Alex Ross Returns to ABC

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The artists for the first set of twelve cards includes: Wolverine by Bill Sienkiewicz, Captain America by Travis Charest, Punisher by Tim Townsend, The Avengers by Alex Ross, Daredevil by David Mack, Spider-Man by John Romita Jr., Wolverine by Frank Quitely, the Hulk by Kaare Andrews, Elektra by Greg Horn, Daredevil and Spider-Man by Alex Ross, Black Widow by J.G. Jones, and that Phoenix/Wolverine kiss by Ian Churchill. It is unclear if all of the art will be reprinted from other sources, or a mix of new and previously-seen art.

Source: Your Man @ Marvel

Written by Ross and Jim Krueger and illustrated by Steve (Generation X) Pugh, the mini-series will bridge the gap between the end of Universe X in September and the start of Paradise X in December.

Source: alexrossart.com

To read the whole article, click here

Source: WizardWorld.com

The line will kick off with an Earth X Wolverine mini-bust in July. Earth X version mini-busts of Venom, Spider-Girl and Sub-Mariner will follow. Ross designed, sculpted and painted all four mini-busts, and the artist has plans to design all future statues, busts and bookends in the line. He will also oversee the production from beginning to end.

Source: WizardWorld.com

• Best Painter Alex Ross
• Best Creative Team Ellis/Cassaday/DePuy (Planetary) and Moore/Williams III/Gray (Promethea)
• Best Cover Artist John Cassaday
• Best Comics Novella Superman & Batman: World's Funnest Comics
• Best Ongoing Series Planetary and Black Panther

For the complete list of winners and more information about the Squiddy Awards check out the website, by clicking the link below.

Source: The Squiddy Awards

"I`m already doing the sketches for the next series` character designs," Ross said in a interview posted on Fandom's Comics Newsarama. "It`ll be called Paradise X, which is somewhat appropriate, since we`re crossing over from the earthly to the unearthly and heavenly."

For the whole interview click here

Source: Fandom's Comics Newsarama

"Apparently, the production team are fans of mine," Ross said in a interview with Fandom's Comics Newsarama. "I got to go to the movie premiere last year, and I got a chance to ask the director the obvious question of, `Was that the Spectre up there on the screen, `cause it sure as hell looked like him.` Night said that even though he hadn`t read Kingdom Come before he made the film, I wasn`t the first person to mention it to him that evening."

The discussion led to more conversation with the revelation that Shyamalan had become a fan of Ross` work in the time since producing the film. As a result, Ross will be one of the three comic professionals who will speak on the art form of comics on the DVD release of the film.

Source: Fandom's Comics Newsarama

In the first part he talks about the upcoming Spider-man Movie and gives readers a peek at his designs. In the second part he talks about Batman & Robin, Silver Surfer, X-Men, and more. In the third part Alex Ross talks about the state of comics, and in the fourth part he gives us some final thoughts.

For the first part of the interview click here

For the second part of the interview click here

For the third part of the interview click here

For the fourth part of the interview click here

Source: Ain't It Cool News

For the complete interview click here

Source: AnotherUniverse.com

He's the complete schedule:

(#1) Universe X: 4 will spotlight the Fantastic Four and be drawn by Brent Anderson. It is scheduled for a August release.

(#2) Universe X: Spidey will shed new light and give a new perspective to the Gwen Stacy part of Peter Parker's life. It will be drawn by Butch Guice and released in November. Comicbook legend John Romita Sr. will be inking the Gwen pages in the 48-page one-shot.

(#3) Universe X: Cap will spotlight Captain America and be drawn by Thomas Yeates. It is scheduled for a December release.

(#4) Universe X: Beasts will spotlight future Hulk and the X-Men and be drawn by Earth X artist John Paul Leon.

(#5) Universe X: Iron Men will be drawn by Brent Anderson and include the Iron Avengers and Iron Maiden.

