A far more civilized, beautiful life now lies within the grasp of your trembling fingertips.

Gentle reader: do you tire of the meager offerings set forth by our humdrum age? Do you seek to cultivate blooms of refinement and joy in your life’s garden? Lord Whimsy, as befitting his office as “Affected Provincial”, humbly offers himself as a guide to those who wish to transcend the banalities of modern existence. A diverse and hilarious collection of treatises, insightful essays, philosophical diagrams, saucy poetry and other amusing trifles, The Affected Provincial's Companion will inspire you to transform yourself into a living work of art, thus setting you upon a course towards that misty, faraway shore known to the ancients as Enchantment.

The perils of sportswear, self-defense for sissies, the proper grooming of facial hair, and how to become a bon vivant - all this and much more may be found between the shimmering covers of this sleek and utterly beguiling volume.

A timeless adventure in a land full of magic and wonder. Garry Kilworth's Attica reveals a twilight world of forgotten treasures and extraordinary adventures; all happening just above our heads.

Join Jordy, Alex and Chloe as they cross the portal from our world to a strange and wonderful other place, accessible for just a moment in time through the trap-door of the attic in their family house. From hat-stand forests, to towering hills of old musical instruments, deserts of old books and a great water-tank lake, the vast continent they stumble upon is one of limitless surprises - and that's before they meet the inhabitants: strange clans of small and lumpen people who live in homes constructed from all manner of found things and drive vehicles powered by old sewing-machine parts.

It is against this remarkable backdrop that the three children will embark on a spellbinding adventure to recover a prized possession, save a life, and - somehow - find a way back home.

Attila Ambrus was a gentleman thief, a sort of Cary Grant — if only Grant came from Transylvania, was a terrible professional hockey goalkeeper, and preferred women in leopard-skin hot pants. During the 1990s, while playing for the biggest hockey team in Budapest, Ambrus took up bank robbery to make ends meet. His opponents: a police chief who learned how to be a detective via dubbed episodes of Columbo; a deputy so dense he was known only by his Hungarian nickname, Mound of Asshead; and a forensics expert-cum-ballet teacher who wore a top hat and tails on the job.

Part Pink Panther, part The Unbearable Lightness of Being, part Slap Shot, this uproariously funny, award-winning book tells the remarkable story of a crime spree that galvanized a forlorn nation and made a nobody into a somebody — a tale so outrageous that it could only be true.

No one knows more about Iraq’s nuclear weapons program than Mahdi Obeidi, the man who headed its successful uranium enrichment effort. In the immediate, chaotic aftermath of the 2003 war in Iraq, Obeidi contacted the arms inspectors he had been forced to lie to for so many years, and voluntarily turned over the key plans and parts to U.S. intelligence. Among the revelations reported by the international media at the time: In the early 1990s, under orders to hide the core of the program from UN weapons inspectors, Obeidi had buried in his backyard garden the critical elements necessary to build uranium-enriching gas centrifuges. What he turned over to U.S. intelligence in the summer of 2003 proved to be the entire remains of a program put on hold since the last Gulf War. Now, at last, Obeidi tells all, taking us inside Saddam’s regime and revealing the truth about its quest for nuclear weapons. He captures in nail-biting detail what life was like directly under Saddam’s watchful eye–the intimidation, the paranoia, the impossible deadlines.

In The Bomb in My Garden, Dr. Obeidi reveals how he circumvented the international safeguards specifically intended to bar developing nations from obtaining the knowledge and materials needed to build nuclear weapons. He recounts his many "shopping trips" abroad, during which he inveigled, bribed, and cajoled scientists and engineers at companies throughout the United States and Europe into assisting him. And he details the complex system of front companies and financial institutions he used to pull it all off.

Dr. Obeidi also provides an intimate portrait of unrealized promise and a nation’s decline into madness. In relating his transformation from an idealistic young engineer into a tyrant’s reluctant cat’s-paw, Dr. Obeidi offers a rare glimpse into the workings of Saddam’s inner circle. In chilling detail, he describes the fever dream of intimidation, paranoia, and absurd demands that characterized his years under the thumb of Saddam’s sociopathic son-in-law Hussein Kamel. And he describes the bittersweet sense of triumph he and his team experienced on achieving in a matter of months what, by all objective standards, was a technical near-impossibility.

Written with the pace and drama of a spy thriller, this eye-opening account will serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of nuclear proliferation. At the same time, it provides a powerful reminder of how what is best in a nation and its citizens can become hopelessly perverted when the reins of power are left too long in the hands of self-serving and unscrupulous leaders.

'Caliber'Last year, Splash Page had a chance to catch up with Radical Comics president and publisher Barry Levine, who spoke at length about Radical’s “Caliber” — a retelling of the legend of King Arthur set in America’s Wild West era — and how he and “Caliber” scribe, Sam Sarkar, had hoped to convince director John Woo to helm the adaptation.

Since it’s been all quiet on the “Caliber” front since then, we decided to check in with Sarkar to see if there’s been any progress on the flick that, ever since Johnny Depp’s Infinitum Nihil production company (where Sarkar serves as head of development) came onboard, looks to be on the fast track.

“I just finished the adaptation of the screenplay,” Sarkar told MTV News. “Between now and the Cannes Film Festival we’re setting it up.”

However, the question on most people’s minds are, first, since Depp will be producing, will he also star in the adaptation? And secondly, what’s the status on Woo’s involvement with the film?

“Johnny [Depp] will be a producer on the project, and certainly if he ever wanted to show up, shoot somebody and walk off for a day, he can do anything he wants on a movie of ours,” laughed Sarkar. “But it was never intended as a vehicle for him. ‘Caliber’ is one he doesn’t have to do.”

And as far as Woo?

“He just finished the international release of ‘Red Cliff,’ so he’s back in China,” said Sarkar. “He’s reading and we’ll see what his reaction is. We’re waiting to hear from him.”

Caliber From Screen Daily

Intandem, Radical pitch slate including John Woo's Caliber
Wendy Mitchell in London

18 Jan 2008 

Intandem Films and its graphic novel publishing company partner Radical Publishing will be meeting with investors in the UK starting Jan 21 to present their shared business model and preview future projects.

UK-based financing and sales company Intandem took an equity stake in 2007 in Los Angeles-based Radical, which is aligned with Singapore's production company Imaginary Friends Studio. Intandem has been appointed as Radical's exclusive sales company and executive producer.

Radical Publishing, headed by Barry Levine, has built a library of about 50 intellectual properties, and films are being planned for Hercules (described as "300 meets Braveheart"), Caliber (with John Woo attached to direct and Barry Levine and Johnny Depp producing), Aladdin (compared to a darker Pirates Of the Caribbean), and Khrome (from 30 Days Of Night veteran Steve Niles).

