Monetizing, licensing and inclusion, oh my! Last week I was honored to join a panel for UCLA Anderson School of Management’s Pulse conference to speak about games. We discussed the latest trends in games (AI and live games), monetization (hoping loot boxes are behind us), and transmedia storytelling. We rounded it out with ways to improve inclusion and representation both behind and on the screen.
Moderated by Digital LA’s Kevin Winston, I was joined by:
Rickey Pinkney aka Ardo, CEO & Guild Commander, Final Frontier Alissa Smith, Senior Game Designer, Survios Zsuzsa James, Consulate General of Finland in Los Angeles, Senior Trade Commissioner, Interactive Media
Thanks again to UCLA for the opportunity to speak and join such an awesome group of panelists. If you were able to join us, what did you enjoy the most?
Curious about comics navigating the wild world of other media? If you missed our conversation about comics and transmedia at LockDownCon II — like I nearly did! — It’s not too late! You can still watch it online. This past Sunday, I joined a fine assemblage of creators in comics and other media to discuss the state of comics and carrying IP and storytelling across platforms. Feel free to take a gander!
Comics are everywhere these days, and they are increasingly the source material from which movies and television are drawing inspiration. The writers and artists behind some of the hottest mainstream and indie comics chime in with their thoughts about the pervasive influence of sequential storytelling and how it may, or may not, have altered the way they create their works.
Geoffrey Thorne (Green Lantern), Anne Toole (Horizon Zero Dawn), Nancy Holder (Mary Shelley Presents Tales of the Supernatural), Kayden Phoenix (A La Brava, Universe of Latina Superheroes), John Zuur Platten (St. Mercy)
Today’s the day! I’ll be joining a host of other talented folks to speak about writing for games and comics in the virtual experience of PAX Online! Watch the stream, then join us on Discord for a Q&A to get the last ounce of value from our lovely and fearless panelists!
When: Today! September 17, 2020, 1pm PST Where: PAX Online
Games and Comics have an overlapping audience in spite of their differences. Interactive vs. passive consumption, moving vs. static images – but what are the traits they share that draw people to both? What are some of the similarities and differences in how they can be used to tell their stories, and how can the two be used to boost each other within a franchise?
PANELISTS Cade Peterson [CEO, MidBoss], JJSignal [Creative Director, MidBoss], Sina Grace [Comics Writer (formerly MARVEL, currently IDW, Archie Comics, BOOM! Comics, PT), freelance], John Barber [Editor-In-Chief, IDW Publishing], Mary Kenney [Writer, Insomniac Games (Video games: MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES and THE WALKING DEAD: THE FINAL SEASON) (Comics: READ-ONLY MEMORIES and MY LITTLE PONY)], Anne Toole [Writer, HORIZON ZERO DAWN (game and comic), CURSE OF THE PHARAOHS (ASSASSIN’S CREED ORIGINS), and HALO: LONE WOLF (comic), freelance], Sam Maggs [Writer, video games and comics (Comics: MARVEL ACTION: CAPTAIN MARVEL; TRANSFORMERS: GALAXIES. Video games: SPIDER-MAN: THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS; RATCHET & CLANK: RIFT APART)]
Netflix’s THE WITCHER apparently reached 76 million viewers in its first month of release, making it Netflix’s biggest premiere ever. Congrats to everyone involved! And, in an abundance of clarity, I was not one of them 😆 I was one of several credited writers on the first WITCHER video game along with my then writing partner Sande Chen.
Why do I feel the need to clarify? Because this week a friend reached out to me and asked, “Aren’t you rich yet?”
Alas, no. The games and series are both based on best-selling novels from Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. To him go the glory and the spoils. You can see bits of Eastern European mythology seeping in that make the Witcher’s world stand out. While the games offer more of a sequel to the books, the Netflix series adapts the books themselves.
The popularity of the Netflix series has been a boon to the games, however. WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT (also no affiliation), just recorded its highest number of players ever, despite being released in 2015. I guess to CD Projekt Red and Steam go some of those spoils.
This weekend! Join in for another edition of Halo: Outpost Discovery in Chicago. This three-day real world event dedicated to Halo has already started its tour of the country, and I’ll be in Chicago to participate in the festivities. Tomorrow, I’ll be speaking on a panel as well as signing the Halo: Lone Wolf comic book mini-series that I wrote for Dark Horse.
I’ll be joining a host of Halo luminaries, including voice actors, writers, and the head of 343 herself, Bonnie Ross. Check out all the guests scheduled to come:
The penultimate issue of the HALO: Lone Wolf comic book series comes out today from Dark Horse! If you’ve been reading along, and really, why wouldn’t you?, you’ve been following Spartan sharpshooter Linda-058 as she infiltrates a group of humans who feel abandoned by the UNSC. With Covenant forces closing in on their location, Linda must rally the human settlers under a single essential cause: protect an AI that contains the bulk of human history. Spoilers after the jump.
