Tagged: party

MICHAEL DAVIS: Mr. Fantastic

When asked as a kid what superhero I wanted to be my answer was Batman. I loved Batman. I mean, I really loved Batman.

One Halloween my mother brought me a Batman costume and I also wore it the day after Halloween when I went outside to play.

I was laughed out of the park when I got there.

Those little bastard kids made me run home so fast my sister (my mortal enemy) felt sorry for me… until her friends came over and she joined them in making me feel like bat shit.

The next day was Monday and I begged my mother to let me stay home from school. I knew I would be ridiculed something terrible. She told me I had nothing to worry about because no one knew it was me.

“Everybody saw me!” I cried.

“You were wearing a mask.” She said.

I don’t think that I’ve ever gone from “my life is over” to “oh happy day” so damn fast.

Last night at an Emmy party I was asked what superhero I would be by a laughing asshole who thought working in comics was a joke.

My mind instantly went back to my bat run from the park.

“Mr. Fantastic.” I said.

“That’s the guy who can stretch really far, right? Why him?” said the asshole.

“Because your wife would enjoy that.” I answered, in my fuck you and your opinion of what I do voice.

No reply from the asshole. He just looked at his wife. “What superhero would you want to be?” I asked.

Still no answer from the guy who was now regretting all those shots he had at the party.

“Wait, I know. Little Bitch Man!” I said.

Yeah, I take comics and superheroes seriously.

WEDNESDAY: Mike Gold

Michael George Murder Retrial Underway in Michigan

Michael George Murder Retrial Underway in Michigan

  • News
  • September 15, 2011

Christine Ferretti covers the retrial for the Detroit News:

Barbara George was regarded as a devoted wife with no known enemies. But in 1990, the 32-year-old mother of two met a grisly fate when she was fatally shot in the back room of the Clinton Township comic book shop she co-owned with her husband.

Macomb County prosecutors say Michael George dreamed of a “McDonald’s-like” comic store empire while he kept a secret apartment and engaged in affairs behind his wife’s back. They say he wanted to be rid of his “overweight” wife and ultimately killed her to do it. […] George, now 51, is charged with first- and second-degree murder, insurance fraud, false pretenses and firearm offenses.

This is the saddest line in the story:

Prosecutors allege the then-30-year-old George dropped his children off at his mother’s home on the night of July 13, 1990, returned to the store, and slipped through the back entrance to ambush his wife. Barbara George had been at the store alone planning a surprise 30th birthday party she was hosting for her husband that night.

Well, it certainly was a surprise for somebody…

MICHAEL DAVIS: Has Comic-Con Jumped The Shark?

This weekend I watched the movie [[[Paul]]] on BluRay. It seemed so lame to me when it first came out. When I saw the previews I decided I’d avoid it like Stevie Wonder avoids driving. I only rented it because it’s one of the few movies that I have not seen On Demand and I get so many free rentals movies from Blockbuster I feel that I’m wasting my money if I don’t rent something. I’m about to give up my Blockbuster membership for NetFlix just as soon as I remember that’s what I want to do.

Anywho, I took [[[Paul]]], [[[True Grit]]] (I really wanted to see that in the theaters but I’m just so damn busy) and [[[Rango]]] home to my massive flat screen.

Hey. I’m a man and size matters.

Well, size matters if it’s big. If not then, not so much, at least that what guys with little flat screens tell themselves and by little flat screens I mean penis.

True Grit was GREAT. Rango was not. I’ll leave it at that. On the other hand, Paul was really good. I enjoyed it and realized I’d made the same mistake with this film as I’d made with [[[The Iron Giant]]] and Galaxy Quest. The previews and marketing were so freakin bad on those movies I just stayed away.

In Paul, Comic-Con was a nice little backstory. Yes, it was centered on nerds but what are you going to do? The movie started at Comic-Con, ended at Comic-Con and was referred to many times during the film.

