Bill Willingham's Blog, page 9
December 4, 2012
Barnes & Noble Presents: Bill Willingham’s Picks
Barnes & Noble just posted up a list of some of Bill’s favourite comic books. The list is copied below, but make sure to hop on over to the official web site by clicking here and take a look.
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Bill Willingham has been writing, and sometimes drawing, comics for more than twenty years. He’s
created many critically acclaimed comic book series, including Proposition Player, Shadowpact, Jack of Fables, and the Eisner Award-winning Vertigo series, Fables. Additionally, his work has been nominated for a number of other awards including the Harvey and Ignatz comic industry awards as well as the Hugo and International Horror Guild awards. He lives somewhere near a good poker room.
Cerebus the Aardvark, Book 1Cerebus is masterful, funny, heartbreaking, and wonderful and infuriating at times. What’s it about? Well, it’s about an aardvark that accidentally becomes Pope. It’s about the nature of men and of women, feminism, barbarism, sexual politics, religion and a goofy look at the state of the comics industry during the time of its twenty-plus year run. One should also note that the best fight scene ever to appear in comics (or perhaps any other storytelling medium) occurs here, a little more than halfway through the series.
Buy Now
Prince ValiantThe story takes place in Arthurian England that is sort of an amalgam of different times, from the early fifth century, to the High Middle Ages. It follows the life and adventures of the title character from childhood to the heroic ascendancy of his own first-born son, Arn. Edward, the Duke of Windsor, called Prince Valiant the “greatest contribution to English literature in the past hundred years.” Though not sure I’d go that far, it’s definitely my second all time favorite comic work, and once again, a sprawling epic that is simply gorgeous and wonderful.
Buy Now
BoneBone is about a funny little creature who looks not quite but sort of like a truncated bone, who happens to be named Bone, and his two cousins – companions named Phony Bone and Smiley Bone. Bone and his two cousins are exiled from their own community – Boneville (natch’) – and wind up in a strange and magical valley, full of lovely lost princesses, fierce dragons, and monstrous rat creatures. The fun and adventure begins there and never lets up. Bone is that always enjoyable perfect mix of humor and overarching drama that is so hard to pull off well, but can’t be beat when it is.
Buy Now
Mage, Volume 1Originally released as monthly comic books, it was designed and executed to be a single story from the get-go, which is more common now, but was a rare thing indeed at the time this first came out. It concerns the adventures of Kevin Matchstick, a modern day man of an American city, who is in fact the reincarnation of King Arthur- returned, as promised in the old legends, when the world needs him most. The title character is Mirth, the Merlin-like wizard who recognizes the young hero and starts him on his path of adventure and self-discovery.
Buy Now
Hellboy, Volume 3There are many Hellboy collections, but I chose this one only because a couple of the stories contained within are among my personal favorites. The title character is a demon from Hell, summoned to earth by evil Nazi sorcerers, to usher in the Apocalypse, but through the timely intervention of an American commando squad, is taken from the bad guys and raised in a good home to be a hero of good character. This is a story of the debate between nature over nurture in determining fate, but that’s subtext. The main focus of the stories is rollicking action and adventure. Hellboy fights a lot of monsters and that’s the joy of this series.
Buy Now
V for Vendetta (Graphic Novel)Even though Watchmen most often gets the credit for being the greatest graphic novel ever produced, this one, also written by Alan Moore is much better. Where Watchmen is burdened by considerable story and structural flaws, Vendetta holds together flawlessly and wonderfully. It posits a near future Great Britain which has fallen into fascism, and a lone masked hero/criminal, known only as V, dedicated to overthrowing the corrupt regime. It’s exciting and thoughtful and should be read.
Buy Now
Maus IThis is probably the first graphic novel that really, dramatically settled the argument that comics are/are not just for kids. Maus tells the unvarnished story of the Holocaust, grim and unflinching, even though it employs the (oft-questioned) device of using animals in place of the historical people. It was the first comic to win the Pulitzer Prize, which speaks of its quality.
Buy Now
The AvengersLike many of the other books listed above, it’s a graphic novel by virtue of the fact that the individual comic books that first told the story were later collected into a single volume. This one makes the list because it was my first experience of comics as more than a “single issue thing.” It’s a sprawling epic, spoiled by a change in art quality about two-thirds through and a deus ex machina ending, but since huge epics were a new thing to comics at the time, I can forgive it for faltering, and still love it for what it tried to be.
