SHOOT To Finally Be Published

July 16th, 2010 | Work

Years ago, I wrote a brief run on the DC Vertigo horror comic JOHN CONSTANTINE: HELLBLAZER. Brief, because I wrote a horror story therein called SHOOT. SHOOT was about schoolyard slayings in the United States. It was completed before Columbine happened, but scheduled to appear not long after. The regime at DC Comics at the time decided that it could not be released in its completed form. I refused to go along with the changes they wanted to make. They decided not to publish the book at all. I quit.

I remember that, at the time, someone telling me that the stance was that Paul Levitz would not release the book so long as he was running DC.

It never occurred to me that a new regime would feel differently.

Vertigo has a long history of publishing thought provoking stories that resonate whether they’re horror, crime, war, western, fantasy, urban memoir, science fiction or reality based.

So why not dig through the archives and bring some of them back? Welcome to VERTIGO RESURRECTED – a series of one-shots and specials geared to do just that-embrace history and stories that connect with the present day activities of our favorite protagonists, antagonists and creators.

“Shoot,” Warren Ellis’s much-talked about, but never published, HELLBLAZER story involving schoolyard killings leads this mega-sized VERTIGO RESURRECTION special.

Also included are rarely seen tales exploring the disturbing depths of horror, war, romance and science fiction by Brian Azzarello, Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis and artists Jim Lee, Phil Jimenez, Bernie Wrightson, and others. Cover by Tim Bradstreet.

VERTIGO RESURRECTED #1 On Sale October 20 / 96 pages / $7.99

Damn you, Ellis! Why is Supergod so hard to get ahold of? Why do you hate me?! 
  
Uhh... I mean, this is awesome! I will definitely be buying this book, and probably the rest of his run on Hellblazer as a result.

" I am overcome with ecstasy at this news! with all these cancellations bringing me down this was exactly the news I needed to excite me! badass! I guess this means I can hold off on reading that black-and-white copy and just skip straight to the way it was meant to be read! I don't know much about Paul Levitz but this news makes me wish he'd left sooner...ten blasted years!  also, I'm very interested in what this other material is and wonder if there's more issues planned...but yes, this does excite me, thanks for breaking the news! "

" speaking of Supergod I read somewhere his hard drive crashed or something and that's why all his books are years late, do you know if this is true? "

" I am overcome with ecstasy at this news! with all these cancellations bringing me down this was exactly the news I needed to excite me! badass! I guess this means I can hold off on reading that black-and-white copy and just skip straight to the way it was meant to be read! I don't know much about Paul Levitz but this news makes me wish he'd left sooner...ten blasted years!  also, I'm very interested in what this other material is and wonder if there's more issues planned...but yes, this does excite me, thanks for breaking the news! "

" @Silkcuts said:

" @aztek the lost: I am glad I got good Vertigo news for once.  :D  I think Veitch's Swamp Thing may go to print, the script is written, you can find it on ebay when lucky, I am told.  I saw Brian Azzarello... so maybe Loveless coming back? Garth Ennis I don't think was ever cut short or drastically censored... maybe more Preacher related things.  If Gaiman wants to do his Swamp Thing.  Maybe even Dysart finishing his Swamp Thing. I also heard Gaiman at one period of time wanted to do a Sandman Zero. the two major Vertigo related censors were Shoot and the Jesus/Swamp Thing story.   Bring Jack Cross over to Vertigo and continue it. I guess it all depends on how the first issue sells. "

Ah but the Jesus thing was actually DC though yes it would make sense if Vertigo did print it these years later...but of the three names mentioned in the solicit I can't think of any censoring so there probably going for rare stories...maybe Morrison is that controversial story from Crisis about Hitler or some such...idk, either way I'm excited and wasn't Gaiman going to do a 20th anniversarry book but DC wasn't willing to budge from the deal they negotiated before Sandman was a success? "

" @Gylan Thomas: Flinch #1? also, I meant it in the sexual sense, I'm a pervert not a druggie "

Ellis seemed to be genuinely surprised that they decided to finally print it

@Gylan Thomas: sorry, can't help you with that, 1984 quest is bugged, has been since day 1, all those experiences you get are for everyone...it's annoying I know but nobody seems to getting around to fixing it? "

@cburnham next supergod will be out in 2-3 weeks. unfortunately not sure about status of upcoming Anna and Dok. Will advise when I...

2:28 AM Jul 15th  via TweetDeck in reply to cburnham

• Hellblazer would be more respected if his run lasted and maybe the hiccups like Mina wouldn't of happened.
• They let him revamp Wildstorm... but who really care, the DCU should of been his stomping grounds
• The fact Avatar has become his imprint has weakened Vertigo's hold... Avatar seems to push more boundaries now then Vertigo.
• How many aborted DC projects... Jack Cross, Desolation Jones, Hellblazer...
  

" @Emperor Gonzo Noir said:

" Ellis seemed to be genuinely surprised that they decided to finally print it "

well it has been a decade, I would have lost faith in them too, in fact I had "

" @Silkcuts: I'm still hoping for a continuation of Desolation Jones "

" @Silkcuts: DC just looks at their ten Batman titles and as far as they're concerned everything else is just extra padding so they can look like a big publisher whereas Avatar (a small publisher) has come across a huge name who wants to work with them and they're willing to treat him properly because he drives their entire imprint...I'd say he may be better off with Avatar though him returning to some of his DC properties would be very nice, as long as DC did things properly this time around "

Id love to see Loveless or Swampthing Get the Resurrection status 
 
(DC btw Tekkers so lets rejoice together)

" @Gylan Thomas:@aztek the lost:@Emperor Gonzo Noir: @Korg: We know that Shoot will be printed, okay that is 22 0r 23 pages in length.  the solicit said its 96 pages?  What else do you think is in this?  Reprints of stuff from Flinch, Weird War Tales, etc? "

