Creator Controversy- From Tintin to Sonic

In an interview published by the Belgian edition of Paris Match magazine, Fanny Rodwell, the widow of Hergé-the creator of Tintin-, declared herself against the publication of a new album featuring the character.

 According to her, it’s necessary to respect the author’s wishes, that he didn’t want other new albums to be released after his death. Hergé passed away in 1983.

The declaration is controversial, because it contradicts the message of her current husband, Nick Rodwell, the administrator of Moulinsart, the company that cares for the work of Hergé. He defends the necessity of protecting the author’s rights ti the work, so that it wouldn’t fall into public domain so early.

Tentatively, a new album is planned for the faraway year of 2052. Before this, Moulinsart and Casterman intend to rerelease unfinished stories of the hero and versions of old books accompanied with new theoretical material.

Fanny Rodwell was born in 1934, in Brussels, Belgium. Her maiden name was Fanny Vlamynck. She was the colorist at Hergé’s studio and married the artist in 1977, when he divorced from his first wife, Germaine Kieckens. In 1993, she remarried to an Englishman, Nick Rodwell.

Rodwell is a controversial figure in France and Belgium, often criticized by the fans and company. He was the first to open a store dedicated to Tintin, in England.

(Original article: Viúva de Hergé é contra álbum inédito dopersonagem, written by Sérgio Codespoti on May 14, 2014. Republished and translated with permission by UniversoHQ)

Estate battles against publishers are nothing new. Jack Kirby, Bill Finger, Joe Shuster,  Jerry Siegel, and even Stan Lee's estate have had public, drawn out legal battles with their former employers who continue to utilize what the creators created, many years ago. Recently, the living Ken Penders sued Sega and Archie Comics for creator rights for the characters he created in the comic based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video games. His characters are now absent from the long running series as he attempts to reuse them in other mediums. 

Comic Industry Awards: A History of Excellence

This week San Diego Comic Con announced Eisner Award nominees. The Eisner Award is named after comic great Will Eisner(The Spirit, City of God).

The Award had some name and personnel changes. It started by Publisher Fantographic’s Books in 1985 gave out the Kirby Awards at Comic-Con with Jack Kirby himself on hand. In 1987 Fantographics lost Dave Olbrich, their chief organizer of the awards. They created the Harvey Awards named afer Harvey Kurtzman. Olrbich organized the newly named Eisner Awards in 1988. In 1990, Comic Con took over the organization of the awards. Jackie Estrada is the administrator of the awards.

Orrin C. Evan's All-Negro Comics

Traditionally, the judges select two nominations before the awards ceremony at the Convention. This year, they decided to add one more for instant induction in the Hall of Fame. There is still a pool of 14 nominees, 4 of which will enter the Hall of Fame.

Journalist Orrin C. Evans published a single anthology in 1947- All-Negro Comics. It was the first of its kind, solely created by African American talent. Sheldon Moldoff was a DC comic book artist. He helped create Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze and  the brought life to the whimsical era of Batman: Bat-Girl, Batwoman, Bat-Mite and Ace the Bat-Hound.  He also drew Hawkman, golden age Green Lantern(Alan Scott). Irwin Hasen created Citizen Smith, Son of the Unknown Soldier, DC superhero Wildcat(with Bill Finger) and the comic strip Dondi(with Gus Edson) about a war orphan. Hasen also did art for The Flash, The Green Hornet, the Fox and various other golden age heroes.  

Irwin Hasen's Dondi

Sheldon Moldoff's characters Bat-Girl and Batwoman

Fourteen other talents are now being considered in voting. These include  international talents Mexican Gus Arriola(Gordo), Frecnhman Philippe Druillet(La Sloane), Hiyao Miyazaki( Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Japan’s biggest filmmaker(Spirited Away,etc)), Britt Alan Moore(Watchmen, V for Vendetta), Cuban Antonio Prohias(Spy vs Spy), Japanese female creator Rumiko Takahashi(Ranma ½). Super hero creators are well represented with Fred Kida(Ringo Kid, Flash Gorden, Spider-Man) Tarpe Mills(creator of Miss Fury), Dennis O’Neil(Batman, Green Lantern/Green Arrow,editor), George Tuska(Crime Does Not Pay, Marvel and DC Comics artist), Bernie Wrightson(Swamp Thing).Eisner Awards continues to recognize the Underground/Independent movement with Howard Cruse(Gay Comix editor, Stuck Rubber Baby), Rube Goldberg(Rube Goldberg machine, Mike and Ike), Francoise Mouly(RAW creator).

