Articles by martha-thomases
Thu Apr 17, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
ComicMix Six: Top Political Campaigns in Comics
You think your Campaign '08 options are bad? Check out these candidates from the world of comics!
It happens every few years, just like the Olympics or locusts: People lucky enough to live in democracies hold an election.
Sometimes they're voting for a President or a Congressman, and sometimes they're voting for a mayor or dogcatcher. People in comics vote, too, and their choices are often as stupid as ours.
That's why, with primaries on the horizon and campaigns dominating the headlines, we've decided to take a look at some of the most notable attempts (successful or otherwise) at obtaining political office in the comics world... in typical ComicMix Six fashion.
*Sigh* If only it were that easy to ret-con a disappointing election in the real world...
6. Myra Fermin, Mayor of Hub City (DC): In the most corrupt city in the DC Universe, Myra ran on a platform promising to clean up the mess. And she won, because there had to be a reason she couldn’t sleep with the Question.
5. Gary "The Smiler" Callahan, President (Vertigo): This mayoral candidate gave Spider Jerusalem a lot to write about in Transmetropolitan. At first, Spider liked him more than his predecessor, "The Beast." And then, Spider learned the truth. Basically, The Smiler was sort of like Rudy Giuliani, but without the combover.
Continue reading ComicMix Six: Top Political Campaigns in Comics ›
Wed Apr 16, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
EZ Street: Big Breakthrough
Inspiration strikes!
Sometimes, the story just flows. In today's brand-new episode of EZ Street, by Robert Tinnell and Mark Wheatley, Danny gets some new ideas about how to draw Scot's story. Will the parts be greater than the whole? Can brothers collaborate on art and life?
Credits: Mark Wheatley (Artist), Mark Wheatley (Colorist), Mark Wheatley (Letterer), Mark Wheatley (Writer), Mike Gold (Editor), Robert Tinnell (Writer)
More: EZ Street
Tue Apr 15, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
Jon Sable, Freelance: Holiday Blow Up
That nuke is set to blow!
In today's brand new episode of Mike Grell's Jon Sable, Freelance: Ashes of Eden, Sable and Maggie the Cat have to find Bashira and the bomb before Rockefeller Center explodes.
The GPS shows them where she is -- but will they stop her in time?
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 14, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
Demons of Sherwood: Daring Escapes?
Getting out of the monastery ...
In today's brand-new episode of Demons of Sherwood, by Robert Tinnell and Bo Hampton, our heroes have to escape from fire and water.
The monastery burns around them, and not everyone gets out alive. But those that do escape may not be the lucky ones.
Credits: Bo Hampton (Artist), Bo Hampton (Colorist), Bo Hampton (Letterer), Bo Hampton (Writer), Mike Gold (Editor), Robert Tinnell (Writer)
More: Demons of Sherwood
Sat Apr 12, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
Harlan Ellison, Norman Mailer, and the Underdog, by Martha Thomases
Brilliant Disguise #52
This was my week to consider the lives of little old Jewish men. On Tuesday, I went to a screening of Dreams with Sharp Teeth, a film about Harlan Ellison, where I was lucky enough to talk to the man himself.
On Wednesday, there was a memorial service for Norman Mailer at Carnegie Hall. If Mailer was there, it was, alas, in spirit only, and in the lives of those who read his work.
What struck me about these two events is that both men were bullied. Harlan talked about a group of boys who would beat him up every day after school. Mailer, a Jew at Harvard in the late 1930s and early 1940s, certainly was shunned more than his share. It was the era of John Wayne and Gary Cooper, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. A man like Dustin Hoffman could no more be a leading man – a hero – than Larry Fine.
As one would expect, boys who experience cruelty grow up to be fighters. Both men have reputations for being opinionated, biting, passionate in their defense of their positions. Both have been known to throw a punch, physically as well as verbally.
And yet – they also both grew up to be charming men. Maybe my perceptions are flawed because I met them in the 1970s, when they were no longer young, but I don’t think so. I think they learned to be charming for the same reasons they learned to fight. Charm, with the sense of humor that so often tags along, is a great way to ingratiate oneself to people. Including bullies.
Girls can also be bullies, but of a different kind. I’m sure there are girls who beat up smaller kids, but it’s more likely that girls will bond together to exclude those they would ridicule. The bully is as likely to be the most beautiful, or the most popular, not the most physically strong. And, again, their victims learn to be charming.
Charm is the weapon of the outsider. There are many studies that demonstrate, for example, that women’s intuition is, in fact, a learned trait, that women learn to observe more men more closely than men observe women, because women have been more dependent on men’s approval, and need to keep tabs. African-Americans similarly know more about how white people will react than vice versa.
Bullies think they are hurting their victims. A punch in the face (or the kidney, or the knee) certainly hurts. At the same time, the bully’s victim learns to develop his own weapons. Perhaps she learns to hide meekly, and find a roundabout way home from school. Or he learns to find an adult or a bigger bully who can act as protector. Luckily for us, many develop a sense of humor or a winning smile or another talent that keeps away the pain.
For the artist, bullying can result in an empathy for underdogs of every kind, and the ability to understand different kinds of characters and situations. The best writers feel like outsiders and underdogs. Their work takes us to new worlds and lets us live new lives. Their success is the best revenge.
Martha Thomases, Media Goddess of ComicMix, is a real fan of the movie, My Bodyguard.
Fri Apr 11, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
GrimJack: Hoodoo Vs. Chaos
An army of GrimJacks?
What happens when you throw the Miller Medallion at a giant demon cat? FInd out in today's brand new episode of GrimJack: The Manx Cat, by John Ostrander and Timothy Truman.
