Author: Marc Alan Fishman

DC Comics In Upheaval

News
September 21, 2010

In a statement released this morning on DC’s The Source Blog, DC Comics is continuing to clean house and as they put it… “Build a company for the future.” Let’s take a second to see where exactly the axe is falling, and what that future may look like.

The first major change Lee and DiDio mention is the increase of production over at MAD Magazine, which now publishes on a bimonthly schedule. In addition to the increase there, obviously they are branching the brand out with the aforementioned new cartoon show.

Past this bit of news though, it seems DC is ending an era or three within its offices and engaging in some heavy corporate streamlining.

First, everything non-comics will be making the move to the left
coast. The folks at ComicsBeat covered it well, but the basic gist is simple: many folks may be looking for new work come the new year as anything related to the development and production of feature films, television,
digital media, video games and consumer products (all of DC Direct, for example) as well as the
company’s administrative functions moves to a Warner Bros.-managed
property in Burbank, where they can consolidate all the overlap of those departments with WB Consumer Products and the like. It’s not clear yet whether this will include comics sales and marketing.

Next, Wildstorm is closing down and being absorbed into DC. As they said:

After taking the comics scene by storm nearly 20 years ago, the
WildStorm Universe titles will end this December. In this soft
marketplace, these characters need a break to regroup and redefine what
made them once unique and cutting edge. While these will be the final
issues published under the WildStorm imprint, it will not be the last we
will see of many of these heroes. We, along with Geoff Johns, have a
lot of exciting plans for these amazing characters, so stay tuned. Going
forward, WildStorm’s licensed titles and kids comics will now be
published under the DC banner.

Essentially this means that the Wildstorm Universe will simply be known as “Earth 238” or whatever number Grant Morrison assigns it. DC will allow time for readers to forget about Grifter, Maul, Spartan, Fairchild, and the other lost boys and girls in the Wildstorm Universe… and come back with a few Brand New Amazing Mini Series with hope that those feeling nostalgic for big biceps, bigger guns, and really big boobs will revive the now dying universe of characters.

Also, let’s not forget the other imprints of Wildstorm, including Homage Comics (Astro City), and the Alan Moore founded America’s Best Comics (Tom Strong, Promethea)… all of which is currently up in the air. Astro City creator Kurt Busiek was quoted as saying: “They haven’t said anything yet about creator-owned Wildstorm books.
Presumably they want to talk to us first. And right now, they’re busy
absorbing what this means for them. So I doubt I’ll know anything for a
day or two.”

Bleeding Cool has the best take I’ve seen on Wildstorm’s death of a thousand cancellations.

Note also that with this move, the editorial staff at Wildstorm will be undergoing a “restructuring” as well. It will be “folded into the overall DC Comics Digital team, based in Burbank…” While we don’t know specifically what restructuring will occur, obviously, it seems the team will shrink in its cross country move from Manhattan to L.A. Makes us wonder if DC was promised a shot at The Tonight Show as well.

Next to fall? To no one’s surprise, ZUDA. The webcomic imprint, which had its site shut down back in July, will cease to be after this week. As they said:

After this week, we will cease to publish new material under the ZUDA
banner. The material that was to have been published as part of ZUDA
this year will now be published under the DC banner. The official
closing of ZUDA ends one chapter of DC’s digital history, but we will
continue to find new ways to innovate with digital, incorporating much
of the experience and knowledge that ZUDA brought into DC.

ZUDA, which had very little going for it by way of mainstream popularity or attention, doesn’t come as a shock to anyone. With webcomic giants like Scott Kurtz and the boys at Penny Arcade doing just fine, the ZUDA project never really found its legs, past the success of one of it’s initial offerings, Bayou, by Jeremy Love.

The DCU Source Blog in question ends with a long blurb about the future of the company, and it’s increased focus on the “digital initiative”. They even go on to note their happiness at the success of their current digital offerings, which bring in “…anecdotal stories of lapsed readers returning to the art form and
of brick and mortar stores gaining new customers who sampled digital
comics.” We here at ComicMix would love to talk to some of those folks and hear said stories, because we’ve not been privy to any “I gave up paper comics with the Death of Superman, read Action Comics #701 on ComiXology, and rushed back to my local brick and mortar store that stayed in business during those 18 or so years, to start buying comics again!” stories.

