Fitting into the CW television series’ fourth season, the first book in Amulet Books’ series of novels based on the DC Comics famous speedster, The Flash: Hocus Pocus, takes readers through an all-new middle-grade adventure mystery. Barry Allen works with Team Flash, Cisco Ramon, Caitlin Snow, and H.R. Wells fka Dr. Wells (aka Reverse-Flash, Eobard Thawne, H. Lothario Wells, H. Wells, Harrison H.P. Wells, Harrison Wells, Harrison Wolfgang Wells, etc.), plus Joe, Iris, Wally “Kid Flash” West, and Captain Singh to try to find the cause of a recent series of deaths in Central City. But while Cisco and Caitlin try to take a break from work at S.T.A.R. Labs at an old amusement park, a new villain rises calling himself Hocus Pocus (Cisco hates it when villains name themselves).
This mad magician takes control of Barry as he tries to save his job, protect Wally, save the city and have more time for he and Iris to move on with their lives together. But this magician has found a way to control and direct anyone’s movements, and once Hocus Pocus can control Barry he can control anything, even kill a stadium full of innocent baseball fans. Along the way Barry finds himself in front of the storefront of a psychic reader, the strange Madame Xanadu, who seems to have foreseen cryptic steps ahead in Barry’s future. But Barry isn’t a believer. Can he use science to find his answers, or will he need to meld both science and magic to take down this murderous magician?
Author Barry Lyga, who also penned the two follow-on books in the series, The Flash: Johnny Quick, and The Flash: The Tornado Twins, knows his characters well, creating a good story full of pop culture references, quips, and science–enough real science to prompt middle-grade readers to investigate some of the concepts used to solve this mystery on their own. Continue reading →
One of the newest comic book artists to break-out from the pack with the DC Comics New 52 re-launch is Mikel Janin. Mikel has updated the look and style of several familiar characters in the new series, Justice League Dark, featuring Zatanna, Deadman, Constantine, Shade, Madame Xanadu, and the Enchantress (all shown above). With the series’ current issue #6, Mikel saw the release of his first published cover, and where some covers feature a separate penciler, inker and colorist, Mikel did it all for this cover. His past DC Comics work includes the 2011 JLA 80-Page Giant and Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons. Mikel has created illustrations based on J.R.R Tolkien books that have been exhibited throughout Europe. He also created the graphic novel “Les aventures d’Antonin Phylifandre” for Éditions Akileos, among other works. We’re happy to welcome Mikel to borg.com.
Mikel, are you from Spain originally? How accessible were comic books to you growing up and what did you read as a kid?
Mikel: Hi Chris. Yes, I was born in Spain, and it’s where I live. Comic books have been part of my childhood since always. Actually, I learned to read with comic-books of Mortadelo, a very popular Spanish character. As a kid I remember Tintin and Astérix books, then I was an avid reader of American comic-books: Spider-Man, Secret Wars, X-Men, Teen Titans and Conan were my favorite books. I discovered later the European graphic novels, and became a fan of Hugo Pratt, Manara, Vittorio Giardino, Moebius…
Mikel's interior art for the 2011 JLA 80-Page Giant includes some trick arrow work by Green Arrow.
Did you always know you wanted to be an artist? Was there any specific turning point in launching your career to where you are today?
Mikel: When I was a child it was sure for me that I wanted to be comic artist. But I studied Architecture and formed a Studio in 2000. Things were well in Architecture until 2009, when I finally left it. I never stopped drawing and I even had some gigs for Akiléos (in France) and was published by Heavy Metal Magazine in the USA, and I was part of a Lord of the Rings based exhibition too. In 2009 I started an active career in comics, and in 2011 I got my first gig at DC Comics.
What artists have influenced your style?
Mikel: Too many! Ibáñez, José Ortiz, Bernet, Manara, Moebius, Giardino, Pratt, Buscema, Kirby, Byrne…
Mikel's first DC Comics cover, an image slightly modifying Zatanna's original new look from a print Mikel offered in a limited edition at NYCC last year.
I understand you are currently working digitally. What are the pros and cons of using that medium?
Mikel: Yes, I work almost 100% digitally. I come from Architecture, as I said, and computers were my main tool to think, design and draw buildings, so it’s a natural step using the same tools to think, design and draw comic-books! The pros are you don’t need to buy supplies, you don’t have accidental ink drops or paper broken and so, you don’t have to scan pages and you always can have a safe copy of your work if you have mistakes. It allows much more experimenting, too, because you aren’t afraid of ruining the page because of it. The cons are you don’t have an actual original page to offer to collectors, but this is not enough to keep me off of digital.
In the States, for a long time it was viewed that you need to live in New York City or Los Angeles to break into any kind of publishing. This has of course changed as technologies have changed. Are there any challenges of working so far from your current publisher?
Mikel: It’s a very confortable way to work. You work at home, so you don’t expend money in transport or even phone. An internet connection is enough. But this means you rarely interact with other people in the business, except by e-mail. Seeing the faces and hearing the voices is important too, for us human beings, so I try to go to conventions and say hello and shake hands with editors, publishers and other artists. It’s a need.
In addition to the slate of Justice League Dark characters, Mikel has drawn the New 52 updated versions of Cyborg, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman into his series.
