it all fits together holistically. Like a beautiful mandala. Of Noir.

And finally, David Gallaher and Steve Ellis of HIGH MOON fame will be there, signing their brand-new HULK: WINTER GUARD one-shot. So it'll be a big New York comics jam with just a slight holiday flavor.

Jim Hanley's Universe is at 4 West 33rd Street in Manhattan, just around the corner from the Empire State Building main entrance. Details on the signing can be found on their website.

WOLVNOIR003p9top

(Above: From WOLVERINE NOIR by me and CP Smith, now available in a beautiful hardcover edition for only $19.95.)

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Out Now: Wolverine Noir Premiere Hardcover

wnhccover

I've really got to start paying attention to trade paperback release schedules...out this week (i.e., yesterday) is the WOLVERINE NOIR collected hardcover edition, with story by me, art by the incredible CP Smith, and color by the equally incredible Rain Beredo. Featuring the tragic tale of Jim Logan, P.I., as he plies his trade in New York's skid row Bowery district in 1937.

Update: And beautiful alternate covers by Dennis Calero -- including the image seen above.

Update update: The book also features my original script for issue #1!

We're really proud of this one. A few comments from here and there, carefully edited to make us look good:

"This new title from the Marvel noir run is very entertaining. The art is impressive, providing for a very unsettling and never comfortable tone."
-Alex Rodriguez, Comics Bulletin

"this wasn't a story I want to read in chunks over a few months. I want to know what's coming next. You win, Wolverine. I'm intrigued...The art in Wolverine Noir is gorgeous."
-Nina Stone, The Factual Opinion

"Absolutely incredible, a perfectly paced story, with brilliant artwork all the way until the final last panel. The next wave of Noir books have big shoes to fill, and a long shadow to walk in. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, YOU MUST PICK UP THIS SERIES!"
- Adam Chapman, Comixtreme



WOLVERINE NOIR - Premiere Hardcover. $19.95. Buy it. It might just save your life.*

WOLVNOIR002019top

*It won't save your life. But buy it anyway.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

January - X-Men Origins: Cyclops

XMOCyclopsF

Now soliciting: X-MEN ORIGINS: CYCLOPS, written by me with art by Jesse Delperdang and cover (above) by Adi Granov.

I grew up with Scott (Cyclops) Summers, and I was always drawn to his brooding, sometimes over-serious nature. This one-shot tells Cyke's story from childhood through his early years with the X-Men. But it's not just a retelling of previously-depicted events...we show Scott growing into his role as X-Men leader, and his evolving, complex relationship with both Professor Xavier and Magneto.

X-MEN ORIGINS: CYCLOPS stands wholly alone, and is designed to serve as an introduction to this central X-Men character. But it also, very deliberately, plays off the dynamics going on right now in UNCANNY X-MEN, where Cyclops must make hard decisions as new leader of the entire mutant community, even when those decisions bring him into direct conflict with Professor X. That throws a lot of earlier stories into a whole different light, and it made this project much more interesting to write...without seeming artificial or superimposed (to me, anyway).

But really, all you need to know is that he shoots force bolts out of his eyes. A lot, actually.

On sale January 13th from Marvel Comics.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Amazing Spider-What Now?

26486new_storyimage9996086_full

This one totally sneaked up on me: Marvel recently published the collection AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: FAMILY TIES, which features not one but two Spidey stories by yours truly.

"Bridge and Tunnel" is a little New York love letter with sharp, kinetic art by Val Semeiks. But the much longer tale is "Fear Itself," in which Spider-Man teams up -- if that's the right phrase -- with the monstrous Man-Thing. Featuring lovely art by Joe Suitor that manages to look like watercolors and animation art at the same time. A small taste:

spiderfearpg13crop

The book also features work by too many cool people to mention, including "The Amazing Spider-Ma'am" by Abby Denson and Colleen Coover. Go grab it for $14.99 now.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

December - Wolverine: Under the Boardwalk

136_WOLVERINE__UNDER_THE_BOARDWALK_ONE_SHOT_1

On December 2nd, Marvel Comics will release WOLVERINE: UNDER THE BOARDWALK, a one-shot by me and Tomm Coker, the multitalented artist of the recent DAREDEVIL NOIR.

Wolverine's been around for a long time, and as I conceived this story, I started wondering what would happen if he met up again with a woman he'd been involved with, say, forty years ago. She's older; so is he, but it doesn't show as much. I also barely remember visiting Atlantic City when I was very young, before the gambling came in, when it was a washed-up beach town whose glory days were immortalized in the game Monopoly, and whose biggest industry at the time was salt-water taffy. Put the two ideas together, and what you get is...well, it's sort of the tale of a long-lived mutant's midlife crisis. With claws, of course.

