Tagged: Superman

MARC ALAN FISHMAN: “This is not MY _______!”

So, there I was, doing what I suppose I do far too often… scouring Facebook for status updates. A quick refresh, and there was an update from a friend saying how “This is not my Bucky Barnes.” He was referencing a purchase he’d recently made of a golden age Bucky figure, and how he hated the new Winter Soldier-era Barnes figure. Suffice to say, after seeing his umpteenth remark how a modern interpretation of one of the classic comic book heroes he loved so dearly rubs his rhubarb the wrong way, I had enough.

Call it being cantankerous in my own “Hey, I know you think I’m too young to form a real opinion, but screw you, I can anyways” way… but I’d like to say that this kind of general malaise towards interpretation and experimentation grinds my gears to a screeching halt. In short? Quit your bitchin’ gramps. It’s 2011. Your childhood memories remain intact, in spite of your fear that they won’t.

It’s this common thread amongst the older comic book fans that I truly find offensive. Maybe that’s not the right word. I’m not implying it’s anyone here on ComicMix mind you, but the conglomerate of silver/golden-age dick-chuggers who poop their pampers anytime anything changes in the fictitious worlds of their youth, drags us all down. We’re all entitled to our opinion, mind you, and I don’t deny anyone their right to express that opinion. See folks, I’m young, under-appreciated, and don’t know shit-about-nothing; But I’m taking this time to start a large debate. Mind you no one will answer my call, but I’ve never not had fun at screaming into the black abyss of the internet before.

This notion, that the creators of today can’t reinterpret a character because it’s not their version of the character, is a waste of breath. Ed Brubaker’s retcon of Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier was an amazing feat. He took a character that was long gone, and brought him back in a story that got real attention from new fans. Here was this relic of another era, repurposed for modern times, done with a deft hand. His origin remained intact. He never took away from the character who he was. Yes, he turned a once chipper, bright-eyed innocent kid (who had no problem murdering Nazis with guns) into a cold and ruthless killer.

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RADIO ARCHIVE BRINGS HOLMES HOME! AND MORE!

  • News
  • August 26, 2011



August 26, 2011

Harlan Zinck, a long time member of the Radio Archives family, has moved on to take advantage of new opportunities. Radio Archives wishes Harlan all the best in his future endeavors.

Starting with this issue, the Radio Archives Newsletter will be bi-weekly and emailed to you every other Friday afternoon. Tommy Hancock, a good friend and supporter of the Archives, joins the Archives as editor of this newsletter. Tommy is one of the bright lights in New Pulp. A partner in a publishing company, Tommy is an author with many fiction short stories and one published novel to his credit. Tommy also runs a Pulp convention each year while maintaining several blogs and a podcast.


We are excited that the infrastructure of our website has been dramatically upgraded and you should see a much faster and snappier website.

Stay tuned for the same great info and quality you’ve come to know and for a few new surprises as well, all from RadioArchives.com!



The World’s Greatest Detective Back On The Case
NEW RELEASE – The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 2

Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887, the character of Sherlock Holmes was a fixture of American broadcasting almost from the beginning of network radio. First heard over NBC in the fall of 1930, Holmes and Dr. John Watson – his friend, right-hand man, and chronicler (his “Boswell” as Holmes called him) – were portrayed by a number of actors on screen and on radio throughout the 1930s. Most definitely the appearance of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in the 1939 20th Century Fox film “The Hound of the Baskervilles” created, for many, the perfect embodiment of the characters. Because of this, Rathbone and Bruce would come to be seen as Holmes and Watson in the flesh for the next six years – both on radio, in series for NBC and Mutual, and in a lengthy series of second features made for both Fox and Universal through 1945.
By the middle of 1946, however, Basil Rathbone had grown weary of playing Holmes – so much so, in fact, that he refused to sign a lucrative seven-year radio contract. And so, at the end of the 1945-46 season, the producers of “The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” faced the necessity of finding another actor to play the leading part – and, after considering a number of talented members of Hollywood’s British colony, happened upon the name of Tom Conway.
Born in Russia and educated in England, Tom Conway was certainly no stranger to the detective genre, having taken over the movie role of The Falcon from his brother George Sanders in 1942. His seasoned acting abilities gave him the ability to adopt a voice and delivery very similar to that of Basil Rathbone, performing his lines in much the same clipped and precise way that his predecessor had done. He quickly acquainted himself with the role and, in the company of Nigel Bruce – who opted to stay with the series in exchange for being assigned star billing in the weekly adventures – was introduced as Sherlock Holmes in October of 1946. Also, in 1946, the series moved from the Mutual network to ABC – the former Blue Network – and was given a few more production values to boost interest, as well as a new sponsor – the Semler Company, promoting their Kreml Hair Tonic and Shampoo.
Unfortunately, due to a combination of Rathbone’s departure and the inevitable loss of interest in a series that had been on the air for over six years led to both Conway and Bruce leaving the roles at the end of the 1946/47 season. “The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” would return the following season, moving from Hollywood to New York and recast with John Stanley and Alfred Shirley in the leading roles which is also available from RadioArchives.com.
Heard today, “The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”, with Tom Conway and Nigel Bruce, not only retain their entertainment value but compare quite favorably with the earlier series with Rathbone. Conway is indeed quite good as Holmes and Nigel Bruce, though often disdained by the “Baker Street Irregulars” who prefer their Conan Doyle adventures straight, is always charming as the sometimes baffled but always loyal Dr. Watson. Wisely, the producers retained the framing device of Watson introducing each story from the cozy scene of his fireside, retired (as radio would have it) comfortably in California.
This collection offers ten full length broadcasts of “The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” starring Tom Conway and Nigel Bruce, all taken from the original reference recordings and beautifully restored for outstanding audio fidelity. If you’re a long-time fan of “the world’s greatest consulting detective”, or if you just love a good mystery, you’ll definitely want to add The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 2 to your collection today priced at only $14.98 for the five Audio CD set or $9.98 for the Digital Download.
Celebrating Sherlock Means More Holmes For You!
With the debut of The New Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 2, Radio Archives is celebrating Sherlock Holmes for the next two weeks! And you’re invited to the party!
Radio Archives, in association with Moonstone Entertainment, commissioned the beautifully rendered art for this collection from Timothy Lantz. Radio Archives is proud to offer you Moonstone’s comic take on the World’s Greatest Detective as part of a limited time promotion!
Buy any of the Sherlock Holmes products listed below from now until the next newsletter is released and RadioArchives.com will automatically include for absolutely FREE The Sherlock Holmes Mysteries, Volume One, a Graphic Novel from Moonstone, normally priced at $22.95. No coupon code required.

Order one of the following Audio CDs or DVD:

The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 1
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 2
Sherlock Holmes, Volume 1 from Nostalgia Ventures
Sherlock Holmes, Volume 2 from Nostalgia Ventures
Sherlock Holmes (Classic Television Series) DVD
And with your order, you’ll be able to thrill to the World’s Greatest Detective combating Dracula and the Invisible Man in Sherlock Holmes Mysteries, Volume One from Moonstone for FREE! Offer good for the next two weeks. (The bonus offer does not apply to the Download versions of these products)
New Digital Downloads Now Available
Laugh out loud at the lovable neighbor Harold Peary made famous – The Great Gildersleeve!
RA006 The Great Gildersleeve, Volume 1
RA035 The Great Gildersleeve, Volume 2
Dive into the original Medical Drama with The Story of Dr. Kildare!
RA018 The Story of Dr. Kildare, Volume 1
RA048 The Story of Dr. Kildare, Volume 2
Ride the Vocal Range with America’s Singing Cowboy – Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch!
RA104 Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch, Volume 1
RA126 Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch, Volume 2

Follow Ann Sothern’s antics as that Jill-of-all-trades – The Adventures of Maisie!

RA157 The Adventures of Maisie, Volume 1
RA197 The Adventures of Maisie, Volume 2

Find Mystery, Intrigue, and Espionage in The Adventures of Frank Race!
RA170 The Adventures of Frank Race, Volume 1
RA191 The Adventures of Frank Race, Volume 2
Fighting his way from Dime Novels to Radio – The Adventures of Frank Merriwell!
RA101 The Adventures of Frank Merriwell, Volume 1
RA203 The Adventures of Frank Merriwell, Volume 2
Digital Downloads from RadioArchives.com literally give you the best of everything. The same sparkling high quality audio content as our compact disc collections at a reduced price; Delivery immediately upon payment and the ability to play them on your phone, computer, iPod or portable device! Purchase the audio collections you love and enjoy them in a whole new way. Click here to see all the sets available for download.

