Comics for May 21 and news

… and we’re back. Sorry for the gap, but I had some trouble posting last week. Things should be okay now. I’m taking precautions this time.

DC Special: Cyborg #1 (of 5)
Ken Lashley’s Draxhall studio
Wikipedia entry on Cyborg

The long-time Titan gets his own mini-series at last, with pencils by Ken Lashley.

Also this week:
Batman and the Outsiders #7. Cover by Braithwaite.
Justice League of America #21. Written by McDuffie.
Tangent: Superman’s Reign #3 (of 12). Pencils by Igle.
Perhapanauts #2
Spawn #178
Black Panther #36. Written by Hudlin.

Also notable:
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull #1 (of 2). The official comics adaptation.
Pilot Season: Twilight Guardian #1. Common Grounds writer Troy Hickman is an old friend of mine, and I remember when he did this as a mini-comic back in the 90s. You’re gonna like this new book of his too.
Mighty Avengers #14. Secret Invasion tie-in.
Star Trek: Assignment Earth #1. John Byrne’s take on the aborted Star Trek spin-off series.

ECBACC was last week, and it went well, though in all honesty it wasn’t quite as big a crowd as it was last year, which is surprising given the appearance of Nichelle Nichols. I was part of the brief press conference that interviewed her, and she is everything I thought she’d be. She really does have a presence about her that is almost regal - her diction, the way she sits in a chair, the way she talks about her life - all of it is elegant yet down-to-earth at the same time.

She talked about the forthcoming Star Trek movie and expressed her approval of both director JJ Abrams and Zoe Saldana, the new Uhura. She talked a bit about her role in Heroes and about her recent film Lady Magdalene’s, as well as about her days doing the Star Trek series and about her craft as an actress. Her panel with the fans came shortly afterwards. I wasn’t there for that, but still, just to be in the same room with her, getting to talk to her, however briefly, was a thrill beyond words.

My only regret was that she didn’t have time to sign my copy of her autobiography, Beyond Uhura. I was so determined to not come across as a fanboy, and yet in the end when I got my question out I was tongue-tied. At least she understood me.

Regarding the GCAs: if it seems a bit odd that Story of the Year and Best Writer split, consider that this was the closest race ever in both categories. The GCAs are voted on with a weighted ballot system, in which the judges distribute a total of five points among each of the nominees in a given category. This way judges can throw their support behind more than one contender if they wish. The nominee with the most points wins the category. Story of the Year had to be settled by a tie-breaker vote between Sentences and Satchel Paige - they each finished with the same amount of points. Also, James Sturm won Best Writer by a single point over Percy Carey and Dwayne McDuffie. It was a real horse race, but when you’ve got as many high-quality contenders as we did this year, it’s no real surprise.

My thanks to everyone who helped make it another successful season for the GCAs, including my judges, Bill Foster, Katherine Keller, Tony Isabella and Cheryl Lynn Eaton; Maurice, Stephanie and the rest of the ECBACC crew; and of course Jamar Nicholas for hosting. We’ll begin receiving submissions for the 2009 GCAs December 1, so be prepared!

You know by now that Blade co-creator Gene Colan is very sick. Here’s the latest update on what’s being done to help pay for his medical costs and how you can help.

S’more Hancock photos.

SLJ as the Octopus in The Spirit.

Will Tyrese play Luke Cage? He ain’t sayin’ for sure.