It’s really freaking me out. The networks have all but have stopped covering Iraq. McCain is fool. The world is spinning out of control It’s all in the book.

In happier news, the UK Independent covers “daring” Iraq-themed graphic novels.

Following SHOOTING WAR’s lead, this week’s New York magazine features a hilarious piece of satirical near-future fiction set to illustration. Written by former West Wing writer and political pundit Lawrence O’Donnell and illustrated by SHOOTING WAR’s own Dan Goldman “Four Days in Denver” tells the story of this year’s Democratic National Convention - with all the drama, intrigue and gay hooker sex you could ever ask for.

Originally posted at dangoldman.net:

Yesterday I did a podcast interview with writer/director Lance Weiler for his excellent online resource The Workbook Project, an open-source informational hub for creators looking to use the internet in new ways to spread their storytelling regardless of medium. Lance and I met at SXSWi and talked about how his last film HEAD TRAUMA incorporated a cross-media ARG (alternate-reality game) that creates a supplemental story using phone calls, websites, live performances and even a Jack Chick-sized comic that fans can follow clues to additional pieces of the film’s story. A longtime comics fan, Lance was very interested in SHOOTING WAR’s path from web to print to motion picture… so we had a little chat about it:

One result of this conversation is a word I’m going to overuse: micropatron. It’s the model of organizing your fans’ donations to meet your production budget that allows them to go from passive fans to active producers, showing their enthusiasm for your work by helping bring it to life. This bon mot and more are contained within the podcast.

Dan blogs his Austin adventures here.

If you’re at SXSW: SHOOTING WAR artist Dan Goldman will be speaking on the Day Stage today at 3:30 pm about SHOOTING WAR’s evolution from free online comic to hardcover graphic novel to its future form as a TV series, as well as giving you a peek behind the curtain at his all-digital art processes involved in designing and creating the story’s dystopian landscape of Baghdad in 2011.

Last week in St. Louis, Shooting War author Anthony Lappé presented a preview of his upcoming speaking tour in a showcase speech to over 1,000 students and advisers at the National Association of College Activities convention. (Thanks to everyone who stuck around after Lance Bass!). For more info about how you can bring his dynamic multimedia presentation about the media and the future of citizen journalism to your school, click the image above.

I’ll be traveling to Austin TX for SXSW Interactive, a gathering of all things shiny, wired and AJAX-powered. As part of their Book Readings series, I’ll be discussing SHOOTING WAR’s genesis and execution as well as casting a fiery eye to the gorgeous future. - Dan

I’m very proud to announce the following. Check this site for all of the inside skinny as the project develops. Below is the official press release. - Anthony

Power Options Critically Acclaimed Graphic Novel ‘Shooting War’

Power is going ahead with the development of a brand new state-of-the-art series on the war on terror, the media and the rise of “citizen journalism” after optioning the film and television rights for Anthony Lappé’s critically-acclaimed graphic novel SHOOTING WAR, illustrated by Dan Goldman.

The graphic novel, which was recently published by Grand Central Publishing in the US and Wiedenfeld & Nicolson in the UK, is a near-future political thriller/dark satire about a young blogger whose greatest dream becomes his worst nightmare when he finds himself in over his head trying to cover an out-of-control front of the war on terror.

The deal was brokered by Brendan Deneen of Objective Entertainment and Luke Speed of Marjacq on behalf of Ian Kleinert at Objective Entertainment, who originally sold the book to Executive Editor Jaime Levine at Grand Central. SHOOTING WAR began its life as an online serialized web comic on Smithmag.net, where it garnered instant critical raves, leading to the sale as a hardcover graphic novel.

Power is currently in co-production with Crusoe, an action-packed 13 part series for NBC in the US; XIII: The Conspiracy, starring Val Kilmer and Stephen Dorff; and the political two part mini series The Summit starring Mia Maestro, James Purefoy and Christopher Plummer, which will all headline at MIP.

Anthony Lappé, a journalist and documentary film-maker who has written for The New York Times and produced the Amnesty International Award-winning Showtime documentary about Iraq, “BattleGround: 21 Days on the Empire’s Edge,” comments: “I originally conceived SHOOTING WAR as a film so I’m very excited to have it come full circle. I really respect the kind of material Power develops and produces, and am excited to work with them in bringing SHOOTING WAR to life.”

Power founder and CEO Justin Bodle said: “This has to be the graphic novel of 2007. I am delighted that Power now has the opportunity to bring this astute, vivid and brilliant web serial and book to the screen.”

Praise for SHOOTING WAR:

“A stunningly rendered graphic novel that manages to stick a red-hot skewer into the war on terror, Islamic jihad, the mainstream media and the antiestablishment blogosphere in one fell swoop” (Newsweek)

One of the “100 Best Things in the World” (British GQ)

“Ferocious satire” (Financial Times)

“The Apocalypse Now of the War on Terrorism” (Forbes)

“Scary-smart” (Rolling Stone)

Thank you to all who came out to see my speech and came around to meet me at the NACA convention this weekend. I really enjoyed meeting all of you and look forward to coming to your school. - Anthony

I’ll be appearing on my good friend Rachel Maddow’s show on Air America tonight at around 7:30 ET to discuss John “10,000 year war” McCain, Shooting War and anything else she wants. - Anthony