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February 03, 2005
Things I hate in Superman stories.
In case it's not absolutely crystal-clear, I read a lot of Superman comics. And watch every movie/television show that has Superman in it. And I have a tendency to form an opinion about every single one...I can't help it...I'm a fanboi! Anyway, here are a few of the things that drive me nuts when I see them in any Superman story, regardless of the medium.Read on for the list if you've got a geek tolerance level of 50 or above (level 3 nerd also qualifies).
January 24, 2005
A handful of dust.
(This post is the third in a series looking back at some of my favorite comics of all-time. The first installment covered Watchmen, and the second looked at "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?")I first discovered Neil Gaiman's Sandman many, many moons ago when I was a somewhat impressionable adolescent, obsessively attempting to read everything Alan Moore had ever written. My Moore-addiction didn't go unnoticed by my local comics retailer, who suggested I check out this relatively new series called Sandman. Being the trusting sort (this was the same store owner who pointed me towards Swamp Thing, so I'd have bought Casper the Friendly Ghost if he told me it was dark and brooding) I purchased a slipcase containing the first two collections, with a space for the third. I still have that slipcase...it was designed by Dave McKean (of course), and while it's been beaten up more than a little over the years, it's still pretty cool.
Regardless, The Sandman turned out to be more than just another horror comic. As a teenager with odd obsessions with mythology, religion and comics, it was in many ways The Perfect Comic for me. Read on for my full thoughts on a fresh re-read through the entire series, from Preludes & Nocturnes straight through The Wake (and beyond).
January 08, 2005
Lex locked, let loose the loons.
This has been quite the week for comic adaptations...or at least for two movies anyway. Just days after the rumor that Kate Bosworth was in talks to play Lois Lane in the upcoming Superman movie, that news has been confirmed, along with the news that Kevin Spacey is locked in to play Lex Luthor. I'm pretty satisfied with this choice. Spacey's a hell of an actor, and could easily handle either version of Lex Luthor.The question of course, is which one Bryan Singer & Co. are going with...will this be Lex the business man, as has been the case in the comics and animated series for the last decade or so? (Not to mention Smallville). Or will we see a return to the wisecracking evil genius Lex, as was depicted in the Gene Hackman-era films? Personally, I'd like to see a mix of the two. I've grown to like the more serious Lex, but there's always going to be a place in my heart for the classic version. I'm also going to be curious to see if they go with bald Lex, or opt for a revisionist look at the character (IE with hair), similar to the one John Shea depicted on Lois & Clark (although let's hope they leave out the cornball role played by the otherwise great Tony Jay).
In any event, Spacey's in, and that's good news indeed. Here's a pretty Lex-esque photo of the man (picture courtesy of Criminal Grace):
January 06, 2005
V for vindication.
Well that didn't take long...just one day after the rumor that Natalie Portman would be starring in an adaptation of V for Vendetta, Warner Bros. formally announced the project and her participation. While I am still dying to know who's going to wind up in the title role, I must say, the teaser poster released today (at right) is actually quite encouraging. For one thing, the mask in the picture (which is a photo of a sculpture/mask, not a painting) is perfect. It really looks like a theatrical prop, not the super-slick ridiculousness you'd see in a superhero movie. I'm quite relieved by this...part of me was afraid the mask would look like the Green Goblin in Spider-Man.
Beyond that however, I find the tag line pretty cool as well: "Remember, remember the 5th of November." That's probably the film's release date (11/05/05), but it's also Guy Fawkes Day, and a line from the poem written about that day:
Remember remember the fifth of NovemberPerfect. Hopefully the movie lives up to this initial early promise.
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot.
January 05, 2005
P for Portman.
According to SciFi Wire, Natalie Portman is in talks to star as Evey (presumably) in the Wachowski brothers' adaptation of my favorite graphic novel of all-time, V for Vendetta. I'm not a big fan of hers, but I'm not offended by this at all. She can certainly act, and that's a lot better than some people. My first choice actually would have been Gwyneth Paltrow, or at least the Gwyneth Paltrow from a few years ago (right around Shakespeare in Love would have been perfect). I had some deep-routed fears that someone like Kirsten Dunst would wind up in the role. Actually, I guess I have that fear for a lot of movies, since this is the second time in three days I've made that same statement (here's the first). Does this say anything about me? I don't think so, I just think she can't act.
In any event, I really, really, really hope they pick the right voice to play V (and since you never actually see the man behind the mask, it really is primarily a voice they're casting). I always pictured someone with a very theatrical voice in the role...V is, after all, a vaudeville-esque character (he says so himself). My first choice would probably be Avery Brooks, good ol' Captain Sisko from Deep Space Nine. This isn't just me being a DS9 fanboi (which I most certainly am) -- Brooks is a classically trained actor with just the right amount of theatricality. Also, the comic never actually says why V was in that internment camp. In the comic that's a perfectly acceptable literary device, but whoever is cast in the role will inevitably give off some kind of suggestion as to the background of the character. Putting an african american in the role gives a reason without coming right out and saying why (for those who haven't read it, in the book, minorities, homosexuals and other "deviants" are rounded up by an oppressive English government and put into camps).
But of course, I doubt they'll cast a relatively unknown actor like Brooks. My more mainstream picks would be people like Laurence Fishburne (again, a classically trained african american actor), Patrick Stewart (again with the Star Trek reference, but he's certainly got the theatrical background) or even Wesley Snipes.
Needless to say, I'm on the edge of my seat with curiosity. While Superman is the adaptation I'm following the closest (well, duh), this is a near-second. I think the Watchowski brothers can handle this well (even if they are only producing) and the material is ripe for adaptation. I think a stage adaptation would have been great, but short of that, this could be worthy of its source material.