As more turns up on this, we here at ComicMix will let you know. Stay tuned…

Twilight: Messin’ With the Kids’ Brains

News
September 21, 2010

Since science has cured all disease, and we’re living in a world with jet packs and super-candy (which never causes tooth decay, don’cha know), a symposium was called to finally figure out why teenagers are so influenced by the art and media with which they surround themselves. Led by Maria Nikolajeva, the conference was held in England just a few weeks ago. Nikolajeva, a Cambridge University professor of literature, brought together “people from different disciplines to share what we know about this turbulent period we call adolescence.” Why, you ask? We’re guessing that Nikolajeva (we love typing that name) has a teenage daughter who recently started wearing black, talking back to her, and becoming infatuated with pale boys who drive their own ’96 Honda Accords. We’re just guessing, though.

Thanks in part to an in-depth article on MSNBC, there’s plenty to glean from this recent conference. Some facts we learned? According to Karen Coats, a professor of English at Illinois State Univeristy, “the teenage brain processes information differently than a more mature brain.” We’re blown away. Really? Coats (again, an English professor…) goes on to add that the teenage prefrontal cortex goes through a growth spurt before puberty, followed by a period of organizing and pruning of the neural pathways. We asked Doctor Gregory House of Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital about this fact, and he was quick to add “Duh! It turns out right before and even during puberty, kids’ noggins get bigger. And as boys grow hair in weird places, and girls grow sweater puppies…their bodies are flushed with hormones and other science-type stuff that makes them act out in odd and strange new ways.”

(more…)

The Snark Files: Insanely Useless Licensed Products!

News
September 20, 2010

Tip of hat to iFanboy for posting the photos of this insanely hilarious find. I wonder sometimes when the folks at Marvel and DC are sitting in their big leather chairs, surrounded by rich mahogany book shelves, and leather bound editions of Action Comics and X-Force…”how far is too far, when it comes to licensing out our most awesome characters?” I imagine these big shots then puff off incredibly large cigars, and quickly use their iPads to check their enormous bank accounts. They think quickly back to a time before you could buy Spider-Man toothbrushes, Hulk official shredded purple swim-trunks, and Superman collector plates. Then they laugh their insane laugh, and sign off on any number of crazy products to be slapped together with the image of one of their countless licensees.

My case in point? Look to your right. Hostess Green Lantern GloBalls and Flashcakes! Really? Before I lay into the newest pair of uselessly licensed products, allow me first to answer those people who are already typing up their counter-snarky arguments for me. I know that DC and Marvel license out their characters in a near endless parade of products… and honestly, it doesn’t bother me in the least. As a kid, I loved my Spider-Man toothbrush, Batman underoos, and Superman halloween costume (complete with chinese macro-produced superman plastic mask that pressed up on your mouth so you got that icky sweaty film between the mask and your face after wearing the ten cent piece of plastic for less than a minute!). I don’t think it’s wrong for Marvel, DC, Image, or any other comic company to use it’s characters to snag a quick dollar from time to time. It keeps the coffers full long enough to green light actual good products, like Blue Beetle mini-series, and H.E.R.O.! Are we clear on that? Do you all understand that from here on out, my snarkyness comes packaged as a joke / satire / humorous observation? This is strictly to entertain you, my most finicky of fans. That being said… Let’s snark it up.

So DC… this is what the kids are dying for? Or did Hostess call you frantically to say “HELP US! We have all this leftover green dye from the Shrek 3D movie tie-ins, that we need to get rid of, and Marvel said no to “Hulk GammaBalls”!” And then, I imagine you, the DC Executive thought for maybe 10 or 15 seconds, and fired back. “Sure, you can make em’ Green Lantern Power Battery Balls… But Geoff Johns is in my office, and he said that we need to elevate both Green Lantern and Flash, since they are his favorite characters… and whatever Geoff says, we do. So, you have to make a Flash Cake too. Make a Flash-filled Twinkie or Speed Force Fruit Pie.” And in a few short weeks, right next to the Avengers Fruit Snacks now sits GloBalls and Flash Cakes. Now, as both a comic fan, and snack cake fan, I’m down for this. But the comic fan in me has a few reservations:

1. Am I too believe Green Lantern’s power ring is making Snowball constructs? Even by the product shot on the box, I can see only the outer layer appears to be made out of the green energy that is dispensed from a power ring and battery combo. Further more, I just went through all 257 issues of Green Lantern that I keep near my computer, and not once did I see evidence that the power ring has the capability to create sustenance. And if I were to be nice and give Hostess the benefit of the doubt, I must say that the Green Lantern power rings always assist in the mental and physical prowess of the host, and I doubt that the ring would produce such unhealthy snacks… Unless… this is all a trick produced by Sinestro, Larfleeze, and Atrocitus to fatten up fanboys, so that we can’t come to the aid of Hal Jordan when they attack! Don’t eat those cakes kids! It’s a trap!!!

