Space: 1970 in GEEK Magazine

One of my other (and more popular) blogs, Space: 1970, has received a positive, brief write-up in the latest issue of GEEK magazine, a very slick publication on newsstands now.

I find it interesting that they refer to the "retro-hipness" of the site, when the material I cover over there certainly wasn't considered very "hip" or cool when it was new. I got called lots of unpleasant names ("geek" being among the least offensive) back in the 1970s for liking that stuff. I also got beat up on occasion and had lots of comic books, Star Trek paperbacks and Starlog magazines stolen from me and torn up in my face. More than a few adult authority figures berated me for my interest in science-fiction and other escapist entertainment, calling me stupid for wasting my time with it.

It's nice that I've lived to see a day when there is such a thing as "geek culture," when Star Wars and Star Trek are undisputed mass-market, mainstream entertainments and big-budget super-hero films have become Hollywood's most anticipated blockbusters. And it's way cool that my own silly little ramblings online are considered a notable (or foot-notable) part of that pop cultural shift.

Still, it would be nicer if I hadn't had to get beaten up so much back then....

More Love for Femme Noir

Even at this late date, reviews of the Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries graphic novel are still popping up here and there around the web. Today, my attention was called to this one on Dan Fleming's "My Year In Crime" blog:

In today's world of decompressed storytelling, where stories are stretched out to accommodate the inevitable collection, it's refreshing and welcome to see tales where so much can happen in a shorter page count.  It doesn't matter if the chapters are five pages or thirty, you'll get your money worth here.

I'm very glad Dan enjoyed it, and if you still haven't picked up your own copy - or just realized that it would make a great holiday gift for a friend - there's a link over there in the sidebar to Amazon, where the book is currently selling for about sixteen bucks.

Another FEMME NOIR Review!

Blogger Nick Ahlelm recently reviewed Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries miniseries on his site as part of a "Pulp Month" theme. He had some very nice things to say, such as:

Each issue gives a done-in-one that builds on top the mystery of the character even as she fights villains that take the noir elements and push them straight in to pulp, whether it be a jungle woman or an evil robot. All of it seems to fit in place in the slightly strange city of Port Nocturne. It all works incredibly well together, but I don’t want to give away too much of the fun of this book.

You can read his full review here.

Nick also reviewed Air Fighters #1 from Moonstone Books, which included my first Captain Midnight comics story, "Pyramid of Fear."

You can read that review here.

New FEMME NOIR Review

Yep, even at this late date, people - or at least this guy - are still writing about the Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries paperback collection.

In an industry that seems to rate it's heroines less on how badass they are and more on how little they wear, Femme Noir is a welcome breath of fresh air. She's a lady who'll kick your ass five ways from Sunday, can shoot blazing, twin-pistol death with the likes of the Shadow or the Spider, and doesn't have to dress like the Phantom Lady to battle evil.

Thanks, Stacy!

Oh - and since this is my shameless self-promotion blog (see, it says it right up there in the header): It's not too late to treat the mystery or comics fan on your Christmas list to a copy of the Femme Noir trade paperback! It's still available from Amazon and In-Stock Trades, among other dealers.

And, as I've mentioned before, my friends in marketing keep telling me that nothing helps sell books these days more than positive reviews at Amazon. If you've read and enjoyed the book already, I'd appreciate it if you took a moment to post a short review on the Femme Noir product page.

As for those of you who have already done so, please know that you have my gratitude.

New Interview & The Airfighters

Richard Vasseur of Jazma Online recently contacted me about doing an interview for his site. That interview, which covers my work on Femme Noir, Kolchak and Captain Midnight, among other things, is now posted and can be found HERE.

Speaking of Captain Midnight, artist Rich Clark and I will be contributing CM adventures to Moonstone's upcoming Airfighters series, where the good Captain will be joining new versions of such Golden Age aviation heroes as Airboy, The Black Angel, The Iron Ace and Sky Wolf. You can see Rich's Captain Midnight in the upper left-hand corner of the Airfighters promo art above. (Click on it for a larger view.)

