Starport a NEW Graphic Novel

September 6, 2018 at 8:45 am

Fevre River is proud to announce STARPORT, a new hardcover graphic novel coming March 2019 from Bantam!

Based on one of the TV pilots George wrote in the 90’s during his first run in Hollywood, this rarely seen story will be illustrated in full color by Hugo Award-nominated artist Raya Golden (Facebook – @rayagoldenillustration), and assisted by her artistic accomplice Rachel Hilley. (Instagram- @RLHilley) Both currently local New Mexican artists.

This one of a kind bright, bold and brilliant graphic novel brings Martin’s singular vision to rollicking life.

Read the short description below and watch for more news on STARPORT!

SECOND CITY. FIRST CONTACT.

Ten years ago, representatives from an interstellar collective of 314 alien

species landed on Earth, inviting us to become number 315. Now, after seemingly

endless delays, the Starport in Chicago is operational, a destination for diplomats,

merchants, and tourists alike. Inside, visitors are governed by intergalactic treaty.

Outside, the streets belong to Chicago’s finest.

Charlie Baker, newly promoted to the district that oversees alien affairs, is

eager to put to practical use his enthusiasm for all things extraterrestrial; he just

never expected to arrive on his first day in the back of a police cruiser. Lieutenant

Bobbi Kelleher is married to the job, which often puts her in conflict with Lyhanne

Nhar-Lys, security champion of Starport and one of the galaxy’s fiercest warriors.

Undercover with a gang of anti-alien extremists, Detective Aaron Stein has no

problem mixing business with pleasure–until he stumbles upon evidence of a plot

to assassinate a controversial trade envoy with a cache of stolen ray guns. Now

the Chicago PD must stop these nutjobs before they piss off the entire universe.

Based on a 1997 TV pilot script written by George R. R. Martin and adapted and

illustrated in full color by Hugo Award-nominated artist Raya Golden, this bold and

brilliant graphic novel adaptation brings Martin’s singular vision to rollicking life.

With all the intrigue, ingenuity, and atmosphere that made A Game of Thrones a

worldwide phenomenon, Starport launches a new chapter in the career of a sci-fi/fantasy superstar.

PRE-ORDER LINK: http://a.co/d/8WgEf0Y

THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE MINIONS OF FEVRE RIVER

Current Mood: excited

Tags: graphic novels, starport

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Signing Up A Storm

September 8, 2017 at 5:55 pm

It’s been a while since I visited the Jean Cocteau to sign books, so my staff dragged me down there yesterday, thrust a pen into my hand, and confronted me with a couple mountains of books.

For you Wild Cards fans, I signed a hundred or so copies of the new trade paperback reissue of DEAD MAN’S HAND, the Wild Cards noir mystery story I co-authored with John Jos. Miller.

And if you’re fond of funny books, I also signed several towering piles of the new Dunk & Egg graphic novel, THE MYSTERY KNIGHT, scripted by Ben Avery with art by Mike S. Miller, the same terrific team who did the HEDGE KNIGHT and SWORN SWORD graphic novels.

Both titles, and dozens of others — by me, and by a host of other writers — are available via mail order from the Jean Cocteau at http://jeancocteaucinema.com/product-category/merchandise/

Speaking of signing, though… I think I may have set a personal record in Russia when I signed 900 books in two hours at my St. Petersburg event. I have signed more, at events in Slovenia and Dijon, France, but those of those events lasted a LOT longer than Russia. Four hours in France, seven in Slovenia. I barely survived the last…

Here Comes The Mystery Knight

December 16, 2016 at 3:50 pm

The long-awaited… and much requested… graphic novel of THE MYSTERY KNIGHT, the third of my Dunk & Egg novellas, is on its way at last.

The good folks at Random House have assembled the same great creative team who gave us the comic book adaptations of THE HEDGE KNIGHT and THE SWORN SWORD — Ben Avery on script, and Mike S. Miller for the artwork.

Here’s the cover:

THE MYSTERY KNIGHT will be released in hardcover on July 4. (No, sorry, no individual issues this time around). It’s 148 graphic pages, and from what I’ve seen so far, it’s gorgeous!

Tags: comic books, dunk & egg, graphic novels

More Hugo Ruminations

December 22, 2015 at 5:52 pm

Time to look at another Hugo category.

Today, Best Graphic Story. (Or ‘best comic book,’ if you want to be less pretentious).

Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I am an old time comic fanboy. I was there for the birth of comics fandom in the 60s. I was the first fan to sign up for the first comicon. My first published words were letters to Stan and Jack in the pages of THE FANTASTIC FOUR and THE AVENGERS. My first published fictions were prose superhero stories in fanzines like HERO and YMIR and STAR-STUDDED COMICS. I was a member of the Merry Marvel Marching Society. I once won an Alley Award (though I never got it). Decades later, I was a guest of honor at San Diego Comicon and won an Inkpot.

That was a long time ago, however. I fear I no longer follow mainstream comics much. I still love the stories and heroes I grew up, Silver Age Marvel and DC (hell, even Charlton, the Question and Blue Beetle were great), but there have been way too many retcons and reboots and restarts for my taste. I don’t know who these characters are any longer, and what’s worse, I don’t much care.

I really don’t think we needed to add a Graphic Story category to the Hugo Awards. Comics have their own awards, the Eisners, they don’t need the Hugo too. Besides, most SF fans do not follow comics closely enough to make informed judgements in this area.

That being said, however, I have to concede that the fans did pretty damned well nominating in this category last year. SAGA was the only one of the finalists that I had actually heard of before Sasquan announced last year’s ballot… but I dutifully read all the others before I voted, and for the most part, I was impressed (okay, not by the Puppy nominee, which was several notches below the other four)… especially by MS. MARVEL, a whole new take on the character (actually a whole new character with an old name), a charming new addition to the Marvel universe, and the eventual winner.

So… I still don’t love Graphic Novel as a Hugo category, but it exists, and those who follow the field more closely than me should nominate Good Stuff here again, and maybe I’ll have more comic books to discover and delight in when the final ballot comes out.

Meanwhile, I do have one truly outstanding graphic novel to suggest… I am not totally disconnected from the world of comics, y’see… and that’s a book called THE SCULPTOR, by Scott McCloud.

McCloud, of course, is the author of UNDERSTANDING COMICS, the seminal work about graphic stories and how they work, a book I recommend unreservedly to all aspiring comic book artists and writers. With THE SCULPTOR, McCloud proves he’s as talented a practitioner as he is a theoretician. It’s a story about a guy with superpowers, yes… but a very real one. No one puts on spandex to fight crime here. This is a story of character, a tale that evokes not Stan Lee or Jack Kirby or even Steve Ditko (much as I love them), but rather Will Eisner. And higher praise than that I do not have.

I haven’t read enough graphic novels to know for certain that THE SCULPTOR was the best of 2015. But it is so damned good, so original and so human, that I cannot imagine that it is not one of the best five. THE SCULPTOR deserves a Hugo nomination, and I know it will be on my ballot.

Tags: awards, comics, graphic novels, hugo awards

Cinemax Orders SKIN TRADE Script

October 13, 2015 at 5:37 pm

I am very excited to announce the Cinemax (HBO’s sister company) has optioned the television rights to “The Skin Trade,” the offbeat “werewolf noir” novella I penned back in the late 80s. The deal is closed, and Cinemax has ordered the pilot script. This being Hollywood, of course, you never know where things will end… but if they like the script, we’ll shoot a pilot, and if they like that, hey, who knows, maybe we’ll get a series on the air.

Which would be very cool. I have always thought there was a TV series (or maybe a feature film) in Willie Flambeaux and Randi Wade. Those of you who know the story of DOORWAYS, my ill-fated ABC pilot from the early 90s, may even recall that it was SKIN TRADE that I was actually trying to sell back in 1991, when I flew out to LA for a round of pitch meetings. So we’re a few decades late…

“The Skin Trade” has had a storied, and complex, publishing history. It was originally written for NIGHT VISION 5, the fifth volume of the prestigious annual horror anthology from the late lamented small press Dark Harvest, where it appeared together with original contributions from Dan Simmons and Stephen King, some stellar company. The novella was very well received, and went on to win that year’s World Fantasy Award.

It was subsequently reprinted several times, most recently (and notably) in an illustrated edition from Capclave, where I was Guest of Honor, with a cover and interior art by the amazing Rick Berry.

There’s also been a comic book miniseries and graphic novel from Avatar. Daniel Abraham did the adaptation and script, while Mike Wolfer provided the art.