As new threats rise, the legendary supersoldier sees her mission parameters shift and finds that she will need help from the very man she was sent to kill.
HALO: Lone Wolf #3 was brought to you by me, Anne Toole (W), and Kieran McKeown (P), JL Straw (I), Dan Jackson (C), Christian Ward (Cover), and your local comics shop! Check out a preview here.
Is it just me, or does it somehow seem fitting that a company named Dark Horse is putting out a comic called Lone Wolf?
The comic series I wrote for Dark Horse and 343 continues this week with HALO: Lone Wolf #2. If you want to get on board, it’s not too late to pick up a copy or pre-order the rest of the series. Previously, Spartan Linda-058 sets off alone to find a target on a Covenant planet. No spoilers until after the jump!
With Dr. Chen, a dangerous ex-ONI scientist, in her sights, Spartan Linda-058 and her AI companion must find a way to end the threat posed by Chen and evacuate the endangered humans in the settlement. But as the Covenant prepare to stage an assault, Linda discovers that Chen holds the key to a secret that could endanger all of humanity if it fell into the wrong hands.
New year, new comic! If you love you some science fiction set on distant planets, or enjoy the Halo video games, check out Halo: Lone Wolf. I wrote this four-issue comic book series from Dark Horse and 343 that starts with issue one today! You’ll find it wherever fine comics are sold.
Halo: Lone Wolf follows Spartan Linda-058 alone on a covert mission. Her skills in infiltration and marksmanship make her perfect for the high-stakes mission to end the threat posed by a wanted scientist on a distant planet. With only an ONI-assigned AI at her side, Linda must fight through both the dregs of the Covenant and the hostility of a lost human settlement to stop the rogue scientist in his tracks.
The newest entry in the Halo comics franchise is written by Anne Toole (Horizon Zero Dawn, The Witcher) with art by Kieran McKeown (White Canvas) and JL Straw (Back to the Future), colors by Dan Jackson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Call of Duty: Zombies), and covers by Christian Ward (Quantum Age: From the World of Black Hammer, Young Avengers).
The series I created, ALLES LIEBE, ANNETTE, will be showing at Baltimore New Media Web Festival this weekend, under its English title, LOVE, ANNETTE. The fest goes on all weekend, but make sure you’re there Sunday to catch the viewing, hopefully with English subtitles.
WHAT: LOVE, ANNETTE screening
WHEN: Sunday, November 5 at 2pm
WHERE: Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Avenue Baltimore, Maryland
You can buy tickets for the two-day event here. I’d attend myself if I weren’t speaking elsewhere this weekend. If you go, please let me know how it went! And if you can’t make it this time around, the Rio Webfest chose ALLES LIEBE, ANNETTE for their webfest in mid-November. In case you were planning to be in Rio 🙂
100 episodes. 2.6 million views. Thousands of comments. It was such a great ride. So happy that people liked ALLES LIEBE, ANNETTE, and that Youtube has google translate. ALLES LIEBE, ANNETTE, the German webseries I created, concluded this month. Eager to find out what happened with Annette, Maria, Henry, and Arne? Fortunately, I’ve got the synopses for you in English.
Not caught up? Check out the first episodes here, the second batch of episodes, and the penultimate list of episodes here. All set? Here’s how it all played out:
Arne’s back! Sort of. He gives an interview where he denies he had deep feelings for Annette, and also implies that there was another reason he was with her.
Jenny kicks ass. She backs up Annette who’s trying to take down all copies of the improper video that’s been released in the wild. But there’s one copy she won’t take down…
Annette is happy! Who knew this was a thing? She’s been offered a job, everything is easy with Henry, and best of all, she doesn’t have to participate in Maria’s wedding planning.
Arne has written a new song, and Henry catches Annette listening to it.
Episode 97
Graf called off the wedding! But is Annette ready to forgive Maria?
Episode 98
Arne’s got a letter for Annette that Henry doesn’t want her to have. What’s going on?
Episode 99
Annette shares what happened with Henry. What’s next for Annette?
Episode 100
Last episode! Annette has packed and says goodbye to everyone who had an impact on her, one way or another, and Maria has one more surprise.
Thank you for everything!
Congrats to the cast and crew, and thanks to everyone and the fans for a great run!
Remember, even if you don’t know German, you can watch by turning on Closed Captioning and changing the Youtube settings to auto-translate. You can also follow along on their social media sites and use the magic of Google translate:
Netflix’s THE WITCHER apparently reached 
”
New year, new comic! If you love you some science fiction set on distant planets, or enjoy the Halo video games, check out 
The series I created, 
Anne Toole, writer 