Source: Comics Continuum

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art):

Kyle Baker, I Die at Midnight (Vertigo/DC); "Letitia Lerner, Superbaby's Babysitter" in Elseworlds 80-Page Giant (DC)
John Bolton, Gifts of the Night (Vertigo/DC)
Alex Ross, Batman: War on Crime (DC)
Jill Thompson, Scary Godmother: The Mystery Date (Sirius)

Best Cover Artist:

John Cassaday, Planetary (Wildstorm/DC)
Frank Cho, Liberty Meadows (Insight Studios)
Glenn Fabry, Preacher (Vertigo/DC)
Dave McKean, The Dreaming (Vertigo/DC)
Alex Ross, Batman: No Man's Land, Batman: Harley Quinn, Batman: War on Crime; Kurt Busiek's Astro City(Homage/Wildstorm/DC); ABC alternate #1 covers

Click here for the complete list of winners/nominees.

Source: Comic Book Resources

Previously unannounced, the Spider-Man one-shot is slated for November or December and will be written by Jim Krueger, with pencils by Butch Guice and a cover by Alex Ross. The story will shed new light and give a new perspective to the Gwen Stacy part of Peter Parker's life. Classic Spider-Man artist John Romita Sr., the artist most associated with the Gwen Stacy era of Spider-Man, will ink the Gwen pages of the issue.

Source: Comics Newsarama

Source: Comic Book Resources

Check out a small sample of the stuff offered on the Earth-X multimedia CD ROM:

To view them, simply click on the titles to view the respective covers. Special thanks goes out to Clem Clambake for letting me use the images on his site. Please check out his amazing website - Clem Clambake's Alex Ross Lounge - it literally contains hundreds of images not seen here.

Just as the Superman: Peace on Earth litho last year, the new lithograph will be very limited - 250 pieces. Each litho comes with an edition of the tabloid-sized book.

Several selected pieces of original art - who will be auctioned at Sotheby`s on June 17 - will be on display at the Warner Bros. Studio Store in New York from June 1 to 8. Ross will donate all proceeds from the auction to the John A. Reisenbach Foundation, benefiting the John A. Reisenbach Charter School in Harlem.

Last year`s auction of Superman: Peace on Earth artwork brought in nearly $100,000 and was donated by Ross to UNICEF.

Source: Comics Newsarama

In September the Wildstorm imprint of DC Comics will publish an 64-page America's Best Comics anthology special. The special will feature a cover by Alex Ross.

"The cast of Top 10 is in the center, with pictures of Tom Strong, Promethea, Johnny B. Quick, Greyshirt, Splash Brannigan, Cobweb, the First American and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen surrounding them in smaller boxes. So far, I've seen the sketch, and from that alone, you can tell that this is one of Alex's best pieces." ABC line editor Scott Dunbier said in the article.

For the full article please use the link below.

Source: Newsarama

For the full article please click here.

Source: WizardWorld.com

Next up, heading your way in August, is UNIVERSE X #1, which begins the story of this tale in earnest. Captain America and the resurrected Mar-Vell embark on their search for the universe's greatest power sources, while Reed Richards discovers that the Earth is on the brink of biological armageddon! Expect appearances by Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, the Brothers Grimm, the Defenders, Immortus, the Inhumans, and even Power Pack! This debut issue (and UNIVERSE X: 0) sports a fully-painted cover by Alex Ross that is a piece in the fourteen-part inter-connecting portrait of Universe X!

And that's not all! Also out in August is UNIVERSE X: 4 (as in "Fantastic" four), the first of four spin-off one-shots serving as essential chapters in this new saga! Galactus, the Thing, Namor, Him, Alicia, Agatha Harkness, Dr. Strange, Commander Arcturus Rann (of Micronauts fame), the Brothers Grimm, X-51, and a host of heroes and villains lost in the realm of the dead star in this all-new adventure! According to Ross, "This special is our way of giving something back to Reed Richards after all of the pain we've caused him." Echoing those thoughts, co-writer Krueger added, "Our goal was to create the ultimate Fantastic Four story. To draw upon their history and do something with these characters that was completely new and yet that also beckoned back to the team's heritage. It's sort of a tale of two worlds: the past and the future." This 48-page one-shot is penciled by Astro City's Brent Anderson, and also features a powerful painted cover by Universe X overseer, Alex Ross.

I'll pass on the names of the additional three one-shots, which will swing the spotlight on other heroes' key to the tale, as I get the full details!

