SDCC’08: Vertigo: View of the Future

Not to be left out, Vertigo had several announcements at its panel on Friday.

Joining the panel was Amy Hadley (Madame Xanadu), Matt Wagner (Madame Xanadu), Cameron Stewart (Seaguy), Jason Aaron (Scalped), G. Willow Wilson (Air), Bill Willingham (Fables), Mark Buckingham (Fables), David Tischmann (Greatest Hits), Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets), Matt Sturges (Jack of Fables and House of Mystery), Will Dennis (Editor), Fabio Moon, Gabrielle Ba, Brian Wood (DMZ), Joshua Dysart (Unknown Soldier)

• Fabio Moon and Gabrielle Ba will be working on a new series called Day Tripper, out next spring.
• The Vertigo Crime imprint, will be black and white hardcovers featuring writers known for work in crime fiction.
• Will Dennis will be the editor of the Vertigo Crime imprint line
• Dark Entries is part of the Crime imprint and will feature Constantine investigating a reality television show
• Things go from bad to worse in Filthy Rich by Brian Azzarello and Victor Santos.  The story takes place in the ’60s and looks at celebrity culture and wealth.
• Sturges said the second storyline for House of Mystery features bad things in the basement.
• The first Young Liars collection arrives in December
• Look for The Alcoholic written by Jonathan Ames with art by Dean Haspiel.
• While Amy Hadley takes a break from the second story arc of Madame Xanadu, Matt Wagner will take over and will feature a character he used to write for.  Hmmm… let’s see, for DC Wagner has written Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Riddler, and Sandman.  Considering only Sandman is Vertigo, that’s who my money is on.
• Greatest Hits takes a look at superheroes acting like rock stars.  I wonder if this hasn’t already been done in another Vertigo title that got the boot to Dynamite Entertainment?
• Brian Wood said Northlanders #9 is a good jumping on point for new readers.
• Joshua Dysart has a new take on Unknown Soldier that features a man returning to Uganda to help relief efforts.
• Haunted Tank will feature the classic characters from the series, but this time the tank is in Iraq.
• Scalped #21 will be very dark and violent.
• Issue #75 of Fables features the real war between Fabletown and the Homelands, and will done completely with double-page spreads.  Someone will die, and after that, Willingham said it will be almost like the series is starting over.
• Three years ago the Vertigo panel asked the audience if they would like a James Jean Fables covers book.  The coffee table book arrives in the fall featuring all the covers up to #75.
• The Complete Death will be a hardcover collection collecting all the Death mini-series released over the years.
• Swamp Thing will also get the hardcover treatment, as will Preacher beginning in the fall.
• Simon Oliver will take over Hellblazer beginning with issue #249.

If the Swamp Thing and Preacher hardcovers are done like the Starman Omnibus, it should do really well, although I much rather prefer the series to be collected in Absolute editions like Sandman.