The list of Eisner Award Hall of Fame members is long and varied. Batman’s creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger(Batman’s creators), Neal Adams(Batman artist who created the dark and brooding Dark Knight), Joe Simon(Captain America), Superman’s makers Joe Schuster and Jerry Siegel, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Gardner Fox(Justice Society), Steve Ditko(Co-creator of Spider-Man, The Creeper, The Question) are all well represented. Classic comic artists like John Romita(Marvel), Marv Wolfman(Blade, DC and Marvel), and Joe Kubert(DC) among others also hold membership.

The Eisner Awards does a great job representing pillars of the comic book medium. From the first remnants of the budding art like : R. F. Outcault(The Yellow Kid), Rudolph Dirks( The Katzenjammer Kids), Winsor McKay(Little Nemo) and George Herriman(Krazy Kat). And others, like Lee Falk (The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician) and Carl Banks(Disney Comics) who helped propel comics to international popularity and recognition. William Gaines the EC Comics publisher who almost single handedly caused the Comics Code Authority  even gets a spot  with his coulegue Harvey Kurtzman(MAD Magazine). The Hall of Fame features non mainstream,underground movers and shakers like Art Spiegelman(Maus, RAW), Trina Robbins(Wimmin’s Comix)  and Robert Crumb(Fritz the Cat).

Comic strip creators had a huge part on the popularity and notability of the medium. Charles M. Schulz(Peanuts and Snoopy), E.C. Segar(Popeye), Ernie Bushmiller(Fritzi Ritz and Nancy), Harold Gray (Little Orphan Annie), John Stanely(Little Lulu), Walt Kelly(Pogo), Harold R. Foster(Prince Valiant),  and Chester Gould(Dick Tracy) all won membership.

International inductees include Italian Huge Pratt(Corto Maltese), Katsunhiro Otomo(Akira), Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima(Lone Wolf and Cub), Rene Goscinny and Alberto Uderzo(Asterix), Herge(Tintin), and Osamu Tezuka(Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, Princess Knight and Black Jack).

Attendees of the awards ceremony are given a copy of a Will Eisner graphic novel. He has been known as the “father of the graphic novel”. 

X-Mania

Empire Magazine has released pictures of their 25 collectible covers for the month of March in celebration for Bryan Singer's return to unite the X-Men franchises with X-Men: Days of the Future Past. The seventh X-Men film (X-Men(2000), X2 (2003), X-Men: The Last Stand(2006), X-Men:Origins Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class(2011), and The Wolverine(2013)) but soon to be followed with its own sequel, again directed by Singer, X-Men : Apocalypse- to be released May 27th, 2016. X-Men: Days of the Future Past opens May 23rd in the US. Comic fans in France and Belgium are treated with an early release on  the 21st with the rest of Europe following suite on the 22nd. Be sure to stay after the credits are finished rolling as Marvel movies always include an extra special scene at the very end.
Here is a look at the covers, costumes and characters for the blockbuster.

Head on over to Empire Magazine to see the covers up close. The magazine with all 25 covers will go on British newsstands in March. 

The cast list is as followed:

Future

Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier

Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine

Ian McKellen as Erik Lehnsherr

Halle Berry as Ororo Munroe/Storm

Ellen Page as Kitty Pryde

Shawn Ashmore as Bobby Drake/Iceman

Daniel Cudmore as Peter Rasputin/Colossus

Omar Sy as Lucas Bishop

Booboo Stewart as James Proudstar/Warpath

Fan Bingbing as Clarice Ferguson/Blink

Adan Canto as Roberto DaCosta/Sunspot

Anna Paquin as Rogue (In deleted scene only)

Past

James McAvoy as Charles Xavier/Professor X

Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto

Jennifer Lawrence as Raven Darkholme/Mystique

Nicholas Hoult as Henry McCoy/Beast

Peter Dinklage as Bolivar Trask

Evan Peters as Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver

Josh Helman as William Stryker, Jr.

Lucas Till as Alex Summers/Havok

Evan Jonigkeit as Mortimer Toynbee/Toad

Buena Vista Home Entertainment/Marvel

Aside from the seven X-Films, X-Men already stared on the small screen with four series(X-Men:The Animated Series(1992), X-Men:Evolution(2000), Wolverine and the X-Men(2008), and Marvel Anime:X-Men(2011) and a pilot-1989's Kitty Pryde and the X-Men. Many X-Men have had cameos in multiple marvel animated series. The uncanny mutants have countless video games, action figures, and of course...comic books. Their past has shone brightly since their creation in 1963 by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, they will be mainstays for the future. Feeling nostalgic? Find your favorite mutant in this great write up by Buzzfeed's Matthew Perputa: 94 X-Men Members: From Worst to Best . They left out some characters but number six on the list will always be number one to me.