New in Pulp Fiction: Doc Savage Volume 50 and The Shadow Volume 52

Anyone living in the world today knows that true heroes are very hard to come by. But, in the pulp fiction world of the 1930s and 1940s, heroes were always on watch to fight the criminals and evildoers that threatened our way of life. You’ll find proof of this in the two new double-novel pulp reprints now available from RadioArchives.com, featuring the top heroes from this Golden Age of literary entertainment:

Doc Savage Volume 50
The Pulp Era’s greatest superman journeys to the American West in classic pulp thrillers by Lester Dent writing as “Kenneth Robeson.” First, a bequest from a dying scientist leads Doc Savage to Death Valley in search of a long-dead pirate’s legendary treasure. Can this amazing invention allow The Pirate’s Ghost to speak from beyond the grave? Then, the Man of Bronze goes undercover at a Wyoming dude ranch to solve the bizarre puzzle of a strange Green Eagle with lead feathers. This special anniversary edition showcases the original color pulp covers by Emery Clarke, Paul Orban’s classic interior illustrations and an intriguing article by The Shadow’s famous raconteur, Walter B. Gibson. Priced at $14.95.

 

The Shadow Volume 52

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows! The Knight of Darkness wages war on criminal masterminds in two thrilling pulp novels by Walter Gibson and Theodore Tinsley writing as “Maxwell Grant.” First, The Shadow executes a deadly chess game with The Crime Master, an underworld kingpin whose amazing superbrain rivals his own. Who will have the last laugh? Then, the Master of Darkness seeks to unmask The Fifth Napoleon, the master plotter who commands New York’s four most powerful crime lords. This instant collectors’ item features both classic cover paintings by George Rozen, the original interior pulp illustrations by Tom Lovell, historical commentary by popular culture historian Will Murray plus a biographical article by Anthony Tollin on Frank Readick,.”The Man with The Shadow’s Laugh.” Available for only $14.95.



Knowing The Shadow
Reviews Of The Shadow Pulp Tales By John Olsen

“The Golden Vulture” was published in the July 15, 1938 issue of The Shadow Magazine. It was actually written much earlier, in July of 1932. And it was written, not by Walter Gibson, but Lester Dent – the same Lester Dent who would begin writing the adventures of Doc Savage a few months later. It is the only Shadow pulp mystery ever written by Lester Dent, and was greatly revised by Walter Gibson before its 1938 publication, all which makes it a unique collaboration between the two.

The Golden Vulture is an unseen master criminal who extorts millions from wealthy men of society. He controls a vast empire of gangsters who do his every bidding. He communicates his instructions to his minions via small golden statues of a vulture which can receive and transmit radio and television signals. Who is The Golden Vulture? Who will be his next victim? And who can stop him? Only The Shadow can stop this super fiend’s quest for power and wealth!
Many of Lester Dent’s famous touches are evident in this story — little things that would later show up in his Doc Savage stories. Great strength, for example. The Shadow, as described by the pen of Lester Dent, is capable of great strength. Even Walter Gibson’s Shadow was exceedingly strong, but Dent’s description of The Shadow’s display of strength seems quite familiar to anyone who has read Doc Savage. His grip is that of steel bands. He easily overpowers a foe of tremendous strength and throws him through a door, reducing it to splinters. And then, there’s the gadgets. Lester Dent loved to use gadgets in his stories. And although Walter Gibson enjoyed using them in his Shadow stories as well, he employed far fewer of them than did Dent. In this story, the coolest gadget of all is the actual statues of The Golden Vulture. Most are small statuettes of under two feet tall. But their insides contain enough electronics to receive and transmit both audio and video as well as enough explosive charges to create tremendous destruction.
We also see the touch of Walter Gibson in this story. He keeps the character of The Shadow true to the version readers had come to recognize in 1938. The Shadow creates a temporary sanctum in Miami, where he puts his thoughts to paper with pen and disappearing ink. The Shadow has strange but vague powers to compel others to do his wishes. He communicates secret messages by the use of slightly emphasized words in otherwise seemingly innocent announcements. He disappears from the back of taxi-cabs, leaving a five dollar bill on the seat. He is a master of disguise, who can make himself faultlessly appear as others.
I really enjoyed reading this partial collaboration of Dent and Gibson, and I think you will too. You’ll appreciate the exotic locations and gadgets typical of Doc Savage, mixed with the moody atmosphere and frenetic action of Walter Gibson’s Shadow. A very unique story, and one that is definitely recommended!

