Comics News Roundup: Al Williamson RIP

Re-looking at The Last Phantom



I'd pretty much dismissed Dynamite's take on The Phantom after seeing the above "costume" and hearing how the new series is essentially a reboot. I like the current Phantom enough that I don't really want to see him rebooted. But then I read this interview with writer Scott Beatty in which he said that he wants to explore a question that's always sort of itched the back of my mind for years: "Is [being the next Phantom] choice or predestined? And can one simply walk away?"

I'm not totally caught up with Moonstone's series, so maybe they've touched on it, but I've never read a Phantom story in which the hero struggled with whether or not he wanted to accept the role. I still hate the new look, but I am interested in seeing Beatty explore this aspect of the character.

Jesse James vs. not-exactly-Machine Gun Kelly



If you've followed this blog for a while, you know that I co-wrote a story in which Jesse James and Machine Gun Kelly meet during the early days of the gangster's career. The fate of that story is still being determined, but my interest in the subject matter means that I automatically love this post by Snell about a different kind of meeting between Jesse and some gangsters.

After the break: the return of Vampirella, the mystery of Captain Marvel, and the passing of Al Williamson.

Action Girl News: Sun Girl, Project ReVamp update, and Red Sonja not-so-much-news-per-se

Sun Girl



The Fortress of Fortitude introduces us to Golden Age superhero Sun Girl. Remember a while back when I was talking about how much I liked Shadow Lass' hairstyle in Legion Lost? It's totally a Sun Girl 'do.

ReVamp

Project: Rooftop should be sharing the results of their Vampirella redesign contest very soon now. But while we're waiting, here's Art Grafunkel's contribution.



Red Sonja



Okay, there's no story behind this. I just wanted to post this painting by Captain America artist Steve Epting.

Vampirella ReVamp

I like Vampirella. I think she's a cool character with a lot of history and there have been some fantastic writers producing her adventures over the years. People like Archie Goodwin, Kurt Busiek, James Robinson, Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, Ben Raab, Brian Wood, and Josh Fialkov.

Unfortunately, a lot of people dismiss her as nothing more than a T&A character and you can't always blame them. I mean, you can because those writers aren't known for making vapid T&A books, but there's still that costume. It's difficult to get past that Vampirella isn't a comic that I can unreservedly show to just anyone. Regardless of how well-crafted the story, people look at the costume and eyebrows are raised. Smirks are given.

So, I think it's really cool that Harris Comics is joining forces with Project: Rooftop on a contest to redesign Vampirella's look. As far as I can tell, Harris isn't looking to use the winning design as an official new look for the character, but it means something to me that they're using this approach as a way to promote their book. On some level it's an acknowledgment that there's room for an update to the character's design. It's a small step, but it's a step.