Walden Media & Harper to Publish Children's Books

As reported in Variety ( Walden, Harper team up - Variety ), Walden Media will launch Walden Pond Press with it's new partner, HarperCollins Children's Books.

Marc Graser reports "As part of the multiyear pact, the venture will acquire and publish books for young readers. Naturally, it also plans to turn several of its tomes into film adaptations or pair up properties with other filmmakers."

First published title will be "The Will of Will Wolfkin," by screenwriter Steven Knight, who penned the pics "Dirty Pretty Things," "Eastern Promises" and "Amazing Grace."

This is the media/publishing team that gave us "The Chronicles of Narnia" franchise, "Charlotte's Web" and "Bridge to Terabithia" film adaptations.

Ta-Nehisi Coates Blogs on the Comic that Influenced His Life & Writing Career

Coates is a journalist and the author of the new memoir The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood, Spiegel & Grau (2008).

Here is an excerpt from the blogpost, Blogging TBS: The Uncanny X-Men:
"I tell you these days, it almost feels cliche to cite the X-Men as an influence. But what can I say? I don't think I'd have much of a memoir, without them. If it's true, it's true. I mentioned in one of my other posts that absence of religion in my house caused me to search for god-like figures in other places. The X-Men seemed cut right out of what you'd expect from Greek mythology, but with a twist--they were like us. I think in some respect all kids feel alienated. I just knew it was my destiny to be living out in Columbia or Randallstown, going to a school where every day I wasn't thinking about how to not catch a bad one. I just knew there'd been some horrible mix-up. And I just knew I was possessed with something that the wider world wasn't recognizing. Later I discovered what that was--a huge ego.But in those days, when I was trapped in a victim narrative, the X-Men were an allegory for my life--or at least how I wished my life was.

Here it was--It's not because of jacked-up fade, my NBA kicks (Next time Buy Adidas), my ashy knees or big lips that I got teased. It's because I can walk through walls, because my bones don't break, and eyes shoot that sort of darts that punch through steel. Later, as I got older, and became conscious, I developed a more mature interpretation and came to see the X-Men, and all mutants, as like a stand-in for West Baltimore, the South Bronx, and North Philly. In other words, the X-Men repped for anyone in the grand scheme who was under pressure. "
Read the rest here: http://www.ta-nehisi.com/2008/03/blogging-tbs--1.html

Too bad there was no black comic book that could have given this much influence and support. Unfortunately, I think we all suffered from the lack of comics that looked like us. Just a few weeks ago, I asked my brother if he would attend the ECCBAC and he replied, "No, I'm only into the classics I grew up with." I nearly cried. I know he has other issues, but this broke my heart. Specifically because I know he is not alone.

Read an excerpt from his new book on The Root, here: http://www.theroot.com/id/46279

X-Men, Coates, comics, writers, books