John Gaunt thinks the big kitty is afraid of the amulet's hoodoo. Is she?
Credits: John Ostrander (Writer), John Workman (Letterer), Lovern Kindzierski (Colorist), Mike Gold (Editor), Timothy Truman (Artist)
More: GrimJack: The Manx Cat
Thu Apr 10, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
Simone & Ajax: Brooklyn Ducks!
Time to follow the trail...
In today's brand-new, full-color episode of The Adventures of Simone & Ajax: The Maltese Duck, by Andrew Pepoy, our heroes are hot on the tracks of the legendary fowl. His history includes a stint in The Black Legion. Where else will they be forced to go?
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 9, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
EZ Street: Blood Flows
Ride the lightning!
In today's brand-new episode of EZ Street, by Mark Wheatley and Robert Tinnell, Scott and Danny hash out the rest of their comic book story. Not just any story, but one with monsters, blood, swords and dreams -- everything you ever wanted.
Credits:Mark Wheatley (Artist), Mark Wheatley (Colorist), Mark Wheatley (Letterer), Mark Wheatley (Writer), Mike Gold (Editor), Robert Tinnell (Writer)
More: EZ Street
Tue Apr 8, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
Jon Sable, Freelance: Nuke New York?
Those terrorists sure know how to ruin Christmas
Ah, Christmas in New York! The decorations, the good will, the beautiful tree in Rockefeller Center! In today's brand-new episode of Jon Sable, Freelance: Ashes of Eden, by Mike Grell, the city is all that and more -- because the terrorist Bashira has a nuclear weapon, and Jon and Maggie have to find her in time!
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 7, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
Demons of Sherwood: It's Time For the Real Demons!
Evil takes form in stone and flesh...
In today's brand-new episode of Demons of Sherwood, by Bo Hampton and Robert Tinnell, the Holy Grail changes hands. Also, we find out something especially interesting about Bronwyn.
Credits:Bo Hampton (Artist), Bo Hampton (Colorist), Bo Hampton (Letterer), Bo Hampton (Writer), Mike Gold (Editor), Robert Tinnell (Writer)
More: Demons of Sherwood
Sat Apr 5, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
The Rights Stuff, by Martha Thomases
Brilliant Disguise #51
This has been a stimulating week for any discussion of artists’ rights in the comics field. The courts awarded a share of the Superman copyright to the heirs of Jerry Siegel, and Warren Ellis left Marvel’s Thunderbolts series, saying, “It’s as simple as this – if I don’t own it, I’m not going to spend my life on it. Joe Quesada and Dan Buckley know that, they’re fine with that, and they hire me on that understanding.”
It’s my temptation now to brag, to tell you about the time I walked around the San Diego Comic Con with Joanne Siegel, how Warren Ellis is not only someone I know, but also my Facebook friend. Then you’d envy me for my fabulous life, and my weekend would be that much better. However, that’s not really a very good premise for a column. People haven’t worked so hard, risked being blackballed by major publishers and put their careers on the line just so I can feel better about myself (although, perhaps, they should consider doing so, since it would make me very happy).
The artists and writers in the comics community face the same trials and tribulations as the creative talents in any of the popular arts in this, our American capitalist society.
The blues musicians who created the tunes still used in popular music never received the copyrights for their work. If they were lucky, the assigned those rights (in contracts they never read) to the producers of their work. In that case, they at least got paid for their recordings. More likely, a white man heard the song and sold it as his own.
Fri Apr 4, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
GrimJack: At the Crossroads
The giant kitty offers John and Ben a choice...
In today's brand-new episode of GrimJack: The Manx Cat, by John Ostrander and Timothy Truman, Ben Marsh faces his inner demon. And his inner demon is John Gaunt.
Will they fight? Will they win?
Credits:John Ostrander (Writer), John Workman (Letterer), Lovern Kindzierski (Colorist), Mike Gold (Editor), Timothy Truman (Artist)
More: GrimJack: The Manx Cat
Thu Apr 3, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
Black Ice: In the Sky!
Great beasts walked the land. But can they weld?
In today's brand-new episode of Black Ice, by Mike Baron and Nick Runge, Neil's motorbike is gone, along with Prince Crom. With it, our heroes may have lost the war.
Can Neil show them how to make another bike? Does Mark Twain hold the answer?
Credits:Bob Pinaha (Letterer), Matt Webb (Colorist), Mike Baron (Writer), Mike Gold (Editor), Nick Runge (Artist)
More: Black Ice
Wed Apr 2, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
EZ Street: Running Away
Churches keep out vampires, don't they?
In today's brand-new episode of EZ Street by Robert Tinnell and Mark Wheatley, Danny and Scott contnue to spin a tale of a little boy and a drunken cop.
Which is the monster? How can they escape their destiny? Or can they?
Credits:Mark Wheatley (Artist), Mark Wheatley (Colorist), Mark Wheatley (Letterer), Mark Wheatley (Writer), Mike Gold (Editor), Robert Tinnell (Writer)
More: EZ Street
Tue Apr 1, 2008 — by Martha Thomases
Jon Sable, Freelance: Girl-fight!
May the hottest babe win...
It's blonde vs. brunette on today's brand-new episode of Jon Sable, Freelance: Ashes of Eden, by Mike Grell.
The stakes are higher than a date with a cute guy -- the winner gets to decide to nuke New York!
Credits:Glenn Hauman (Colorist), Glenn Hauman (Assistant Editor), John Workman (Letterer), Mike Gold (Editor), Mike Grell (Artist), Mike Grell (Writer)
More: Jon Sable Freelance: Ashes of Eden
