Tagged: comics

DENNIS O’NEIL: No evil lurks this week

DENNIS O’NEIL: No evil lurks this week

  • News
  • April 10, 2007

Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I know I promised, at least implicitly, to deliver Who Knows What Evil Lurks – Part 2 this week. But that will take some time and maybe digging, to write and, honestly, I have the luxury of neither. By the time you read this, I’ll either be at or returning from Juaniata, Pennsylvania, where I’ve been invited to be the guest of Jay Hosler and maybe shoot off my mouth in public a bit. I’ve been busy doodling notes for said mouth-shooting; hence no dissertation on lurking evil.

I thought about just blowing off this whole column thing, or delaying it until I was back here in scenic Upper Nyack, and rested. But… I promised editor Mike Gold and PR goddess Martha Thomases that I would deliver a minimum of 500 words each and every week. And I made the same promise to myself. Sternly, I said to myself that I had to respect the deadline, even if the deadline in question is largely of my own making.

By the way, I don’t hate deadlines the way a lot of writers and artists seem to. Maybe that’s just because I lived with them for so long – for over 40 years, they were a constant part of my life. What can be said against them is that they can be a pain in the ass. What can be said for them is that they can impart focus to a project and they can be an impetus to stop kvetching and worrying about your ability to leave civilization breathlessly in your debt (and maybe sit on David Letterman’s couch) and just, please, get the damn thing done.

A couple of paragraphs back – I’ll wait while you check – I mentioned Jay Hosler. Doctor Hosler teaches biology at Juaniata College, is a proponent of evolution, a comics enthusiast, a writer, and a cartoonist. He’s done two graphic novels which I found educational and very entertaining. You’ll find the titles below.

(more…)

Sacco on Iraq

Sacco on Iraq

  • News
  • April 9, 2007

Via Jessa at Bookslut, the good news is that comic artist and journalist Joe Sacco has a 16-page piece in the latest Harper‘s entitled Down! Up! You’re in the Iraqi army now.  You can see the thumbnails (like the one at right) here. 

The bad news is, you can’t see the full-size art to actually read the piece unless you buy the issue. Joe’s worth it.

Big Iron Man screw-up

Big Iron Man screw-up

  • News
  • April 9, 2007

Newsstand distributors have released some misprinted copies of Iron Man #16, wherein pages are printed out of order. Expect to see these on eBay shortly going for far more than their worth by any objective measure.

Reports of copies of Iron Man #16 printed with their pages out of order appearing in various Borders bookstores in the midwest started surfacing over a week ago, but it must be stressed that  not all newsstand copies are the misprints.

The direct sale version of Iron Man #16 has been delayed for this very reason. The "correct" version will be in comics shops this Wednesday.

The question that leaps to mind isn’t "how could this have gotten through?" as the printers are, like anyone else along the assembly line, only human; but, "there’s still newsstand distribution?"  In fact, most towns have their central newsstand outlets, big-box bookstores like Borders, supermarket spinner racks, and convenience store shelves. However, only a fraction of the comic book titles published are distributed outside of the comic book shop network.

Artwork copyright 2007 Marvel; All Rights Reserved.

Felix sues clock

Felix sues clock

  • News
  • April 9, 2007

Felix, the world’s oldest cat, has reached into his bag of tricks to whip out a lawsuit.

The Otto Messmer creation who first appeared in Pat Sullivan cartoons dating as far back as 1912’s Felix Saves The Day has taken offense at the popular Kit-Kat Klock. The clock dates back to the 1930s; it’s taken Felix a bit of time to file the papers. Next time, he should pull an opposable thumb out of his bag of tricks. However, it should be noted that the Kit-Kat Klock had been marketed in the past as the "Felix Clock."

Felix has been a perennial in comic books as well as on television and in both silent movies and talkies. Kit-Kat Klocks are no relation to the popular candy bar, whose manufacturers may be waiting on deck for their turn at bat.

