Upcoming CGC In-House Private Signing schedule and priceFrom Vu
AGENTS OF SLABS (Private Signing) (10 May 2020)
Florida
The link is no longer online, but here's a screenshot of CGC In-House Private Signing schedule and price. Yikes at Frank Miller's CGC price.
Posted by Vu Sleeper
Veteran comic professional Marv Wolfman created several series and
characters in his time, including Marvel’s Blade and the Crisis On
Infinite Earths from DC. His run on the Teen Titans has become a staple
of comic book history. He has worked on comics, animation, and related
projects for over thirty years, and is still going strong. The upcoming
Superman Returns movie has a novel adaption by Wolfman. Terry Hooper
talked to Marv about his career and the Superman Returns novel.
(excerpt)
Terry Hooper: Wow! I really am going to have to get that book now! That’s a totally different approach to what I imagined would be used.
Do you get much feedback from fans who may have read the COIE (Crisis on Infinite Earths)
series/graphic novel and then the novel? Ever get the "Hey, it worked
as a comic but not a novel" or "This book was better than the comic
series!"? I ask because I knew someone who was a complete comic book
geek and was given the novel....and was pretty broken up when he told me
the novel was "almost better than the comic series"!
Marv Wolfman:
Many people actually preferred the novel, which surprises me. They feel
that the novel gives more of an emotional underpinning to the comic. To
me however I think they are two very different entities. The comic uses
the strength of visuals - and there is nobody better than George Perez
with that kind of book - as well as the ability to give a huge canvas
that would be very difficult to do in 80,000 words. The novel grounds
the story more in reality and let me write about the characters.
PWCW: You've written a Crisis novel and have a Superman Returns novel
coming out in June. How is writing superhero stories for novels
different than writing them for comics?
MW: In the Crisis novel I had to find a spine and an emotional hook to a
story that was not about any one person but about hundreds of
characters. Comics like Crisis can be like a tree with branches that go
in many directions, but novels can't be. They should be about someone or
many someones with a clear storyline. So where the original Crisis
comic was about 450 heroes trying to stop a villain operating in all
places and all times simultaneously, the novel was about the Flash's
experience in the Crisis, focusing on him, his wife and his reactions. I
took a huge cosmic story and personalized it, and I think I got a very
good companion piece to the original comic. Some of the reactions I've
gotten say it's better; others wish their favorite scenes were in it,
but I think it would have been folly to have written a novel that simply
reiterated the story that was already told as best as George Perez and I
were able to. I thought the novel should be able to stand on its own
and have a compelling story and reason for it to be a novel instead of
another comic.
While original Crisis on Infinite Earths artist George Pérez already confirmed for Newsarama that he (along with Jerry Ordway on finishes) would be penciling sequences in Infinite Crisis #2, word has now come that Perez’s Crisis collaborator, Marv Wolfman has a special job in the coming Crisis as well.
According to DCU Executive Editor Dan DiDio who recently spoke with
Newsarama, Wolfman will write a story for February’s Infinite Crisis
Secret Files, which will, among other things, draw a more or less direct
line between Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis.
“Simply put, Dan asked me to get involved and what he asked me to do
sounded like a lot of fun,” Wolfman told Newsarama, explaining how he
came on board for the story. “So I said yes.”
DiDio had a few more words about making sure Wolfman was involved with
the new Crisis the DCU is facing. “The bottom line is that we couldn’t
do a Crisis without involving Marv and George – it just wouldn’t be
right. This series is a celebration of the original series, and as I’ve
been saying to people, it has the feel of being a direct sequel to what
the original book was about, so it was important not only to find ways
to connect the two, but also to have Marv and George involved, not only
for that sense of continuity, but because they understand the type of
story we’re trying to tell because they’ve told something like it
before. It was fun to get them involved, and with having them come on
board, it got everybody already working on Infinite Crisis more excited
about the story, because suddenly, with Marv and George coming on, there
was that connection – that line that stretches for 20 years between the
two stories, and the feeling that this is something really, really
big.”
The “return” to Crisis will be Wolfman’s third official one, counting 1999’s Legends of the DCU: Crisis on Infinite Earths special, and this year’s Crisis on Infinite Earths novelization.
BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT! I have no idea how many times I've written that
on covers of comics, even when nobody but the office demanded it, but
this one is real. I wanted to remind everyone that my Crisis on
Infinite Earths novel is going into an unprecedented second printing. I
say unprecedented because iBooks almost never reprints hard covers. But
sales and the unexpected number of reorders on the first printing were
so high they had no choice but to go back to print. Now, from what I'm
told, there will NOT be a third hardcover printing, so if you're
interested in getting the book and if it's not already sold out (I have
to admit I don't know exactly when it went/goes on sale) hurry. The new
printing is not a large one, but hopefully it will be large enough to
fulfill most of the orders. Crisis is also the cover selection for the
Science Fiction Book Club alternate catalog. I know that edition is out
as it was just sent to me. As my friend Len Wein might say, it looks
like the regular book, only from a distance. It's a much smaller sized
hardcover book so it won't be confused with the regular iBooks printing.
Whether you order it through the SFBC or from your local book store or
comic shop, hurry before it's gone.
Crisis on Infinite Earths, the hardcover novel written by Marv Wolfman,
based on his and George Pérez’ award-winning 1985 comic, was released in
April of this year and sold out its first print run in less than three
weeks, leaving many Crisis fans disappointed that they were unable to
purchase a copy. Reviews of the novel have been very positive and it has
been hailed as, “A wonderful piece of work,” as well as “A worthwhile
companion to Wolfman and Perez's original.”
Fortunately, the novel is going into an unprecedented second printing
and Wolfman urges fans to order copies now through their local book
stores or comic shops before this edition, smaller than the first, also
sells out. The novel is also available through the Science Fiction Book
Club in a smaller sized hardcover edition.
Unlike most adaptations, the Crisis novel does not attempt to just adapt
the original story. “There was no reason to,” Wolfman stated. “The
story George Pérez and I created worked perfectly as a comic. Instead,
Wolfman took the sections of original story and played it through the
eyes of (Barry Allen) The Flash, who died half-way through the original
story. The novel contains 60-70% new scenes and events and because of
the point of view nature of the book reveals new plot points, story
elements and many character revelations and personal insights that are
not in the original. “I’m very proud of the book,” Wolfman says. “If you
read the original comic this will add much to the experience, but if
you didn’t, I think you’ll still find this a page-turner. Previous
Crisis experience is not necessary to understand the story or to enjoy
it.”
CRISIS NEWS! I said I wouldn't talk about the Crisis novel again until I
had some news and I sorta kept my word. Here's what's going on: First,
there will be a second printing on Crisis. I don't have the exact date
yet, but if you didn't have a chance to buy it before its first printing
sold out, don't let that happen to you again. Order it through Amazon,
Barnes & Nobels, Borders, or ask your local book store or comic shop
to place an order for you. The second printing isn't huge so I'm
predicting it will also sell out, probably faster than the first did.
The second Crisis news is that the novel was picked up by the Science
Fiction Book Club. I don't know why but I think that is cool. I used to
be a member of the club when I was much, much younger and still have
many of the books I bought through it, including all the old Edgar Rice
Burroughs John Carter of Mars series with incredible mind-staggering
beautifully painted covers by Frank Frazetta. Now in a way Crisis has
become part of that legacy. As I say, cool.
And don't forget to check the top of this page for my convention
appearances. Bring the Crisis novel over and get it signed. I add new
cons on a semi-regular basis.
In the latest bookclub letter from www.sfbc.com, I noticed that the novelization of Crisis by Marv Wolfman is going to be available to the discounted book club (for $11.49, which is 50% off retail prices).
If you join the book club, you get three or four books free - you can
definitely choose or request this one. Please use me (Vu
Nguyen/sleeper101[a]hotmail.com) as referal, as I do get one or two
books free.
A direct link to this book is here: www.sfbc.com/..160408010. You do need login, in order to view it.
