NEWS: Top Cow Announces Winners of 2008 Pilot Season!

Fans vote for TWILIGHT GUARDIAN and GENIUS to get their own series!

Top Cow Productions, Inc. announced today that the winners of the 2008 Pilot Season campaign are Twilight Guardian by writer Troy Hickman and artist Reza and Genius by writers Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman and artist Afua Richardson.

For over a month, fans went to the Top Cow website, the Pilot Season website or other sites once per day, every day, to vote for their favorite 2008 Pilot Season one-shots. Pilot Season is an annual initiative Top Cow began in 2007 that borrows its concept from the television industry: Six “pilots” are submitted for consideration to be “picked up for a season,” except instead of TV executives deciding their fates, it’s the fans! 2007’s top two vote getters, Cyblade and Velocity, will debut with new series later this year. 2008’s winners will debut with new series in 2009.

Twilight Guardian and Genius beat out Urban Myths by Jay Faerber and Jorge Molina, The Core by Jonathan Hickman and Kenneth Rocafort, Alibi by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Jeremy Haun and Lady Pendragon by Matt Hawkins and Eru.

Twilight Guardian is about an average woman with a particular kind of OCD that drives her to patrol a nine-block area in her neighborhood every night, and about the other “night people” and situations she encounters because of it. Genius asks the question, “Alexander, Hannibal, Napoleon, Patton. What if the greatest military mind of OUR generation was a 17-year-old girl who grew up on the tough streets of an urban war zone?” Both books resonated with a majority of the voters and their creators are ecstatic, excited and even surprised.

“Holey crullers! I really don’t know WHAT to say,” said Troy Hickman. “I feel like I did once at a convention years ago when I somehow wound up on an elevator with Mr. Curt Swan, and I remember thinking, ‘Something’s gone terribly wrong. They’ve accidentally let me on the IMPORTANT elevator!’ The creative teams on the other Pilot Season comics are just terrific, some of the most talented people working in this, or any, medium, and I feel so proud to even be included in this competition. And big congrats to Genius for winning the other spot!”

“I’m shocked, really,” said Adam Freeman. “Genius is not a traditional comic and I suppose that is one of its greatest assets as well as its biggest obstacle. We weren’t sure how readers would react but we knew it was a story we were passionate about. Kudos to Top Cow for being the only publisher willing to take that risk with us. Someone wiser than me once said, ‘Never underestimate your audience’ and, truth be told, we did a little on this one. We didn’t think people would ‘get it’ but apparently they did.”

“Hell, I’m just thrilled to have won something,” added Marc Bernardin. “Seriously though, it’s like Adam said: We knew Genius was an uphill battle, but every now and then, those uphill battles get WON.”

“I blew my voice squealing like a happy pig for a half hour and came up with at least five victory dances,” exclaimed Afua Richardson when she found out Genius was one of the winning titles. “I feel like I won one for all the oddballs out there—all the artists left of center, for the chicks who fight stigmas in comics, all of them!”

Now that the winners have been declared, the creative teams will work with Top Cow’s editorial department to start planning out their series, which will debut in 2009.

“Issue #1 of Genius sparked a few pretty heated debates in some circles but that was only the first act to a much larger story,” explained Freeman. “There is a lot more to tell. I am very curious how the future issues will be received because, trust me, this book is not going where you think it is.

“We’re going to dip a bit into Destiny’s back-story and the forces that combined to make her the woman she is today,” teased Bernardin. “And we’re going to show just how bloody revolution can be.”

“I look forward to a) seeing what happens next; b) getting the chance to work with Marc and Adam again; and c) really getting a chance to show my stuff,” asserted Richardson. “I just really want put my best foot forward on this.”

“Well, now comes the fun part: making comic books,” conveyed Hickman. “Let’s see if we can take Twilight Guardian where comics haven’t gone before. I don’t want to give anything away, but I promise you there will be comedy, and drama, and plenty of the unexpected. Maybe she’s a Skrull”

“Everyone here at Top Cow wants to wish a hearty congratulations to the teams on Twilight Guardian and Genius for a hard-won victory in this year’s Pilot Season,” proclaimed Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik. “It was an incredibly close race across the board and these two teams campaigned hard for the fans’ votes. The fans have spoken and we’ve already got the wheels in motion to give them more of what they want!”

