Articles by rick-marshall
Wed May 14, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
Darth Vader Gets Drunk, Attacks Jedi Church
Because you knew this was bound to happen at some point...
To be filed under "Sometimes This Stuff Really Writes Itself," Newsweek.com is reporting that a 27-year-old man who dressed up as Star Wars villain Darth Vader (complete with garbage-bag cape) and attacked members of a British group calling itself the Jedi Church, has been officially spared any time in jail.
According to reports, Arwel Wynne Hughes attacked church founders Barney Jones (a.k.a. "Master Jonba Hehol") and Michael Jones (a.k.a. "Master Mormi Hehol") with a metal crutch two months ago. The cousins created the "Jedi Church" after a 2001 U.K. census reported 390,000 people (0.7 percent of the country's population) who claimed "Jedi" as their religion.
Here's the best part, though:
Hughes claimed he couldn't remember the incident, having drunk the better part of a 2 1/2-gallon (10-liter) box of wine beforehand.
Seriously, there's nothing worse than a drunk guy who can control The Force. If I had a nickel for every party that ended when someone force-pushed another guest through a wall...
Wed May 14, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
Can You Build Your Own 'Iron Man' Suit?
Newsflash: It's more than a bank account a dream, folks...
So what would it take to build your own Iron Man suit? Given enough money and access to scientific equipment, could you become a superhero?
The good people over at The Chicago Tribune posed exactly those questions to James Kakalios, a University of Minnesota physics professor. Kakalios weighed in on the likelihood of building various elements of Iron Man's armor, including jet boots, cybernetic helmet and, of course, repulsor rays:
It's that power thing again. If you want to send lightning bolts -- or laser beams, more likely -- shooting out of your palms, you have to carry along a power source big enough to generate them. To make a beam "powerful enough to melt a fist-size hole through a half-inch steel plate," Kakalios says, "would require an energy pulse of over 2 gigawatts of power, greater than the output of a nuclear power plant."
The verdict? Well, let's just say that you might want to hold off on making any superpowered arch-enemies for a while.
Read the full article over at The Chicago Tribune website.
Tue May 13, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
M.O.D.O.K. and Genocide = M.O.D.O.G.?
I'm sure he's just exploring his options...
Marvel.com, which recently cleaned up in the Eagle Awards as "Favorite Comics Related Website," has posted some new art today featuring one of my favorite characters in the Marvel Universe: M.O.D.O.K.
Or, more accurately, M.O.D.O.G.
Yes, everyone's favorite Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing seems to have found himself a new hobby, as well as a new home, in Invincible Iron Man. The new version of the big-headed bugger has taken a shine to genocide instead of just garden-variety killing, according to information released about the villain's upcoming appearance in the second issue of the Matt Fraction/Salvador Larroca series.
Marvel.com has posted samples of Larroca's new M.O.D.O.G. art, including this great image of Iron Man dragging the ever-creepy creature around by his hair.
The thing is, I'm not sure if the decision to shift his focus from "Killing" to "Genocide" makes him more or less dangerous. With a M.O.D.O.G., at least you have a good idea of who's on his hit list, right? But a M.O.D.O.K. - that's a different story. He wants to kill everybody.
Unless, of course, he's discovered the sweet serenity of regular meditation.
Mon May 12, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
ComicMix on Twitter, MySpace and Facebook!
ComicMix Wants You (to Check Us Out On the 'Net)
Attention ComicMix Readers: Even though we're still not convinced that these InterWebs are more than just a passing fad, we've taken steps to make sure you can find ComicMix all over them... just in case the 'Net sticks around for a while.
Here are some of the places you can find us:
ComicMix on Twitter: Have a Twitter account? Get updates via Twitter about all of the new columns, features, reviews, interviews and other original content you love on ComicMix. Follow the feed at: https://twitter.com/comicmix
ComicMix on Facebook: Be a fan! If you have a Facebook account, be sure to get connected with our ComicMix page on Facebook. We'll be posting links to new comics, articles, audio and video content, as well as photos and art, as soon as they're published. Visit the ComicMix page on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ComicMix/11458084665
ComicMix on MySpace: Sure, MySpace is filled with enough bells and whistles to cause the occasional seizure, but we're willing to endure the slings and arrows of animated icons for our readers. Connect with our MySpace page and get links to new comics, news and other content as soon as it hits ComicMix. Here's where you can find us: http://www.myspace.com/comicmix
See you on the 'Net!