I hope.
January 04, 2005
A sad day indeed.
As noted in this story at Newsarama, Will Eisner, the father of the graphic novel ("A Contract with God" is the first book to carry that name), has died at age 87.Sigh.
This is sad news...aside from his acomplishments as a cartoonist, Eisner created the first serious textbook on comics ("Comics and Sequential Art"), has been a tireless campaigner for the industry, and when he died, was actively working on a new book.
He will be missed. His influence cannot be overstated.
December 19, 2004
The greatest Superman story ever told.
(This post is the second in a series looking back at some of my favorite comics of all-time. The first installment, looking back on Watchmen, can be found here)Every now and then, on message boards, newsgroups, or at conventions or any other random gathering of comics geeks, the question of what is the Greatest <comic character name here> Story Ever Written. Now, I'm not sure what the greatest Spider-Man story ever written is (if I had to guess, I'd say either the Death of Gwen Stacy or Fearful Symmetry, but I'm hardly an expert) and I think I have an idea of what the greatest Batman story is, but there's one thing I have absolutely no doubts about in any way, shape or form: "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" by Alan Moore, Curt Swan, George Perez and Kurt Schaffenberger, most certainly is the Greatest Superman Story Ever Written. Read on to find out why.
November 26, 2004
How I got involved in the great CFD dispute of '94.
If you lived in New York in the early nineties and were into independent comics, there was a pretty good chance that you were a fan of Cry for Dawn. CFD was a horror anthology, featuring stories written by Joe Monks and illustrated by then newcomer Joseph Michael Linsner. The book was a great one in its day. The art was great, the stories, while a bit cliched in retrospect, were clever in that old school E.C. horror kind of way, and Joe Monks had a wicked dark sense of humor that he put in everything he wrote.As I said, if you lived in New York at the time, there was a very good chance you were a CFD reader. That's because the pair were at every major comic book convention. And in those days there were a lot of them. Anyway, when the two went their separate ways in late '93, they still attended comic conventions, only they were at opposite ends of the convention center. I've been going through my old comics n' stuff today, and I turned up some interesting documents from that time. Read on for a story of how I got involved in their argument, complete with scans of the offending document.
Continue reading
"How I got involved in the great CFD dispute of '94."
November 24, 2004
I watches the Watchmen.
In preparing to sell off large portions of my comic book collection, I naturally had to go through and pick out the good stuff...that is, all the stuff I wanted to actually keep. While I am selling off about 95% of my collection, I'm keeping a nice collection of trades and graphic novels that I can't imagine parting with. This includes my beloved complete run of Taboo, my signed & numbered hardcover collection of Dave McKean's Cages, my nearly complete set of Cerebus phone books (they go up to "Going Home"), the complete Transmetropolitan and so on. And of course, this also includes most of the works of Alan Moore.In pulling all of this stuff out, I got a bit nostalgic, so I recently re-read some of my favorite comics of all-time: V for Vendetta, The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen. V and Dark Knight each require their own entry (which I intend to do eventually), but today I'm going to talk about Watchmen, a book that has only gotten better with age. I'm going to specifically talk in-depth about the ending and how it reads post-9/11, so if you've never read it, don't click below. But if you have, read on for my thoughts on re-reading this classic of graphic literature.
October 31, 2004
Cat not included.
I've experimented in the past with selling comics over eBay and Shackifieds, but after flirting with that I decided that the only way to really get this done in a hurry was to sell the whole lot at once. So, I'm doing just that, and you can go over to Craigslist now to see the listing.I'm selling the entire collection off at a really low price, but requiring people to come and pick it up in person. I think that's a fair tradeoff. If there's no takers, I'm planning on either renting a truck or using many trips with a car service to sell my collection to Midtown Comics, but this is by far the easiest way to go. Hopefully someone will go for this, because I'd like to use the money to buy an HDTV if and when we move (which hopefully will be in the near future). Anyway, go check it out if you live in the area, or just feel like reading over a five-second summary of a lifetime of collecting comics.
October 30, 2004
War games.
The following is a discussion about Batman #633. the final chapter in Act Three of "War Games." As such, it is loaded with spoilers. Do not continue reading unless you already have read this issue! (Or just don't care).
October 14, 2004
Today's humor from teh Shack.
Some days I just love the Shack...VegasX: very interesting. Green Arrow to have HIV+ sidekick
Blackdawgg: well atleast you know she puts out.
October 11, 2004
Forever Superman.
Like many of you I imagine, I was stunned this morning when I woke up to the news that Christopher Reeve had passed away at the age of 52. I don't think I need to tell regular readers of this site about my life-long love of Superman...just browse through this site's Superman archives (four pages and counting!) for proof of that. But my respect and genuine admiration for Christopher Reeve was something that went beyond that.
Needless to say, Reeve was my childhood hero. He made us all believe a man could fly, but he also embodied the role with an effortless charm that you can't fake. What I really liked about Christopher Reeve as I grew older is that unlike many actors who were type-cast and grew bitter about the role that made them famous, Reeve seemed to actually understand and respect what it meant to be Superman on the silver screen. He was a larger-than-life hero to so many people around the world and didn't just brush it off as so many other actors did.
In his later years, Reeve gained a new level of respect and admiration for putting a public face on disability. Despite his near-fatal accident that left him paralyzed, he never wavered, and never stopped fighting for new forms of research to help not just himself, but all victims of spinal cord injuries. He also became an outspoken crusader for stem cell research, and fought for widespread health and disability coverage in this country.