Gary Smith, Intandem Films' chairman, said: "The Radical-Intandem relationship has created one of the hottest media collaborations in the market. Investors can expect to benefit from the income generated from a substantial product line of genre-led films, graphic novels, toys and video games. We are dealing in a multi-billion dollar industry and the success of comic book-backed films such as Sin City, 300 and 30 Days of Night is a clear illustration of consumer demand for this genre of feature films."

After Levine's recent meetings in Singapore, Radical's has started raising funds for its new $10m Anime Project Fund.

More from Karen of  Johnny Depp Reads

CALIBER
Creator: Sam Sarkar
Writer: Sam Sarkar
Cover Art: Imaginary Friends Studios by Garrie Gastonny with Alexander Alexandrov & Svetlin Velinov
Variant Cover Art A: Imaginary Friends Studios by Stanley "ARTGERM" Lau
Variant Cover Art B: Dave Wilkins
Interior Art: Imaginary Friends Studios by Garrie Gastonny
Colors: Imaginary Friends Studios by Alexander Alexandrov & Svetlin Velinov
 

The Arthurian legend as retold in the American Old West, with all of its great symbolism, magic and spirit of adventure. The Knights of the Round Table are all gunslingers bound by a code of honor to protect the weak and defend the innocent until they are undone from within by their own moral corruption. In this tale, Caliber itself is a tattooed six-gun, given to Arthur by the Indians and imbued with supernatural power. The secret of the gun is that it is never loaded with bullets, but when a man with Justice on his side is holding it, it can fire. When it does, it fires Thunder itself and never misses.

Genre: Mythical Western; Fantasy
Comic Book Release: May 2008
Here's the link to the home page for Caliber:
http://www.radicalcomics.com/comics-caliber.htm

Found by emma
Feb 27, 2008
At   ComicbookResources
RADICAL PUBLISHING ANNOUNCES "HERCULES," "CALIBER" TO DEBUT IN MAY
by CBR News Team, Editor
Posted: February 25, 2008 —

Official Press Release

February 25th, 2008, LOS ANGELES – Radical Publishing, publicized at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, has announced the release of Hercules #1 and Caliber #1, for May of 2008.

In a bold move to introduce these premiere titles to the public, Hercules #1 and Caliber #1 will be offered in it’s first printing at the low price of $1 while being printed as a 32-page premium stock softbound prestige format package with cardstock covers.

“We feel that once the comic buyer gets past buying a book from a brand new publisher and sees the high quality of writing, artistic work and production that Radical offers, that they will look to continue with the series and seek out our other titles,” stated Radical Publishing’s Publisher and Co-founder Barry Levine. “We feel that the $1 price tag of Hercules #1 and Caliber #1 will spur people to make that initial leap.”

Issues #2 and the rest of both miniseries will go on sale for $2.99, and both series continue monthly.

Hercules (DCD# MAR083922), which reinvents the popular mythical story of the half man/half god warrior whose only solace lays in bloody battlefields, was visually created for Radical Publishing by the potent combination of Jim Steranko, Imaginary Friends Studios and WETA Workshop (King Kong, Lord of the Rings, and Chronicles of Narnia).

Jim Steranko has created the main cover for Hercules #1, as well as a special sketch incentive cover for issue #2, with an exclusive limited run.

Hercules is written by Steve Moore, famous for his work in Warrior Magazine, 2000AD and his collaborations with Alan Moore (ABC comics and the novelization of the Wachowski brothers V for Vendetta adaptation).

Interior art is being done by the awe-inspiring Imaginary Friends Studios, known for their work for companies such as DC Comics, Electronic Arts, Top Cow, Cartoon Network, WizKids and Upper Deck.

“This isn’t going to be anything like the popular television show of the 1990s. Expect this Hercules to be a dark and conflicted character, more in the epic vein of Frank Miller’s 300; a mixture of myth, legend and historical accuracy,” says Levine.

Hercules will run as a 5 issue miniseries, each issue containing 32 pages.

Caliber (DCD# MAR083921) is the unconventional telling of the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table as a Western set in the Pacific Northwest.

With all of its great symbolism, magic and spirit of adventure, this tale is that of an engraved six-gun, given to Arthur by an Indian shaman and imbued with supernatural power to fire only by the one who will use its power for the right reasons.

“This story doesn’t faithfully follow the Arthurian myth and it is such great fun to see how Sam takes twists and turns leading the reader down a meandering path of thwarted expectations and surprises,” says Levine, “The Magnificent Seven was never like this.”

Caliber is created and written by Sam Sarkar, Director of Development at Johnny Depp’s production company, Infinitum Nihil.

Imaginary Friends Studios’ artists Garrie Gastonny and Stanley “Artgerm” Lau have created fully-painted cover art for the miniseries, while Gastonny has continued with breathtaking, fully-painted interiors. Caliber will also run as a 5 issue, 32 page miniseries with issue #1 containing 31 pages of interior story, adding an even greater value for a $1 book.

Hercules #1 and Caliber #1 are featured in the March 2008 Diamond Previews and will ship in May of this year. Hercules #1 has a Diamond code of MAR083922 and Caliber #1 has a Diamond code of MAR083921. 

Found by Emma - first movie poster 
Two new pics thanks to JDR

John Woo dips into Olympic talent pool Director wants to work with Liu Xiang, Guo Jingjing
By Gianpaolo Lupori

Aug 27, 2008, 11:43 AM ET

SHANGHAI -- John Woo has a case of Olympic fever.

The director told attendees at a charity dinner recently in Beijing that he hopes to make a sports movie with champion hurdler Liu Xiang and multiple gold medalist diver Guo Jingjing.

"I have wanted to produce a sports-themed movie for some time now," Woo said. "I want real athletes to be my lead actors so that we can portray the athlete's spirit accurately."

"I think Guo Jingjing and Liu Xiang will fit the bill," he added.

But with a trio of projects in the works -- including the sequel to "Red Cliff," the Chinese Revolution epic "1949" and an adaptation of the graphic novel "Caliber," starring Johnny Depp -- a sports film might not happen anytime soon.

"This is the first I have heard it," Terence Chang, Woo's longtime producing partner, said Wednesday from Los Angeles. "It's probably wishful thinking."

Asked whether he felt a sports film was right for Woo and Lion Rock, Chang said he hadn't thought about it and that he liked to find stories first and then think about the cast, "not the other way around."

Chang is returning to Beijing in early September, where he will work with writer Wang Hui-ling ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") on the sixth draft of the script for "1949," for which he said he is still raising money.