Mon May 12, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
Grand Theft Auto IV: Less NYC, More Chicago's South Side?
Where 'GTA IV' really gets its inspiration...
The hub-bub over the recent release of Grand Theft Auto IV is finally starting to die down, but of all the stories popping up around the InterWebs about the controversial videogame, one really caught my eye.
Slate recently posted an analysis of the real-world dynamics of life on the wrong side of the law - and those who are forced to live and work with that dynamic every day - as echoed in GTA IV. While the landscape of the videogame is based on the New York City Metro area, the author contends that the true real-world equivalent of life in the GTA IV universe can be found in Chicago's South Side neighborhoods.
The last time I visited Chicago, I stopped by 59th Street, near Washington Park (and only a few short blocks from the picturesque University of Chicago). Two of the local gangs were fighting each other in full view for control of a prime sales spot, a hotel. For a monthly fee, the proprietor had promised to allow one gang to turn the place into a bordello—drugs, prostitution, stolen merchandise. For the gangs, winning meant more than simply getting rid of their enemy. Neither controlled the area surrounding the hotel. Anyone bringing drugs (or women, or guns, etc.) to the hotel would have to run the gantlet formed by other enemy gangs, who would be at the ready to shoot down the transporter.
Author Sudhir Venkatesh goes on to compare the decisions GTA IV's protagonist must make over the course of the game, and compares those choices to many of those made by residents of South Side streets where the criminal element provides the only semblance of structure.
Read the full article on Slate.com.
Mon May 12, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
Doctor Who in Review: Season Four, Episode #3 - Ood Get Even
Everyone's favorite servant species gets emancipated in 'The Planet of the Ood'
The hit BBC series Doctor Who is now in its fourth season on the Sci-Fi Channel, and since we're all big fans here at ComicMix, we've decided to kick off an episode-by-episode analysis of the reinvigorated science-fiction classic.
Every week, we'll have our best Who-philes go through the most recent episode with a fine-tooth comb (or whatever the "sonic screwdriver" equivalent might be) and call out all of the continuity checks, names dropped and storyline hints we can find to keep in mind for future episodes. We'll post our analysis each Monday, so you have ample time to check out the episode once it airs each Friday at 9 PM EST on Sci-Fi Channel before reading our review.
Missed a week? Readers can view past "Doctor Who in Review" features via the links at the end of this article.
Keep in mind, we're going to assume readers have already watched the episode when we put fingers to keyboard and come up with our roundup of important plot points. In other words, SPOILER ALERT!
Let's begin now, shall we?
Season Four, Episode #3: "Planet of the Ood"
Continue reading Doctor Who in Review: Season Four, Episode #3 - Ood Get Even ›
Sun May 11, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
Cracked's Creepiest Comic Book Characters
What, no mention of Krypto and his superpowered crotch-sniffing abilities?
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To be filed under "Hey! that's OUR thing, man!" Cracked.com recently posted a list of "The 6 Creepiest Comic Book Characters of All Time," leaving me wondering why they chose to make it a list of six characters. Why not five... or ten? "Cracked Six" just doesn't sound right, while ComicMix Six is practically candy for the ears.
But I digress...
Highlights of the questionably named list include Proty, the "sentient spunk blob" from Legion of Superheroes, and Comet, Supergirl's bestiality-minded superhorse.
Also, Comet periodically turns into a full human, at which point he does what any horse would do: Try to get laid with Supergirl before she can figure out he is really her horse.
The Cracked crew also gives a nod to Inner Child, one of Grant Morrison's creations during his Doom Patrol run, which seems like a cop-out, seeing as how 95-percent of the characters created by Morrison are pretty freakin' creepy.
Check out the full list at Cracked.com.
Sat May 10, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
Editorial Cartoon Investigated as 'Hate Literature'
Canadian newspaper accused of promoting hatred via cartoon
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Nova Scotia newspaper The Chronicle Herald has vowed to defend an April 18 editorial cartoon by award-winning cartoonist Bruce MacKinnon after police received a complaint that the cartoon could qualify as "hate literature."
