This week on NPR’s Studio 360, you’ll be hearing a roundtable discussion between Farscape comic writer Keith R.A. DeCandido, Star Trek author David Mack, comic book historian Alan Kistler, ethicist Alexandra Honigsberg, editor Jeness Crawford, ComicMix contributor Kim Kindya, and yours truly, discussing Watchmen and its impact on pop culture. It’s wide ranging and a lot of fun. Take a listen:
Say Goodbye to February and Hello to March which will give us STAR TREK:TNG on FAMILY GUY, WONDER WOMAN on DVD, more episodes (and maybe a second season of ISSUES) but no SOUTH PARK on the iPhone and maybe no third season of REAPER. It’s a mixed bag for us and oh yeah, Mike Gold misses comic book racks.
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Dynamite Entertainment announces that its upcoming Buck Rogers comic book series will blast off in May with issue #0 with the low low cover price of 25¢.
"We’re planning Buck’s launch to be one of our biggest of 2009, one that will propel him into the comics future, "said Dynamite President Nick Barrucci. "We could think of no more appropriate way to welcome fans to this totally fresh take on one of comicdom’s first heroes than to offer his first new comics adventure in years at this incredible introductory price."
"Dynamite’s reinvention of Buck Rogers will follow the path Dynamite has blazed with its previous successful titles, and to ensure the comics audience can read the launch, we’re releasing the comic at a .25¢ cover price. Dynamite is proud to be instrumental in re-inventing and continuing the legacies of historical characters and their worlds with creators who can execute great stories. We’re equally proud of the consistent critical and fan responses to our efforts, and are confident that Scott Beatty and Carlos Rafael will deliver. We’re confident that Buck Rogers will extend Dynamite’s own tradition of creating and bringing together generations of fans in the most thrilling way possible, which is why we are launching it at an Introductory Priced. This will allow retailers to stock it, and fans to try it, and see the quality, inexpensively."
According to series writer Scott Beatty "I can’t begin to describe my excitement in working with Dynamite and the Dille Estate to chronicle the all-new adventures of science fiction’s original spaceman, Buck Rogers."
"Buck is a sci-fi icon. We wouldn’t have STAR TREK or STAR WARS or many of the familiar trappings of the genre without the trails blazed by Buck with his trusty ray-gun and jet-pack. And with that in mind, I’m humbled by the fact that I get to work with such an important and indelible literary creation.
Featuring covers by John Cassaday on the series– and a special variant cover on issue #1 by Alex Ross– with story by Scott Beatty, and interior art by Carlos Rafael, Dynamite predicts Buck Rogers will be the smash hit sci-fi and adventure series of 2009 (and beyo-o-o-o-nd).
One of the concerns for comic book creators is is protecting their rights. In support of that, New York Comic-Con had a panel on Saturday called "Intellectual Property 101", put on by three lawyers in the entertainment business. Thomas A. Crowell, Sheafe B. Walker, and Walter-Michael Lee, attorneys specializing in entertainment law and intellectual property, gave an overview and answered questions from the audience.
Several forms of rights are involved. The first is copyright. Under current copyright law, a work is copyrighted automatically upon creation. In the United States, copyrights are valid for the life of the creator plus 70 years. In "work for hire contracts", copyrights may be for 95 or 120 years.
There is no requirement have anything special in the work such as a copyright symbol, or to register it to have a copyright. However, registration of copyright was strongly recommended. Copyright registration establishes a formal legal record of a copyright’s existance, dating from when registration was made, and gives you greater ability to collect damages if the copyright is infringed. The "poor man’s copyright" practice of mailing yourself a copy of your work to establish copyright was dismissed as obsolete and not doing anything useful.
Copyright registration can be handled on line by going to http://www.copyright.gov/register, or using paper forms. The Copyright Office encourages online registration, and charges less for it. Online registration has a $35 fee, whereas paper forms will cost $45. You will need to provide contact information for the copyright holder, a copy of the work being copyrighted, and the fee.
In answer to a question, it was stated that you could use one copyright registration to copyright an entire series, as in a continuing comic book. There was no requirment for a sperate filing and fee for each issue. It is also possible, though rare, to get a copyright on a work in progress that is not yet completed.
Partnerships and work-for-hire agreements present special challenges.
We understand that there will be a big football game today in Tampa. But if you’re like me, what you’re really looking forward to are the new movie trailers that premiere during the time outs.
We already know there will be an ad for Monsters vs. Aliens, as there’s been a big push to get the 3D glasses into people’s hands. More than 125 million pairs of glasses are being distributed for free at stores nationwide at SoBe displays, they may still be available at your local supermarket. (If you want to know more about the 3D, Wired has a write up.)
Off the top of my head, I expect to see ads for Star Trek, Transformers, G.I. Joe (all licensees of IDW, which should make them happy), Angels and Demons (the sequel to The DaVinci Code), The Year One, Race To Witch Mountain and Pixar’s Up. Budget cutbacks seem to indicate that there will be no ads from Fox or Warner Brothers, so we probably won’t be seeing ads for Watchmen, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Terminator: Salvation, or James Cameron’s Avatar.
What do you think will be appearing? What did you think of what actually aired? Consider this an open thread for discussion.
Oh, and by the way– Steelers by 10, Bud Light by 3.
As Yogurt the wise teaches us, "Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money from the movie is made. Spaceballs-the T-shirt, Spaceballs-the Coloring Book, Spaceballs-the Lunch box, Spaceballs-the Breakfast Cereal, Spaceballs-the Flame Thrower." CBS has learned their lessons well, one could even say it’s a paramount lesson.