Liu, who won a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, shocked China last week when he withdrew from the 110-meter hurdles heat because of an injury. However, he remains one of China's most recognizable sport celebrities.

Guo, who won two gold medals in Beijing, is considered the most successful female diver in Olympics history as well as one of the prettiest faces at the recently concluded Games.

From JoBlo
(excerpt)
Woo's Olympic gold   Aug. 27, 2008
by: Dave Davis
Like many others, Hong Kong bullet ballet virtuoso John Woo tuned into the Beijing Olympics, and it gave him a few ideas (mine were inspired by the tight bums on the female gymnasts, but that's a whole different kind of article).

Woo wants to put aside his talents for mayhem and make a sports-related movie, and he's looking for some of those medal-collecting competitors to be part of it. "I have wanted to produce a sports-themed movie for some time now," Woo said. "I want real athletes to be my lead actors so that we can portray the athlete's spirit accurately. I think [diver] Guo Jingjing and [hurdler] Liu Xiang will fit the bill." Hopefully they will also launch themselves gracefully through the air while firing dual pistols as doves randomly flap through the background.

Of course, like many other directors, Woo has a penchant for gathering many projects but taking an extensive amount of time to finish the ones he actually makes. He's still putting the finishing touches on his two-part historical war epic THE RED CLIFF, and he recently started developing an adaptation of the western comic CALIBER, which Hollywood Reporter claims (perhaps erroneously) will star Johnny Depp (his company Nihil Infinitum is co-producing).

What happens in a creepy mansion with a grade A dysfunctional family when you mix in an ancient ancestor who just happens to be a Vampire searching for his long lost love and a young woman who loves to scream?

See our Dark Shadow pages Here

It begins with a simple note. Roger Bascombe wishes to inform Celeste Temple that their engagement is forthwith terminated. But, Celeste, for all her lack of worldly experience, is determined to find out why her fiancé should have thrown her over so cruelly. Adopting a disguise, she follows her erstwhile lover to the forbidding Harschmort manor, where she discovers a world - by turns dizzyingly seductive and utterly shocking - she could never have imagined, and a conspiracy so terrifying as to be almost beyond belief.

Seething with danger, terror and romance, The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters is a mammoth work of the imagination, a deliriously readable, heartstoppingly suspenseful, and darkly erotic masterpiece of storytelling.

From  The Hollywood Reporter
(excerpt)
Jayson Rothwell to write 'Mountain'
Thriller commissioned by Legendary Pictures
By Borys Kit

Aug 25, 2008, 08:32 PM ET
Legendary Pictures has commissioned Jayson Rothwell to write "The Mountain," a thriller to be produced by Roy Lee and Doug Davison of Vertigo Entertainment and Brian Witten.

The story follows a small-town sheriff, newly arrived from the inner city, who assembles a search party to investigate the disappearance of hikers in the Cascade Mountains. The sheriff and the locals discover that the beautiful, remote wilderness can be just as menacing as any urban environment.

"Mountain" was born as a concept in-house at Legendary, which then brought in Rothwell to execute it.

Sonny Mallhi is overseeing for Vertigo.

Rothwell, repped by Paradigm and Zero Gravity Management, is writing "Glass Books of the Dreameaters" for Warner Bros. and Johnny Depp's Infinitum Nihil. His script, "Malice in Wonderland," is filming in the U.K.
 

What kind of man buys his grave at the age of eighteen and chooses to spend the rest of his life in a rest home at thirty-five? Meet Antoine, the curious hero of Laurent Graff's Happy Days, an odd young man who somewhat prematurely acquiesces to his terminal destiny.

The ultimate fatalist, Antoine decides to play hooky from life at the Happy Days rest home. Despite the pronounced difference in age, he is accepted by the residents and quickly settles into a routine. He leads a peaceful and uneventful life there until the arrival of a dying woman with whom he forms a unique bond and goes on a very special journey

Johnny Depp's production company Infinitum Nihil has acquired screen rights to the Nick Tosches novel "In the Hand of Dante." The novel will be developed as a potential star vehicle for Depp.

Depp will produce with his Infinitum Nihil partner Christi Dembrowski. The company, which has a first-look deal with Warner Bros. and Graham King's GK Films, optioned the book with its own coin.

Book revolves around Dante's masterwork "The Divine Comedy," and tells parallel storylines involving Dante in 14th-century Italy as he tries to complete the work, and a contemporary storyline involving Tosches, who is asked to authenticate what might be Dante's original manuscript. Depp would play Tosches. The novel was published in 2002.

Depp, who is playing the Mad Hatter in the Tim Burton-directed "Alice in Wonderland," has a dance card that includes toplining another "Pirates of the Caribbean" film, "The Lone Ranger," and voicing the title character in the Gore Verbinski-directed animated film "Rango."

At the same time, his production company has become more ambitious, and is getting close to the starting line on its first movie.

Depp will star in March as gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson in "The Rum Diary," an adaptation of the Thompson book that Infinitum Nihil is producing with GK Films, with King's company financing the picture. Bruce Robinson is directing his script. It's Depp's second turn in a Thompson tale; he starred in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."

Infinitum Nihil also is working with GK Films and WB on a film transfer of "Dark Shadows" that will have Depp playing Barnabas Collins; an adaptation of "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" that will be directed by Chris Wedge; an adaptation of the Gregory David Roberts book "Shantaram" that was scripted by Eric Roth; and "The Bomb in My Garden," the Mahdi Obeidi/Kurt Pitzer book that has a script by Robert Edwards. Infinitum Nihil also is developing an adaptation of "Inamorata" that was scripted by the book's author, Joseph Gangemi.

Depp's Inferno

The actor is going to hell and back to star in a dramatisation of the life of Dante

By Arifa Akbar, Arts correspondent
Thursday, 4 December 2008
Johnny Depp is to take on what is arguably his most challenging role yet: he will star in an adaptation of a modern-day drama based on the life of the Italian Renaissance poet, Dante

GETTY

Johnny Depp is to take on what is arguably his most challenging role yet: he will star in an adaptation of a modern-day drama based on the life of the Italian Renaissance poet, Dante

He has embodied an eccentric range of cinematic roles ranging from the sadistic singing barber Sweeney Todd, to a neurotic Willy Wonka and the wistful Edward Scissorhands.

But now Johnny Depp is to take on what is arguably his most challenging role yet: he will star in an adaptation of a modern-day drama based on the life of the Italian Renaissance poet, Dante, during the time he conceived his magnum opus, The Divine Comedy.

