From the Editor’s Desk: Karen Berger discusses what she’s excited about for 2010
Wed, 12/23/2009 - 8:00am |One of the many things that I love about my job is that I’ve worked with so many talented and wonderful people over the years, and I’ve published so many unforgettable stories. Looking ahead to our formidable line-up of new projects for next year, which ranges from incredible work by one of Vertigo’s original sinners Grant Morrison to best-selling author Peter Straub to new indie talent Sarah Glidden, Inverna Lockpez, and Matt Kindt, to extra dark doses of Constantine, Fables, Zombies, and a slew of original graphic novels and Vertigo Crime books, I’m overwhelmed by all the spectacular and distinctive talent in the room.
Two projects that fall into my “dream come true” category are Neil Young’s GREENDALE and AMERICAN VAMPIRE.
Like so many of us who came of age in the 70s and 80s, Neil Young was part of the soundtrack of our lives. His songwriting, his voice and his music were ever-present and the power of his songs moved the lives of countless people. One of the things I’ve always admired about him is how he also infused much of his work with his bold and fearless political and environmental views. His album GREENDALE which was released in 2003 is a crowning achievement of this, as well as being a lyrical and magical tale of Sun Green, a teenage girl who uses her special touch with nature to confront the encroaching forces that threaten her town. Take a look below at The Man in the Red suit, the embodiment of darkness who bears a striking resemblance to his creator!
One of the many awesome things about Neil Young is that he wanted Vertigo to further explore the lives of Sun and the mysterious Green family women who are unlike any other relatives you’ve known. In the amazingly capable hands of Joshua Dysart and Cliff Chiang with color by Dave Stewart, NEIL YOUNG’S GREENDALE is an outstanding graphic novel, and like Neil Young’s music will transport you to places that will resonate in your being for years to come.
When I first started working at DC many moons ago, Stephen King was (and still is!) the “It” writer. His breathless and inimitable approach to telling stories of the modern horrors of our lives and times have been and still is a major, major influence on what we do here at Vertigo. You can’t imagine our faces when Scott Snyder, the talented creator and writer of the new monthly series AMERICAN VAMPIRE mentioned to us that he personally knew Stephen King, and that King liked his new take on vampires so much, that he wanted to be part of launching the series! Best of all, this is Stephen’s first time actually writing a comics script, and having this honor at Vertigo is beyond anything I’ve thought would happen here. Scott and Stephen with Rafael Albuquerque drawing are crafting an entirely new lineage of the vampire myth, born in the old West, and evolving through the decades thereafter, with Skinner Sweet the brazen, bad-ass “original” American Vampire starting it all.
As you can see, we’ve got a lot of incredible work in store for you in 2010 and beyond. Thanks to each and every one of you for helping to make Vertigo live and breathe all these years, and for enabling us to bring you our special, strange and sometimes shocking brand of comics and graphic novels. Happy Holidays and New Year!
