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| | | | Sunday, March 29, 1998 |
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British Fantasy Society
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
The British Fantasy Society web site. |
| | | Tuesday, March 24, 1998 |
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Mononoke Links
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
Sun Chan emailed me with a few more pages with information on Princess Mononoke and its director, Hayao Miyazaki. |
| | | Monday, March 23, 1998 |
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Neil to 'translate" Princess Mononoke
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
Neil has agreed to write the English translation of 'Princess Mononoke' for Miramax. This animated feature film is the #1 grossing film ever in Japan, beating the old champ: E.T: The Extraterrestrial |
| | | Saturday, March 21, 1998 |
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Everything I Needed To Know
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
Tony's "Everything I Needed To Know I Learned From Sandman" page is worth a chuckle. (A parody of Robert Fulghum's EINTKILF Kindergarden - yes, he may be a distant relation of mine). |
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Charles Vess Website
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
Elizabeth Gerber's Unofficial Charles Vess page. |
| | | Thursday, March 19, 1998 |
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Neil on Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
| Comments (3)
There's a rumour going around that Neil is upset about the Harry Potter books being too similar to The Books of Magic. Neil asked me to post this to clear things up:
"I was surprised to discover from yesterday's MIRROR that I'm meant to have accused J.K. Rowling of ripping off BOOKS OF MAGIC for HARRY POTTER.
Simply isn't true -- and now it's on the public record it'll follow me around forever.
Back in November I was tracked down by a Scotsman journalist who had noticed the similarities between my Tim Hunter character and Harry Potter, and wanted a story. And I think I rather disappointed him by explaining that, no, I certainly *didn't* believe that Rowling had ripped off Books of Magic, that I doubted she'd read it and that it wouldn't matter if she had: I wasn't the first writer to create a young magician with potential, nor was Rowling the first to send one to school. It's not the ideas, it's what you do with them that matters.
Genre fiction, as Terry Pratchett has pointed out, is a stew. You take stuff out of the pot, you put stuff back. The stew bubbles on.
(As I said to the Scotsman journalist, the only thing that was a mild bother was that in the BOOKS OF MAGIC movie Warners is planning, Tim Hunter can no longer be a bespectacled, 12 year old English kid. But given the movie world I'll just be pleased if he's not played by a middle-aged large-muscled Austrian.)
Not sure how this has transmuted into "Gaiman has accused Rowling of ripping him off." But I suppose it's a better story than the truth.
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| | | Saturday, March 14, 1998 |
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More News from Lance
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
Lance "Squiddie" Smith updates from alt.fan.neil-gaiman:
The new Starchild - Crossroads collection has an intro by Gaiman that wasn't written under duress of any kind. It has some interesting points about stories and how they are written. Also of note is that the cats like Meow mix and Holly and Mike don't like lima beans. (Does anyone really like lima beans?)
In the convention listings in the lastest Locus, Gaiman is listed as as one of the guests of honor at World Horror Con 1999 (next year, not this year) along with Lisa Snellings and John Shirley. This will be in Atlanta. For info you might try sending some e-mail to: horrorcon@aol.com
I recently received some e-mail from Lawrence Schimel that I had missed a piece of Gaimaniana. "Reading the Entrails" is a rondel that appears in _The Fortune Teller_, an anthology that Schimel edited with Martin H. Greenberg. I've updated the Gaiman bibliography and will be posting it shortly.
This may have already been posted, but the latest Previews says that A Distant Soil will include an adaptation of Gaiman's "Troll Bridge." Colleen Doran will be doing the art, of course. There's a retailer incentive program, buy 20 get an alternative cover signed by Gaiman and Doran, so bug your retailer now. This is a solicitation for a May release, but I think ADS is still running a bit late.
Don't forget that Gaiman will be doing the framing bit for the Welcome Back to the House of Mystery due out May 6. Sergio Aragones is doing the art. (Aragones used to work on the old House of Mystery, so I'm looking forward to this.) My new theory is that the April issue of Previews will have the Cain and Abel bookends, but don't hold me to this.
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| | | Monday, March 9, 1998 |
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Dark Horizons/Neverwhere Clarification
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
The previous Dark Horizons article was wrong - here are some corrections straight from Neil:
Denise Di Novi is producing NEVERWHERE, not Death. Neverwhere is at Jim Henson Films, which is at Sony.
Death is at Warners. Time Warner owns all the Sandman characters and material; always has done. (That was the only kind of deal that DC offered back when we started.)
Current Status of Sandman: A new script has been rumoured to have been handed in. I haven't seen it, don't know what it's about, and know no more than this. I'm not involved.
