PRESS RELEASE: Finalists Announced for the Second Annual Dwayne McDuffie Awards at Long Beach Comic Expo

For Immediate Release: Announcing the Finalists for the Second Annual

Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics

February 10, 2016) The finalists for the second annual Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics were announced today. The five nominated titles are:

1. ANDRE THE GIANT CLOSER TO HEAVEN by Brandon Easton (writer), Denis Medri (artist) (IDW Publishing);
2. FRESH ROMANCE edited by Janelle Asselin (Rosy Press);
3. MOON GIRL AND THE DEVIL DINOSAUR by Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder (Writers), Natacha Bustos (Artist) (Marvel Entertainment);
4. MS. MARVEL by Willow Wilson (writer), Adrian Alphona (artist) (Marvel Entertainment);
5. ZANA by Jean Barker (writer), Joey Granger (Artist) (Emet Comics)

The winner will be announced at the second annual Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics ceremony event to be held later this month at Long Beach Comic Expo on Saturday February 20 at 2:30 PM PT, on Dwayne McDuffie’s birthday. Acclaimed comic book writer (GENIUS) and reporter (THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER) Marc Bernardin will be the event’s Keynote Speaker.

“We were thrilled to receive more than three times as many submissions this year as we did for the inaugural award,” said Neo Edmund, the Director of the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics. ““After weeks of careful deliberation, we were able to narrow down the submissions from over 100 titles to the five nominees, all of of which speak to Dwayne’s inclusive vision for the industry in unique and significant ways.”

The Award is named in honor of Dwayne McDuffie, the legendary writer and producer who co-founded Milestone Media. As a writer, Dwayne created or co-created more than a dozen comic book series, including DAMAGE CONTROL, DEATHLOK II, ICON, STATIC, XOMBI, THE ROAD TO HELL and HARDWARE. Nilah Magruder was the recipient of the first annual Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics for M.F.K..

“It’s hard to believe Dwayne has been gone for 5 years this month,” said his widow, Charlotte McDuffie, “but it is gratifying to know that his presence continues to be felt in the comic book industry, through this award in his name shining a spotlight on those creators and content that are carrying on his mission to make the world of comics more accurately reflect the diversity of the real world.”

The Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics Selection Committee consists of six prominent comics and animation professionals who knew McDuffie and have demonstrated a commitment to inclusiveness:

• Neo Edmund – Novelist, animation and comics writer;

• Joan Hilty – Nickelodeon Comics Editor; editor-in-chief of Pageturner, former DC/Vertigo Senior Editor;
• Joseph Illidge – Former Editor, Milestone and DC Comics; Columnist, Comic Book Resources; Writer, First Second Books;
• Heidi MacDonald – Editor in Chief, The Beat;
• William J. Watkins – Writer; Former owner, Chicago's first African American-owned comics store;
• Matt Wayne, Former Managing Editor Milestone Media.

“Diversity has been central to Long Beach Comic Con and Long Beach Comic Expo since I co-founded the event seven years ago,” said Martha Donato, Executive Director of Long Beach Comic Expo. “The Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics ceremony is one of the highlights of our programming slate and it’s a great honor to have this historic and important event return to Long Beach Comic Expo this month.

Follow Long Beach Comic Expo on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and information about Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics.

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ABOUT LONG BEACH EXPO: Long Beach Comic Expo is an annual event held at the Long Beach Convention Center that celebrates comic books and pop culture and showcases the exceptional works of talented writers, artists, illustrators and creators of all types of pop culture. At Long Beach Comic Expo, you’ll find exhibitors promoting and selling all types of related products, as well as entertaining and educational programs for all ages, guest signings and meet & greet sessions with celebrities. Long Beach Comic Expo is a MAD Event Management, LLC production. To learn more and purchase tickets, please visit www.longbeachcomicexpo.com.

ABOUT THE DWAYNE MCDUFFIE AWARD FOR DIVERSITY IN COMICS SELECTION COMMITTEE:

Neo Edmund (Member of WGA-W/SFWA) is a native of Long Beach California, who has worked in the entertainment industry as a Screenwriter, Comic Book Writer, Story Development Exec, Novelist, Virtual Reality Producer, and Actor. He is the author of the bestselling novels ‘The Red Riding Alpha Huntress Series’ published by WordFire Press, and the comic series Clan of the Vein. Several of the graphic novels he has written are listed among titles that meet the United States Common Core Standards for English Education. He is currently the V.P. of Creative Development for Reverse Engineering Studios, overseeing the creation of numerous projects for Film, TV, and Virtual Reality.

Joan Hilty is Comics Editor at Nickelodeon and editor-in-chief of Pageturner, a boutique comics/graphic novel production house. She was formerly a Senior Editor at DC/Vertigo and syndicated cartoonist. She teaches at the School of Visual Arts in NYC and the Maryland Institute College of Art.

Joseph Phillip Illidge is a writer, editor, columnist, and public speaker on the subjects of race, the medium and business of comics, and the corporate politics of diversity. His editorial career began at Milestone Media, Inc., the first Black-owned mainstream comic book company and creators of “Static Shock!”. His work as an editor of the Batman line of comic books for DC Entertainment included the introduction of Detective Crispus Allen, appearing in the FOX television series “Gotham”, and the female vigilantes Black Canary and Huntress, appearing on the top-rated CW series, “Arrow”.Joseph is the Head Writer for Verge Entertainment. Verge has developed an extensive library of intellectual properties for live-action and animated television and film, video games, graphic novels and web-based entertainment.His graphic novel project, "The Ren," about the romance between a young musician from the South and a Harlem-born dancer in 1925, set against the backdrop of a crime war, will be published by First Second Books, a division of Macmillan.Joseph's newest comic book project is the upcoming Scout Comics miniseries "Solarman," a revamp of a teenage superhero originally published by Marvel Comics. His weekly column, “The Mission”, appears at Comic Book Resources.

