Ah, how misinformation floods the internet! Yesterday a press release went out announcing that Ardden Entertainment—an indie comics company I’ve been working with as editor-in-chief (I hope you’ve read our Flash Gordon
and Casper and the Spectrals
books)—is collaborating with Jason Goodman, grandson of Marvel Comics founder Martin Goodman, on relaunching a couple of the old Atlas Comics characters: Grim Ghost and Phoenix. (Atlas, if you don’t know, is a short-lived company that Martin Goodman launched back in the 70’s, after leaving Marvel, in a quest to dethrone Stan Lee and Company from the top of the super hero heap. They published dozens of titles and have a deep library of interesting characters.) Somehow, as the word bounced around the Net, the story morphed and I became editor-in-chief of a resurrected Atlas Comics empire, ready to do battle with Marvel and DC. Yes, just picture me now in my posh office, barking orders, marshaling my creative forces, eating organic filet mignon from solid gold plates and getting ready to flood the market with new material!
Sorry: It just ain’t so.
Right now Ardden—working with Jason and his partners (who are deeply involved in the creative process)—is putting out mini-series starring Grim Ghost and Phoenix. Two books. That's it. (There will be Zero Issues available at the upcoming New York Comic Con.) If these do well—as everyone involved hopes—there will no doubt be more. But for now...
No empire for JMD. Don’t get me wrong: I wouldn’t mind ruling an empire or two—and maybe one day I will.
But not today!
and Casper and the Spectrals books)—is collaborating with Jason Goodman, grandson of Marvel Comics founder Martin Goodman, on relaunching a couple of the old Atlas Comics characters: Grim Ghost and Phoenix. (Atlas, if you don’t know, is a short-lived company that Martin Goodman launched back in the 70’s, after leaving Marvel, in a quest to dethrone Stan Lee and Company from the top of the super hero heap. They published dozens of titles and have a deep library of interesting characters.) Somehow, as the word bounced around the Net, the story morphed and I became editor-in-chief of a resurrected Atlas Comics empire, ready to do battle with Marvel and DC. Yes, just picture me now in my posh office, barking orders, marshaling my creative forces, eating organic filet mignon from solid gold plates and getting ready to flood the market with new material! Sorry: It just ain’t so.
Right now Ardden—working with Jason and his partners (who are deeply involved in the creative process)—is putting out mini-series starring Grim Ghost and Phoenix. Two books. That's it. (There will be Zero Issues available at the upcoming New York Comic Con.) If these do well—as everyone involved hopes—there will no doubt be more. But for now...
No empire for JMD. Don’t get me wrong: I wouldn’t mind ruling an empire or two—and maybe one day I will.
But not today!
I love those old Atlas coms J M ! If you need a colorist LMK.
ReplyDeleteBest..
Your old Xmen 2099 and Silver Surfer colorist pal.
Tom Smith
http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=1645
And thus "The Pax DeMatteisa" ended before it began.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tom. There are so many great characters in the Atlas library. If GG and Phoenix do well, the sky's the limit. But, as I'm sure you know, it's an unforgiving market out there and, after so many years in the business, I have no illusions about how these books will sell: in the end, it's in the lap of the gods. For me, the focus has to be on crafting solid stories and, equally important, having some creative fun. (It's comics, right? If it's not fun, what's the point?)
ReplyDeleteIf the Atlas titles expand under Ardden's stewardship, we'll absolutely be looking for more creative folks. So stay tuned.
Hey, don't write me off that quickly, David! I'll get myself an empire yet! :)
ReplyDeleteI'd sooner write off Rocky Balboa, JMD.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'd never do that, either!
Not after THE EXPENDABLES! Who'd ever imagine Stallone would have a big hit movie in 2010?
ReplyDeleteNot me! But as a child of the 80s and a fan of action flicks, I was glad to see him back on top.
ReplyDeleteHe was always so popular as an actor I don't think he got enough credit for what he was doing behind the scenes until now.
Never been much of a Stallone fan, but you have to respect the guy. He just keeps going. You're up for a few years, you're down for a few years, you come back stronger than ever. And that's what all of us in the creative arts have to do.
ReplyDelete.... watching with interest. There are some great Atlas characters I'd love to revamp. Come on, Atlas! Show me some submission guidelines! :-)
ReplyDeleteSound advice for life and art.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed what I've read from Ardden so far, incidentally. So far you guys have a good track record with modernizing classic properties, which I'm guessing is why Atlas wanted to work with you on these projects.
I know you guys are publishing, but what are the chances we'd ever see a CASPER AND THE SPECTRALS cartoon? Kids would dig that. But again, I know this is a licensed property, so I'm not sure how a media crossover would work or how much ownership Ardden has in the new spin. It's a good one--and pretty relevant, too.
No submissions yet, Adam: We're still very early on in this process and concentrating on Phoenix and GG. Time will tell what else we'll be developing!
ReplyDeleteI think a CASPER AND THE SPECTRALS cartoon would be great, David -- but the Casper people have another new cartoon in the works that has nothing to do with Ardden's take. That said, we're hoping for a sequel to SPECTRALS: a story concentrating on Wendy and Hot Stuff. Once again: time will tell...
ReplyDeleteLoved these first time around. I could see some of the characters working well in other media - particularly Planet of Vampires, with its I Am Legend-crossed-with-Planet of the Apes feel. Grim Ghost, Chaykin's Scorpion (which became Dominic Fortune) and Buckler's Devil Hunter (?) were personal favourites.
ReplyDeleteThere seem to be a lot of PLANET OF VAMPIRES fans out there, Mark. The title alone is a great hook. I suspect that, if/when we move forward with more titles, that will be one of the first we'll consider. Me? I'm waiting for TIGER MAN!