Are there any creators you particularly would like to work with someday?
Mikel:Yes! I’m very happy so far, because I had the chance of drawing scripts from so talented guys like Peter Milligan, J.T. Krul and Adam Glass. And I’m currently working with Jeff Lemire, whose Animal Man I’m very much in love. But of course I’d love to work with lots of creators, like Ed Brubaker, Gail Simone, Scott Snyder or Geoff Johns, to say a few.
What is the local reaction to your work and your exclusive contract with DC Comics? In the States the New 52 has been big news this year, appearing in the press even outside the comics industry and traditional fan base. Has there been a similar reaction back home?
Mikel: Yes, fans in Spain are excited too. I think many of them are skeptical about the relaunch, but there’s a lot of buzz and excitement. The New 52 will be here in May, so let’s see how they take it! I’m happy with the reaction to my work and my exclusive contract too.
With Justice League Dark how did you approach the creation of new looks for characters, in particular the new look for Zatanna and her new costume?
Mikel: My first designs were the classical look for them, just minor tweaks. Then editors told me that they were looking for something new, and they wanted Zatanna to be more sexy, between Catwoman and Emma Frost, so I came with the corset and fishnets in her arms and they liked it a lot. We decided to play with corsets, jackets, leather pants and fishnets, with variations from issue to issue. The idea is it’s not a costume. She has her costume for stage, as a work uniform, but these are her clothes. See, you don’t have your McDonalds shirt when you’re going to save the world!
You attended the New York Comic Con this year. What was your reaction to NYCC? Did you get to meet any creators who you personally are a fan of?
Mikel: It was HUGE. I was so happy, it was a dream for me. Being in the DC offices, saying hello to people that I just knew for the comic blogs was so satisfying. Everyone there was so kind! I had the chance to meet J.T. Krul and Adam Glass, my first writers in DC, and my friends and talented artists Mahmud Asrar, Yildiray Cinar, Joe Prado, Rafa Sandoval, and my old buddies Vicente Cifuentes, Pepe Caldelas or Will Ortego.
What should we keep an eye out for in future issues of Justice League Dark?
Mikel: It has already been announced that Jeff Lemire is taking writing duties since issue #9, with new characters joining the League and lots of action and magic all around! I’ve read what Jeff has for next issues and I’m super-excited about it, so JLDark fans should definitely follow us in this new run!
Thanks for chatting with us today, Mikel! Follow Mikel as a featured illustrator at DC Comics website, at his own website www.MikelJanin.com, at his blog, and on Facebook and Twitter!
When the 52 titles of DC’s “New 52” were announced a few months back, a glaring omission was a comic book featuring our favorite backward talking, fishnet wearing magician, Zatanna. Happily she has a featured role in the new series Justice League Dark. If we’re lucky, she will be proclaimed the ultimate leader of this new spin on the Justice League.
Funny Name
The title is a little weird but the “dark” is enough to pick up readers and it is, after all, why I grabbed this one. Let’s see, there’s Milky Way Dark and now there’s Justice League Dark. I hope they don’t plan to really call the team that. In the very best scene of Issue #1 we see Zatanna working with Batman, and the rationale for this series is laid out: there are some things the Justice League is not suited for, things involving an understanding of the darker elements, like magic. Zatanna gets to work one of her backward spoken charms on Batman entangling him in gold magic. This is one of the best drawn Batmans of the New 52, by artist Mikel Janin. And the new Zatanna looks great, even without her classic fishnets. Writer Peter Milligan’s best work in this book is this scene, and he shows some great characterizations between these two key characters of the DCU.
Nice Grouping
The Enchantress is the villain at the beginning of this new title. She is wreaking havoc from her base inside an envelope in a dilapitated shack (and yes, you read that right). Madame Xanadu foresees doom is coming and a strange girl is seen dying in multiple realities yet fixed in one reality–“34 simulacra of June Moone” as Zatanna sees it. Shade, who freely manipulates and changes realities keeps changing his girlfriend Kate. The actual Justice League of Cyborg, Superman and Wonder Woman try and fail to stop the Enchantress, who is involved in supernatural deaths and a power plant becoming sentient (one panel is all we get on that oddity). It is unclear how this fits into the ongoing Justice League series, however. John Constantine is summoned by Zatanna. And June Moone tracks down Deadman. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Former JLA member Zatanna, in new outfit, is the obvious headliner for the group but only time will tell. Ultimately Madame Xanadu sees death for all these would-be team members.
I like the concept here and the art is well done. I also like the use of several women characters featured instead of the typical male team-up with a token female character. Issue #1 features a nice cover by Ryan Sook.
If there is one thing I don’t like it is the choice of the same expletive multiple times in one issue–“Christ!”, and an odd choice at that. It’s one thing to have a novel peppered with a few expletives of any variety if it furthers the plot, but here the use seemed random, unnecessary, and in a story of only 24 pages just not appropriate to the story or a teen rated title, dark or not. A writing teacher once said over-use of expletives is a sign of poor writing. Unless it is a book about the mob or gangs, I would agree.
An overall well-drawn book and unique character ensemble will have me back next month for Issue #2. DC Comics also released a slick trailer that fits the mood of this one, at this link.