UNDER THE BOARDWALK is a very "grounded" crime story -- no X-Men or alien menaces from the stars. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) Tomm Coker absolutely drew the hell out of it. He's developed a mixture of tight figure work and photorealistic backgrounds, and he does it as well as anybody in the business. The action scenes are great, but the quiet panels are the ones I find really haunting. Here's just a small taste.

WOLVUBOARD_16top

WOLVERINE: UNDER THE BOARDWALK. Color by Daniel Freedman. $3.99 for 32 pages of story. Soliciting now.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Out Today: Wolverine Noir #4

hotlinescreengrab

Concluding the dark 1930s miniseries by me and CP Smith.

Above: a screengrab from the Marvel Hotline trailer, where I sum up the series pretty well, I think. Go there and spend one minute forty seconds in Logan's and my world.

I should do some San Diego wrapup, but I'm still exhausted, especially after The Comic Book Club last night (which was awesome, as always). For now, big wet kisses to all the girls and boys I saw last weekend.

Monday, July 20, 2009

San Diego '09!

It’s the Happiest Time of the Year once again! I’ll be roaming around the convention for the entire time, but here’s where you’re guaranteed to find me:

Friday, July 24
6:30 - 7:30 PM
Room 3

Panel - Four Color Reality: Making Comics Relevant to Readers Across Cultures. How can the comic book industry connect with changing audiences—not just of diverse races and backgrounds, but of different cultural and national origins as well? Moderated by Jeff Yang (editor-in-chief, per seSecret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology). Panelists include Dwayne McDuffie, Gail Simone, Gene Yang, Jai Nitz, and me. I might even have free copies of The 99 to give away. So come out and show some love to the token white guy!

WolvNoir04-01top

Saturday, July 25
11:00 AM - 12:00 Noon
Booth #2001

Ait/PlanetLar - Signing with Ryan Kelly. Come by and pick up a copy of our political satire GIANT ROBOT WARRIORS, and see what the superstar artist of Local and New York 4 did before all that Vertigo stuff!

WolvNoir04-18top

Sunday, July 26
12:00 Noon - 1:00 PM
Booth #2429

Marvel Comics - Signing. Bring your WOLVERINE NOIR comics and ask me what I’m doing next with Marvel. And remember: It’s not a complete collection unless you have copies with all the variant covers signed by the writer.

(Artwork: Private Detective Jim Logan, then and now, by the astounding CP Smith. From WOLVERINE NOIR #4, on sale July 29th.)

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Me @ Comic Book Club 7/28/09

Announcement: I'll be appearing at the Comic Book Club Live, a New York-based comedy/talk show, on Tuesday, July 28th, 2009. I've done this show before -- it's funny as hell, and the hosts really keep things moving. And it's only five bucks American!

I'll talk about the final issue of WOLVERINE NOIR, shipping the following day, and probably reveal dark secrets about upcoming projects from Marvel and elsewhere. (Snikt.) Not sure who else will be guest-starring this week, but I can tell you that the show happens less than 24 hours after I get home from Comicon San Diego. So odds are I'll be babbling like an ape.

Follow the link for more info, but here's the salient:

Tuesday, July 28th
8:00 pm

The Peoples Improv Theater
154 West 29th Street, 2nd Floor
New York City

Come on out or else Wolverine gets it!

WolvNoir04-14top

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Last Teaser

From WOLVERINE NOIR #3:

WOLVNOIR003008top

"Oh my.

"How long have you been here?"

WOLVNOIR003008mid

"A while."

Secrets revealed: Wednesday, June 24th

Written by Stuart Moore
Art by CP Smith
Color by Rain Beredo

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Preview: Wolverine Noir #3

First six pages are up here. Scroll WAY down to "W"!

This issue reveals the shocking past of Private Detective Jim Logan -- which is a bit different from the Marvel Universe version. Here's a bonus image by the amazing CP Smith and colorist Rain Beredo:

WOLVNOIR003011_coltop

On sale Wednesday, July 24th.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

My Wolverine, Garth Ennis's, Sam Kieth's

First off: WOLVERINE NOIR #3, by me and CP Smith, comes out next Wednesday, June 24th. Here's a small taste:

WOLVNOIR003003bot

Which makes it particularly good timing that C. Fitzpatrick just posted a question to me, in the comments section of a previous entry in this blog. He starts off by saying nice things about NOIR (thanks very much) and continues:

I do however, have a question I hope you can take a little time to answer, despite it not really being related to NOIR. I want it to be known I’m not some frothing at the mouth fan boy but I was just a little pissed when I recently learned you were editor of Garth Ennis' PUNISHER during Wolverine's infamous guest appearance.

I'm just trying to understand why you allowed (if I’m wrong about your responsibilities or role as editor on PUNISHER, please correct me!) Garth to present an intentionally bad and a really vicious parody of Wolverine? Surely this could only be harmful to the character.


