Titan's Top UK Sales

London-based Titan Books, well known for its comics collections and which recently announced a publishing deal with Egmont for new Roy of the Rovers and Battle titles, topped sales in two categories UK sales in the week ending 2nd March.

Heading up the Film & TV book category was Titan’s hardback companion to Tim Burton’s bloody-thirsty musical thriller, Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Mark Salisbury, while in the graphic novel category, Titan held strong with the top two sellers.

At number one was the first volume of the phenomenally successful Heroes, the graphic novel tie-in to the acclaimed US television series, which has already reprinted multiple times since its publication in late November 2007, and is set to be released as a paperback for the first time in July.

Number two in the chart was the perennially popular Watchmen, released as an 'Absolute Edtion' in February . Already regarded as a classic among graphic novels, and the only graphic novel voted into Time magazine’s Top 100 Novels of all time, the movie adaptation of this stunning tale is now in production for release in March 2009.

With more Watchmen titles in the pipeline for Titan in the build up to the film’s release, the company says this is a title that won’t be moving from the limelight in the coming months.

Third Heavy Metal Film Planned

A new animated 'anthology'-styled movie inspired by the Heavy Metal SF and fantasy comics magazine and directed by David (Zodiac) Fincher is in the works from Paramount.

Los Angeles-based animation studio Blur, whose credits include graphics for games such as Tabula Rosa (Quicktime movie link), Warhamer Fantasy and Marvel Ultimate Alliance, will provide designs for the adult-skewed project, expected to consist of eight or nine individual segments with different directors.

Fincher, who's also directing comic book adaptation Black Hole, is expected to direct one segment, publication owner Kevin (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) Eastman another and Tim Miller, owner of Blur Studios, a third.

All three will produce the film.

Launched in 1977, Heavy Metal is well known for its blend of dark fantasy/science fiction and erotica, the brainchild of publisher Leonard Mogel who, according to Wikipedia, discovered the magazine on which it is based, Métal Hurlant, while in Paris the the mid-1970s to launch the French edition of National Lampoon. (Métal Hurlant itself ceased publication in 1987 but resumed in 2002, published by Humanoids Publishing).

Mogel licensed the American version, renaming it Heavy Metal and reprinting strips from Métal Hurlant by artists such as by Enki Bilal, Jean Giraud (also known as Moebius), Phillippe Druillet, Milo Manara and Philippe Caza. Strips specifically for the US Heavy Metal include work by Richard Corben and Matt Howarth, and the current magazine includes features and interviews alongside comics.

Heavy Metal has previously inspired an eponymous animated Canadian movie in 1981 (also an anthology) and a direct-to-video sequel, Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K, in 2000 (although this was based on based on The Melting Pot, a graphic novel written by Kevin Eastman and drawn by Simon Bisley, not stories from the magazine. That comic is currently being serialised on the HM web site).

• Heavy Metal Official Site
• Heavy Metal Fan Page

A Gaffe of Media

Over on socksandbarney.com, top artist Steve Conley recently delivered a telling blow on the US mainstream media with a fun cartoon, just one of his very funny "Socks and Barney" strips he's been keeping far too quiet about, in my opinion.

Folk reading downthetubes may recognise Steve as the artist behind the brilliant Astounding Space Thrills, one of the best SF web comics ever, which he tells me is about to be collected.

Steve's other cartooning work includes drawing Michael Chabon’s Escapist and, most recently, Star Trek: Year Four for IDW. In order to draw Kirk and Spock, Steve had to get approval from William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Steve is, he tells us, Shatner-approved.

• Read Steve's "Gaffe of Media" Strip | • digg story

Red Dwarf's Holly on Tour!

Both incarnations of Red Dwarf computer Holly, Norman Lovett and Hattie Hayridge, are to tour UK theatres in their new stage show Double Header.

The actors will perform comedy stand-up as well as talking about Red Dwarf, celebrating its 20th anniversary of the show, and answering questions from fans.

It's the first time the pair have embarked on a tour together (although they're both circuit veterans, and Norman once toured with Chris 'Rimmer' Barrie back in the late 1990s), and there are plenty of dates to choose from.

The pair will also be attending 13 conventions in the United States from July through to December. See Official Red Dwarf site for venues and dates.

• Full tour dates at www.normanlovett.co.uk/gigs.htm with more dates to follow.