Buy Now
From HellWhere every other book and movie structures itself as a mystery for the reader/watcher to discover who Jack the Ripper really was, this graphic novel reveals it to the reader early on. It’s not a mystery about who is Jack, but a speculation on why Jack needed to exist and what sort of fellow might become him. It’s also a stinging indictment of the Queen and the British royalty. I’m amused that the film based on this book restored the “who is he?” aspect of the legend, as if that were a crutch no Jack the Ripper story could survive. That’s why, as per usual, the book is better. Much better.
Buy Now
Source: Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble Presents: Bill Willingham’s Pick
Barnes & Noble just posted up a list of some of Bill’s favourite comic books. The list is copied below, but make sure to hop on over to the official web site by clicking here and take a look.
————————————————————
Bill Willingham has been writing, and sometimes drawing, comics for more than twenty years. He’s
created many critically acclaimed comic book series, including Proposition Player, Shadowpact, Jack of Fables, and the Eisner Award-winning Vertigo series, Fables. Additionally, his work has been nominated for a number of other awards including the Harvey and Ignatz comic industry awards as well as the Hugo and International Horror Guild awards. He lives somewhere near a good poker room.
Cerebus the Aardvark, Book 1Cerebus is masterful, funny, heartbreaking, and wonderful and infuriating at times. What’s it about? Well, it’s about an aardvark that accidentally becomes Pope. It’s about the nature of men and of women, feminism, barbarism, sexual politics, religion and a goofy look at the state of the comics industry during the time of its twenty-plus year run. One should also note that the best fight scene ever to appear in comics (or perhaps any other storytelling medium) occurs here, a little more than halfway through the series.
Buy Now
Prince ValiantThe story takes place in Arthurian England that is sort of an amalgam of different times, from the early fifth century, to the High Middle Ages. It follows the life and adventures of the title character from childhood to the heroic ascendancy of his own first-born son, Arn. Edward, the Duke of Windsor, called Prince Valiant the “greatest contribution to English literature in the past hundred years.” Though not sure I’d go that far, it’s definitely my second all time favorite comic work, and once again, a sprawling epic that is simply gorgeous and wonderful.
Buy Now
BoneBone is about a funny little creature who looks not quite but sort of like a truncated bone, who happens to be named Bone, and his two cousins – companions named Phony Bone and Smiley Bone. Bone and his two cousins are exiled from their own community – Boneville (natch’) – and wind up in a strange and magical valley, full of lovely lost princesses, fierce dragons, and monstrous rat creatures. The fun and adventure begins there and never lets up. Bone is that always enjoyable perfect mix of humor and overarching drama that is so hard to pull off well, but can’t be beat when it is.
Buy Now
Mage, Volume 1Originally released as monthly comic books, it was designed and executed to be a single story from the get-go, which is more common now, but was a rare thing indeed at the time this first came out. It concerns the adventures of Kevin Matchstick, a modern day man of an American city, who is in fact the reincarnation of King Arthur- returned, as promised in the old legends, when the world needs him most. The title character is Mirth, the Merlin-like wizard who recognizes the young hero and starts him on his path of adventure and self-discovery.
Buy Now
Hellboy, Volume 3There are many Hellboy collections, but I chose this one only because a couple of the stories contained within are among my personal favorites. The title character is a demon from Hell, summoned to earth by evil Nazi sorcerers, to usher in the Apocalypse, but through the timely intervention of an American commando squad, is taken from the bad guys and raised in a good home to be a hero of good character. This is a story of the debate between nature over nurture in determining fate, but that’s subtext. The main focus of the stories is rollicking action and adventure. Hellboy fights a lot of monsters and that’s the joy of this series.
Buy Now
V for Vendetta (Graphic Novel)Even though Watchmen most often gets the credit for being the greatest graphic novel ever produced, this one, also written by Alan Moore is much better. Where Watchmen is burdened by considerable story and structural flaws, Vendetta holds together flawlessly and wonderfully. It posits a near future Great Britain which has fallen into fascism, and a lone masked hero/criminal, known only as V, dedicated to overthrowing the corrupt regime. It’s exciting and thoughtful and should be read.
Buy Now
Maus IThis is probably the first graphic novel that really, dramatically settled the argument that comics are/are not just for kids. Maus tells the unvarnished story of the Holocaust, grim and unflinching, even though it employs the (oft-questioned) device of using animals in place of the historical people. It was the first comic to win the Pulitzer Prize, which speaks of its quality.