Current Status of Death: no news. I handed in a treatment about a year ago. Haven't heard anything back yet. There are indications that things may restart on this, but we'll see.
Current status of Books of Magic: encouraging. I'd be Exec. Producing this, not writing it or directing. |
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Only The End... Comic
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
Lance "Squiddie" Smith passed along this press release about Oni Press publishing a comic adaptation of Only The End Of The World Again adapted and illustrated by P. Craig Russell and Troy Nixey. |
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Good Omens Movie Options Sold
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett have sold the movie option for Good Omens to the Samuelsons (who made Wilde, Carrington and Tom and Viv) They are currently looking for a writer.
It's been reported on various websites that Good Omens is with Warners who are waiting to see how Kevin Smith's Dogma does before greenlighting it. This is just something someone made up. (I'm certainly waiting for Dogma though!)
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West Coast Tour Press Release
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
Here's the official press release for Neil's upcoming West Coast Tour:
Press Release for Immediate Print -- January 8, 1998
NEIL GAIMAN TOURS WEST COAST TO FIGHT CENSORSHIP
Northampton, MA -- During the month of February, acclaimed author Neil Gaiman ("Sandman," "Mr. Punch," "Stardust") will continue the Guardian Angel Tour as part of his on-going commitment to raise money and awareness for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Gaiman will give dramatic readings from his short stories, including tales from his books "Angels and Visitations" and "The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish." Gaiman will also be premiering new stories from his upcoming book "Smoke and Mirrors", due out in October from Avon.
Gaiman will give three readings on this West Coast leg of the tour. On February 12th, 1998, Gaiman will appear in the ballroom of the Queen Mary in Los Angeles. He will be joined by science-fiction master Harlan Ellison, who will introduce the event. On Valentine's Day, February 14th, Gaiman will read at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. The tour concludes on February 16th at the Crocodile Club in Seattle. The final show will feature musical performances by several local bands. All shows start at 8 p.m. These readings will be Gaiman's first U.S. appearances for 1998.
Thanks in part to generous donations by White Wolf Publishing, all proceeds from the Guardian Angel Tour will directly benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. The C.B.L.D.F. is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving First Amendment rights for creators and retailers in the comics community. Funds raised by Gaiman's appearances will support the legal defense of comics-related First Amendment cases in courts throughout the United States. The Guardian Angel Tour has so far raised more than $30,000 to continue the fight against censorship in comics.
General admission tickets for the Los Angeles reading are available for $20 each; premium seats are available for $50 each. In San Francisco, tickets start at $10, with $50 premium seating also available. All tickets for the Seattle show are general admission and cost $10. In additional to the evening's festivities, Neil Gaiman and C.B.L.D.F. merchandise will be available at all the readings.
Gaiman's Los Angeles appearance is being underwritten in part by 21st Century Comics. For additional information and tickets for the Los Angeles reading, please contact Barry Short at 21st Century Comics, (714) 663-3440.
The San Francisco stop is being underwritten in part by Comix Experience. For tickets and information for the San Francisco reading, contact Brian Hibbs at Comix Experience, (415) 863-9258.
The Seattle reading is being underwritten in part by Fantagraphics Books. For tickets and information, contact Eric Reynolds at Fantagraphics, (206) 524-1967.
Information and tickets for all of these events can also be obtained through the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund at 1-800-99-CBLDF.
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to the preservation of First Amendment rights in the
comics community. Donations can always be sent directly to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund at P.O. Box 693, Northampton, MA 01061. Be sure to check out Busted! The Official Newsletter of the C.B.L.D.F. or our web page at http://www.cbldf.org for other C.B.L.D.F. news. |
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Non-Sandman Bibliography
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
Lance "Squiddie" Smith posted an update to the Neil Gaiman non-Sandman Bibliography on alt.fan.neil-gaiman |
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News From Neil
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
Neil's in seclusion working on the Neverwhere screenplay, and passes this along:
SMOKE & MIRRORS has been handed in. It will be out in the Autumn, along with the paperback of Neverwhere.
It contains five new short stories (although a couple of them will be out in the UK in UK-only anthologies around the time of publication) and over 20 previously uncollected pieces (a number of short stories, and several narrative poems like the three reprinted in the last two years' YEARS BEST FANTASY AND HORROR).
(No non-fiction, although there's a 6,000 word introduction.)
The current printing of Angels & Visitations (the 5th) will be the last ever. It was mainly done for Amazon.com and the various chain book shops which seem to have finally discovered that the book exists. Once the remaining copies have been sold that will be that.
