The Mix : What are people talking about today?

The reading generation

The reading generation

According to this article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, teenagers are reading more now than they have in decades.  Not only that, but they’re "buying books in quantities we’ve never seen before," says Booklist magazine’s Michael Cart, who also notes that "publishers are courting young adults in ways we haven’t seen since the 1940s."

The reasons for the surge, besides a high teen population at present (over 30 million), include more quality young adult literature in just about every genre, with fantasy and graphic novels being particularly in vogue.  But it’s not just buying – teens are also visiting libraries in greater numbers, and many librarians are seeing a greater circulation of teen fiction than adult fiction. 

Oddly, the article doesn’t really credit online activity for this upswing; it actually notes, "The staying power of books is especially remarkable given the lure of YouTube, MySpace and other techie diversions."  But as any teen or adult can tell you, you need to be able to read, and read well and fast, in order to fully partake of online "techie diversions," and once you’re reading stuff you like, you’re bound to read more.

Mike Gold: It’s about time

Mike Gold: It’s about time

I was listening with keen interest to Mike Raub’s interview with my old friend, DC publisher and president Paul Levitz, available on the current (#12) ComicMix Podcast. Back in the days of papyrus scrolls, Mike, Paul and I were in an a.p.a. (amateur press association; a forerunner of the Internet) called Interlac. It was great fun, and if I’m not mistaken it’s still around in the more capable hands of those who still own staplers.

Anyway, Mike asked Paul for his opinion as to the single greatest change in the comics medium in the 35 years since he ran a massively influential fanzine called The Comic Reader. Without dropping a beat, Paul talked about the acceptance of the comic art medium.

A couple hours later I found myself debating which would be the least expensive way to see the movie 300: my AARP card or the first-showing matinee. Linda and I piled into the car and drove up I-95 to watch the carnage. I’m referring to the movie, and not I-95.

Later on TiVo showed us the latest episode of Ebert and Roeper, where 300 lead the discussion. Mind you, I regretted the passing of the show’s original co-host, Gene Siskel. Unbeknownst to much of humanity, Gene was a serious fan of Roy Thomas’s Conan work and at one time had at least three complete collections. But then again, he might have reviewed the movie through the eyes of a comics’ fan. I doubt that, but roll with me for a while longer.

Roeper reviewed the movie and loved it. He commented at length about the evolution of the graphic novel-based movie without once referring to costumes and capes (oddly, 300 had both – but you get my drift) and Frank Miller’s influence on comics, film, and our culture in general. He spoke of Miller’s work the way arts critics speak of Martin Scorsese, John Lennon and Philip Roth. Not a single word was condescending. Not one.

And it’s about time. Paul’s perception is right on the money. In earlier days we would look to the movies as justification for our four-color passions, as if to say “see, somebody else is taking us seriously.” That played a big, big part in our enthusiasm for Richard Donner’s Superman – The Movie. Today, we no longer need to prove anything to anybody.

Previously, I stated in this column that respectability might be the death of us. I still feel that’s a possibility: I’d hate to see the comic art medium be taken as seriously by its fans as those many rock’n’roll enthusiasts who lost their sense of humor and perspective a long time ago.

But if respectability is the death of comics, at least we’ll get a well-written obituary.

300 breaking 70

300 breaking 70

Earlier today, Dateline Hollywood Daily speculated that the movie adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel 300, which brought in well over $27 million Friday night in only 3,103 theatres, "looks set to shatter the record for biggest March opening ever," amassing "what is likely to be a $60+ million weekend."  And that’s with the time change and the relatively balmy weather in the northeast this weekend!  Now AP’s David Germain reports that Warner has estimated the weekend’s take at $70 million, which would break last year’s $68 million record for the Ice Age sequel, which played in 850 more theaters.  It’s also about $5-10 million more than the movie cost to make.

Maybe we shouldn’t be that surprised, considering the amount of buzz the film has generated among everyone from women happy to see something catering to the female gaze to political bloggers interpreting parallels between the Battle of Thermopylae and the current situation in Iraq to enthusiastic action-flick audiences just in it for the blood and guts. 

It’s not very often that a movie comes along with something for just about everyone — it even serves as a great discussion topic for those who’ve seen it and don’t particularly care for it!

