Aspen Comics

[El Bastardo]

This is the place to put this, I think.

Does anyone here read anything by Aspen Comics? Yes, in case you don't know, that'd be the company that Mike Turner started when he split from Top Cow, but please, let's not turn this into a "larlar, I hate Mike Turner, larlar" thread. And yes, I know by writing that I'll get "sarcastic" replies to that tune.

But I'm just wondering as to the question, as I don't think I've seen any talk of the company. Currently, their titles are pretty much confined to minis of Fathom and/or Soulfire, with a soon-to-be-ending series by the title of Shrugged!, but they have a new series starting the first week/day of August titled Iron and the Maiden.

Just wondering. Anyone?

 

[Anubis]

But if "I hate Mike Turner" responses are not allowed, then nobody will reply.....

 

[El Bastardo]

Clearly.

It makes me a sad panda.

 

[MattXG]

I'm interested in Iron and the Maiden....t:

 

[El Bastardo]

Iron and the Maiden looks awesome. t:

 

[El Bastardo]

And on that note, while it might've taken me some time to get to it, Iron and the Maiden was indeed awesome.

Another great book being published by Aspen Comics, even if the company's talent isn't working on it.

 

[Kahoot]

What's wrong with Mike Turner? His art is good in a weird, "I'm not too sure about this guy" way and Witchblade and Fathom were both good comics when he was doing them.

 

[El Bastardo]

I like Turner's art. People who say he has no talent amuse me.

And Fathom's still a good comic. Read it!

 

[El Bastardo]

I'm going to pretend that interested people read this thread. So, news!

At the Aspen Panel this afternoon, Aspen Comics announced the next chapter of the Michael Turner-created Soulfire series.

Soulfire centers on the idea of magic being gone in the world of the future and includes fantasy creatures such as fairies, dragons and warriors.

JT Krul, a writer whose name should be familiar to Aspen comic book readers after having written such titles as the second volume of Fathom, Fathom: Cannon Hawke, Fathom: Dawn of War, Soulfire: Dying of the Light, Soulfire: Chaos Reign and Volume One of Soulfire, has been tapped to write Soulfire: Volume 2, which will feature the amazing work of Fathom: Kiani artist Marcus To, with inks by Saleem Crawford, and colors by Shrugged and Fathom colorist Beth Sotelo.

“If you’ve followed the popular Aspen titles the last few years, you’ll be very familiar with this talented team of artists,” Aspen’s Editor-in-Chief Vince Hernandez told Newsarama. “Similar to our previous volumes, Soulfire Volume 2 will be a maxi-series in the neighborhood of 11-12 issues long. We should be on issue #5 or #6 by the time issue #1 even hits the stands.”

In reaffirming one of his promises made at last month’s Comic-Con International in San Diego, the Editor-in-Chief of Aspen once again assured fans that as with all new series debuting from Aspen, Soulfire Volume 2 will ship on time. “The original volume of Soulfire suffered from an incredibly-delayed schedule due to Mike’s health, so the plan with the new team is all about consistency. We’re going to deliver this series on time—guaranteed. Marcus, Saleem, and Beth are able to deliver on that promise by producing gorgeous art on a consistent basis.

So, how will the second volume tie in to Soulfire: New World Order, which has been postponed until all the issues are finished and then resolicited with guaranteed shipping? And what about other stories that had been told before? “Souflire: Dying of the Light and Soulfire: Chaos Reign represent the periods of magic long extinct,” Hernandez said. “Dying of the Light takes place at the final moments of the golden age of magic, and the repercussions of the fatal disease overtaking the kingdoms of Empyrea and Arcadia. Soulfire: Chaos Reign journeys back to the primal period of raw magic. It’s a more visceral look focusing on the power struggle between those with magic and those without.

“Soulfire: New World Order, [also written by Krul with art by Francisco Herrera] bridges the gap between the first and second volumes, while illuminating an entirely separate cast of characters and the effect the return of magic is having on them,” he continued. “However, there are several characters tied into both New World Order and the main Soulfire volumes, and their respective story arcs carry right into the events of the new Soulfire Volume 2 seamlessly.

“Well, we can’t give away everything just yet due to the current ongoing events occurring in Soulfire Volume 1, but Soulfire Volume 2 will essentially carry forth the main storyline involving the quest of the main characters of Malikai, Grace, PJ, Sonia, Benoist, Pili, the power-monger Rainier and more. If you’ve had a chance to pick up the Beginnings or zero issue of Soulfire: New World Order, you’ll know there are quite a few new characters as well which will converge out of that series right into the pages of the upcoming Soulfire Volume 2.

”Now you know how Soulfire: New World Order fits into the scheme of the current Soulfire universe.

As for the upcoming Aspen Showcase spotlighting Grace, Hernandez, who’s writing the special one-shot, said that “all the Aspen Showcases will impact the regular series in some form or fashion, but the key to the Showcase line is the fact that these stories can be told independently of the main titles’ continuity or any of the spin-offs. While the Grace story will fill in the blanks on some of her story arc, the Grace Showcase will be a fully independent story.”

