Articles by glenn-hauman
Fri Nov 6, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman
Add ComicMix to Twitter lists and get entered to win a free graphic novel!
Perhaps you've heard that Twitter has now added Twitter Lists to its offerings, as an easier way to negotiate your way around. Well, we'd like for you to see us there, so we're throwing in a little extra incentive.
Every person who adds ComicMix to a Twitter List will be entered in a random drawing. The winner will get their choice of:
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born hardcover
or
EZ Street: Limited Baltimore Edition. Only 100 of these were printed.
Just include ComicMix on your Twitter List by November 15th. We'll announce the winner on the 16th.
And don't forget to follow ComicMix or the ComicMix team list!
Fri Nov 6, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman
'Kick-Ass' posters revealed
IGN has four character posters for the Matthew Vaughn-directed comic book adaptation of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.'s Kick-Ass, opening in theaters on April 16. Go look.
Fri Nov 6, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman
J.J. Abrams takes on the Micronauts
J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Lost, Alias) is reported to be in discussions to produce a feature film based on the Micronauts toy franchise, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Micronauts toy line was created by Takara, later acquired by Tomy, and debuted in 1974 in Japan, where the line is known as Microman. Two years later the Mego Corporation introduced Micronauts to the US, and released five series of toys through 1980. Palisades Toys acquired the right to reproduce the toys in 2002, and the entire line was recently acquired by Hasbro. Additionally, Marvel Comics, Devil's Due and Image Comics published Micronauts comic books, with several paperback books based on the property published by Byron Preiss Visual Publications.
At one point, they were so tightly integrated with the Marvel Universe that they crossed over with the X-Men and spun out a character that has crossed over with most of the rest of the line, Captain Universe.
No word yet on who will actually write or direct the film. But should we worry about these robots being handled by a production company named Bad Robot?
Thu Nov 5, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman
Remember, remember, the fifth of November, and the inspiration for 'V For Vendetta'
On this day
in 1605, Sir Thomas Knyvet, a justice of the peace, found Guy Fawkes in
a cellar below the English Parliament building, involved in a plot to
blow up Parliament itself. The day was later known as "Guy Fawkes Day"
and served as an inspiration for Alan Moore and David Lloyd's graphic
novel, V for Vendetta.
Today the folks across the pond remember, remember the fifth of November in honor of a sense of independence and a shaking of fists at British authority. While we reserve fireworks for summery July 4th, today is their excuse to blow things up and set things on fire. Really, every country should follow some such tradition of blowing things up in good spirits, but in light of recent world politics, let's not go there.
Or if we do, let's wear an awesome mask while we're at it.
Neil Gaiman, an ex-pat Brit, held an annual Guy Fawkes party at his home for many years. The late great John M. Ford
AMERICAN GUY
(C'mon. You know the tune, whether or not you
remember all the words.)
A long, long time ago
But it should be remembered
How it fell out on November five
Some nobles and a guy named Guy
Thought they'd make their oppressors fly
And there'd be revolution, by and by . . .
The commissary must have shivered
When all those herrings were delivered
Barrels in the basement
For Parliament's effacement
It was a bold, quixotic dream
(Though some say Salisbury's scheme)
Explosive treason was the theme
The day the fuse went out
They started singing:
Remember, remember, the fifth of November
It was a night full of gunpowder, treason and plot
I see no reason
Why a gunpowder treason
Ever, ever should be forgot
Ever, ever should be forgot
One day with Lord Monteagle's bacon
A note says, bangers have been laid on
Take a powder, signed, A Friend
The sort of hint that starts you thinking
With leaks like this, we'll soon be sinking
Knot the rope that marks the end
They thought rebellion had a chance
But no one got up for the dance
Guy bent but didn't break
Until Salisbury's stake
The bottom line could not be plainer
A round of trials and attainder
Divide by four with no remainder
The day the fuse went out
They started singing. . . .
I miss Mr. Ford's writing a lot. Go visit Elise's LiveJournal for the last verse and say hi.
Wed Nov 4, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman
Happy 20th anniversary, Wallace and Gromit!
Tweny years ago today, two clay figures went on a grand day out to get some cheese, so of course they went to the moon to get some. Since then, Aardman Animation's Wallace and Gromit
have become two of the most recognizable
faces of modern British culture. The pair have starred in a number of 30-minute films since, including The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave and A Matter of Loaf and Death, and one feature-length film, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, which won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. And today, in England at least, they made a Google doodle to mark the occasion.
As for me, I'm off to have some cheese and cracking good toast to celebrate.
Wed Nov 4, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman
Rights to 'Terminator' franchise up for auction, and Joss Whedon starts the bidding
Nikki Finke points to a piece by Financial Times' Matthew Garrahan which tells us the Terminator franchise is going to be auctioned off this month. All the big studios, with Sony leading the way, as well as Summit
Entertainment and Media Rights Capital, are interested in bidding. The rights auction is for new Terminator films, TV programs, comics and any other spin-offs that build on the popularity of the franchise. The sale is being conducted by FTI Capital Advisors for Halcyon which
bought the Terminator rights two years ago for $25 million from Mario
Kassar. Halcyon recently filed for Chapter 11 after a dispute with
Pacificor, a Santa Barbara-based hedge fund that lent Halcyon the sum
to buy the Terminator rights.