-Ed: Check our own review of Genius #1

Pilot Season: The Core #1 – Review

Jonathan Hickman, (Writer) Kenneth Rocafort, (Art) Dave McCaig, and Nathan Fairbairn (Colors)

I had pretty high expectations for The Core from the moment it was announced as part of the 2008 Pilot Season lineup. Now, after reading it, I realize that I may have set my expectations a bit too high. While there is nothing actually bad about the last Pilot Season entry, it feels a bit too dense for its own good. I realize that complexity is a part of what makes Jonathan Hickman’s writing so appealing, but it truly is a double-edged sword in this case. Considering the nature of the Pilot Season (6 books debut, 2 books continue), I found it rather difficult to become invested in such an incredibly complex world knowing that it may never come to be fully realized.

Underneath all the exposition and heavy science fiction, the story is rather simple. A human being passes the trials necessary to become a member of an elite intergalactic tactics/battle unit and finds himself smack in the middle of a chaotic rescue mission. It is a tired and true framework, but Jonathan Hickman elevates it into something more memorable thanks to an interesting mix of high-concept political intrigue and not-so-subtle social commentary. The characters are unique, the concept has a lot of potential, and the ending left me wanting more. There really isn’t anything negative that I can say about the book, but I question whether it is worth the effort necessary to scratch past the surface when the series could be dead within a month.

Visually, The Core is a winner (most of the time). Kenneth Rocafort and his colorists do a fantastic job of bringing Hickman’s world to life, but seem to struggle when the action starts up. There is a strange dip in visual clarity during the action scenes and the battle flow just feels extremely disjointed. Thankfully, the action is kept to a minimum, so it’s a minor issue. One other thing I would like to mention is how incredible Rocafort’s character designs are. Part of me hopes this series continues just so I can see what other types of alien races are part of the world.

The Pilot Season leaves me with quite conundrum. Without a doubt, Urban Myths scores one of my votes, but I can’t quite decide which book will get the other. Genius scores big points because of an incredibly unique premise and a solid storytelling foundation. The Core scores well because I know that Hickman is a capable writer and I really enjoy the visuals/character designs. I’ll make up my mind one of these days, but, in the meantime… (Grade: B)

-Kyle Posluszny

Pilot Season: Urban Myths #1 – Review

Jay Faerber (Writer) and Jorge Molina (Art)

When I saw the Pilot Season schedule, I couldn’t help but feel that Top Cow saved the two titles with the most potential, Urban Myths and The Core, for last. Jay Faerber, author of Urban Myths, and Jonathan Hickman, author of The Core, are personal favorites of mine and I have been looking forward to their contributions to the Pilot Season for quite some time.

Let me start by saying that one of the greatest compliments I can give an author and artist is that their book tells a fantastic, visually impressive stand-alone story that leaves me wanting more. Urban Myths is that type of book, a perfect blend of great writing and unique, vibrant artwork. Jay Faerber and Jorge Molina have truly created something special and it will be a shame if this series isn’t given a chance to continue.

Urban Myths tells a fairly simple story about a private detective, Jack Kaklamanis, and his search for a missing girl. What makes the story stand out is that it takes place in a very modern world where Greek mythology is literally a part of everyday life. You see, Jack Kaklamanis is usually known by another name, Jack Medusa, because of two traits, snakes for hair and a gaze of stone, that he inherited from his mother’s bloodline. The story opens a few days into Jack’s investigation as he finds himself on the receiving end of a beating by two cyclopian thugs trying to kidnap a girl, but not the one he is looking for. He dispatches the two would be kidnappers using one of the traits his mother gave him and heads home for the night. Talking to his blind father gives Jack an idea and soon he realizes that he has a solid lead on where the girl may be. I won’t reveal what happens from that point on, but I will say that the surprisingly touching story makes great use of a number of aspects of Greek mythology.

As far as the writing goes, Jay Faerber really knocks this one out of the park. He takes a simple story and turns it into something memorable thanks to great main character, a strong supporting cast, some humorous dialogue, and an unexpected amount of heart. Jack Medusa is already in my mind as one of my favorite comic characters of all time, so here’s to hoping that he is the star of an ongoing series in the near future. Mr. Faerber could have easily just thrown together a bunch of cool scenarios about what might happen if mythological creatures coexisted with us today and I probably would have been fairly happy just based on the concept alone. But instead, he chose to tell a small, intimate story about a detective looking to do what’s necessary to find a runaway girl and the book is infinitely better because of it. Stellar work all around by Jay Faebrer.

The artwork by Jorge Molina deserves just as much praise as the writing. Molina truly brings Faerber’s world and story to life with an incredibly unique, distinct, and cohesive visual style. The character design is top-notch, the color work is some of the best I’ve seen, and everything is extremely well directed. I have absolutely no complaints about this book from a visual standpoint, though I will say that the style may not appeal to some.

