Articles by mike-gold
Tue Feb 19, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Conan on Conan Action on TV!
GrimJack's Timothy Truman's latest CD cover, that is
Jim Lauderdale and The Dream Players were on Conan O'Brien's show last night, promoting and playing from their new CD, Honey Songs, which hits the stores today. The jacket art was drawn by GrimJack artist Timothy Truman; Timothy also writes Conan for Dark Horse. He's also been known to draw everybody's favorite barbarian from time to time as well.
Yep. That means that Conan was holding up Conan's art, but not Conan art. Nor GrimJack art, sadly, but we were thrilled to see Tim's stuff on network teevee! Nice goin', bro!
Mon Feb 18, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Rock and Roll and Comic Books and Our Future, by Mike Gold
Whizzy's Wazoo #54
There’s a website called Electronista that blames the precipitous drop in music sales on iTunes and the iPod, quoting NBC News’ Peter Alexander as saying “with 120 million iPods sold since 2001, digital downloads of individual songs are through the roof, soaring 500% in the last three years. In that same period, CD’s sales of declined dramatically, as listeners prefer hits over to entire albums.”
Continue reading Rock and Roll and Comic Books and Our Future, by Mike Gold ›
Sun Feb 17, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Format Wars: We Have A Winner
You can see the glitter from Spidey's web-strings!
If you have a HD-TV and you bought a Blu-Ray DVD player to watch Spider-Man 3, 300 or X-Men The Last Stand in all their high-definition glory, congratulations. You win. It looks like Toshiba is about to throw in the towel on their HD-DVD format.
Left at the alter by such outlets as Netflix, Best Buy and Wal-Mart and supported by an ever-shrinking number of studio releases, Toshiba tried slashing the price of their players and their discs – to no avail. Now Microsoft is talking about making its next X-Box compatible with Blu-Ray, a format also supported by a great many computer companies; Toast and other DVD authoring software also burn to Blu-Ray discs.
Sony had hoped for an immediate win with its Blu-Ray, but its delays in marketing the Playstation 3 game machine and software put them in second position. As movies became available and people could see the difference between the two formats, consumers voted with their credit cards.
So when the Iron Man movie comes out on DVD this fall, you won't have to toss the dice. You'll be able to see each and every hair in Tony Stark's goatee with alarming clarity.
Tue Feb 12, 2008 — by Mike Gold
ComicMix History Lesson: Steve Ditko's Revenge
Beware the artist!
The cover Mike Raub used to illustrate his ComicMix Radio piece earlier today reminded me of another cover of somewhat similar design ... and quiet controversy. So it's time for another ComicMix History Lesson!
Once upon a time DC Comics had this idea of resurrecting their Showcase try-out series, but they made a couple significant changes. Instead of doing three-issue try-out runs, they did a series of one-shots. And, unlike Showcase's The Flash, Lois Lane, Green Lantern, The Atom (et al) runs, by and large these one-shots sucked.
They named the series 1st Issue Special because the phrase "1st issue" sold comics to collectors, and then they numbered each issue sequentially, proving their desire to sell comics in Canada outweighed their faith in collectors (don't ask – or, better still, if you want to know, ask and I'll respond in comments).
One of the better issues resurrected Steve Ditko's Beware The Creeper, dropping the "Beware" part. Editorial director Carmine Infantino rejected Steve's cover concept and drew up one of his own. 
Evidently, Steve didn't care for it, but that was how the gig worked. So he drew it as designed: Firefly battling The Creeper in the sky, with a down-shot point-of-view.
As you can see, both characters are pummeling each other as they are falling to the ground. In the background is a street scene, with tiny little cars. And across from one of those tiny little cars, there's a tiny little fire hydrant. And next to the fire hydrant, there's a tiny little dog. And next to the tiny little dog who is next to the tiny little fire hydrant, there's a tiny little puddle.
That last part reflects what Ditko thought of Infantino's cover design.
Mon Feb 11, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Today, We Are One, by Mike Gold
Whizzy's Wazoo #53!
Well, it says here that this is Whizzy’s Wazoo #53. That means today ComicMix starts our second year.
Wow.
This is a good time to look back at what we’ve done, what we’re trying to do, and how we’ve made the world a better place. Whereas that last point is undoubtedly true, I’d rather look forward. Not a whole year forward; that seems like bad luck. Just the next few months.
ComicMix is going to increase our number of pages by tens of thousands. No kidding. We’re almost ready to do that; our tech team has been working furiously to do the tech voodoo that they do so swell. We’ve already got enough broadband to bury Atlantis. You’ll be seeing a lot more of… well, everything, including some of the greatest names old and new in comics and related media.
And speaking of comics…
Sat Feb 9, 2008 — by Mike Gold
'Battlestar Galactica' Books Its Final Trip
Robot Chicken, The Soup part of the plan
The Sci-Fi network announced the fourth and final season of Battlestar Galactica will begin on Friday, April 4th at 10 PM Eastern and Pacific, preceded, as usual, by a couple of half hour specials to remind viewers of what's been going on.
