New Talent Showcase #1
writer- various
artist- various
The New Talent Showcase came about
after two workshops led by some of the best veteran writers and
artists at DC Comics. DC held its Writer's Workshop Pilot Program
from January to March in 2016. For 13 weeks, writers who were from
various backgrounds but new to DC comics, exercised and honed their
skills to create some of the strongest, “publish-worthy” stories
the heads at DC had ever seen. And back in the Fall of 2015, current
DC artists were invited to DC HQ in Burbank, California, where they
went through extensive, week long, master classes; meetings with
editorial staff; and discussions on craft with Jim Lee and Klaus
Jansen.
Those two pilot programs paved a new
world of talent development including a web-site, more workshops,
and the product of all that hard work- DC's New Talent Showcase.
The Book
The New Talent Showcase is a one-shot released in what used to be
called a bookshelf format. It's 80 pages of beautiful art and story
starring characters like Superman, Deadman, Hellblazer, Wonder Woman,
and Harley Quinn. And each story leaves you wanting a little more.
In fact, New Talent Showcase #1 reads like any other anthology book
by DC. You expect the stories to continue next month in #2. But
this book is not like any other anthology. It's a stepping stone for
the kind of new talent you'll be seeing in the near future: the
writers and artists who will prove to be the next wave of DC comic
creators.
The book is intro'd with a great piece by Bobby Chase. She describes
the inception of the book and wraps it up in one page. As a writer
myself, I see this intro as a valuable thing. What the author is
doing, is telling everyone that becoming a DC writer or artist isn't
impossible. If it is your dream, don't give up. There are workshops
and online resources that can get you closer to working for one of
the greatest comic book companies in the world. All you have to do
is get into one of those pilot programs and show them you have what
it takes. Nobody ever said it would be easy, but at least it isn't
impossible.
Years ago, writing or drawing for one of the major comics companies
happened when you sent in art or scripts or showed them in person,
after seemingly endless rejections. It's a tiring endeavor and not
one for those who get discouraged easily. But at some point, comic
book creators were a dime a dozen. Focus was less on the content and
more on the holographic, glow-in-the-dark, foil embossed, scratch and
sniff covers. Stories weren't always good, because there were so
many books available and everybody could get a job working on one.
Then companies stopped accepting submissions. The only way writers
could get their script published was if they were already
best-selling authors, film directors, or they ran the company. New
Talent Showcase is breaking down that idea and shouting to the
rooftops, “Hey, we're looking for fresh new talent! Show us your
stuff!” And that's how I see it. DC Comics is challenging every
writer or illustrator out there to become the next Scott Snyder or
the next Jim Lee.
The Story and Art
Let's take a look at some of the names and faces found in the pages
of New Talent Showcase.
In
Hellblazer:
The Road to Hell and All That, John
Constantine goes to Hell to try to bring back the father of the woman
he loves. As messed up as it sounds, it's his way of doing something
nice for her. The story is written by Adam Smith and rendered by
Siya Oum. Smith nails the Constantine personae perfectly. The
dialogue, the mannerisms... Smith knows his stuff.
Adam Smith had this to say about his experience writing the
Hellblazer segment:
“Being a dude from the south writing a famously British character was pretty intimidating, and with Steve Dillon passing away I've been thinking a lot about how much Hellblazer meant to me as that right book at that right time in my life.”
Smith couldn't be in better company. Siya Oum captures the gloom and
tragedy that Constantine carries with him, and translates it
perfectly into story art. Oum's style is serious and stunningly
accurate and has me hoping to see more in future Hellblazer issues.
Christopher
Sebela and David Messina's Deadman:
Killing Time teaches
us that just because Boston Brand is a ghost who does “good deeds”
doesn't mean that he's going to find his way out of limbo any time
soon. Messina's art is amazing ad perfect for Deadman. It stirs up
eerie echoes from the spirit world and creates the right mood for any
piece of dark graphic literature. Of course we have to remember that
this is a comic book story starring a classic DC character. And
Deadman is right up Christopher Sebela's alley.
“When
I was a kid buying comics for the first time, I found Mike Baron and
Kelley Jones' Deadman stories, which were so different from all the
other Deadman stuff. Poetic and grotesque and emotional and creepy
as heck. Those stories have burned themselves into my mind and have
stayed there ever since.”- Christopher Sebela
It's obvious Sebela has an affection for the character of Deadman.
He's really good about bringing the characters to life and making the
reader feel sympathy for them. More Christopher Sebela on Deadman,
please. And team him up with David Messina's art.
The
Catwoman/Wonder
Woman
story, The
Amazonian Job
lays down some groundwork for a fantastic story arc. Wonder Woman
hires Catwoman to steal a box that holds the power to destroy worlds.
While the two get acquainted, that aforementioned groundwork is
taking place. It seems Zeus has taken over a submarine, the USS
Mount Olympus, and he wants that box of power for himself. One of
the cool things about this story is that there's more to it. What we
read is limited by the number of pages it's allowed. If this were
any other anthology book, there'd be more to it next month. I want
that book. I want to know what Catwoman and Wonder Woman are getting
themselves into. I want to know what Zeus plans to do with the box
and with the crew of the USS Mount Olympus. And I want to know
what's going to happen when the ladies and Zeus bump heads. It's
sure to be a clash of titans. Artist, Minkyu Jung's ladies are
gorgeous. And there's action in every panel that Catwoman is in.
Each page has a sense of motion and excitement running through it,
and dread and darkness when Zeus appears.
When trying to decide which characters to use in her story for this
book, Emma Beeby had a tough choice ahead of her. She was attracted
to Catwoman's “bad girl” attitude and barbed one-liners, but she
was also interested in Wonder Woman's strength and the mythology that
goes along with her. Then it dawned on her to team them up. Emma
knew that the two were nothing alike and that they went together in a
story like vinegar and oil, but then Emma Beeby loves a challenge.
This met this challenge and won. The Amazonian Job is a great
story... or at least the beginning of one.
So
that's a little about DC's New Talent Showcase. According to Editor
Bobby Chase, this is going to be an annual event. So keep your eyes
peeled and if you're interested in creating history, you might check
out the DC Writer's Workshop.
And
if you want a good read, you can get this book at your favorite comic
shop for $7.99 cover price. It is well worth it.
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