Heidi MacDonald is the editor-in-chief of Comicsbeat.com and a former editor for Disney and DC Comics. She also edits the graphic novel review section for Publishers Weekly and can be heard on PW's weekly podcast More To Come.  

William J. Watkins is a freelance Writer, the former owner of Chicago's first African American-owned comic shop and a former DC Editorial Assistant.

Matt Wayne is the former Managing Editor Milestone Media and was a Story Editor for Justice League Unlimited, Ben 10: Omniverse, and Niko and the Sword of Light.

CREATOR INTERVIEW: Ken Penders at Long Beach Comic Expo 2/28/15

When I was little, my mom got me into Archie Comics titles Archie Digest amd Sabrina the Teenage Witch. After those, when I was seven, I found Sonic the Hedgehog. I became an avid fan and still am till this day. My favorite character is Knuckles the Echidna, and his entire race/backstory was my favorite thing to read about, especially the kick-ass Lara-Su.
I never really noticed who wrote or drew the comics. Back then, I didn't care. But when I accidentally came across Ken Penders' booth at LBCE and realized that he was the one whose stories I'd been reading for fourteen years, I was star-struck! When he agreed to an interview that day, I was over the moon!
Here he talks about his plans for Lara-Su, amd much more!

[Quick note, the patch I photographed is what the Royal Secret Service: Strategic Acorn Ops wore in STH, particularly Geoffrey, their leader.]

1. When/why did you decide to get into comics?

I wanted to do comics ever since I was a little kid. I was influenced by the work of Jack Kirby on Fantastic Four. That just blew me away and I didn't understand it, I didn't know how these things were done or who did it, I just knew I wanted to create comics. I would draw my own comics as a kid, and eventually I found out that yes, there's actual companies that publish this stuff, ans this is what you have to do in order to go to.work for them. It was qa process,.but I always wanted to it all my life.

2. Aside from Fantastic Four, what were your other inspirations?

My favorites back then were Fantastic Four and Batman, especially Carmine Infantino's interpretation of the character. I loved Jim Starlin's Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. stories; I became a huge S.H.I.E.L.D. fan because of those. And Gil Kane, his Green Lantern. Those are main favorites of mine.

3. You did create different characters for the Sonic The Hedgehog and Knuckles The Echidna comic series for Archie Comics. Why did you choose to expand the Lara-Su storyline?

Basically, I don't own Sonic or Knuckles. But I own my characters, I own my stories and I actually had this long arc that was designed to take Knuckles from birth to beyond his lifespan; show his legacy. I never got to do that, so when this whole situation came up with regards--and Archie Comics wasn't at fault for this--but SEGA used my characters in a video game. At that point, for example, my work had not been reproduced or reprinted the way it is now. There had been no reason to go forward with any claims or anything, because what would I be claiming infringement on? You have to be wronged first. So, when the video game came out and everybody was contacting me saying, "Okay, here, they're using your stuff as part of Sonic Chronicles." That's when the whole thing came about, going for my characters and stories, and as I was going through that process, people asked me, "What do you want out of this?" and I said, "I want to be able to continue telling the characters' stories." So then when I really sat down and thought about that, what it meant, it became obvious that Lara-Su, instead of Knuckles, would be the vehicle for continuing to tell the complete story pf what I already had planned to do.

4. Can you tell us a little of what you have planned for Lara-Su?

In a general sense, I am picking up the story where I left her off in Sonic #144, and I have a seven book arc. During the course of that arc, she and the rest of the characters are going to grow and have their own storylines and once you get to the ens of it, that's it: you're going to have a complete story. It's not designed to go on and on, it's okay, here's this big epic. There may be side stories along the way that people may want to see the blanks filled in on, but here's her story. By the time we get to the end, we're going to be looking at the legacy she's creating for the next generation.

5. Do you have any plans for or would you like to see an animated show for your arc?

Definitely have plans for that. If it becomes an animated series, great. If it becomes an animated film, great. But I think with a film like Guardians of the Galaxy out there, I don't why you can't have a mix of live action mixed in with the CGI. To me, that would be the ideal.

6. You've worked for many companies aside from Archie, including Disney and Marvel. What would you like to do next? Any particular company or story you'd like to be a part of?

No. The thing I want to do next, I am already doing, The Lara-Su Chronicles. I am currently working on a film The Republic. We actually have a completed film, it's just a matter of getting all the post-production work done. I finally have a gentleman assisting me with the audio, because that's not my forte. And he's got Academy Award nominations. So we're working on getting that ready for release, on iTunes, Netflix and Amazon Instant Video. I've spoken with the main actors and they're more than agreeable to go forward should we be able to go forward with further installments of that film. Right now, my son is helping me cut the trailer for my creation The Lost Ones, so we can shop that around. So, it's not so much a matter of limiting myself to just comics. I have a whole broad spectrum of things I can persue, and I'm doing it. It's just a matter of everything is time-consuming, everything is dependent on other people doing their parts as well. The only thing I have.complete control in is just getting the Lara-Su story and art done. And then whatever happens beyond that, that's up to what other people get involved.
I don't have this mindset of working for Marvel, DC or Image for example. Or Dark Horse pr whatever company like I did when I was younger. It's totally different now. I'm more into my own stuff than working on Superman or Batman.

7. You have done many different forms of art and media. What haven't you done yet that you'd like to?

Sculpture! 3D modeling. I've dabbled in some 3D modeling, but it's been very basic, very beginner. I really need to learn how to do it better, but I just don't have the time.