Source: Your Man @ Marvel

Batman: War on Crime by Paul Dini and Alex Ross earned the award for Best Graphic Album of Original Work.

Click here for a complete listing of all nominees.

Source: Harvey Awards

And according to TMP's Beau Smith, they're doing something a little different as far as alternate covers go this time around... "Each cover with have their own retail code so they retailer will be able to order as many or as little of each cover as they want," explained Smith. "This way the consumer will also be able to tell the retailer which covers they want. I wanted to make this very retail/consumer friendly. Too many variant covers have been forced down the necks of retailers and I was real tired of that."

Source: Newsarama

While the contributors list for the upcoming World's Funniest, a special that pits Mr. Mxyzpltk and Bat-Mite against one another is huge, we hadn't heard just exactly how the two imps were going to spread mayhem through the DC Universe, until now. Newsarama caught up with Alex Ross and the artist graciously gave a few hints regarding the contributions he's making to the project, and why the special will be a swan song of sorts.

"The story trips through the entire DCU and everybody from Frank Miller to Jamie Hernandez is contributing," Ross tells Newsarama. "Only Frank and myself do parodies of our own stuff, because everybody else is trying to approximate a certain time period. Jaime is doing a C.C. Beck Captain Marvel that's interrupted by Bat Mite and Mxyzpltk, where Frank and I are literally inserting these characters into a moment in our own work.

"In my case, I'm at the tail end of the book where Mxy's finally at his wits end, and makes a deconstructionistic appearance in Kingdom Come. I stick him into the middle of the war scene in the final issue of Kingdom Come."

"It's a phenomenal parody of the original final battle, but for me, this is my final word on Kingdom Come. I've been asked several times by different parties to go back and do something more in that same universe, but as far as I'm concerned, the story was over with the final page of issue #4. I may come out and do something on an anniversary here or there, but I still have a while to think about that, so this will stand as my last Kingdom Come work for a very long time, and maybe ever."

Source: Newsarama

This summer, Graphitti Designs will release an autographed and slipcased Earth X collection that will overflow with never-before-seen extra's. The limited-edition volume will be an oversized hardcover, and the interior pages will be in black and white, which is how Ross and his partners originally envisioned the series. Ross says in the interview: "We really wanted to show off a collection of the series as we've always seen it. I think it will really change the way a lot of people see the quality of John's work."

The collection will also contain reproductions of all of Ross' covers for the series, depictions of the Earth X T-shirts Ross designed and the Earth X #1/2 special that soon will be available through Wizard magazine. There may also be some extra story pages added to the hardcover.

In addition to all these extras, the package will also have an enhanced compact disc containing music inspired by Earth X and its characters. The CD will also include a short video based on the series that mixes three-dimensional computer animation and live action. The animated portions will be put together by friends in the business, and the live-action segments will star the models Ross regularly employs for his comics projects.

The Graphitti Designs Earth X collection however will not be cheap - somewhere around $90. A standard-sized, color hardcover Earth X collection will be released by Marvel by the end of this year and a softcover version probably will hit stores by spring 2001.

Fans won't have to wait very long to read new stories about the world Ross created for Earth X. This summer, Marvel Comics will launch Universe X, a sequel that picks up right where the original series leaves off. Next to Alex Ross, writer Jim Krueger and inker Bill Reinhold all will return for the second series. Ross will handle cover duties again - Like its predecessor the Universe X covers will fit together to form one giant image. This time the interior pencils will be done by Doug Braithwaite, an English artist whose past projects include the Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe one-shot and Supermen of America.

As a special treat this time around there will also be four, 48-page one-shots released that will tie into the regular Universe X series but also can stand on their own. The one-shots will appear at three-month intervals over the course of Universe X. The first will be about the Fantastic Four and will be penciled by Astro City artist Brent Anderson.

Universe X will - just like Earth X - start with a free sketchbook (bagged with Wizard #106). In July a #0 will be released and Universe X #1 should arrive in August. And If Universe X is a success Alex Ross and Jim Krueger are even considering a third installment.

Click here to read the whole second installment of the interview, posted on the AnotherUniverse.com website.

