Articles by mike-gold
Thu Oct 4, 2007 — by Mike Gold
COMIC BOOK REVIEW: The Biggest Comic Ever?
Frank remains King
Here's a comic book so big it makes those old tabloid editions (Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali
On November 24, 1918, a new newspaper comic strip debuted named Gasoline Alley
Continue reading COMIC BOOK REVIEW: The Biggest Comic Ever? ›
Mon Oct 1, 2007 — by Mike Gold
MIKE GOLD: Our Son Will Come Out Tomorrow
Whizzy's Wazoo #34
Tomorrow, October 2nd.
ComicMix Phase II.
New comics by known masters... FOR FREE!
Why say more?
Sat Sep 29, 2007 — by Mike Gold
A Box Full Of Who
Tennant, Head perform in your car or iPod
If you’re a Doctor Who fan given to long drives half-way across the continent (well, hey, I am), here’s a way to pass the time that’s a lot more entertaining that counting cars on the New Jersey turnpike.
Next week, the BBC’s audiobooks division will be releasing a box set of six audiobooks based upon recent novels starring the 10th and current Doctor.
Three of the six were read by David Tennant himself: The Feast of the Drowned by Stephen Cole, The Stone Rose by Jacqueline Rayner, and The Resurrection Casket by Justin Richards. Buffy’s Anthony Head (himself a frequent performer on Big Finish’s Doctor Who audio dramas) reads The Nightmare of Black Island by Mike Tucker. Rounding out the set, The Price of Paradise by Colin Brake and The Art of Destruction by Stephen Cole are read by Doctor Who actors Shaun Dingwall (Pete Tyler) and Don Warrington (The President in The Age of Steel), respectively.
According to the BBC, each adaptation will run approximately two hours. The set will cost about $100.00 U.S., plus shipping from your favorite neighborhood science fiction or comics importer. Amazon.com usually gets these things… eventually.
Thu Sep 27, 2007 — by Mike Gold
Trick 'R Treat, DC/Wildstorm!
... just in time for Christmas?
Yesterday, retailers received the following e-mail from Diamond, DC Comics' exclusive distributors to comic shops:
TRICK 'R TREAT MINISERIES TO BE RESOLICITED AT A LATER DATE
TRICK 'R TREAT, the four-issue weekly shipping mini-series from WildStorm, has been postponed and will be resolicited at a later date. All orders placed under the item codes AUG070318, AUG070319, AUG070320 and AUG070321 are cancelled.
This begs the question: are they going to change all the evil pumpkins into happy Santas? I can see it now:
DARK RUDOLPH!
WON'T YOU PULL SOME SLAY TONIGHT??
It also makes me wonder what I'm going to give the little kiddies this Halloween. Their parents won't accept apples...
Thu Sep 27, 2007 — by Mike Gold
Geneon Go Bye-Bye
Doors close on Election day
According to our friends at ICv2, Geneon Entertainment has cancelled all of their anime releases scheduled to ship after November 6th, citing high costs, declining sales, continued illegal downloading and the collapse of its sales and marketing agreement with ADV. This leaves continuing series such as Hellsing Ultimate, Karin, Kyo Kara Maoh, Shonen Onmyoji, Black Lagoon Second Barrage, Law of Ueki, Story of Saiunkoku, When They Cry, and Rozen Maiden Traumend twisting in the wind.
Geneon was the third-largest anime distributor player in the States, after FUNimation and ADV.
Tue Sep 25, 2007 — by Mike Gold
Boondocks Back For More
Back to the cutting edge...
While watching my TiVoed Frisky Dingo last night (and thanks, Timothy Truman, for the recommend – I'd never be able to say "My TiVoed Frisky Dingo" without you!) I caught the Adult Swim promo for the long-delayed second season of Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks It goes up Monday, October 8 at 11:30 PM.
This season will run 15 episodes and, true to Simpsons form, will feature a zillion guest voices, including Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Donald Faison, Aisha Tyler, Kym Whitley, Tichina Arnold, Marion Ross and teevee's own Granny Goodness, Ed Asner.
Mon Sep 24, 2007 — by Mike Gold
MIKE GOLD: Enough Is Enough
Whizzy's Wazoo #33
There’s an old saying in the criminal law business, particularly as it applies to those who don’t have a lot of money: if you go to jail for something you didn’t do, pretend it’s really for something you actually did.
I don’t know if O.J. Simpson ever heard this, and – here’s the important part – I don’t care. So, of course, I’m going to write a whole column to explain why.
This sophomoric little sideshow has dominated the media while our nation is sinking further into the deepest of quagmires. And by “sophomoric,” I’m referring to what O.J. purportedly did this time around, by the Vegas dog-and-pony shows with the convenient tape recordings and Imax tapings, for all I know, but mostly by the media’s asinine coverage.