Buy Now
The AvengersLike many of the other books listed above, it’s a graphic novel by virtue of the fact that the individual comic books that first told the story were later collected into a single volume. This one makes the list because it was my first experience of comics as more than a “single issue thing.” It’s a sprawling epic, spoiled by a change in art quality about two-thirds through and a deus ex machina ending, but since huge epics were a new thing to comics at the time, I can forgive it for faltering, and still love it for what it tried to be.
Buy Now
From HellWhere every other book and movie structures itself as a mystery for the reader/watcher to discover who Jack the Ripper really was, this graphic novel reveals it to the reader early on. It’s not a mystery about who is Jack, but a speculation on why Jack needed to exist and what sort of fellow might become him. It’s also a stinging indictment of the Queen and the British royalty. I’m amused that the film based on this book restored the “who is he?” aspect of the legend, as if that were a crutch no Jack the Ripper story could survive. That’s why, as per usual, the book is better. Much better.
Buy Now
Source: Barnes & Noble
November 26, 2012
TdotComics Interviews Bill
A couple weeks ago Bill Willingham was in town for the World Fantasy Con in Richmond Hill, and the Silver Snail got him to come in for a signing. Thanks to some previous Twitter conversations between Bill and I, and his lovely assistant and super cool chick Stephanie Cooke, I was able to get an interview! I’ve stated before that Sin City got me into comics; but Fables was the comic that anchored me into the comics fandom. This was a wonderful opportunity to chat with one of the most modest legends in the industry, and a very inspiring fellow.
We didn’t have the opportunity to chat much before the interview, so I forgot to mention that I like to keep my interviews spoiler-free. There is a slight SPOILER ALERT for Cinderella: Fables Are Forever from 5:20 in the video, which ends at 6:17; it’s a minor spoiler that sets up the story for the book. I figured better warn you just in case.
For those who have yet to pick up an issue of Fables, I highly recommend it!
Source: TdotComics
Photo Blog Of Italy (Thus Far)
If you’ve been following Bill on Twitter, you’ll know that he’s currently finishing up a couple projects on a writing retreat in Italy. I’ve tagged along with him to photograph a number of the places that he wasn’t able to visit while he was busy working. Of course, some of these photos were places that Bill tagged along to, but that’s mildly irrelevant. The point of the matter is that here are some of the photos from our Italy trip. They were originally posted over on my Tumblr page (hellocookie.tumblr.com), a place where you can continue to follow along with the trip.
Also, some of these pictures have captions and some of them don’t, so hopefully you can just enjoy them for what they are. Hit the Read More below to check out the pictures.
I have no idea what these pot things are. POTS ON STILTS! …I think they’re part of some crazy art exhibit in the middle of nowhere… I think…
This is one of the many museums in San Gimignano. I’m pretty sure it had something to do with the tallest tower in the town, but it was closed so I won’t know unless I decide to go back and find out. Or Google it. Whatever.
Behold! An alley!
And what kind of blogger would I be if I didn’t include at least one photo of an olive tree while in Italy?
ASSASSIN CREED HQ aka Monteriggioni.
A particularly charming side street in ASSASSIN CITY HQ (again… aka Monteriggioni).
FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! Ok… Not really. I like cats. And it would totally kick this three-legged dog’s ass.
EEEEE! Awesome lizard!
A majestic mountain close to Volterra.
An equally majestic eagle outside of Volterra. I realize it’s not really in focus, but I just needed people to know that I wasn’t lying about spotting majestic eagles. Let’s say majestic some more… MAJESTIC! MAJESTIC! MAJESTIC! Ok… I’m done for now.
A tunnel full of graffiti in Volterra
A street with a cool and thin wall in Volterra.
An amazing Roman Theatre that I stumbled across in Volterra.
An alley on a REALLY steep hill in Siena.
This photo didn’t turn out very well but I loved this guy playing an accordion with his teeny tiny dog.
ALL THE BIKES
I don’t know why I like this photo, but I do, so yeah. It was taken in Siena.
A couple storefronts and such in Siena.
This is the inside of the Siena Duomo.
Another angle inside the Siena Duomo.
The tower, dome thing inside Siena Duomo.
I have no idea what this is. It was in the Siena Duomo. Maybe I should’ve read the sign.