Fans of his artwork should know by now that Alex Ross loves the classic, pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths versions of DC Comics' heroes, especially the 1970s-era Justice League of America. At the moment he's working on a series of posters of DC's legendary champions that will be released every few months. Posters of Barry Allen as the Flash and Hal Jordan as Green Lantern already have been released. Upcoming depictions include: Aquaman, Hawkman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Plastic Man and Zatanna.

The Superman: Peace on Earth and Batman: War on Crime oversized one-shots allowed Ross to honor the world's most beloved superheroes on their 60th birthdays. This year, Alex Ross will mark the original Captain Marvel's sixth decade in service with another treasury format book for DC Comics, called Shazam!: Power of Hope. Just like first two one-shots, this one will also be written by Paul Dini. It should hit the stores in November.

Power of Hope won't be the last oversized anniversary project for Ross and Dini. Next year, the dynamic duo will wrap up the series with a Wonder Woman one-shot about the evils of war.

This year you can also expect several posters of various Marvel characters to be released by Dynamic Forces and a cover for Alan Moore's upcoming America's Best Comics 80-Page Giant. Ross will also be doing a short story for the World's Funniest Comics one-shot which teams up Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk. Ross' contribution - written by Evan Dorkin - will poke fun at Ross' Kingdom Come.

Click here to read the whole first installment of the interview, posted on the AnotherUniverse.com website.

This book will give readers a sneak peek into the inner workings of Marvel Comics' Universe X, the highly anticipated sequel to Earth X. This comic will feature a first look at the highly detailed character sketches illustrated by Alex Ross, the mastermind behind this amazing series! Plus, an all-new painted cover by Ross!

BEST WRITER
Kurt Busiek for Kurt Busiek's Astro City
Dan Clowes for Eightball
Warren Ellis for Planetary
Alan Moore for League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Alan Moore for Tom Strong
Chris Ware for Acme Novelty Library

BEST ARTIST
Dan Clowes for Eightball
Jaime Hernandez for Penny Century
Mike Mignola for Hellboy: Box Full of Evil
Chris Sprouse for Tom Strong
Chris Ware for Acme Novelty Library

BEST CARTOONIST
Dan Clowes for Eightball
Jaime Hernandez for Penny Century
Stan Sakai for Usagi Yojimbo
Jeff Smith for Bone
Chris Ware for Acme Novelty Library

SPECIAL AWARD FOR HUMOR IN COMICS
Sergio Aragones Groo, etc.
Evan Dorkin Dork, etc.
Sam Henderson Magic Whistle, etc.
Tony Millionaire Sock Monkey, etc.
Steven Weissman Champs, etc.

SPECIAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRESENTATION
Acme Novelty Library #13 by Chris Ware
Batman: War on Crime by Paul Dini and Alex Ross, design by Georg Brewer
Blab! # 10 by various artists, edited and designed by Monte Beauchamp
Cave-In by Brian Ralph, design by Jordan Crane, Tom Devlin, and Brian Ralph
300 (hardcover edition) by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, design by Mark Cox

BEST NEW SERIES
Louis Riel by Chester Brown
Planetary by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday, edited by John Layman
Promethea by Alan Moore, J.H. Williams III, and Mike Gray, edited by Scott Dunbier
Tom Strong by Alan Moore and Chris Sprouse, edited by Scott Dunbier
Top Ten by Alan Moore, Gene Ha, and Zander Cannon, edited by Scott Dunbier
Weasel by Dave Cooper, edited by Gary Groth

BEST CONTINUING OR LIMITED SERIES
Acme Novelty Library by Chris Ware, edited by Kim Thompson
Kurt Busiek's Astro City by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson, edited by John Layman
Eightball by Dan Clowes, edited by Gary Groth
Penny Century by Jaime Hernandez, edited by Gary Groth
Tom Strong by Alan Moore and Chris Sprouse, edited by Scott Dunbier

BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR STORY
Acme Novelty Library #13 by Chris Ware
Batman: War on Crime by Paul Dini and Alex Ross
Blab #10 by various artists, edited by Monte Beauchamp
Eightball #20 by Dan Clowes
Tomorrow Stories #2 by Alan Moore, Jim Baikie, Melinda Gebbie, Kevin Nowlan, and Rick Veitch