On a personal level, I'm sad because we'll never see Christopher Reeve walk again. I never doubted that I'd see that happen some day, and far more importantly, he never did either. As I said on this site in one of my earliest posts, I believe in the idea of Superman, and that will outlive us all. Christopher Reeve the man has passed away, but his image will live forever and his work lives on with the Chrstopher Reeve foundation. I think he'd be proud of both of those.
September 19, 2004
The blog post of the review of The Batman.
Although I was initially quite scared by the prospect of a new Batman series, seeing a quick teaser for The Batman at this year's San Diego Comic Con convinced me that it might not be all together awful, and in fact might be pretty good. I've now seen two episodes, and I'm starting to think it's the latter, although there are still quite a few characters to be revealed. Yep, it's a twofer review Sunday...read on for my full review of the show so far.
Continue reading
"The blog post of the review of The Batman."
September 03, 2004
The greatest Archie story ever told.
Like many obsessive-type people, I have several little things that I've hunted for at conventions and on eBay for many, many, many years. Some, I've long given up any hope of finding (like a working Panther unit or a Halcyon), but others, like my quest to remember which superhero family cartoon I remembered so fondly (it turned out to be Bionic Six, I tracked down tapes, and yes, it does still rock), I have had the good fortune to uncover.While I may never find that Halcyon, I can say that yes, I have at long last gotten my hands on a copy of Betty & Me #40 from 1972. Why on earth would I desperately want to get my hands on an Archie comic that's over 30 years old? Read on and all will be revealed.
July 30, 2004
Awesome.
That's the only thing I can think of to describe this World's Finest trailer. If you never saw director Sandy Collora's brilliant short Batman: Dead End (better known as Aliens vs. Predator vs. Batman -- it's really a fanboi's dream), go see that first. But after that, check out this trailer.It's a mock-trailer, of course, and not a real film. And it probably wouldn't work as a real film, so it's just as well. But it's such a fanboi's wet dream, that it has to be seen to be believed. The film depicted in the trailer is an amalgam of various plotlines from both universes, but it's basically a mix of the President Lex storyline mushed together with various scenes from various animated series and the Superman and Batman movies.
Much like Batman: Dead End, the production's top-notch, or at least, it is for a fan film. Heck, for a fan film, it's downright amazing, even more so than Dead End because of all the different stuff involved here. Go check it out. I still think a Batman vs. Superman movie is a bad idea, but this? This is different. I'd go see this movie in a heartbeat.
July 27, 2004
Comic-Con photos: day two.
Here you go, the second bunch of photos from my trip to the San Diego Comic-Con. In this batch are shots of nice costumes of characters like the Joker, Darth Maul and even an incredibly accurate marine from Aliens (complete with audible tracking device!), as well as some other random shots of geekiness, and the insane price list for autographs at the Star Wars booth. Check 'em out.
July 25, 2004
Comic-Con photos: day one.
I'm back from Comic-Con, and boy am I tired. I bought a few goodies, and saw some wacky stuff, and hopefully some time this week I'll have the time (and energy) to post a full writeup. But until then, here are some photos from the show. I was only there for two days of course, so this is day one, with day two's photos to follow later in the week. Enjoy!
July 21, 2004
The greatest show on earth.
Since the cat is more or less out of the bag on this one, I can finally say this...tomorrow I'm off to San Diego, to attend Comic-Con International, also known as the largest (by far) comic convention in the US. I'll be there to show off Robotech: Invasion, which will be fully playable on the show floor, so if you're attending, be sure to swing by to check it out (and say hi while you're there!). We don't actually have our own booth at the show, but we'll be in Toynami's booth, which is #3245, located at the concession area between halls D and E (I believe).Anyway, I'm totally psyched. I've been to six E3s, but not a single Comic-Con, and I can't wait. I'll be naturally pretty busy with work stuff, but I'm hoping to find some time to be able to wander around with my digital camera. Look for pictures when I get back on Sunday.
July 04, 2004
The spectacular Spider-Man (2).
Like many, many, many other people I'm sure, I spent part of my holiday weekend off seeing Spider-Man 2. I was pleasantly surprised by the experience, not because it was a good movie (the reviews had led me to expect that), but rather because of how good a movie it was. Not only was this a better movie in every conceivable aspect than its predecessor, but I would even go so far as to say it's quite possibly the best comic book movie ever made. And I don't say that lightly -- I've seen 'em all, from Batman 1 to X-Men 2 and everything in between (including duds like Howard the Duck and the reprehensible League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). Read on for more.June 13, 2004
Please don't suck...
This article from Newsweek about the new Batman film sounds really promising. Actually, everything I've heard so far sounds really promising (except for Katie Holmes...she seems a bit too perky for a Batman movie). Hopefully it won't suck. We could use a decent Batman movie (actually, what we really could use is a decent Superman movie, but I'm not putting any bets on that one).May 22, 2004
Robin gets Spoiled.
As it's one of the books I've been buying monthly for some time now, I picked up Robin #126 during my first trip to Sleep of Reason this week. As I said, I've been reading the book for some time now. I read it through Jon Lewis' run, and have been enjoying the transition to Bill Willingham, especially as Willingham is the creator of one of my favorite books of the moment (that'd be the delightfully bizarre Fables).
Anyway, I started reading Robin because I was really curious to see how Jon Lewis would handle the book, seeing has how his prior comics work was about as far from mainstream as you can get. It turned out he did a pretty good job, and I really grew to like the book. Tim Drake is a pretty dull character at the end of the day, but I really liked the supporting cast, and found it particularly fun that this Robin actually had parents he had to sneak around. But the real star of the book for me was Spoiler, a character I also liked during her appearances in Birds of Prey (before the book took a total nose dive when Terry Moore took over).