This is in addition to the forthcoming Captain Midnight one-shot comic and prose anthology.

Femme Noir Nominated!

Joe Staton and I were shocked and honored to discover our own names – and that of our Femme Noir funnybook – among the nominees for the 2009 Spinetingler Awards, being given out by Spinetingler Magazine. These are awards given out for the best in crime fiction. Here we are, in the "Graphic Novel" category:

Graphic Novel:
• 100 Bullets, by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso
• Criminal, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
• Femme Noir, by Christopher Mills and Joe Staton
• Hawaiian Dick, by B. Clay Moore and Steven Griffin
• Incognegro, by Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece
• Scalped, by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera

As Spinetingler editor Sandra Ruttan explains, “Winners in each category will be determined by public vote. Voting will be open until April 25, 2009. Please follow this link to cast your vote in any or all of the categories, to see the covers nominated, and to follow the links to the short stories.” The victors will be announced on April 30.

Considering the competition, we don't have a shot in hell, but still, as they say, "it's an honor just to be nominated."

On the other hand, it'd be nice to win, or at least get some votes.

What are you waiting for? Go vote. Now!

New Podcast Interview

Chuck Moore, of the Comic Related website, interviewed me last week about the Femme Noir trade paperback. I'm not particularly coherent, and I sound like I'm mumbling, but if you are up to the audio challenge, you can find it here.

Kind Words From Uncle Tony

Tony Isabella, the creator of the DC Comics character Black Lightning, former DC and Marvel writer and editor, columnist and reviewer has just posted to his website the reviews he wrote for the first two issues of Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries and Kolchak Tales: Night Stalker of the Living Dead miniseries for the Comics Buyers Guide magazine a couple months ago. At the end, he gives a little update, with his views on the third issues, which came out after the reviews were originally published:

...Femme Noir: Dark City Diaries #3 which pits the mysterious Blonde Justice against a "Killer In Steel." Let us heap more well-deserved kudos on Mills and Staton.

And Kolchak Tales: Night Stalker of the Living Dead #3 wrapped up that Mills-written thriller with a satisfying, shocking, and thoughtful conclusion. I continue to shake my head in abject bafflement that this writer has been overlooked by the big outfits and by far too many comics readers.

Quite a compliment, and especially gratifying, coming, as it does, from a talented creator that I've long respected and admired. Thanks, Tony. A little ego boost like this is always appreciated.

Femme Noir #4 Review

Comixtreme's "Done-In-One Reviews" wraps up the miniseries…

Port Nocturne seems to attract every sort of villainy, from the garden-variety skells and grifters to robots with human minds and with this issue people raised in the jungle primeval. And that person wants revenge on some of the Dark City’s most affluent citizens. I’ve always enjoyed how that even though the 1930’s weren’t that long ago you have the feeling that the world was still young and things like "lost islands" and "unexplored regions" were still possible. This story builds on that feeling and then some; in fact I kinda wish we had a full issue of what transpired on the Lost Island instead of simply flashbacks. Still, the story is fun and seeing the Blonde packing heat is exciting in of itself. This is the final issue of the mini-series, but I hope we get to see more adventures of Femme Noir sometime very soon.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Terry Verticchio

Femme Noir #3 Review

I guess issue #3 of Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries did indeed go on sale last Wednesday, as I stumbled across a nice review of it over at Comixtreme's "Done-In-One Reviews:"

As if Port Nocturne didn’t have enough problems with crime there is a new menace prowling the street. During one of the many gangland shootings, a local hood gets mortally wounded, but manages to stumble into a lab that is owned by the US Government and you wouldn’t believe what they are trying to create inside. And it will take all the skills and tenacity of the mysterious Blonde Justice to stop this rampaging metal monster from taking over the entire city. This is certainly a unique mob-story; it has plenty of action with a Sci-fi twist, but it still retains its seedy style. If you like hard boiled action and ladies packing plenty of heat than this title is for you.Rating: 3.5/5—Terry Verticchio

Another Femme Noir Review

Sci Fi Pulse's "This Week In Spandex" column reviews the first issue of Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries here.

