Ron Howard Is Going To Direct 'The Graveyard Book'. I Think I Just Died...

The Graveyard Book is one of my favorite pieces of fiction by Neil Gaiman. He is a killer author who has written some killer books (Anasi Boys, American Gods, Star Dust) and comic books (Sandman, The Eternals, Marvel 1602) over his illustrious career. But reason why I love The Graveyard Book so much is because it is for kids... but Gaiman doesn't dumb things down and make them soft for the kiddies. nope, this book STARTS with a brutal murder of an entire family by a calculating killer, and the escape of a little infant named Bod from said killer. Bod was the target, and the wandering infant finds refuge in local Graveyard where he is taken in by two ghosts. They raise Bod, and the book chronicles his growing up among the dead bodies, ghouls, ghosts, and monsters that occupy the graveyard. It is so great, yet it maintains the creepiness and scary level of horror that Gaiman is known for. Last year Henry Selleck (Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas) was set to bring the book to the big screen via a stop motion film in collaboration with Disney. But Selleck has parted ways with The Mouse House, so the movie has been spinning in developmental hell. But now Disney is announcing they are moving forward with a LIVE ACTION version of the book directed by Ron Howard! Ron Fucking Howard... WOW! This is probably the best news I can ever ask for as a fan of the book. I love Howard's work, especially his work with family/teen subject matter. This is great news. I acn't wait to see how this plays out. Akiva Goldsman is probably going to re-write the screenplay, and whenever these two get together magic usually happens. If you haven't read the book, pick it up now. And also check out a short animated book trailer narrated by Gaiman himself after the jump...



 

Chu's Day: A Children's Book by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite writers of all time. His work in comics is just fantastic, but his regular novel work is spectacular as well. The Graveyard Book & American God's were both masterpieces, and Stardust is one of my favorite books ever. So when I seen this promo ad that featured Neil himself promoting his newest book, Chu's Day, I just had to share it with the rest of you guys out there. This is Gaiman's first traditional illustrated children's book, and I am sure it will be wacky and weird in a way that only Neil can write it. It seems normal, but Gaiman's stuff always seems normal until it gets going. He says Chu's sneezes cause major problems... I can't wait to see what they are! The book comes out Jan. 8th, 2013. Check out the book trailer after the jump...

Justice League of the Round Table by The Comic Fan

My main man Cal up in Canada sure does find some gems to post on his awesome blog The Cave of Cool. One of the cooler things he has posted in the past few weeks has got to be these medieval renderings of The Justice League of America by a Deviant Artist who goes by The Comic Fan. I love the way he recreated each individual character in a way that befits their counter parts of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. Pretty great detail and innovative ideas on how to make the more mystical characters like Martian Manhunter & Green Lantern into Knights without sacrificing their original looks. I would love to read a book like this from DC in the vein of Marvel 1602, especially if Neil Gaiman was writing it. All around pretty cool. Thanks for another winner Cal... check out the pieces after the jump!

Now This Is Who I Would Want Speaking At My Commencement ...

Neil Gaiman is a titan in the literary field, having conquered comics, graphic novels, and even traditional novels. The guy is just a fantastic writer and he is super creative at creating worlds where the readers just get lost. If anyone should be advising recent college graduates on the pitfalls & successes of being a artist, I'll take this guy everytime. So it comes as a shock to me that when Gaiman gave the commencement speech to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia that this was the 1st time he had ever done it!!! And in typical Gaiman fashion, he claims that he will never have to do it again because he laid out pretty much EVERYTHING he knows about going out into the real world and trying to be a professional artist. I love this fucking guy. Check out the 20 minute commencement speech after the jump, and if you haven't read The Sandman comics than you are not a true comic book fan!!!!

Sean Hartter Creates A 'Sandman' Movie Poster Specifically For Neil Gaiman... Lucky!!!!

Neil Gaiman is my favorite comic book writer. Ever. Sandman is my favorite comic series. Ever. Sean Hartter has become my favorite artist I have discovered on the Internet. Ever!!! Hartter & I have become cool through our respective blogs, but I keep posting his stuff because it is simply awesome. This time he created a faux movie poster for a 'Sandman' movie at the behest of Neil Gaiman himself!!!! The poster is great, but the fact that Gaiman liked Hartter's work & wanted to see what he could do with Dream if he were the main character in a 60's era Hammer Horror Movie!!! Hartter of course killed it, down to the credits on the bottom of the page. Check the full poster out after the jump...