So you can imagine my surprise when I picked up this month's issue and saw that in the wake of last month's issue, where Tim's parents discovered his Robin costume, Spoiler would be taking up the reigns as the new Robin. Sure it's gimmicky to have a female Robin, but Spoiler's a great character.
Spoiler, for those unfamiliar with her, is a teenage girl named Stephanie Brown. She's sort of been the third wheel in the Batman roster for some time. Batman told her to her face that she wasn't cut out for the whole vigilante thing, and adding to the issue is the fact that her father was the Cluemaster, one of those wacky Gotham City villains.
Of the three prior Robins, there was Dick Grayson, the classic Robin, who has grown into a decent character (even if it did take decades and decades to get there). Jason Todd was a whiney little brat (who I'm proud to say I voted to kill off), and Tim Drake is a bit too normal to be Robin (I mean, the guy has a healthy family and friends...how lame is that?). So already I think Spoiler has a lot going for her.
There are a few things in Steph's past I'd like to forget about completely. Particularly that ill-conceived (pun not intended) pregnancy storyline from a few years back (she put the kid up for adoption the whole ordeal has never been referenced since...doesn't that seem a bit unlikely?). And I really hope this doesn't turn out to be a six-month deal, ultimately ending in the reinstatement of Tim Drake. Ultimately this whole thing could descend into some kind of Bat-Buffy wannabe, but again, I hope not. She's a great character, who I really thought deserved her own mini-series to develop a bit more. Assuming they don't screw it up, this will suffice just as well (if not better).
May 20, 2004
Finally, a good downtown comic shop.
As I've mentioned previously on this site, one of the downsides of my new job downtown is that it has kept me from going to my beloved Midtown Comics on a regular basis. But I think I've finally found a solution to my predicament, so read on for the full scoop, including details on a shop I'd never heard of, but will now be frequenting on a regular basis.May 05, 2004
The very reason I own a DVD player.
Hoooo boy...Warner Bros. has finally announced something I've been waiting for literally since the first day I bought my DVD player waaaaaay back when (I was one of those early adopters you may have heard about and laughed at at one point): Batman: The Animated Series Volume 1. Here's the quickie info from DVD File:
In the mood for more classic animated superhero action? At last compiled in extensive collections, on July 6th Warner Home Video will release Batman: The Animated Series - Volume One, a four-disc set which features 28 "awesome adventures" of the famous crimefighter. Presented in 4:3 full screen, extras include audio commentary by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and Eric Rodomski and "Batman: The Legacy Continues" featurette.As noted there, the set contains a whopping 28 episodes, which means (assuming they're going by episode number, and not air-date), the set should contain some some pretty amazing episodes, including "Heart of Ice", the two-part "Feat of Clay" and even "Beware the Gray Ghost", which has always been one of my favorites, and will probably go down as the finest bit of acting Adam West has ever done (I'll admit to being somewhat ignorant of his complete oeuvre, but I'd guess it's by far his most sincere work).
Oh, I'm giddy like a schoolmarm. July 6th can't possibly come fast enough. If you can't wait either, it's already available for pre-order at Amazon complete with a pretty hefty discount and free shipping.
April 21, 2004
Comic strip casualties.
As anyone that's been reading the strip for the last few days already knows (and if you haven't shame on you), a long-time Doonesbury character is going to be seriously wounded while fighting in the war in Iraq. If you're not a regular reader, you might find this troubling, as after all, Doonesbury is at its core, a gag-oriented strip, but Gary Trudeau has tackled gravely serious issues before (such as AIDS and Alzheimer's Disease), and every time handled them with grace, dignity and respect.This particular storyline has an extra bit of poignance, as the character originally was put in the war as a public affairs officer, supposedly well outside the dangers of front-line combat. Considering how many other non-combat soldiers have been injured or killed in the line of duty during this war, it's nice to see that here. Also of note is the fact that this character isn't just some recent addition -- he was one of the very first to grace the strip.
Doonesbury as a whole is quite an achievement. While there have been funnier strips over the years, and arguably even more politically relevant ones, I can't think of any other gag strip that's had its characters evolve as much as Doonesbury. The strip started as a gag strip about a couple of college kids. Since then, the title character has gotten married, had a child, divorced, gotten married again and watched his daughter grow up. And that's just one character! The whole cast has gone through similar changes. And it's not like these have been super-fast jumps. Every character in the strip (from Mike Doonesbury on down) has evolved slowly, in near real-time.
I think everyone should read Doonesbury every day, but that's just me. If you'd like to check out this latest storyline, you can start with Monday's strip.
March 31, 2004
Comics by mail.
One of the unfortunate side effects of my new job at Rockstar is that it's all the way downtown, far away from my beloved Midtown Comics. There's pretty much no decent comic shop that's particularly close to Rockstar. The closest ones are Village Comics and St. Mark's Comics, both of which (as I've said before), I find to be utterly reprehensible. Forbidden Planet is relatively close as well, but even that is too far away to go after work, as it's in the wrong direction for me.So anyway, I've been exploring other ways to get my weekly comics. Midtown offers a home-delivery subscription service, which would be ideal for me, except they require 15 monthly books just to sign up. I think at the absolute most (including books I pick up every now and then), I can think of 12 monthly books I buy. But my core group is around 8 - 10. I can always opt to pick up the books in person every week and bypass that minimum number, but the problem there is simply that Times Square is really far out of my way from Brooklyn.
