Tagged: Web

Review: Crossing Midnight, Vol. 2

The news of Mike Carey writing a fantasy/horror comic set in Japan sounded too good to be true, and when Crossing Midnight debuted more than a year ago it struggled to live up to that promise.

Carey created a deep and supernatural world to backdrop his story of mystery: Two twins, Toshi and Kai, were born on either side of midnight, leaving each with an otherworldly power and putting them at the mercy of dark forces. But Jim Fern’s stiff art and some uneven storytelling held the series back. When sales weren’t strong, the rumors of a looming cancellation kickstarted.

After the so-so showing of that first arc, I gave up on the series. But, when Vertigo sent over a copy of the second volume (the cover seen at right is from DC’s website, but isn’t the cover on the actual book), Crossing Midnight: A Map of Midnight ($14.99), I realized I just didn’t give the series enough of a chance.

The volume picks up with Toshi, the female twin, struggling as a slave under an apparently evil spirit. She must fly through Japan at night, cutting unpleasant memories from people’s dreams and collecting them for some unrevealed purpose.

Following the archetype of most stories featuring children, Toshi’s impudence puts her and others into danger as she squares off against one of death’s faces. Perhaps because of the more fantastical nature of the content in this volume, Fern’s art loosens and adeptly adapts an ethereal tone. Later, Eric Nguyen takes over on art and, if anything, is an improvement.

Meanwhile, Kai stumbles onto a group of “telephone club” girls — early teens working essentially as prostitutes — and must help save them from an evil spirit that’s on the prowl. While this storyline feels a bit tangential to the larger theme, it is easily the high point for the series. Carey clearly has strong opinions of such clubs (he denounces them in a postscript) and how deplorable it is that they operate uncensored.

It is only then that the book goes farther than dipping a toe into Japanese culture, and Carey unleashes his horror-writing instincts. Sadly, the series seemed to be finding its footing just as the rug was being pulled out from under it. As Carey wrote on his Web site, [[[Crossing Midnight]]] will be wrapped up at issue #19.

Carey wrote that he knew a cancellation might happen, and all the plot threads will be wrapped up in that final issue.

Simpsons’ Artist Speaks To ComicMix Radio!

Simpsons’ Artist Speaks To ComicMix Radio!

Super Bowl weekend is here, Super Tuesday is a couple of days away and ComicMix Radio talks to a dedicated creator who has been Super-Slaving away at comics for over two decades. George Broderick Jr has done work that ranged from Suicide Blonde to The Simpsons, and he fill in the gaps with us.

Plus…

  • The new Iron Man trailer hits Sunday at 7:30 – don’t get caught in the kitchen and miss it!
  • Sanctuary moves from the web to the Sci Fi Channel
  • ABC Family grabs Viper Comics’ The Middleman
  • Toy Story is coming in 3-D and Farscape joins us on iTunes

And please don’t ask us what anything on Lost meant – just Press The Button!

 Or subscribe to our podcasts via iTunes - ComicMix or RSS!

The Pulse rocks EZ Street

The Pulse rocks EZ Street

The popular web site, The Pulse, has a life-changing effect on brothers Scott and Danny in today’s brand-new episode of EZ Street, by Robert Tinnell and Mark Wheatley.  Will they be able to finish their comic together?

 

Broadcast blog’s weekly wound-up

Broadcast blog’s weekly wound-up

Political bally ho and slightly skewed polls have driven us the web to be entertained this week. Let us share our links from our podcasts:

  • More fun than Bill O’Reily, we have Atom Films election-themed site of games, music videos and gags. Our favorite is the Kung-Fu game which invites players to choose their favorite candidate and take them into battle against a political enemy (that Hilary has a mean round house kick!)
  • Archie Comics’ new expanded web site is live. There are expanded message areas for all their titles and most of their individual characters like That Wilkin Boy, Dilton, Captain Sprocket, and even Reggie. By the way, all posts will be read by a member of the Archie Comics staff prior to posting so that parents will be able to feel safe when their children are visiting the Archie Comics site.
  • Virgin Comics’ sold-out Dan Dare #1 can now be seen online as part of their Widescreen Digital Comic Book series. Segments are being posted every Monday and Wednesday. Meanwhile, Dan Dare #2 should still be in comic stores now and #3 is scheduled to street on January 23rd. Virgin Comics’ Dan Dare is written, of course, Garth Ennis which probably explains the sell-out.
  • Yoko Ono introduced the new John Lennon Educational Tour Bus at CES last week and you can see it, plus the tour schedule, at http://www.lennonbus.org/. The goal of the bus is to provide kids with a free hands-on opportunity to create and record their own music, produce videos and take digital photos, and will continue to offer tours and workshops. Throughout 2008 the bus, which features a recording studio and a range of great state-of-the-art equipment, will make stops at high schools, colleges and university campuses, and retailers.