And who's the opening bidder? Why, none other than Joss Whedon:
I have heard through the 'grapevine' that the Terminator franchise is for sale, and I am prepared to make a pre-emptive bid RIGHT NOW to wrap this dealio up. This is not a joke, this is not a scam, this is not available on TV. I will write a check TODAY for $10,000, and viola! Terminator off your hands.
No, you didn't miscount. That's four -- FOUR! -- zeroes after that one. That's to show you I mean business. And I mean show business. Nikki Finke says the Terminator concept is played. Well, here's what I have to say to Nikki Finke: you are a fine journalist and please don't ever notice me. The Terminator story is as formative and important in our culture -- and my pretend play -- as any I can think of. It's far from over. And before you Terminator-Owners (I have trouble remembering names) rush to cash that sweet cheque, let me give you a taste of what I could do with that franchise...
My theory: he wants to make sure The Sarah Connor Chronicles is well and truly dead and no threat to Dollhouse:
Tue Nov 3, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman
Cheryl Lynn for the win
Damn it, Kelly! Photo shoots only! Don't let me catch you out in the streets again looking like you escaped from a George Perez sketchbook.
Mon Nov 2, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman
Happy 25th Anniversary, ComicMix comics!
Twenty-five months ago today, ComicMix debuted our first new comics online, the return of GrimJack in the tale of the Manx Cat, a series that is now available in print from our friends at IDW. It was followed within the first week by EZ Street, Black Ice, Munden's Bar, The Adventures of Simone & Ajax, and Fishhead.
*Okay, we've been so crazy busy around here that we completely skated past our two year anniversary at the beginning of last month. But now we get to have a 25th anniversary!**
**Look, if X-Factor can have a 50th anniversary issue this month and a 200th anniversary issue next month, we can have a 25th anniversary today. So there.
Sun Nov 1, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman
The Great Pumpkin The Morning After, by J. Bone
Man, that daylight savings time switch is a bear.
(Grabbed from J. Bone's blog.)
Thu Oct 29, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman
What's missing from the Newsarama sale info?
I've been looking, and you know what I haven't found in all the discussion about the sale of Newsarama?
What it actually sold for.
For all we know, this could be BusinessWeek writ large. Bloomberg just bought BusinessWeek from McGraw-Hill for a bargain basement price between two and five million dollars (yes, million) and the takeover of some massive liabilities.
For all we know, Newsarama could have been acquired for a dozen copies of Superman #75. With the bags opened.
Anybody have any info? Or want to take a guess?
Thu Oct 29, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman
Dave Gibbons animates 'Beneath A Steel Sky: Remastered' for the iPhone
Beneath A Steel Sky: Remastered is a rerelease of the popular computer game from 1994 from British developer
Revolution Software. This month, Revolution brought it to the iPhone and iTouch, complete with new fully animated cut-scenes created by Watchmen and Martha Washington artist Dave Gibbons. Sales have already gone over 20,000, and the publisher expects to sell over 100,000 copies during the life of the game.
Which certainly gives more hope to that comics on iPhone idea...
Thu Oct 29, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman
What is it with Tim Gunn and comic books?
First he appeared in Models, Inc. #1 last month, then he appeared on our own Crazy Sexy Geeks videocast, and now he's appearing on The Late Late Show with Aquaman:
For that matter, later on in the show, host Craig Ferguson spent time talking with Sir Salman Rushdie talking about how he was approached to write a graphic novel, and then he veered into a discussion on kryptonite:
All right, so he got the details wrong. He has a Booker Prize and a knighthood, and you don't.
Wed Oct 28, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman
Martians are warping our TV reception again...
...either that, or I shouldn't have taken the funny Halloween candy from Gold.
Tue Oct 27, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman
Newsarama sold to TopTenReviews
Here we go again.
Newsarama, the long-running comics news site, has been purchased by TopTenReviews, a content aggregation site out of Ogden, Utah, it was announced today. The site, along with Space.com, and LiveScience, were sold by Imaginova, a web publisher which purchased Newsarama in 2007.
Although Imaginova purchased Newsarama with an eye to beefing up their consumer offerings, improvements seemed hard to come by, with complaints from readers and their own bloggers about formats and technological issues along the way. The bumpy fit was at least partially responsible for the original Blog@Newsarama team jumping ship to reform as Robot6 at CBR, which seems to have taken the lead in readership in that time.
The move will probably increase TopTenReviews pages served by about 15-20%.
What could make life interesting is TopTenReviews review contributor system. One wonders if it'll be applied to Newsarama, and if so, what new voices will be heard.
Tue Oct 27, 2009 — by Glenn Hauman
'Sita Sings The Blues'
In a discussion last week with Mike Gold, I mentioned I had a film his wife would love to see, and he'd get a kick out of it too. And, since it's available via Creative Commons, I can share it with you as well.
Sita Sings The Blues is a bit of a find, and it's a bit tricky to find as well. Created by cartoonist Nina Paley, and featuring the songs of Annette Hanshaw, it's an award-winning retelling of the Ramayana in four different animation styles. Sita is a goddess/princess/woman utterly devoted to her husband Rama, the god/prince/man, and they just can't quite make thier marriage work. You can't see it in theaters, but you can download it, or you can buy a limited edition DVD. (Why it's a limited edition is a loooooong story.)
It's 82 minutes long and worth every second. Watch it.