2. Based on the box art, I can safely assume that the Flash Cakes are a product of Barry Allen. It’s not clear if these snack cakes are produced within the speed force (the graphics on the box make it appear to possibly be speed force related…). Since we know that the speed force can create mutli-colored fully realized constructs, thanks to Wally West, these cakes are certainly plausible. What is curious to us though, is why Barry Allen would endorse a product that, like its GloBall brethren, is an unhealthy treat. The chocolate cake, cream filling, and icing are all heavily laden with high fructose corn syrup, fat, and preservatives. Why would Barry Allen, police officer, and all-around goody-two-shoes endorse a product that would lend itself so freely to the epidemic of childhood obesity… Unless… the Flash Cakes are in fact a product of that inglorious bastard Eobard Thawne, the Reverse Flash! His M.O., thanks to Geoff Johns, is to cause all the problems in Barry Allen’s life… and what could be worse than filling up Central City and Keystone City full of wobbling weeble children! And when they clog the hospitals with their fat-filled tummies, in diabetic comas… All the doctors will exclaim “Why? Why are all these children so fat?” And then, in his yellow and red blur, the Reverse Flash will laugh his maniacal laugh as they realize it was the fun-colored Flash Cakes that drove the children to their state of sedentary sluggishness! Don’t eat these cakes either kids! It’s another trap!

So… there you have it. Hostess and DC have been duped by Geoff Johns and the ne’er-do-wells of the DC Universe, to sell you licensed snack cakes, in hopes of lulling you into a sugar-spiked coma. We recommend you avoid these obviously villainous vittles, and opt instead for a Green-hued Granny Smith, or a Flash-friendly fiber-filled Red Delicious. You’ll get the same boost of sweetness, but with some actual vitamins and nutrients. DC may not like it… but you will, next time your lard-laden butt has to walk uphill to the comic shop.

The Snark Files: Marvel’s Newest Team

News
September 20, 2010

Our dear friends at Marvel decided to share a little cryptic image… and you know how much we love cryptic images. So, let’s take a look at it, and see if we can guess what’s going on here.

Well right off the bat, the headline reads “All new. All different.” And the ‘T’ in different is a sword. It’s obvious to us that this means that this new team, for the first time in marvel history, will consist of members permanently on fire.
Front and center we see Warpath is his old costume, as opposed to his black and silver X-Force: Pointy Things Kill People costume. Last time we checked wikipedia, it seems Warpath left the team because he “was finally at peace”… Our guess, Warpath wasn’t at peace, he just was holding out for a team without Wolverine.
Behind Warpath is Banshee, who as you’ll recall, has never been cool. Wikipedia said Cyclops eye-beamed him off Utopia at the end of the last X-men mini series we didn’t care about. Looks like Banshee’s back… And with it, there’s goes the sales.
Behind Banshee are a collection of Multiple Men. Using both the newer costume and the “body sock” 90’s costume… we can only assume Marvel ran out of characters to put on teams… so why not fill out the ranks with Multiple Men! It worked in the 90s, and it’ll work now, damn it.
To the right of Banshee, Multiple Man and Warpath are … uhh… some women. On fire. They’re in v-neck tunics, top coats, and skirts. Our guess? It’s Firestar and Frankie Raye. Why? They’re the only fire-type girls we know, except for Jean Gray. And we’re pretty sure she’s dead this week.
We also note that all these folks are sporting glowing red eyes. This could mean they’re being mind-controlled, have all developed Cyclops-like eye beams, or that they’ve forgotten their Visene.
The term “All New. All Different.” is generally associated with the X-Men. Look, we admit we bailed on the X-Men when we heard they were fighting vampires… but when your new team is 4/5ths Multiple Man, and Banshee? Why not close the deal, and add some of our favorite members… Doctor Nemesis, Dust, and No-Girl (a literal brain in a jar.)
At the bottom of the image, it declare a street date of December 2010. Oh! We got it. It’s the Marvel Character end-of-the-year Fire Sale! Get any of these characters for your own project before they’re shipped off to Marvel Island. That’s right kids, Marvel Island™, where a licensee can go to quietly die until Bendis wants them on the Avengers.

Do you have any ideas? If so, post em’ below… because lord knows we ain’t gotta clue.

Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day!

News
September 19, 2010

Founded by Cap’n Slappy and Ol’ Chumbucket in 1996, International Talk Like A Pirate Day is celebrated today, the 19th of September here and abroad. The two mates began talking like buccaneers one day, and thanks to some promotion from Dave Barry, we can now all share in this truly amazing holiday.