CBS Consumer Products has cranked its Star Trek licensing up to 11 in preparation of the new Star Trek movie, which will debut on May 8th. In addition to the IDW comics tying the movie to Next Generation continuity, the Pocket book publishing license, and the previously announced Star Trek Barbie Dolls, Mattel has also acquired the rights to create radio-controlled flying vehicles for its Tyco subsidiary, a Star Trek Scene-It DVD movie/TV game, and a 20Q Star Trek Trivia Game. (Bob Greenberger’s on our team, we take on all challengers.)
Other game tie-ins include a Star Trek-branded Monopoly edition from USAopoly, and co-branded games for UNO, Scrabble ("Ferengi" is a 61 point word, "Klingon" is 62– no ruling on whether words from their languages count), Phase Ten, All About Trivia, and a Magic 8 Ball. If only the good Kirk from "The Enemy Within" had one.
In the 80’s and 90’s, one of the busiest inkers in the comics business was Arne Starr. A protege of Dick Giordano, Arne’s work graced the pages of The Legion of Super-Heroes, Nexus, Star Trek, and Sachs & Violens (who are now showing up in Fallen Angel), even doing uncredited work on Crisis On Infinite Earths, and he was a mainstay of a lot of east coast conventions, usually running the movie previews. Then he left the business in the mid-nineties recession.
So how come you haven’t seen him lately?
Well, you probably have seen him– just not in places where you expected.
Arne Starr packed up his bags and moved to Beverly (Hills, that is) and has been doing lots of work as an actor, finding himself doing tremendous amounts of background work all over TV and movies. Some of his more recognizable appearances are as an Attending Physician on Grey’s Anatomy, and an artist at the Sterling Cooper agency on Mad Men, in a clear case of typecasting.
If you keep your eyes open, you can also spot him in episodes of CSI, Medium, Jericho, Sleeper Cell, Bones and as a semi-regular at the Crab Shack in My Name Is Earl. In movies, he shows up in Bedtime Stories, Frost/Nixon, as the Citizen Kane cinematographer Gregg Toland inMan In The Chair, and in a nod to his comic book roots, Iron Man.
Here’s a shot from an appearnce on Grey’s Anatomy:
It’s great to see Arne doing well. But more than anything else, I’m just amazed I got to a Hollywood comic book story before Mark Evanier did.
Mexican actor Ricardo Montalban, best known to ComicMixers as Khan Noonien Singh or the enigmatic Mr. Roarke, died today at age 88.
According to the Associated Press, Montalban died this morning at his home in California. No cause of death was provided.
"The Ricardo Montalban Theatre in my Council District – where the next generations of performers participate in plays, musicals, and concerts – stands as a fitting tribute to this consummate performer," city council by president Eric Garcetti said in a written statement.
The flamboyant actor began his acting career in his native land before coming to Hollywood to become a star for MGM. He made his American debut opposite swimming star Esther Williams in 1946’s Fiesta.
As a working actor in the 1960s, Gene Roddenberry cast him as Khan, the Genetics War exile in the 1966 episode of Star Trek, “Space Seed”. Years later, director Nicholas Meyer was captivated by the performance and wondered what Khan would be like 15 years later, leading to the story behind Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
In between, Montalban also played the heavy in the Cathy Lee Gibson Wonder Woman telefilm before straddling the line between good and evil as the host of Fantasy Island. In his white suit and twinkling eyes, people’s fears and desires were made manifest from 1978-1984.
He was also a long running automobile pitchman, waxing rhapsodic about the car’s rich Corinthian leather, which was later parodied for years.
A crippling back injury occurred during the filming of 1952’s Across the Wide Missouri. He was thrown by a horse and stepped on a second horse. When it recurred in 1993, he was limited to a wheelchair and surgery only made the situation worse, limiting his film and television work over the last 15 years although he did manage to appear in including The Naked Gun as well as two films from both the Planet of the Apes and Spy Kids series.
Director JJ Abrams posted a brief note on the Star Trek movie’s Facebook page, thanking the fans.
“We’re just making final tweaks to the movie — we should be totally locked next week. Then we’re going to flash-freeze it so it’s totally fresh for you in May. I can’t wait for you to see the movie. The cast is awesome. The action and effects pushed the stunt team and ILM beyond their limits. I’m so grateful to this cast and crew — and to all of you for your interest and patience. We’ll continue to update this page with new info and exclusives, so check back when you think of it. In the meantime, have a happy, healthy, fun holiday!”
Hermes Press recently signed a deal to publish Star Trek: A Comics History, described as “the complete saga of the Star Trek universe in comic books and comic strips.” The March release is being written by Alan J. Porter, best known for his James Bond: The History Of The Illustrated 007. The 208-page, all color, large format deluxe trade paperback is expected to chronicle the four-color history of Star Trek from the first Gold Key comics to the English newspaper strip, to Marvel and DC’s Star Trek titles and the present-day comic and manga iterations.
Star Trek: A Comics History promises creator interviews, unpublished art work, and a detailed checklist of Star Trek comic publications. At the TrekkBBS, Porter said, “My intention is to include an index of the various comics by Stardate. At least I’m compiling one as I do the research and writing. I probably won’t have the time to create a full timeline (ouch – sorry about the pun), so if a story spans several time periods it will most likely only be listed by the establishing introductory Stardate. – But this is a work in progress so who knows.”
He also defended the steep $39.99 for a trade paperback, noting that Hermes Press books are “all published on very high quality glossy archival paper and designed to last. They aren’t mass market paperbacks, they are closer to glossy art books – hence the price point.”
Columns / Glenn Hauman / News
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