I've looked at a couple of the web-based subscription services, but I haven't been blown away by what I've seen. Mile High Comics seems to have the best mail-order service, but their web design circa '96 is really off-putting to me. mycomicshop.com seems like they might be okay, but I can't tell if I can subscribe to specific books or if I have to pick the ones I want every single month (which would be a real pain, since I just buy the same ones every month anyway). One problem with both of these services is that they're located outside New York, which means it'll take about a week for me to get these books. With Midtown Comics, I'd get them within a day or two.
And then there's the final option, subscribing directly from DC Comics (I only buy DC/Vertigo books on a monthly basis). This might work, but the problem there is that I'd have to pay for a year's worth of comics all at once (and that's really a lot of money), and also that the subscription services all offer some form of discount where DC largely does not (on the other hand, DC doesn't charge for shipping).
So I'm a bit befuddled here. I inquired at Midtown today, and that 15 books a month figure is totally locked in, and there's nothing I can do about it. Anyone have any advice?
March 29, 2004
Seinfeld and Superman.
The first of two short films starring Jerry Seinfeld and Superman has been posted at the American Express site. There were some commercials with the two a while back, but this is much longer (about four minutes long), and while some of it could probably have been trimmed a bit, it's really quite entertaining. Which is odd since it's basically just a shill for Amex.As far as the Superman depiction, like the original Amex commercials, this is based after the Curt Swan-era Superman (my favorite by a huge margin), and the voice is provided by Patrick Warburton, who was the voice of Superman in the older commercials. Personally, I think Warburton made a better Tick than Superman (his voice is just too goofy for my taste) but this is played for laughs, so I suppose it's good enough.
Anyway, it's worth checking out. It's goofy, and just a four minute credit card commercial, but it's done with reverence and respect, which is a lot more than you can say about some superhero movies.
March 25, 2004
The future of the man of steel.
There's a great interview up at Comic Book Resources today with Eddie Berganza, the editor of the Superman line at DC Comics. There are big changes coming next month, and he talks about this bold new direction, and surprisingly, it's more or less in line with what I had hoped. I say "more or less", because there are some areas I'm a bit troubled by.
The good news, is that Berganza wants to restore Superman to his former glory, emphasizing the larger-than-life character instead of the futuristic city and cosmic enemies we've had for the last few years. That really is good news, and it's nice to hear.
My biggest concern is the involvement of Brian Azzarello on Superman. I liked the first two 100 Bullets collections, and I agree that Azzarello is a talented writer...but on Superman? Before reading his run on Batman I'd have thought this would be a bold, but encouraging decision. But Azzarello's run on Batman has been just awful...filled with unlikable characters, little-if-any connection to the Bat-continuity and bad, bad dialogue.
Also of concern is Berganza's statement that Adventures of Superman will be "pulp fiction" style (referring to the old digests, not the movie). The idea that the book will show a "gritty version of Metropolis" is a bit suspect. But it could be really cool. We'll see.
Generally speaking though, I'm looking forward to this revamp. I'm enough of a doe-eyed fan that I'll keep reading it no matter how bad it gets, but I'd rather it get better, not worse.
March 11, 2004
Julius Schwartz remembered.
Harlan Ellison's obituary of Julius Schwartz has finally found a home online (thanks Mark Evanier). As you would expect from Ellison, who has known Schwartz for much of his life, it's a well-written and touching remembrance of a man who played an instrumental role in shepherding the careers of many major sci-fi authors (including Bester, Bloch and Bradbury) and the silver age of comics. Well worth a read.March 09, 2004
Well this made my day...
From the transcript of Home Theater Forum's chat with representatives from Warner Bros. Home Video<NMankaniTZ> Greetings! What are your plans in terms of releasing box sets of the "DC Animated" properties such as Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, and Teen Titans on DVD?I've said it before and I'll say it again...w00p.<warnerbros> There will be season boxed sets of both BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES and SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. TEEN TITANS is scheduled as well.
March 08, 2004
Comics! Get your comics here!
So here it is, the first batch of comics I'm selling off. These are all being sold in lots with fixed prices. Note that because of the logistics of shipping comics (which requires boxes as opposed to mailers), if you buy any games from my games list at the same time, you'll only have to pay for shipping on the comics.This is a big experiment for me, and this is only the first of many, many, many boxes I have to dissect like this, so stay tuned for more in the months ahead.
March 05, 2004
Lightening the load.
As noted in this post over at Shacknews, I'm selling off some more PC and console games. My console games in particular have started to pile up lately, and as much as I like the convenience that walking to my local GameStop offers, the fact is that they give me pennies compared to what I can get by selling these games on eBay, Shackifieds or anywhere else.The other thing I mention in that post is that I'm currently exploring ways to sell off portions of my comic book collection. This is true. As much as I love my comics, I have literally thousands of them that do nothing but take up space. I'd happily replace them with easier-to-manage paperbacks.
The logistics of this means it's a long term project in the extreme. Since selling the whole thing at once is impossible (it's far too large and I have no idea what books are in which box, to say nothing of their condition) I think what I'm going to do is create a series of 20 book bundles and sell them for $10 - $15 each. This means I'll have hundreds of them, but since I couldn't possibly care less about their actual value (plus I'm too lazy to look it up) many of these will wind up being huge bargains for comic collectors. Over the years many of the books I've bought purely to read have wound up being valuable. Only a couple of times have I ever had the intelligence to do anything about this, and even then, I sold them for a fraction of their real worth (example: I sold first printings of the first six issues of Bone for about $30...they're now worth a bit more than that).
If anyone has any advice for selling a collection of this size, feel free to speak up in the comments.
February 26, 2004
This can't be serious.
From Dark Horizons:Dragonball Z: "Smallville" spunk Tom Welling is being rumoured for Goku.