An August primer

  • News
  • April 8, 2007

Writer John August notes, "Ever since I announced that I’m writing Shazam!/Captain Marvel, I’ve gotten some great questions and comments from longtime fans of the character, many with detailed pleas to include a specific cherished piece of the mythology. But when I tell people face-to-face that I’m writing a Captain Marvel movie…their eyes go up and to the left as they try to remember, who the hell is Captain Marvel?…

"So, in the interest of spreading general knowledge about Captain Marvel and why he kicks ass, I thought I’d share a reading list. Don’t worry; there’s no test. In fact, consider this a gentle education (or re-education) on why some of the best writing today is inked and colored."  And he goes on to recommend in detail a step-by-step list for folks new to comics, new to the DC Universe, and new to the specific character.  It’s always a good sign when a writer’s done his homework!

MICHAEL DAVIS: The Emperor’s New Clothes

MICHAEL DAVIS: The Emperor’s New Clothes

  • News
  • April 7, 2007

I don’t really have a subject for this week, which explains why I’m writing this on Thursday afternoon with a Friday morning deadline. Sorry, Mike. Nothing really ticked me off or got me excited this week. That’s an issue for me because when I took this gig I made a promise to keep it current and to always have a definitive point of view.

Well, what follows are some random thoughts that I may as well get off my chest. None of these things really warrant an entire column (yet) but they all have my interest,

Remember the story of the Emperor’s new clothes?  Well that seems to be what is going on with American Idol. Major newscasts like the Today Show (who made my greatest list last week) are all saying that this kid Sanjaya Malakar can’t sing.

HELLO!!!!!????

Even before America stared to vote this kid beat out thousands of other singers to make it to the show. Now everyone is saying he can’t sing. Why? Because one person said he could not sing after one bad performance and now everybody is saying it. What is up with people? People are just sheep! He is clearly not the best singer on the show, but the kid can sing. Why are people such sheep? Why, why, why?

Sheep, sheep, sheep!

In other random thoughts, in case anyone is interested I will be speaking at the Biola Media Conference April 21st at Biola University and at Cal State Northridge on April 23rd. Maybe the person who sent me the angry email will want to come down and heckle me.

What angry email? The angry email that I was sent in response to The Black Panel article I wrote. They told me “You are a Uncle Tom who does not care about Black People. We have a right to be represented and you should let any black person on the panel who wants to be there.” They also said that I was…” one of those uppity (N-word) who only dates white woman!” (My Asian lady loved that one.)

Well, fellow and or gal (I don’t know what you are because you sent the email anonymously – how brave, by the way), if you are feeling strong come on down and take your best shot. Hey wait. Why don’t you speak at the conference or at Northridge. I’m sure they will just let you walk in off the street and talk about your work or whatever you want to talk about. I mean you are entitled right? Wait! Now that I think about, it why don’t you just walk on to the Tonight Show? I’m sure they will just let you be a guest. Wait! What am I thinking?? Why doesn’t ABC just do a special on you? I mean you have certainly earned the right to have your own show right?  Wait, wait wait!!! Not a show –you deserve your own NETWORK!!! I mean why not? Wait, wait wait, wait, why don’t they just hand you your own galaxy? 

(more…)

The Christmas Cottage movie

The Christmas Cottage movie

  • News
  • April 6, 2007

I never, never, never want to hear another complaint about adapting film from dumb comic books ever again. And if you’re tired of articles with headlines like "Pow! Zap! Wham! Comics movies aren’t just for kids" you don’t either. But now, you have a trump card to play – Hollywood is adapting movies from paintings.

Yes, paintings. Not painted comic books. Paintings.

First Showing shows us that Lions Gate is making a film based on a single painting by Thomas Kinkade, "painter of light" in the same way that Michael Jackson is the "king of pop," called The Christmas Cottage. Peter O’Toole has been cast in it. They note: "The film is partly biographical and based on events that led American painter Kinkade to become an artist." No word on whether they’ll include the FBI investigations or sexual harassment allegations – if Peter O’Toole’s in it, I suppose there’s a chance.

