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Tag: Watchmen (1-3 of 3)

On the Books: Prepare for another Alan Moore adaptation

- Alan Moore’s graphic novels have inspired some of the most memorable action flicks in recent years, including Watchmen and V for Vendetta. Now, Moore’s From Hell will get the small-screen treatment. FX has picked up a drama series based on the story, which chronicles Jack the Ripper’s exploits from the killer’s perspective.

Don Murphy will executive produce the series. It’s not the first time Murphy has been attached to From Hell—he produced 2001’s well-received film adaptation, which starred Johnny Depp and Robbie Coltrane. Sources say that Murphy always saw the story’s structure and plot as more conducive to TV, and that the recent explosion of high-quality dramas led him to push the project.

In the meantime, Moore’s graphic novel is worth revisiting. Moore released installments of the 572-page epic from 1989 to 1996, and included 46 pages of footnotes to add depth and historical detail to the plot. [Deadline]

- Moore can only hope that From Hell‘s adaptation receives the same praise as Game of Thrones. In the latest expansion of George R.R. Martin’s Thrones empire, HBO has inked a deal with Running Press to produce multiple books and mini kits inspired by the show. They’ll launch the partnership in April 2015 with In Memoriam, a short book about the characters who have died throughout the show. Running Press has also announced two mini kits (memorabilia collections) for the series: Game of Thrones: Stark Direwolf Kit and Game of Thrones: Hand of the King Wax Seal Kit. [Publishers Weekly]

- A massively influential activist and writer in the gay and transgender communities died Saturday. Trans woman Leslie Feinberg championed trans and lesbian issues, workers’ rights, and intersectionality. She advanced the Marxist concept of “transgender liberation,” and her final words were “Remember me as a revolutionary communist.”

Feinberg wasn’t just responsible for bolstering academic understanding and political organization surrounding these topics. Her 1993 novel Stone Butch Blues told the story of a working-class butch lesbian living in pre-Stonewall America who runs away from home and becomes a part of gay subculture. The book won the 1994 Stonewall Book Award, received multiple translations, and assimilated into mainstream literature at a time when few people were familiar with books about trans and lesbian issues. Feinberg was 65. [The Advocate]

- In September, suburban Dallas’ Highland Park Independent School District drew criticism when it suspended seven books—including Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon and Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha—from its high school curriculum. Now the school district has announced further literary restrictions. Going forward, students will need signed permission slips in order to read six titles, among them Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. [L.A. Times]

- We also have a Shelf Life reminder: Watch the National Book Awards tonight. The event will stream live online. Last year’s winners were James McBride’s The Good Lord Bird and George Packer’s The Unwinding.

On the Books: Dave Gibbons named the first-ever comics laureate

- Renowned graphic novelist Dave Gibbons became the United Kingdom’s first comics laureate this week. Gibbons—the co-creator of and artist behind the acclaimed Watchmen series—received the title from Comics Literacy Awareness, a U.K. nonprofit that seeks to use comic books to promote child literacy and reading. Gibbons will begin his two-year ambassadorship in February. “He will be championing the role of comics in getting children to read as well as visiting schools and attending training events for staff and education conferences,” according to The Guardian

Gibbons’ influence on the genre has been well-articulated by Lev Grossman in Time, who called him “one of the major comic book artists of the 21st century, or the 20th, or really any other century you care to name.” Gibbons has also worked on esteemed titles like Green Lantern, Batman, and 2000AD.

- While Gibbons champions the power of comics for young people, writer and anthropologist Dana Walrath says they have the potential to benefit another generation, too. Earlier this month, writer and anthropologist Dana Walrath illuminated how comics can play an important role for the elderly in a TEDx Talk called “Comics, Medicine, and Memory.” After her mother fell victim to dementia, Walrath discovered that graphic novels were the optimal storytelling medium to entertain and engage her. She contends that most of the memories Alzheimer’s are able to retain are visual—similarly to very young children—and that the “visual-verbal combination [of comic books] makes up for some of the memory loss and lets content stay sophisticated.” Walrath penned a graphic memoir last year, Aliceheimer’s, chronicling her experiences with her ailing mother Alice. [GalleyCat]

- Speaking of the accessibility of comics for everyone: Offering a free Humble Bundle of Star Wars digital comic books, Dark Horse is.

Last week, the comics publisher democratized a collection of Star Wars graphic novels with the release of a massive digital package at a pay-what-you-want price. Dark Horse says, “fans of the epic sci-fi franchise can pay what they want for up to $190 worth of digital comics, all while supporting a great cause.” Buyers (or freebie-grabbers) can choose whether they want their contributions to support Dark Horse or the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Download it now, you should—the offer began last week and continues until Oct. 29.

- For more comics reading, consider picking up the bestseller The Best American Comics 2014, a comprehensive compilation of the latest and greatest in graphic novel publishing. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s annual collection spotlights comics from print and digital mediums, fiction and nonfiction, in and outside of the mainstream. This year, comics scholar (yes, that’s a thing) Scott McCloud guest-edited the anthology with Bill Kartalopoulos. McCloud is the author of the classic 1994 comics primer Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. 

FIRST LOOK EXCLUSIVE! 'Before Watchmen' pins Marilyn Monroe's death on 'The Comedian' -- and a former First Lady

Until now, “Before Watchmen” —  a new DC Comics franchise composed of prequel mini-series to the acclaimed mid-eighties super-hero saga Watchmen — has courted controversy by simply existing. Telling more Watchmen tales without creators Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons? For some fans and industry pros, that’s heresy, regardless of the quality of the work, which so far has been quite good. The next installment in the endeavor is sure to be provocative for another reason altogether. In the opening pages of The Comedian #1 (on sale Wednesday), set in the sixties, the titular character — a morally murky vigilante turned black ops bag-man (real name: Edward Blake) — is not only revealed to be surprisingly tight with the Kennedy clan, but is tasked by a certain iconic First Lady with eliminating a certain iconic movie star famously linked to her husband (and brother-in-law).  The story comes from writer Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets) and penciler J.G. Jones (Wanted), both highly regarded comic book artists known for edgy work.

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