Well, I guess there is something there...although I think some serious prosthetic hair is going to be necessary in order to complete the illusion:
I'm seeing double! The resemblance is truly uncanny.
February 12, 2004
Digital comics revisited.
Some time ago I posted some general thoughts on reading comics on a computer screen. A question was posted to the comments regarding my thoughts on comics being read in CBR format, but I had never actually heard of such a thing, so I had no thoughts whatsoever on the subject. Today's update at The Comics Journal has a bit of an explanation of the whole process, so I decided to investigate the matter myself.
CBR and CBZ files are scanned and compressed digital copies of comic books. Apparently they're being traded en masse on BitTorrent. These files can be read using a CBR reader, such as Comical, which is available for OS X and Linux. As I said, these files are being traded en masse, although I had little success in my attempts to find a sample file from either BitTorrent or Gnutella. As with most file sharing, persistence is the only way to get anything, and I'm far too lazy for that. Luckily I stumbled across a comics retailer that offers a preview comic in CBR format, so I was able to download that instead.
Using Comical (once I went through the clunky process of installing unrar in order for it to work, as it originally froze every time I attempted to open a file) the experience isn't half bad. It's a very bare-bones program, but you can view one or two pages at a time, and zoom to various degrees. I found the lack of an interface a bit off-putting, but that's just me being weird. I imagine the reason comics are traded in this format instead of PDF is because these files are compressed (using RAR for CBR and ZIP for CBZ), but Adobe's PDF Reader is a far more full-featured program. But in all, it's a reasonable format for reading comics.
While I doubt it'll ever happen, I would love (read: love) to be able to buy my weekly comics in a high-quality digital format. Yes, nothing can compare to being able to hold an actual book in your hand, but individual issues are flimsy, and more importantly, they pile up like you wouldn't believe. I have stacks and stacks and boxes upon boxes of comics, and it's just getting worse with each passing year. Being able to pay $1 instead of $3 for each book in a digital format is nice, and with that extra cash I'd be able to purchase a collection for the stories I really like and want in a nicer format.
Why would I consider this to be a viable alternative, while the official CD comics that are out there are mostly just a mildly amusing distraction? Because this is just the comic itself. There's no animation, no music, no cheesy sound effects, just the comic itself, presented in a straightforward manner. Like I said, it's doubtful it'll ever happen, But I would like a way to keep reading comics every week without the annoyance of those stacks of comics
February 11, 2004
The return of Captain Power.
More news has surfaced on the new Batman animated series that will be known as "The Batman"...and it ain't all that encouraging. Apparently the show will tie-in to special toys released by Mattel, which will "'come to life' and react with lights, motion, and sound" when placed in front of a television playing the show. Whee.If all of this sounds awfully familiar, it's because it's been done before. Back in the 80's there was a live-action show called Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future that basically did the exact same thing. You could buy special toys and spaceships that "reacted" to events on the screen. The results were exceptionally lame. If a ship blew up on screen, your toy would suddenly eject its passenger, or make chirping noises. Even people who liked the show itself were of the opinion that the whole idea was really silly. But at the time, Captain Power was primarily competing with first generation consoles from Nintendo and Sega (and the remaining stocks of Atari and Colecovision systems). In an age when most kids already have a platform several hundred times more sophisticated than this, is anyone going to go in for it? I doubt it.
February 10, 2004
"The Batman" is "teh suck"
...well, the voice cast is, anyway. Following up on yesterday's announcement of a new Batman animated series called "The Batman", Zap2it has posted an official cast list. Rino Romano of Spider-Man Unlimited (not the MTV Spider-Man show, as was originally thought) is confirmed as Bruce Wayne/Batman, and equally horrible is the news that the Joker will be voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson of Static Shock, and not Mark Hamill, who has been the voice on every series since the first Bruce Timm-designed Batman animated series nearly 12 years ago.Sigh.
I wonder who's actually working on this show? The Batman: TAS staff has branched out big time, and now you can find staffers on Justice League, Static Shock, X-Men Evolution, Teen Titans and others. All I really want are more episodes of the original series...I'm willing to accept that I won't get them, but hopefully the rumored (or was that confirmed?) next direct-to-home video animated movie won't be as dull as Mystery of the Batwoman was. That one was a real bore, and the suggestion of a romantic relationship between Bruce Wayne and Barbara Gordon really gave me the willies.
February 09, 2004
Today's superheroes-in-Hollywood roundup.
There's been a lot of new superheroes-in-Hollywood news lately, so here's a full roundup:- The Batman (New Animated Series): According to Newsarama, this new series will be known as "The Batman" and will take place in year three of the Batman continuity. Confirmed voice actors are Adam West as the mayor (insert Family Guy reference here) and Gina Gershon as Catwoman. Comments to Newsarama's post suggest that Kevin Conroy will not be playing Batman/Bruce Wayne, but that part will instead be played by the person who voiced Peter Parker in the Spider-Man series on MTV. As far as I'm concerned, Kevin Conroy is Batman, so I seriously hope this isn't true.
- Superman: Apparently Beyoncé Knowles is actually up for Lois Lane. Shoot me now.
- Tintin: Dark Horizons has some new casting rumors for Spielberg's planned Tintin movie, but what's really wild is the rumor that none other than Roman freaking Polanski wants to make an alternate adaptation of Tintin in Tibet. I think Polanski's a great director...but Tintin???
- Wonder Woman: Apparently these shots of Sarah Michelle Gellar dressed as Wonder Woman for a skit at the MTV Movie Awards have some people talking that she's up for the role in the movie, but Superhero Hype! doesn't buy it. Which is good, because SMG looks like a twelve year old out on Halloween in that outfit.
