Starstruck at Newsarama, Part 1
Starstruck at Newsarama, Part 2
Thursday, June 18, 2009
STAR-gazing
In August, we're releasing the first issue of Michael Kaluta and Elaine Lee's masterful STARSTRUCK series, completely remastered and re-colored by Lee Moyer. The series will run 13 issues, and beyond just the new colors from renowned fantasy artist Moyer, Lee and Kaluta have reworked the original material, including reformatting pages, expanding images, and producing all-new “Galactic Girl Guide” material inked by Charles Vess. Newsarama.com is currently running a 3-part series about the book's return, and below is a look at issue 1's two covers and pages 1-3.
Starstruck at Newsarama, Part 1
Starstruck at Newsarama, Part 2
Starstruck at Newsarama, Part 1
Starstruck at Newsarama, Part 2
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17 comments:
This is a truly masterpiece (I just have a reprint from Epic in spanish, with a very-low quality and still, it is dazzling). And as far I've seen in the promos, the remastered colors are really good, keeping the mood of the series, giving them deep... and they're absolutely not loudy, a tipical flaw in computer coloring. That's a great work from Moyer.
And master Kaluta reworking Starstruck for this edition... that says much of him and IDW. These days, not every artist and companies are so committed with comics to put in all this work (ahem).
I believe we have here a firm candidate for some serious awards. And it deserves it, no doubt.
Pardon but whats up with all you publishers/editors its like you dont even want to give some college graduates from harlem a chance.
Its like a good old boys club, im feeling some serious racist heat, should I create some sambo characters like "super soul brotha" and "sister afro sheen" maybe you guys would print that.
We are fans of sci-fi, role playing games and video games just like ya'll. Black and spanish kids from high school sit in the burgerking in my hood until they close, playing yugi-oh and reading comics, its like you guys dont even see us, like we are invisible. You know what it its to walk into a comic book store and barely see any characters that look like you.
We want to make the next lord of the rings or avatar the last airbender project.
Did you even check the website?
www.deadutopia.com
Look at the quality of the work and website (still adding to it) we're just trying to get a shot give us a chance.
Thanks for replying at least.
-Enrique
Please, the racism note was cheap. over the top and innapropiate. I'm from Spain, and some of pencilers and artists are from South America, Spain and everywhere. I never, never, never had any problem in the comic industry for being from another country, or for being spanish.
IDW and any other comic company I have known are open minded, and very far for any racist behaviour.
If you have good ideas, and want to show them, work, work, work, and never give up. But to use "uuuah, I'm spanish-martian and that's why you don't like me" doesn't say much of your professionalism.
Enrique, amigo, asà no se hace. Tus ganas te honran, pero ese no es el camino.
El Torres I truly appreciate your comments and wisdom of your words.
With all due respect, I dont think you understand what growing up in America in the ghettos of Harlem is like though, you are from spain(which i love and respect) but still is a european country with a eurocentric expierence and mind frame. I dont think the comic industry as whole understands what the misrepresentation of Black and Latino's in comics does to those kids who grow up loving comics and video games.
I appreciate spiderman, wolverine and captain america but when you dont see an intelligent representation of some one who looks like you its makes you think "whats wrong with us" why cant we be super heroes. The few latino and black characters in comics is merely tokenism which means they just put a black character their to deflect criticism or comply with equal oppurtunity rules.
We have knocked on everydoor and watch white creators with less quality product get passed over us time and again.
People have told us that there is no room or that comic book industry is doing bad. Every industry is affected by the current economic climate in the united states including the comic industry but there are more movies in production about comics then ever, more websites , cartoons all types of media is seeing as surge of sci-fi and adventure products. Comics and sci-fi have never been more popular.
I respect your opinions about my comments. But please understand what we are expierencing first hand from many comic book companies. Some Comic book editors/publishers are not even consciously being racist it is so embedded in the culture of some white americans that as soon as they see black products they unconsciously devalue it or see it as inferior so they pass it over.
My book features artist of all nationalities and from around the world, from Japan, the phillipines, and Caucasian kids from brooklyn we want everybody of all nationalities and creeds to be united under our banner but a lot of comic companies want to keep it as a very select "good ol boys club"
Thanks El Torres we will continue to work hard and wish you the best of luck with your work.
Enrique, I replied to you at length over e-mail, but while you make salient points below, your claims of racism are so far off-base and offensive that it was hard for me to take the rest of what you have to say seriously.