Depp's film production company, Infinitum Nihil, has bought the screen rights to the modern-day mystery novel, In the Hand of Dante, by Nick Tosches. The book, published in 2002, revolves around the same theme of the afterlife and hell's fiery inferno as The Divine Comedy, with parallel storylines involving Dante in 14th-century Italy as he tries to complete the work, and a contemporary plot involving a fictionalised version of the author, named simply Tosches, who is asked to authenticate what might be Dante's original manuscript.

Depp is to play Tosches but it is not yet known who will play the part of Dante. In the book, the author casts himself as an Indiana Jones-style protagonist who begins an intrepid journey after a gangster named Louie presents him with a stolen manuscript of Dante's epic. He sets out to authenticate it, an endeavour which leads him on a quest that spans the globe and takes a series of twists and turns, encountering several dead bodies along the way.

In quieter moments, Tosches reflects on the career of the medieval poet and there are "flashbacks" to Dante's life during the time he was gaining inspiration to complete the poem which became his life's work.

When In the Hand of Dante was published, it was classified as a pseudo-literary thriller in the same vein as Dan Brown's blockbuster, The Da Vinci Code. Tom Tivnan, features editor of The Bookseller, said: "In terms of the book world, there is a real appetite for books such as The Da Vinci Code and The Shadow of the Wind [by Carlos Ruiz Zafon]. A lot of them follow on from Dan Brown but with some of them, there are more literary overtones, such as The Dante Club [by Matthew Pearl], which is all about the translation of Dante and a murder mystery."

Tivnan said that, while the critical and commercial success of film adaptations based on bestseller books were never a guarantee – The Da Vinci Code, starring Tom Hanks, was badly received at the Cannes film festival, for one – the mix of Depp's Hollywood bankability and the literary elements in the plot boded well for filmmakers.

"A lot of people respond to this kind of thing because in some ways, they can learn about Dante without having to actually read his work themselves," he said.

The Divine Comedy, written between 1308 and 1321, constructs a vision of the Christian afterlife. It is composed of 14,000 lines divided into three main sections called "Inferno", "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso". The poem tells of Dante's journey through the three realms of the dead, with the Roman poet Virgil guiding him through Hell and Purgatory, while Beatrice, who Dante was never permitted to marry in real life, takes him through Heaven.

"The Aviator" scribe John Logan has been tapped to pen the adaptation.

King and Infinitum Nihil's Christi Dembrowski will produce the live-action film, which centers on an orphaned boy who secretly lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station and looks after the clocks. He gets caught up in a mystery adventure when he attempts to repair a mechanical man.

The studio is eyeing a fall start date.

GK Films and Warner Bros. acquired screen rights to "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," a No. 1 New York Times bestseller, in 2007. 

After producing Martin Scorsese's "The Departed," King launched GK Films with partner Tim Headington in 2007. Through the company, King recently completed lensing the Emily Blunt starrer "The Young Victoria" on location in the U.K.

Infinitum Nihil established its production deal with Graham King in 2004 and is developing a number of projects including "Shantaram" and "Dark Shadows."

Hedge has a longstanding relationship with "Ice Age" backers Blue Sky and 20th Century Fox, which is expected to continue. He also directed the animated feature "Robots" for Fox and most recently executive produced "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!"

Logan's credits include "Gladiator" and "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." He is also writing the script for an untitled animated project for King and Gore Verbinski.

From the School Library Journal
Selznick says 'Hugo Cabret' Film Is in Good Hands

Author Brian Selznick has expressed confidence that his The Invention of Hugo Cabret is in good hands, with the recent announcement that Ice Age and Robots director Chris Wedge will bring the Caldecott-winning book to the big screen.

John Logan, who wrote the screenplay for The Aviator and Sweeney Todd, has also signed on. Johnny Depp’s production company Infinitum Nihil is coproducing the film with Graham King’s Initial Entertainment Group for Warner Bros., Selznick says.

Selznick, who had many producers vying for the movie rights, went with Grey Rembert, vice president of development at the Graham King company, because, he says, Rembert was someone who understood the book and liked the book “very much and wanted to make a movie that’s true to the book.”

Since this will be the first live-action film by Wedge, Selznick says he’s excited to see how the director will incorporate his command of the latest movie-making technology into this Hugo Cabret, as well.

Earlier, it was reported that Martin Scorcese was a possible director for the movie version of Hugo Cabret (Scholastic, 2007), but Selznick says he is unsure what, if any, role the Oscar-winning director might ultimately play.

The author/illustrator says he has no information about casting or whether the film will be produced in color—considering that his book consists of his own black and white pen-and-ink drawings, strung together like the frames of a movie. “The possibility of a movie is very exciting,” Selznick says, “especially because it’s a book about movies. So, to get to see the story projected in a cinema is an intriguing idea.”

Hugo Cabret tells the story of a boy living alone in a Paris train station of the 1930s, and of his intriguing discovery. A fall start date is planned for the Warner Bros. film.

The strange, compelling, and occasionally hysterical story of Hollywood's first celebrity scandal - as told by Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, the star at its center.

Abandoned as a boy in Kansas, Fatty Arbuckle found adulation first onstage, and then in the new medium of the cinema. In his day, during the second decade of the 1900s, Fatty was more popular than Chaplin; he became the first screen actor to make a million dollars a year. But in 1921 he was accused of the rape and murder of actress Virginia Rappe, whom he encountered at a party in San Francisco and who died a few days later. Though he was eventually acquitted by a unanimous jury, the virulent speculation by the press ultimately destroyed Arbuckle's career for good. Framed for a crime he didn't commit, and demonized by conservative powers that hyped the case as emblematic of all the evils of show business, Fatty Arbuckle was the O.J. Simpson of early Hollywood, the first modern celebrity whose presumed guilt - and alleged innocence - galvanized a nation.

In I, Fatty, Jerry Stahl, the celebrated author of Permanent Midnight, tells the story from Fatty's own perspective. This is an incisive and sympathetic look into the life of a man whose astonishing rise and fall set the precedent for the scandals that still shake Hollywood today.

Inspired by real-life events, this chilling and atmospheric debut novel marks the arrival of a young writer with tremendous promise. It is the 1920s, and Spiritualism is all the rage. With seances taking place in parlors across the country and Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle arguing metaphysics in the papers, the media embraces the feverish obsession with the paranormal. Twenty-three-year-old Harvard graduate Martin Finch is sent by Scientific American on the investigative opportunity of a lifetime: an examination of the powers of Philadelphia "society psychic" Mina Crawley. But Finch, prepared to debunk a fraud, instead finds himself falling under the spell of the beguiling Mrs. Crawley - and uncovering a truth darker than any he could have imagined.