8. Is there anyone you'd like to collaborate with?

There are plenty of people I'd love to collaborate with! It's a matter of if we could find a project that interests the both of us, if our schedules come together. For example, my friend and partner Larry Houston approached me about this film project but the problem was what can we fit on this schedule? How do we move it forward? That sort of thing. There's all sorts of questions that need to be asked and resolved. With regards to a comic project, the people I'd want to work with are long past doing any such thing.

9. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

[Laughs] You know, that's a really difficult question for me, because I don't know how to answer that without somebody saying it's self-serving. I actually do love Sonic, contrary to popular belief! I actually am not angry or upset with Archie Comics in any way, shape or form; I am actually very proud of the work I've done for Archie and my association with the company's history. I think people would be surprised that I graduated high school at sixteen and went into the military as soon as I turned seventeen.

Find Mr. Penders online via:

Official site
Twitter

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Chris Claremont at Long Beach Comic Expo 2/28/15

You like the X-Men movies? Did you cheer when Big Hero 6 won an Oscar? This is the man you need to thank for all of it, Mr. Chris Claremont. A veteran comic book writer, he's responsible for the rising of Marvel Comics in the mainstream, he made the X-Men cool again, he created Big Hero 6 and he wrote the stories behind all of the X-Men films. Not to mention his amazing original fantasy comics, and the fact that he paved the way for female characters in superhero comics.
I was honored enough to be able to interview him at Long Beach Comic Expo on February 28th. I'm still in a little bit of shock, as this man is truly a legend.

1. When/why did you decide to get into comics?

Sheer dumb luck! When I was in university, they used to shut down in January and February for what they would call field period. Students were expected to go out and get a job related to their major. At the time, my majors were political theory and acting. It was January of 1969 and in the newly-elected Richard Nixon White House, the odds of a student at a radical leftist school getting a job in political theory were limited. And let's face it, there were no jobs in acting at all on Broadway in those days. So, I figured I'd get a job related to writing. My parents were good friends with Al Jaffee at Mad Magazine and I figured I could wprk as a gofer. That would be cool. Al called my folks and told them, "There is no way in Hell I am going to get your son a job at Mad Magazine. You are my friends. You would never speak to me again. Do you have any idea what goes on there? But I do know Stan Lee. Would he like to work at Marvek comics?" And I said yeah, that sounds cool. So Stan called me up and literally said, [imitating Lee] "Hello there, true believer!" He does talk like that. And he said yeah, we could use a gofer, but we're a small cheap publishing company and we can't afford to pay much. And I said, "Well this is for college credit: we're not allowed to ask for money." "You're hired!" Next thing I knew I was in the office for two months. It paid train fare, all of twenty bucks a week.

2. You've inspired many generations of writers. Who.inspired you? What did you like reading when you were young?

Books. Theatre books, classics of English lit, classics and modern American lit, anything and everything, including more science fiction than I can shake a stick at. The first professional sale I ever made was to the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. So, I've been a member of SIFA for longer than I care to count. And when you read, you know, people like Henry Heinlein and Isaac Asimov, to walk in their footsteps is really cool. And to try and do better is even cooler. So, I guess my rule is I'll keep trying till I get it right! Fortunately, I still have a long wat to go.

3. You're known for giving female characters more prolific roles than others in your generation did when you were doing X-Men. Did you have any idea thay by doing that you were setting the bar for the future of women in comics.

I wasn't interested in setting a bar, I was interested in creating good characters. Most of the women I know are not wallflowers, they are strong, assertive, professional, pardon the expression, kick ass ladies. Why shouldn't they have characters on paper or on film that they can relate to, that walk the same path? It's like, why should Sue Storm be a wimp? She flew up into space: that takes guts. One of the most seminal elements of the X-Men success back in the day was that we were selling upwards of four hundred thousand copies an issue, aiming for five. At least a quarter of that were women. If you've got  hundred and fifty thousand readers who are women, who are interested in the story amd inspired by the characters, willing to come back month after month, or twice a month as we were in the summer, then it impulses a responsibility on the writer to generate characters and circumstances that make the experience worthy of the audience. And because we're a serial meduim, keep them coming back for more...and the way to keep them coming back for more is give everybody stories they think are cool, and characters they relate to. That should be for any serialized publication, for any TV show, for any movie. [Seeing someone hand him the comic to sign] Big Hero 6, had really cool characters, many of which were female. Well, arafa is a special case, because John is just too darn brilliant for words. If you do brilliant, strong, dynamic female characters, you have to create dynamic male characters to stand with them, beside them. Dynamic evil villains to oppose them. You up the game for everybody.  Half the fun of Mystique as a villain is she wins as often as she loses if she's done right.  If you create great characters and put them in situations that are wotrthy of them, then ideally the audience will come, keep coming and want to see more. If everybody is interesting, it doesn't mean they're not flawed, or that they won't screw up. The point is, if the people in reality are exciting, the fiction should mirror that.

4. When you were originally working on comics like X-Men and Big Hero 6, did you ever think that, decades later, they'd be not just as popular but evem more so now?

I never think anything [laughs]. When I started marvel was a dying company. None of is thought that it woulf be around by the 1980s, so the whole point behind Dave and I doing the X-Men was we just wanted to have fun, and let the chips fall where they may. No one had any sense that the industry was about to turn inside out and take off like an ICBM. I suspect if we had, discussions would have been a lot more interesting in terms of ownership and character rights, but that's back in the day. You jnrow, if I could turn back time, if we could see the future...but we can't. You just had to play the hand you're holding and c'est la vie.
The thing with the X-Men was that I and the editors and artists I worked with managed to crystallize around an arc of characters who were fun to read and fun to write and fun to draw. Ideally, the audience kept coming back for more, and the sales kept going up. From my perspective, as a writer and a creator, that's exactly what I wanted. I think that's all any writer in a commercial structure would want.