Superhero confessions

Out in Austin, Texas it’s South by Southwest (SXSW) week, with two festivals and a conference going on.  While most tech types are attending the Interactive trade show and festival for creative web developers, designers, bloggers, wireless innovators and new media entrepreneurs, there’s also a film fest/conference going on, with plenty of world premieres.

One of those is the documentary Confessions of a Superhero directed by Matt Ogens, which "chronicles the lives of three mortal men and one woman who make their living working as superhero characters on Hollywood Boulevard."  Cinematical has a review of the docu.  Hey, at least they don’t have to wear giant animal heads like those poor kids up in Anaheim…

ComicMix’s own Brian Alvey is out there, and maybe we can press him into making his CM debut with a full report!

Who four confirmed

The BBC has picked up Doctor Who for a fourth season of its latest incarnation.

According to an interview with series producer and co-writer Russell T. Davies published in the London Telegraph, once again there will be a Christmas special between seasons three and four. However, there is no word as of yet if stars David Tennant and Freema Agyeman will return – or, for that matter, if Mr. Davies will return as well.

The third season begins in England on March 31 and in Canada this summer; the second season has been broadcast in the States on the SciFi Channel and the first season currently is being rerun on numberous PBS stations.

He’s dead, Fred

He’s dead, Fred

Discussion about the death of Captain America probably won’t die down for awhile, and that’s just how Marvel likes it.  But that doesn’t mean we can’t glean all the humor we can out of this event.  To that end, in Episode 95 of The Fred Hembeck Show, the cartoonist presents a scenario wherein he sees dead people.  Right said, Fred.

Moonstone soliciting Captain Action pitches

Moonstone soliciting Captain Action pitches

While we’re on the subject of Moonstone Books, Johanna Draper-Carlson reports that they’re looking for pitches for Captain Action, the toy figure from the 60’s best known for being other heroes, as well as a short lived comic book in the 60s from DC.

Quoth Johanna: "Moonstone wants to give CAP his due in comics! We’re looking for proposals of no more than two pages. The premise is entirely up to you! Create a NEW “back story” as well as set CAP on a course for new adventures! We’re looking for that one GREAT IDEA, and we know it’s out there! (Please remember that CAP is a licensed property, and as such, if approved, would be considered “work for hire”.) All proposals will be subject to review. You can e-mail proposals to contact_us@moonstonebooks.com."

Pulps and pulp comics

There has been quite a revival of interest in the old pulp heroes over the last year or two. Moonstone Books launched with the pulp-like exploits of Kolchak the Night-Stalker before adding characters such as The Phantom and The Spider, while Anthony Tollin has relaunched The Shadow and Doc Savage in two lines of facsimile reprint editions. In Hollywood, Sam Raimi has signed on to produce a movie about Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze. With so much renewed interest, we here at ComicMix thought we should dig a little deeper.

The energetic Joe Gentile has been running Moonstone Books for a decade now and has grown the line from a one or two comic books a month outfit to a burgeoning publisher of not only comic books but prose works. I chatted with him by e-mail to learn what’s been going on.

In the interests of full disclosure, I have written one story for Moonstone’s anthologies, with work beginning on a second, and ComicMix columnist John Ostrander has contributed a story to the recently released Kolchak prose anthology.

Robert: Joe, for those not in the know, what is Moonstone’s mission?

Joe: Well, we thought there were some niches that weren’t being filled in comics. We thought that if we could fill some of those, perhaps (with promotion and advertising, which we did a lot of at the beginning) we could bring either new people or readers who left the hobby, to come back to the comic shops. Great stories was always our #1 priority, all things else aside.

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Shazam movie writer named

Shazam movie writer named

According to the Hollywood Reporter, John August has been chosen to write the screenplay for New Line Cinema’s adaptation of the DC comic Shazam!, currently enjoying a resurgence thanks to the writing and art of Bone creator Jeff Smith.  August has served as screenwriter for a number of Tim Burton’s recent movies, including Big Fish, Corpse Bride and Charlie the Chocolate Factory.

But it wasn’t Smith to whom August turned for continuity advice. Instead he had a session with Geoff Johns for "idiot checking" to keep it true to the characters that readers expect.  "I think we’re going to be able to be really faithful to the mythology and yet make it completely transparent for people who have no idea who the character is," August said, adding, "It’s a unique opportunity to do a comic book movie where the character in it actually read comic books."

The will be produced by Michael Ewing and Peter Segal; Segal is also set to direct.  Let the casting call speculations begin!