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NYCC wrapups

NYCC wrapups

  • News
  • February 27, 2007

Folks are still recovering from this past weekend’s New York Comic Con, which garnered over 40,000 unique attendees according to ICv2. 

"The trade day on Friday set new records for retailer, librarian, press, and other trade attendees," which meant pretty much anyone with a pro badge, and since pros are an integral part of any comic convention (and the con itself never asked for proof of professional credentials so one assumes there were a number of non-pros there too) this trade-day "record" isn’t all that surprising.  ICv2 also notes, "Artist alley space was off the main floor, but was jammed throughout the show, due not only to the appeal of the wide range of talent, but also to the fact that access to the autographing and gaming areas required passage through the ‘alley.’"  One hopes this layout will change next year when con space doubles again.

Some nice overview reports from attendees:

ICv2 also reports on the winners in Saturday’s American Anime Awards.

High-end hardcovers

High-end hardcovers

  • News
  • February 27, 2007

Publishers Weekly’s Calvin Reid reports that Running Press has signed licensing agreements with Marvel, DC and Tokyopop "to publish deluxe hardcover editions of classic cartoonists and other archival material" as well as manga coloring books. 

The first project revealed will be Mad’s Greatest Artists, a series of deluxe, slipcased oversized hardcover collections featuring the great cartoonists who have worked for that magazine; the initial title in that line is The Completely Mad Don Martin, due in October with a price point of $150.  Just in time to start saving up for Christmas!

 

Sci-Fi Mates Virgin

  • News
  • February 27, 2007

The Sci Fi Channel and Virgin Comics will be teaming up to create a co-branded multimedia partnership called Sci Fi/Virgin Comics.  Launching with five new original comic book titles, Sci FiVirgin Comics’ actual stated goal is "to develop properties that integrate the goals of both brands across multiple platforms including publishing, movies, TV, digital and gaming." 

Let’s hope they’re able to fit some storytelling in among all that!

Authenticating real history

Authenticating real history

  • News
  • February 26, 2007

Jessa from Bookslut pointed to one of the archives at the Authentic History Center, specifically Treasure Chest’s This Godless Communism produced by the Catholic Guild (and with an introduction by J. Edgar Hoover herself!).  This link led to much trepidation about time suckage, as the AHC has some really fascinating stuff.  You can peruse WWII military cartoons, comics about atomic energy, a really wrong Howdy Doody cover… a great way to kill a few spare hours!  Highly recommended, and adding stuff all the time.

NYCC – More panels, more pics

  • News
  • February 26, 2007

Sunday was a fairly quiet convention day, at least compared with Saturday.  Oh, there was still the huge entry queue, but it seemed to be all caught up by around 10:30 or so. However, the energy level was definitely lowered from Saturday’s intensity, so the veteran con-goers among us opted for what we considered really important — reconnecting with good friends, using panel attendance as an excuse to do so.

Yes, there are more photos, and a little bit of a panel review:

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Comic strip creates a ruckus

Comic strip creates a ruckus

  • News
  • February 26, 2007

Tom Spurgeon is the go-to guy for coverage of comics that raise a ruckus.  Today he reports that "an episode of Funky Winkerbean from late last week that hinted at a soldier in Iraq falling prey to an IED in what was actually a video game led to a complaint by a soldier in one case and concern by editors in both. This in turn led to a call from one of the editors to King Features demanding a better heads-up on sensitive material or they would cancel all of their King Features material, and an apology sent to each paper by Tom Batiuk." 

Spurgeon also notes that the Korean-American community in Los Angeles is protesting what it perceives as anti-Semitism in Lee Won-bok’s Distant Countries and Neighboring Countries.  Needless to say, it should be seen as a very positive thing that comics continue to have the power to enrage as well as inspire.

ComicMix catchup

ComicMix catchup

  • News
  • February 26, 2007

We at ComicMix are dedicated to bringing you as much stuff as we can, but we also know that means sometimes you miss things.  We know you want tagging and site feed and comments and that’s all coming down the pike real soon, but in the meantime here’s your handy-dandy guide to the second round of entries by our regular columnists. 

Look for Mike every Monday (in fact, his latest should be right below), Denny on Tuesday, me on Wednesday, John on Thursday, and Michael on Friday, and guest features on the weekend.  For those of you who, like me, grew up with the Marvel superhero cartoons in the ’60s, that means Mike = Captain America, Denny = the Hulk, me = Iron Man, John = Thor, and Michael = Namor.  (Hey, don’t knock it, that’s how I first discovered that Thursday was named after Thor!)

We also gave you a special "mother and child reunion" pair of featured columns this past weekend:

And our latest podcasts, hosted by Mellifluous Mike Raub, continue:

Happy reading and listening!

 

Mike Gold: True Convention Thrills!

Mike Gold: True Convention Thrills!

  • News
  • February 26, 2007

Great Caesar’s Ghost, my first comic convention actually was 38 and one-half years ago. I thought about that a lot this past weekend. I recall hearing about 300 people attended that show; we were completely astonished by the huge turnout.

It was one of the late Phil Seuling’s first Fourth of July shows in New York, and he established the standard by which I measure all comic book conventions. I helped run the Chicago Comicon for ten years, and I tried to hold us to that same standard. Phil’s shows were absolutely great, and of course they grew in size and importance with the times.

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This week in history: Babylon 5 pilot premieres

This week in history: Babylon 5 pilot premieres

  • News
  • February 26, 2007

Fourteen years ago, the Babylon 5 two-hour pilot, "The Gathering", aired on the now defunct PTEN syndication network.

Created by J. Michael Straczynski before his more pronounced foray into comics with Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, and The Book of Lost Souls, the pilot has many differences between the series that would air a year later, such as makeup (see right), music (The Police’s Stewart Copeland instead of Christopher Franke), and casting.

A tragic bit of trivia: the broadcast in the New York tri-state area was delayed becuase of the first bombing of the World Trade Center fourteen years ago today, knocking out transmissions throughout the region.

Abrams to direct Trek XI — official?

Abrams to direct Trek XI — official?

  • News
  • February 26, 2007

After more rumor that what the smoke monster is on Lost, J.J. Abrams will direct the Star Trek XI movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  Abrams had already said that he was writing the script and producing the movie for Paramount, which is re-launching the Gene Rodenberry franchise with this the 11th Star Trek feature film. 

According to an oft-repeated yet not quite officially confirmed story,the movie is a prequel, taking place prior to the time represented in the original Star Trek TV series when both James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock are at the Starfleet Academy. William Shatner had stated he was approached for a cameo.

The film is set for release November 26, 2008, just in time for the 40th anniversary of the cancellation of the original series.

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