Peeps for the peeps
From Scott at Polite Dissent:
And from the first-ever Washington Post Peeps Show:
I have no idea of the connection between Peeps and superheroes, but then I was never that much of a Peeps fanatic.
The Mix : What are people talking about today?
Tasty Easter videos
ComicMix would like to wish all our readers a very happy Easter, wherein we pay tribute to Eostre, the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxons — otherwise known as Astarte in ancient Greece, Ishtar in Assyria, Ostara in Norse myth, and Peeps in modern times — by eating questionable foodstuffs high in sugar content.
And comic book peeps are no different. Paul Dini interviews the Easter Bunny on his latest Monkey Talk, wherein he can’t resist nibbling on his interview subject’s chocolate relative; and Rich Johnston tries repeatedly to give away a free Cadbury’s Creme Egg, below:
We have a theory as to why Rich was having trouble. Here’s hoping your holiday is sweet and springtime fresh!
Virgin Galactic’s new home
Auntie Beeb confirms that the Virgin Galactic spaceport proposal is a go. Residents of New Mexico have voted their approval of "a new tax to build the nation’s first commercial spaceport."
Virgin Galactic will be building in Dona Ana County, described as " a relatively poor and bleak swathe of desert in southern New Mexico with fewer than 200,000 residents," who will be supporting billionaire Richard Branson via a 0.25% increase in the local sales tax. This increase is expected to raise about $50 million towards the project’s estimated $200 million pricetag. Presumably the rest will come from Branson’s petty cash drawer.
The spaceport, whose supporters are spouting the usual "bring thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in space tourism revenue to the area" lip service, is expected to open in 2009, catering to elite members of Branson’s tax bracket which will pay about $200,000 each for a 2.5-hour flight. Not including sales tax, presumably.
Bureaucracy of robotics
When it comes to robots, it’s fairly well acknowledged that Japan’s been kicking other countries’ butts since the days of Astroboy. Now, reports IESB, "the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has drafted a hugely complex set of proposals for keeping robots in check. The document, entitled Draft Guidelines to Secure the Safe Performance of Next Generation Robots, extends to nearly 60 pages of civil service jargon."
The document calls for the formation of a special study group — including lawyers — to draw up a set of firm proposals to govern the development of robots. But they’re not counting on robot lawyers!
According to our step-sister website Engadget, "Under Japan’s plan, all robots would be required to report back to a central database any and all injuries they cause to the people they are meant to be helping or protecting. The draft is currently open to public comment with a final set of principles set to be unveiled as early as May."
And did you know Japan is not the first country to draft ethical robot legislation? South Korea and Europe had already unveiled their versions. Apparently South Korea in particular has been wrestling with this for awhile.
For the Birds
Sean McKeever notes, regarding his takeover of writing chores on DC ‘s popular Birds of Prey series with the departure of long-time writer and fan favorite Gail Simone: "My first issue will be #112, and the commitment is open-ended." He also links to his latest interview with Newsarama’s Vaneta Rogers. For her part, Simone says she’s leaving the book because "I was simply offered a project I couldn’t turn down. A dream book with a dream art team, and a real chance to reshape comics’ history." Let the speculation commence!
(Full disclosure: My husband inked Birds of Prey for about a year.)
Apollo and Annette? Starbuck and Li’l Archie?
Transformers sell out, Bendis and Bagley invade The Mighty Avengers, the awesome Bob Bolling (one of the all-time great writer/artists) returns to Li’l Archie, Galactica‘s Apollo shares even more television wisdom (complete with a season review), and the low-down on this year’s Free Comic Book Day!
But most important, you get a peek under Annette’s blanket – all on ComicMix Podcast #24, available right here, right now:
Conan The Historian
This September (the 26th, if you’ve got a "Week At A Glance"), our friends at Dark Horse will be releasing the difinitive story behind one of their leading franchises. Paul Sammon’s CONAN THE PHENOMENON promises to offer a complete look at the mostly naked barbarian, covering Robert E. Howard’s original stories, the subsequent prose authors, and all the comics incarnations – including those produced by such masters as Roy Thomas, Barry Smith, John Buscema, and Timothy Truman.
The Schwartzenegger movies will not be ignored. At least, not by Sammon or, for that matter, by the voters of California.
One cannot produce such a tome without offering tons of illustrations, and this book promises to be up to the task. Of course, it will sport a Frank Frazetta cover (above). The introduction is being provided by Elric’s daddy, the eternal champion himself, Michael Moorcock.
Grindhouse Gossip
In response to recent inquiries about the production of Grindhouse, a spokesperson for Troublemaker Studios, the production entity co-founded and co-run by Robert Rodriguez and Elizabeth Avellan, released the following statement:
"Elizabeth Avellan and Robert Rodriguez were separated long before the Grindhouse production began. Their separation and subsequent divorce were very amicable and they opted to continue as planned, and to produce the film together — a decision they informed Bob and Harvey Weinstein [co-chairmen of The Weinstein Company, distributor of Grindhouse] about prior to the start of production. Robert and Elizabeth plan to produce Sin City 2 together — with Robert directing — for Dimension Films in the coming months. The hiatus during the production of Grindhouse had nothing to do with Robert’s personal life.
"On April 10th, 2006, after shooting for five weeks, Robert completed principal photography of the first phase of his segment of Grindhouse. He took a hiatus from shooting to assemble the footage he had already shot and determine his next steps in the production, which is the same successful approach he utilized with Sin City when he shot the film in two parts."
On a completely unrelated note, we saw Grindhouse yesterday and think the Tarantino part was awesome.
Speedy recovery, Carla
Carla Speed McNeill, writer and artist of the "aboriginal SF" comic Finder, will be undergoing surgery in a couple weeks for what she describes as "moderate-to-severe carpal tunnel syndrome" in her drawing hand. As someone who can’t remember the last time I woke up without hand numbness, my thoughts are with Carla during this frustrating time, and ComicMix would like to extend our best wishes that all goes well and she’ll soon return to drawing without pain.
Colleen Doran notes that "Many people in the creative arts struggle with this painful and debilitating condition," and passes along some helpful advice to help prevent its onset.
Inking digitally demonstration
Something to noodle around with this weekend: you, too, can learn how to ink digitally. Skull the Troll – okay, Scott Kurtz in a Skull hat – shows exactly how he inked this PVP strip:
Now you can do it yourself!
Not included: a $2500 Cintiq monitor.