More recently, the novella was purchased by Mike the Pike Productions, who played a big part in taking the project to Cinemax. To handle the adaptation, script the pilot, and produce the show (should we get a greenlight), we’ve tapped a terrific talented young scriptwriter named KALINDA VAZQUEZ, whose previous credits include work on PRISON BREAK and ONCE UPON A TIME. That was not an easy choice. Cinemax and my agents set me up for meetings with close to a dozen different Tv writers, many of them very impressive, but Kalinda’s take on the story and the characters blew me away. She loves the story and the world, and really seems to get Willie and Randi, and her pitch to Cinemax was one of the most polished and professional I’ve ever heard. I love her enthusiasm, and look forward to working with her.

(And no, while I would have loved to write the script and run the show myself myself, that was never really in the cards. I have this book to finish. You know the one).

So… THE SKIN TRADE… coming to your TV set, er, eventually. Maybe. Howl for it.

Tags: graphic novels, horror, publications, television

Looking for Some Colorists

April 17, 2015 at 1:16 pm

I am looking for the colorists who worked on the HEDGE KNIGHT and SWORN SWORD graphic novels.

My understanding is that “Team Kandora” from “Transparency Digital” did the colors for the HEDGE KNIGHT, for the Dabel Brothers/ DB Pro, and that Rob Ruffolo did the colors for the SWORN SWORD, again for the Dabels.

Googling the names turns up references to all of the above, but no contact info.

So if any of you out there know Rob Ruffolo or anyone from Team Kandora, tell them to get in touch with me privately via email, or LJ messaging.

Thanks.

Tags: comic books, graphic novels

Amazon Stocking Stuffers

December 19, 2014 at 8:00 pm

Amazon is running a special "Stocking Stuffer" sale on selected items for the month of December. 10% off.

The selected specials include the HEDGE KNIGHT and SWORN SWORD graphic novels from Jet City Comics.

sword-sword

Go here for details.

And happy shopping to all.

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Tags: comic books, graphic novels, jet city

Windhaven Comes to Comics

November 4, 2014 at 9:14 am

Maris of Lesser Amberly, hero of the popular (Hugo-nominated) series of Windhaven novellas that I wrote with my friend Lisa Tuttle back in the late 70s and early 80s, will soon be taking wing again. I am delighted to announce that we've closed a deal with Random House to adapt WINDHAVEN as a graphic novel.

Windhaven wh003

Lisa Tuttle herself will be scripting the book, based on our original stories.

gm-tuttle images

Lisa has already delivered the script… and we're excited to reveal that we've just signed the amazing French artist ELSA CHARRETIER to illustrate the graphic novel. Check out her website at http://elsacharretier.blogspot.com/ for links to her work. She's fantastic, and we cannot wait to see how she brings the world of Windhaven and its fliers to life.

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Tags: comic books, graphic novels, random house, windhaven

The 6th Gun Returns to Santa Fe

May 10, 2014 at 2:29 pm

[THE SIXTH GUN is a exceedingly popular Fantasy Western series that's been burning up the comic shops the past few years. Zombies and gunslingers, hard to beat that. Given the popularity of the comic, no one was surprised when NBC picked up the television rights to the series and filmed a one-hour pilot, shooting most of it on one of the many "old west town" sets that surround Santa Fe. But everyone was surprised when NBC passed on the pilot rather than go to series.

Turns out that was good news for GAME OF THRONES, since we promptly made off with two of SIXTH GUN's stars, Pedro Pascal (who became Oberyn Martell, the Red Viper of Dorne) and Michiel Huisman (our new Daario Naharis). It was less good for all the other folks on SIXTH GUN, whose work would never be seen.

But now it will… on Friday, May 23 the Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe will be showing the pilot of THE SIXTH GUN… the first and, quite likely, last time the pilot will be shown, and beyond a doubt the ONLY time you will ever get to see it on a big (okay, medium sized) screen. It's an event that comic fans. fantasy fans. western fans, and zombie fans will not want to miss.

For those who don't know the comic, here's a taste:

<lj-embed id=”441″ />

(FYI, it should be noted that the pilot is live action, not animated, the above shots all come from the comic).

We are planning a whole day of activities around THE SIXTH GUN. We will have two showings of the pilot, one at 4:00 pm and one at 8:30 pm. In between we will have gunfights, zombie shambles, zombie dance hall girls. Some local members of the cast and crew should turn up (the first time they've had a chance to see the fruit of their labors). Our bar will be serving a special cocktail, the Sinclair Shooter.