So, today, unlike any other day in the year, you’re allowed to yell “Avast, ye matey!” when you see your friend at Buffalo Wild Wings. You may refer to the waitress as “a soddy lass” or “a buxom wench”. When you order your wings, you can dust off some phrases like “Ahoy! I’ll ‘ave the cap’n’s order of yer finest wings, and a enough grog to make me loaded to the Gunwales!” And when the waitress gives you the stank eye for speaking pirate, bang your fist on the table and say “By the powers! You land-lubber lass…I said get me a plunder of wings and ale, lest I and me mates turn this table over and make you walk the plank!”

If you still need a little hint or two on how to talk like a pirate, you should double up on your adjectives. Instead of calling your last issue of Brightest Day a “waste of my time”, you can say its “a stinking, rotten waste of me time, arrrrgh!”. Another hint would be to use ‘I be’ instead ‘I am’, and drop your G’s and V’s. That way when you declare “I be throwin’ you this issue of X-Men, and I be wantin’ a refund!” the store clerk will give you a knowing glance.

Tip of our pirate hat to the the fine folks at yarr.org, for gettin’ us up to speed on this momentous day. Now if you’ll excuse us, we need to go put on our peg legs, and hoist our sails on for Ford Explorarrrrrgh!

Neil Gaiman to Appear on Arthur

News
September 17, 2010

In the continuing saga of comic book writers appearing anywhere they can, author Neil Gaiman has been animated as part of the PBS series Arthur. Gaiman, whose illustrious career includes the acclaimed Sandman series and Marvel’s 1602, as well as the Newbery Award-winning The Graveyard Book and a number of picture books, is lending his proto-goth façade to the popular kids’ show. His episode is set to debut on October 25. Gaiman isn’t the first comic creator to get himself animated into a popular cartoon, however. We here at ComicMix enjoyed the Simpsons episode where Alan Moore, Daniel Clowes, and Art Spiegelman do a signing at the new Springfield comic shop, Coolsville, and later fly away (literally) as the League of Independent Comic Creators. We wanted to embed that clip here so you could relive it, but sadly Hulu skipped seasons 11–19 in their listings.

So, as we were saying, be sure to set that ol’ DVR to tape Arthur on October 25th, and catch Neil “The Cat” Gaiman’s appearance. We’ve no idea what the show will be about, but we assume Arthur and his pals attend a book signing where Neil will say something that will enrapture the kids in comic book fever. And all will be right with the world.

We hope this is a continuing trend. Our bet? Look for Brian Michael Bendis on the next season of Yugi-Oh.

Webcomics You Should Be Reading: “The Gutters”

Uncategorized
September 16, 2010

Gentle reader, I know it’s been an eon and a half since last I told you to dust off that bookmark button. But to be honest, I’ve been buried in the same set of webcomics for a long time now, with nothing piquing my interest as such… until now. Found literally by happenstance, I bring to you today a webcomic that is not like any other I’ve brought to you thus far. I bring to you… The Gutters.

Produced and written by Ryan Sohmer, the same dude that puts out a former Webcomic You Should Be Reading, Least I Could Do, The Gutters is truly a unique webcomic beast. Instead of a singular cast, The Gutters uses today’s comic books as fodder for content. Expressing a gripe about “One More Day” or “Blackest Night,” or offering a more general comics in-joke, the strip skewers just about everyone in the industry… fictional or not! Instead of a single artist, The Gutters employs the services of a multitude of industry pros. Past strips has been drawn by the likes of Eugene JjAR, cartoonist Chris Jones, comic book guru Bill Sienkiewicz, and webcomic god Scott Kurtz. Even Least I Could Do‘s Lar deSouza lends his hand on occasion. At the end of the day, the combination of a rotating art cast with Sohmer’s wit and criticism of the comic industry equals a damn funny webcomic that had the Unshaven Comics crew doing spit takes while we roamed through the archives. Although the comic is only 40 strips old, it offers a gold mine of jokes.

Normally, I peruse the wikipedia of the “About Us” page to pick up a little backstory. Sadly, The Gutters is far too new and awesome to have garnered an entry yet. From what I can glean from the blogs, though, the project is pretty straightforward. According to Sohmer:

“In brief, Gutters is a series of standalone pages that parody the
comic book industry and the heroes and characters that dwell within.
Think of it as an editorial cartoon targeting comic books, and you’ll
understand where we’re going with it.

While I’ll be writing Gutters, Lar will be the art director with Ed
Ryzowski serving as colorist. As for who will be doing the actual art,
well, that’s where things get interesting (and slightly different).
Rather than have one artist pencil each page, we elected to have a
rotating roster of professional artists, among them some giants in the
comic book industry alongside new and emerging talent. This way, in
addition to what I hope will be a humorous comic, Gutters will also be
an ongoing showcase of art.”