It’s shooting this month for the obvious December release, because this will be the film that gets O’Toole his Oscar.

Happy Birthday, Hijinx

Happy Birthday, Hijinx

In 1982, Mike Gamble opened a comic book store in Willow Glen, California.  Today, owned by Dan Shahin and renamed Hijinx Comics, the store is still open, still selling comics, and still entertaining the community.

Shahin started working at the store in 1986,when he was eleven years old.  Paid in store credit, he sorted baseball cards and filed back issue.  "Back when I first started working comics were 60 cents each and weren’t taxed, and Mike marked them down to 50 cents after a week to make sure they sold. That meant I was earning four comic books an hour to hang out in the greatest store I’d ever seen. I was in kid heaven," said Shahin. "Fast forward 20 years and I’m right back in the place where I was always happiest. I took what I learned from high tech and applied it to comics retailing. It’s the best decision I ever made 

Shahin credits the store’s focus on customer service and broad selection as being the key to getting and retaining new customers in the face of competition from chain bookstores as well as multiple area specialty shops. Hijinx also features a book club program allowing customers to earn store credit for every book they purchase. Hijinx also recently launched www.comicbookshelf.com, a website devoted to reviewing, categorizing and selling graphic novels featuring

free domestic shipping or in-store pickup.

ComicMix applauds any comic book store that survives in today’s tough market, especially one that adapts and prospers.

Let’s you and him reconcile

Let’s you and him reconcile

  • News
  • April 5, 2007

Via Budgie, for your reading pleasure comes this post by artist Jesse Hamm on the ways in which writers drive him crazy, followed by a three part rebuttal by Mark Waid on why certain artists should perhaps choose their words as carefully as they choose their illustrations.  Beyond the sarcasm and vitriol is some terrific information and useful advice on the collaborative process in comics.

JOHN OSTRANDER: The headline quartet

  • News
  • April 5, 2007

You’ve done this on tests. Which of the following doesn’t fit?

  1. Celeb fashion flops
  2. Crafting the perfect lawn
  3. Man films own death by meth
  4. Clearing home clutter

If you picked “Man films own death by meth” then give yourself an A. I plucked this quartet as is from my MS Hotmail account; after I sent off an e-mail, a screen popped up asking me if I wanted to go back to the message or to the inbox. In the left margin, there were also some news stories that I might want to pick. These were the four headlines to choose from. Three innocuous bits of news fluff and one fairly grotesque news item.

Each headline had equal value. The type sizes were all the same size. Suicide is given the same value as “Crafting the perfect lawn.” They’re all just newsy bits, one no more important than the next. In a list we sometimes assume that the top or the bottom items have the most impact but not so here. Exchange the top two items and nothing really has changed. Put the suicide item at the top or the bottom and the list changes but nestle it in the middle and it’s just one more bit of fluff.

I’ve been looking at our little headline quartet and reacting several different ways. In this context, with everything being the same, death has no more importance than crafting the perfect lawn. It’s just another widget headline. If everything has the same value, then what has meaning? “Man films own death by meth” is grotesque, it should horrify. The quartet suggests otherwise to me. There is no sense of priority here, that this one thing is more important than this other thing. The context of its appearance in this quartet suggests that the death is mundane.

Which might raise the question – is it more important? An unknown man films his own death by meth. Should his death mean anything more to me than celeb fashion flops? Is his death noteworthy or the fact that he filmed it? If there wasn’t video, we wouldn’t care. Just another meth user screwing up his life. I’m not going to pretend that I care deeply about every person who dies; I don’t. The deceased may have family and friends who will mourn him; I hope he does. Me? I’m mostly appalled but that’s about it. Maybe for me it IS just another widget headline.

(more…)

Categories

Archives

Everything you need to make great comics!

comicmix-pro-300x69-2

Nucleus X

Bookshop Zaks