>>>
CLUB REVIEW
The greatest super heroes of many Earths—Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman,
the Flash and thousands of others—confront their greatest challenge
ever. A mysterious wall of antimatter is moving through the multiverse,
destroying everything in its path. Despite their hatred for each other,
the heroes must fight side-by-side with the most dangerous
super-villains to prevent the destruction of their worlds. If they fail,
more than 3,000 universes and untold trillions of living beings will
die…. Complex and gripping, this novelization of the famous graphic
novel belongs in the library of every DC Comics fan. Jacket art by George Pérez and Alex Ross. (Approx. 320 pp.)
Less than a month after it was released from iBooks, the publisher has
confirmed for THE PULSE that the Marv Wolfman penned prose novel, The
Crisis On Infinite Earths has sold out. Wolfman was stunned but also
"delighted" to learn the volume's supply was depleted from the publisher
and that comic shops, book stores, and other venues were having a
problem getting copies for interested readers.
(excerpt)
Wolfman told THE PULSE why he believes this volume sold so well. He
thought there were a few reasons for its success. "The first is that the
original Crisis series was always popular and the sales always exceeded
what the publishers expected," Wolfman began. "When DC did the
hardcover reprint of the comic a number of years back they predicted,
because of the $100.00 price tag, a low base sale. If I remember
correctly it sold seven times that amount. When they did the paperback
reprint, they thought they printed enough to store in their warehouses
for five years, but it was sold out in five months. I think the original
story works well. It's exciting. It's still dangerous, but more
importantly, it was a story, unlike so many of the company-wide
crossovers that immediately followed Crisis, that I really wanted to
tell. That had a purpose far beyond merely selling comics. With George
Pérez' unbelievable art, the book was
beautiful as well as a good read. The trick with the novel was to take
the power George and I gave the comic and to turn that into a strong
emotional center."
If you didn't get Marv Wolfman's expanded novelization of CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS yet,
you may be out of luck, as it seems to be sold out pretty much
everywhere, including Amazon. No word yet on whether it's going back to
print, but if you want a copy you'd better start pestering your retailer
or bookstore for it right now.
Kara and Barry were two of the characters I most wanted to make sure
were done right. Their legacy deserved that. Thanks to Howard and all
the other folk who have sent me their reviews.
Speaking of the novel, which I'll do until people demand they stop printing more copies, I went to Barnes & Noble
yesterday and saw my first copy on sale. I knew conceptually there were
copies out there; the letters I've received told me that. I knew Amazon.com
shipped them a week or two back but I'd actually never seen one on a
book store bookshelf (as opposed to a comic book shop). It was a mixed
thrill, strangely enough. First, it was in the Science Fiction section,
which is great, but nowhere near the graphic novel or comic novel
display. Perhaps, despite having Superman on the cover it's assumed to
be straight science fiction. I'm not sure if you're looking for the
Crisis you'd go to SF and not the comics section, so, if you go to the
store and don't see it with the other comic novels, check out the SF
aisle. The other mixed thrill part was they had only one copy. They had
50,000,000 copies of the DaVinci Code, and 45,000,000 copies of the
latest eleven James Patterson books - all written in the last three
weeks - but only one of the Crisis. So if it sells out before you get
there, please ask them to reorder. It's the only way get the company to
print more.
I've also been getting reports that the CRISIS novel is already sold out
at a lot of chain bookstores (where they routinely order just one or
two copies) and that some local distributors are already either running
low or are out of copies.I've also heard from comic shops as well as
SF/Horror shops where they've ordered 50 copies or so that they can't
get their full order. Typically they've been getting half the number of
copies they've ordered. If that's the case at wherever you buy hardcover
books, please, please find someone at the order desk and ask them to
demand more copies from the Publisher. And if the Publisher is out of
copies, then gently request that your store people ask them to go back
to print. And please make sure they order the novel and not the Crisis
comic reprint - book store folk may not realize the difference. If you
want to read the novel, please ask or there simply won't be copies
available for everyone who wants them. Book store owners are more than
happy to put in orders for you.
...Also, I've just added the Golden Apple Comics(April 30th) shop in Reseda to my Crisis signings. Look up above for the time.