Though a basic introductory issue, Mills and Staton incredibly capture the romanticized settings of the noir genre. Mills' writing also conveys the traditional style of noir dialogue and manages to make it fresh. Yet the most incredible aspect of this story is how it depicts women. While the women are depicted as ‘attractive’ they are not drawn as hypersexual eye candy within the narrative - something that is still rare in comic books. Basically, this is definitely a comic that should be on everyone’s pull list.

More at the link above.

Issue #3 of Femme Noir should be in stores next Wednesday.

Aren't Ninjas About Due For A Comeback?

• The cover of Femme Noir #1 made the front page of the Bangor Daily News (Maine) newspaper's "Lifestyle" section today, accompanying an article about the city's upcoming comic con, BangPop.

The article can be read on their website here.

I'm eagerly anticipating Saturday's show. It will be my first convention appearance in several years, and I'm looking forward to meeting some of the other genre creators who live in Maine. Here's hoping that BangPop has a decent turn-out, and becomes an annual event. I'd like to see Maine have its own, quality pop culture con.

• Over the weekend, Brandi and I went camping in Cobbscook Bay State Park. Unfortunately, we had to cut our trip short by a day when the weather turned bad, but we did have a pleasant Friday afternoon, evening and Saturday morning in the woods.

On the way home, I also got a chance to stop by one of my favorite used book stores and pick up a few vintage Men's Adventure paperbacks.

My big "find" was a copy of the mid-Seventies Spider paperback, Death Reign of the Vampire King. What's so cool about this item is that Pocket Books updated the 30's pulp hero to make him an Executioner clone! Check out that cover painting – the handsome, blond secret agent look is a far cry from the black-cloaked and masked original! I've been looking for these editions for years, and was thrilled to finally find one.

I also scored a couple of Black Samurai novels by Marc Olden. I've read good things about this blaxploitation/martial arts paperback series in the past, and am looking forward to checking them out.

• Speaking of martial arts, I've been revisiting a bunch of 80's Cannon Films ninja flicks lately. I've been watching Sho Kosugi in Return of the Ninja, and Michael Dudikoff and the late, great Steve James, in the American Ninja series. I don't know what it is, but I genuinely love these movies. Maybe it's just simple nostalgia, but I really get a kick out of these flicks, with their clumsy choreography and potboiler plots... and not in a cynical, ironic way, either. Maybe it's because they're so crude by today's standards, without the slick fighting moves and CGI effects, but something about them really appeals to me.

• Getting back to the Men's Adventure paperbacks for a minute, I'm also in the midst of re-reading the Omega Sub series from the very early 90's. It's essentially a post-Apocalyptic take on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. It chronicles the adventures of the crew of an American super submarine, The Liberator, which survives World War III because it was on a mission under the Polar Ice Cap when the nukes started flying. Now, they sail around the world trying to aid survivors while battling radioactive mutants and a mysterious sub that appears to be a twin of their own.

I bought them when they came out about 15 years ago, and enjoyed them. I'm re-reading them now because a month or so ago, I received a nice fan letter about my work on the Kolchak Tales: Night Stalker of the Living Dead miniseries. It turned out to be from author David Robbins, who wrote the majority of the Omega Sub series. Remembering how much I liked the books, I recently dug them out and started re-reading them. Fun stuff.

I guess maybe my taste in entertainment did peak when I was fifteen....

More New Reviews

Tony Isabella, whom I've known since we both belonged to a comics creators APA in the early 90's, is a comics industry veteran; a former comics retailer who also wrote and edited various titles for both Marvel and DC from the 1970s into the 90's.

