Jeff Lemire's Blog, page 12

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

ANIMAL MAN TO END IN MARCH

My run as the writer of Animal Man, and the series itself, will come to an end with March's Issue 29, an issue which I will both write and draw along with Travel Foreman.

As sad as I am to be finished writing the solo stories of Buddy, Maxine, Ellen and Cliff,  I am also excited to announce that I will continue to write the monthly adventures of Animal Man when he becomes regular member of the new JUSTICE LEAGUE book I am writing.

After finishing the script for #29, I felt I had completed the story I wanted to tell with the Baker family and thought it was a perfect ending for the series.  The best way for me to explore new things with the character would be to move him to a team setting and shakeup his status quo, DC agreed, and the Animal Man series will end with my final issue in March.

And, that last issue will be even more special for me, because I have not only written issue 29, I will also draw the majority of that final issue as well! Original Animal Man artist, the mad genius that is Travel Foreman, will join me to illustrate a framing sequence for my pages. And, my Sweet Tooth and Trillium collaborator, Jose Villarrubia will colour my pages.

I'd like to thank all of the readers and retailers who supported Animal Man since September 2011, making it an unlikely success. I'm very proud of the stories I was able to tell along with amazing talents like Travel Foreman, Steve Pugh, Scott Snyder, Timothy Green III, Lovern Kindzeirski, Jared K. Fletcher, Rafael Albuquerque and Cully Hamner and Joey Cavalieri.

I'd also like to thank DC Comics for allowing me to finish my story on my own terms, the way I wanted it to end.

I look forward to plenty of more excitement and adventure with Animal Man in the pages of Justice League. I've written the first five Justice League scripts and Animal Man has really taken on a new life in the book, so I hope you'll come along for the ride.

THE NEW 52: FUTURE'S END coming in May…for FREE!

This image released by DC Comics shows “The New 52: Futures End,” a weekly series that launches with a zero issue on Free Comic Book Day in May. (AP Photo/DC Comics)Nearly three years after its debut, DC Comics is pushing its New 52 five years into the future with writers Jeff Lemire, Keith Giffen, Brian Azzarello and Dan Jurgens to examine how heroes change with the passing of time and technology.The weekly title, "The New 52: Futures End," debuts on Free Comic Book Day in May with a free zero issue, with the first issue of series hitting shelves and digital storefronts later that month. It is the second such weekly book for DC in 2014. The other, "Batman: Eternal," launches in the spring as DC celebrates Batman's 75th anniversary."Just look at the talent roster that's been gathered. How could you not want to be a part of that?" asked Giffen, who did layouts for DC's weekly comic series "52" in 2006.Hints about the series have been dropped by DC in recent weeks, with images of Batman Beyond online as well as a mention in the "DC All Access" web series that saw a pair of logo designs dubbed "Five Years Later."Lemire calls the new weekly series an exploration of DC's past, present and its future."Really, what we're trying to do with this book is to explore the nature of what a hero is and we're doing that, obviously by playing with the future of the New 52 timeline," he said. "Past present and future all colliding in this story line."That means exploring the past with a character like Frankenstein, the present with Firestorm and the future with Batman Beyond who is, Lemire said, making what is his first "in-continuity appearance. He'll become part of the New 52."Those three, however, are not the only characters who will have a place in the series."That's definitely one of our mandates, too," Lemire said. "To create new characters and new concepts that will hopefully have a life beyond the series."Artists on the series include Ethan Van Sciver, drawing the zero issue, along with Jesus Merino, Aaron Lopresti and Jurgens, among others who will be added as the series goes from one issue to the next, every week.The writers, all of whom have deep and historical ties to DC Entertainment and its roster of heroes and villains, have been working to craft a story that focuses on the past, present and future that will have implications across the DC universe, says Lemire, calling it a "high concept" work."The cast is quite large," he said. "They are three of many that are getting a significant amount of time in the series."___DC Entertainment is owned by Time Warner Inc.

