Sequart Preps Neil Gaiman Documentary

Sequart Research & Literacy Organization, in conjunction with Respect! Films, is honored and proud to announce that author Neil Gaiman will be the next subject in its expanding line of comics-centric documentaries.

In the tradition of Sequart’s Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods and Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts documentaries, the Neil Gaiman film will be an all-access look at the scribe’s illustrious, media-spanning career, from his first foray into published writing all the way up to the current signing tour for his new novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. This unique profile will include footage from Neil’s performances with Amanda Palmer, lectures and readings from across the country, as well as extensive interviews with Neil and his fans, contemporaries, and closest collaborators.

The film will be directed by Patrick Meaney, produced by Jordan Rennert, and executive produced by Mike Phillips and Julian Darius. More details will roll at Sequart.org throughout the summer, but for the time being, please enjoy this little teaser trailer: http://sequart.org/magazine/23941/sequarts-next-documentary-film-subject-is-neil-gaiman/.

In addition to the Gaiman documentary, completion is just a few months away on two other Sequart documentary projects. The Image Revolution, chronicling the founding and history of the world’s most successful independent comic book company, Image Comics, is extremely close to completion, and will be playing at festivals this autumn. Comics in Focus: Chris Claremont’s X-Men is also nearly complete. The film reveals the behind-the-scenes story of Claremont’s landmark seventeen-year run on the title. It will be released this autumn.

Our two previous films, Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods and Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts, are available on Special Edition DVD, each with over two hours of bonus material (or for download).

About the Publisher: Sequart Research & Literacy Organization is a non-profit devoted to the study and promotion of comic books as a legitimate art form. It publishes books and documentaries aimed at making comics scholarship accessible. For more information, go to http://sequart.org/

Sequart Launches a Year of Warren Ellis

PRESS RELEASE:

Sequart is excited to announce that 2011 is the YEAR OF ELLIS — as in celebrated comics writer Warren Ellis. Throughout the year, we’ll be offering three books and a documentary film on Ellis, exploring his major works, his overall career, and why he deserves his status in the top pantheon of comics writers.

First up will be Keeping the World Strange: A Planetary Guide, edited by Cody Walker. This book of essays will study the exhilarating collaboration of Ellis and artist John Cassaday. It features essays by CBR’s Chad Nevett and Timothy Callahan (Grant Morrison: The Early Years), Julian Darius (Improving the Foundations), Patrick Meaney (Our Sentence is Up), legendary comics scholar Peter Sanderson, and many others. The book is scheduled for May 2011 publication.

Our second Ellis book of 2011 will be Shot in the Face: A Savage Journey to the Heart of Transmetropolitan, edited by CBR’s Chad Nevett. This book of essays will study the riveting collaboration of Ellis and artist Darick Robertson. It features essays by Greg Burgas, Johanna Draper Carlson, Julian Darius, Sara K. Ellis, Ryan K. Lindsay, Patrick Meaney, Jason Michelitch, Chris Murphy, Chad Nevett, Kevin Thurman, Brett Williams, and Sean Witzke.

Our third Ellis book of the year will be Voyage in Noise: Warren Ellis and the Demise of Western Civilization, authored by Kevin Thurman. This book examines Ellis’s entire body of work for common themes, discovering philosophical perspectives and parallels that illuminate contemporary society.

To top it all off, 2011 will see the premier of the documentary film Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts, directed by Patrick Meaney and produced in association with Respect! Films (Amber Yoder, Jordan Rennert, and Patrick Meaney). It’s executive produced by Sequart (Julian Darius and Mike Phillips) and F. J. DeSanto, with creative consultant Kevin Thurman. This follow-up to Respect! and Sequart’s popular Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods features interviews with Ellis and a plethora of other comics professionals. It’s tentatively scheduled for late 2011 release.

Although 2011 is the Year of Ellis, that doesn’t mean Sequart won’t also be releasing other works. In fact, even before any of our Ellis titles, we’re offering Classics on Infinite Earths: The Justice League and DC Crossover Canon, authored by Julian Darius. The book examines classic Justice League stories and universe-wide DC crossovers, arguing that they constitute a literary canon. Along with this book, other non-Ellis projects are in the works, and we’ll be making some major announcements on those in the coming months.