I watched Paul Saturday night. Sunday, the day of this writing, I was flipping channels and stopped when I saw the face of my friend David Glanzer. David is the head of marketing and publicly for Comic-Con and was a guest judge of a show called Cupcake Wars.

I try to never say never but I’m pretty damn sure if I did not see David I would have never watched a show called Cupcake Wars. That show has as much appeal to me as a show called Towel Wars or can goods conflict or The Peanut Butter Lick Off. You know I could see watching the Peanut Butter show if there were hot women contestants. The more I think of it I would watch that show and now the show sounds like a good idea!

(The Peanut Butter Lick Off. trademark & copyright Michael Davis 2011. All Rights Reserved.)

But I digress (sorry Peter). I was talking about David. Not Peter David. I watched the entire show not caring rather or not who won (who the fish cares?) but rater I watched marveling at the genius of David and Comic-Con. Clearly, appearing on that show as a guest judge in his capacity as the head of marketing and publicly for Comic-Con is a fantastic way to market to people who may have no clue what Comic-Con is.

Then it hit me— has Comic-Con jumped the shark?

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MARC ALAN FISHMAN: The First Comic That Mattered… To Me

MARC ALAN FISHMAN: The First Comic That Mattered… To Me

Strangers (Malibu Comics)

Image via Wikipedia

Welcome back, friends. After the hate-spew I delivered in the first few weeks, and the near love-in I had over the last two… I asked myself what was the obvious next step.

Self?
Yes, Marc?
What’s the obvious next step?
Hell if I know. I still hate Flashpoint. And about half of the DC reboot. And the X-Men. And walnuts.
Well, that’s no help.
Sorry. Why don’t you talk about Malibu?

Seems simple enough. Let me set the scene. It was 6th grade. 1993. I’d just met this crazy kid named Matt who drew better than me, and loved comics. I was insanely jealous of his talent, and unlike my other friends at the time, he wasn’t a brilliant mathematician well on his way to being our eventual class valedictorian. He invited me to a sleepover birthday party, which pretty much meant by the next week, we were hyper-awesome bestest friends.

27 days after his birthday party, he showed up at my house, in the frigid December air. He handed me a box. “Happy Birthday, dude.” Paper rips, bow is tossed to the stoop. Before my 12 year old eyes, bagged and boarded, were copies of UltraForce #1 and The Strangers #1. Matt had remembered that I’d seen the short-lived UltraForce cartoon show, and loved it. Especially the episode featuring The Strangers. Excuse me for a second… I need to go wipe my eyes. It’s dusty down here. Dusty!

Suffice to say, I read those two books near instantaneously. And then reread them. Looked over every nook and cranny, too. Something about these books spoke to me in a way no other sequential literature had.

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MINDY NEWELL: What If? Just Imagine!

773573-297x450-1131902A little over a week ago, the United States of America was on the verge of defaulting for the first time in its history. The chaos isn’t over – witness the roller coaster ride of the stock market over the last seven days – but that week the pundits on radio, on Fox and MSNBC and CNN, and on The Daily Show and Stephen Colbert, conservatives, liberals, progressives, Tea Baggers (excuse me, I mean Tea Partiers) – everywhere you had ears and eyes in working order, people were bloviating (to borrow a word from Bill O’Reilly) about the #1 question on everyone’s minds….

What If The United States Of America Defaults?

Mike Gold and I spent hours on the phone talking about the possibility – well, to be truthful, I was the one ranting about the goddamn Repugnanticans (my own coined word for what passes as the party of Lincoln these days) while Mike –who would be described by people like Michelle Bachmann and Sarah Palin and Karl Rove and Rick Perry and Dick Cheney as nothing but a typical gadfly of the lefty Jewish intelligentsia cabal – tried to reassure me that the U.S. wouldn’t default. And in that strange way in which my mind equates things, the What If? and my column and comics and politics started swirling and mixing and merging and uniting and jumbling up all together like that giant melting pot America is supposed to be, and somehow I ended up equating the political wars of 2011 with a little Marvel comic book called What If…? and DC’s sundry imaginary stories of pick-your-favorite-DC-hero.