I flat out love Urban Myths and hope that I get to see more of Jack Medusa and company sooner than later. Make sure to vote for this one when polls open in August at www.myspace.com/pilotseason so that it can be greenlit for a full run. (Grade A+)

– Kyle Posluszny

Pilot Season: Alibi #1 – Review

Joshua Hale Fialkov (Writer) and Jeremy Haun (Artist)

Alibi tells the story of two brothers working together to perform various assassinations while one sits locked inside an interrogation room. As with any good espionage story, Alibi features a number of twists, turns, code words, and betrayals. While it is a fun read that will keep you guessing, Alibi suffers from one major problem: It feels like part of a larger picture that there is no way of gaining knowledge of (due to the nature of the Pilot Season). Each story has one chance to make a good impression and, while I am intrigued by what’s here, it feels like too many pieces are missing to get a solid grasp on what is really going on. Part of me really hopes that this is one of the comics to get picked up as an ongoing series.

Joshua Hale Fialkov shows he has a nice grasp on what makes a story like this work. The characters are interesting, the dialogue is clever, and the style of storytelling (he jumps between the two brothers) works quite well. If only he had considered the nature of the Pilot Season a bit more so that the plot came together more quickly. It honestly feels as though this issue takes place right in the middle of a much larger arc instead of acting as a stand alone story or the beginning of something bigger. What makes Genius work so well earlier this month is it feels as though the story is just getting started. 

Alibi is a pretty nice looking book all around thanks to some good work by Jeremy Haun. Particularly impressive is his use of color during the Middle East scenes. An extra layer of detail over everything would have been welcome, but that is a fairly minor complaint on an otherwise solid effort.

I wanted to like Alibi as much as I enjoyed Genius, but the storytelling just wouldn’t let me. There are some good ideas here and this type of story could go a long way in a comic series, but this issue, taken on its own, feels both incomplete and disjointed. I honestly believe this series could go places, but Joshua Fialkov has made a rookie mistake, chosing a poor place to start a debut issue. (Grade: C)

-Kyle Posluszny

Pilot Season: Genius #1 – Review

By Marc Bernardin, Adam Freeman, (Writers) and Afua Richardson (Art)

Genius, part of Top Cow’s “Pilot Season,” tells the story of two people on different sides of a brewing war. On one side is the next great military mind that just so happens to belong to a young minority woman. She has been organizing and training gangs in her neighborhood in order to start a war against the United States that, if successful, would establish the neighborhood as truly her own. On the other side is an ex-sharpshooter who is now a detective for the city police. He has just pieced together years of data to conclude that battle lines have been drawn without them having any knowledge of it. He knows a war is coming, must convince the department of the threat, and find out who exactly is Suspect Zero, the mastermind behind the plan. Simply put, this is quite a compelling set up.

I have to say that I am incredibly impressed with this debut of Genius and will be quite disappointed if this story isn’t given a chance to be told. As is customary for the “Pilot Season,” there is the unfortunate uncertainty about the books that debut and it would honestly be a shame to see this excellent set up go to waste. The concept, writing, and artwork come together extremely well and, while it has a few shortcomings, I couldn’t ask for a whole lot more from a brand new (potential) series than this.

The writing in Genius does an excellent job setting the stage for the upcoming war and introducing the reader to the key players. Destiny/Suspect Zero and Reggie are great characters to base the conflict around, mostly because they compliment each other well even though they never share a scene together as a result of them being on opposite sides of the conflict. While it would have been nice to get a little bit more inside the mind of each of the characters, enough is established to keep the story moving at a fairly quick pace. If I have any major complaints about the writing it’s that all the supporting characters come across as stereotypes. The neighborhood seems to be filled with racial stereotypes, because of both the artwork and the writing, and Reggie’s boss comes across as a gruff cop cliché in almost every way. While it didn’t really detract from the story at hand, some may find some of the characterization a bit offensive. Other than that, the writers did a great job building a foundation to work with.

The artwork in Genius is quite the treat. It is stylized, but gritty and has a very distinct look to it. The colors are vibrant, the action is brutal yet realistic, and the characters feel alive. Afua Richardson’s style is perfectly suited for this type of a book and it really feels like she truly made it her own. Certain touches, like the way she shows Destiny’s thought process, are simple, yet effective and impressive. If there is a downside, it is that she focuses more on the characters involved in the action as opposed to the action itself and it creates confusion from time to time.

I sincerely hope that Genius gets a chance to continue. The stage is set for what could be an epic story and I really want to know more about the central characters. If you spot this one at the comic shop, pick it up. It is a unique, mature story that will probably hook you like it did me. (Grade: B+)

-Kyle Posluszny