Just so you guys understand… these are the kind of staircases I’ve been climbing to get to the top of towers. They can be very perilous.
This is the Siena Duomo from the top of the museum panoramic thing.
I can’t remember the official name of this square and tower, but this is where they have the big Siena horse race in the square.
More Siena Duomo.
FOOTBALL!
And last but not least, a tunnel on the highway.
This doesn’t really have anything to do with Italy other than this dog was in Italy and WOW, look at that amazing Italian stone wall…
Ha. I love this photo. This dog doesn’t even realize he was the most amusing thing ever. He didn’t want to leave this area and just started basically being a rock dog and refusing to move. This was the start of it.
Some random presents that were just in the middle of the street.
GRAFFITI BEAR IS AWESOME (“Bear right, lion left!”)
So. Many. Baked. Goods.
PIE.
ALL THE SPICES!
Well, this is self explanatory.
I dug how this photo came out considering it was on a whim. Mirror in the middle of the street!
I love tunnels like this.
This actually might be one of my favourite photos I’ve taken… not to toot my own horn. But yeah. This is in Pisa.
Lovebirds in Pisa.
This guy was just reading here quietly.
“What? You don’t want me here?! Well, you know what? I’ll show YOU! Your spikes can’t keep persista-pigeon away!”
I also don’t know why I like this photo either, but I do.
OH EM GEE! It’s the Leaning Tower Of Pisa. FYI: it’s actually LEANING! Like, for real!
Some breakdancers that were just hanging out in front of the Leaning Tower Of Pisa. When they first started dancing, I thought there was about the be a flashmob and I freaked out.
SO MANY DUOMOs!
The sunset today was seriously incredible. I’m very proud of this photo.
Also, this one as well. Love the lights on the water.
“Master, the crazy lady is trying to take a picture of me. Can I have a treat?”
SO MAJESTIC.
OH SHIT. I’m being artsy.
Pisa Market… Cheese MAN! He glared at me for taking photos later. I’M OVER IT.
Lavender lady. Her stall smelled like HEAVEN.
October 9, 2012
Raging Bullets
Bill’s most recent podcast appearance was on Raging Bullets, a DC fan podcast. They’ve just put up a link to where you can listen to them talk with Bill about the latest arc in Fables, Cubs in Toyland (Issues #114-121). They also discuss the upcoming convention, Fabletown and Beyond, just in case you don’t already know about it by now.
Make sure to go visit the site and take a listen. You can listen to the podcast by clicking the link below or visit the web site by clicking here.
October 2, 2012
Update: NYCC Signings and Panels
As you likely know, Bill will be at NYCC this year. Not too long ago, we announced that he would be doing several signings and panels. The convention is only a few short weeks away and if you want to get something signed, you can find him at his table (Z1) and also at these events:
THURSDAY OCTOBER 11
7-8PM – Signing at DC Entertainment Booth
FRIDAY OCTOBER 12
1:30-2:30PM – Vertigo: A View From The Cutting Edge Of Comics in Room 1A23
2:15-3:30PM – Writing to be Drawn in Room 1A07
5-6PM – Signing at DC Entertainment Booth
SATURDAY OCTOBER 13
2-3PM – Signing at DC Entertainment Booth
4-5PM – Fables 10th Anniversary Panel – Room 1A23
6:30-7:30PM – First Comics Anniversary Party – Room 1A01
SUNDAY OCTOBER 15
10:30-11:30AM – Signing at DC Entertainment Booth
Just a quick note, while Bill will have a different set of rules set up for signings at the DC booth, for regular signings at his table (located in section Z1) he will sign a maximum of 10 things at once. You can come back as many times as you would like, but after 10 items, you must go to the back of the line and allow other con-goers a chance to get their stuff signed first.
Here’s a handy-dandy illustration of where Bill will be located in Artists Alley (in the North Pavilion):
Store Signing at Toronto’s Silver Snail
On Halloween, Bill will be in Toronto for World Fantasy Con. Since he couldn’t come to Toronto without visiting a store, Bill is stopping by the exceptionally well known comic shop, Silver Snail.
Bring all your Bill Willingham goodies to the store to have him sign and/or personalize a few of your favourite things.
Bill will be signing (again, on October 31) at the new Silver Snail Toronto location at 329 Yonge St from 12pm-7pm.
Depending on the size of the line, there will be a few signing restrictions made, so just keep that in mind when picking out what you want to bring to the store.