Thanks for your support, and be sure to tweet and post about the Year of Ellis! [THE END]

Sequart Announces Book about 1960s Batman TV Series

PRESS RELEASE:

Sequart Research and Literacy Organization’s Gotham City 14 Miles: 14 Essays on Why the 1960s TV Series Matters is now available for order through comic shops (use Diamond order code OCT101262). The book, edited by Jim Beard, is currently listed in the books section of October’s Previews catalog (page 332) and is set to hit stores in late December.

A sell out at New York Comic Con, Gotham City 14 Miles offers 14 essays that examine the equally celebrated and derided show from varied, sometimes surprising viewpoints:

*Bats in Their Belfries: The Proliferation of Batmania, by Robert Greenberger. (Covers the genesis of the show and explosion of Batmania.)

*Batman: From Comics Page to TV Screen, by Peter Sanderson. (Delves into Batman’s comic-book roots.)

*Such a Character: A Dissection and Examination of Two Sub-Species of Chiroptera homo sapiens, by Jim Beard. (Compares / contrasts the 1939 Batman with Adam West’s.)

*Notes on Bat-Camp, by Tim Callahan. (An effort to answer that age-old question, “Was Batman truly camp?”)

*Aunt Harriet’s Film Decency League, by Becky Beard. (Weighs the caliber of the show’s most significant guest stars.)

*POW!: Batman’s Visual Punch, by Bill Walko. (Looks into the impact of the show’s visual design.)

*Known Super-Criminals Still at Large, by Chuck Dixon. (Compares / contrasts TV versions with comic-book portrayals.)

*May I Have This Batdance? by Michael S. Miller. (Looks at the most famous TV theme and the songs it inspired.)

*The Best Dressed Women in Gotham City, by Jennifer K. Stuller. (A compelling argument for its female denizens and their place in Batman.)

*Holy Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor! by Michael D. Hamersky. (Addresses the topic of youth culture as presented in Batman.)

*Gotham City R&D, by Michael Johnson. (Examines Batman’s gadgetry.)

*Theatre of the Absurd: Batman: The Movie, by Rob Weiner. (Discusses the 1966 feature film.)

*Jumping the Bat-Shark, by Will Murray. (Delves into the third season of Batman.)

*Some Days You Just Can’t Get Rid of a Bomb, by Paul Kupperberg. (The show’s legacy beyond its original broadcast.)

*Afterword, by Jeff Rovin, co-author of Adam West’s Back to the Batcave. (Offers a few personal anecdotes about the show and working with West.)

*Episode Guide, by Joe Berenato. (A rundown of episodes with airdates and fun facts.)

Don’t miss out on this critical discussion of one of the most influential yet misunderstood TV shows of all time. (Softcover, 6”x9”, 300 pgs, B&W, $22.95 cover price, ISBN 9780578064611.)


NOTE: Don’t assume your comics store will order copies – some stores might not even notice it in the catalog. The best thing you can do is tell your local retailer ASAP (they have to place orders before the end of October) that you want them to order you a copy. And because the book is buried in the catalog, it might help to give them the book’s order code, OCT101262.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Batman and related characters are trademarks of DC Comics. This book is not endorsed by DC Comics.

Grant Morrison Documentary Tours the Right Coast and the Left Coast

PRESS RELEASE:

This is your chance to see the GRANT MORRISON: TALKING WITH GODS documentary live with other fans! If you’re near any of these cities, make it your mission to buy a ticket to see this exciting doc:

San Francisco – October 8th through October 13th at the Roxie
NYC – October 9th at Cinema Village (scroll down) with Director / Producer Q&A
Philadelphia – October 15th at the Johnsville Centrifuge with Director / Producer Q&A
Boston – October 17th at the Magic Room with Director / Producer Q&A
LA – October 21st at Meltdown Comics with Director / Producer / Special Guest Q&A

TALKING WITH GODS examines Morrison’s 30-year career and the real-life events that inspired his stories. Featuring extensive interviews with Morrison himself, the film delves into his early days growing up in Scotland, the start of his career in comics, the crazy years of the '90s as his life and his comics became enmeshed, and his recent attempts to turn social darkness and personal troubles into compelling comics. The film also gives insight into his creative process, including a look into his vaunted idea notebooks. Complementing Morrison's own words are interviews with many of his collaborators and colleagues, including Frank Quitely, Warren Ellis, Geoff Johns, Phil Jimenez, Mark Waid, Cameron Stewart, Douglas Rushkoff, Frazer Irving, Jill Thompson, Dan DiDio, and more.