APRIL 15, 2005
CRISIS NEWS! I'm going to be doing several signings for the Crisis
novel, now on sale at bookstores. Even Amazon.com updated its page from
its soon to be published to It's here! Buy it now! format. It will also
be at comic shops as of next Wednesday. Although I have a number of
appearances still being set up until the dates are confirmed I won't
mention them here. But I know I'll be signing the Crisis novel as well
as other stuff at DARK DELICASIES in Burbank, CA on May 7th at 2PM. I'll also be at PULP FICTION in Long Beach, CA on May 21 at 2PM. Come on by. I'll add more store appearances as soon as I know them.
It was an unparalleled crisis for DC Comics heroes _ and a must-read for comics fans.
In 1985, the 12-issue "Crisis on Infinite Earths" transformed the DC
universe by eliminating the concept of multiple Earth's parallel worlds
with different versions of DC's heroes.
In the process, some characters, such as Supergirl and Barry Allen,
a.k.a. the Flash, were killed. Many more were simply wiped out of
existence.
Whether the sprawling series by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George
Perez achieved its goal of simplifying the DC universe is debatable. But
its impact is undeniable.
Twenty years later, Wolfman is revisiting "Crisis" with a novel being released this month by ibooks.
But don't look for a simple novelization of the famed comic-book series.
"There was no reason to replicate in prose what was in the comic, so I
had to come up with something that was far more interesting than that,"
Wolfman said in a phone interview from Tarzana, Calif.
(KRT) - It was an unparalleled crisis for DC Comics her oes - and a must-read for comics fans.
In 1985, the 12-issue "Crisis on Infinite Earths" transformed the DC
universe by eliminating the concept of multiple Earths - parallel worlds
with different versions of DC's heroes.
In the process, some characters, such as Supergirl and Barry Allen, aka
the Flash, were killed. Many more were simply wiped out of existence.
Whether the sprawling series by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George
Perez achieved its goal of simplifying the DC universe is debatable. But
its impact is undeniable.
Twenty years later, Wolfman is revisiting "Crisis" with a novel being released this month by ibooks.
But don't look for a simple novelization of the famed comic-book series.
"There was no reason to replicate in prose what was in the comic, so I
had to come up with something that was far more interesting than that,"
Wolfman said in a phone interview from Tarzana, Calif.
The result is "very much a brand-new concept in many ways," he added.
JV: How different/difficult is it adapting a graphic novel into
prose format? How do you approach action scenes (before you could let
George Perez run with a scene, but now its all in your hands)? How many
scenes did you cut or add? Is there anything you wanted to include in
the comic that you could not but now have put into the novel (ie: the
crisis "missing" issue you did with Paul Ryan a few years back)?
MW: The Crisis novel contains maybe 60-70% new material. I cover
the story you saw in the comic but from such a different way and with so
many new ideas that it's a vastly different experience. I'm hoping the
death of Supergirl will still affect you, hopefully more than even
before. It's very touching.
Also, because it is being narrated by Flash, you have insights into
characters that we've never seen before. And, lastly, because it's the
Flash, it's also a true love story between Barry Allen and his wife
Iris. Because of how the Flash got involved with the Crisis, Barry has
no knowledge of whether Iris survived it or not. I'm extremely pleased
with this aspect of the story, and I am willing to bet that you won't be
able to read the final chapter without crying. Flash is also hands-on
is responsible for the origin of one of the other characters who
appeared in The Crisis. This should be a pretty good surprise to
everyone.
As for the action, I realized up front that one of the incredibly great
strengths of the original was not only George Pérez's dynamic art but
his other contributions as well. That's another reason I had to tell the
story differently. There was no reason to ever try to duplicate in
words what every one of his brilliant pictures brought to the Crisis.
Instead, I needed to find a more character-driven approach that depended
on my being able to create new images in the reader's mind that weren't
necessarily influenced by the original.
As for your last question, none of the material in this was something I
had planned to do back then - unlike Crisis 4 1/2, which is referenced
in the novel - it's all material that, with a 20 year perspective - I
came up with now.
