August 5, 2002

7:08 AM

Lots of comics news coming from SDCC, including a strong showing for media tie ins.
Television: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation by Max Allen Collins (author of Road To Perdition and several CSI novels) is coming from IDW Publishing and Alias written by J.J. Abrams (writer, director, producer and creator of the TV show) coming from newbie Arcade Comics
Film: John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles with the involvement of film director John Carpenter, producer Debra Hill and actor Kurt Russell coming from Hurricane Entertainment via Crossgen's CGE and Shrek, xXx, Reign of Fire all from Dark Horse.

CSI could translate into a comic really well and Max Collins is a more than capable writer.
posted by davebushe (16 comments total)

Ah, so now instead of buying up comic books to grow them into TV and movie properties, we're going the other way 'round.

Interesting. But what exactly will a comic book format bring to these stories that can't be accomplished in TV or movies?

It just seems counter-intuitive to me.
posted by BartFargo at 7:43 AM on August 5, 2002

Novels come out for a lot of shows. CSI already have them, this is just another format to go with.
posted by davebushe at 7:45 AM on August 5, 2002

Ooh, crossover potential!
posted by soundofsuburbia at 7:53 AM on August 5, 2002

The problem with the comic book is that there won't be The Who opening song that always kicks ass.
"Whooooooo are you? Who who, who who..."

Still, I'll take a look at it in the shops and see if it catches my attention. With no special zoom effects, or coloured flashbacks or slow-mo recreations, I'm not sure if CSI : The Comic is going to be that well represented. At least it's a 5-issue limited series so it will have time to develop properly.
posted by Grum at 8:27 AM on August 5, 2002

Of course media tie-ins are no earthshaking development. I used to own some of the Star Trek comics back in the day; I hated their inconsistencies with the series and hokey storylines, though, not to mention the really low-quality artwork and printing. Today the medium has come a long way and fortunately it's cheap enough to do a high-quality product, so these won't seem as embarrassingly bad to fans picking them up for the collecting value.

Likely the first memorable tie-in was Dark Horse's Alien series, which first mooted the Alien vs. Predator crossover.

The comics publishers make out in the same way that Hollywood does when it adapts a known brand -- they get a slightly better guarantee than normal of making their money back. The TV series get feedback perhaps in the form of new viewers through elevated awareness, but most likely simply in increased loyalty.
posted by dhartung at 9:07 AM on August 5, 2002

Just what comics needs, more bloody tie-ins to other media. Comics are a standalone artform that are just as capable of the depth of personal expression as any other artform out there. Except that most of its' practitioners in anglophone countries insist on keeping it in the ghetto where it currently resides.

I agree with BartFargo (but, I suspect, for different reasons) - there is no need for CSI, Alias, or (shudder) Snake Plissken to become comics.

As R.C. Harvey once said, "comics ain't film or vicey versa".
posted by ninthart at 9:14 AM on August 5, 2002

I'm sure that Brian Michael Bendis (of superhero cop comic Powers and true crime graphic novel Torso fame), Michael Gaydos, and the suits at Marvel are absolutely thrilled about someone publishing another comic called Alias.
posted by snarkout at 9:16 AM on August 5, 2002

Today the medium has come a long way and fortunately it's cheap enough to do a high-quality product, so these won't seem as embarrassingly bad to fans picking them up for the collecting value.

True. No longer do we have to endure atrocities like this.
posted by soundofsuburbia at 9:22 AM on August 5, 2002

I pity the fool who don't like A-Team comics!

I'm sorry.
posted by ninthart at 9:25 AM on August 5, 2002

snarkout: Check the story ;)

As for that one other pesky problem – that there already is a comic called Alias on the stands (written by Brian Bendis) – Jay didn’t feel it would be an issue. “The ironic thing is that the ABC lineup was set before Marvel announced their Alias,” Jay said. “But even with that, we will be doing something to differentiate with the fans and retailers, so they’ll know the difference. Whether we call it J.J. Abrams’ Alias, Alisa: Sydney Bristow - whatever – J.J. has some plans on that, so it will be up to him. At this point, Arcade is really happy to land the license
posted by davebushe at 9:27 AM on August 5, 2002

None of this commercialized junk can compete with Reid Fleming, World's Toughest Milkman. (Or vintage copies of The Tick.)
posted by mrmanley at 9:47 AM on August 5, 2002

By the way, Dark Horse Comics is reprinting the late 70s/early 80s Marvel STAR WARS comics in their entirety, as a series of 7 super-huge trade paperbacks.

The first two volumes are out now, and they collect about 40 issues of the comic, all of which came out after the first movie but before EMPIRE. The art talent was pretty consistent (I noticed work by Howard Chaykin and legend Carmine Infantino), and the stories are trippy if nothing else.
posted by bjennings at 10:13 AM on August 5, 2002

Btw, Bendis wrote about the Hollywood option system in Fortune and Glory, a three-part comic about what happened after his first two graphic novels got some good press. It's really funny.
posted by mediareport at 11:21 AM on August 5, 2002

Bendis's Fortune and Glory is a great book and one of his best works to date. I'd love to see him draw some more stuff.
posted by davebushe at 1:44 PM on August 5, 2002

What?? You mean you all read comics, but don't actually read comics??

When I walk into a store, every head in the place turns toward me; they can't resist it, as I'm the guy they fear the most. "Hi there!," I usually say, "I'd like to buy some Hate, and if you show me where your SIN is, I'll get some of that as well."

I can't begin to tell you how many clerks just stared at me when I asked them to order 100 Bullets and a Rubber Blanket...or how they'd stammer when I'd question them on why there wasn't any Yummy Fur on the racks. And to think of the time that store manager almost called the paramedics because I needed an Optic Nerve. Not to mention the other manager who thought I was picking a fight with him because I asked him "Which way to Palookaville?"

I guess I'd better stop...many of you probabally think I'm one of Those Annoying Post Brothers...
posted by Smart Dalek at 8:53 PM on August 5, 2002

I'm still waiting for the last train to Hicksville, myself...
posted by ninthart at 2:47 AM on August 6, 2002