In news that could probably best be described as a “when, not if” story, David Tennant announced that he will be leaving DR WHO after the last of the TV specials scheduled for 2009 and 2010.

Numerous websites have speculated on who Doctor # 11 will be, including Rich’s rumor about Patterson Joseph. Just who new executive producer Steven Moffat will tab is probably quite a while away from being announced, but that won’t stop message boards around the world from throwing out crazy suggestions.

Hey, since they didn’t pick him to be James Bond, how about Beat favorite Clive Owen as the Doctor? That would likely go a long way to keeping the female viewership that Tennant brought to the venerable BBC program.

Posted by Mark Coale

More big doin’s! Tonight at Jim Hanley’s, Stuart Moore, Joe Harris and the legendary Bill Sienkiewicz sign for Thomas Ligotti’s THE NIGHTMARE FACTORY Volume 2, which was assembled by your humble narrator. The NMF crew signs from 6-8. Stick around for Garth Ennis and Russell Braun from 8-10. Stuart has more info at his blog .

PLUS: THIS FRIDAY! One of the most fun events of the year! McNally Robinson’s Literary Halloween party: Or as Stuart puts it:

Friday, October 31st, 6:30 onward: McNally Jackson Books, 52 Prince Street between Lafayette and Mulberry. This signing is part of McNally Jackson’s Literary Halloween Party, which features costumes, drinks, signings, and lots of readings. I might even read a selection from an upcoming novel myself. I did this last year with Colleen Doran, for Nightmare Factory Volume 1, and it was an amazingly great way to spend Halloween…sitting, drinking beer, signing books, looking at costumes and listening to scary stories. McNally Jackson is one of the few good-sized indy bookstores left in New York City, with a great selection and really nice staff.

This was a total blast last year, and you will not want to miss it this time out.

So come on out and check out NIGHTMARE FACTORY Vol. 2 if you haven’t already. I’m very, very proud of the book, and it features fantastic work by Bill, Stuart, Joe and artists Toby Cypress, Nick Stakal and Vasilos Lolos. If you like psychological terror and existential nightmares, this is the book for you.

Big doins all over the place this week, including Robert Kirkman at Forbidden Planet. Ask him about creator’s rights or visit him on the web.

Marvel’s playing a game again! My guesses:

a) Abe Vigoda
b) General Douglas MacArthur
c) Woodgod

§ In a very nice “rest of the story” note, we learn that last year’s big brouhaha — the case of Nathan Fisher, a high school teacher fired for giving a student a copy of EIGHTBALL to read — has a happy ending for Fisher, as he’s got a new teaching job:

“It feels like a family,” he said when I saw him at Coginchaug on Tuesday morning where I was speaking to students. “It’s like they say. It’s the hardest job you will ever love.”

Fisher is teaching English and journalism and also oversees the school’s online newspaper, the Devil’s Advocate.

§ ICv2 catches up with Kurt Hassler onthe state of Yen Press:

Will this reorganization result in any change in the trade dress of Yen Press titles—i.e. the addition of an Orbit symbol, etc.?
As stated in the press release, Yen Press will continue to develop as an independent imprint. It’s worth pointing out that this is an internal organizational change more than anything and should at a consumer level be largely invisible. The trade dress of Yen’s titles will remain unchanged. The Orbit logo will not be added to Yen titles.

§ Scott Edelman and Irene Vartanoff visit with artist Marie Severin, who suffered a severe stroke earlier this year, but is, thankfully, in high spirits:

After touring Marie’s new apartment and catching up, we spirited her away for lunch at a nearby diner (which is where you see us above), followed by ice cream sundaes at Carvel, after which we returned to her place for yet more gossiping and a leisurely walk in the sunshine along the paths around her building. Marie was her usual crazy self, her spirit undiminished by last year’s stroke and her sense of humor still intact, leaving our stomachs aching from laughter.

§ Jillian Tamaki is wild about CAT-EYED BOY, as all discerning souls should be.

This is some seriously freaky shit, people. Buy it now. It’s so exciting and thrilling… I mean, when’s the last time you read something and exclaimed “OH MY GOD!” aloud? It reminded me of being a kid and being absolutely titillated to read about sex or violence in a book… you can hardly believe someone has printed this! And you’re READING it!

§ Peanuts power: Cartoonist Charles Schulz is #2 on the top earning dead celebrity list, with $33 million. Elvis is #1 and Heath Ledgeris #3.