Read The Golden Vulture and another Shadow tale when you get your copy of The Shadow, Volume 1 available at RadioArchives.com for only $12.95.

AUDIOBOOKS



Special Collectors’ Editions of Audiobooks
Attention collectors and autograph seekers! Here’s a special offer just made for you.

RadioArchives.com’s two new audiobooks, Python Isle and White Eyes, are now available in special signed limited editions, available only from RadioArchives.com!

Each Special Edition CD set is autographed by the entire production team including author Will Murray, producer/director Roger Rittner, and the voice actors and recordist. They come with a special bookplate to certify their authenticity.
There are only 50 copies of each set available. There will be no more.
These special collector editions are available for just $45.98 for Python Isle, and $51.98 for White Eyes. That includes the complete set of CDs, plus the autographed case, and certified bookplate.



White Eyes Reviews Are Stunning

Reviews are starting to come in for White Eyes, the latest audiobook from RadioArchives.com. And they’re just as enthusiastic as the reviews for our first audiobook, Python Isle.

Stephen Brandt at Audiobook Heaven says:

“The whole idea behind these Doc Savage productions is to give them the feel of an old-time radio program. Richard Epcar achieved this with his radio-announcer voice, and his melodramatic characterizations. White Eyes is narrated in 3D stereo, with Epcar’s narration coming through the center channel, and his character voices coming from the right or left, putting the listener right in the middle. Add to this Radio Archive’s crystal clear reproduction technology, and you have a cinema quality extravaganza.”

At The Retroist, Vic Sage says:

“… you can really tell how much work the likes of Roger Rittner and of course Radio Archives puts into these audiobooks. The sound is crisp and clear and they make sure to get a narrator that can not only portray the Man of Bronze and his “fabulous five” but EVERY character in the tale as well, and they’ve chosen wisely with Richard Epcar.



I have to say that in Chapter 28 “Gangdom’s Long Arm” I was pacing the floor in front of the radio, since this is a chapter where Doc Savage’s skyscraper headquarters comes under siege by the united criminal underworld. That I think is the greatest compliment I can give to Radio Archives and Will Murray, the writing and production is so strong that I actually got nervous for Doc Savage and his friends!”

http://www.retroist.com/2011/08/17/radio-archives-doc-savage-white-eyes-review/

And don’t miss narrator Michael McConnohie’s exclusive “Python Isle” promotional video, including a number of dialog excerpts (scroll to the bottom of the page):

http://www.radioarchives.com/Doc_Savage_Python_Isle_Audiobook_p/401.html 

Deal of the Day – Great Quality Great Price


Radio Archives not only offers the finest Audio and Pulp Products, but we also give you awesome bargains with the RadioArchives.com Deal Of The Day! You can take advantage of Three Deals at All Times with the Deal of the Day!
Every Day a Different Item is available at 10% Off. If you’re into Pulp, Tuesdays and Thursdays are the days to pick up a great Pulp deal at a 10% discount!
Every two weeks as the newsletter comes out, a different item is available at 25% off from RadioArchives.com
Each month, one item is 50% off for the entire month!
Enjoy Quality. Enjoy Savings. Take advantage of the Deal of the Day from RadioArchives.com!




Hearing From You!
Comments From Customers!
Greg Burton listened to Let George Do It and writes:
I am so glad you have made the radio shows available as downloads. I started collecting old radio shows in mp3 format in 1995 and have listened regularly (daily) since that time. Last year I purchased a CD from you (“Let George Do It”), and since you have been making shows available as a download, I have purchased three items from you. I have been amazingly surprised how much more I enjoy listening to your top-quality productions. I did not think it would make that big of a difference, but it does. I can’t thank you enough. There are many more that over time I will purchase. I get on your site regularly to see if you have any new releases.
Find out for yourself what Greg is talking about! Pick up an Old Time Radio Classic, on CD or by Digital Download, today from RadioArchives.com!