What If was a comic book I loved. The “Imaginary Stories” of DC captured my, well, imagination. They validated the child whom I had been, the fantasist that is still there, has never left me, and I know never will. That girl was always asking questions, always dreaming, always wanting more; she believed – still believes – that the world is more than we know, that magic is real and impossible things do happen. Things like, What If? I lay on my back and stare into the blue sky long enough, I’ll be able to see through and into and past it to the very depths of the universe, and maybe even all the way to the very end of the universe where I would see – what? God? Another universe? The Door at the End of the Universe? Things like, looking out my window late at night when the world is fast asleep and the lilac tree outside my window is gently stirring from the breath of the South Wind, perfuming my room with What If?

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MICHAEL DAVIS: Con Man

I came home from the San Diego Comic-Com last Sunday night around 9:30. I went to bed around 9:32. I slept all day Monday and most of the day Tuesday.

Why do I need so much sleep after Comic-Con? Because I had maybe 20 hours sleep total the two weeks before Comic-Con and five hours sleep during Comic-Con.

Here’s my Comic-Con recap.

Friday morning my annual Black Panel did a tribute to my fallen partner Dwayne McDuffie and I do think we did him justice. It was supposed to be a joyous celebration and for the most part it was, but there were a few times when the tears did flow. All and all it was great being around fans, friends and pros that all loved Dwayne. The highlight for me was the video taped message from Wayne Brady. In it Wayne told the audience what a big fan of Dwayne he was. that was cool!

Also at the Black Panel, I announced the “Search For The Next Great Graphic Novelist” contest! FAN, Final Draft and my imprint Level Next are sponsoring the contest. More details to come right here at ComicMix!

Friday afternoon saw me as a panelist on the cool ass upstart panel, “The Nappy Hour.”  I make it a point not to do any panels except The Black Panel while at Comic-Con. The Black Panel is so much work that doing another panel is simply out of the question and I’m asked to be on at least four panels every year. Keith Knight, the founder of the Nappy Panel, had a bit of a run in last year on the net. Years ago the run in would have turned into a war but now the kinder, gentler Michael Davis look for other options than to smite those who dare to speak ill of me. FYI: Keith did not speak ill of me and in fact it was me that took something he wrote the wrong way. If you know anything about me you know that when I’m wrong I own up to it.

Keith and I decided to do what black men don’t do. We decided to talk! Then we decided to do each other…each other’s panel. Get your mind out of the gutter! The Nappy Panel was so much fun that I’m thinking he and I should create a panel that would showcase the best of The Nappy and the Black panels. What do you think, Keith?

A few hours after the Nappy Panel I met with co-publisher of DC Comics Dan Didio to talk about a possible project. It was the first official meeting I’ve had with DC in over a decade. What happened?  Well…

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“Demon Circle” story by Crazy 8 Press To Benefit CBLDF — Buy It Here Now!

“Demon Circle” story by Crazy 8 Press To Benefit CBLDF — Buy It Here Now!

  • News
  • July 21, 2011

Athis, an apprentice wizard in the Crimson Keep, isn’t the brightest flame in the candelabra. So when he and another apprentice named Belid summon a demon and then panic, trouble ensues—trouble that threatens to snowball wildly out of control. Will they and their fellow student Klaria be able to deal with the consequences before their master finds out? Will the Crimson Keep still be standing when it’s all over?

ComicMix is proud to offer “Demon Circle”, an original novella from Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman, Bob Greenberger, Glenn Hauman, Aaron Rosenberg, and Howard Weinstein, the writers behind the new author-driven publishing venture Crazy 8 Press. Written live at ShoreLeave33, Crazy 8 Press and ComicMix are donating all proceeds to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which protects the First Amendment rights of comic book writers, artists, retailers, and fans.