- Batman: Intimidation Game: Some official details on Christopher Nolan's new Batman movie are up at Dark Horizons, and they do sound promising indeed. The plan is to make this as grounded in reality as possible, and so rather than go with a Tim Burton-style fantasy Gotham City, the current plan is to use exterior shots filmed in New York and London. Sounds great to me.
R.I.P. Julius Schwartz
Julius Schwartz, legendary editor of DC Comics (who is largely credited with saving such icons as Batman, Superman and The Flash among others) and one of the founding fathers of comics fandom passed away over the weekend at the age of 89. I can't claim to know enough about the man to post any sort of fitting tribute, so I refer you to Mark Evanier's blog, where he's been posting regular "Great Moments with Julius Schwartz" that are well worth the read. Among other things, I learned that Schwartz was Ray Bradbury's first agent and even sold some of H.P. Lovecraft's first stories. Apparently Schwartz's good friend Harlan Ellison is writing the NY Times obituary. Considering how long the two have known each other, it should make for a fascinating read.February 03, 2004
Manga Revisited
Following the advice posted in the comments from Augie De Blieck Jr, I picked up a couple of Manga books using my credit at Midtown Comics. My reviews of each follow below.February 02, 2004
A fun Kerry flashback.
Slate (which has been the official place for Doonesbury strips for some time now), has posted three strips offering a flashback to John Kerry's first appearance in the strip way back in 1971. Definitely worth a read, if only to see how he was perceived in his days as an outspoken Vietnam vet.
Review: Comic Book: The Movie (DVD)
This past weekend I watched Comic Book: The Movie on DVD (and many of its extra features), and enjoyed it quite a bit. It's a big one, so read on for the full review.
January 29, 2004
The new Space Ghost.
Apparently someone at DC Comics has seriously been hitting the crack pipe lately, as this article over at Newsarama pretty much proves. From the company that brought you the Superman vs. Thundercats crossover comes a dark and gritty version of Space Ghost.
Yeah, you read that right.
Here's the description from writer Joe Kelly:
“It’s really a hardcore, pulp-feel story, with him being betrayed by the police force and taking his revenge. It’s really dark, and it’s going to be a blueprint for them to revamp the character and keep it going.”Heaven help us all. I might be able to take it a bit more seriously if the character didn't look like a bastard child of Tom Strong and Captain Sternn, and the writer didn't assure fans that goofy characters like Jan, Jace, Blip and Zorak (yes, Zorak) will be in it as well. Does the world really need to know what a serious Zorak looks like?
Sigh. What's next? An evil version of Herculoids? I can picture it now:
When enemies from beyond invade the planet Quazar, it's up to Zandor and his family of badass supercommandos to take back what's rightfully theirs. You've never seen violence until you've seen Gloop, Gleep, Zok and Igoo go on a killing spree.Hey, that's not half bad. Anyone from DC out there? I think we've got a new Vertigo title here! And just wait until you hear my idea for a sexy, homicidal Bionic Six!
January 28, 2004
Manga! Manga! Manga!
I had some credit at Midtown Comics today, and as I've already gone through all the Transmetropolitan books, I figured I'd look around for something new. I flipped through a lot of stuff, including Ellis' The Authority and Planetary (neither of which looked particularly interesting), those new Swamp Thing collections (I need to figure out which issues I already have first) and some other random stuff, before it occured to me that maybe there's something interesting in Midtown's healthy manga section worth picking up.I've read some manga before: I love Akira (have since the original Epic issues, although I was all over the Dark Horse black & white reprints), I've read some of Ranma 1/2 and some of Tezuka's stuff, I've got about half of Lone Wolf & Cub and there's some other miscellaneous stuff I like as well, but all that stuff that's selling like hotcakes in book stores I've never heard of before. I flipped through a lot of different books, and I must say...I have no idea what the appeal of most of this is.
Don't get me wrong...I'm not opposed to Japanese goofiness. I like some anime, like (again) Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Gundam Wing, Cowboy Bebop and the first season of Big O among others, but most of what I saw didn't look even remotely interesting. Aside from the dumbass printing of many of these books so they read from right-to-left (I'm sorry, but the argument that mirroring the artwork ruins it is totally lost on me), the subject matter just didn't look very interesting at all.
I'm not totally against this stuff, mind you, but I think I need a bit of a primer to know what's out there. Anyone care to help a manga-newbie out? What doesn't suck?
January 13, 2004
Worst store ever!
According to a post on The Comics Journal's Message Board (which I was referred to by this column at CBR and this post at Neilalien) St. Mark's Comics' Chambers Street store shut down this past weekend.
Good riddance. Now let the main store disappear too and I'll be happy.
I don't mean to be cruel, and I take no particular pleasure in the failure of a comics-related business...but St. Mark's just hasn't been a worthwhile place to shop for years. In the early 90's, St. Mark's was one of my favorite stores in the city, along with the original, big-size Forbidden Planet and the original pre-expansion, pre-reduction Jim Hanley's Universe. Back then, St. Mark's had the best collection of Eclipse paperbacks in the city, and me being the Miracleman/Zot/Clive Barker fiend that I was, this was a good thing.
But in the late 90's, the store really took a nose dive. Instead of being the welcoming alternative comics shop they should have evolved into following the mainstream comics crash, the store degenerated into a place where you would be belittled for your lack of knowledge about every alternative book under the sun. I went in there after reading about Ariel Schrag in the Village Voice, and was practically laughed at for the fact that I'd never heard of her before. And it wasn't the first time, either. St. Mark's really became the comics equivalent of those video stores where people judge you based on your renting habits. If you can imagine The Simpsons' Comic Book Guy as an alternative comics nut instead of a superhero fanatic, you've got the right idea.