Other topics that were mentioned at Saturday's Aspen panel in Chicago:

- Michael Turner and David Wohl (Witchblade) will be reuniting to create an all-new Aspen property which will debut in 2008.

- Another Aspen property will also be released next year featuring the artwork of Micah Gunnell (Shrugged).

- Michael Turner will complete the final three issues of Soulfire before they are solicited so that the three issues can be released with guaranteed shipping.

- Iron and the Maiden featuring Jason Rubin and Francis Manapul continues on to the final issue #4.

- The Kiani statue is delayed and customers who placed orders from the original solicitation will have to reorder the product through Diamond.

- The Aspen Showcase line of books will be released in the first quarter of 2008 and will feature various Aspen tales by Vince Hernandez, Sana Takeda, CB Cebulski, David Schwartz, Ale Garza, and more to be announced.

- Aspen will continue to produce webisodes for the hit NBC television series Heroes for the next 3 years.

- http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=124935

Also, related with some additional info:

The Aspen Comics panel at Wizard World Chicago on Saturday was short and sweet and included a slideshow of eye candy from their current titles on shelves and for issues yet-to-come. The panel consisted of most of the core team: penciller Michael Turner, penciller Francis Manupol, writer Vince Hernandez, colorist Peter Peter Steigerwaldm, publisher Frank Mastromauro, penciller Micah Gunnell, colorist, Beth Sotelo, and writer J. T. Krul,
The presentation began with “Iron and the Maiden.” With the first issue already out for two weeks, they've generated some positive reaction from a title with characters designed by Joe Madureira (“Battle Chasers,” “X-Men&#8221 and Jeff Matsuda (“The Batman” animated series). The title is attracting involvement from many of the industry's top talents. Variant covers to come will be drawn by the likes of designers Joe Maduereira and Jeff Matsuda, as well as Michael Turner, series artist Francis Manupol, Chris Bachalo, Joel Gomez, and even Jim Lee will pitch in.

Next up was “Aspen Showcase,” with titles expected for early 2008 and focussing on creators outside Aspen's core group, but within the Aspen circle of friends. Ale Garza and Billy Tan involved, and there was also mention of a bet between Turner and writer Paul Jenkins, by which the winner would enjoy a collaboration within their respective titles. The actual details of the bet were never discussed. It was announced that “Fathom” vol. 3 will begin early-to-middle of next year with Ale Garza now drawing, after he completes his run on DC Comics' “Teen Titans.” The “Fathom” slideshow included “Fathom: Kiani” covers by Ande Parks.
With Michael Turner's health improving greatly (he was still using crutches during the convention) and his covers load for Marvel and DC lighting up, it was announced that the final issues of “Soulfire” are guaranteed to ship in the beginning of the new year. Also, Marcus To will begin vol. 2 as the series' regular artist.
“Soulfire: New World Order” has been postponed due to the slow process of creating the series. The remaining material will be released once it is completely finished so as to not cause further delays.

“Shrugged” was next in the slideshow, with covers including one created specifically for WWC, an Alphonse Mucha-inspired piece by Micah Gunnell with colors by Beth Sotelo. They also mentioned the issue #8 finale will be oversized. As for “Ekos,” it's been put on hold for 2009, along with a top secret project with Marvel that would probably be announced later during the day today, which brought out a little excitement from Turner while he talked about it.
It was said that the cover contract with DC Comics is almost at an end, which will open up the company's schedule for further Aspen Comics focus.

Due to problems with production, the “Kiani” statue has been taken off of Diamond's order listing until November. All orders that have been made must be re-ordered.
The slideshow finished with several new covers from the studio, mostly from Turner including “Fantastic Four,” “Thor,” “Daredevil, “and “Spider-Man & Red Sonja.” There was also a teaser image for a cover of “Mercenaries,” based on the upcoming video game, as well as a “Heroes” logo and the announcement that Aspen will continue making webisodes for NBC. After a brief Q&A session, it was mentioned that there would be two new series introduced in 2008. One would be a creator-owned title from Micah Gunnell and a title from writer “Witchblade” co-creator David Wohl, who was sitting amongst the crowd, with art by Michael Turner.

- http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=11576

 

[El Bastardo]

And related to the first Newsarama article:

Announced at the Aspen panel this afternoon at SDCC, Aspen Showcase is a series of one-shots spotlighting characters from the Aspen universe.

The first three Aspen Showcase projects will feature the character Grace from Soulfire and is handled by Aspen Editor-in-Chief and writer Vince Hernandez and artist Sana Takeda, followed by a one-shot by writer C.B. Cebulski and artist Ale Garza spotlighting Fathom’s Aspen Matthews, and a third special written by David Schwartz.

