From: [k--t--e] at [physics12.Berkeley.EDU] (Katie Schwarz) Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.dc.vertigo Subject: FAQ: Vertigo Frequently Asked Questions Date: 14 Aug 1996 18:54:19 GMT Welcome to the Vertigo comics newsgroup! This is a Frequently Asked Questions list about Vertigo. Please send e-mail if you have any suggestions or questions: [k--t--e] at [physics.berkeley.edu] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vertigo Frequently Asked Questions Last updated: August 1, 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * indicates new or changed material in a question. 1. What Sandman/Endless comics are coming out soon? Is Sandman going to be continued in prose form? 2. * What are the Sandman collections in order? 3. Where are the Sandman Frequently Asked Questions and Annotations? 4. What's up with the Sandman movie? 5. What comics has Tim Hunter been in besides the current Books of Magic ongoing series? Where did Tamlin first appear? 6. Who wrote which issues of Doom Patrol? Where did Flex Mentallo first appear? 7. Why is The Invisibles going on hiatus? When will it be back? Is Grant Morrison seriously ill? 8. When is Alan Moore's Swamp Thing going to be reprinted? Why will it be in black and white? 9. Are Vertigo books part of the DC universe? 10. * Where are some Vertigo-related web sites? 11. What Vertigo titles besides Sandman are available in collected versions? 12. Are Starman and Spectre Vertigo books? Why not? 13. Which Vertigo creators participate in this newsgroup? 14. How can I send letters to Vertigo by e-mail? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. What Sandman/Endless comics are coming out soon? Is Sandman going to be continued in prose form? The Sandman: Book of Dreams is not a continuation of the Sandman comic, but a collection of Sandman-related short stories by various authors using characters from the series. It was published recently by HarperPrism Books. The collection is edited by Neil Gaiman and Ed Kramer with a cover by Dave McKean, and contributing authors include Nancy Collins, Gene Wolfe, Will Shetterly, Karen Harber, George Alec Effinger, John M. Ford, Tad Williams, Barbara Hambly, and more. Vertigo is reprinting Sandman issue by issue with the original cover art. The "Essential Vertigo" reprints, priced at $1.95, started in June with Sandman #1. There will be no new material in the reprints. Neil Gaiman says (in his afterword to Sandman #75, written January 1996) that he would like to do a story for each of the Endless. In the early planning stages are a Delirium miniseries with Jill Thompson art and a Despair story with Barron Storey art. At the 1996 Comic Con in San Diego, Vertigo editors said a Delirium book or series is expected by the end of 1997. For news on Neil Gaiman's non-comics projects, please check the newsgroup alt.fan.neil-gaiman. The Dreaming is a new ongoing series from Vertigo featuring rotating creative teams and stories with Cain and Abel, Eve, and the Three Witches. It will not be written by Neil Gaiman (although he will be a creative consultant) and will not feature the Endless. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. What are the Sandman collections in order? The following collections are available in hardcover and softcover: 1. Preludes and Nocturnes (#1-8 [story arc called "More than Rubies"]) 2. The Doll's House (#8-16) 3. Dream Country (#17-20) 4. Season of Mists (#21-28) 5. A Game of You (#32-37) 6. Fables and Reflections (#29-31 and 50 ["Distant Mirrors"], #38-40 ["Convergences"], the Sandman Special ["The Song of Orpheus"], and "Fear of Falling" from the Vertigo Preview) 7. Brief Lives (#41-49) 8. Worlds' End (#51-56) 9. The Kindly Ones (#57-69 and "The Castle" from Vertigo Jam) (softcover came out July 31) Collections of the last six issues of Sandman will be released in hardcover around the end of 1996, and in softcover a few months later. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Where are the Sandman Frequently Asked Questions and Annotations? http://www.holycow.com/dreaming/sandfaq0.html Sandman Frequently Asked Questions http://theory.lcs.mit.edu/~wald/sandman-index.html Sandman Annotations Plain text versions are also available by anonymous ftp: ftp://ftp.hiof.no/pub/Comics/FAQ/Sandman.FAQ Sandman Frequently Asked Questions (unfortunately, the version here is a few years old and outdated) ftp://theory.lcs.mit.edu/pub/people/wald/sandman Sandman Annotations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. What's up with the Sandman movie? Warner Bros. have optioned a Sandman movie. A script has been written based on Sandman #1-8, and Roger Avery is rumored to be directing. Neil Gaiman has no involvement with it. Be warned: many readers of this group are heartily sick of speculation about this, especially lists of who you think should play various parts. Those who have seen it over and over again will be grateful if you take your casting calls to rec.arts.comics.other-media. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. What comics has Tim Hunter been in besides the current Books of Magic ongoing series? Where did Tamlin first appear? * The Books of Magic (1991 miniseries): Tim's first appearance; he is introduced to the magical and occult characters of the DC universe. Written by Neil Gaiman. * Arcana: The Books of Magic Annual (1993): Part of the Children's Crusade crossover, introduced Marya and Daniel; also started the Tamlin storyline. John Ney Rieber's first work on the title. * The Children's Crusade 1 and 2: "Bookends" of the crossover. * The Lot: 6-page story introducing the Narls and the Wobbly; first appeared in Vertigo Rave, reprinted in Summonings collection. * Mr. E miniseries (4 issues, 1991). By all accounts this is not recommended to fans of the ongoing Books of Magic series, since Tim's powers and characterization are totally inconsistent with it. Current writer John Ney Rieber says as far as he is concerned, this miniseries never happened. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Who wrote which issues of Doom Patrol? Where did Flex Mentallo first appear? Grant Morrison took over Doom Patrol, previously a standard superhero book by Paul Kupperberg, with issue 19 and immediately turned it into a cult favorite. Morrison continued with artist Richard Case until #63; the first storyline (#19-25) was reprinted in the Crawling from the Wreckage trade paperback, although the collection omits the subplots setting up the next storyline in the series. Rachel Pollack wrote the book from #64 until its cancellation with #87, including Annual 2. John Bullough explains the backstory of Flex Mentallo, a character from Morrison's Doom Patrol currently starring in a four-part miniseries: "Flex first appeared in issue #35, but only for a couple of panels, and we didn't learn his name until #36. The storyline in which he was involved didn't start until #42, but he or other characters from his past such as Dolores Watson and Harry Christmas, appeared in issues #37 through #41. #42 was his origin story and one you won't want to miss (it also is the first appearance of The Fact and his Fact cards). The storyline Flex was involved in ran through #44. He was absent from #45 and showed up in a "wrap-up" section of #46 where it was revealed that Flex has decided to become the world's merriest crimefighter." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Why is The Invisibles going on hiatus? When will it be back? Is Grant Morrison seriously ill? From editor Stuart Moore: "The INVISIBLES hiatus, following issue #25, will be three months. It has nothing to do with Grant's health or other commitments (though it will help him to catch up); it's purely to allow new regular penciller Phil Jimenez to finish his other commitments and not start on the book already behind schedule. As I've said before, sales on INVISIBLES are not great; we've released the trade paperback as a way of hopefully drumming up more interest in the title. The relaunch (which was Grant's idea) is another step in that direction. We do believe in the book, and we're hoping that the new start, Phil's steady presence as penciller, and new regular cover artist Brian Bolland will spark more interest in it." Grant Morrison was hospitalized in the spring of 1996 with a collapsed lung and pneumonia caused by a fungal parasite. He has recovered and attended the Comic Con in San Diego. Contrary to occasional fan speculation, he does not have AIDS or HIV. "I think Grant would be insulted by the assumption he would be in the closet about that," writes DC marketing director Martha Thomases. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. When is Alan Moore's Swamp Thing going to be reprinted? Why will it be in black and white? From editor Stuart Moore: "ESSENTIAL VERTIGO: SWAMP THING begins in September, a month after the conclusion of the regular monthly SWAMP THING title. It's a 24-page comic that will reprint in black and white the Alan Moore run of SWAMPY from the mid-'80s, beginning with issue #21 ("The Anatomy Lesson"). Some of this material is available in trade paperback, but not all; this series is intended to allow us to get back into print a lot of terrific material we haven't been able to collect fully in trade paper. Again, there'll be no new material (though there may be a few pinups sitting in our inventory that will sneak in when & if there's a blank page). Why is it in black and white? Two reasons: (1) the original color separations were done for letterpress printing, which literally doesn't exist anymore. Old letterpress separations used for offset printed reprints look terrible; the dot-screen is very coarse and the art ends up buried under the color. To reseparate the books would drive the price up, defeating the purpose of these relatively low-priced ($1.95) reprints. (2) Titan Books in England reprinted the entire Alan Moore run of SWAMP THING some years ago in b&w and it looked terrific; there's a delicacy and density of the linework that comes out more clearly. So we weighed the factors and decided to go with b&w. (THE SANDMAN, being a more recent book, will reprint fine with the original color.) So that's it. Obviously all this is an experiment, and we're looking forward to feedback. As to whether it's a sinister plot or a worthy effort, I guess that depends on whether you want the books or not. It will NOT affect our trade paperback program, which we've stepped up this year to good effect and which will continue at (at least) the current level." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9. Are Vertigo books part of the DC universe? The ones that started out in the DC universe are still there, sort of. Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, Doom Patrol, Sandman, Animal Man, and Black Orchid were DC universe titles before the Vertigo imprint started, and Sandman Mystery Theater, Books of Magic, and a few one-shots use characters created in the mainstream DC universe. Here's how Neil Gaiman answers the question: "Vertigo's creation wasn't intended to remove characters from the DCU, no. But the subsequent division of the line into Vertigo and DCU seems to have made that somewhat the case. Depends how you define DC universe. I used to describe Sandman as being a long bus ride from the world that Superman and Batman live in; these days it's probably a long plane ride, but obviously Superman exists somewhere in the same world as Tim Hunter et al. (And I've tried to keep a certain amount of continuity within Sandman with the DC universe.) But it's now a lot harder to cross characters over between DCU and Vertigo. Permissions need to be sought and so forth. There obviously isn't a 'Vertigo Universe', or if there is it's just a subset of the giant DC universe. I think. Nobody left the DC universe (as a big concept, not as defined as 'those comics edited by Mike Carlin') when Vertigo was started; Sandman 5, Swamp Thing, Animal Man 1-20, didn't un-happen. The Amazing Herschel and Wanda are still out there somewhere, fighting communism and rays, wherever they may lurk. Some characters commute, too. Zatanna, for example. Dr Occult. Others..." About Black Orchid, Phillip B. Hume notes: "In between the miniseries and the series, there were several changes made in the story (changing the evil corporation from Lexcorp to the new corporation, etc.) which tended to distance it from the DC universe that the original was set in. ... Black Orchid did join in the Children's Crusade, and also had an early crossover with Swamp Thing, but ... there is no further interaction with the DC universe, which becomes completely unbelievable in the final story arc." Shade's continuity is dubious. Mike Collins opines: "I don't think Shade was conceived as a DCU book - the only time it's ever shown any link with the DCU was post-Vertigo. I know this has been discussed before, but I don't think it can be DCU. Firstly, the DCU has its own Rac Shade, from its own Meta, both of which are radically different from the character and place presented in the Vertigo series. Secondly, there's the small matter of nuking San Francisco in Shade, which hasn't (afaik) happened in the DCU. Of course, the John Constantine appearance kind of muddies things up a bit, but I think that makes more sense as an out-of-continuity kind of thing." On the other hand, Michael Blakeman Cleveland writes: "The jury's still out on Shade's presence in the DC universe. The Shade appearing here is clearly not the Ditko Shade nor the Shade from the Suicide Squad. (These two are compatible.) Also, people have objected that it can't be the DC universe because no other books react to the (possible) destruction of San Francisco in issue 9. I maintain that the government used a small-scale strike, much like the one used in Philadelphia a few years back, not that they nuked SF." The rest of Vertigo (Invisibles, Preacher, etc.) is independent of the DC universe. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. Where are some Vertigo-related web sites? http://www.redweb.com/wraithspace/Company/DC_Vertigo Lots of links to Vertigo creator and fan pages http://www.maths.tcd.ie/mmm/Vertigo.html Reviews from the Forbidden Planet: tons of Vertigo reviews http://www-vms.oit.umass.edu/~watson/vertigo.html Andrew Watson's overview of all Vertigo titles with his comments http://www.holycow.com/dreaming One of the best of many Sandman/Neil Gaiman fan pages http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/mdavidsona/hellblaz.htm http://www.evil.org/hellblazer/ http://www.skidmore.edu/~brussell/HBlazer/hellblazer.html Some Hellblazer fan pages; first two have indexes of storylines http://www.rpi.edu/~bulloj/Doom_Patrol/DoomPatrol.html Doom Patrol summaries and annotations http://dhalgren.english.washington.edu/~steve/doom.html Book on the Doom Patrol and postmodernism by an English professor http://www.rt66.com/bobek/gmvlf/ Grant Morrison Voodoo Love Fetish http://www.rt66.com/bobek/gmvlf/exposed.html The Invisibles Semi-Exposed http://copper.ucs.indiana.edu/~tgatkins/preacher.html "The UNofficial Preacher homepage", story synopses and images http://www.evil.org/ennis Garth Ennis fan page http://pantheon.cis.yale.edu/~sascha/books.html Books of Magic page: character guide, dangling plot list, etc. http://theory.lcs.mit.edu/~wald/books-of-magic-index.html Annotations of the Books of Magic original miniseries http://www.princeton.edu/~jtlevy/stranger.html The Phantom Stranger http://www.idyllmtn.com/rac/dc/vertigo/ ftp://ftp.idyllmtn.com/pub/rac/dc/vertigo/vertigo.faq This FAQ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11. What Vertigo titles besides Sandman have been collected into trade paperbacks? * Animal Man (#1-9) * Black Orchid (original 3-issue miniseries) * The Books of Magic (1991 miniseries) * The Books of Magic: Bindings (ongoing series #1-4) * The Books of Magic: Summonings (#5-13 plus "The Lot") * Death: The High Cost of Living (3-issue miniseries, Sandman #8, and "Death Talks About Life," a public service announcement about AIDS prevention that first appeared as an insert in Hellblazer #62, Sandman #46, and Shade #32) * Doom Patrol: Crawling from the Wreckage (#19-25) * Enigma (8-issue miniseries) * Hellblazer: Original Sins (#1-9) * Hellblazer: Dangerous Habits * Hellblazer: #62-67 (the first Ennis/Dillon issues, due out in 1997) * Invisibles: Say You Want a Revolution (#1-8) * Jonah Hex: Two-Gun Mojo * Preacher: Gone to Texas (#1-7) * Sandman Mystery Theatre: The Tarantula (#1-4) * Saga of the Swamp Thing (#21-27) * Swamp Thing: Love and Death (#28-34 plus Annual 2) * V for Vendetta (collection is now under the Vertigo imprint) Hellblazer and Swamp Thing have also been reprinted in black and white collections by Titan Books, a British comics publisher. The Swamp Thing series reprinted Alan Moore's entire run (bar his very first issue, which merely tied up loose ends from the previous plot, so they actually start with "Anatomy Lesson") in 10 volumes. There were 4 volumes of Hellblazer, reprinting the first 14 issues, so each volume has 4 issues reprinted, except for Volume 3, which has two issues of Hellblazer and the two issues of (Veitch's) Swamp Thing, with which a story crossed over (was this the story where Tefe was conceived?). These were UK releases only and are all out of print now, which makes them hard to find, but most likely pretty cheap when you do find them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12. Are Starman and Spectre Vertigo books? Why not? Starman and Spectre are two DC titles which are more sophisticated than the average mainstream superhero book. Many Vertigo readers enjoy them, but they are not and never will be part of Vertigo, because the writers want to keep their ties to the rest of DC. See rec.arts.comics.dc.universe for discussion of these books. Starman writer James Robinson commented in Starman #4's letter column: "... Starman will never become a Vertigo book. One of the reasons I do this book is that it gives me the opportunity to work with [editor] Archie Goodwin. That's not something I'm giving up any time soon. Secondly, the mix of mainstream and mature that I'm trying to achieve with Starman is something I'm very definitely going for. As much as I admire and enjoy many Vertigo titles, I fear I'd have to forgo too much of the mainstream which is a part of that Starman balance." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13. Which Vertigo creators participate in this newsgroup? * John Ney Rieber, writer on Books of Magic * Paul Jenkins, writer on Hellblazer * Peter Gross, artist on Books of Magic * Steve Dillon, artist on Preacher * Dave Rawson, creator of Chiaroscuro * Stuart Moore, editor * Nancy Collins, former writer on Swamp Thing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14. How can I send letters to Vertigo by e-mail? Effective immediately, Vertigo has a new e-mail address for letters of comment: [D--e--l] at [aol.com.] Letters should include the sender's home address, and it helps if you tell them whether you want your home and/or e-mail address printed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Compiled by Katie Schwarz ([k--t--e] at [physics.berkeley.edu]) with help from: Mike Collins ([m--ll--s] at [nyx.net]) referenced the UK Titan reprints, and discussed Shade. Achim Reinschmidt ([c--r--a] at [netspace.net.au]) and Phillip B. Hume ([p--u--e] at [arctic.nmt.edu]) noted Tim Hunter's appearances. Matthew Daly ([d--y] at [ppd.Kodak.com]) reviewed the Mr. E miniseries. John Ney Rieber informed the Vertigo newsgroup that he rejects the Mr. E miniseries. Doug Scott ([d s cott] at [col.hp.com]) suggested the Starman question. Michael Blakeman Cleveland ([c--ve--n] at [cae.wisc.edu]) discussed Shade's continuity and Doom Patrol writers. Andrew Farrell ([a--rr--l] at [maths.tcd.ie]) and Donald MacPherson ([donal d m] at [gov.nb.ca]) noticed Vertigo creators in the newsgroup. John Bullough ([b--ll--j] at [rpi.edu]) referenced Flex Mentallo's origin. Tom Galloway ([t--g] at [netcom.com]) passed along Neil Gaiman's comments on whether Sandman is in the DC universe. Stuart Moore ([d--mo--e] at [aol.com]) is a good source about what books are coming out and when. Charles R.L. Power ([k--l--v] at [access.digex.net]) observed Nancy Collins's presence in the newsgroup. and miscellaneous suggestions from: Andrew Watson ([w--ts--n] at [som.umass.edu]) Anthony John Bailey ([b--l--a] at [cs.man.ac.uk]) Curt Shehow ([m--ph--s] at [cent.com]) ([c--i--d] at [chat.carleton.ca]) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Katie Schwarz - [k--t--e] at [physics.berkeley.edu] Last updated: August 1, 1996