Oddly enough, these specials will feature the likes of Robot Chicken's Seth Green and The Soup's Joel McHale.
This new incarnation of Galactica, which rose phoenix-like out of the cold and deservedly piss-on ashes of the Lorne Greene series affectionately known to Baby Boomers as Battlestar Ponderosa, has won all kinds of awards, including an Emmy and a Peabody. Earlier this winter, Razor, an all-new direct-to-DVD Battlestar movie, hit the shelves. It was a rare thing: a continuity implant that actually worked.
No word on if the Galacticans actually discover Earth and, if so, if they'll be treated as illegal immigrants.
Sat Feb 9, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Prince Valiant, Gary Gianni and The Page
The big book cometh!
Time was when the whole family would gather in the living room once a week to fight over the Sunday newspaper. People would settle for their second favorite sections, but only one could start with the most popular: the Sunday funnies. Back in those days, there were no more than three strips to a page -- often two, and sometimes only one. Principle among these full-page delights was Hal Foster's Prince Valiant.
Seventy years later Val is still with us, often criminally reduced to one-fifth of a page. Prince Valiant is in the hands of only its third artist, a worthy successor to Foster and John Cullen Murphy named Gary Gianni.
Known to comics fans for his work on such iconic characters as The Shadow, Tarzan and Conan, Gianni illustrates Mark Schultz's scripts – Schultz himself is no slouch as an artist. All that is preamble.
This June, Flesk Publications is releasing Gary Gianni: The Prince Valiant Page, a 112 page hardcover study of Gianni's work on the feature, lavishly illustrated with black and white art shot from the originals as well as three color gatefolds. The hardcover edition is limited to 1,000 copies; there's also a ultra-cool deluxe hardcover that features one of Gianni's pencil preliminaries – in other words, original art. A trade a paperback edition will be released eventually. Prices on all this have yet to be announced.
Oh, yeah. The introduction was written by Mike Mignola. Turns out Gary did some Hellboy, too!
Sat Feb 9, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Deal Reached In Writer's Strike
Now it's up to a vote
According to a Reuters dispatch, the Writer's Guild of America has reached a tentative deal with the studios after a three-month walk-out that brought most domestic television and movie production to a halt.
The deal isn't perfect, union reps stated, but it's strong enough for them to recommend to their membership. Meetings will be held later today on both coasts to explain the terms and to vote on ratification.
The heart of the dispute involved the writer's share of online revenues, which for which they previously did not receive penny one, and their diminutive payments for DVD sales. Whereas prognosticators haven't had a great track record lately, it is expected this deal will be approved.
This means the Justice League movie might get rescued – maybe – and the Academy Awards will go on as scheduled later this month. And that means the world will not end after all.
Fri Feb 8, 2008 — by Mike Gold
'Ms. Tree' Headed to TV?
Novel out, and maybe a TV movie coming
First, the disclaimer. I've known Ms. Tree's Max Allan Collins and Terry Beatty since we were all pups down on the farm, I've done some research consulting on Max's Heller series, and I was the editor of Ms. Tree Quarterly. More to the point, there's this scene at the end of a story where Tree goes back to the scene of the crime strictly to murder the bad guys; that final page was dedicated to me and I'm proud of it. Make what you will of that.
Well, it turns out Our Gal Friday (that's a joke, but you've got to read Ms. Tree to get it) may be headed to the small screen. In an interview with Comics2Film, Collins disclosed the Oxygen Network has "gone beyond an option (and paid) the purchase price." They've assigned two screenwriters to the write the first movie, both women, and it's being regarded as a pilot for further movies and possibly a teevee series.
Obviously, things have been held up a bit by the WGA strike, but Collins took his original treatment and turned it into Deadly Beloved, a paperback novel published last December by Hard Case Crime. Cooler still (since Collins is the author of about a million mystery novels, including the aforementioned Heller boos, and teevee/movie tie-ins, including many of the C.S.I. books) the cover was painted by Ms. Tree artist Terry Beatty.
Mon Feb 4, 2008 — by Mike Gold
“… this is Captain America calling…” by Mike Gold
Whizzy's Wazoo #52
There’s been a lot of controversy about killing and resurrecting superheroes. I know that, because we’ve done a lot of that here on ComicMix. It’s fun. Be that as it may, Steve Rogers is dead, deal with it; Bucky Barnes is alive, so we (meaning me) should deal with that, too.Continue reading “… this is Captain America calling…” by Mike Gold ›
Mon Jan 28, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Quesada and Colbert – Together Again!
What would Steve Rogers do?
Well, given the writer's strike and the fact that people have to cross picket lines in order to get in the building, The Colbert Report doesn't announce their guests in advance. But Marvel Comics does.