Check out Gaiman's Tumblr where the poster was posted by Neil Himself!!!

Now This Is Who Should Play The Sandman In A Live Action Adaption Of the Neil Gaiman Classic Series...

And who you ask? None other than the BBC's Sherlock Holmes himself, Benedict Cumberbatch!!! Wow, I couldn't agree with this more. First off, I always imagined the character as an English type. I don't know why, but I always seemed to imagine Morpheus talking with a certain cockney accent. It seems my brother from the Great White North Cal felt the same way, as he is the one who posted this this awesome piece. My only regret is that I do not know know who created this image, so I can't give them proper credit. Click after the jump for the full piece...

Editor's Note: Thanks to Kat (see her comment below), we have uncovered the source of this awesome fan art... Click here to see more from Octo Graphics

CCD Holiday Geek Gift Guide #5: What To Get The Comic Book Newbie In Your Life

I am a veteran of the comic book game... I have been collecting since I was four (just over 28 years) and I have tons of comics/graphic novels to prove it. I, along with many of my fellow 80's baby comic geeks, were way ahead of the current comic book movie craze and have read ALL of the source material that is making the summer blockbusters the masses are devouring at a record pace. But what if you have to buy a gift for the person who is just getting started with comics? Here is a list of a few of my personal faves that will give any comic fan, new or old, a smile on their face. These will even work for a hardcore fan, even though a true comic book head SHOULD have in their collection (both in issue format and collected versions...lol). Click after the jump for my suggestions...

Watchmen by Alan Moore & David Gibbons-

Why do I start here? Well, to put it simple and plain, this is THE GREATEST GRAPHIC NOVEL EVER WRITTEN!!! Period. Nothing to discuss. Pure fucking genius. Didn't like the movie? Doesn't fucking matter... if you read the source material, you will forget there even was a movie (even though I thought the movie was wonderful). Alan Moore is one of the greatest comic writers of all time, and David Gibbons drew one of the greatest comics ever. A good story and great images... what else does a comic need. The best part is that this is a self contained story in its own universe, which for all you non-comic heads means you don't need to know any back story to enjoy it. It's all there in this beautiful black and yellow covered comic... click here to buy the softcover version or here to buy the fancier hardcover. 

Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale-

Who doesn't love Batman? Not anybody I know, especially after Christopher Nolan did his thing on the past few Dark Knight movies. With the third film coming next summer, why not get somebody into the Batman groove? Now this is where most comic nerds would point you to Frank Miller's Batman: Year One (which is a solid choice and a great gift as well, but I digress)... but I have chosen to go in a different direction. Loeb and Sale revisit the early years in this Batman story that took place over 13 issues and is focused on Gotham Cities mafia families as well as all his colorful rouges. The gang is all here, from Joker to Riddler to Two Face... and the story is magnificent. Published back in 1996/97, it helped jump-start interest in DC Comics and The Bat for a whole new generation. I have my own copy signed by both Loeb and Sale, and it may very well be my favorite Batman story ever. This 384 page collection will definitely inspire more trips to the comic store for stories of Gotham's shining knight. Click here to order.

Wanted by Mark Millar & J.G. Jones-

Listen, I liked the movie as much as the next guy. James McAvoy is great as the loser Wesley Gibson, Angelina Jolie is perfect as Fox. Not to mention that sexy shot of her naked and soaking wet leaving the healing tub... nerd boner!!! But the movie, dope as it was, really has very little to do with Millar and Jones's original work. There is a shell of a story in the movie, but not at all like the one that is in the book. If you thought the movie was twisted, wait till you see this book. This one also takes place in a self contained universe (no complicated back stories that you need to know), but in this universe the bad guys won. All the way. And they have killed off EVERY SUPER HERO in the world. All of them... and brutally. These bad guys mind-wiped the rest of the world's memories of these heroes, and they rule the world free to rape/pillage/murder with impunity. And they do just that... a lot. Cursing, innocent people getting maimed and killed, rape for fun... yeah, it's a bad guys dream world. But bad guys can't play by the rules, so it's only a matter of time before one tries to overthrow the rest. Then it's bad guys vs badder guys, which can never be bad. Click here to order this one...      