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM OF ORIGINAL WORK
Batman: War on Crime by Paul Dini and Alex Ross, edited by Charles Kochman and Joey Cavalieri
Cave-In by Brian Ralph, edited by Tom Devlin
Champs by Steven Weissman, edited by Gary Groth
Good-bye, Chunky Rice by Craig Thompson, edited by Chris Staros
The Jew of New York by Ben Katchor

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM OF PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED WORK
El Borbah by Charles Burns, edited by Kim Thompson
From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell
Manhunter: The Special Edition by Archie Goodwin and Walter
Simonson,edited by Dennis O'Neil and Jim Spivey
Monkey Food: The Complete "I Was Seven in '75" Collection by Ellen Forney, edited by Gary Groth
My New York Diary by Julie Doucet

BEST ANTHOLOGY
Blab! edited by Monte Beauchamp
Nickelodeon Magazine Comic Book edited by Chris Duffy
Non edited by Jordan Crane
Tomorrow Stories edited by Scott Dunbier
Zero Zero edited by Kim Thompson

BEST INKER
Dan Clowes for Eightball
Jaime Hernandez for Penny Century
Gerhard for Cerebus
Al Gordon for Tom Strong
Paul Neary for The Authority

BEST LETTERER
Dan Clowes for Eightball
Chris Eliopoulos for Savage Dragon
Dave Sim for Cerebus
Richard Sala for Evil Eye
Chris Ware for Acme Novelty Library

BEST COLORIST
Laura Allred for Madman
Laura Depuy for The Authority
Tad Elrich for Tom Strong
Lynn Varley for 300
Chris Ware for Acme Novelty Library

BEST SYNDICATED STRIP OR PANEL
For Better or Worse by Lynn Johnston
Maakies by Tony Millionaire
Mutts by Patrick McDonnell
Peanuts by Charles Schulz
Underworld by Kaz

BEST BIOGRAPHICAL, HISTORICAL OR JOURNALISTIC PRESENTATION
Comic Base 4.0 (Database CD-ROM)
Comic Book Artist
The Comics Journal
The Enigma of Al Capp by Alexander Theroux
Jack Kirby Collector

BEST AMERICAN EDITION OF FOREIGN MATERIAL
After the Rain by Andre Juillard, edited by Terry Nantier
Black and White by Taiyo Matsumoto, edited by Annette Roman
Death and Candy by Max Andersson, edited by Kim Thompson
The Nimrod by Lewis Trondheim, edited by Kim Thompson
Star Wars: The Manga by Toshiki Kudo and Shin-Ichi Hiromoto based on stories by George Lucas, edited by David Land

BEST DOMESTIC REPRINT PROJECT
DC Archive Series, edited by Dale Crain
Marvel Essential Series, edited by Polly Watson
Manhunter: The Special Edition by Archie Goodwin and Walter
Simonson, edited by Dennis O'Neil and Jim Spivey
Pogo by Walt Kelly, edited by Tom Spurgeon
Prince Valiant by Hal Foster, edited by Pia Christensen, Henning Kure, and Jens Trasborg

BEST NEW TALENT
Brian Ralph, Cave-In, etc.
David Choe, Slow Jams, etc.
Leland Myrick, Sweet, etc.
Douglas Paskiewicz, Arsenic Lullaby, etc.
Craig Thompson, Good-bye, Chunky Rice, etc.

BEST COVER ARTIST
Travis Charest for Wildcats
Glenn Fabry for Preacher
Adam Hughes for Wonder Woman
Alex Ross for Kurt Busiek's Astro City
Chris Ware for Acme Novelty Library

The awards will be presented at the Pittsburgh Comicon on April 28 (Friday).

Source: Comic Book Resources

UNIVERSE X ARTISTS

Jim Krueger said Thursday night that Doug Braithwaite will be the artist to Universe X, the 14-issue follow-up to Earth X masterminded by Krueger and Alex Ross.

"He was Alex's fave for the job," Krueger said of Braithwaite, who is currently drawing the six-issue Supermen of America series for DC Comics.

