Articles by martha-thomases
Thu May 8, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
Simone & Ajax: Leaping Lemmings!
How the duck became a duke!
In this brand-new, full-color episode of Simone & Ajax: The Case of the Maltese Duck, by Andrew Pepoy with colors by Jason MIllet, we see the story behind the duck, whose name happens to be Herriman. He's the last of his kind, and he really needs his liver.
Credits: Andrew Pepoy (Artist), Andrew Pepoy (Letterer), Andrew Pepoy (Writer), Jason Millet (Colorist), Mike Gold (Editor-In-Chief)
More: The Adventures of Simone & Ajax: The Case of the Maltese Duck
Wed May 7, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
EZ Street: Opportunity Knocks
Does telling the truth cause a break-up?
Is there a difference between being supportive and being co-dependent? Can a woman in a relationship with an artist get any respect? These are just a few of the questions raised in today's brand-new episode of EZ Street, by Mark Wheatley and Robert Tinnell.
Credits: Mark Wheatley (Artist), Mark Wheatley (Colorist), Mark Wheatley (Letterer), Mark Wheatley (Writer), Mike Gold (Editor), Robert Tinnell (Writer)
More: EZ Street
Mon May 5, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
Demons of Sherwood: One Arrow
Shot to the heart...
Robin has to make a big decision in today's brand-new episode of Demons of Sherwood, by Bo Hampton and Robert Tinnell. Will he take the keg? Or will he go faster? And what's with the arrow?
Credits: Bo Hampton (Artist), Bo Hampton (Colorist), Bo Hampton (Letterer), Bo Hampton (Writer), Mike Gold (Editor), Robert Tinnell (Writer)
More: Demons of Sherwood
Mon May 5, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
Wizard Entertainment HQ For Sale: Comics Not Included
Got $4 million?
To be filed under "Talk Amongst Yourselves," we were recently sent a link to a Century 21 ad for a property located in Congers, NY, that piqued our interest. Apparently, the office of Wizard Entertainment, publisher of Wizard Magazine
According to the ad, the owners of the property (Wizard Entertainment) are looking for $4 million in exchange for the 35,000 square-foot property. Although we're not sure what to infer about this aspect of the posting:
Owner would prefer to deliver building vacant but would be agreeable to a lease back 60-100% of office/warehous [sic] space.
When asked for comment on the posting, a representative of Wizard identified only as "Ed" said that the publisher was simply "checking our business options."
Additionally, when asked about the company's plans should the building find a new owner, the Wizard representative responded, "We may not go anywhere. We may sell the building and stay as a tenant. We may sell the building and move across the street."
Neither Century 21 nor representatives at Wizard would offer any further comment on the sale or its implications for the publisher.
What we really want to know, though, is whether the pricetag includes that warehouse full of comics seen in the ad. Maybe there are a few good issues of Captain America
Sat May 3, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
Flash Rising, by Martha Thomases
Brilliant Disguise #55
So Barry Allen is coming back.
I like Barry Allen okay. I was sad when he died. Not as sad as I was when Supergirl died, but sad. He seemed like a nice guy, someone down-to-earth and genuine, at least as much as a comic-book character can be. His job as a police scientist seemed exotic to me in the days before the CSI shows made put it on television every night. Even when I was a long-haired freak, I liked his crew-cut sincerity.
When Wally West took over the role of the Flash in the comic, I was grouchy about it. He was different. The way Mike Baron wrote him, he was very different. Even though I like to think I’m an open-minded, progressive person, sometimes I want my comics to stay the same. I kept reading them, though, and was soon won over. Those stories were more like soap opera, making them much more addictive on a month-to-month basis.
Wally has been the Flash for 23 years. For my son, he’s the only Flash there is. I mean, he’s my son, so he’s read an abnormal number of old comics, but the Flash he knows from week-to-week is Wally. His reaction to Barry Allen’s return, as he read about it in the New York Daily News on Wednesday, is an unenthusiastic shrug.
Fri May 2, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
GrimJack: The Manx Cat - Back to the Future!
Bill me or bite me ...
John Gaunt is himself again in today's brand-new episode of GrimJack: The Manx Cat, by John Ostrander and Timothy Truman. Now that he knows how dangerous the Cat is, will he be able to get to Black Jack in time?
Credits: John Ostrander (Writer), John Workman (Letterer), Lovern Kindzierski (Colorist), Mike Gold (Editor), Timothy Truman (Artist)
More: GrimJack: The Manx Cat
Wed Apr 30, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
EZ Street: The Big Fight
Can this partnership be saved?
In today's brand-new episode of EZ Street, by Robert Tinnell and Mark Wheatley, Scott and Danny have "creative differences" about how their comic should be drawn and what their comic should be.
Can you divorce your own brother?
Credits: Mark Wheatley (Artist), Mark Wheatley (Colorist), Mark Wheatley (Letterer), Mark Wheatley (Writer), Mike Gold (Editor), Robert Tinnell (Writer)
More: EZ Street
Tue Apr 29, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
Munden's Bar: Ladies' Night
Ooh, those drink specials!
In what may be the single greatest Munden's Bar story ever (drawn by the lovely and talented Joanna Estep, with a writer too modest to name here), we see what happens every month to the women who live on Paradise Island.
The Amazons have been living together for three millennia. Their cycles are synced. And then ....