Additionally, he's a long-time reviewer/columnist for the Comics Buyers Guide magazine, and has kindly reviewed the first two issues of Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries and the first two issues of Kolchak Tales: Night Stalker of the Living Dead in his regular "Tony's Tips" column for CBG #1647:

Years ago, I was telling anyone who would listen that my pal Christopher Mills was a writer well worth watching. Though he has never worked for the “bigs” - Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse are all asleep on the job - he has consistently produced first-rate stories for a variety of publishers.

Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries #1 and 2 [Ape Entertainment; $3.95 each] take us to Port Nocturne, a city of mean streets where justice frequently comes in the form of a beautiful and mysterious woman. In the first issue of this four-issue series, Mills probes the origin of the city’s phantom protector through an investigator convinced that this “Blonde Justice” must be one of three women. Though there’s no definitive answer in these remarkable vignettes, brilliantly, moodily illustrated by Joe Staton with inks by Horacio Ottolini, the nifty noir will delight any reader with an interest in crime fiction. The second issue - “Dead Man’s Hand” - features a chilling tale of extortion and revenge, also drawn by Staton and Ottolini. Both issues are exceptional and neither is to be missed.

I’m giving them the full five Tonys.

Mills is also writing the Kolchak Tales: Night Stalker of the Living Dead mini-series for Moonstone [$3.99 per issue]. Reporter Carl Kolchak has been brought into contemporary times (cell phones, etc.), but Mills has retained the rumpled demeanor and dark humor of the character. This time around, Kolchak is banished to Georges Corner, Nebraska to interview a pop star during a fair in her home town. That would be scary enough for me, but, before long, our man on the monster beat is dealing with townspeople turned into flesh-eating zombies.

Mills does a great job writing Kolchak and the various locals who cross the reporter’s path. Artist Tim Hamilton delivers solid storytelling and visuals. This series is ghoulishly good fun and earns an impressive four Tonys.

New Femme Noir #2 Reviews

The second issue of Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries came out last week, and a few reviews of that installment have hit the interwebnet, including a very nice write-up from Eric Lindberg at Broken Frontier:

Christopher Mills makes no apologies with Femme Noir. An homage to two-fisted detective stories and 1940s film noir, the series wears its influences on its sleeve and revels in every classic cliché and trope of the genre. Rather than seeming too cute or trite however, Femme Noir achieves its goal of invoking the moody atmosphere of its source material... The art by veteran comics artist Joe Staton is also a major factor in capturing the desired feel. Staton’s somewhat stylized cartooning—all rounded curves and sharp angles—has many echoes of the classic comic strips of the 40s era , right down to the title being visually (and dramatically) incorporated into the opening splash. His design for the unnamed blonde anti-heroine, with her thick ringlets of hair and swirling miasma of cigarette smoke, creates an equally memorable visual.

And Comixtreme reviewer Terry Verticchio covers the issue in that popular website's weekly "Done-In-One Reviews:"

This issue is filled with hard-boiled, two-fisted, two gun action, cats and wrens. The atmosphere is so thick in this book it’s like a pea-soup fog has fallen over your glims, but of course that’s its charm. I’ve always enjoyed this genre, either in books or film, so this comic is fun for me, and of course having a lead character always walking around in fishnet stockings and sporting a hairdo that even Veronica Lake would envy doesn’t hurt either.

Femme Noir #2 in Stores Wednesday

According to Diamond Distribution's ship list for this week, the second issue of Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries will be in comic book shops this Wednesday, July 30th.

This issue is a complete, stand-alone story called "Dead Man's Hand," pencilled – as usual – by the legendary Joe Staton, and inked by relative newcomer Mark Stegbauer. Veteran colorist Matt Webb provides the hues, while Matt Haley contributes the variant cover. The "A" Cover is once again provided by the team of Staton and Alfredo Lopez, Jr.

I have also just been informed that this issue will be reviewed on this week's Comic Addiction podcast. I hope they like it!

Still More Noir

Alan David Doane at Comic Book Galaxy has posted a very nice review of the first issue of Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries at his site.

