Eric Trautmann’s Blatherspace

Another Giant Update of Doom...

Nov 10, 2009
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This Wednesday, I have three comics shipping from DC:

Action Comics #883, which I co-wrote with my friend Greg Rucka;
The Shield #3, which features an Inferno co-feature written by my friend Brandon Jerwa;
JSA Vs. Kobra #6, the conclusion of the miniseries.

I'll be signing at Olympic Cards & Comics this Wednesday, along with Greg and Brandon.

For the full skinny, please visit my website (or it will be very lonely, and very sad).

Updates...

Oct 9, 2009
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Fairly substantial update over on my website... Next Wed. I have two comics coming out (JSA Vs. Kobra #5, and The Shield #2); on November 11th, I have three comics coming out (the final issue of JSA Vs. Kobra, The Shield #3, and my first issue as co-writer of Action Comics).

Oh, and if you're interested, Jeffrey Renaud at Comic Book Resources interviewed me about Action Comics recently. Check it out.

I'm thinking seriously about shutting down my Vox and LJ accounts, frankly, because I've not used them as blogging spaces of any worth in quite a while, and I'd honestly prefer to interact with people via www.eric-trautmann.com/www.erictrautmann.us). Just a heads-up.

Observatory 005

Oct 7, 2009
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[x-post from www.eric-trautmann.com]

The fifth installment of my column for MSN's Parallel Universe site is live. This week is an overview of fall "genre" TV shows, and some commentary.

For grins, it inspired a BONUS column, as well, on comic series and graphic novels thatought to be adapted to TV. (Odds are MSN won't run the bonus column, so I'll post it here next week.)

Observatory 005 can be found here. As always, comments welcome at my website or mailed to observatory@live.com.

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JSA Vs. Kobra #4...

Sep 15, 2009
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IN STORES TOMORROW!

To celebrate the release of JSA Vs. Kobra #4, I finished up the revs to JSA Vs. Kobra #6 today. Which means, barring last-minute editorial tweaks, the series is basically wrapped up on my end.

Holy crow!

JSA Vs. Kobra #4: ask for it by name at your Friendly Local Comic Shoppe. (Here's a link to the Newsarama free preview.)

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Written by Eric Trautmann; Art by Don Kramer and Michael Babinski; Cover by Gene Ha

The trail of Kobra leads the Justice Society of America to Fawcett City! Jason Burr may think that it's safe to venture into former Shazam territory, but he's about to learn that the JSA protects each other's turf no matter what. And now that Burr has gotten them mad, there's no holding the Justice Society back!

Giant update o' DOOOM.

Sep 9, 2009
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Lots of stuff going on right now--one new comics project has presented itself, a couple more are well underway, a possible return to an old property I haven't been able to play with for some years (and no, it is neither Halo, nor Star Wars) is in the offing... all stuff I can't really discuss, yet.

But here's all the stuff I can discuss:

First: The Shield #1 hits store shelves this week (Thursday, rather than the traditional Wednesday this week, courtesy of the Labor Day shipping delay). Superheroes jumping out of planes! A wrecked country! Men with guns hiding in the mountains! Magog! Bombs! It's got something for everyone. PLUS, it's also got a second feature, starring Inferno, written by my buddy Brandon Jerwa, making his DC comics debut. So, please, do pick up a copy! (Click here for a preview of both The Shield and Inferno!)

Second: My latest Observatory column on the MSN "Parallel Universe" site is up now. It's a long-form interview with Greg Rucka, plus a bonus interview with Steve Lieber, and the subject is, of course, Whiteout (the Eisner-winning series these two gents put together, and which makes the leap to the big screen this very Friday). Here's the link!

Third: Not only did I write the column, I did an Observatory podcast! Featuring an excerpt of the Rucka interview, it's my first attempt at podcasting. So, be gentle! Download link is here, and it will have a permanent home on my website. (You do remember my website, right?)

Fourth: Not only did I write the column, and record the podcast, I also did some Observatory desktop wallpaper (and here's a reminder: there's also a TON of "Wide Awake" desktop wallpapers, as well). All are free to download and distribute. Share and enjoy.

Fifth: Speaking of Wide Awake... fairly extensive retooling of the Wide Awake website, in case you missed it, including a new viewer for the comics which we tested out and are now rather fond of. LINK! Expect more frequent updates there, as we get closer to actual new story pages!

Phew. Busy week.

Raise The Shield this week!