I don't know anyone who approaches me by race, color, creed, sexuality... nothing. Comics pitched through the mail or e-mail are about as unbiased as any medium there is. Here, you're judged on two things, your idea itself and the space a publisher has in their schedule. And when I tell you that I have no room on my schedule to take on any new (unsolicited, mind you) pitches, I don't see how anyone who wants to be taken seriously could possibly make any claims of racism. As I say, even now, I have no idea who or what you are. Unless you have seen my photo online, you in turn have no idea who or what I am, either. It's a level playing field.
I'll also say again that you make good points below about a situation in which I have no real experience. But that's all lost under your attempts to be shocking.
I've been rejected for years and years by editors and by agents and never once did I think it had to do with anything but an idea that clearly didn't suit them.
Also like I said in my e-mail, "no" from anyone doesn't mean "no good," it just means "it's not right for us." I'd suggest not getting discouraged or lashing out if you want to succeed in a business like comics that offers very few slots in comparison to the creators trying to get in. I would also say that if you think the system is against you, create your own system. This industry is currently run by many people who self-published and fought their way to where they are. They didn't let all the "NOs" they heard discourage them, they did something about it. So should you.
Chris,
We are definitley not reacting or having knee jerk reactions or trying to be "shocking" we are merely creating dialogue to the discriminination we are facing.
When I say comic book publishers are being racist I am not saying that they are using racist language, it is by what they are not saying and not doing. With a lack of representation of intellegent black characters writers and artist, you guys are saying that blacks and latinos are not good enough to be down. Sometimes its what you dont say and don't do that speaks louder then words.
Robert Downey jr. Totally wore black face in tropic thunder, he honestly thinks that he didnt do anything wrong, offensive, or racist. He doesnt understand the anguish and the disgust that a white person in black face represents. And there lies the problem, editors and publishers like yourself are being bias based on race, but are probably not even aware of it. Directly or indirectly , consciously or unconsciously you are being bias by the lack of intellegent black and latino representation in comics.
You say if i dont like the system to go and create my own, so should obama have said "you know what there is never been a black president and probably never will be, maybe I should make my own country/system"
No instead he (Obama) strived to become president of this system, because his work to achieve in this system, shows and proves to people they need to be made self aware of there direct or indirect bias and prejudice and for how long it has held certain groups back from social equality.
This is not an attempt to shock, disrespect or offend but to educate.
I challenge IDW or any other publisher/editor to print and nationally promote DeadUtopia our all black and latino comic.
Still dont have room for us at your table Chris?
Peace
Mate, I think you need to take a critical look at the way you approach people.
Saying "you're all a bunch of rude racists who don't understand us" is not going to make people think "he,y nice guy, some good ideas, lets give him a burl".
Basically, the argument that "you don't understand what it means to be me" could be made by anyone.
I have no idea what it means to be you, no. It's not racist to say that. I live in a different country, am a different age, have a different occupation... and so on and so forth. But as much as I could say "you don't understand what it means to be Australian" I don't. El Torres could say "you don't know what it means to be Spanish". Ryall could say "you don't know what it means to be an editor of an internationally renowned company".
But we don't. We approach this interaction we have here not from what divides us, but what unites us.
We love comics.
Some of us are writers, some of us aspire to be. Some of us are buyers. Some of us are artists, and so forth.
FWIW you've some great ideas.
But the pitch is what needs work IMO.
I'm a teacher, I know that you catch no flies and change no minds if you say "you're wrong", no matter in relation to what you're saying "you're wrong" is the quickest way to make whomever you're talking to stop listening, or even argue back.
Pitch the idea as "exploring an as yet untapped genre" or similar.
You're saying the same thing, but in a way that's more likely to get people to listen.
Enrique
The only person being racist around here I can see...
"With all due respect, I dont think you understand what growing up in America in the ghettos of Harlem is like though, you are from spain(which i love and respect) but still is a european country with a eurocentric expierence and mind frame."
...is you. Racism is not just about the coloured folk being put upon. You may want to think about that before you make assumptions again about people you've never met based on their country of origin/occupation/clothing/favourite milkshake flavour.
"With a lack of representation of intellegent black characters writers and artist, you guys are saying that blacks and latinos are not good enough to be down."
Sir, just as I don't know your racial make-up, neither do you know many of the creators we work with, creators of all sizes, shapes, and colors. This is silly and blindly accusatory, and no longer something I'm going to entertain here. The fact that you chose to reply to me here but not to my longer e-mail tells me you're more interested in making noise than having serious discourse between us.