October 1, 2012
Bill Discusses “Cubs in Toyland” with CBR’s Jeffrey Renaud
Jeffrey Renaud, staff writer over at CBR, just posted up a piece on Fables and the latest arc in the series, “Cubs in Toyland”. It’s a really great piece and Renaud asks all kinds of fantastic questions, so make sure you check it out. The first half is posted here and to read the rest (including the bit with the interview), make sure to visit CBR by clicking here.
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Winner of 14 Eisner Awards, “Fables” by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham is one of the most highly-decorated comics in the history of the industry. And yet, after 121 issues, the story of Bigby Wolf, Snow White and the rest of the residents of Fabletown somehow keeps getting better.
In “Fables” #121, in stores now, Willingham and Buckingham closed an epic eight-issue arc titled, “Cubs in Toyland,” one of the most powerful and moving stories told since the series debuted in 2002. Primarily featuring Therese and Dare — two of Bigby and Snow’s cubs — the arc fulfilled key parts of the “Fables” prophecy originally revealed as a one-page story at the 2009 Comic-Con International in San Diego.
As the story began, Therese received a Christmas gift from an unknown admirer, a red plastic boat, which takes her on a deep and disturbing journey through Toyland where she eventually becomes Queen. As the young girl became a young woman and was forced to do unthinkable things at the behest of her subjects, her brother Darien made the ultimate sacrifice for her salvation.
Willingham spoke to CBR News about the choice he and Buckingham made for the Cubs and shared insight into where the Vertigo-published “Fables” is heading over the next year, revealed the title of the next major arc and outlined how the upcoming graphic novel, “Werewolves of the Heartland” will tie into the ongoing series. He also confirmed that he has no plans to end the series anytime soon, citing the 300-issue run Dave Sim and Gerhard completed on “Cerebus” as the benchmark he’s aiming for.
September 28, 2012
Bill on We Talk Comics Podcast
Last night, Bill joined the We Talk Comics crew for a little discussion. This is a repost of their article about the interview. To just read it over on their site (and you should go forth and check it out), just click here.
WTC Special – Bill Willingham Interview
Brett Monro | September 28, 2012 | No comments
In this special episode of We Talk Comics, Fables Creator and writer, Bill Willingham sits down for a conversation with our resident Fables-lover, Brett.
Topics include Fabletown and Beyond, the new mythic fiction convention, hosted by Bill, taking place in Rochester, Minnesota on March 22-24, 2013. Visit fablescon.com for more information.
Fables is covered as well, discussing such elements as Fables longevity, storylines, other writers, and artists involved and well.
Creator-owned work is covered, including some of Bill’s earlier books such as Coventry and Ironwood, as well as what part of Fables is his intellectual property.
Digital comics and the internet are a big topic, including a discussion about comic reviewers, their ability and their place.
Bill tells us what we should be reading, how his tastes change over the years, and he also talks about his upcoming sketch day in support of the Hero Initiative.
A great conversation with a great creator, if you like comics, you’ll love this interview.
And please as always check out We Talk Comics sponsor COMICOSITY more comic related goodness at The Comic Podcast Network and spread the word with the social media share buttons
WTC Special – Bill Willingham Interview (Right Click To Download)
September 25, 2012
10K is a Contract
Okay, so we made the 10k readers for Twitter that I begged for (in so unseemly a fashion), which obligates me to take a day to do sketches for charity. Not wanting this obligation to hang over my head for too long, I’ve chosen this Saturday, the 29th of September as the day.
My planned schedule for the day will be this:
Get up as early as I can.
Begin sketching immediately.
Draw entirely what I feel like drawing, at any given moment.
Finish as many sketches as possible before bedtime.
Go to bed.
Since my pal Brad Thomte is staying with me for a bit, and since he has skills with computers and scanners and such that I do not, I may dragoon him into service on Saturday, scanning the sketches as they are completed, and posting them here, in a running tally of the day’s work.
And then, one at a time, I will (meaning Brad will) post said sketches up for auction (most likely on eBay), and keep doing so until the supply runs out. I won’t put them all up at once, since that seems likely to undervalue the individual pieces. Depending on how many pieces I can complete in one day, the auctioning phase of this stunt seems likely to go on for a few weeks.
And when all is done, and all the money collected, we’ll shoot that cash forthwith to the fine fellows at Hero Initiative.
Sound like a plan?