The cartoon (pictured here) depicted the wife of Qayyum Abdul Jamal, who was arrested in 2006 on terrorism-related charges that involved an alleged plot to bomb targets in Toronto and Ottawa. Jamal's wife, Cheryfa MacAulay Jamal, told The Herald that she intended to sue the federal government after the charges against her husband were stayed.
According to various reports, the cartoon was reported as potential "hate literature" to local police, but law enforcement officials are still determining whether a crime actually took place.
According to Dan Leger, director of news content for The Herald, "We will vigorously defend (the cartoon) and it would be an abuse of process for them to even contemplate initiating any type of action against the newspaper."
(via Journalista, ComicsReporter and just about everywhere, really)
Fri May 9, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
Eric Reynolds on 'How I Pissed Off Steve Ditko'
Fantagraphics' go-to guy reflects on an encounter gone awry with the comics legend
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Fantagraphics' upcoming Steve Ditko retrospective Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko will be available next month, so resident Fantagraphics jack-of-all-trades Eric Reynolds recently took the opportunity to share a story with readers that he's called "How I Pissed Off Steve Ditko."
Reynold's tale is one of those personal experiences with industry legends that I love to hear about, as it puts some substance behind the names and faces of people I've never been lucky enough to interact with myself.
About ten years ago we had the great fortune of publishing a new series by Mr. Ditko, STEVE DITKO'S STRANGE AVENGING TALES. This was incredibly exciting to me, having been a lifelong Ditko fan. Unfortunately, I did not get to interact much with Mr. Ditko. See, I do all of our promotion, and to say that Mr. Ditko is not big on promotion is like saying the Pope is not big on gay marriage. And, he preferred snail mail to phone. As such, I did not have many opportunities to interact with one of the greatest comic book artists of all-time. Except one.
You can also check out a 10-page preview of Strange and Stranger on the Fantagraphics website.
Of course, one of my main reasons for posting this is the fact that I'm fortunate these days to interact with a number of industry veterans every day here on ComicMix -- many of which have had their names grace some of the greatest comics ever created -- and I wonder what they'll have to say about Reynolds' story.
(via Journalista)
Fri May 9, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
'Diesel Sweeties' Does 'Iron Man'
When art imitates art you have... a potential lawsuit?
With all of the Iron Man hype fading, I thought it would be worth pointing out one of my new favorite shout-outs to the film that popped up in my daily reading list.
In this strip, Diesel Sweeties mastermind R. Stevens manages to take a jab at both Stan Lee and everyone's favorite drunken industrialist turned armor-plated superhero. Titled "Radical to the Extremis," it's another example of why I enjoy DS so very much: not only does Stevens have some traditional comics savvy, but he's also honest-to-jeebus hilarious.
You can read this strip and others at dieselsweeties.com, and be sure to check out my Diesel Sweeties interview with R. Stevens that ran previously on ComicMix.
Thu May 8, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
Reviewing Jack Kirby and Stan Lee's 'Essential Thor'
Verily, there is yon review to... oh, forget it.
I don't normally post links to reviews on other comics news sites, since we have so many of our own hitting the site here every day, but I had to make an exception for Tom Spurgeon's recent review of the third volume of Marvel's Mighty Thor "Essential" collection.
Thor has never been a favorite character of mine, as his dialogue always seemed a bit hokey and he's pretty much the definition of a deus ex machina. But Spurgeon's review of the collection, which features Stan Lee and Jack Kirby doing exactly what made them legends in the industry, has me contemplating a change of heart.
He describes the collected stories' overall tone as "verily, there are asses over yon we doth must beat" repeated ad infinitum -- which is a big selling point for me.
Spurgeon goes on to summarize the collection as follows:
It's quite fun. The panels where Thor is not punching people so hard their light source changes are stuffed to the brim with either a) cool-looking Kirbyana almost always in the form of monsters and machinery, b) Volstagg, a fat coward who can bench press a bus, providing J. Wellington Wimpy-style comedy relief, or c) Thor screaming at someone about how awesome he is in preparation of punching them so hard their light source changes.
I love a well-written review, and this is certainly a great example of one. Head over to The Comics Reporter to read the rest of it.
Thu May 8, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
'G.I. Joe' Film Images Hit the 'Net
Knowing is half the battle, but finding new photos is 1/16 of it...
