Articles by mike-gold
Mon Mar 31, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Happy Birthday: Liv Marie Alvey
ComicMix Co-Founder Getting Crowded
Liv Marie was born to Brian and Niki Alvey at 3:46 PM today, making this her zeroth birthday. She is 9 pounds 0 ounces and 19.5 inches long. Liv joins two very excited brothers and three doggies.
In case you don't read the fine print, Brian is co-founder of ComicMix, and we wish the family nothing but the very, very best.
Great way to start off the spring!
Mon Mar 31, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Breaking The Mirror, by Mike Gold
Whizzy's Wazoo #60
One of the more disgusting experiences I suffered through in my professional life was the reaction of one DC Comics executive – no longer with the company; not for quite a while – to the new El Diablo series back in 1989. His response was “not a lot of those people buy our comics.”
Without this executive’s support, the series didn’t have a chance. It lumbered on through 16 issues despite good work from a respected team. A lot of people didn’t know the title existed. Your reaction might very well have been “El Diablo?? Oh, yeah, I think I remember that...” Sigh. When I hired a black man as a full editor at DC, a first for the company, a couple of my fellow editorial staffers made their displeasure quite well known to me, and to my boss.
This is no criticism of DC: they had a large staff even at that time and these clown were hardly the only bigots in the building. That’s America, and these people (as opposed to those people) sometimes get their way. Sometimes we watch them on CNN; sometimes we elect them to office.
Comic book universes have been slow to reflect the spectrum of humanity: too many white men running around with other white men for way too long. Yep, that’s been changing somewhat more slowly than in other sectors of our popular culture, but I’ll bet we’ve still got another black superhero coming out named “Black” something. At least Marvel is unlikely to create another black sidekick named Bucky.
Sun Mar 30, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Supermoney: The Superman Trial and Jerry Siegel's Estate
ANALYSIS by Mike Gold
For those who came in late… As has been widely reported, the Federal District Court ruled somewhat in favor of the estate of Jerry Siegel in its lawsuit to have all publishing rights to the Superman story in Action Comics #1 be taken from Time Warner’s DC Comics subsidiary and given to Jerry’s heirs. The decision runs 72 pages, but at heart is the judge’s ruling that because the property existed before Action#1, “work for hire” stipulations do not apply.
The New York Times did a good job covering the story; Mark Evanier, as would be expected, did a better job. For one thing, Mark got co-creator Joe Shuster’s first name right. The New York Times did not.
Whereas there is much cause for celebration, before we start dancing in the streets we should look at what’s at stake here.
Only the original concepts – only Superman, Clark Kent, the costume as portrayed in that initial story, and the abilities unique to Superman in that story – are in play. Perry White, the Daily Planet, Lex Luthor, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Bizarro, kryptonite, Jimmy Olsen and the rest are not on the table. Only the domestic rights are in play, and even then the estate would be in something of a co-ownership position with DC Comics. So don’t look forward to that Eros Comics Superman series quite yet.
Sadly for the Siegel family, this does not bring to an end a fight started by Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster 60 years ago. Actually, it’s just warming up.
Continue reading Supermoney: The Superman Trial and Jerry Siegel's Estate ›
Wed Mar 26, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Don Rosa Recovering From Emergency Surgery
The Duck Man for our times...
It probably goes without saying that an artist's most significant tools are his eyes. People have figured out alternate ways of drawing, but they've got to see what they're doing. So it is with great trepidation that we note legendary Disney Duck artist Don Rosa, a regular at many a convention and fan event, underwent emergency surgery last week to cure a detached retina.
It will not be known if the procedure was successful for several more weeks, but Don is resting at home (in a prone position) and will have to undergo six months of recovery downtime. He hopes to return to the convention scene this fall.
Following in the websteps of Carl Barks is not easy, but Don has always made it look like a cakewalk by combining a variety of influences (notably Mad's Willy Elder) with his own unique gifts to bring Uncle Scrooge and the sundry Ducks to a whole new generation across the world. His work has been anthologized and is available at better comics shops across the planet.
ComicMix wishes Don a speedy, painless and successful recovery.
Mon Mar 24, 2008 — by Mike Gold
To Boldly Go Backward Again, by Mike Gold
Whizzy's Wazoo #59
They say there’s nothing new under the sun. Well, now I’m saying that as well, but I’m saying it about science fiction.
S-F was supposed to look forward and, at its best, teach us something about today’s human condition. You can look forward by looking into the past, but you’re not looking forward by burying your nose in your belly button. Sadly, our popular fiction has been spending the past decade or so snorting lint.
After a lengthy rest, Star Wars returned to us with a three-part prequel renown for its tedium and lameness. Star Trek countered with Enterprise, which told us the secret origin of a starship. It was pretty good – after two exceptionally lame seasons. At least those who hung in there were slightly rewarded. Boosted by the enormous success of the show’s concept (it was the most short-lived of those that followed the original series), now Paramount is polishing up a “major” motion picture about Kirk, Spock, McCoy and friends at boarding school. I think Mickey Rooney and Liza Minelli are playing instructors.