5. Out of all the original, creator-owned comics that you've created, do any stand out as your personal favorite? If you could go back and and add anything to them, what would it be and why?

My favorite is the one I haven't done yet, so that's the next one on the list. In terms of going back, ehat would I do? I'd try to find a way to persuade John Bolton to do the next Marada the She-Wolf. I'd try to find a way to talk Michael Golden into finishing the project we started. I'd try to talk me into spending more time doing the creator-owned work than the mainstream ones, but that's...you play the hand you're dealt. I'd find a way to make Sovereign Seven more commercially dynamic. It would've been fun being an executive at Marvel and having a hit title at DC simultaneously.

6. What is a title that you would like to work on thst you haven't yet?

At this point, from that perspective, I've written pretty much everything. If I had my drithers, what I'd want to do now is my own stuff. I came into comics in an era when Stan's dictum was, he gives you a book. Doing stuff for Marvel, DC, or Dark Horse or anyone else, it's theirs. It's fun, but that's work. Id like to try and do more stuff that's mine. The frustration in terms of comics...I mean, years ago, I had an offer from a major book publisher, a three volume graphic novel, a hundred and twenty eight pages. They were willing to pay ninety thousand dollars a book. So the way it would be split was it would be thirty grand for me, sixty for the artist. I'd cover the lettering and he'd do the colors. And that was in 1990, so that was serious money. And it was a major publisher. Not a comic publisher, but a prose publisher. Couldn't find anyone, because artists could make more money working for Marvel or DC, and then selling the originals at conventions. It was a lot easier to just dp an issue of Spiderman, than to take the risk of a graphic novel. Maybe the ideas weren't perfect, either. I don't know. The personnel changed with the publisher and the deal went south. But that's the frustration of the real world of comics. Sometimes it meshes perfectly, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes you'll have Mark Malar amd John Romita Jr. coming up with a kick ass story that is instant money. My problem is, the original stuff that I was interested in and that I worked with when we got published was all medieval fantasy. Not so cool. But that's life in publishing. You keep trying till you get it right.

7. Inspiration behind Shadow Moon?

George [Lucas] and I sat down and--I love this, I'm saying "George and I sat down"--we were together for a  day at Lucasfilm, just talking about the concept, talking about the world, talking about ideas he had, ideas I had, and seeing what meshed and what didn't. My feeling from the start was that all we saw in Willow was a small fraction of a world, and I wanted to show more of that world. I wanted to get different people, different types of people, different cultures. To demonstrate that Elora Danan's role in the world was important amd why it was important. But also, if we're doing a book about Elora growing up, a whole arc about her, the essence was to create in her a tangible, real person that the audience can relate to, that they can understandas a human being. Not as an icon and then try and see what happens next. The same goes for Willow. It's not that he's just an object, the dwarf, he's a person. The elves were people. The idea was to do with the novel what I dis with the comics, with any other stories, make the protagonists real, identifiable, so that when you get to the end, you sit back and realize it was a good ride.
My wife's, the brains of the operation, attitude is: better I should have spent the three years working on something that was mine, not something that was George's, but the fact is I'm as much of a fan geek as anybody. The chance to work with George was just, like, "Oh, man, Mr. Lucas!" We are but fools. Not that it wasn't fun, it was great! It's just...woulda shoulda coulda. My Stan Lee moment done sideways.

8. Out of anyone dead or alive, be it an artist, writer, producer, or anyone, who would you most like to work with?

Shakespeare. I used to be an actor and I'd love to do it for real. Because, there's no way I can pick one writer, or one artist or one anything to work with in the present, because it would always be a "but". And even with Shakespeare, it's like, yeah, but you know...John Huston was cool, too. You win some, you lose some. Perhaps there's another dimension where there's Chris Claremont who's an actor.

9. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

I haven't a clue!

You can find more on Mr. Claremont at his official site.

You can attend the next Long Beach Comic Expo/Con, just click here!

AUTHOR/CREATOR INTERVIEW: Greg Weisman

[When I was forced to cancel my plans for the second day of Long Beach Comic Expo, I was afraid my interview subjects would find me unprofessional, but thankfully they understood why I had to forgo the second day and agreed to do the interviews online.
So, I am proud and pleased to present to you all my interview with Emmy nominated animator, novelist, comic book writer and television writer, Greg Weisman!--KSR]

1. When/why did you decide to get into animation?

I didn't really.  While I was working full-time in comics, I got the chance to co-write one episode of the animated series Jem and the Holograms.  I was hoping that would lead to more work, but it didn't.  Then I moved back to California to attend graduate school.  I interviewed with Gary Krisel, who at the time ran all of Walt Disney Television.  He thought I'd be a good fit for his new Television Animation division, and I was eventually hired there.  But there was no plan or decision on my part originally.  I was just following the work.

2. Before Gargoyles was adapted as a "dark" show, you had originally intended for it to be a comedy. How would it have been different if the original version had aired?

First off, I don't think Gargoyles was EVER a "dark" show.  And it certainly was never developed that way.  We did originally develop it as an adventure-comedy, and later redeveloped it as an action-drama with humor, which I'll acknowledge is an important distinction.  But it never was nor was it ever meant to be "dark".  Even our color design was brighter and richer than, say, the design work on the seminal Batman: The Animated Series.  Anyway, if you want a good idea of what the show would have been like if we had sold the adventure-comedy version, then simply watch Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears.  Change the cute, colorful bears to cute, colorful gargoyles and set it in the modern world instead of medieval times.  Otherwise, the basics of the two versions of Gargoyleswere fundamentally the same.  Gargoyles had a spell cast on them, and woke up in modern-day Manhattan.  It was only the tone that changed.  And the addition of the character of Goliath, who did not exist in any ur-version in the comedy development.