MARTHA THOMASES: Comics, Quality and Obscenity

Inevitably, when discussing the best way to market comics to a larger, non-indoctrinated audience, someone will suggest “good writing and art” as the sure-fire remedy.

The mirror image of this is accusing publishers of employing “cheap publicity stunts.” I was on the receiving end of this charge from Gary Groth of The Comics Journal when he was questioned about the Death of Superman in USA Today. Naturally, I was miffed, because I thought my salary proved I was not cheap.

(I’m sure that’s the occasion when the most people ever thought about The Comics Journal.)

The premise, in any case, is incorrect. Or, rather, it should be. In publishing, the editorial department should decide what to acquire (or, in the case of comics and other work-for-hire situations, solicit) and the marketing departments (which include publicity) should promote this material to the people who would most enjoy it.

It never works like this. Publishers want to attract the largest possible audience, and they’ll instruct editors to jump on the latest trends, whether that’s sword and sorcery, black and white indies, steampunk, graphic novels, television and movie adaptions or whatever. You’ll notice that’s a jumble of genres and formats, not a single directive. That’s the kind of thing that makes editors lose their hair.

But wait! There’s more! Sometimes marketing people think they know more about what makes a book good than the editors. I’m thinking of one person at DC (now a vice-president) who boasted to retailers that he wouldn’t promote a book he didn’t like. I have no doubt that he thought this was the honorable thing to do, but it does a disservice to his employers and to the retailers. The marketplace is not made up of people with exactly the same taste as this vice-president. By limiting the options he offered to them, he limited their sales.

I didn’t like every book I promoted. However, I knew that there were potential readers for every book, people who would be entertained and amused and involved. I didn’t necessarily know these people, but I wanted them to be happy, so I wanted them to know about our comics.

It’s not a perfect system. At the time, DC published about 70 titles a month across all imprints. There weren’t enough mainstream media outlets to cover that much. I had to pick and choose what was most relevant to the media I was pitching. Again, trying to match the story to the potential audience was the key. I’m sure I made mistakes in my choices. I’m sure some worthy projects didn’t get their share of attention.

No one is going to argue against quality. It’s like arguing against apple pie and Mom. Maybe there’s an opposing side, but only opinionated and obnoxious people like Mike Gold and I like to argue for the sake of arguing. And because of our Talmudic tradition.

Unfortunately, when it comes to comics, quality is like obscenity – I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it. And what I see as quality you may not.

Lots of people enjoyed the Death of Superman storyline and its follow-ups, and lots of comics cognoscenti sneered at them for enjoying it. A lot of these people are preemptively sneering at the New 52. I hope they’re wrong. I hope it works.

I hope it brings happiness to millions.

Martha Thomases, Dominoed Dare-Doll, will spend next week looking for Spider-Man at Walt Disney World.

SATURDAY: Marc Alan Fishman

Janet Waldo the Ageless Teen Reviews her Career

  • News
  • August 22, 2011

For some, age defines you. You are either young or old. For others, age is a number and you remain your youthful, exuberant self.  Then there are the ageless wonders, among them actress Janet Waldo. Generations of people have grown up with Janet’s work even though her name may not be a familiar one. The 87 year old actress sounds as vibrant as she did when she first wowed audiences on radio with Meet Corliss Archer.

Today, she is best known as Judy Jetson or Penelope Pitstop, but she has portrayed countless characters of all ages in a rich career that includes stage, screen, television and tons of animation. After high school in Seattle, Waldo, a distant relative of Ralph Waldo Emerson, was performing in local theater when she won an award presented to her by fellow alum Bing Crosby, who was accompanied by a latent scout. She left for Los Angeles where she appeared in several films before beginning her radio career.

She did numerous roles in comedies and dramas before CBS cast her in Meet Corliss Archer, a teenage sitcom series designed to compete with A Date with Judy. She played the part from 1943 until it ended its radio run in 1956. By then she was married and turned down the part for television in order to raise Lucy and Jonathan with her playwright husband Robert Edwin Lee (Inherit the Wind).