"I wrote that answer just before heading off to a convention," Wolfman
explained. "While waiting for Len and others to show up to take the
train trip to Pittsburgh, I came up with the idea and immediately told
it to them. My thought was to eliminate the multiple Earths, to simplify
the universe and to let new readers come to DC without having to know
45 plus years of DC history. The problem at the time was Marvel readers
greatly outnumbered DC readers and they wouldn't even bother to look at a
DC Comic other than George [Perez] and my [New Teen] Titans. Crisis was
a way of leveling the playing field. Len and I pitched it to DC on
Monday and the rest, as they say, is history. Len had to go onto Who's
Who and I wrote Crisis myself. Within a few issues, George Perez decided
to plot the second half of the series together as we had Titans."
Wolfman continued, "George is and has been the absolute best
collaborator anyone could have. He is more than a penciler - the man
completely understands what comics are about. George and I lived near
each other at the time of the Crisis. For the first maybe half dozen
issues I provided full plots - George actually didn't want to get
involved with the plotting and just wanted to concentrate on doing the
art. As the story grew I think he got really excited and wanted to plot
it together as we did by that time with the Titans). I already had done a
breakdown of what would be in every issue - that came before I wrote
issue 1. So we knew our starting point. I'd come in with other thoughts
and we'd begin the breakdown process of the story itself. Since George
is so good at it, we were able to feed off each other, make things work,
pick up on little things here and there, etc. It made for a much better
story and certainly better graphics."
20 years ago, Marv Wolfman and George Perez redefined the entire DC
Universe with Crisis on Infinite Earths, a 12 issue event that pulled
together multiple earths, streamlined continuity, saw dozens of
characters die, dozens more fully join the DCU, and in the end, become a
legend among DC fans.
In April, for the first time since the story came out, Wolfman will
revisit the entire Crisis storyline in a 320 page novelization, to be
published by iBooks. This version of Crisis won’t be a simple retelling
of the comic book series in any way. We spoke with Wolfman for a look
between the covers, as well as a look back at the original material.
(excerpt)
Newsarama: First off, how did you end up with this gig?
Marv Wolfman: I was having breakfast with John Nee of DC Comics at the
San Diego Convention two years ago and John asked if I'd be interested
in doing the Crisis as a novel. Without thinking I said yes. Later I
realized the daunting nature of the job.
NRAMA: So you walked into this, eyes open with no hesitation? After all,
you had really only revisited the material once in 20 years, with
Crisis #4.5. Did you feel any urge to just let the material stand as the
first and last word on it?
MW: When I first said ‘yes,’ I didn't think much about it. I just
thought it would be cool. Later on I realized it wasn't as simple as I
first thought. I wasn't worried about revisiting the material, I was
worried about how. I knew I couldn't just do a prose version of the
story because as they say, one picture is worth a thousand words and the
original comic was conceived to be a visual book. Back then, I was
working not only with my Titans partner and friend, and George Perez's
work on Titans was some of the best stuff he had ever done. So I
realized then I had to come up with an entirely new approach to the
story, to do something that would work best in prose as the comic worked
best with writing and art.
I was looking at the Amazon.com page which features the
Crisis On Infinite Earths novel (mentioned below) and
saw we're zooming up the sales chart - two months before we're
released. A couple of months ago we were like #700,000 on their
sales chart. now we're #95,174. A pretty hefty jump, if you ask
me. The ranking is NOT the number of books sold, however. otherwise
I'd prefer the 700,000 number. It's more like golf - the lower
the ranking the better. I don't for a moment think we'll crack,
say, 100 let alone 1-10, but it's fun seeing 5 figures instead
of six.
I said I'd talk more about the nove, so here goes. As mentioned below,
Barry Allen narrates the book. And yes, the book opens after Barry has
died (if you don't know Barry Allen died in the original Crisis series,
then what the heck are you reading this page for?). I'll also add now
that Barry actually affects the Crisis happenings in a hands-on way (as
opposed to just observing events as they unfold) and also is directly
responsible for the origin of one of the other characters who appears in
the Crisis.
Finished proofreading the galleys for "Crisis On Infinite Earths" the
novel and I'm still very happy with it. That's something that doesn't
often happen. Oh, there were tweaks here and there that I made - not
only fixing proofreading errors and an occasional line I wanted to
change, but I still really like the book.