3. What cartoons did you enjoy as a child?

Many.  Bugs Bunny.  Speed Racer.  Space Ghost.  Jonny Quest.  Anything with Marvel or DC super-heroes.  (I was desperate for that stuff.)  And a lot more.

4. What animated show, current or past, would you love to work on?

Oh, I don't know.  My brain doesn't really work that way.  I'd like to make more episodes of Gargoyles, The Spectacular Spider-Man, W.I.T.C.H., Young Justice.  I'm thrilled to be on the show I'm on now.  It's all good.

5. Have you ever or do you want to work on a live-action adventure show like Arrow?

I'd love to.  Tried desperately to just get an interview to write on Arrow.  Couldn't get my foot in the door.  I've been typecast as an animation guy.  It's hard in this business to change people's minds sometimes.

6. You got to write for the Young Justice comic after working on the show. For you, what's the biggest difference between writing television and writing comics?

Density.  One episode of a half-hour television show is about the equivalent of three issues of a comic book.

7. What was the inspiration behind your novel Rain Of The Ghosts?

So many inspirations...  The main source is the wonderful mythology of the Taíno people, i.e. the indigenous Pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Caribbean.  But I get inspiration from everywhere, including my father's love of World War II aircraft, Shakespeare's The Tempest, visiting the Caribbean myself, watching tourist service workers, etc.

8. Would you ever want to see the Rain Cacique books as a film? If yes, who would you want to be involved in it?

Yes.  And YES!

9. You've written two books based on the character Rain Cacique. Do you plan on continuing the series?

Yes.  In theory, it's a nine-book series, at least.

10. What are some of your personal favorite comics and novels that inspire you?

I'm a big Shakespeare fanatic.  I love Faulkner.  I love Dickens and Austin.  In comics, I loved Brave and the Bold #193.  And many others.

11. As a Shakespeare fan myself since childhood, I love the charactes and scenes you've randomly inserted into your work. How did you get into Shakespeare and what's your favorite work of his?

Well, I wouldn't say "randomly." It's all been meticulously thought out.  I started really loving Shakespeare in college.  And after college began chasing productions, trying to see as many shows as I could.  I don't have one favorite play, because there are elements in nearly all of them that intrigue me.  My single favorite Shakespearean character is Edmund the Bastard from King Lear.

12. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

Oy.
1. I'm red-green color deficient.
2. I'm a fundamentally lazy human being.
3. I drive a stick-shift by choice.

Find Mr. Weisman online via:

Twitter

Amazon

Facebook

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Mary McCoy

(NOTE: This interview was originally supposed to take place at Long Beach Comic Expo today, but due to personal unforseen circumstances on my end, I could not attend. Ms. McCoy was kind enough to finish these today via email and get them to me in time to start my biannual Long Beach Comic Con week! Enjoy!)

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

I've wanted to be a writer since I was 8, but didn't really get serious about it until a few years ago. And by "serious," I mean "a person who finished things." I did National Novel Writing Month in 2010, wrote a crappy, but complete 50,000 word book, then rode that daily writing momentum into finishing Dead To Me seven months later. I haven't stopped writing since.

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

Some of my favorite authors when I was younger were Lois Lowry, Ellen Raskin, Betty Smith, and Anne Tyler. Today, my favorite writers are Jennifer Egan, Kate Atkinson, and Maria Semple.

3. What was the inspiration behind your novel Dead To Me?

I used to write for the 1947 project, which was a crime-a-day blog about Los Angeles history. And L.A. history is insane. You don't have to look very far to find stories about cults and gangsters and police corruption and madams and murder plots. You hear these stories and you think they have to be made up, but then it turns out they're true. Between that and my love for detective novels, film noir, and Veronica Mars, I had to write Dead To Me.

4. Who are your favorite actors from old-time Hollywood?

Bette Davis, Montgomery Clift, Betty Hutton, and Humphrey Bogart are my favorites.

5. The cover tagline, People who live in the nicest houses have the dirtiest secrets, rings very true for most people. Why do you think there is so much truth behind that statement?

Rich people get away with things. It's not fair, and it's not right, but it's true.

6. Why decide to make this a young adult book instead of an adult novel?

I always wanted it to be YA instead of adult fiction. Not only is Alice trying to find the person who attacked her sister, she's also investigating what her sister has been up to for the four years since she left home. During that time, Alice has become a very closed off person, and she's finally forced to take a good hard look at herself, her relationships, and the fact that she might not be a very nice person. It's the way Alice deals with those things that I think makes the book YA.

 
7. One of the things you said you'd read recently was the comic book C.O.W.L. by Kyle Higgins. What other comic books do you enjoy?

I really like crime comics. Some of my favorites are 100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello, Gotham Central, Criminal by Ed Brubaker, Tumor by Josh Fialkov, and Incognegro by Mat Johnson.

 
8. Has working with the Los Angeles Public Library helped or influenced your writing career?

The two biggest ways it's influenced me are its amazing collections and my brilliant colleagues. When I was writing Dead To Me, I referred to the library's online Photo Collection, Map Collection, and newspaper databases all the time. And the librarians I work with are wonderful and inspiring people. Two of my colleagues have written LA history books of their own: Christina Rice's Ann Dvorak: Hollywood's Forgotten Rebel and Glen Creason's Los Angeles in Maps.