Here in New York, O.J.’s getting out on bail eclipsed the also-breaking-at-the-same-time story about how Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was denied permission to visit the World Trade Center site this week. Yeah, I know, the guy hates us. Fine. But a lot of our “enemies” have toured Ground Zero in the past six years. That’s been real easy, as we’ve been incapable of actually building anything there since 9-11. Iran wasn’t responsible for the bombings, and world leaders are permitted to attend the opening of the United Nations in New York each year. Even our oldest living bugaboo, Fidel Castro, has attended a whole bunch of times. So why are we being so bratty about this guy? He hates America? Everybody hates America. Thank you, Mr. President.
People want O.J. in jail because he got away with murder. I can understand that. Personally, I wouldn’t even hire Blackwater to bodyguard him – the job’s too risky. But let’s face it: O.J. got away with it. If you want to jail someone, try one of the clowns responsible for his prosecution. We know they’re no good in court. The great irony of the murder trial is that Simpson vastly overpaid for his legal team: the prosecutor’s office was so inept Harvey Birdman could have gotten him off. Their top witness was a compromised bigot, and their best evidence was a pair of gloves that did not fit. Gee, I know a lot of lawyers, and not one is dumb enough to let that go through.
Fri Sep 21, 2007 — by Mike Gold
Batman May Cause A Racket
In Hong Kong???
Usually, when a major motion picture wants to film in a major metropolis, the city and its movie relations department bends over backwards to help the company spend all those millions of dollars.
Not so in Hong Kong.
The Dark Knight (a.k.a. Batman Begins Returns) was, and might still be, going to Hong Kong in November for nine days of shooting in what is generally regarded as a visually spectacular city. But Chinese politicians are balking, siting traffic disruptions and noise pollution. After all, there will be helicoper scenes.
The Dark Knight has wound up several months of shooting in some of the more populated sections of Chicago without incident. In fact, this was a return visit to the "Windy" City, as Batman Begins also did a lot of location work there. As did Spider-Man 2.
Hong Kong is hardly known for its quiet environs, and one suspects the politicos are simply holding out for more money or, as is more commonly known in the industry, "bribes."
Thanks to Adriane Nash for the lead.
Thu Sep 20, 2007 — by Mike Gold
Mad Max Meets Justice League
Warner Bros to rob a bank...
Ha! Got you! No, not Mel Gibson. Well, maybe not Mel GIbson.
We've all been hearing about Warner Bros.'s forthcoming Justice League of America movie starring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern and Aquaman. More or less' who knows until the movie gets made. It's got a script by Kieran and Michele Mulroney. Well now, according to Variety, it's even got a director.
George Miller, the director of the three Mad Max movies as well as The Witches of Eastwick and Happy Feet (among others) is going to pilot the League to box office heights.
No word on the availability of the current Superman and Batman, Brandon Routh and Christian Bale, respectively. Variety thinks not, but if Warner's is carrying a hefty wallet, we might just get Ocean 11 with capes. Perhaps WB will sign their new Wonder Woman (if that movie actually gets made) to the JLA deal as a casting condition.
I'll bet Mel's got George on speed dial.
Variety suggests the movie will be released in 2009; IMDB thinks 2010.
Thu Sep 20, 2007 — by Mike Gold
Funky's Tom Appears For Lisa
Ground-breaking cartoonist to do book signings
As we noted several months ago, Funky Winkerbean has been going through a major storyline around Lisa, one of the central characters, and her losing battle with cancer. These strips are being collected into a book, Lisa's Story: The Other Shoe, which will be released next week.
Funky Winkerbean cartoonist Tom Batiuk will be making numerous appearances in October and November in support of this book:. According to the trade magazine Editor & Publisher, Batiuk's appearances will be October 6 in Akron, Ohio; October 10 in Houston; October 11 in Dallas; October 15 in Beachwood, Ohio; October 17 in Pasadena, Calif.; October 18 in San Diego; October 20 in Hudson, Ohio; October 23 in Clifton, N.J.; October 24 in Wynnewood, Pa.; October 30 in Lyndhurst, Ohio; November 3 in Wooster, Ohio; November 4 in Pickering, Ohio; November. 5 in Cleveland; and November 24 and 25 at the Mid-Ohio Comicon in Columbus. Check your local newspaper for the specific local venue.
Wed Sep 19, 2007 — by Mike Gold
Oh, wow. Secret Invasion.
A stunning development from the House of Idea
Hey, you'll never guess what Marvel's doing next year!
Go on, guess!
Did I hear you say "ummmm... it can't be as easy as another mind-numbing, universe-shaking mega-character crossover, can it?" Of course it can. DC and Marvel have but one thought: between them: "hey, let's do another mind-numbing, universe-shaking mega-character crossover! The fans love it!"