I can't tell you how many comics I've read in the past ten years that have tried and failed to achieve the sort of storytelling and atmosphere that Femme Noir gets just right. It's about as good as crime comics get these days, fine competition for my other favourite crime comic Criminal, with the added bonus that its tone and style are completely different. The Spirit may provide a bit of the inspiration for this series, but Mills and Staton take that inspiration and make something both new and familiar, something gorgeous to look at and wildly entertaining to read.

Much more at the link above.

More Noir

I just found out about another good review (scroll down) of Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries #1 at the Comic Pants website (Thanks for the head's up, GrayPumpkin!) Now that the book's finally out there on the shelves, I hope that there will continue to be positive word-of-mouth.

There’s no shortage of noir crime in comics these days, but fun, pulpy crime books like Femme Noir are less common. Mills serves up three potential origin stories (each serving as a self-contained pulp adventure to boot) for his mysterious blonde avenger, and even if a two-gun toting, trenchcoat-wearing tough dame is not the newest concept in the book, Mills captures exactly what’s fun and alluring about this type of character.... Even better, it features some of the best art I’ve ever seen from longtime comic book artist Joe Staton, paired with relative newbie inker Ottolini and colorist Melissa Kaercher to paint a detailed, shadowy picture that reminds me in style of Will Eisner’s work.

New review at Comixtreme: "Done in One Reviews" as well;

It was a dark and stormy night in the naked city...Visually that is how this story opens. It has an intrepid reporter trying to break the story of a lifetime: The identity of Blonde Justice, a vigilante hero who has been taking down some of the worst criminals in the city of Port Nocturne. This is a fun book. It runs the gamut of every hard-boiled pulp cliche imaginable. Even the names of the three suspects the reporter has for Blonde Justice are priceless. There's the ex-mob Princess, Vanessa DeMilo, the sultry chanteuse, Dahlia Blue and my personal favorite the ace reporter, Laurel Lye. Okay things are laid on pretty thick, but darn it all, its fun. Even the art is perfect for the story; the lines are clear but rugged and exaggerated, it also has an almost Will Eisner feel to it. So if you like your dames armed to the teeth, togged to the bricks and dirty as all outdoors then this here book is for you, buddy ghee.
Rating: 4/5 --Terry Verticchio

Kolchak Tales #2 Review

Reviewer Ray Tate at Comics Bulletin just posted a very positive review of Kolchak Tales: Night Stalker of the Living Dead #2, which is still on sale.

What makes Kolchak unique is Kolchak himself. Christopher Mills taps out the purple prose of Carl Kolchak in the engrossing narration and the monster hunting journalist's snappy patter. Very easily I heard Darren McGavin speaking each word. His charm comes from the way he sweet talks a sympathetic sheriff, and of course, Carl is the person you want to have by your side when your world takes a dip into a pool of blood being supped upon by cosmos knows what.

Another thing that I feel Mills must be credited for is separating the zombie film from the infection film. When you get right down to it, the films everybody can identify as zombie films really aren't. Most students in the macabre genre know this. They simply cannot shake off that damn zombie moniker. Who better than Carl Kolchak to relay the truth:

"My dear. I know zombies...And these are not zombies."

Popthought Interview

Joe Hilliard, one of the columnists at Popthought, just interviewed me about my various projects. Won't be much there that's new to regular readers of this blog, but if you'd like to check it out, click here.

Another Noir Review

A very nice Femme Noir review just popped up at The Pullbox.

Are you a fan of hard boiled action, organized crime, street level vigilantes, tons of mystery, justice given with a gloved fist, high heels, and .45? Then you should be reading Femme Noir. Christopher Mills and Joe Staton have created a world that jumps right out of a 1936 radio or a dime store pulp novel. As I was reading the first two issues, I was enthralled with the story and completely wrapped in the art. The city the story takes place is like giant combination of Gotham City, Dark City, and New York’s Hell’s Kitchen all rolled into one. Obviously not a place you want to visit, but a place people love to read about. Grade: A

Remember: the first issue should be in stores next Wednesday!