 
9. Would you like to see Dead To Me as a film? If so, who do you want to see play your characters?

Of course I would! My friend and fellow 2015 debut novelist Michelle Levy (Not After Everything) is also a casting director, and she helped me cast the book. Here's what she came up with - I think it's brilliant:

Alice (the main character): Abigail Breslin
Annie (the big sister): Saoirse Ronan
Jerry Shaffer (the tough-talking private eye): Joel Edgerton
Vivian and Nicky Gates (the Hollywood insider wannabe parents): Jennifer Connelly and Bradley Cooper
Ruth (one of Annie's shady acquaintances): Jennifer Carpenter
Conrad Donahue (the psychopathic movie star): Chris Pine

10. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next ten years?

I have no idea what I'll be writing in ten years but I know I'll be writing. 

11. What would you do if you were Alice in your book?

I don't know if I could be as brave as Alice is. I am also much worse at cryptography than she is.

 
12. Will we ever see these characters again in the future?

One of the rules of noir is this: no sequels. If I ever did, I know what it would be about, but I feel like I left my characters exactly where I wanted to leave them.

 
13. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

Probably baking.

14. Can you tell KSR readers what you're working on next?

I'm working on another YA novel. It's not historical fiction, but I still manage to cram a lot of history in to it. 

15. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

Thing 1: I used to play bass in an all-girl punk band.
Thing 2:  My best celebrity impression is of Civil War historian Shelby Foote.
Thing 3: I have an astonishingly large collection of vintage cookbooks.

Find Ms. McCoy online via:

Official site (has all social media links AND purchase links for Dead To Me)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Richard Lange

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

I never decided, I just always was. As long as I can remember, I’ve been telling stories and writing them down.

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

Early on it was Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, Raymond Carver, and Charles Bukowski. Some authors I love these days are Richard Price, William Vollmann, Denis Johnson, and Elmore Leonard (RIP). I read mostly old stuff, though, trying to learn from the masters: Faulkner, Zola, Conrad, Dickens – people like that.

3. What was the inspiration behind your various works?

It’s different for each one. My novel Angel Baby, for example, was inspired by an article in the L.A. Times about a white guy who snuck people over the border for a Mexican pollero. That was the genesis of the character of Malone, and the rest of the book came together around him. I can say that I’m always inspired by real life, by things I’ve seen, by people I know, or by great stories people have told me. I start with something like that and figure out how to make it “bigger” in terms of narrative and emotional impact.

4. Living in Southern California seems to affect your work. For those who don't live here, what is it about the area that's so inspiring?

There’s a lot going on here on a lot of levels. People of all stripes come to L.A. to attempt to make their dreams come true, so there’s all this energy in the air. You’ve got smart people, crazy people, bitter people, hopeful people, people from a hundred different cultures and backgrounds trying to get by or get ahead or get something over on someone. It’s a writer’s dream.

5. Sweet Nothing is a collection of short stories. Every author I talk to seems to have a different answer to this question: what is the biggest difference between writing a novel and a short story (aside from the length, of course)?

My short stories are more about taking the reader on an emotional journey rather than building a strong plot. In my novels, I try to give the reader more plot in order to compel them to finish the longer work. This is difficult because plot isn’t my greatest strength or necessarily something I’m that interested in. I’m much more focused on characters, language, and rhythm. The trick is trying to integrate those two things. I’m still trying to master that.

6. Were any of your characters personalities or emotions taken from real life?

All of them are from real life, in one way or another. It’s like acting: You have to become these characters as you create them, even the “bad guys.” It’s fun being a bad guy sometimes.

7. What other genres would you like to try your hand at?

I don’t think in term of genre when I’m writing, I just write what I want to. The people who have to sell it can call it crime or romance or sci fi – whatever they want, as long as they sell it!

8. If you could take the place of any of your characters, which would it be and why?

I’m happy with who I am.

9. Your novel Angel Baby won the Hammett Prize. When you were writing it, did you ever think that it would go on to win awards?

Nah. That would be weird. I just write, put it out there, and move on to the next thing. The awards and stuff are much appreciated though. It’s nice to know people like what I’m doing.

10. Which, if any, of your novels would you like to see as a film? Who do you want to see play your characters?

Angel Baby was optioned by Warner Bros., and I was hired to write the screenplay. The chances of it ever getting made are a million to one, but I live in hope. It’s hard for me to “cast” the book. I don’t picture specific people as I’m writing. I’d be interested to see who Hollywood would choose to play the characters.  

11. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next ten years?

I see myself as rich, famous, and still cranking out good work, whether it be books, films or TV stuff.

12. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

Before I was a full-time writer, I was a magazine editor. It wasn’t a bad life, so I guess I’d be doing that. I don’t have many other marketable skills. 

13. Can you tell KSR what you're working on next?

A new novel, set in L.A.

14. What authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

I’m not a good collaborator. That’s why the film business is so tricky for me. Everything there is collaboration. I like writing books, where I’m in complete control.

15. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

1. I’m a big opera fan. 2. I have walked from the Mexican border to Palm Springs (on the Pacific Crest Trail). 3. I used to write dirty letters for Hustler magazine at fifty bucks a pop.

Find Mr. Lange online via:

Official site (has all other links)

If you live in Southern California, you can meet Mr. Lange in person at the Long Beach Comic Expo, at the Long Beach Convention Center on February 28th and March 1st!

