One of the coolest things about SDCC was interviewing talent on the show floor. As a big fan of Adam Hughes’ work I made a point to track him down and chat about some of his upcoming projects. The primary thing I was interested in was his work on the “Cover Girls of the DC Universe” line, which is going to make me broke over the next year or so. I know what I am asking for for my birthday. And anniversary. And Christmas.

Anyway, the interview turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip. Adam had some very interesting things to say–going into detail about how he personalizes iconic characters and what character he “aches” to take a stab at illustrating. Funny enough…it’s not even a lady! Hit the jump for more info!

We recently had a chance to chat with pinup master Adam Hughes at the 2009 Comic-Con International. While the interview started as an opportunity to discuss the breathtaking new “Cover Girls of the DC Universe” statue line, it ended up traveling down an increasingly interesting path. Did you know that when it comes to capturing Wonder Woman, it’s all in the eyes? Or that Adam aches to draw Captain America breaking Nazis in two? Read on for more interesting info straight from AH! himself.

Girls Entertainment Network: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us! First, I wanted to ask you about the new statue line. Is it the “Women of the DC Universe” or “Cover Girls of the DC Universe?”

Adam Hughes: I believe they are calling it the “Cover Girls of the DC Universe” because they are borrowing all the concepts and designs from my work.

GEN: If they are using your art as inspiration, is there much work on your end as far as the design process? Are you on hand to refine the designs so that they work better in a 3D space?

Hughes: Actually, yes. The thing about my covers is that more often than not I draw from the knees up. So a lot of times they come to me and ask “what are her feet doing in this pose?” or “what should Black Canary’s shoes look like?” So I answer a lot of from-the-knee-down questions.

GEN: Do the artists draw from one specific image then? The pose and clothing exactly? Or are they just shooting for an “Adam Hughes-esq look?”

Hughes: They tend to draw from a specific image. But DC realized that they have created a problem for themselves. Normally for DC I do runs on covers, so they have access to the Wonder Woman or Catwoman covers. But after those two statues they were like “Adam, have you ever drawn Harley Quinn?” and I was like “No” and then they are like “How about a Batgirl cover?” and again I was like…“No.” So I had to start designing a few covers specifically for the line.

Click here for the full article.

Better late than never right? About a month ago the Girls Entertainment Network comic book team reviewed the work of Eisner nominees in ten different categories. All in all it ended up being nearly 50 mini-reviews of some of the most respected properties of the year. Many publishers were fantastic and sent us copies of the selected works. The remaining pieces we scrounged up on our own. The whole process was a ridiculous amount of work (especially for our editor Stephanie), but it was well worth it in the end!

I really wanted to post a link to the piece and pimp it out while we were running the feature initially, but it was too tough timing-wise with all the SDCC prep. And while the Eisner winners have already been announced (see the list after the jump), I still think there is merit in reading through it–these are the best books of the year after all! So if you have a second feel free to  browse through the nominees by category. It even functions as a buying guide if you are new to comics!

• Best Short Story: “Murder He Wrote,” by Ian Boothby, Nina Matsumoto, and Andrew Pepoy, in The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror #14 (Bongo)
• Best Continuing Series: All Star Superman. by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (DC)
• Best Limited Series: Hellboy: The Crooked Man, by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben (Dark Horse)
• Best New Series: Invincible Iron Man, by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larocca (Marvel)
• Best Publication for Kids: Tiny Titans, by Art Baltazar and Franco (DC)
• Best Publication for Teens/Tweens: Coraline, by Neil Gaiman, adapted by P. Craig Russell (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
• Best Humor Publication: Herbie Archives, by “Shane O’Shea” (Richard E. Hughes) and Ogden Whitney (Dark Horse)
• Best Anthology: Comic Book Tattoo: Narrative Art Inspired by the Lyrics and Music of Tori Amos, edited by Rantz Hoseley (Image)
• Best Webcomic: Finder, by Carla Speed McNeil, www.shadowlinecomics.com/webcomics/#/finder/
• Best Reality-Based Work: What It Is, by Lynda Barry (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Best Graphic Album—New: Swallow Me Whole, by Nate Powell (Top Shelf)
• Best Graphic Album—Reprint: Hellboy Library Edition, vols. 1 and 2, by Mike Mignola (Dark Horse)
• Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips: Little Nemo in Slumberland, Many More Splendid Sundays, by Winsor McCay (Sunday Press Books)
• Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books: Creepy Archives, by various (Dark Horse)
• Best U.S. Edition of International Material: The Last Musketeer, by Jason (Fantagraphics)
• Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Japan: Dororo, by Osamu Tezuka (Vertical)
• Best Writer: Bill Willingham, Fables, House of Mystery (Vertigo/DC)
• Best Writer/Artist: Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library (Acme)
• Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team: Guy Davis, BPRD (Dark Horse)
• Best Painter/Multimedia Artist: Jill Thompson, Magic Trixie, Magic Trixie Sleeps Over (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
• Best Cover Artist: James Jean, Fables (Vertigo/DC); The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse)
• Best Coloring: Dave Stewart, Abe Sapien: The Drowning, BPRD, The Goon, Hellboy, Solomon Kane, The Umbrella Academy (Dark Horse); Body Bags (Image); Captain America: White (Marvel)
• Best Lettering: Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library #19 (Acme)
• Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism: Comic Book Resources, produced by Jonah Weiland (www.comicbookresources.com)
• Best Comics-Related Book: Kirby: King of Comics, by Mark Evanier (Abrams)
• Best Publication Design: Hellboy Library Editions, designed by Cary Grazzini and Mike Mignola (Dark Horse)
• Hall of Fame: Judges’ choices: Harold Gray, Graham Ingels; Voters’ choices: Matt Baker, Reed Crandall, Russ Heath, Jerry Iger