(more…)

Graphic Novel Says A Long Goodbye to Oprah

News
September 15, 2010

There are institutions in Chicago that make the city what it is. Deep-dish pizza loaded with premium toppings. A hot dog “dragged through the garden.” The Sears Tower (sorry, it’ll never be “Willis Tower” to anyone in the city). Da Bears. And Oprah. More than the robust food, gigantic buildings, or the amazing football team, Oprah’s seat in pop culture has been cemented in recent years as an unstoppable brand. Thanks to the big O, no less than than four talk shows litter the dial. And soon, an entire cable network will launch, thanks to the big O. In addition to the television shows, Oprah and her fifth-dimensionally named Harpo productions is responsible for magazines, telefilms, a radio station, and, we’re pretty sure, an eventual space station where housewives will be whisked away by private rocket to nibble on Southern comfort food and dish on their louse husbands, in between book-club meetings.

Earlier in this year, Oprah shocked her audience of 12 billion viewers by announcing the end of her talk show. And while some shows may have a special “farewell” episode, Oprah is enjoying a “farewell season.“ Chicago comic creators Todd Allen and Scott Beaderstadt are dedicating an arc of their graphic novel series Division and Rush in response to the announcement of Oprah’s eventual retirement on daily TV. Division and Rush is a serial strip published on the Chicago Tribune Media Group’s ChicagoNow website. It follows the exploits of a pair of Chicago detectives as they scour the city and confront eerily familiar pop-culture icons and current events. Story arcs from the strips are collected and reprinted as full-fledged graphic novels. The first arc, “The Murder Professor,” was a #1 bestseller on Amazon for the Kindle.

The newly announced second arc, dubbed “The Cult of Low Self-Esteem,” follows Oprah-esque television diva Opa! as she announces her eventual move to California. Not everyone is thrilled by her decision, and the murderous romp begins to unfold. We here at ComicMix dig the strip, and think you should do yourself a favor and check it out. Just don’t tell Oprah we recommended it, lest we incur her wrath. Don’t think that’s scary? Just a tip, there, hotshot: the last time Oprah got mad, America gave up BEEF for a month. We don’t want to see what happens if we get on her death-ray radar anytime soon.

Kevin McCarthy: 1914-2010

News
September 13, 2010

Actor Kevin McCarthy, made famous by his role of Dr. Miles Bennell in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, passed away this past Saturday in Cape Cod; he was 96 years old.

McCarthy, who has been acting since 1938, has had an amazingly long career, acting even to this year, with many roles under his belt in the 90’s as well. A look at his IMDB page includes roles in movies, television, and even some voice-over work. His notable roles included Uncle Walt in the Twilight Zone movie, roles in Innerspace, Dark Tower, The Howling, and even a role as Marilyn Monroe’s husband in the 1961 film “The Misfits”.

And while some in the later generations may recognize him as the evil R. J. Fletcher of Weird Al’s cinematic opus, UHF, it would be his role in Body Snatchers that would prove to be his most memorable. McCarthy would end up lending his memorable “You’re next!” performance in numerous spoofs and sci-fi projects… he even made a cameo as Dr. Bennell in the ’78 Body Snatchers remake, starring Donald Sutherland. Topping the list of off cameos though, McCarthy ended up appearing as Dr. Bennell in the 2003 Looney Toons: Back in Action movie– still in glorious black and white.

Kevin was married twice, once to Augusta Dabney, and then to Kate Crane. He had five children. Our condolences to his family.

Monday Mix-Up: The Midichlorian Rhapsody

News
September 13, 2010

Hey there, kids! Remember when Star Wars was awesome? Yeah, we do too. Then ole’ George fired up his bank of super computers, “wrote” a script, and here we are years later still trying to figure out what happened to the Star Wars of our youth. But, prequels be damned! Give the credit to the YouTube viral nation, for spawning an amazing creation that’ll melt that polar ice cap you have in your heart when you hear the word… midichlorian.

Well, the video vanguards have put together a mix-up of Star Wars saga of one troubled youth, and married it with “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Blend it well, add an umbrella and slice of pineapple and you get Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff’s masterpiece, the Midichlorian Rhapsody.

Author: Marc Alan Fishman

DC Comics In Upheaval

Twilight: Messin’ With the Kids’ Brains

The Snark Files: Insanely Useless Licensed Products!

The Snark Files: Marvel’s Newest Team

Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Neil Gaiman to Appear on Arthur

Webcomics You Should Be Reading: “The Gutters”

Graphic Novel Says A Long Goodbye to Oprah

Kevin McCarthy: 1914-2010

Monday Mix-Up: The Midichlorian Rhapsody

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