C. is referring to the second volume of the Marvel Knights PUNISHER series, issues #16-17 (2002), which featured such images as this:

punwolv

and this:

punwolvballs

Ouch, non?

Okay -- first off, yes, I was the editor who approved the above images (smirking all the way).

Second, I obviously like Wolverine quite a lot. I'm actually surprised that, considering how many stories the character appears in every month, I can always find something else to do with him. I've got a one-shot coming up featuring the regular, in-continuity version, and I'm very proud of that. More on it soon.

But I've always been a big-tent kind of guy. The PUNISHER book of that period had a very different flavor from the later MAX version: It was often satirical, mixing violence with dark humor. Every time a "normal" super hero wandered into Frank Castle's world, he wound up out of his depth and humiliated. Daredevil and Spider-Man fared only slightly better than Wolverine.

Garth Ennis's view of super heroes can be seen pretty clearly in the excellent BOYS and HEROGASM, which have a lot of fun at the costumed characters' expense. But the Marvel Knights Punisher wasn't just about Garth's worldview; it was about Frank Castle's. The Punisher has no more respect for Spider-Man or Wolverine than he would for an ordinary guy who strutted into the South Bronx in a white suit, looking for trouble. That's been a pretty consistent part of the character since his inception.

So this portrayal of Wolverine was somewhat filtered through the Punisher's own prejudices. But aside from that: I've always believed there's room for different versions of a major company's signature characters. Another title I edited for Knights was Sam Kieth's WOLVERINE/HULK miniseries. It wasn't quite so, uh, dismissive of Logan, but it was definitely odd:

wolvhulk

Sam's version of Wolverine was exaggerated, comedic, and touching. Garth's Logan fit into the PUNISHER title, and it made us laugh. Would either version have been appropriate for a long run on a comic book called WOLVERINE? Probably not. But as separate projects, I don't think they diminished the character. They just provided more options for readers.

By the way: I'd forgotten that those two PUNISHER issues were drawn by Darick Robertson. Darick now collaborates with Garth on THE BOYS, but shortly after PUNISHER, he drew a well-remembered run on WOLVERINE with Greg Rucka. Darick likes to poke fun at heroes -- but I can assure you that he's at least as big a WOLVERINE fan as any of us.

I appreciate the question, C., and the friendly spirit it was asked in. You may not agree with my answer, but I hope it clarifies my view of things -- which, I should stress, is not necessarily that of the other creators mentioned, or of Marvel Comics' management past or present.

And once again, thanks for the chance to plug WOLVERINE NOIR #3:

WOLVNOIR003003mid

Sunday, May 17, 2009

One More from Wolverine Noir #2

Calling Private Detective Jim Logan:

WOLVNOIR002012top

On sale this coming Wednesday. More details in the entry below.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Next Week

WOLVNOIR002019top

WOLVERINE NOIR #2

Script by me
Art by CP Smith
Color by Rain Beredo

WOLVNOIR002001top

May 20th

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Wolverine Noir: One More Time

wolvnoirprev041509

Out today! Go here for an interview where I act as though I've never talked to a cell phone before. But the interviewer did a nice job, and the preview pages are very nicely chosen.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Wolverine Noir Preview

wolvnoir1_pg3top

Go to Comic Book Resources for a seven-page preview -- plus covers -- of issue #1.

wolvnoir1_pg3mid

On sale Wednesday, April 15th, at your finer graphic story emporiums.

wolvnoir1_pg3bot

Monday, March 23, 2009

This Week: Tribbles!

startrekCOLORS10detail

Behold, Terran, on the thrice-cursed viewscreen! 'Tis the STAR TREK ALIEN SPOTLIGHT: TRIBBLES, by myself and Mike Hawthorne, from the Denebian slimeworms at IDW Publishing!

Featuring: a hapless freighter crew! The dregs of the Klingon Empire! And a world of tribbles!

startrekCOLORS08top

Read the online preview!

Catch up on the making of!

Read Mike Hawthorne's crazy-busy art blog!

If there's a fuzzy, trilling, blob-shaped hole in your entertainment world -- and you know there is -- then get to your local comic shop this Wednesday, March 25th!

STSPOT001-TRIBBLES-A_CMYK

(Caution: transporting between star systems may violate Starfleet regulations.)

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

More Wolverine Noir, Shadrach Stone, etc....

Nice podcast here where, on no sleep, I manage to respond to the very sharp Tucker Stone's questions without sounding like I don't even know where I am. Covers a lot of ground.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Wolverine Noir

WOLVNOIR001003bot

Marvel.com has a first look at the opening of issue #1. Art by CP Smith, colors by Rain Beredo.

