NYCC Recap Day 3

Family day was the perfect way to end this year’s NYCC.  Lots of fun stuff for families to enjoy together, including a draw-off between Art Balthazar and Franco and some cool Ben 10/Generator Rex Cartoon Network panels.

Beloved Eighties company First Comics is back and we were on hand to interview them. We also scored interviews with the fine people at Geeks Out!  Expect video interviews posted this week.

Biggest panel we attended today was the DC Meet the Publishers Panel with Jim Lee and Dan Didio.  We were treated to announcements about a new graphic novel due in November titled Batman:Noel by Joker artist Lee Bermejo – inspired by Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and a new Batman story from visual wiz Chipp Kidd called Batman: Death By Design.

Didio and Lee also confirmed that Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s Batman: Earth One will be out next summer as was JMS’ second volume of his Superman: Earth One series, featuring a new take on the villain The Parasite.

On the Vertigo side of things, DC has gotten the rights to a Polish comic called Marzi which is about a girl growing up in post-communist Poland.  Aparently Vertigo editor Karen Berger is a champion of bringing books like this to the company and Lee went so far as to call the graphic novel a “Polish Persopolis“.

Also, Vertigo has gotten the licence to adapt Stieg Larsson’s hugely popular Millennium series of books to graphic novel form.  Lee and Didio are excited about the possibility of new readers these books will attract.  The first in the series, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo will be out next year.

We can also expect a new book from the Batman: Knight of Vengeance team of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso called Spaceman, which will have a first issue that will cost $1 and .99 digital.  Great price-point for new readers.

After a fun look at some creator painted Spy Vs Spy statues in honor of the characters’ anniversary, Didio and Lee dropped the news that they are releasing all New 52 first issues in a single hardcover volume.  They promised this book will be heavier than the humongous DC Comics Anniversary Taschen book from last year!

Then  it was on to look at some cool, before unseen character redesigns for the new 52.  And finally, questions from the audience.  First interesting reveal during the questions seemed to be the hint that a new James Robinson JSA book is in the works and it is set in the 40’s (what universe remains to be seen).  Lee also promised a young fan that something big is planned for the mysterious pink, glowing hooded woman who popped up in all of last month’s issue ones.  Also, DC is starting a new critiquing and skills building program for newer writers called DC Workshop.

Lee’s final word of advice for young comics writers trying to break into the business?  “Self Publish!”

I, for one, hope a lot of young creators left 2011’s NYCC energized and ready to create.