Crisis is to be published in just two short months and you can pre-order
copies right now through Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, Borders and other
stores. I have my Amazon link here to the right and if you order through this website I actually get a few extra pennies (and I do mean pennies).
I just learned that my latest Teen Titans cartoon episode, "Titans East"
will be aired Saturday, January 22. This is the first half of a
two-parter in which Cyborg helps form a new group of Titans.
On other fronts, I'm expecting to get the galleys for the Crisis novel
any day now. Unlike the old days when you received them in printed form,
they'll be coming via email. The book is slated to be published April
1st - and that's without irony. As I've mentioned before this version of
Crisis is about 60% new and I'm very, very pleased with it. You can
pre-order it by clicking on the AMAZON.COM box to the right. Because
Amazon somehow, mystically, keeps changing the ad, if you don't see the
Crisis novel cover (see to the right on top) keep refreshing the page
until you do, otherwise you'll be brought to the Amazon page featuring
the comic reprint instead and have to search around for the novel.
Because this is a pre-order the price is quite good. And if you link to Amazon through my site, they send an extra penny or two my way.
A mysterious force is moving through all levels of reality, destroying
everything in its wake. Countless dimensions are being annihilated with
each passing second. The world's greatest heroes - Superman, Batman,
Wonder Woman, the Flash, and thousands of others - are confronted with
their greatest challenge: stopping this interdimensional threat before
it destroys all life in existence! In the wake of the 20th Anniversary
of the Crisis on Infinite Earths comic book maxi-series (upon which this
novel was based), original author Marv Wolfman revisits, expands, and
reboots the events that changed the DC Universe (along with may of its
characters) forever. (248/0-7434-9839-9) (CAUT: 4)
Coming out next May is the classic Nightwing figure from DC, just the
way George Pérez and I created him way back when. Thanks to Vu Nguyen
for sending me THIS LINK. The DC Titans line seems to be growing nicely, and of course I love seeing all the toys.
As most folk know, sometime next year DC is also releasing the Crisis on
Infinite Earths line of figures, in time for the 20th anniversary of
Crisis as well as the publication of my new CRISIS NOVEL (see the ads to the right).
It's hard to believe that the Crisis will be 20 next year, but it
started in January and ran 12 issues to December, 1985. The History of
the DC Universe followed a few months later letting everyone know what
the new DC mythology was. Things have changed... a lot... since then,
some for the good, some not, but comics need to change. Still, it's
great to see the old work honored. I love the Titans toys and having
seen some of the prototypes, I know the Crisis toys are going to be
really great, too.
First, I've been talking for several weeks about "The novel." The
editing is done and I'm awaiting notes, etc. But since I see that it's already on Amazon.com
including with the cover, I thought I'd run it on this site, too. The
book is a completely new take on the original Crisis story with probably
70% new material. Whereas the original was cosmic in scope, this one is
very personal. I'll talk about it more over the next few months.
Amazon.com doesn't yet mention that this is an original novel and not a
new edition of the reprinted comic, so it's important that if want the
novel you buy the book with the above cover. The book is scheduled to be
published in May, but Amazon is taking pre-orders. I'd love to see how
we can get this one to move up the Amazon preorder chart. Click on the
Amazon.com ad in the gray space to the right and order a copy or two.
Speaking of the Amazon.com link to the right, I notice that sometimes
it's a link to the regular Crisis On Infinite Earths comic and sometimes
it's the link to the novel. Amazon rotates it on a second by second
basis. So if you get the regular comics version of Crisis, just refresh
your screen once or twice and the novel link should come up. It's really
confusing.
No, I haven't forgotten this blog. I've just been overwhelmingly busy
trying to finish the Crisis novel, and when I'm done for the day the
last thing I can think of is typing some more. At any rate, I have only a
day or two left before I'm done and this page will be back by next
week.
I'm hard at work on the Crisis novel and will probably not be posting
much for the next two weeks. Check in once, maybe twice to see if
there's any updates. I'll come back in force in late September once the
novel is done. If I do this again, and I most likely will because I've
been enjoying the last few weeks of writing very much, I've got to
figure out how Peter David does these things so quickly.
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