§ The Hollywood Reporter has a long look at the current job duties of “Showrunners”, the front man (or, occasionally, woman) for your favorite TV shows. Such duties increasingly include running the comic book offshoots of said shows:

“Shows need to exist on multiple platforms in order to survive,” Kring says. “You have to have a face on the Internet and various platforms, iTunes or Hulu. We have publishing and merchandising and comic books and online content. It’s a much bigger playing field than just quietly putting your show on the air each week.”

With their profiles raised, the showrunner is now beholden to various shareholders, giving media interviews and taking meetings with underlings in addition to the usual writing-producing tasks.

§ We recall Kevin Somers as a very nice guy when he was a very talented artist, but he has gone over to the dark side:

Kevin Somers, who has done illustrations for test preparation materials and comic books, said he was considering applying to the I.R.S. because the agency had been so nice when his freelance work dried up a few years back and he fell behind on his taxes. “The idea of the I.R.S. being ominous and threatening got turned around in my mind,” he said. “I see the I.R.S. as a way to help people.”

§ Cartoon types, including P. Bagge, discuss Alan Greenspan.

Via PR, we learn that the 1958 TV series based on Milton Caniff’s Steve Canyon comic strip about pilots and adventure is coming out on DVD:

After 50 years in the hangar, the entire series (34 episodes) of the classic 1958 Air Force-centric television series Steve Canyon has been meticulously restored and is being released on DVD in its entirety for the very first time.
Based on the iconic newspaper comic strip of the same name, which ended a 41-year syndicated run in 1988 with the passing of its legendary creator, Milton Caniff, the acclaimed television series – the most expensive and realistic show of its era – has been revived and updated to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its debut.
The series is being released in three volumes titled The Complete Steve Canyon on TV, with the first volume hitting the streets Nov. 18.

Volume 1, which retails at $24.95, features the first 12 episodes of the series, in their correct running order, plus a few specially-selected extras.

Volume 2, containing the next 12 episodes, is scheduled to be released 60-90 days later. Volume 3 will follow 60-90 days after that, and will feature the final 10 episodes of the series, the uncut pilot show, and a variety of special extras. These include documentaries of the star Dean Fredericks and the history of the show. As an added bonus, Volume 3 will also include a full-color, custom collectors slipcase designed to hold all three volumes.

DVDs can be ordered at http://stevecanyondvd.blogspot.com, and may soon be available through certain selected retail outlets.

We’re used to reading all the interviews about the series that are coming but, but Kiel Phegley at CBR presents a rare look at an idea that didn’t make it with Joe Casey’s EXECUTIVE POWER, which would have plunked a real-life politician down into the Marvel U. It’s an interesting behind the scenes look at how ideas are developed at the Big Two:

“Honestly, my original notion was for it to be a fictional President in the Marvel U,” Casey told CBR. “But, the more I thought about it, and in initially talking to [Executive Editor] Axel Alonso about it two years ago, it made much more sense — on several levels — to make it about the actual President — which, back in the summer of ’06, obviously no one had any idea who the candidates would be, although that didn’t really matter for the purposes of this pitch. At that point, it suddenly morphed into possibly the most commercial idea I’ve ever come up with for a work-for-hire series. And Axel was into it. In a lot of ways, he’s probably the most forward-thinking editor at Marvel. His track record certainly shows he doesn’t shy away from controversial ideas, approaches or stories. I think he knew right away that this would be a lot more substantial a project than merely some gimmick book.”

Casey’s probably right that putting real life governators into a comic book would have gotten lots of press — look at the play IDW and Bluewater have gotten for their candidate bio books — but it’s also the kind of thing Marvel and DC really tend to shy away from. In one way, it’s understandable. Rights issues and complaints are a big concern, and real world commentary is usually left to the satirists, as Mad Magazine shows.

Kristy Valenti remembers GREENBERG THE VAMPIRE:

Written by J.M. DeMatteis and drawn by Mark Badger, GtV was Marvel’s 20th “graphic novel.” For Marvel, at that time, “Graphic novel” meant aping the European album format, and accordingly GtV is magazine-sized and in full color with high production value. Marvel’s initial graphic novel offerings were a mix of superhero and proto-Vertigo genre offerings. GtV obviously falls into the latter category: there are cusses in it, and I imagine the pitch was “a Woody Allen vampire movie.” The high concept is not completely without promise — there could be some very funny or even philosophical situations arising from the idea.

Those were the days of adventure and experimentation, weren’t they?