In addition to the regular maxi-series, Krueger said that there will be four 48-page specials spaced throughout. John Paul Leon, the artist of Earth X, will be drawing a Hulk/X-Men issue, and Brent Anderson will draw 4. Krueger said the other specials will feature Cap and Iron Men.

Krueger said that Universe X is more of a second part of a story than a sequel.

"This is a natural outgrowth of ideas set in Earth X," Krueger said. "Alex and I were talking about this before Earth X was even official.

"While it comes out about four months after Earth X, in Marvel time, it will be three years later."

"Universe X will feature all the members of Earth X - plus a number of characters not included in that series. Some of the big Marvel characters from the 70s will show up in Universe X. But, some key new characters as well. And, characters like Iron Maiden and Daredevil will be in the spotlight as well."

Krueger said Universe X could launch as early as late summer.

Awesome Entertainment announced it is launching/resoliciting Alan Moore's Glory series this April with Glory #1. The series was originally solicited for a September, 1999 debut. To mark the occasion, Glory #1 will feature variant covers by Rob Liefeld, Ian Churchill, Jae Lee and Alex Ross. "We wanted to give the fans something special for waiting patiently for this new Glory series, and we hope that a new painted cover by Alex Ross will be the extra incentive for retailers and fans to give the title a new look," said Awesome Marketing Director, Jimmy Jay.

The series will be will be illustrated by Art Thibert and Melinda Gebbie, with Thibert handling the main story, and Gebbie illustrating regular Golden Age flashback sequences. For Awesome, Moore or Glory fans who may have forgotten, here's Awesome's description of the first issue, part one of The Gates Of Tears, a 6-issue story arc planned and fully scripted by Moore...

Source: Newsarama

THE COMICS JOURNAL #223

Alex Ross gained worldwide fame with his intricately painted Marvels and Kingdom Come, and has been riding high on the industry's wish lists ever since. Christopher Brayshaw gets the interview with art talk and insider politics. Also, an interview with the creator behind the Cartoon History of the Universe, the Cartoon Guide to Sex, the Cartoon Guide to Physics, and the Cartoon Guide to just about everything else, the master of non-fiction, Larry Gonick. And, finally, a chat with Lloyd Dangle, the cartoonist behind Troubletown. Special-original painted cover by Alex Ross.

152 pages, black and white, $7.95.

John Cassaday:
American artist John Cassaday (1971) is best known for his work on the highly acclaimed Desperadoes mini-series and Planetary both for DC's Wildstorm imprint. Works of interest include the Union Jack mini-series and the X-Men/Alpha Flight mini-series.

Alex Ross:
Fully-painted comics are nothing new, but few painters can match the excellence of Alex Ross. His photo-realistic paintings are a real treat for the eyes. Work highlights include: Marvels, Kingdom Come, Uncle Sam and his exquisite covers for Kurt Busiek's: Astro City.

Tim Sale:
American artist Tim Sale (1956) is probably best known for his work on Batman: The Long Halloween, Superman: For all Seasons and his current work on the new Batman: Dark Victory maxi-series.

"Having collaborated with Alex earlier this year on Batman: War on Crime, I was delighted he had time to fit a special Jing painting into his hectic schedule," Dini told The Continuum. "Alex's Jing is every bit the mischievous pixie. The expression on her face reminds me of the first line of the song 'Santa Claus is Comin' to Town' -- 'You better watch out...' Wanna learn how Santa goes down the chimney? Jing'll be more than happy to demonstrate with you. It's a treat for me to see how different artists interpret Jing and her world."

Dini said that he's having "a great time" writing Jingle Belle.

"It combines a number of interests dear to my heart; Christmas, bizarre wildlife and bratty little blondes," Dini said. "The best part is seeing all the incredible art as it comes in. Stephen DeStefano's work is awesome. He's one of the funniest, most inspired cartoonists I've ever seen."

Other bonuses in the Jingle Belle mini-series include pin-ups by Jill Thompson and Sergio Aragones and an inking assist by David Mazzuchelli in #1 and a pin-up by Evan Dorkin in #2. Roswell creator Bill Morrison did the cover to #1.

Alex Ross Does Jingle Belle Cover