Now we see that our friends at Battlestar Galactica are doing a pilot for a spin-off show. No, make that another spin-back series. Entitled Caprica, instead of capitalizing on all the careful and intricate concepts established in the original series (itself a remake of one of the worst S-F shows of all time), it’s set 50 years prior. The big deal: the Cylons are created. I’ll bet you didn’t know the Cylons were created. Certainly not, if you hadn’t watched either of the original shows.
Continue reading To Boldly Go Backward Again, by Mike Gold ›
Tue Mar 18, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Michael George and the Pittsburgh Comicon
An editorial by Mike Gold
Well, this has been an interesting morning.
I awoke to a slew of e-mails from people either asking me about, or trying to get me to not go to, the Pittsburgh Comiccon. Not that I had decided one way or the other, although a lot of friends of ours (including ComicMix’s own Timothy Truman, Mike Grell and Robert Tinnell) will be there. It’s a good show.
This boycott is in response to yesterday’s conviction of Michael George, who, along with his wife Rene, is the promoter of the show. Michael was convicted in Michigan of murdering his first wife 18 years ago. The details of both the crime and the conviction are in the Macomb Daily.
I understand the sentiments of those who feel that they do not want to support a convention run by a convicted murderer. But I strongly believe such feelings are misguided.
First of all, the Pittsburgh Comicon is also a major charity event. Last year, for example, they raised nearly $30,000.00 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and some $5,000.00 for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Both are quite worthy causes.
But, more important, Michael George will not benefit from the profits of the show. Quite frankly, he’s set for life – if spending the rest of your life in a Michigan State penitentiary is your idea of “set for life.” It’s Rene who will lose out if this show winds up in the red.
After a long and horrific trial, Rene probably can use a few bucks. No doubt she’s looking at massive legal bills that were hardly of her making – despite her relationship with Michael, she didn’t kill anybody. She now has to create an entirely new life from the ground up; as such, she’s another victim of Michael’s efforts.
I don’t know if I’ll be at the show as I’ve got commitments to other shows and I can only spend so much time on the road, a lesson I learned the hard way last year. But I’m going to try. It’s a good show, Rene is a good person and the Pittsburgh Comicon no longer has anything to do with the sad horror that is Michael George.
Mike Gold is editor-in-chief of ComicMix.
Mon Mar 17, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Being A Sport, by Mike Gold
Whizzy's Wazoo #58
You might not have realized it, but this is the time of year when more Americans engage in more illegal activity than just about any other. Nope; it’s not drunk driving or tax cheating, it’s March Madness… and the crime is called gambling.
Studies suggest March Madness is the high school student’s portal to gambling. On-the-job productivity plummets. An estimated $2.4 billion dollars will be put on the line against the law, some of it with organized crime – which wouldn’t be the case if it were legal, unless you are like me and you consider bankers to be their own strain of organized crime.
I’ll admit, I don’t get it. I don’t have the gambling gene (or maybe I’m just too cheap), and I’m at best a second-tier sports fan. I follow hockey and I follow the Iditarod because being a hockey fan isn’t as weird as it used to be. I follow the Chicago Cubs because as a native northside Chicagoan I am compelled to do so. Much like Yankee fans, we believe that there’s some issue of “sports” involved with the team. And that’s pretty much it. My lifetime contribution to sports-related at-risk financial endeavors is zilch.
But I am a comics fan and a student of our culture. So I wonder, with all this interest in sports and all this money changing hands, why hasn’t there been a successful sports-themed comic book series?
Fri Mar 14, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Dynamite and Buck Rogers in the 21st Century
The icon returns!
First, the news:
Dynamite Entertainment honcho Nicky Barrucci announced today that a series based on the classic space hero Buck Rogers will be joining The Lone Ranger, Red Sonja, Zorro and Battlestar Galactica in his project lineup, with participation of Alex Ross and John Cassaday, who will be doing character designs and covers. As of this typing, no regular story and art team has been announced.
Next, the history:
Publicly credited to John Flint Dille, Anthony “Buck” Rogers was the work of science fiction author Phillip Francis Nowlan. The first novel, Armageddon 2419, was anthologized in Amazing Stories Magazine cover-dated August 1928. It was successful and sequels were commissioned; the book came to the attention of wire service and newspaper syndicate owner Dille who hired Nowlan to create a newspaper comic strip version of his novel, teaming him up with artist Dick Calkins and renaming the character Buck.
It was awesomely successful, spinning off onto all the genres available in its time and the phrase “Buck Rogers” became a colloquialism for futuristic invention. It lasted until the mid-'60s and was revived a couple of times with varying degrees of success.
Continue reading Dynamite and Buck Rogers in the 21st Century ›
Wed Mar 12, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Review: Jughead's Double Digest #138
They call him Jughead!
So there I was, at Midtown Comics, one of
This is the issue before the beginning of their latest “new-look” story, this time drawn by my pals Joe Staton and Al Milgrom, so I gave it a second glance. Above the logo, in type too small to be visible in the reproduction I cribbed from Archie’s website, is the phrase “Collectors (sic) Issue Featuring Jughead #1, 1949.” The cover art promised a story where the 2008 Jughead meets up with his 1949 counterpart. The one who only owned one shirt.