In his eagerly awaited fourth novel, New York Times-bestselling author Nick Hornby mines the hearts and psyches of four lost souls who connect just when they've reached the end of the line.

Meet Martin, JJ, Jess, and Maureen. Four people who come together on New Year's Eve: a former TV talk show host, a musician, a teenage girl, and a mother. Three are British, one is American. They encounter one another on the roof of Topper's House, a London destination famous as the last stop for those ready to end their lives.

In four distinct and riveting first-person voices, Nick Hornby tells a story of four individuals confronting the limits of choice, circumstance, and their own mortality. This is a tale of connections made and missed, punishing regrets, and the grace of second chances.

Intense, hilarious, provocative, and moving, A Long Way Down is a novel about suicide that is, surprisingly, full of life.

From the Telegraph

Nick Hornby: author profile
British writer Nick Hornby is the author of Fever Pitch, High Fidelity and About a Boy.
 

Published: 9:56AM BST 07 Sep 2009
Nick Hornby on Juliet, Naked
"Football is so uncool. It's become a game for old men or little kids."

Name: Nick Hornby

Born: 1957

Likes: The novels of Anne Tyler

Dislikes: Theatre and leather trousers

Three of his books – Fever Pitch, High Fidelity and About a Boy – have been made into films. A fourth, A Long Way Down, is currently being prepared (its producer is Johnny Depp). He is also writing the script for the film adaptation of Lynn Barber’s memoir An Education. High Fidelity was also made into a short-running Broadway musical, closing after 14 performances.

For Hornby, following Arsenal football club is as much about education as a sport: “Much of my knowledge of locations in Britain and Europe comes not from school, but from away games or the sports pages, and hooliganism has given me both a taste for sociology and a degree of fieldwork experience.”

Thoughts on writing: “I profoundly disagree with those who equate 'literary’ with 'serious’ – unless 'serious’ encompasses 'po-faced’, 'dull’, 'indigestible’.”
 

A literary sensation acquired by twenty-one premier publishers around the world and met with a groundswell of praise from writers and critics, The People's Act of Love is a masterpiece of storytelling and a major literary achievement.

In a remote Siberian village, amid a lawless, unforgiving landscape, lives Anna Petrovna, a beautiful, willfully self-reliant widowed mother. A mystical, separatist Christian sect, a stranded regiment of restless Czech soldiers, and an eerie local shaman live nearby, all struggling against the elements and great social upheaval to maintain a fragile coexistence.

Out of the woods trudges Samarin, an escapee from Russia's northernmost prison camp, with a terrifyingly outlandish story to tell about his journey. Immediately apprehended, he is brought before the Czech regiment's megalomaniac, Captain Matula. But the stranger's appearance has caught the attention of others, including Anna Petrovna's.

This stranger, his bizarre story - if it is to be believed - and the apparent murder of the local shaman quickly become a flashpoint for this village: temperatures rise, alliances shift, and betrayals emerge. Written with a commanding historical authority and remarkable grace, The People's Act of Love is an epic of desire and sacrifice that leaves the reader utterly mesmerized until the very final page.

When a medieval scroll disappears from a Paris church, Doctor Julien Saunière investigates, uncovering a series of horrific ritual murders and an ancient secret society. Julien cannot let these shadowy figures retreat into the darkness, lest they take up their killing once again. His investigation turns into a one-man quest into the bizarre secrets of the Catholic Church.

Rex Mundi is a quest for the Holy Grail told as a murder mystery. A tale of sin, murder, and redemption in an alternate-history Paris where magic is real and the Catholic Church never lost its grip on power. Master Physician Julien Sauniere must track down a mysterious cult with a thousand-year-old secret. A secret for which people are being killed...

Doctor Julien Saunière continues his investigation into the theft of a mysterious medieval scroll, only dimly aware of the forces tugging him to the doorstep of the powerful Duke of Lorraine. Lorraine wants to provoke a massive, globe-spanning war that will soak the world in blood - but why? The answer to that question, a deadly confrontation in the ancient catacombs beneath Paris, and a blasphemous revelation about Judas, Christ's betrayer, all await Julien in this volume of the critically acclaimed series Rex Mundi!

From  Times Online

From Times Online
April 11, 2009
Jesus, Johnny Depp and Rex Mundi: enter the world of Arvid Nelson

Rex Mundi starts off as a murder mystery about Jesus then turns into an Indiana Jones-style fantasy adventure

Owen Vaughan

Don't mention The Da Vinci Code to Arvid Nelson. As gracious as the comic book writer is about Dan Brown's multi-million-selling religious thriller, it has caused him a lot of headaches. Nelson is the creator of Rex Mundi, a fantasy noir comic that delves into similar territory as Brown's book: the search for the Holy Grail, mysterious killers in white, secret religious societies, the occult, riddles and codes embedded in famous paintings and books. "God bless Dan Brown, I'm glad he's had all the success he's had," says Nelson, who published the first issue of Rex Mundi several years before Brown's book came to light. "But at the same time I think it's one of those cases of mass hysteria. This is maybe an impolite way of saying it but The Da Vinci Code was the right thing at the right time. It was sort of a vindication for me because I had been struggling with Rex Mundi for so long. I knew that it was a good idea and The Da Vinci Code in a way proved that, even though it made things more difficult for me."

What separates Rex Mundi and the Da Vinci Code is the alternative world that it inhabits. "Paris, 1933: the Protestant Reformation failed, the Catholic Church has all the power of a secret police force, Europe is in the grip of feudalism and sorcerers stalk the street at night," is the enticing blurb at the start of each issue. The plot centres on Julien Saunière, a physician who stumbles onto a sinister conspiracy after a priest friend calls on him to investigate the theft of a medieval scroll which, the comic grandly warns, “holds the key to an ancient riddle that threatens to drown the world in blood”. All the staples of the pulp detective story are there - the femme fatale, a corrupt police force, a sinister villain with a masterplan and a hero out of his depth - all played out against a background of a continent threatened by fascism and teetering on the brink of war.

"Religion has always fascinated me as has early medieval history," says Nelson. "I also love American detective fiction. That's what Rex Mundi is essentially - a detective story, but instead of being set in Los Angeles, it's set in Paris. Instead of gangsters, you have sorcerers and cults and instead of the feds and g-men you have the holy inquisition.