PRESS RELEASE: Announcing the Finalists for the First Ever Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity at Long Beach Comic Expo

Announcing the Finalists for the First Ever Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity

February 18, Long Beach, CA) The finalists for the first ever Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity Award were announced today. The five nominated titles are:

HEX11 by  Lisa K. Weber and Kelly Sue Milano (HexComics)

M.F.K. by Nilah Magruder (http://www.mfkcomic.com/)

MS. MARVEL by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona (Marvel Entertainment)

THE SHADOW HERO by Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew (First Second Books)

SHAFT by David F. Walker and Bilquis Evely (Dynamite Entertainment)

The winner will be announced at the first ever Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity ceremony event to be held later this month at Long Beach Comic Expo on Saturday February 28 at 2 PM PT. The Award is named in honor of Dwayne McDuffie, the legendary writer and producer who co-founded and created Milestone Media. As a writer, Dwayne created or co-created more than a dozen series, including DAMAGE CONTROL, DEATHLOK II, ICON, STATIC, XOMBI, THE ROAD TO HELL and HARDWARE.

“The nominees for the first ever Dwayne McDuffie Award reflect the best of what a comic book can be,” said Matt Wayne, the Director of the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity. “These five titles, as different as they are, reflect Dwayne’s aspirations for the comic book industry. They are diverse, inclusive and forward looking.”

“I am so proud that my husband's personal mission to include a more diverse array of voices--both in content and creators--is able to continue now through this Award in his name, by encouraging others who share his vision of comics, characters, and the industry itself better mirroring society,” said Charlotte McDuffie.

The Dwayne McDuffie Award Selection Committee consists of eight prominent comics and animation professionals who knew McDuffie and have demonstrated a commitment to inclusiveness:

Neo Edmund – Novelist, animation and comics writer;

Joan Hilty – Nickelodeon Comics Editor; Creator of Bitter Girl;

Joseph Illidge – Former Editor, Milestone and DC Comics; Columnist, Comic Book Resources; Writer, First Second Books;

Heidi MacDonald – Editor in Chief, The Beat;

Glen Murakami – Producer/Supervising Director, DC animated properties and Ben 10: Alien Force/Ultimate Alien;

Eugene Son – Comics writer/Story Editor, Ultimate Spider-Man Animated;

William J. Watkins – Writer; Former owner, Chicago's first Black-owned comics store;

Len Wein – Co-creator Swamp Thing, Wolverine, New X-Men; Former Editor-in-Chief- of Marvel Comics and Senior Editor, DC Comics.

“The Long Beach shows are committed to diversity,” said Martha Donato, Executive Director of Long Beach Comic Expo. “It’s our great pleasure to host the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity Award ceremony and to celebrate the legacy of a wonderful man and writer who inspired so many people with his words, his action and his creations.”

Reginald Hudlin, an innovator of the modern black film movement (House Party, Boomerang and BeBe’s Kids), will be the Keynote Speaker at the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity Award ceremony later this month.

Tickets for Long Beach Comic Expo are available now at www.longbeachcomicexpo.com. Follow Long Beach Comic Expo on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and information about the McDuffie Award.

For interview requests contact:

David Hyde

Superfan Promotions LLC

david.hyde@superfanpromotions.com; 917-803-6684

@superfanpr

ABOUT THE CREATORS OF HEX11:

Kelly Sue Milano was introduced to comics the way most five-year-old girls are: by getting taken to the Fullerton AMC Theaters to see Batman with her Dad in the summer of 1989. Though she wasn't stoked at first, what followed was total and complete love. Not just with superheroes and comics - but with stories. She has been published in the Orange County Register, has written award-winning short stories, monologues, and comedy sketches, and has contributed to the development of several film projects for Periscope Entertainment. She also curates the blog for A.WAKE; a movement dedicated to celebrating female artists. Kelly Sue is a sucker for Nabakov and fancy coffee and currently lives in Los Angeles with her dog, Louie.

Lisa K. Weber makes art for comics, kid’s books, and cartoons. She also enjoys satire, white wine, and classic rock hits. She has created artwork for comic adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe's Hop-Frog, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla, and Saki’s Tobermory, all featured in Graphic Classics. Her illustrations have appeared in publications from Penguin Books, Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt, Scholastic Inc, and Capstone Press. She has also contributed character designs and storyboards for Nickelodeon, Curious Pictures, and PBS Kids. Lisa currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

ABOUT THE CREATORS OF M.F.K.:

Nilah Magruder is a storyboard and concept artist artist in Los Angeles. Born and raised in Maryland, from a young age she developed an eternal love for three things: nature, books, and animation. Naturally, all of her school notebooks were full of doodles of animals and cartoon characters.

Nilah received a B.A. in communication arts from Hood College and B.F.A. in computer animation from Ringling College of Art and Design. She has illustrated for comics, children's books, film and commercial television. Interested in exploring diversity in storytelling, she launched the action-adventure webcomic M.F.K. She believes that everyone should have characters with whom they can relate in their chosen entertainment, be it comic book, novel, film, TV, or video game.

ABOUT THE WRITER & ARTIST OF MS. MARVEL:

G. Willow Wilson is a novelist and comic book writer based in Seattle. Her works include the novel Alif the Unseen, a New York Times Notable Book and winner of the 2013 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. She is the creator, with artist Adrian Alphona, of the bestselling All-New Ms. Marvel series from Marvel Comics. Her series Air (DC/Vertigo) and Mystic: The Tenth Apprentice (Marvel) were both nominated for Eisner Awards. In what spare time she has, Willow enjoys playing MMOs, watching British television, cooking, and maintaining the proud tradition of the Oxford comma. She lives with her husband and their two children.

Adrian Alphona is the artist of MS. MARVEL. He illustrated an acclaimed run of RUNAWAYS written by Brian K Vaughan for Marvel Entertainment.

ABOUT THE CREATORS OF THE SHADOW HERO :

Gene Luen Yang's 2006 book American Born Chinese was the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award and the first to win the American Library Association's Michael L. Printz Award. His 2013 two-volume graphic novel Boxers & Saints was also nominated for a National Book Award and won the L.A. Times Book Prize.  Gene currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and children.