WOLVNOIR001002_col copy

On sale April 15th -- the perfect item to spend that refund check on. And trust me: Private Eye Jim Logan knows all about hard times.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

New York Comic Con!

bigman3

I'll be wandering around the postapocalyptic landscape (or as they call it: exhibit floor), tracking down old friends and bargains on torn copies of KILLRAVEN. But here's where you can find me:

Friday, February 6th, 2:00 - 3:00: Penny-Farthing Press, booth #1513. I'll be signing and selling copies of PARA and ZENDRA, and debuting the ten-page ashcan edition of my new project SHADRACH STONE.

Saturday, February 7th, 2:00 - 3:00: Penny-Farthing Press, booth #1513. Same as above, except the ashcan will be a day old by then and thus slightly less fashionable.

Sunday, February 8th, 11:15 - 12:15: "The Multicultural Mask," room 1A17. Panel with Perry Moore (HERO), Greg Pak (PLANET HULK), DC editor Jann Jones, and moderator Jeff Yang, columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and editor of SECRET IDENTITIES: THE ASIAN AMERICAN SUPERHERO ANTHOLOGY. Here's the description:

"Over the past decade, publishers and creators have made an aggressive push to diversify the pages of the comic books -- eliminating antiquated, stereotypical representations of race and sexuality, while adding characters whose backgrounds and identities are a truer and certainly richer reflection of our social reality. In the process, some fan-favorite heroes have met with untimely ends and come back with new, different, and multicultural identities and others have become suddenly open about their sexual orientations. These changes have been met with both loud applause and scathing criticism -- but is radical integration of the comics really necessary? And if so, what's the best way to make comics look like America (and the world) while preserving cherished characters and already overstretched continuities? This panel will bring together creators who stand out as pioneers of the new inclusiveness in comics to talk about what works, what doesn't, and why it matters -- from both a cultural and economic perspective."

So I'll be talking about FIRESTORM, EARTHLIGHT, and THE 99. Miss it not, multicultural true believers!

Monday, February 2, 2009

This Week: Creature Feature

Creature Featurefinalcov

I think that cover pretty much says it all. Half The Swarm, half Starsky & Hutch (the original, of course!). Featuring gorgeous art by Alberto Ponticelli. Alberto's currently drawing the hell out of Vertigo's UNKNOWN SOLDIER, but this is a sample of his more stylized, caricatured work. Nobody in the business draws a 'fro like Alberto.

And a hat tip to Marvelous Mike Raicht, who put the whole thing together. In stores Wednesday, except for the stores that got it last week. For some reason.

For a nice review, with more details on the other stories, go here.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Now Soliciting: Wolverine Noir

WOLVNOIR001_COV

Coming in April: WOLVERINE NOIR, a four-issue miniseries by me and artist CP Smith.

The brief for the Noir line was to reimagine Marvel's characters as non-powered characters in a dark, crime-oriented setting. WIth Wolverine, that was easy. To me he's always been just a tough guy with knives; the only difference here is that the knives aren't built-in. Instead, he's a down-and-out P.I. in 1937, running the detective agency LOGAN & LOGAN with his partner, Dog. Everyone thinks they're brothers...but the truth is much more tangled than that. When Dog disappears on an errand for the beautiful Mariko Yashida, Logan's dark past comes bubbling back up in a paroxysm of guilt and violence.

CP Smith and I have worked on two Wolverine stories before, both collected in the trade paperback BLOOD AND SORROW. He's one of the most powerful stylists in comics right now, and this is probably his best work to date.

WolvNoir01-03crop

And check out the variant cover by Dennis Calero, artist of X-MEN NOIR:

WOLVNOIR001_COV_VAR

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

This Week: With Iron Hands trade paperback

im31rescue

Wednesday, January 21st: The trade paperback collection of my recent IRON MAN storyline, WITH IRON HANDS, hits comic book stores. A terrorist from Tony Stark's past collides with a bizarre threat from his present, with chaotic results. Art by "top guns" Roerto de la Torre, Carlo Pagulayan, and Steve Kurth.

Man, I miss S.H.I.E.L.D. already.

imdos_ironhands_tpb

And don't forget to visit our new SHADRACH STONE blog. Now with added sex!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Shadrach Stone - production blog

SS.PFP.07detail

I've just done a "soft launch" of the production blog for SHADRACH STONE, a new miniseries by me and Jon Proctor. Go there now & let us know what you think. Both Jon and I should be posting frequently as the series rolls along.

I'll be promoting the book at the Penny-Farthing Press booth at New York Comicon, too. Details to follow.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Spider-Man: Fear Itself - out this week

SMMTFEAR001_COVa

Only $3.99, featuring Spider-Man and Man-Thing -- with 34 pages of story and 21st-century neo-animation art by the amazing Joe Suitor (see below).

This interview will tell you as much as you want to know without actually reading the comic.

Previous blog entries, with more sample art: here, here, and here.

Buy it! (Then let me know what you thought.)

Update: Eight-page preview here. (Nine, if you count the character-descriptions page.)

spiderfearpg16detail