Artist Jock has been working with director Peter Berg on a new video for Christina Aguilera, and shares some of his art.

ALAN’S WAR, the US edition of an award-winning French graphic novel by Emmanuel Guibert, is one of the best-reviewed books of the year. Here’s a video of Guibert’s drawing techniques.

You heard that right — Marvel’s Avengers movie will field an all-star lineup:

As part of his four picture deal with Marvel Studios, Robert Downey Jr. is appearing as Tony Stark in “The Avengers” motion picture, as well as reprising his starring role as the larger-than-life leading character in “Iron Man 2.” Jon Favreau will return to direct the sequel to the blockbuster “Iron Man,” which to date has grossed over $578 million worldwide, as well as executive produce “The Avengers.”

In addition, Don Cheadle, who just signed on as the role of Rhodey/War Machine, will also appear in THE AVENGERS. Burning question: who will play Spider-Woman and the Two-Gun Kid?

A careful reading of the above reveals that Robert Downey Jr. has really decided to make his Marvel. He has a FOUR PICTURE DEAL with them, which spells IRON MAN 3.

Given the sizable haul, Marvel needed to lock down Downey for future pics. Thesp’s been filling up his dance card with projects. He’s currently lensing Warner Bros.’ “Sherlock Holmes,” which could also turn into a new franchise for Downey. Either way, deals put Downey front and center in a major tentpole each year through 2012.

Marvel will self-finance and produce its upcoming slate with Paramount distribbing the pics.

A wonky rumor is going around that Christian Bale is the frontrunner to play Dr. Strange:

The actor – who has played Batman in both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight – is said to be the number one choice to play Dr Strange in movie studio Marvel’s latest comic book adaptation.

A source said: “Christian is hot property right now, courtesy of Batman. Doctor Strange is a very different kind of hero to Batman and it’s felt Christian is the sort of actor who can make the part work on screen.

“It is understood a deal could be struck in the coming weeks.”

Excuse me, it is understood that this is just a rotten idea! Bale is allowed to play John Connor becaue it’s a different genre — that of robot-tinged apocalyptic future films — but he cannot play a Marvel superhero. That is just wrong! Christian, you might be having fun playing the Batman as a gravel-voiced psychotic, and sure, it’s fun to ride motorcycles and swing on Bat-ropes and all that, but one is enough! Don’t be greedy!

Who could play the Sorcerer Supreme? Come on, the answer is as obvious as the nose on Dormammu’s face: MAD MEN’s Jon Hamm!

In addition to his famed Laugh Out Loud Cats comic strip, Adam Koford is the man behind 700 Hoboes and is a force to be reckoned with. We’re not sure if it’s been announced yet that a book collection of the LoL Cats is coming from Abrams this March, but it is.

PLUS: See Frank Santoro’s review of Bat-Manga in today’s PW Comics Week with an EXCLUSIVE three-page preview. This book is WILD! I mean…SKIDOO.

Via Boing Boing, Mad Magazine’s take on Shepard Fairey’s now iconic Obama poster. Fairey has a gallery of parodies of the poster, but apparently it’s been boing boing’d and is down for a while.

Once again, Colleen Doran does the hard work and digs up a list of book agents who handle graphic novels.

Here are just a few of the contacts I found who are accepting graphic novel submissions. If you know of any other agent contact info you would like to share, email me at colleen@adistantsoil.com and I will post it later.

Don’t everyone email at once now, hear?

Via PR — the new release date is two weeks after the announced date.

Marvel would like to announce that the hotly anticipated, extra-sized Secret Invasion #8 will now arrive in stores on December 3rd, 2008. The top-selling comic book event of 2008, by award winning scribe Brian Michael Bendis and superstar artist Leinil Yu, concludes with this final issue that redefines the Marvel Universe and begins Dark Reign!

“The additional pages in #8 did both Leinil and the schedule in,” explained Executive Editor Tom Brevoort. “Anybody who pored over the artwork from #7 a week ago can easily see how he and Mark Morales have been putting their all (and then some) into every page and every panel, and that effort has finally caught up with us. Hopefully, retailers and fans will forgive us these extra two weeks as we make sure that everything is in the shape it should be in for the extra-sized climax—and from there, it’ll be smooth sailing straight into DARK REIGN.”

David Gabriel, Marvel’s Senior Vice President of Sales, added, “In speaking with retailers, Marvel decided it was more important to preserve the creative integrity of the series, rather than rush out the final issue. This not only creates a stronger product for our loyal readers, but also for our retailer partners, whose support helped make Secret Invasion a huge success.”