"I love French movies from the 1930s. My favourite actor from the period is Jean Gabin. Saunière has a lot of Gabin in him - he's a tortured, sad hero. There's also a bit of Philip Marlowe in there and Humphrey Bogart." Even the name Rex Mundi (which is Latin for "king of the world" and a clue to the mystery at the heart of the book) sounds like the handle of a hard-boiled, booze-soaked private eye. "People also assume Rex Mundi is the name of a super hero. I get asked, 'So what does Rex Mundi do? What are his powers?' all the time. It wasn't intentional, but I love it."
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There's a bit of Indiana Jones in Rex Mundi as well (he even makes a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in one the more recent issues, a nod Rex Mundi artist Juan Ferreyra makes to the archaeologist's own Grail adventure, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). "The second half of the story is less of a detective story and becomes more of a Indiana Jones, Doc Savage kind of adventure. I wanted to make that shift about half way through the series. As you get further away from Paris and more into the countryside, you enter more into the world of myth, legend and magic. The first half of the book is a fairly intense detective story and the second half is supposed to be about action and magic and sorcery. The first half is a promise and hopefully the second half fulfills that promise."

Part of the appeal of Rex Mundi and Grail conspiracies is the feeling that there is secret society pulling strings behind the scenes, that there is a set of answers to life's mysteries that we could access if only we knew the code or the right handshake. "I think Evelyn Waugh called it the low door in the wall to the enchanted garden. I love that idea, that if you just knew the right door to open, a whole other world would open up to you. It's a world that exists alongside the mundane boring world but it's a world of magic and adventure and fun. I think that's such a terrific idea and one of the appeals of the fascistic books. I think any conspiracy theory is about that, that maybe the world isn't as boring and stuffy as the history textbooks say it is. Maybe there is some great big secret out there. I personally don't believe in conspiracy theories but the idea of them is so romantic and fantastic and makes for great fiction."

Which brings us to one of the problems Nelson has with The Da Vinci Code: "The Da Vinci strain of conspiracy theories are a little bit fascistic," he says, referring to the book's central idea that the Holy Grail is Jesus Christ's bloodline. "Hitler once looked for the Holy Grail in the south of France in the Thirties - he sent out an expedition. I think it's also apparent in Wagner's operas - the idea that you should rule the world by right of blood. I'm going to try and answer that whole fascist question [with Rex Mundi] and have more of a positive message."

For a writer who plays with religious themes, it comes as no surprise that Nelson is driven by his faith, but unlike many he is not shy about talking about it or the influence it has Rex Mundi. "I feel that there is a dichotomy in modern society, that you are either a godless atheist who believes in evolution or your are someone who blindly believes every word in the Bible is true. I don't think that religion is as simple as that. My Bahá'í faith has been source of inspiration and strength in my life and what I like about the Baha'i is that reason and faith don't have to be in conflict. As far as Rex Mundi goes, the final meaning of the Holy Grail is very much related to Bahá'í teachings - equality of men and women, racial equality."

The idea for Rex Mundi came to Nelson after he graduated from college in 1999 and, like many an American before him, headed to Europe. "Right after college I visited Paris to work on a documentary. It was the first time that I had ever visited Europe. I was sitting at a cafe and there was an old Norman church across the street, Saint-Germain-des-Prés. I was admiring it and the woman I was with told me it had been built in the 11th century by the Normans. That really cracked open my head. In America we have such a different sense of time - something is old if it has been around for ten years. Just the fact that that church had been standing for a thousand years was amazing. Being in Paris where Napoleon and Charlemagne actually were, made history more real for me than dates in a book. Things just started to fall into place after that.

"That same summer I worked as a production assistant on a Woody Allen movie - Small Time Crooks. After the whole thing was over it occurred to me that I could keep on being a production assistant and maybe years and years later someone might let me write and direct my own movie or I could just start writing now and do it as a comic book. Comics are similar to movies minus the exorbitant budget."

Nelson began scouting for artistic talent on a trip to the San Diego Comic Con that year. It was there that he met EricJ, Rex Mundi's co-creator and original artist. "The comic con was overwhelming. There were these unbelievably talented artists carrying big black portfolios and every time I saw one I'd stop them and talk to them. I met EricJ that way and I knew he would be perfect. Rex Mundi didn't even have a title at that point but I knew he would be perfect for it."

The two then went about designing the world that their story would inhabit. "The great thing about Paris is that it imparted a medieval look to the story. We kept the costumes in the 1930s and let the background do the work. We used as a reference the work of photographer Eugène Atget, who took pictures of old cramped and dirty Paris before much of it was knocked down and redeveloped in the late 19th century. 

"We started in 2000 and we actually self-published something, a black and white version of the first two issues combined into one, which we spent a year producing. There's probably a few copies still floating around from the people who bought it out of pity. After it came out, we took a hard look at it and it didn't look very professional, so we took a deep breath, threw the whole thing out and started over again. We produced 3,000 copies of that dummy first issue, which was probably 2,999 too many. Knowing how hard it had been to self-publish, we tried to find a publisher to help us. When Rex Mundi first came out it was basically a murder mystery about Jesus. The Da Vinci Code hadn't been published yet and everyone was scratching their heads at the concept. We took it to Image comics and the guys there took a chance on us. I'm totally grateful to everyone there."

The pressures of producing a complicated comic put a strain on Nelson's relationship with EricJ and in 2004 they parted ways, citing the industry standard "creative differences". Not long after Nelson's partnership with Image also ended, with the writer taking Rex Mundi to rival publisher Dark Horse, where he works with current Rex Mundi artist Juan Ferreyra. "EricJ and I worked on Rex Mundi for five years. When we started out we had absolutely know idea what we were doing. The pressure kept mounting the more success we had. The relationship a comic book writer has with an artist is difficult sometimes, like a marriage, and marriages can sometimes go bad and it's not one person's fault. So when we parted ways I think we both realised it was for the best."

At the time of his departure from the comic EricJ sent a touching note to fans: "There are differences and it seems that they are too deep, at this point, to mend. I know that sounds like the old 'creative differences' line that gets thrown out so much, but now I can see why it get used so often. It is very literally the only 'clean' and accurate way to express something that is not 'clean,' but rather very complex. Make no mistake, though, my love for this book is not diminished! Arvid has told me that he plans to continue the book with another artist, and I hope that he does so. I know where this story is going, and I very much want to see it finished, so, please, show Arvid some love and push him onward."