You can get it for 99 cents, although you can choose to make a larger donation to the CBLDF by putting a different price below. After your purchase, you’ll receive an email telling you where to download the file.

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Calling All Superheroes: Megamind Attempts To Break Guinness World Record– With Your Help!

Calling All Superheroes: Megamind Attempts To Break Guinness World Record– With Your Help!

  • News
  • September 30, 2010

Not happy with just being one of the funniest actors in the last few years, Will Ferrell wants to do more than make you laugh. He wants to set world records. But, just like Ricky Bobby needed Cal, and Ron Burgundy needed Brick, Champ, and the Bri-Man… Megamind needs you!

In his attempt to set the world record for the most superheros assembled in a single spot, Will Ferrell and DreamWorks Animation are asking all willing and able-bodied cosplayers in the L.A. area to come out. If Will can assemble 1,501 participants to show up in recognizable super-hero costumes (that means Batman, Superman, Spider-Man… not your indie character ‘Can’t-Get-A-Date-Man’ or his sidekick ‘Emo, the Kid Crier’) he will set a new world record. Will knows it takes time to assemble all those bits to your utility belt, and drop a few pounds to fit into your leotard… but you only have days. Saturday, October 2nd, at the L.A. Live Complex, at 10 AM is the call. Will you answer it?

Dust off your favorite codpiece and cape combo, and go party with (hopefully) 1,501 other costumed vigilantes. Sources close to ComicMix assure you this isn’t a plot by Megamind (of the upcoming DreamWorks movie) to capture heroes and remove potential threats. It’s just a friendly get together. There even might be punch and pie. But don’t quote us on that.

Tip of the hat to AICN for turning our heads.

ComicMix Six: Sucktastic Super Powers!

ComicMix Six: Sucktastic Super Powers!

  • Uncategorized
  • June 12, 2009

So, you want to be a superhero? Not a problem. Oh… you’re not a billionaire orphan with years to dedicate to the martial arts? Don’t fret! I’m sure you can play in a lake of toxic ooze, or get bit by a genetically unstable super-wombat, right? Well… even if you don’t have powers, don’t feel bad. Cause there are some folks out there in comic-book-land that would have been better off as bartenders or stock-boys than crime-fighters or super-heroes. Don’t believe me? Well kind citizen, scope this list of lameoids out, and see sometimes it’s no so bad being normal after all*.

Night Man – Johnny Domino was just your run-of-the-mill jazz musician with those totally hip round sunglasses (Superboy anyone?) and that always fashionable accessory… the dangely cross earring in one ear! Too cool for school you say? Well, without warning, an alien bolt of lightening hit a cable car, which in turn hit Johnny’s convertible, and a piece of shrapnel wound up in his head. Talk about a crappy Monday! Well, lucky for Domino, the shrapnel caused him to gain super human abilities! These powers combined with a kevlar vest and a grappling gun allowed Domino to take to the night and don a name shared by his underpaid jelly doughnut eating brothers-in-arms! Johnny Domino is the man who need not sleep… He is the man who can sorta hear your dirty thoughts… He’s the man who doesn’t need night vision goggles to see in the night. Johnny Domino is Night Man!

Mr. Brownstone – That’s right kiddos… Not everyone gets a superpower and decides to become a hero. Sometimes they decide to become a minor villain! Garrison Klum was born one of those despicable mutants you’ve heard of. When puberty hit, did Klum gain eye lasers capable of destroying mountains? No. Did he gain a flexible metallic shell allowing him to become invulnerable and superhumanly strong? Nuh-uh. Did he gain the power to teleport? Yes! But… not himself mind you. Garrison only gained the mutant ability to teleport small amounts of liquid! Now, give the guy some credit… he renamed himself after a slang term for heroin, and teleported a few ounces of the good stuff right into Spider-man’s heart! Sure he ended dying from his own teleporting brother literally teleporting inside him and exploding out of him (ew.)… But give him credit. The world gave him a lemon of a power, and hey, he made lemonade.
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