And we will have three very special guests: writer CULLEN BUNN and artist BRIAN HURTT, the guys behind the SIXTH GUN comic, will be flying into Santa Fe to join us, together with RYAN CONDAL, scriptwriter and executive producer for the television pilot. Cullen and Brian will be autographing copies of the comic and graphic novels, and joining Ryan for a panel discussion and Q&A about the comic, the TV show, and the future of the series.

The best part? All of this is FREE. No charge for admission to either of the screenings, the panel, any of it.

And if you get to the Cocteau by noon, we may even make a zombie of you. The more zombie gunslingers and zombie dance hall girls we have on hand, the more fun it will be. It takes a lot of zombies to make a proper horde…

See you at the shootout. May 23. Remember that date.

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Tags: comic books, graphic novels, jean cocteau, television

Hugo Nominations!

April 19, 2014 at 4:30 pm

The Hugo nominations for 2014 have just been announced as Eastercon in the UK, and other conventions around the world. You can find the full list here:

http://loncon3.org/2014hugos.php

GAME OF THRONES has been nominated in Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form this year, for "The Rains of Castamere," the infamous Red Wedding episode, scripted by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and directed by David Nutter. Congratulations, all. The nomination is just the latest confirmation that David, Dan, T'Other David, Richard Madden, Oona Chaplin, Michelle Fairley, and the rest of our cast and crew did an amazing job on this one, creating a moment that will live in the annals of television for a long, long time. No novelist has ever been more fortunate in the people who came forward to translate his work from the page to the screen.

I would love nothing better than to have David, Dan, David, Bryan, and a whole contingent of our cast drop by this year's Hugo Awards. London is not that far from Belfast, after all. Whether that will happen or not, I cannot say, but I'll do my best. It would be great to have them all at worldcon.

(Mind you, however, I think the odds of GAME OF THRONES actually winning this year are remote. "The Rains of Castamere" is up against an episode of ORPHAN BLACK, and four (4!!!) episodes of DOCTOR WHO, which has dominated Short Form since the category was created. Last year, in San Antonio, "Blackwater" broke DOCTOR WHO's long streak of victories, but I suspect that only served to rouse the Whovians, and this year the con is on their home ground in the UK, where they are legion. So GOT is a long shot at best, but hey… it IS an honor just to be nominated).

Speaking of which… I am REALLY jazzed to be able to reveal, at last, that Jet City's MEATHOUSE MAN has also been nominated, in the Graphic Novel category. MM the graphic novel is the work of the amazing and talented Raya Golden, my sometime assistant and all-around minion, and long-time friend and quasi-goddaughter, based on a novelette that I originally wrote for Harlan Ellison's THE LAST DANGEROUS VISIONS back in the dawn of time (well, mid-70s) and eventually published in Damon Knight's anthology ORBIT 18. Written at one of the lowest points of my life, the novelette "Meathouse Man" is probably the darkest and most twisted thing I've ever written, a story so personally painful to me that I can hardly stand to re-read it even now… that Raya chose this tale, out of all my stories, to adapt and illustrate as a graphic novel, producing a work capable of earning a Hugo nomination… well, that's just bloody incredible, and a real testament to her dedication, her talent, and her madness. Bravo!

And that's my Hugo news.

As for the rest of the ballot… well, the good news is, more people nominated this year than ever before.

And the bad news… well, you guys are smart, you can figure that out for yourself. And if you can't, there a hundred blogs that will tell you. I expect it will only be a matter of hours before someone starts talking about "Hugofail." Prepare for the internet to go to war again.

I will leave that to others. I am just thrilled for David and Dan and David, for HBO, and most of all for Raya. (FWIW, a couple years back, James S.A. Corey was nominated for Best Novel [should have been nominated again this year, actually], and James S.A. Corey is half Ty Franck, who was my assistant at the time. And now Raya is nominated. I think I may be the first writer to have two assistants to be nominated for the Hug. Cool).

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Tags: comic books, fandom, game of thrones, graphic novels, hugo awards

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Signing Up A Storm

Here Comes The Mystery Knight

More Hugo Ruminations

Cinemax Orders SKIN TRADE Script

Looking for Some Colorists

Amazon Stocking Stuffers

Windhaven Comes to Comics

The 6th Gun Returns to Santa Fe

Hugo Nominations!

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