When Waldo resumed her career, she wound up doing some television work, such as the recurring character Emmy Lou on The Ozzie & Harriet Show, commercials and the then-new field of television animation. She was cast as teenage Judy Jetson in Hanna-Barbera’s The Jetsons and has voiced the character exclusively ever since (the one exception being having her recorded voice replaced by pop star Tiffany for the 1990 movie).

During the 1960s, Waldo could be heard on all three networks and in multiple roles from Granny Sweet and Anastasia on Secret Squirrel to Penelope Pitstop (first seen in Wacky Races), and of course, Judy. (more…)

MINDY NEWELL: The Real Origin of “I… Vampire” And Other Bits And Pieces

MINDY NEWELL: The Real Origin of “I… Vampire” And Other Bits And Pieces

Just a quick little column this week, guys, just a collection of my thoughts. Some about comics, some not. Call it a walk into Mindy’s brain. And don’t forget to duck.

• Spent three hours today at the New Jersey Division of Motor Vehicles renewing my license. Last time I renewed it, I was in and out in 20 minutes. Why did it take so long? Two words: Walking Beachball.  (Actually I was going to say Fat Fuck, but I didn’t want to offend anybody.) That’s right, I’m talking about New Jersey’s Governor Chris Christie. For a while at the DMV I occupied myself looking at the latest IKEA catalogue. Then I started talking to some of the nice people who work there. (Now that’s a job in hell! Compared to working at the DMV, Buffy’s stint at the Doublemeat Palace was being the Queen of England.) One of the first things Christie did when he took office was to cut the budget of the DMV, meaning layoffs and location closings and cutting the days and hours the DMV is open and absolutely no updates in computer software. I also talked to some of the nice people who were also waiting at the DMV. Apparently nobody voted for him. In fact, nobody I know voted for him. Even my friends who are Republicans. So how did the Walking Beachball become governor? I don’t know.

• I really hated Season 8 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer (Dark Horse by way of Joss Whedon). Hated. Loathed. I mean, I’m not a big fan of comic adaptations of television and movies to begin with, but this one really sucked. The artwork sucked. The story sucked. The ending sucked. And I put Season 9 on my list at my local comics shop. Fuck it. I’m a Buffy junkie.

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JOHN OSTRANDER: Brave-ish New Worlds

JOHN OSTRANDER: Brave-ish New Worlds

In last week’s column, I talked about target audiences and how, in comics, there has been a primary and a secondary audience – the retailers and distributors being the primary audience and the readers being the secondary audience. If you don’t get the product on the shelves, you can’t sell it. I surmised that could change as comics go to same digital sale as the comic shops; that could mean the readers become the primary audience.

So – what does that mean? What might it mean? Let’s do a little idle speculation and what I would like it to mean. Maybe you would, too. Let’s compare note.

More readers. Actually, this isn’t just a wish, it’s a necessity. Not that there’s anything wrong with the readers that we got; you guys is swell. But we need more in sheer numbers and that’s the point of going digital: comics need to go where the eyeballs are and that’s on the web. Nor is it enough to just preserve the status quo. We need to increase the readership, meaning new readers, and that involves some of trick below.

Lower prices. I think this mandatory. The jury is still out as to whether folks on the web will pay anything – lots of folks online are used to and defend downloading for free – but I don’t think they’re going to pay $2.99 for 22 pages of story. Also, the costs of producing the product is less: no printing, no shipping, no cost of paper. Yes, the companies have to pay for access to whatever reader they’re using, but I’m betting it’s less than the cuts taken by retailers and distributors.

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The 2011 Harvey Awards Ceremony

  • News
  • August 20, 2011

UPDATE 8/21: What a night. So here are the winners:

BEST LETTERER: John Workman, THOR, Marvel Comics

BEST COLORIST: Jose Villarrubia, CUBA : MY REVOLUTION, Vertigo/DC Comics

BEST SYNDICATED STRIP OR PANEL: DOONESBURY, Garry Trudeau, Universal Press Syndicate

BEST ONLINE COMICS WORK: HARK! A VAGRANT, Kate Beaton, http://harkavagrant.com/ (assuming fellow nominee Scott Kurtz, http://www.pvponline.com/, ever lets her have it.)