"Still dont have room for us at your table Chris?"
Correct. I do not. Which was my whole point all along, that I do not have room to consider new proposals from anyone regardless of race, color or creed. Best of luck with the project. Again, as I said in my e-mail, don't let anyone tell you know -- do what many successful creators in comics have done and self-publish.
Two Things:
First, just ignore accusations that certainly has no support at all, and are only a cry for attention. That being said by a long time collaborator that comes from one of the smallest countries in South America, as myself.
Second, and back to the subject of the post, what an AMAZING job you're doing with this "remastered" Starstruck. Just OVERWHELMINGLY (not sure if this word exists) beautiful. You're really taking this groundbraking work to an entirely new level.
Congratulations!
IDW rocks!
And specially you, Chris, one of the most open minded, unprejudiced persons I ever worked with!
Best regards,
G-
First of all I want to say thank you Danielw for your comments, I respect and appreciate what you said and will look into other pitch ideas.
You made a comment about people from different countries, I am not talking about nationalism or anti-nationalism I am talking about race. There is a lack of representation of Intelligent black and latino characters from any country or nation that has black people, whether it be brazil, ghana, dominican republic, america, or ethiopia.
Now Mort you said "Racism is not just about the coloured folk being put upon." THATS EXACTLY WHAT I"M TALKING ABOUT DUDE! You just debunked your whole argument by calling us COLOURED, did you just come from the past in a time machine from the jim crow era, thats exactly what I mean when I say some white people don't even know when they are being racist, imagine all the other racist and bias thoughts you think, comments you say or actions you take and are not even aware of.
And Chris we have Self Published got two issues now and have a sketch book coming out in the fall. Lots of people self publish but you need to get picked up by the "majors" to really get the ball rolling and the financial backing to manuver the way you want. Its like putting a show/movie on the internet or youtube if your really want to make it then a major network or Film company has to pick you up for either production and/or distrubution.
Chris you also said:
"I've been rejected for years and years by editors and by agents and never once did I think it had to do with anything but an idea that clearly didn't suit them."
I respect your opinion and feelings about the above said comment but again i am talking about people being bias based on race (racism) of course you are going to think that anyone rejecting a previous idea of yours was just because the idea didnt suit them, you never had to think about race being an issue or be confronted by overt or subtle racism because you are not black.
Yes Sir
"... because you are not black."
Enrique, you're not hearing me. Your pitch didn't have a color when it was sent to me. I didn't even open it, since I knew I didn't have room to consider it no matter what it was. You were the same color as anyone who approaches me unsolicited through the mail.
I also told you in my e-mail that your comic looked quite nice after I went to the site, and encouraged you to keep pushing to get it going. That doesn't change my situation, and this company's lack of space to make your project work. And it certainly doesn't make it a racial decision. Now really, this needs to stop and you need to recognize that sometimes a "sorry, no space" is just a "no" with nothing political or racial behind it. I will work with anyone any time if I like their work and can make it work with my schedule, and so will any comic publisher I've ever dealt with.
> did you just come from the past in a time machine from the jim crow era
No, I just came from sarcasm land. Get over yourself mate, seriously.
Actually Enrique you've hit on an interesting idea for a story - what if someone from the era of Jim Crow came to 2009 America, with Obama, Oprah etc etc.
How would he react to the culture?
Now, calling Mort that person is a little off base.
And I can refute the accusations of racism at Ryall to somewhat by saying "they've rejected my pitches for a comic as well", and by the standard you're using that can't be racist as I'm as white as the driven snow.
Have a look at IDW's output for just this month:
2 issues of Doctor Who,
2 Transformers comics,
3 issues of GI Joe,
Weekly Wraths of Khan,
America McGee's Grim,
Groom Lake,
I'm sure there's tonnes of others, but these are just the ones I remember seeing on the shelves at my LCS.
They might have a lot of the audience and sales, but are really still just a small (compared to DC and Marvel) company.
Danielw thats a great idea. Kool.
Also I want to thank Chris Ryall, for letting this discussion on race and race in comics go down on his blog and stay up. A lot of people would have erased it.
Peace
The only discussion about 'color' should be regarding the hideous re-coloring of these classic Kaluta pages, which totally destroys their original light, open feel. Bleccchh! When will the comics industry realize that not everything has to be 'remastered' in garishly painted full process colors, just because the technology exists to do so? You can sign me up for a copy of this ruinized edition of Starstruck about the same time I order Ted Turner's colorized edition of Citizen Kane.
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