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There's no telling how long they'll be available, but it looks like the crew at ComicNerd has posted a set of 33 "leaked" cast photos from the upcoming G.I. Joe film.
The images posted include shots of The Baroness, Ripcord, Duke, Storm Shadow, Breaker, General Hawk, Destro, Heavy Duty and, of course, Snake Eyes (pictured here).
I haven't wandered around the InterWebs enough to know if this is a legitimate "leak" or just one site pulling all of the images that were scattered among a large network of sites, but it's worth checking out either way - especially for fans of the G.I. Joe properties.
See the rest of the photos over at ComicNerd.
Thu May 8, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
'The Spirit' Movie Release Date Moved Up
Consider it their Christmas gift to you...
The Cinematical crew are reporting that Lionsgate is moving up the release date for Frank Miller's adaptation of Will Eisner's The Spirit from January 16 of next year to Christmas Day (December 25), 2008.
Here's the new tale of the tape for The Spirit:
So instead of going up against Mall Cop, starring Kevin James as a wacky security guard, and the Notorious B.I.G. biopic, The Spirit will face off against Adam Sandler's Bedtime Stories, the supposedly ultra-heartwarming Marley & Me, The Tale of Despereaux, and the aftershocks of Twilight and The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Oh, and if you haven't seen the trailer for The Spirit yet that debuted at New York Comic Con, here it is:
Wed May 7, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
'LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel' Exhibit Report
Norman Rockwell Museum hosts Graphic Novel gallery
This weekend I had the pleasure of heading up to Stockbridge, MA, for the Comic Arts Festival and "LitGraphic: The Art of the Graphic Novel" exhibit at the Norman Rockwell Museum.
It was my first trip to the museum, and as I mentioned in my previous tease for the event, I've been kicking myself for not making the trip years ago, when I lived a much shorter distance from Stockbridge. The area surrounding the museum is a beautiful, rural landscape that was a breath of fresh air (literally) from the New York City madness.
The "LitGraphic" exhibit consisted of several rooms filled with various pieces of art from both well-known creators and some who I'll admit I had never heard of prior to seeing their work on display in Stockbridge. On the day we attended, the museum was also playing host to some of the creators whose work was featured in the exhibit, and had scheduled several signings and other events as part of a "Comic Arts Festival."
One of the first pieces of art I encountered was a series of Niko Henrichon's original, inked pages from Pride of Baghdad, including the impressive two-page "Baghdad Cityscape" spread. My less comics-savvy partner, who accompanied me on the trip, was amazed at the linework on the pages, and on several occasions when I wandered off to view other elements of the exhibit I returned to find her admiring this piece again.
Several pages of Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise also found their way into the exhibit, with one piece in particular catching my eye. Titled "The Point Is, She Found Me," the inked two-page spread included a sequence of progressively smaller square frames within a larger scene. The frames directed the reader's eyes to a figure hidden in the bushes -- something that might have been overlooked entirely without the frames zeroing in on the small face in the scenery. It was a nice, unconventional layout that added to the story instead of distracting from it.
In a corner of the exhibit were also some sketchbooks from artist Barron Storey, showcasing his jumbled, mixed-media style of work that appeared in Neil Gaiman's Sandman: Endless Nights anthology. The display also featured a variety of dog-eared pages from his sketchbooks, including among other things, a set of small, incredibly detailed drawings of Saddam Hussein and Yassir Arafat on opposing pages. The former sketch was captioned with a single sentence: "Hussein, looking a bit like Stalin."
Continue reading 'LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel' Exhibit Report ›
Wed May 7, 2008 — by Rick Marshall
'Final Crisis' Preview Debuts
And by 'final,' we mean...
No matter how many times I hear about DC's upcoming event-to-end-all-events Final Crisis, I can't help saying its name to the tune of "The Final Countdown." Is there something wrong with me?
Moving on...
DC just sent word that EW.com has posted a five-page preview of... Wait for it...
IT'S THE FIN-AL CRI-SIS...
While that's all well and good, they've also posted a nice little drop-down Grant Morrison script for each of the pages. I dig it immensely -- especially since I didn't realize that a character was actually supposed to be looking over the shoulder of another character (and not at him) until I read it in the script.
I wonder how much stuff like that I miss every week. *sigh*