Marvel Comics today announced that Joe Quesada, editor-in-chief, will be a guest on The Colbert Reporton Tuesday, January 29. In order to do so, he must cross the Writers Guild picket line outside the program's mid-town Manhattan studio.
The WGA has been on strike since early November, seeking (among other things) a share of Internet revenue and a larger portion of DVD profits. Ironically, the Marvel film studio just signed an interim agreement with the WGA last week.
The last time Quesada appeared on the show, the gave Colbert Captain America's shield. Since his appearance is the very night before the release of the return of Captain America (Bucky gets promoted), perhaps Joey needs it back.
Then again, perhaps it won't be Joe Quesada. Maybe it'll be a Skrull. Skrulls would cross picket lines.
The Colbert Report airs on Comedy Central 11:30 PM Eastern and Pacific.
Martha Thomases co-wrote this here article.
Mon Jan 28, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Sex, by Mike Gold
Whizzy's Wazoo #51
I’ve been gallivanting across this fine country again like the high society bon vivant that I am, so I was a little late in scoring my family’s big box o’ comics. It was even heavier than usual, despite the fact that my wife and daughter are both big-time comics fans. I figure it was about four and one-half pounds heavier. That’s because Playboy Cover to Cover – The 50s, finally arrived. It was released as a Christmas item last November, no doubt under the belief that it would make for an excellent stocking stuffer should King Kong become a cross-dresser.
If you ask founder / publisher / editor Hugh Hefner, he’ll give you the impression he single-handedly invented the sexual revolution back in 1954. That’s okay; he’ll also give you the impression he has foursomes with The Girls Next Door. Whereas I think the creation of the birth control pill and the resultant sexual empowerment of women had a lot more to do with it than Hugh, he did take a lot of risk and paid some heavy dues. Remember, until 1965 laws prohibiting the distribution of information about contraception, and in some cases even the possession of contraception, were still on the books – and not just in the bible belt states. Connecticut was the last to fall. People still went to jail for publishing, owning or mailing stuff about sex.
From a sexual perspective, all Playboy’s success did was put some of the under-the-counter content out on the newsstand racks. By the time Penthouse and, later, Hustler came out Playboy was irrelevant from a pictorial point of view. Of course, later the Internets completely rendered Playboy magazine sexually impotent, as they supplied men the one thing any magazine could not: freedom from your own fist. No, sex is not the reason Playboy was hip.
Tue Jan 22, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Heath Ledger – Evening Update
Information gets refined
The New York City police department has released a statement saying there is no reason to suspect Heath Ledger's death this afternoon was a suicide. His body, while naked, was found on the bed and not on the floor. Whereas there were perscription drug bottles found, Ledger had been suffering from pneumonia.
The police have not ruled out suicide or any other cause. As in all unfolding stories, details will continue come out as the investigation procedes.
FURTHER UPDATE - 10:00 PM: Alan Horn, President and COO of Warner Bros. and Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group have issued the following statement to TMZ. The studio is producing the next Batman film, The Dark Knight.
"The studio is stunned and devastated by this tragic news. The entertainment community has lost an enormous talent. Heath was a brilliant actor and an exceptional person. Our hearts go out to his family and friends."
Tue Jan 22, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Magneto and Who Lear On TeeVee
McKellen and McCoy play the King and the Fool
The Royal Shakespeare Company's production of King Lear starring Ian McKellen (X-Men, Lord of the Rings, The Shadow) and Sylvester McCoy (the seventh Doctor) has been videotaped and will be broadcast this fall in America on PBS, according to theatermania.com.
Directed by Trevor Nunn (Les Misérables, Nicholas Nickleby, Cats), the production was taped in HD TV and will be broadcast throughout the world. It will also be available on DVD.
The production debuted last April at The Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon and travelled throughout the world, ending its tour on London's West End. McCoy played The Fool, McKellen the King.
Mon Jan 21, 2008 — by Mike Gold
I Am Not Running For President, by Mike Gold
Whizzy's Wazoo #50
I was in Manhattan last week, joining Martha Thomases and Glenn Hauman for a ComicMix mini-staff meeting. We were at a nice little diner in Greenwich Village, which is always a pleasantly nostalgic experience. I had to meet my wife and daughter in Newark for the Devils / Islanders game; I, of course, am a Blackhawks fan but it’s always swell to see Martin Brodeur in action.
I had a bit of time to get to the new stadium, so I took the E train down to the connecting PATH train to Newark. This happens at the World Trade Center station, and I wanted to go there.
Yep. The station’s still called “World Trade Center,” despite the fact that the World Trade Center (stop me if you heard this one) was blowed up on September 11, 2001. Sadly, the site is still a big ugly hole in the ground. The subway stations were in a deep structurally-protected basement and have been shorn up to allow tens of thousands of commuters to continue to get to work. Sadly – and to our national embarrassment – it is six and one-third years later and the World Trade Center is still a big hole in the ground.
Continue reading I Am Not Running For President, by Mike Gold ›