Start with these three, and then if all else fails try these other winners:

The League of Extraordinary Gentleman Omnibus by Alan Moore

The Sandman: Absolute Editions 1-5 by Neil Gaiman

Marvel 1985 by Mark Millar

Marvel: Zombies by Robert Kirkman, Sean Phillips, and Arthur Suydam

City Of Others by Steve Niles

Marvels by Kurt Busiek Alex Ross

Superman: Red Son by Mark Millar & Dave Johnson

Kingdom Come by Mark Waid & Alex Ross

3 Nerd-tastic Videos To Start Your Day Off Right!

I have a plethora of nerd videos to share with you guys today, and given the fact they are so nerd-erific I didn't want to sit on them any longer. I had to share these all today, so all you guys out there hard at work will recieve a bit of a pick me up to get through another brutal Monday!!! First up, we got the cast of Dr. Who (during the David Tenant run) having a bit of behind the scenes fun to the Proclaimers hit '500 Miles'. Next up, a nudist chick from Portland re-enacts the classic Taun Taun scene from Empire Strikes Back in real life (you have to see this gruesome shit), and finally we have my favorite comic author Neil Gaiman teamed up with wife Amanda Palmer, musician Steven Merrit, and superstar Moby to sing "Science Fiction, Double Feature" from my favorite flick Rocky Horror Picture Show on the Craig Ferguson show. If this doesn't get your geek sensibilities going today, I don't know what will. Enjoy after the jump!

Dr. Who Cast and Crew Sings "500 Miles":

Real life Taun Taun Scene (click here for the graphic pics that are blurred in the video):

Science Fiction, Double Feature By Neil Gaiman & crew:

A to Z Blogging Challenge - Day #14 - Letter N - Neil Gaiman

I absolutely adore Mr. Neil Gaiman. He has been a favorite comicbook writer & author of mine for quite some time. Actually, that is not true. Some time does it no justice. I remember the exact moment that he became my favorite man in comics. I was around 13 years old and I was attending the NYC Comic Con at the Javits Center. This was the dawn of the era of Image Comics and everything at the time that WASN'T Marvel or DC was super hot. Valiant, Image and all the other indy comic companies were dominating the popularity charts and I was on the bandwagon. The biggest guests that year at Comic Con were Image founders Erik Larson, Todd McFarlane, and Jim Lee. I was so excited to meet these guys. I brought my Spawn #1 and #2, my Savage Dragon #1, and my Wild C.A.T.s #1 to get autographed. Then we got there, and boy was I in for a surprise.

There were hundreds of comic artists and writers on hand and I had nothing to get signed. So I did what any other 13 year old kid in my predicament would do: I stole anything I could get my hands on!!! I snatched up a Death of Superman trade and had it signed by Dan Jurgens, I stole a 'Savage Dragon' trade paperback and various Spidey issues that Larson drew, an copy of Ghost Rider #18 to be autographed by cover artist Nelson and the creme de la creme of my thievery was a gold foil edition of WildC.A.T.s #1 that I got autographed by Jim Lee (this variant was going for like 300-500 bucks back in the day!!!!). I was loaded for bear and totally content... and then my day got made.

As I was waiting for my boy to get something signed, I noticed a quirky looking individual sitting at a table with some awesome art hanging behind him. He was very dark an ominous looking, and he was surrounded by various Goth dressed teens trying to get their books signed. I immediately recognized 'The Sandman' art hanging behind him. This was Neil Gaiman!!! I had read the first 20 or so issues while hanging in my local comic shop because I heard the series was so good. I never had bought them at that point, but they had become some of my faves and I had planned to start collecting them. The story of  Dream and his Endless family was one of my faves... and here was the man responsible for it right in front of me!!! I had nothing for him to sign, so it was time for me to get grimy again.