Sadly, this one comes on the heels of that rarest of all superhero comics events: a mind-numbing, universe-shaking mega-character crossover that actually worked. Mostly. Tony Isabella had a nice review of Civil War, and he says it at his own site.
Oh, this new thing is called Secret Invasion; Bendis is writing it; it seems to have something to do with Spider-Woman mating with Iron Man to create a bunch of radioactively charged exoskeleton robo-bugs that enter your comic book collection and rewrite the continuity-du-jour.
This one's unique, though. It's got a TRAILER! Well, at least that's what Marvel's calling it. It's really just PowerPoint with public domain music, but it'll only take a minute out of your life.
Not counting the NFL trailer that is attached to it.
Related: You might be a Skrull if...
Mon Sep 17, 2007 — by Mike Gold
Price Performs At Ammons Benefit
Boogie-Woogie pioneer gets his due
If you happen to be in Chicago this coming Saturday (September 22nd), you can watch and hear musician and ComicMix writer Michael H. Price along with a legion of music stalwarts in tribute to Albert Ammons, one of the very best boogie-woogie pianists. But I'll let his granddaughter Lila give you the low-down:
"Albert Ammons was a gifted musician who helped spark the boogie-
If you're a blue, jazz, roots and/or rock fan, this is the place for you. For more information, check out their website. It's gonna be kickin'.
Mon Sep 17, 2007 — by Mike Gold
MIKE GOLD: Look Who’s Writing Comics Now!
Whizzy's Wazoo #32
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There’s an exciting new trend in comics these days. Comic book writers are actually being hired to write comic books.
Recently, we’ve seen guys like Jim Shooter taking on The Legion of Super-Heroes, Marv Wolfman on sundry Teen Titans and the newer-still Vigilante, Tony Isabella told me he’s got a full schedule of assignments and our own John Ostrander is writing the new Suicide Squad mini-series. Go figure.
We’ve gone through a fad of hiring novelists and movie writers and directors. Some of these folks have turned in some great stuff. Others, not so great. Most, not so on-time. There’s nothing wrong with this. In fact, back in 1981 I brought on a playwright named John Ostrander under the belief that his training and background would inure to the benefit of the medium. In all modesty, that was one of my better decisions, I think.
Since then, John’s gone on to become one of the top writers in the medium. I know this because he’s writing three or four major projects for ComicMix while juggling his Star Wars and DC commitments. That’s because John devoted his full resources to the craft of writing comic books. It shows.
Comic book writing is not a part-time job. It requires discipline, experience and skill. In order to make a career out of it and remain fresh and innovative, comic book writing requires thought and enormous effort. Novelists and movie folks do not have the time to prioritize this medium. Movie folks in particular have to turn down stupid money to write for this medium which, by the way, pays pretty well if you’re fully employed.
Stan Lee, bless him, made it sound so easy. Back in the day, he frequently said anybody could write comics. That’s true… if you happen to be Stan Lee. A great many writers of the 1950s went the other way, from comics to “Hollywood” (movies and teevee), seeking what was then greater stability, better compensation, and a stronger sense of legitimacy during a time when society put comics creators on par with child pornographers. By and large, most found their storytelling skills inhibited by the commercial demands of these media, and they returned to the comics world.
Continue reading MIKE GOLD: Look Who’s Writing Comics Now! ›
Sun Sep 16, 2007 — by Mike Gold
MINI-REVIEW: Groo 25th Anniversary Special
Aragonés & Evanier are at it again
Let's see... we need a couple of sure-fire topics of humor. How about... child labor exploitation and the deadly thievery of Big Pharmaceutical makers? I'll bet you're giggling just thinking about that stuff.
Well, in the hands of Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier, or, more appropriately, in the hands of Groo, the laughs work out just fine.
These are two of the topics covered in the Groo 25th Anniversary Special released by Dark Horse last week, and as one of America's pre-eminent creator-owned series it deserves serious recognition for its success. But when it comes to Groo, it's so damned hard to be serious.
So, suffice it for us to shout a big Happy Anniversary to the intrepid bumbler, his dog Rufferto, and his chroniclers Sergio and Mark. It's quite an achievement.
If you haven't checked out the Groo 25th Anniversary Special, just go out and read a newspaper. Then you'll really need Groo.
Fri Sep 14, 2007 — by Mike Gold
Cartoonist Phil Frank, 64
Farley, Elderberries creator dies in California
Noted California Bay cartoonist Phil Frank died yesterday at the age of 64. His best-known feature, Farley, has been in national syndication for more than three decades. He was also the artist on Elderberries with writer Joe Troise.
Coincidentially, Frank had retired Farley this past Sunday. Both strips had been in reruns for the past several months; Elderberries will continue under Troise's management.