After ten years and almost 40 issues the end is in sight for Nelson. Rex Mundi is near completion, with the final secret of the Grail to be revealed in an issue out next week and the final chapter to be published in August. "People often feel depressed when they've finished their work. I didn't - I felt relieved. I've always thought of Rex Mundi as a television miniseries and I think that a lot of television shows suffer because they go on to long. So I always had a very definite ending in mind. We wanted to end it strong and well as opposed to it being cancelled because we ran out of juice."
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But the end is never the end in fantasy and Nelson's original dream of a big screen Rex Mundi is nearing reality. Johnny Depp has been developing a movie adaptation of the comic and has commissioned Fight Club screenwriter Jim Uhls to pen the screenplay. "Having Johnny Depp interested in Rex Mundi is immensely gratifying because he is one of my favourite actors. He understands what the story is about and is smart enough to see that it's not another Da Vinci Code. The second draft of the screenplay has been written and Jim Uhls has been very respectful of the material. As far as directors go, I like so many of the people Johnny has worked with - Gore Verbinski, Tim Burton and Terry Gilliam. I hope something will happen in the next couple of years but so much of these things are in the hands of the gods. Johnny Depp is definitely a very busy person."

One person Depp's production company, Infinitum, is looking at is Watchmen director Zack Snyder. Sam Sarkar, Infinitum's director development, recently told MTV news: "We really need to find a guy who has that kind of visual style — not unlike Zack Snyder. You need a guy that’s that kind of visionary to do Rex, because it's a really visually complex world."

This is not the first time Rex Mundi has been in Hollywood's orbit, which brings us to Nelson's second problem with The Da Vinci Code. "Johnny Depp came on board after we had been scrounging around for a few years. We had been working on a Hollywood adaptation and The Da Vinci Code made that more difficult. Why? Who can fathom the radioactive, mutant mind of Hollywood? My guess is that people took a look at Rex Mundi and concluded 'Da Vinci Clone'. Of course, there's a lot more to Rex Mundi than that. The Grail is only a small part of the story, a starting point, really. All told, it turned out to be a positive. Rex Mundi would be awful if it were shoehorned into a middling Da Vinci Code rip-off. We're aiming a little higher than that."

Arvid Nelson

Dream job "Doing the voice for Kermit the Frog."

Dream city "Paris. The French have a deep passion for art and culture - any kind of culture, whether it be paintings or heavy metal music or comic books. It doesn't have to be high art. The very first person I spoke to when I visited France was a customs officer and we ended up having a 20-minute conversation about pornographic Japanese animation."

What's next after Rex Mundi? "I'm working on Kull the Conqueror. He's a character by Conan creator Robert E. Howard and is actually Howard's first attempt at a loin-cloth-wearing barbarian.Kull is a lesser known entity than Conan so I get to bring a lot of my creativity to it. Conan is invincible and confident and there's nothing he can't accomplish whereas Kull is a darker, more tortured character. He has a history and a purpose whereas you get the feeling that Conan just bounces about. I'm also writing a novel that takes in trolls, wizards and Nordic heavy metal music." 

We had a fantastic shoot at the headquarters of Radical Comics in LA.
Radical's offices are in old Gothic building on Beverly Blvd
that is perfectly suited for their subject matter.
Barry Levine was really cool to work with. He started his career as a super successful rock and roll photographer. He shot the multiple covers for KISS and Motley Crue to name a few. Now as president of Radical Publishing, he is the producer for HERCULES, CALIBER, FREEDOM FORMULA and Executive Producer for the in-development REX MUNDI movie from Warner Bros., written by JIM UHLS and starring JOHNNY DEPP. His partner is Jesse Berger who is the Executive Producer for HERCULES, CALIBER and FREEDOM FORMULA.

From MTV
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Rex Mundi’ Studio Wants Someone ‘Not Unlike Zack Snyder’ To Direct Johnny Depp
Published by Brian Warmoth on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 at 8:35 am.

Johnny DeppJohnny Depp’s production company, Infinitum Nihil, already has its script and an impressive lead actor (namely, A-list leading man Depp) tagged for the live-action adaptation of Arvid Nelson and Eric Johnson’s comic book series “Rex Mundi.” In their search for a “Rex Mundi” director, the bar is remaining as high for the talent behind the camera as it is in front of it.

According to Infinitum Director of Development Sam Sarkar, the studio wants a talent on the level of “Watchmen” mastermind Zack Snyder to bring the Dark Horse series to the big screen.

“We really need to find a guy who has that kind of visual style — not unlike Zack Snyder,” Sarkar told MTV News. “You need a guy that’s that kind of visionary to do ‘Rex,’ because it’s a really visually complex world.”

Sarkar is currently working on an adaptation of “Calibur,” the Radical Publishing’s comic book series he created, and he has high expectations for whoever gets the job of envisioning “Rex Mundi” for film. When asked who he envisioned helming “Rex Mundi,” Sarkar didn’t hesitate to name-drop the director who has already tackled graphic novels by luminaries Frank Miller and Alan Moore.

“The challenge with ‘Rex’ is that its world is going to be, visually, really different,” Sarkar explained. “Even the comics that Arvid and Eric originally did, which were sort of an alternate Paris of the 1930s… we’ve gone even further out with it, in an interesting way, with the adaptation from Jim [Uhls], who did ‘Fight Club.’”

The thriller, set around mysteries of the Knights Templar and Holy Grail, has had a long road to get to where it’s at now. As Nelson blogged here on Splash Page, even though “Mundi” beat “The DaVinci Code” to publication, Dan Brown’s explosion of popularity initially eclipsed the comic in Hollywood.

Sarkar remains confident with where the project is at now, though.

“These things are so big, you just want them to come together when all of the elements are right,” he said. “You can’t jam them together.”

Johnny Depp’s ‘Rex Mundi’ Has Its Script, Now Looking For Director
Published by Jennifer Vineyard on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 4:41 pm.

Johnny DeppThere must be something about the combo of murder mysteries and the occult — because both times Johnny Depp has gotten involved with a graphic novel adaptation (first “From Hell,” now “Rex Mundi”), those were the key ingredients.

“Johnny has an interest in the Templar Knights,” said Radical Publishing president Barry Levine, who is co-producing the “Rex Mundi” film with Depps’ Infinitum Nihil production company . “He loves that kind of research and all that stuff. He’s not so much a comics guy as much of a story guy. If it’s a good story, it doesn’t matter.”

In the alternate-noir world of “Rex Mundi,” the Catholic Church was never reformed — Martin Luther was assassinated first. And so by 1933, when the story takes place, the Inquisition polices Europe, which is ruled by monarchies, while most of the rest of the world remains colonized. And yet, despite all the Church control, magic is also a part.

“People don’t want to see what they already know,” Levine said. “People are open-minded, and they want to be entertained, so this is a new opportunity for that.”

Though the mystery in Arvid Nelson’s graphic novels involves the Holy Grail and a descendant of Jesus Christ, screenwriter Jim Uhls (“Fight Club”) has changed the story somewhat, although Depp’s character Dr. Julien Sauniere would still be the lead.