I immediately hit the floor trying to find a weak dealer that I could rip off the way a lion stalks a deer. I found a dickbag dealer who had some Sandman trade paperbacks on his table but was a bit more observant than I liked. I sneaked around until I found what I wanted. Sandman #1-8 collected in a TPB. I kept my eyes on the guy until he looked away and then I snatched the book and moved away from the table. I slipped it in my bag and zig zagged in the crowd till I made it back to Gaiman. I walked up and pulled out the book... and was dismayed to see that it was the wrong book!!! It was Sandman: Dream Country, which reprinted issues #17-20 instead. Bollocks....

 Grrrr... I wanted that #1-8 collection signed, but this was gonna have to do. As I reached the front, I panicked as Gaiman looked up at me and smiled. His floppy hair and relaxed attitude made me relax myself, and then he spoke to me. He asked me "So you like my book huh?" and I almost shit myself. I told him i did, and that these were my favorite issues. That was a lie... I loved all of the issues, but the original 8 were my faves. But he just smiled and said "If you like what we have done so far, wait to you see what we got in the future!!!". he then took my ill gotten copy of Dream Country and signed it. Here is what he wrote:

How cool is that! Neil Gaiman, master of the realm of dreams, telling me to "dream a little"!!! My mouth dropped. I said "Wow, thanks so much. I can't believe you wrote that." and he responded "Why? Never stop dreaming. That would really be a boring life. Dream your dreams and then make them reality". I damn near fainted. I shook his hand, began to stagger away, and so began my obsession for Mr. Gaiman's work.

On a sidenote, I have come to love 'Dream Country' so much it hurts. Maybe its because it was the only trade paperback of the series that I owned for a long time, but 'A Dream of 1,000 Cats' is by far my favorite Sandman story ever... I love it!!! Plus, the inscription in my copy of the book means so much to me. I always think of it whenever stuff in my life gets hard and I am challenged. His advice to live my dreams propels me! Early this year, Gaiman did me another favor. Somehow he was linked to an image of Dream and The Endless crew posing in the style of 'The Last Supper' that I posted on CCD. He liked the rendition, so  he tweeted a link to our page. My hits for the day went from 5,000 that day to around 20,000, all because of Mr. Gaiman's tweet. He did it again.... helping me live my dream. Thanks for everything Mr. Gaiman. Keep creating great stories, and I'll keep reading!!!!

Gaiman's 'American Gods' To Get The Movie Treatment? Um, Yes Please...

I am a huge fan of comic book/novel writer Neil Gaiman... he is probably my favorite writer in the whole industry. There have been talks to bring many of his properties to either TV or the big screen, and now it seems his unreal supernatural novel 'American Gods' will be the lucky property. What is 'American Gods' you ask? Awww, you guys suck at being nerds!!! Here is a description of it (via Wikipedia):

"American Gods is a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning^] novel by Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on a mysterious and taciturn protagonist, Shadow.

The central precept of the novel is that gods and mythological creatures exist because people believe in them. Immigrants to the United States brought with them dwarves, elves, leprechauns, and other spirits and gods. However, the power of these mythological beings has diminished as people's beliefs wane. New gods have arisen, reflecting America's obsessions with media, celebrity, technology, and drugs, among others. The book follows the adventures of ex-convict Shadow, who is released from prison a few days earlier than planned on account of the death of his wife, Laura, in a car accident. "

There are talks that a director is already attached to this one (announcement is coming soon), and it's believed that Gaiman might actually write the screen play himself. He helped out Matt Vaughn on Stardust (I love that movie... nobody better say a word!!!) I would bet that it is either Guillermo Del Torro, Peter Jackson, but I wouldn't count out JJ Abrams and his crew of misfits either (rumor is they are big fans of the property). I would love to see someone like Edgar Wright, Neil Blomkamp or Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) get a shot at it. As long as they get this one done, and do it well, I will be happy!

On a side note, last month Gaiman tweeted a link to our site when we posted a picture of his Endless characters... so I'm gonna post another piece of art featuring some of his characters. These are a few of the "special individuals" that appear throughout the story American Gods.

This drawing was done by Zelu. Hope you like it Neil... can we get a Re-Tweet??? Thanks to Den of Geek for the tip.

Two Different Ways To Look At The Last Supper

Fisrt up we got Tom Fowler's "The Endless at The Last Supper" which features Neil Gaiman's Sandman and all his magical brothers and sisters. Great stuff.

Next up, we got Brian Stuckey's "The Last Breakfast". This is soooo cool.