Now Entering: Megalopolis
For the better part of the last year, I’ve been working on a graphic novel built around Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming feature, Megalopolis. The artist on the project is Jacob Phillips (whose amazing book The Enfield Gang Massacre, with writer Chris Condon, is being released any day now), and the script is by Francis. I’m adapting his story to graphic novel, and while it’s connected to the film, it won’t be a straight adaptation of the movie.
It’s been a unique and special — and flat-out amazing — experience so far, and along the way, it’s included a couple set visits, rough-cut screenings, and enlightening and amazing conversations with Francis about the story, about the world, about his thoughts and hopes for the future, and so much more. I really don’t remember the last time I’ve had such far-ranging and thoughtful conversations. This is nothing the world hasn’t known for over a half-century, but Francis is something special.
A couple weeks ago, Francis reached out to invite me to the first showing of the finished film at the Universal CityWalk IMAX. I was eager to see this cut, especially some key scenes that were just starting to take shape when I saw the movie’s progression last June.
Owing to the unpredictability of San Diego-to-Los Angeles traffic, especially during the morning commute, I headed out around 5:30AM. I wasn’t going to let the usually snarled 405 and 5 freeways derail me.
I arrived early, which was nice since I had some time before we all entered the theater to catch up with a few people I’d met on set last year. And then we headed in, locked up our phones, and took our seats.
Which is pretty much the extent of what I’m going to say about the day. Sites like Deadline discussed the screening to some degree, but all of us are deeply protective of the movie’s details and I’m excited for people to see what Francis has created here. It’s a film he’s been working toward, and planning for decades, but it also feels in so many ways like a distillation of everything he’s done across his storied, and very varied, career.
One other note, since Deadline showed it already in their piece — as we took our seats in the IMAX theater (probably the best IMAX theater in all of Los Angeles), there was a hand-signed letter from Francis leading everyone into the film.
I’m exciting for everyone to see the movie when they’re able. I’m equally excited to see it again. But mostly, I’m just eager to press forward with Francis and Jacob on our graphic novel, and wait til the day we can all show off what we’ve been building.
Now Leaving: Megalopolis
WonderCon
After the screening, I headed down to Anaheim for WonderCon. I could only be there on Friday, and I was terrible about taking pictures, but it was great to be back in the mix and see old friends and older comics.
I only took part in one panel that day, PUG Wordwide’s Conan the Barbarian Colossal Edition panel, where we discussed the coming Artist’s Edition-style book and showed off artwork from the various artists collected within. In the book, I contributed the text pieces that discussed the Conan work from each of those artists: primarily John Buscema, Gil Kane, and Barry Windsor-Smith, but there’s also a fourth section with a wide array of pieces from other Conan artists such as Alex Toth, Jim Lee, Geof Isherwood, Kevin Nowlan, Neal Adams, and more.
Amidst the various meetings and catch-ups, I also made sure to keep some time open for more back-issue diving, since I’m always on the hunt for books that look good in the spinner rack. I only grabbed a small assortment this time, but they all make me happy. I’d never even heard of Spoof, a mid-70s Marvel mag that presented Mad-like adaptations of TV series such as Dark Shadows. The series only lasted five issues but each one features some nice work from the always dependable Marie Severin.
I’m not sure where Spoof quite fits yet but you can definitely expect to see this Tomb of Dracula cover (by Marie’s brother John Severin) show up in a spinner theme in the future.
And speaking of…
Spinner Rack of Suspense
I don’t often go with the more easily “cover homage” theme but this comic was again on my mind after I sought it out at WonderCon, and was reminded again that it’s likely forever out of range. But it’s been a longtime favorite of mine, for both its historical significance (Google “Crime SuspenStories 22 + William Gaines” if you don’t know what I mean) and for the fact that it inspired a great Gabriel Rodriguez homage cover during Locke & Key: Head Games.
Since the original is likely never going to take its place in my spinner rack, here are various others I’ve been looking to grab along the way in the meantime.
A final note: I wrote the above on March 31, before heading out of town for a couple days. I left my laptop behind. So I struggled to catch up with and contend with the brutal, terrible Ed Piskor news. And I also heard about the loss of the great Mark Bright the same day, April 1. I liked Mark a lot, both as a person and as an artist.
I only knew Ed as the latter, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t as gutted as our entire industry by the way Ed’s story ended. It’s all so terrible, for all involved. And as I try to type these words on my phone, I know that it’s hard to do so but wanted to acknowledge that I’m aware of and so distraught by all of it. I’m not ignoring it, but it felt frivolous to not at least acknowledge what happened amidst the rest of this newsletter. I can’t imagine the feeling of being so utterly devoid of options and support that anyone has to think they had no other way out than this. No possible path to redemption. What a terrible thing on top of the other terrible things.
So like everyone so affected by this even from afar, I’ll be trying to reckon with what we as an industry and a society, both online and in life, can do to help prevent such senseless goddamned tragedies as this from happening again.
I love that Spoof cover! I think I have a copy of that somewhere around the house here....