“The second draft is now coming in from Jim,” Levine said, “and Warner Bros. is pretty excited about it. They came up with a couple of names for directors, so now we just need Johnny to look at the list. It all begins and ends with Johnny. He’s got to be happy with the script, and he gave his notes, so we’ll see what happens next.”

Who would you want to see direct “Rex Mundi”? Would you rather see Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter or as Dr. Julien Sauniere? Let us know below.

Posted Aug 14th 2008 11:32AM by Elisabeth Rappe

It's been a while since we heard anything about Johnny Depp's second foray into the world of comic book adaptation, otherwise known as Rex Mundi. Back in 2006, Depp purchased the rights to Arvid Nelson's Dark Horse series under his Infinitum Nihil banner, with the intention to star as Dr. Julien Sauniere.

To refresh your memory, Rex Mundi is set in an alternate history where Martin Luther was assassinated, the Reformation never took place, and the Catholic Church still reigns supreme. The comics take place in the 1930's, in a world where the Inquisition still runs rampant, Europe is ruled by monarchs, but magic manages to exist. Into this walks Dr. Sauniere, who finds himself investigating the disappearance of a medieval scroll, and a trail of horrific ritual murders. You can find out more on its official site, if you're interested. Depp was drawn to the project not because he's a comic reader, but because he's keenly interested in the Templar Knights, and "loves that kind of research" according to Barry Levine, who's co-producing.

According to MTV, Rex now has a script, penned by Jim Uhls, and is looking for a director. Depp has been right in the thick of all the decision making, says his co-producer Barry Levine. "The second draft is now coming in from Jim, and Warner Bros. is pretty excited about it. They came up with a couple of names for directors, so now we just need Johnny to look at the list. It all begins and ends with Johnny. He's got to be happy with the script, and he gave his notes, so we'll see what happens next."

As the original story dealt with a now predictable search for the Holy Grail and descendant of Jesus, it's been changed around a bit. (Damn you, DaVinci Code!) With that worrying development, it's difficult to say how this could end up -- it all hinges on who they hire to direct, and if the story can hold up. The world Nelson has created could be really brilliant on screen. But I fear another From Hell or The Ninth Gate.

Written by Arvid Nelson, “Rex Mundi” is an epic story set in an alternate history in which the Catholic church dominates Europe with Kabbalistic magic and its police force of Inquisitors. The Dark Horse series rockets toward its conclusion this week with the release of issue #15. Illustrated by Juan Ferreyra “Rex Mundi” was planned as a 38-issue miniseries (the first twenty issues of which were published by Image Comics) and will end with Dark Horse’s issue #19. With the first 35 installments now complete, time is running out for Dr. Julien Sauniere to find the Holy Grail and save Europe from the Duke of Lorraine's machinations.

CBR News spoke with Nelson about “Rex Mundi,” its less-obvious religious influences, and the progress of Johnny Depp's planned film adaptation.

Two issues into Book 6, the final arc of the series, “Rex Mundi” is now entering the endgame. In issue #15, Lord Lorraine, Genevieve, and Julien Sauniere all experience certain reversals of fortune, while Teniers works toward his own ends and Isabelle finds new resolve.

Nelson said that the end of “Rex Mundi” represents the payoff to story threads that have been established throughout the series' run. “The first side of the story, we were writing a lot of checks,” the writer told CBR News. “Now we're cashing them.”

Nelson also promised “lots of twists and turns” before the final issue. “One of the characters is safe, that's what I promised myself from the beginning,” he said. “Some major characters will die, and some will die before story ends.”

Though Nelson has indicated that Book 6 will focus less on this world's history (which has by now been well established), the underlying quest for and mysteries surrounding the Holy Grail will play a key role in the resolution of “Rex Mundi.” The religious aspect, too, remains close to the heart of the series, though some of its influences are less apparent than others. In particular, the writer's own Baha'i faith gives a particular shape to the story.

“I converted to Baha'i in college, so religion is interesting to me. I think it's an important part of the human experience, and will always be a important part of my writing,” Nelson explained. “I think there's a lot of emphasis today on how different the major religions are from each other, Christianity from Islam, from Buddhism, and so on. The way it's conceived is that there' s an unbridgeable gulf--but Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, they all share the same prophetic origins. This clash of cultures is not how it’s meant to be, it's not how they were originally framed. It's certainly not the Baha'i perspective.

“'Rex Mundi' shows the similarities between the religions, the idea of religions being not so much confrontational as coming together. It emphasizes those things, that make them are a lot more similar, are a lot more important than the things that make them different.

“There's also an even deeper level, allegorically, in Baha'i faith, which in a mystical sense goes back to Abraham,” Nelson continued. “God said to Abraham, 'I will make prophets out of your descendants. That's plural. His sons were Ishmael and Isaac, and from Isaac eventually down the years we get Jesus and the Jewish prophets. From Ishmael, eventually we get Mohammed. Baha'i represents the reconciliation of these prophetic traditions into one unified religion. So in 'Rex Mundi,' Julien represents Mohammed's line, Lorraine represents Christ, and Genevieve is the unity.”

Nelson was quick to point out that the metaphor only goes so far. “It's not a direct correlation--Jesus wasn't evil.”

“Rex Mundi” #15 sports a guest cover by “Umbrella Academy” writer and My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way, and Nelson spoke admiringly of his fellow Dark Horse creator. “I love the cover,” he said. “Gerard is a very nice guy, too. He puts a lot of work into 'Umbrella Academy.' 'He could just not take his time with it, it would still sell well. But it's actually a really good comic, which kind of shows the kind of guy he is.”
Page from "Rex Mundi" #15

When last we spoke with Arvid Nelson, the writer discussed the film adaptation of “Rex Mundi,” produced by and starring Johnny Depp. Nelson indicated that the film is “coming along” but that “the wheels of Hollywood grind slowly.” “We are at a second revision of the screenplay, so that's good. The way this works is there are periods of feverish activity, followed by lulls,” he said. “We're in one of the lulls now.”

Nelson said he would also like to develop his other current Dark Horse project, the “Kull” miniseries -- based on the R.E. Howard character -- into something similarly grand. He noted that whether or not this comes to fruition will depend on Dark Horse and the licensors, but that there is a plan for whole saga for Kull's life. “Conan wanders around for years and becomes king eventually, but that was never the point of his life. Kull does have a driving force in his life,” Nelson explained. “We are seeing this as a long-form miniseries like 'Lost' or like 'Heroes,' where every story is building toward some ultimate goal.”

Book in the works about the true story of Alexander Litvinenko, the Russian spy poisoned to death in 2006.