Sequart's Upcoming "Watchmen" Book Now Available for Preorder

PRESS RELEASE:

Sequart Research & Literacy Organization’s Minutes to Midnight: Twelve Essays on Watchmen is now available for order through comic shops (use Diamond order code AUG101288). The book, edited by Richard Bensam, is currently listed in the books section of August's Previews catalog (page 344) and is set to hit stores in late October.

Minutes to Midnight offers 12 concise essays that examine the legendary graphic novel from varied, sometimes surprising viewpoints:

* Reassembling the Components in the Correct Sequence: Why You Shouldn’t Read Watchmen First, by Walter Hudsick

* Bringing Light to the World: Watchmen from Hiroshima to Manhattan, by Peter Sanderson

* The End Is Nigh: The Limits of Watchmen, by Geoff Klock

* The Smartest Man in the Morgue: Watchmen and “Twelve Notes on the Mystery Story,” by Chad Nevett

* Somebody Has to Save the World: Captain Metropolis and Role Playing Watchmen, by Tim Callahan

* 58 Varieties: Watchmen and Revisionism, Julian Darius

* Some Different Sort of Time: Watchmen as Cinema, by Patrick Meaney

* At Play Amidst the Strangeness and Charm: Watchmen and the Philosophy of Science, by William Ritchie

* The Last Laugh: Understanding Watchmen’s Big Joke, by John Loyd

* How the Ghost of You Clings: Watchmen and Music, by Mary Borsellino

* Blotting Out Reality: Questioning Rorschach, by Gene Phillips

* Nothing Ever Ends: Structural Symmetries in Watchmen, by Jon Cormier

No Watchmen fan or comics scholar should go without this critical analysis of the greatest graphic novel of all time. (Softcover, 6”x9”, 184 pgs, B&W, $19.95 cover price, ISBN 978-0-578-06076-7.)

NOTE: Don't assume your comics store will order copies – some stores might not even notice it in the catalog. The best thing you can do is tell your local retailer ASAP (they have to place orders before the end of August) that you want them to order you a copy. And because we're buried in the catalog, it might help to give them the book's order code, which is AUG101288.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Watchmen and related characters are trademarks of DC Comics. This book is not endorsed by DC Comics.

Sequart Announces New Book on Grant Morrison

Press release from Sequart:

INVISIBLES Book from Sequart in Current PREVIEWS Catalog

Our Sentence is Up: Seeing Grant Morrison's The Invisibles, a non-fiction look at the landmark series, is in this month's Previews catalog (order code SEP091084). The book, authored by Patrick Meaney, is published by Sequart Research & Literacy Organization.

Our Sentence is Up offers an accessible look at Grant Morrison's complicated and ambitious comics masterpiece, paying attention to its themes, philosophy, and how it changes with each reading.

The Invisibles has been hailed as a seminal comic, called the key to Morrison's overall body of work, and seen as the inspiration for The Matrix and its successors. But it's also frequently written off as incomprehensible or just too out there.

Written in a conversational, personal style, Our Sentence is Up opens up The Invisibles through an in-depth, issue-by-issue analysis of the series, making sense of its complex ideas, fractured chronology, and delirious blend of fiction and reality. The book also explores the real-world relevance of the comic, particularly how its fictional conspiracy theories became reality in the 2000s.

The book also features a wide-ranging interview with Grant Morrison, covering how his formative childhood experiences found their way into The Invisibles and how his life and the comic became intertwined in the '90s. Morrison also explores the series in retrospect, how it holds up to the War on Terror and the Obama presidency, and what he currently thinks will happen in 2012.

The book sports an afterword by Morrison expert Timothy Callahan (CBR), author of Sequart's Grant Morrison: The Early Years. The book also sports an original cover by award-winning artist Kevin Colden (Fishtown, I Rule the Night).

Our Sentence is Up (softcover, 6"x9", 372 pages, B&W, $26.95 MSRP) is available exclusively through comic book stores. See the books section of the September 2009 Previews catalog (bottom of page 315), where the book is a spotlighted item. Please be sure to ask your store to order a copy (order code SEP091084), as you cannot be assured your store will order any copies.

About the Publisher: Sequart Research & Literacy Organization is a non-profit devoted to the study and promotion of comic books as a legitimate art. It publishes a line of books aimed at making comics scholarship accessible. For more information and to check out the revamped website, click here.
Legal Disclaimer: the Invisibles and related characters are © and TM Grant Morrison. This book is not endorsed by DC Comics or Vertigo. [END]