Discover more about Aspen Showcase in our interview with Hernandez, Cebulski and Garza…

Newsarama: So, what is Aspen Showcase?

Vince Hernandez: The Aspen Showcase line of books will be special one-shots featuring a different specific character from the Aspen universe with each respective issue. These books will serve as a compliment to the main story-arcs for our properties such as Soulfire, Fathom, and Shrugged. The teams assembled for each Showcase will also rotate with a new team giving their own personal touch to whichever property they choose.

NRAMA: How did this project come about?

VH: We wanted to provide the fans with a more in-depth look at our characters and universes, while also bringing in some talent that we’ve not worked with before to present their take on our books. And of course, Aspen’s regular creators and artists will also contribute to the Aspen Showcases.

NRAMA: So, are you calling these Showcase Presents: Soulfire or Aspen Showcase: Soulfire or what?

VH: As of now, we’ve titled the project with only Aspen Showcase, most likely the character represented will also be inherent in the title.

NRAMA: When is the first Aspen Showcase debuting?

VH: The first Aspen Showcase will be out most likely right before or slightly after the New Year.

NRAMA: You're writing the first of these Aspen Showcases featuring the character Grace from Soulfire, with illustrations by Sana Takeda (X-Men Fairy Tales, Drain). What's the one-shot about?

VH: First, let me express how excited I am to be working with Sana on this project, her art really speaks for itself. The Grace Showcase will be a story set in her past focusing on her experiences in her home dwelling of Empyrea. We see some of what helped shape her personality and also some secrets about a few other supporting characters in the Soulfire universe. This is the first story idea I pitched to Michael Turner and Frank Mastromauro a few years ago and so the story’s really developed and come to life in that time.

NRAMA: Up next is a Fathom special focusing on Aspen Matthews by C.B. Cebulski and Ale Garza. CB, at what point did you get involved?

C.B. Cebulski: I've known Mike and Peter over at Aspen for years through mutual friends and the con circuit. But I've been a fan of their work from long before that. I was hanging out at Wizard World LA this past March when I had the pleasure of finally meeting Vince. I was surprised to find out he'd read Drain and Wonderlost and was a fan of my work! More shock followed when he said he'd always be open to me pitching ideas to Aspen if I was interested, which intrigued me. I was pretty busy at that time, but we agreed to stay in touch, which we did. Flash forward a few months and Vince called to fill me in on their Aspen Showcase ideas, which I loved, and he offered me the Fathom one-shot! It was an opportunity I knew I couldn't pass up. Given my exclusive deal with Marvel, I spoke with publisher Dan Buckley, and as the Aspen crew are tight with Marvel, he was happy to grant me an exception to write Fathom, which I am very appreciative of him doing. So I pitched the idea, Vince dug it, and so began our working relationship, which is going along "swimmingly". Sorry, I had to...

NRAMA: What's your take on Aspen like?

CBC: Like I said, I've been a fan for years. I'm a comic junkie and read everything. I've followed Mike's career right from the start and think I own every comic he's ever worked on. To have the chance to write a comic starring Aspen Matthews, his baby, is an honor for me. I also hope I'm lucky enough to possibly have his art grace a cover to the issue. Fingers crossed...

NRAMA: Will you be exploring her early years, will the Blue and the Black be appearing, will your story feature Cannon Hawke, Chance, her biological brother Finn... in a nutshell, what's your one-shot about?

CBC: The Fathom one-shot revolves around Aspen's high school reunion. It starts in the present day and flashes back to her high school years, when she was still pretty clueless about her powers. She was just a teenage girl trying to adjust to life. The reunion takes place in present continuity and the flashbacks occur in the time right after the Fathom Prelude, when Aspen was stripped of her Olympic gold medal and comes back to the States, right as she start developing an interest in the water and aquatic pursuits. As is no surprise given my work in Wonderlost and Loners, I'm a big fan of teen drama and romance. Vince knew that and wanted me to play to my strengths, so this special is right up my alley!

NRAMA: Ale, you'd worked on an Aspen project previously, right? Fathom Prelude... What's it like to be drawing Aspen again?

Ale Garza: I'm really looking forward to it! I'm always impressed with the stuff those guys at Aspen do, and as far as quality artwork goes, everything they do is top notch!

- http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=123027

 

[Darthphere]

I read the first issue of Soulfire, and I actually liked it. But never kept up with it.

 

[El Bastardo]

I like Soulfire a lot. It hasn't finished yet - Turner had a relapse with cancer. Got up to issue 7, I think. He'll be working on the next issues, finally, and they'll be due out.

There may or may not be a TPB of the issues out. I think there was a hardcover that's now out of print. But if you wanted, you could get the issues. The company's site - www.aspencomics.com - has a store. I know issues one and two are out of print, but are in a mini-TPB collected edition that also has the out of print Soulfire preview, and all the other released individual issues. Just kind of a steep shipping/handling price, sadly.