Credits: Bob Pinaha (Letterer), Joanna Estep (Artist), Martha Thomases (Writer), Matt Webb (Colorist), Mike Gold (Editor)
More: Munden's Bar
Sat Apr 26, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
Convention Queen for a Day, by Martha Thomases
Brilliant Disguise #54
With New York Comic-Con receding into the fogs of memory, I’m girding my loins to face another season of conventions. Last year, as part of the ComicMix Inaugural World Tour, I went to more shows than I had ever attended before. However, with the long lull between Mid-Ohio and New York, I managed to block out some of the more disturbing experiences that typify what it means to go to a comics convention.
NYCC is not a typical show. It’s huge, it’s crowded, it’s noisy, and it has attitude. That’s because it’s in Manhattan, but it’s also because it wants desperately to be San Diego. People come to see movies and television previews at least as much as they come to see comics. And that’s cool. Maybe some of these people will also buy a few comics.
Still, it does make for long lines and the attendant short tempers. If you want to enjoy a comics convention, go to Heroes World or Mid-Ohio, or Baltimore. The size is manageable, you can meet a few of your favorite pros, and you can hear yourself think over the noise of the crowd.
However, any show would be more fun if everyone followed these simple rules, which I will enforce when I’m named Queen:
Continue reading Convention Queen for a Day, by Martha Thomases ›
Thu Apr 24, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
The Adventures of Simone & Ajax: Polar Lemmings!
But will they save Simone and Ajax?
In today's brand new episode of Simone & Ajax: The Maltese Duck, by Andrew Pepoy, our heroes are tied up and about to be tortured.
Suddenly, lemmings appear! Can this be a good sign? And why are they puffy and white?
Credits: Andrew Pepoy (Artist), Andrew Pepoy (Letterer), Andrew Pepoy (Writer), Jason Millet (Colorist), Mike Gold (Editor-In-Chief)
More: The Adventures of Simone & Ajax: The Case of the Maltese Duck
Wed Apr 23, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
EZ Street: Swords and Sorcery
How does a cop fit in?
In today's brand-new episode of EZ Street by Mark Wheatley and Robert Tinnell, you've got your magic swords, you've got your evil witches, you've got your prophesies to be fulfilled.
And you've got your alcoholic police woman, wondering how she fits in. Does she?
Credits: Mark Wheatley (Artist), Mark Wheatley (Colorist), Mark Wheatley (Letterer), Mark Wheatley (Writer), Mike Gold (Editor), Robert Tinnell (Writer)
More: EZ Street
Tue Apr 22, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
Jon Sable, Freelance: The End of Jon Sable?
The nuke explodes, and then...
In today's brand-new (and final) episode of Mike Grell's Jon Sable, Freelance: Ashes of Eden, our heroes have only moments to defuse the bomb. If everything goes their way, the bomb will only explode underground. And if they're not so lucky ...
Credits: Glenn Hauman (Colorist), Glenn Hauman (Assistant Editor), John Workman (Letterer), Mike Gold (Editor), Mike Grell (Artist), Mike Grell (Writer), Shannon Weaver (Colorist)
More: Jon Sable Freelance: Ashes of Eden
Mon Apr 21, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
Demons of Sherwood: Back to the Forest
Into the woods!
In today's brand new episode of Demons of Sherwood, by Bo Hampton and Robert Tinnell, Robin and his Merry Men escape from the monastery to Sherwood Forest. But what waits for them in the dark? And are they ready?
Credits: Bo Hampton (Artist), Bo Hampton (Colorist), Bo Hampton (Letterer), Bo Hampton (Writer), Mike Gold (Editor), Robert Tinnell (Writer)
More: Demons of Sherwood
Mon Apr 21, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
NYCC Photo Gallery: 'Create Your Own Superhero' Kids Day Event
Building a better superhero was child's play this weekend at NYCC
Sunday afternoon, John Gallagher led a standing-room-only workshop for kids to create their own comic book heroes. Gallagher, creator of Buzzboy and NASCAR Heroes, cited his own work as a model. For example, his villain, Doc Cyber, a mad scientist, saw the error of his ways and decided to use his abilities for good, thus becoming a baker. John then suggested his students create a character who is "just like you."
The results? See for yourself!
Continue reading NYCC Photo Gallery: 'Create Your Own Superhero' Kids Day Event ›
Sat Apr 19, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
Is Ma Kent Old?, by Martha Thomases
Brilliant Disguise #53
As I sit here, it’s Monday. TCM is kindly running The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca so I have snappy dialogue in the background. The sun is bright, my blueberry bushes are full of flowers, and it looks like it’s going to be a beautiful week.
However, as you read this, a momentous event is occurring. It’s my birthday. I’m 55 years old. When I was a child (until I was 31, at least), I thought 55 was old. People I knew who were that age had grown children, and were either biding their time towards retirement or starting out on new careers. How could they do it, I wondered, when so much of their life was over?
It’s a good question. How can I do it? I don’t feel like I’m 55 (see Column #47). More to the point, I’m not sure what 55 feels like. I don’t know what it looks like. Do you see women of a certain age in the media? Yes, you do. However, most of them have had so much cosmetic surgery, or Botox, or hair-dye, or liposuction, that there’s no way to see what they really look like.
In fact, I don’t have the personal medical records of famous women my age. It may be that Katie Couric or Diane Sawyer, for example, just naturally looks the same as they did 15 years ago, with no gray hair and full cheeks, while Tom Brokaw gets white hair and laugh lines. For women, wrinkles prevent one from delivering the news. Goldie Hawn is older than I am, but you can’t tell by looking at her recent photos.