BEST AMERICAN EDITION OF FOREIGN MATERIAL: BLACKSAD, Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido, Dark Horse Comics

BEST INKER: Mark Morales, THOR, Marvel Comics

BEST NEW SERIES: AMERICAN VAMPIRE, Scott Snyder, Stephen King and Rafael Albuquerque, Vertigo/DC Comics

MOST PROMISING NEW TALENT: Chris Samnee, THOR: THE MIGHTY AVENGER, Marvel Comics

SPECIAL AWARD FOR HUMOR IN COMICS: Roger Langridge, THE MUPPET SHOW, BOOM! Studios

BEST ORIGINAL GRAPHIC PUBLICATION FOR YOUNGER READERS: TINY TITANS, Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani, DC Comics

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED: BEASTS OF BURDEN: ANIMAL RITES, Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson, Dark Horse Comics

BEST ANTHOLOGY: POPGUN # 4, edited by D.J. Kirkbride, Anthony Wu and Adam P. Knave, Image Comics

BEST DOMESTIC REPRINT PROJECT: DAVE STEVENS’ THE ROCKETEER: ARTIST’S EDITION, designed by Randall Dahlk & edited by Scott Dunbier, IDW

BEST COVER ARTIST: Mike Mignola, HELLBOY, Dark Horse Comics

BEST BIOGRAPHICAL, HISTORICAL OR JOURNALISTIC PRESENTATION: THE ART OF JAIME HERNANDEZ: THE SECRETS OF LIFE AND DEATH, edited by Todd Hignite, Abrams ComicArts

SPECIAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRESENTATION: DAVE STEVENS’ THE ROCKETEER: ARITIST’S EDITION, designed by Randall Dahlk & edited by Scott Dunbier, IDW

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM – ORIGINAL: SCOTT PILGRM VOLUME 6: SCOTT PILGRIM’S FINEST HOUR, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Oni Press

BEST CONTINUING OR LIMITED SERIES: LOVE AND ROCKETS: VOLUME 3, Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez, Fantagraphics

BEST WRITER: Roger Langridge, THOR: THE MIGHTY AVENGER, Marvel Comics

BEST ARTIST: Darwyn Cooke, RICHARD STARK’S PARKER: THE OUTFIT, IDW

BEST CARTOONIST: Darwyn Cooke, RICHARD STARK’S PARKER: THE OUTFIT, IDW

BEST SINGLE ISSUE or STORY: DAYTRIPPER, Fabio Moon and Gabiel Ba, Vertigo/DC Comics

Special Awards: to Paul McSpadden, Harvey Award Administrator, presented by Denis Kitchen.

Hero Initiative Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year: Mike Gold, presented by Mark Wheatley

Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award: Stan Lee, presented by Mark Waid

Update: No wifi here, so live results will be on Twitter. Follow us there!

harvey_winner_logo-300x2943-9608446The 2011 Harvey Awards are being presented at a banquet tonight at the Baltimore Comic-Con, and we’re liveblogging and tweeting the ceremony results and awards.

Named in honor of the late Harvey Kurtzman, one of the industry’s most innovative talents, the Harvey Awards recognize outstanding work in comics and sequential art.

Nominations for the Harvey Awards are selected exclusively by creators – those who write, draw, ink, letter, color, design, edit or are otherwise involved in a creative capacity in the comics field. They are the only industry awards both nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals. Thank you to all that have already participated by submitting a nomination ballot.

This will be the sixth year for the Harvey Awards in Baltimore, MD. Our Master of Ceremonies this year for the third year in a row will be Scott Kurtz (www.pvponline.com). And this year’s keynote speaker has a hard job, as last year’s infamous keynote speech from Mark Waid will be tough to top.

Below are the 2011 Harvey Award Nominees. Winners will be highlighted in bold as they are announced.
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DC Comics November Solicitations

  • News
  • August 15, 2011

Once again, a look into the future, with some very interesting looks at the past, including the reprinting of a comic that was never released in America in the first place, the infamous Elseworlds 80 Page Giant that was pulped because of concerns about Superman’s babysitter.

And of course, a whole lot of #3 issues, which is traditionally the issue where Spider-Man guest stars.

Shall we? Surely!

As usual, spoilers may lurk beyond this point.

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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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