Back on the Broadcast in a couple of days with our rundown of new comics & DVDs, then later on we continue our poll for “favorite hero”. This time we get a response not from a comic creator, but an actual character himself. Catch it on ComicMix Radio this week!

Or subscribe to our podcasts via iTunes or RSS!

Teen Titans’ Jamal Igle Speaks!

Teen Titans’ Jamal Igle Speaks!

Who’s your hero?

Starting today, that’s a question ComicMix is posing to a number of folks inside the comics industry and then sharing the results with you.

DC mainstay Jamal Igle steps up for the first crack at the query with some interesting results. Here’s a hint – his fave isn’t on this Teen Titans cover, but he is INSIDE.

Plus:

  • IDW unleashes their Second Stage for Star Trek!
  • Archie upgrades their web presence in a big way!
  • What comics were big sellers for the holidays? We’ve got your list!

All that and more is just a Button Press away!

Or subscribe to our podcasts via ITunes or RSS!

A Little Song, A Little Dance, A Little Romance Down Your….

A Little Song, A Little Dance, A Little Romance Down Your….

Simon & Kirby not withstanding, romance in the comics isn’t easy to come by – and today ComicMix Radio is happy to introduce you to a creator who is trying to change that by bring the romantic comedy genre to a four panel daily web comic. Meet the creator of You’ll Have That – as well as the lady who inspires him! Plus:

• *Poof* Harry Dresden gets set to appear in comics

• Come talk TV at MySpace

• The new Transformers series premieres in just days

The kind of fun that money can’t buy awaits you once you Press The Button!

Girls, Girls, Girls!

Girls, Girls, Girls!

The ads have been all over comics the last few months, and you may have even thought about going to the website. So what is the deal behind the Suicide Girls and how do they fit into comics and pop culture?  The Big ComicMix Broadcast sits down with one of the most popular of the clan and get some answers …  Plus:

• DC makes a major claim on your wallet in 2008 (not to mention space on your book shelf)

• Welcome creator Robert Kirkman to the web!

• A new place to grab cool game trailers

• A nice slice of holiday web trivia

Here’s where you get to Press The Button!

Demons Speak Directly To You!

Demons Speak Directly To You!

The choices are many and the product is great this week on the comics and DVD shelves, from clever trade paperback collections to classy hard covers and some nifty DVDs – it’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas – and ComicMix Radio previews it all, just in time for your holiday hinting!

Plus:

• Now that you’ve seen Demons Of SherwoodFREE right here on ComicMix – get the inside story from creators Bo Hampton and Robert Tinnell on where it came from and where it’s going!

• Batman gets another sales boost from Ras Al Ghul

• Can you guess what the Top Ten Most Searched-For TV shows are on the web? Would you believe Heroes isn’t one of them?

Do What The Lady says – Press The Button!

Starman Over Ohio

Direct from the floor of the Mid-Ohio Con in Columbus, we introduce you to a creator who has taken the joy and pain of working in a collectible toy store and made it into a fascinating web comic. Meet David Willis and his creation, Shortpacked!  Plus:

• DC steps up and collects Starman in a great omnibus project

• Thor sells out again — deja vu?

• Terry Moore is back in the world of self publishing — an Echo of future past, as it were.

And you should meet Captain Ohio, so Press The Button!

 

 

A Whale of an Anniversary

A Whale of an Anniversary

Today marks the anniversary of the first governmentally exploded whale. Yes, you read right: whale explosion.

37 years ago today, in an effort to dispose of a rotting carcass, the Oregon Highway Division set out to blow up a dead sperm whale with a half ton of dynamite.  The resulting explosion sent blubber flying and totaled a car a quarter of a mile away. The incident was made famous in 1990 when columnist Dave Barry wrote about it with graphic hilarity, and the news footage of the disposal has since gone on to become the fifth most watched video on the Internet, according to the BBC.

And if you’re wondering why "governmentally" exploded was the necessary modifier, it’s because whales have been known to spontaneously blow up by themselves. Recently in Taiwan a dead sperm whale beat its transporters to the punch during a postmortem move when the gas inside its decomposing body built up enough for it to, well, you know what. If you thought your job sucked, just think of the janitor who was responsible for that clean up. Oddly enough, whales are not the only self-explosive animals; maybe just the funniest.

To no one’s surprise, there’s a web site devoted to this at theexplodingwhale.com. What is surprising is that there’s currently a one man show running in Chicago about it. Countdown: The Story of the Exploding Whale runs Wednesday nights at 8pm from October 10th through November 28th at the Apollo Theater, 2540 N Lincoln Avenue. Bring the kiddies.