" @Silkcuts said:

" @aztek the lost said:

" @Silkcuts: DC just looks at their ten Batman titles and as far as they're concerned everything else is just extra padding so they can look like a big publisher whereas Avatar (a small publisher) has come across a huge name who wants to work with them and they're willing to treat him properly because he drives their entire imprint...I'd say he may be better off with Avatar though him returning to some of his DC properties would be very nice, as long as DC did things properly this time around "

Well said.  Heck I just want Desolation Jones back.  Maybe him taking John Constantine back after Peter Milligan is done.    I agree with the Avatar being a good home for him.  Ennis has found a nice home there as well.  Vertigo is hurting because the focus is lost.  Even Alan Moore is about to start an ongoing with Avatar.... Avatar may just be the new Vertigo. "

he'll have to wait for a few years until #300 remember?  and truth be told I still prefer Vertigo, I love that Avatar is providing for these great writers but the stories don't always have the spark I want...I think Vertigo just needs to break away from DC in the editorial area and become more independent  as for Avatar, I still associate them with stuff about naked female protagonists which is all good but not enough to outdo Vertigo...yes Ellis, Ennis and Moore are writing a lot but I don't know what it is that gets me but I feel everything is too condensed...the main examples I can think of are Supergod and Crossed...yes Supergod isn't done yet and Lapham is doing a spin-off of Crossed but from what I've read from each they feel too compact...not enough exploration...Supergod's a brilliant concept but there's no story progression, it's introducing new characters the entire time, I expect a good resolution but I would have probably preferred an ongoing...and Crossed, well, my status speaks about that but once again, there was no exploration, it was funny but it lacked the oomph I was expecting I guess  so yeah I think Avatar is on the right track but Vertigo is still my home...either way the best comics in the industry aren't the ones everyone's talking about IMO "

" @Silkcuts said:

" @Gylan Thomas:@aztek the lost:@Emperor Gonzo Noir: @Korg: We know that Shoot will be printed, okay that is 22 0r 23 pages in length.  the solicit said its 96 pages?  What else do you think is in this?  Reprints of stuff from Flinch, Weird War Tales, etc? "

well it also mentions Azzarello, Ennis and Morrison  I still think British comics stuff for Ennis and Morrison, I mean they did True Faith so why not The New Adventures of Hitler? though I don't know who owns the rights to that stuff...as for Azzarello I have no idea, he mostly does DC so I don't see why they'd use this to reprint something already under their banner "

" @aztek the lost said:

" @Silkcuts said:

" @Gylan Thomas:@aztek the lost:@Emperor Gonzo Noir: @Korg: We know that Shoot will be printed, okay that is 22 0r 23 pages in length.  the solicit said its 96 pages?  What else do you think is in this?  Reprints of stuff from Flinch, Weird War Tales, etc? "

well it also mentions Azzarello, Ennis and Morrison  I still think British comics stuff for Ennis and Morrison, I mean they did True Faith so why not The New Adventures of Hitler? though I don't know who owns the rights to that stuff...as for Azzarello I have no idea, he mostly does DC so I don't see why they'd use this to reprint something already under their banner "

Some of Peter Milligan's British stuff went straight to Vertigo as well like Rogan Gosh and Skreemer So I can see the Hitler story making sense. "

" @aztek the lost: Im still trying to find it hahahaha  But yeah Warrens into the minis and thats cool in its own right, but i want a ongoing that has his name attached, Something that he really loves an will put his all in like he did with Transmet. "

" @Silkcuts said:

" @aztek the lost said:

" @Silkcuts said:

" @Gylan Thomas:@aztek the lost:@Emperor Gonzo Noir: @Korg: We know that Shoot will be printed, okay that is 22 0r 23 pages in length.  the solicit said its 96 pages?  What else do you think is in this?  Reprints of stuff from Flinch, Weird War Tales, etc? "

well it also mentions Azzarello, Ennis and Morrison  I still think British comics stuff for Ennis and Morrison, I mean they did True Faith so why not The New Adventures of Hitler? though I don't know who owns the rights to that stuff...as for Azzarello I have no idea, he mostly does DC so I don't see why they'd use this to reprint something already under their banner "

Some of Peter Milligan's British stuff went straight to Vertigo as well like Rogan Gosh and Skreemer So I can see the Hitler story making sense. "

Isn't it just gonna be rare Verigo stuff in this collection? They wont be using anything outside of Vertigo, right? "

" @Gylan Thomas said:

" @Silkcuts said:

" @aztek the lost said:

" @Silkcuts said:

" @Gylan Thomas:@aztek the lost:@Emperor Gonzo Noir: @Korg: We know that Shoot will be printed, okay that is 22 0r 23 pages in length.  the solicit said its 96 pages?  What else do you think is in this?  Reprints of stuff from Flinch, Weird War Tales, etc? "

well it also mentions Azzarello, Ennis and Morrison  I still think British comics stuff for Ennis and Morrison, I mean they did True Faith so why not The New Adventures of Hitler? though I don't know who owns the rights to that stuff...as for Azzarello I have no idea, he mostly does DC so I don't see why they'd use this to reprint something already under their banner "

Some of Peter Milligan's British stuff went straight to Vertigo as well like Rogan Gosh and Skreemer So I can see the Hitler story making sense. "

Isn't it just gonna be rare Verigo stuff in this collection? They wont be using anything outside of Vertigo, right? "

So far only the first issue was listed, and Shoot is the only confirmed.  Aztek and I was just think about the other stuff that is like Pre-Vertigo, but classic Vertigo level.  Like True Faith, Rogan Gosh and Skreemer were not originally Vertigo, they just was reprinted there.    trying to think of the other 76 pages is hard...  "