ReplyDeleteDang, I looked forward to you personally overseeing all the "men's sweat" mags like Chip Goodman did at Atlas. I can see you sitting there with a comely model on each leg, smoking a cigar, and having a three-martini lunch, sleeping it all off on your office couch.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like you, right?
I picked up a bunch of Atlas a couple of years ago, and it's pretty clear that the company itself was a HUGE mess with books changing directions and names after the 3rd issue on most of them. However, there's some work in there that shows a lot of promise...and the art by Chaykin, Wood and Ditko was always a joy to see.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of surprised the rights were available...any idea if we'll get any reprint volumes of that 70's stuff?
Have you been outside my house again, watching me through binoculars? C'mon, Rob, I thought the police told you to stop doing that! :)
ReplyDelete"Men's sweat mags." I never heard that phrase before. Great!
No reprints yet, Cory -- but if the books do well, I'd think that would be a great idea.
ReplyDeleteThat's really great news, JM. Glad to hear it! Onward and upward for Ardden! Sounds like things are great! Looking forward to when they come out. Best, A. Jaye
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good wishes, A. Jaye! Hope all's well with you! Best -- JMD
ReplyDeleteDemon Hunter and Grim Ghost stand out in my memory...in general I remember Atlas as an exciting little explosion of new comics in a day when one or two new comics seemed very exciting. For the most part there was something a little grittier and more eccentric about those characters too--Ironjaw was a very odd take-off on Conan.
ReplyDeleteIronjaw is an intriguing one, DJK -- and I've already had a major writer/artist throw his hat into the ring with a new take on IJ. As I keep saying: time will tell!
ReplyDeleteAnd you're right: Atlas really did explode across the stands for the short time they were around. I'm hoping that, if we go a little more slowly this time, the characters will have a better chance of sticking around.
All seriousness aside, this is welcome news, and a fun experiment. Many people have said the Atlas books would have survived if the Goodmans had given the line time to develop and not immediately try to clone Marvel's output at the time.
ReplyDeleteThis time around, actual creative people will be handling the characters (if only a couple of them) and it'll be interesting to see how it all shakes out. I'll be on the lookout for these when the time comes.
I'll keep folks posted via Creation Point, Rob. It will absolutely be "interesting to see how it all shakes out"!
ReplyDeleteIt's DeMatteis's world. We just live in it.
ReplyDelete--Danny Fingeroth
Darn right, Fingeroth -- and your rent's overdue!
ReplyDelete(For those of you who don't know, Danny -- aside from being a terrific editor and one of my oldest and dearest pals in the business -- is the author of two excellent books about comics: DISGUISED AS CLARK KENT and SUPERMAN ON THE COUCH.)
Danny is a great guy and his book was excellent. See you at the show Danny- Ian Dorian
ReplyDeleteWe're in complete agreement, Ian!
ReplyDeleteCongratulattions for a new fase at your carrer.
ReplyDeleteI´m a penciler, and if you´re interested in see my job my web gallery is:http://ricoteles.deviantart.com/gallery/
Thank you for your attention.
Rico Teles
Thanks, Rico! I'll take a look at your site right now. All the best -- JMD
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly, I'd never heard of the Atlas books until rumors of this relaunch started popping up around the Interwebs. I look forward to checking it out! Have any creative teams been announced, and if not, when can we expect them? (NYCC, I would guess.)
ReplyDeleteAnd not to go off topic, but since your "reign" over at Ardden was brought up, I was curious if you were involved (in a creative as opposed to editorial capacity) with any of the Flash Gordon stuff other than the anthology collection that came between the first and second mini. I know you co-plotted (or was it story idea? something like that) Casper & the Spectrals. Can the same (or something similar) be said about the Flash Gordon stuff? Have you written or plotted anything else for Ardden?
Sorry for all of the questions--I'm just impatient to get my grubby little hands on anything you write . . .
Hope the Atlas relaunch goes well (unlike a certain INCREDIBLE but ill-fated Atlas book over at your empire's "competition")!
More Atlas news will be coming at NYCC, Dru. Unfortunately, I won't be there!
ReplyDeleteYes, Brendan Deneen and I co-plotted the Casper mini, along with Todd DeZago, who did such a wonderful job scripting the book. (The third issue came out last week. Finally!)
The only thing I've written for Ardden was a story in the FG anthology you mentioned (FLASH GORDON: THE SECRET HISTORY OF MONGO). My contribution was a story about Ming's childhood, illustrated by the amazing Shawn McManus. A very different take on Ming and a story I'm very happy with.
Last year we almost launched a series I developed with my friend Derek Webster -- THE MERLIN PROPHECIES; we even did a Zero Issue for NYCC. For a variety of reasons, we decided to hold off on the series -- but the Merlin idea is still brewing and will find its way into the world eventually.
Wow, I totally forgot about Merlin Prophecies! And I even just recently got the nice three-pack you guys offered through Previews featuring that book, Jim Krueger's Stand In, and something else I haven't read yet. Thanks for the info, and I'm looking forward to Chaos War: Thor (and more Merlin Prophecies, eventually)! Can we expect any more Marvel (or DC!) work from you in the near future?
ReplyDeleteAt the moment, Dru, I'm working on another THOR project for Marvel: a 38 page one shot featuring (among others) Thor, the Silver Surfer and Galactus. It's a huge, cosmic tale and I'm having a great time with it. I've been talking to an editor about another possible Marvel project, but it's in the very early stages right now.
ReplyDeleteAt DC, Giffen and I are continuing with Booster Gold. I've got another pitch over there -- something cooked up by artist Dean Haspiel -- but with DC is such flux at the moment, I suspect it will be a while before we hear about it.