Unless you’ve been scouring the ComicMix comments sections lately, it is possible you are unaware that the Archie line is one of the best-selling newsstand comics ventures of our time. In fact, since their digests are available at most supermarket checkouts, they provide an unparalleled portal into the world of comics. Because their content appeals to readers of all sexes and age groups, they appeal to a group Marvel and DC barely acknowledge: the younger reader.
I should point out that Archie is also the last of the publishing houses still controlled by the family of its original owners. That comes across quite clearly in their editorial content, which is quite respectful of its roots.
Wed Mar 12, 2008 — by Mike Gold
DC Colorist Jerry Serpe, R.I.P.
Noted DC Colorist For 40 Years
One of DC Comics’ preeminent colorists, Jerry Serpe, passed away Monday. A colorist and color separator since the end of World War II, Jerry had primary responsibility for overseeing the interior color for DC’s entire line during the 1950s and 1960s. He later went freelance, continuing to color virtually every character and every feature DC published for more than 30 years.
Mon Mar 10, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Hope versus Fear, by Mike Gold
Whizzy's Wazoo #57
You don’t have to have read superhero comics for any great length of time before you get the message: perseverance plus righteousness will defeat the enemy every time. Despite the “maturation” of commercial comic books, this essential message remains at the core of the superhero concept.Mon Mar 3, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Son Of Filling The Big Shoes, by Mike Gold
Whizzy's Wazoo #56
Remember my column last week ? I’m sure you committed every hallowed word to memory. Well, this is a sequel. Fittingly, it’s about Hollywood.
I’m staring at this massive schedule of movies of interest to your average ComicMixer that are due to be released in the next 12 months or so: Iron Man 1, Indiana Jones 4, Incredible Hulk 2-but-1, Get Smart 1, Hellboy 2, The Dark Knight 6-but-2, X-Files 2, The Mummy 3, James Bond 22, Harry Potter 6, The Day The Earth Stood Still 1-but-2, Star Trek 74, Will Eisner’s The Spirit 1, and Green Hornet 1 (serials don’t count). I’m looking forward to about half of them, which is a pretty good average for me. But there’s one that I’m looking to with trepidation.
No, it’s not The Day The Earth Stood Still, the original of which is the Citizen Kane of science-fiction movies. Let them take a shot; I wish ‘em luck. Nor is it Star Trek 74: The Reboot-To-The-Rear. I’d scoff at this attempt but, frankly, after the majority of Trek movies what the hell, maybe it’ll work. It did for James Bond in Casino Royale 3. Nope, I’m trepidatious about Will Eisner’s The Spirit. Make that Frank Miller’s Will Eisner’s The Spirit.
There’s absolutely no slight here against Frank. Of all the folks in comics, he has been one of the most publicly and most aggressively pro-creator rights activists around. His passionate arguments about the Comics Code and about the way Marvel treated Jack Kirby still ring loudly in my inner-ear. In fact, I’m glad to see The Spirit in the hands of a person who knows how to make comics work yet also has a solid background in movies.
No, I’m afraid of Hollywood.
Continue reading Son Of Filling The Big Shoes, by Mike Gold ›
Tue Feb 26, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Review: Manga Sutra Volume One - Flirtation
Abstinence makes the heart go Manga
It used to be, if you wanted to reach for the comic art form for your sex education you had to send a couple bucks to those want ads in the back of the cheesy magazines for “Comics – the Kind Men Like!” That stuff was a bit distorted; well, in the case of the ones that featured Popeye, I’d have to say they were quite a bit distorted.
is a sweet and sensitive series that focuses on the psychological aspects of sex as much as – actually, more than – the mechanics. The story is about a young couple, Makoto and Yura, who met through an arranged “marriage meeting.” This is sort of a counseled dating service, but one where the ultimate intent of marriage is upfront. The two 25 year olds dated, liked each other, got married, and only then discovered they were both virgins with a lot of understandable insecurities and a lack of any clue.Continue reading Review: Manga Sutra Volume One - Flirtation ›
Mon Feb 25, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Filling The Big Shoes, by Mike Gold
Whizzy's Wazoo #55
After much discussion with friends and the unwashed and bewildered, today I have decided to weigh in (again) on one of the many ongoing and irresolvable debates that have haunted the hallowed halls of comics academia since time immemorial. The question: when the instigator of a series retires from his or her creation, should the series be retired as well?Tue Feb 19, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Government Recalls Spider-Man Cups
You can stare, but don't sip
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall of 6,600 Spider-Man water bottles sold exclusively at Sears last summer. These bottles carry a sufficient risk of choking, as the screws under the lid can come loose and fall into the cup.
Even though these items haven't been sold for some time, the news is significant as many were purchased by and for fans old and young. Quite frankly, they look sort of cool. So if you've got 'em, you might want to take them out of service and put them on a shelf beyond the reach of small children who are not endowed with the powers and proportionate strength of a spider.
More info here.