LIMITED EDITION PRINT NOW AVAILABLE

I've created a brand new limited edition print featuring characters from SWEET TOOTH, ESSEX COUNTY and THE UNDERWATER WELDER.

There will only be 200 prints made and each is signed and numbered by me and available exclusively through my art dealer, CADENCE COMIC ART for $30



SWEET TOOTH - Limited Edition PrintIssue Limited to 200, Page Signed & NumberedArchival Linen Paper11 x 17$30

SWEET TOOTH and TRILLIUM ORIGINAL ART ON SALE!

My original artwork from Sweet Tooth, Trillium as well as a few smaller projects is now available through CADENCE COMIC ART and many pieces are on sale for the holiday season.

Click here to visit the site and browse the artwork.

 

Out this week: TRILLIUM #5 and GREEN ARROW 26!

TRILLIUM #5
Written by Jeff Lemire
Art by Jeff Lemire
Published by DC Comics/Vertigo
Release Date: December 5, 2013The last love story continues to amaze in the book the critics at Big Shiny Robot call “unique in its storytelling, dense and well-rendered…a work of artistic craftsmanship that you just don’t see in comics anymore…have this title added to your pull list immediately.” Indulge in the romance and discover how the fabric of the universe will never be the same.



“THE OUTSIDERS WAR” begins here! Oliver Queen finally knows the location of the Outsiders’ base, but first he must return to the place where Green Arrow was born: The Island! Secrets are revealed, new villains introduced, and a mind-blowing final page kicks off this new storyline with a bang!

Simon & Schuster acquires new graphic novel Jeff Lemire

Simon & Schuster acquires new graphic novel from New York Times bestselling author Jeff Lemire
New York, NY, Toronto, Ontario—October 10, 2013—Jeff Lemire, the award-winning, New York Times–bestselling author of Essex County and The Underwater Welder, will publish Roughneck, a new graphic novel, with Simon & Schuster and Simon & Schuster Canada, it was announced today. This literary graphic novel follows the story of a former hockey player forced to face his demons and reconnect with his Cree heritage when his troubled sister comes running home to the remote northern town where he now lives. Roughneck will be published in 2015.
Derek is a former hockey tough guy whose quick rise to the NHL was cut short when a brutal on-ice incident left him banned from professional hockey for life. Now, four years later, Derek has returned to Black River, his hometown in Northern Ontario, not far from the Moose Cree First Nation, where his mother grew up. Derek’s slide into alcoholism and depression is interrupted when his long-lost sister, Annie, returns home trailing a violent ex-boyfriend. Together, the two escape to the woods, where they struggle to reconnect with the traditions of their Cree ancestors in order to escape their past and gain redemption.
Brit Hvide of Simon & Schuster acquired world English rights from Charlie Olsen of Inkwell Management.
Ms. Hvide commented, “We’re absolutely honoured to be publishing Roughneck. It’s a story about cycles—the way patterns, memories, and people return to us, again and again, whether we want them to or not. Jeff is one of those unique storytellers whose books speak to readers across all genres, and we think that Roughneck will be his finest work yet.”
Kevin Hanson, Publisher of Simon & Schuster Canada, commented, “We are thrilled to add Jeff to our emerging list.  His graphic novels are inspiringly original and explore ideas that are deeply Canadian.”
Jeff Lemire is the New York Times-bestselling creator of the acclaimed graphic novels Sweet Tooth, Essex County, and The Underwater Welder and the sci-fi love story Trillium. Jeff is also a prominent writer for DC Comics, where he currently writes the monthly adventures of Green Arrow and Justice League of America. He has also written the monthly adventures of Superboy, Animal Man, and The Atom, among many others. In 2008 and 2013, Jeff won the Shuster Award for Best Canadian Cartoonist. He has also received The Doug Wright Award for Best Emerging Talent and the American Library Association’s prestigious Alex Award, recognizing books for adults with specific teen appeal. He has also been nominated for 7 Eisner awards, 7 Harvey Awards, and 8 Shuster Awards. In 2010, Essex County was named as one of the five Essential Canadian Novels of the Decade by the CBC. He currently lives and works in Toronto with his wife and son.