Sep 7, 2009
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The_shield1_finalcolors

Just a reminder: The Shield #1 hits store shelves this week!

The street date is "officially" Wednesday, September 9th, but with the Labor Day holiday shipping delay, it'll likely hit comic stores on Thursday, September 10th.

The Shield is my first ongoing monthly book for DC, and has artwork by the insanely talented Marco Rudy (Final Crisis: Resist), inks by Mick Gray and colors by Art Lyon.

The Shield travels to the ravaged wasteland that is Bialya (still decimated from Black Adam's rampage), on the hunt for several American special operations teams that have gone missing while battling Bialyan insurgents.

Somewhere, in the mountains between Bialya and Kahndaq, something evil lurks... something unlike anything Joe Higgins -- the Shield -- has yet encountered...

PLUS: Brandon Jerwa's DC debut! The Inferno co-feature -- penciled by Greg Scott -- sees Inferno (aka Frank Verrano) on the run in Star City, trying to unravel the mystery of his own existence, a mystery which has put him in the path of Green Arrow and Black Canary!

For a preview of both stories, check out DC Comics' official blog, "The Source."

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In addition, the webcomic Jerwa and have been working on is inching closer to launch. The first part of that process? A redesign of the Wide Awake website, mostly cosmetic, but also including a new delivery system/viewer for the comic itself (via the "Issuu" viewer). To view the comic, click on the image; it'll launch a full-screen, animated viewer, which you can customize to taste. Most folks have preferred the "presentation" view.)

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On Wednesday, the fourth installment of my MSN column, The Observatory, goes live. This installment features a long-form interview with Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber, about Whiteout, their Eisner Award-winning comic series-turned-feature film (which debuts this Friday, September 11th).

It came out well, I think, and I learned many Lost Secrets and Forbidden Knowledge™ of the origins of the series.

In the interim, in case you missed it: here's the last column (in which I wax nostalgic about good-bad movies, movies the new GI JOE: RISE OF COBRA film reminded me of.)

This column earned me my very first hate mail, believe it or not. Apparently, some people are very, very fond of Megaforce.

Olympic Cards & Comics in the running for a "best of Western Washington" Award...

Sep 2, 2009
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My wife's store, Olympic Cards & Comics, has been nominated for a "Best of Western Washington" award, a local "thing" sponsored by one of the Seattle TV stations/programs, as near as I can tell.

There are several noms, and the winner is selected through votes: Despite the numerical disadvantage we have (Olympia/Lacey being considerably smaller than Seattle), Gabi's store is in second place.

So, if you'd be so kind, sign in and give her your vote? A vote for OCC is a vote for FREEDOM.

(And yes, it requires clicking through an incredibly annoying Seahawks ad.)

Thanks!

http://best.king5.com/olympic-cards-and-comics/biz/169809

"Action and Thriller 2-fer."

Aug 28, 2009
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Vaneta Rogers at Newsarama chats with me about The Shield and with Brandon Jerwa about Inferno. Vaneta's always a good interviewer, and I'm shocked she managed to cull a focused piece out of the disjointed ramblings from the pair of us; originally, the interview was conducted over breakfast in San Diego, and we covered a lot of ground.

Check it out.

"Whiteout" clips online.

Aug 28, 2009
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A handful of clips from the upcoming Kate Beckinsale-fronted movie "Whiteout" have hit the internet.

"Whiteout," for those who don't know, is based on the comic series of the same name (and its sequel, "Whiteout: Melt," by my friends Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber. The film comes out September 11th of this year and you should all go see it.

"Whiteout" is the tale of a U.S. Marshal, Carrie Stetko, investigating the first murder in Antarctica. The comic version was beautifully drawn by Lieber, thoroughly engaging and marked by Rucka's signature strong female character and clever, witty plot.

If the film is half as good as the comics, it's going to be wonderful.

Whiteout - Kate Beckinsale - Clip 4

Quick update: Interview on Comicbook.com and The Source teases some artwork from The Shield.

Aug 17, 2009
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Nick Winstead at ComicBook.com chats with me about JSA Vs. Kobra, The Shield, Wide Awake, and more. The article can be found via this link.

In addition, Alex Segura over at the DC Comics blog, "The Source," teased out a wonderful piece of Marco Rudy's artwork from The Shield #1. (Click on the image to see a larger version of the piece.)

Marco has been just terrific to work with; the pages look amazing.