Neverwhere's in its 6th or 7th printing currently (not sure which). |
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Guardian Angel Corrections
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
Some "errata" on the previous Guardian Angel press release:
Correction to the previous release:
The Seattle stop of the Neil Gaiman Guardian Angels Tour to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has moved forward a day to Sunday, February 15th. The location (the Crocodile Club) and time (8 pm) remain the same. Call Eric Reynolds at (206) 524-1967 for more information. We hope to have an announcement about the opening bands soon.
The San Francisco stop remains at Saturday, February 14th, at the Palace of Fine Arts, at 8 pm. Tickets are on sale at most major Bay Area comic book shops, and can also be purchased by calling BASS tickets at (510) 762-BASS. For more info, contact Brian Hibbs at (415) 863-9258.
The Los Angeles stop with Harlan Ellsion also remains the same -- Thursday, February 12th, on the Queen Mary at 8 pm. For more details, contact Barry Short at (714) 633-3440. |
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Newsweek "Goldfish" Article
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
Lance "Squiddie" Smith passed along the text and information on the Newsweek article:
Newsweek, December 1, 1997. (It has the parents of McCaughey septuplets on the cover.) The Arts section "Spruced Up Evergreens" by Malcom Jones Jr., pp 76-78.
"The surest sign of the robustness of children's literature (after the fact that it's a $1.5 billion business) is that it's absorbing one trend after another. A few years ago it was smart-aleck books (think 'The Stinky Cheese Man'). Now smarty-pants is just another option, like white-walls or cruise control. Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean may shock a few grandparents with The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish (Borealis/White Wolf Publishing. $21.99), but in fact the most shocking thing they've done in this droll story is to take the illegible look of cutting-edge magazines like Raygun and somehow make it readable."
The review is on page 77 and there's a small picture of the book on page 78. |
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Puck's Guardian Angel Review
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
I've posted my review of the Guardian Angel reading in Seattle last Sunday (Feb 15/98) |
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News From the Seattle Reading
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
I learned a few news items at the Seattle reading, but didn't have time to post them:
The Seattle PBS station, KCTS has acquired the broadcast rights Neverwhere and plan to air it in March as part of a fundraising series. The plan is that people who donate during the show will get premiums, one of which is planned to a be a videotape of Neil being interviewed. I'll be sure to post their 1-800 number so you can call in to support them (and get your goodies). More information to follow.
Neil mention that he had some "Hollywood information" for me, but I haven't received it yet. It seems that Beowulf is now on hold, but the Death movie looks like it might be made. Not what I would have guessed... |
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Neil Reading
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
The Sci-Fi Channel's web page has a RealAudio stream of Neil reading Chivalry (from the CD: Warning: Contains Language). |
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Upcoming Comics
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
Thanks to Ben Pearson who passed along the following information from the latest issue of Previews:
Gaiman is writing a framing sequence for WELCOME BACK TO THE HOUSE OF MYSTERY, a 96 page Vertigo comic collecting old '60s and '70s stories from HOUSE OF MYSTERY and PLOP!. Sergio Aragones is illustrating the sequence. The comic should be out May 6.
"Troll Bridge" will be put into comic form in A DISTANT SOIL #25. The story will be written by Gaiman (of course) and illustrated by Colleen Doran. The issue also contains another story by Doran. Also, look out for limited, alternate cover comics signed by Gaiman and Doran.
THE SPIRIT: THE NEW ADVENTURES #2 has a story by Gaiman. |
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Day of the Dead Airdate
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
Neil's Babylon 5 episode will air Wednesday, March 11. Get your VCRs ready. Me, I have to wait for Kalen to send me a copy (psst - is that tape full yet?) I can't get TNT here in Canada, and nobody else is showing B5. Grrr. |
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Neverwhere on PBS
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
Chris Shumway posted on alt.fan.neil-gaiman that Neverwhere will be broadcast in the Bay Area on KTEH San Jose, starting Sunday, March 22.
I'd really suggest that everyone else check their local PBS affiliate as it seems many PBS stations are picking this up for broadcast (including KTCS in Seattle, which I can receive here).
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More News from Lance, Part.. um.. 20?
Posted by puck at 3:00 AM PST
More news from Lance "Squiddie" Smith:
The 10th Anniversary edition of Violent Cases is out this week in both the softcover and the hard cover editions. Brand new cover art and more color inside. This is about a year late so it's really closer to the 11th Anniversary edition, but one musn't quibble.)
The May issue of Heavy Metal has a short interview with Gaiman by Jeffrey Goldsmith. It's on or about page 10 or 11. They don't seem to number their pages and while the table of contents suggests it's on page 11, that looks to be the second page of the interview. It's only two pages and it has his story about his first exposure to the French Heavy Metal which is worth reading. |
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