NELVANA of the NORTHER LIGHTS KICKSTARTER

Toronto, ON – Two Toronto-based comic book historians, Hope Nicholson and Rachel Richey, will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to reprint Nelvana of the Northern Lights in its entirety. The campaign commences October 1st, 2013 and concludes on October 31st, 2013.During WWII, the Canadian government banned the import of US made luxury goods. Bereft of Superman and Batman comic books, Canadian publishers rushed to fill the void, creating hundreds of original comic book characters. Nelvana of the Northern Lights, created by Adrian Dingle, was the best-known of this era, responsible for selling millions of comic books across the country. Nelvana was an Inuit goddess in a miniskirt brought to earth to protect Canada from the Axis powers and outer-space invaders. She’s one of the world’s first superheroines, predating the better-known Wonder Woman by four months.After WWII, none of these comic books has since been seen by the public.The campaign is supported by the contributions of internationally-renowned local artists including:Ramón Pérez (Tale of Sand, Wolverine and the X-Men)Francis Manapul (Witchblade, The Flash)Jeff Lemire (Essex County, Sweet Tooth)Ray Fawkes (One Soul, Constantine)J. Bone (Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Super Friends)Marco Rudy (Swamp Thing, Spider-man: Marvel Knights)Kalman Andrasofszky (Captain Canuck, X-23)Nelvana of the Northern Lights will be reprinted with the permission of the copyright holders, Corus Entertainment and the National Archives of Canada.About Hope Nicholson and Rachel Richey :Hope Nicholson and Rachel Richey are comic book historians who participate in international fan and academic conventions to promote Canada’s comic book legacy. They are currently involved in the research and production of Lost Heroes, a documentary on Canadian comic history set to air on Superchannel in Fall 2013, directed by Orphan Black writer/producer Will Pascoe.Rachel has worked closely on the John Bell Collection of Canadian Comics at Library and Archives Canada, and documents Canadian comic books for the blogs Sequential and Comicsyrup.

Green Arrow: THE OUTSIDER WAR is coming!

Starting in December, everything Andrea Sorrentino and I have been building towards in Green Arrow comes to a head with the huge storyline, THE OUTSIDER WAR. If you haven't been reading Green Arrow, next months Issue 24 is written as a jumping on point and sets the stage for The Outsider War, so make sure to reserve a copy from you're local comic shop!
Details below...


GREEN ARROW #26
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art and cover by ANDREA SORRENTINO
1:25 B&W Variant cover by ANDREA SORRENTINO
On sale DECEMBER 4 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T“THE OUTSIDERS WAR” begins here! Oliver Queen finally knows the location of the Outsiders’ base, but first he must return to the place where Green Arrow was born: The Island! Secrets are revealed, new villains introduced, and a mind-blowing final page kicks off this new storyline with a bang!

JUSTICE LEAGUE CANADA Is Coming in 2014!

At this weekend's FAN EXPO Canada THE TORONTO STAR  announced that I will be taking the reigns as writer of DC Comic's Justice League of America title this Spring with the brilliant Mike McKone joining me as the books artist.

We're not revealing the full roster of the new Justice League team yet, except for one of my all time favourite DC characters ADAM STRANGE!  Adam will finally appear in the New 52 DCU and he will be a Canadian! Mike McKone and I will also be creating a brand new Canadian character for the team during the Justice League Canada arc.

Aside form Adam Strange the rest of the roster will be made up of my dream team of DC characters. A few of these characters are members of the current team, but many have never been in a Justice League before (note, the cover image above was just a mock-up for the announcement and not representative of the actual team).

Obviously I'm pretty excited about the gig, and the most exciting thing of all is that we will be changing the book's title to JUSTICE LEAGUE CANADA for our first story-arc before the book permanently changes into something else...something bigger...so stay tuned!