Oh, MEOW!

The ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive gets in the spirit of the season with Edgar Allan Poe illos by Edmund Dulac. The above is from “The Haunted Palace.”

We were doing our usual Google news search last night and noticed you can now look back in time. A quick search on DC Comics came up with this story from the New York Times talking about D.C. Comics In New Push To Sell Space:

IT’S been a traumatic year at D.C.

First (bam!) Robin, the Boy Wonder, was killed in an explosion. Then (omigosh!) Superman suffered an identity crisis. Now (golly!) D.C. says it will accept national advertising in a previously pristine line of its comic books.

This article is a goldmine for historians.

The decision to open a second line of books, the D.C. Group, to advertisers was based on a reader survey that the company commissioned a year ago from Mark Clements, a leading magazine researcher.

The survey showed that the 1.5 million readers of this group’s 25 titles, which include ”Swamp Thing,” ”Hellblazer” and ”Dr. Fate,” were, on average, 24 years old, with college educations and household incomes of $38,000, and spent $40 to $60 a month on comic books.

More significant was their ”psychographic profile,” detailing their likes and dislikes. It showed, said Jenette Kahn, D.C.’s president and publisher, that the readers were ”high-tech fiends.” At a time when 3 percent of American households had compact disk players, for example, 38 percent of the D.C. Group’s readers owned them.

And:

Their sophistication is a response to the dramatic change in the distribution of comic books in the last decade. The corner candy stores, which once sold virtually all comic books, have closed. The convenience-store chains that took their place discouraged browsing by children.

To fill the demand for comic books, specialty stores opened, and 3,000 of them now account for about 65 percent of distribution. Because these stores are often in malls and strip shopping centers on highways, they draw an older customer. The comic-book publishers decided to create titles that reflect the new readers’ worldliness, and, voila, a new advertising medium was born.

The hook for the article is the hiring of D.C.’s first advertising director, one Tom Ballou. Reading the quotes from Jenette Kahn and Paul Levitz (then executive VP) with a bit of hindsight, it’s easy to see the excitement over the perceived artistic and business growth. It was not long after WATCHMEN and DARK KNIGHT, two radical successes that are still being mined. Who knows what else we’ll find in the Google wayback machine?

§ Gawker predicts hard times for political cartoonists if Obama is elected. Part of the problem is that caricaturing the African-American candidate could draw accusations of racism. What’s really interesting about the piece is this bit about famous illustrator/cartoonist Thomas Nast (who invented Santa Claus, among other things):

Master cartoonist Thomas Nast proved political cartoons could be used to subvert racism, as in this classic satire of whites congratulating themselves for the emancipation of slaves from an 1863 issue of Harper’s Weekly:

Nast’s cartoons not only crucially challenged the way people saw political issues — coming as they were in a time with significantly less media — but they consistently fought against racist caricatures of black people.

The idea that in 1863 a great artist was actively campaigning against racist caricatures (in a country where slavery was a current event) comes as a bracing reality check for those who defend racial caricatures that have lasted right to the present day as an innocent reminder of a happy time when folks just didn’t know any better.

Guess what?

Folks have always known better.

§ In this heated election season, it’s only natural that candidates would use the power of comics to deliver their messages. In California, state senate candidate Hannah-Beth Jackson has put out a cartoon flyer:

On the comic-book cover of the mailer, a woman expresses shock at a paper’s headline, “Hannah-Beth Jackson kidnaps Elvis!!” The inside of the flier explains how “Tony Strickland has been making some pretty wild charges about Democrat Hannah-Beth Jackson.” Another illustration shows a man reading a newspaper with the ridiculous headline, “Jackson voted to tax puppies!”

§ Not so innocently, in the heated Minnesota Senate race, incumbent Norm Coleman has been forced to repudiate a comic book attack on opponent Al Franken:

Sen. Norm Coleman doesn’t like the tasteless comic books attacking Al Franken sent out by the National Republican Senatorial Committee to Minnesotans, notes the Pioneer Press blog Political Animal, and the senator said so in a message to the group:

“The piece itself is something that simply should never made it to the mail. The direct mail piece, which comes in the form of something that looks like a comic book, focuses on Mr. Franken’s repeated efforts at comedy using jokes about rape, child abuse and other degrading commentary during his career,” Coleman wrote.

Guess ya gotta draw the line somewhere.