Sonny Liew is a comic artist, painter and illustrator whose work includes titles for DC Vertigo, Marvel Comics and First Second Books. He has received Eisner nominations for his art on Wonderland (Disney), as well as for spearheading Liquid City (Image Comics), a multi-volume comics anthology featuring creators from Southeast  Asia. His Malinky Robot series was a Xeric grant recipient and winner of the Best Science Fiction Comic Album Award at the Utopiales SF Festival in Nantes (2009).
His latest work is The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, which will be published by Pantheon Books in 2016.

ABOUT THE WRITER & ARTIST OF SHAFT:

David F. Walker is an award-winning journalist, filmmaker, and author of the YA series The Adventures of Darius Logan. His publication BadAzz MoFo became internationally known as the indispensable resource guide to black films of the 1970s. His work in comics includes the series Shaft (Dynamite Entertainment), Doc Savage (Dynamite Entertainment), Number 13 (Dark Horse Comics), The Army of Dr. Moreau (IDW/Monkeybrain Comics), and The Supernals Experiment (Canon Comics).

Bilquis Evely is a 24-year-old Brazilian comic book artist. She started her professional life in 2010 as the penceiller of the Brazilian comic book, Luluzinha Teen e Sua Turma" Her recent work includes The Shadow and Doc Savage for Dynamite. She is currently working on Shaft, which is written by David F. Walker.

ABOUT DWAYNE MCDUFFIE:

Dwayne McDuffie is best known as the co-founder and creator of Milestone Media. He was a Story Editor on the KIDS WB’s Emmy Award-winning animated series STATIC SHOCK, which he co-created. He was also a Producer and Story Editor on Cartoon Network’s JUSTICE LEAGUE. He was Editor-In-Chief of Milestone Media’s award-winning line of comic books, managing an editorial operation which boasted the best on-time delivery record in the industry for nearly four years running and has also worked as an editor for Marvel Comics and Harvey Entertainment. As a writer, Dwayne created or co-created more than a dozen series, including DAMAGE CONTROL, DEATHLOK II, ICON, STATIC, XOMBI, THE ROAD TO HELL and HARDWARE. He wrote stories for dozens of other comics, including, SPIDER-MAN, BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT, THE TICK, CAPTAIN MARVEL, AVENGERS SPOTLIGHT, BACK TO THE FUTURE, HELLRAISER, ULTRAMAN, (The Artist Formerly Known As) PRINCE and X-O MANOWAR.
Dwayne won the 2003 HUMANITAS PRIZE for “Jimmy,” a STATIC SHOCK script about gun violence in schools. He was nominated for two EMMY AWARDS for the TV series STATIC SHOCK, a WRITERS GUILD AWARD for the TV series JUSTICE LEAGUE and three EISNER AWARDS for his work in comic books. His comic book work won eleven PARENTS’ CHOICE AWARDS, six “Best Editor” awards, and a GOLDEN APPLE AWARD for his “use of popular art to promote and enhance human dignity.”

Dwayne was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and attended The Roeper School. Before entering comics, he studied in undergraduate and graduate programs at The University of Michigan, then attended film school at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He also co-hosted a radio comedy program, while moonlighting pseudonymously as a freelance writer for stand-up comedians and late-night television comedy programs. He wrote scripts for an animated feature, episodes of BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE, STATIC SHOCK!, JUSTICE LEAGUE, WHAT’S NEW, SCOOBY-DOO? and TEEN TITANS.

ABOUT LONG BEACH EXPO:

Long Beach Comic Expo is an annual event held at the Long Beach Convention Center that celebrates comic books and pop culture and showcases the exceptional works of talented writers, artists, illustrators and creators of all types of pop culture. At Long Beach Comic Expo, you’ll find exhibitors promoting and selling all types of related products, as well as entertaining and educational programs for all ages, guest signings and meet & greet sessions with celebrities. Long Beach Comic Expo is a MAD Event Management, LLC production. To learn more and purchase tickets, please visit www.longbeachcomicexpo.com.

EVENT PROMOTION: Cyber Monday Lifetime Pass From Long Beach Comic Expo!

Long Beach, CA (November 26, 2014) - In advance of Cyber Monday, Long Beach Comic Expo will make available 50 Lifetime Passes which will grant fans access to the annual event. The passes are available at www.longbeachcomiccon.com for $249.99 through December 31st, 2014. After that date, the a lifetime pass will cost $349.99.

Next year’s Long Beach Comics Expo will be held February 28, 2015 & March 1, 2015 at Long Beach Convention Center. Announced guests include legendary writer Chris Claremont (UNCANNY X-MEN), acclaimed comic book writer Brian Wood (THE MASSIVE; DMZ), fan favorite animation writer and producer Greg Weisman (STAR WARS REBELS; YOUNG JUSTICE) and Cosplay favorites LeeAnna Vamp and Nicole Marie Jean.

“The Lifetime Passes are a great gift and a wonderful idea for the comic book and cosplay fans in your life,” said Martha Donato, Executive Director of Long Beach Comic Con & Expo. “For the cost of a season pass at a resort, you can give a lifetime experience of comics.”

Follow Long Beach Comic Expo on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and information.

About Long Beach Comic Expo:

Long Beach Comic Expo is an annual event held at the Long Beach Convention Center that celebrates comic books and pop culture and showcases the exceptional works of talented writers, artists, illustrators and creators of all types of pop culture. At Long Beach Comic Expo, you’ll find exhibitors promoting and selling all types of related products, as well as entertaining and educational programs for all ages, guest signings and meet & greet sessions with celebrities. Long Beach Comic Expo is a MAD Event Management, LLC production. To learn more and purchase tickets, please visit www.longbeachcomicexpo.com .