If you follow comics, how do the Eisner winners stack up? Anything surprise or upset you?

Demo is one of those books that comes far and few between. Hidden behind an uninspiring cover and told on pages devoid of color, Demo reminds us what it means to be human. Needless to say, I love and highly recommend this book. Read on for a link to the full review.

When you turn the last page Demo leaves you feeling raw. Not a painful feeling, but one that comes from having the most identifiable human emotions surfaced in you without warning. Feelings of love, of grief, of abandonment and of desire are all woven into the fantasy and fiction of Demo.

Demo is told through twelve short stories, all seen through the eyes of individuals at a crossroads in their life. These young adults not only have the normal angst associated with the tumultuous time in their lives, but must deal with great power. Power to change their lives. Power to end or begin something. Or power manifested in the form of something supernatural.

Click here for the full article

I just finished up a review for Vertigo’s The Vinyl Underground: Pretty Dead Things. Hit the jump for a taste and link to the Girls Entertainment Network for the full review.

Premise: Tabloid darling Morrison “Moz” Shepherd used to live the wild life. Now he saves lives, by cracking the U.K.’s most dangerous occult crimes. But even Moz’s wasted youth couldn’t prepare him for the snuff film he’s just uncovered – a cocktail of sex, drugs, magic and murders stronger than anything he’s ever seen.

A hedonistic cult and a rouge M16 operative have joined forces, dosing beautiful women with a drug so potent they literally love themselves to death. To solve the case and save the girls, Moz will take a terrifying journey though is checkered past – while his friends fend off terrorist attacks on London with Moz’s own fingerprints all over them. Can they defuse this love bomb before the city goes up in smoke?

Review: The final pages of Pretty Dead Things leaves me severely conflicted. Part of me feels that the book was a triumph – a perfect blend of crime, sex and intrigue – but the other part of me was so disappointed in the big reveal that I felt it a slap in the face. You know what they say – the higher they rise the harder they fall.

Click here for the full review.

I am falling more and more in love with Vertigo comics every day. I just reviewed House of Mystery: Room & Boredom for the Girls Entertainment Network. Bottom line? Room & Boredom is like nothing I have read before. It mixes fantasy and horror, the luxurious and grotesque and the ordinary and extraordinary. I highly recommend it for someone wishing to read work off the beaten path. Read on for a taste of the review!

Review: If you know DC, you know the House of Mystery. A staple of the DC universe, The House of Mystery (an actual house) made its debut as the center of an anthology of horror titles in the mid-1950s. Its form and function has evolved over the years, but the basic premise of the house generally stays the same. The House of Mystery is ever-changing, supernatural in origin, and very very dangerous.

In May of 1968 the House of Mystery as many fans know it was established with the introduction of two caretakers – Cain and Able. The brothers committed to watching over the puzzling property and its sister estate the House of Secrets. Each took refuge in a different house, connected by a graveyard at the center.

But the House of Mystery has not been confined to just it’s namesake series. If the names above ring a bell (apart from the biblical ties), it’s because Cain and Able made several appearances as the caretakers in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. Additionally, well known DC characters such as Superman and Batman have interacted with the house in one incarnation or another. Elvira even had a short stint as caretaker in the mid-80s.

So needless to say, the series had an established fanbase prior to the 2008 revamp provided by Mathew Sturges and Bill Willingham. While I can’t attest to the reception of the new series by these longtime fans, I can vouch that Room & Boredom is a gripping read I couldn’t seem to put down.

Click here for the full review.