That store is apparently relocating to Brooklyn. I hope their staff in the new location is less obnoxious than the staff at their East Village store. Either way, it doesn't affect me. I'll keep shopping at Midtown Comics, where they not only employ nice, helpful people, but they know how to run a successful retail store. If every other store in the tri-state area disappeared tomorrow, I wouldn't shed a tear (especially not if Village Comics went away...that place has disgusted me for even longer than St. Mark's).
January 09, 2004
Today's random bit of comic strip social analysis.
It strikes me that "Daddy" Warbucks is a particularly creepy character. Here we have someone, who from his name we may assume earned his vast fortune by cashing in on the wars of the late 19th and 20th century (I'd guess the Afghan and Indian wars, plus WWI), and has attempted to reconcile this guilt by taking an orphan into his home. On top of this, we have Punjab, a character whose name would seem to imply originates from the area of India and Pakistan which was quite possibly hit by the very weapons "Daddy" profited from. Surely he got some additional thrill by demanding this character protect with his life Warbucks' young adopted daughter.
Warbucks has a great deal in common with Lex Luthor, another man who has profited from the misery of others, although Luthor has no such guilt hanging over him (aside from his more or less adoption of Mercy, although that may have some kind of perverse sexual thrill for the guy).
By contrast we have Scrooge McDuck, a character who earned his money the hard way (through the California gold rush and a series of shrewd business decisions). McDuck is saddled with three children, although his role is more of a surrogate father to poor Hewey, Dewy and Louie, whose biological father is most likely destitute because of his overwhelmingly irrational temper and subsequent speech impediment.
And yet, if all of this is true, how does Beetle Bailey fit in? Or, for that matter, Fritzi Ritz?
December 18, 2003
The End is Nigh
There's an editorial up over at the official PREVIEWS site by Dave Sim, in which he looks back (more or less) at the past 26 years of Cerebus, his life's work which will come to an end in just a few months. The end of Cerebus is a sad occasion. Not necessarily because I'll miss it (I haven't read an issue in over two years) but because it means, once and for all, that Sim will never be able to return the series to its former glory.
In the beginning, Cerebus was a witty, if somewhat crude, Conan parody. But pretty quickly the book changed into something much, much more than that. High Society, the second "phonebook" collection is a work of true genius. It's laugh-out-loud funny (a rare feat for any comic book), very well thought-out, and just a triumph of the form. The two books that follow, Church & State 1 & 2 respectively, are good, and in many ways a bit more sophisticated. But alas, the book started to slide from that point on.
Jaka's Story is a nice tale, and were it merely a bridge between better works, it would have been a nice diversion. Melmoth, which followed that, was likewise a good story, even if this fictionalized story of Oscar Wilde seemed a bit like Sim was treading water.
But it wasn't until Mothers & Daughters, the book(s) that came after that, that the quality took a real nosedive. Mothers & Daughters, which is divided into four books (Flight, Women, Reads and Minds) is sheer lunacy. Whatever grips the book still had on reality were thrown to the wind, and instead readers were treated to nonsensical, pseudo-existential gibberish, in which Cerebus talked to Dave Sim, Dave Sim wrote about anything that popped into his head, and the written text overtook the artwork to the point where whole issues were almost entirely written in prose. And I'm not even going to talk about the whole misogyny thing. Remember that scene in Crumb where we see that childhood comic by Charles in which the writing eventually overtakes the art and turns into complete gibberish? It's a disturbing sight, and that's what I kept picturing as the book got weirder and weirder.
Once everything's finished and collected, at some point I intend to start over and read, book by book, the entire series one after the next, warts and all. Just to see if I've been wrong. Maybe once it's all collected it will make some sense. But every time I glanced at an issue over the last few years, I saw more and more of Sim's loony writing, less artwork, and more allusions to the direct market and self publishing within the story itself (apparently the editorials in the front and back of the book weren't enough for him anymore).
But regardless of the quality, the fact that he's managed to keep it monthly for over 20 years is a major accomplishment. Even if I never get around to reading the whole thing, I tip my hat to Sim, and hope he (and Gerhard) won't retire from comics completely.
December 08, 2003
Okay, this is funny.
Just five minutes ago I was telling someone that I felt that Mad Magazine (in its recent, long past Kurtzman incarnation) stopped being funny once you hit puberty (that was in response to this story about major comic artists working on an issue of the magazine). But then I stumbled upon this (courtesy of Mark Evanier), and I have to admit, it's pretty darn funny. Whodathunkit? Some adult, funny humor from the modern day Mad Magazine.
November 18, 2003
Trimming the fat.
On my weekly Wednesday trips to the comic book store (Midtown Comics -- best in the city) I usually pick up at least two books, more often three or four. But lately I've found several of them to be getting increasingly dull, so I've decided to ditch a few of them. It wasn't too long ago that I dropped Green Lantern (got too preachy), Green Arrow (Kevin Smith left and it lost its wit) and Birds of Prey (Chuck Dixon left and the book went straight down the toilet), so this is one of those things I should do every few months or so. Anyway, here's what I'm ditching today:- Amazing Spider-Man: I started buying this when J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5) started writing it, and in all that time I can't say it's really ever been a particularly good book. Especially for the last few months, the book has felt slight, as if it only took JMS about 20 minutes to write the thing. And John Romita Jr's artwork has never looked as rushed as it does here. I waited until the latest storyline finished, but now I'm ditching this one for sure.
- JLA: This one I bought for the last bi-weekly storyline, and it's not bad, but it's not particularly good either. The book desperately needs to ditch a few characters and do something to get exciting again.
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight: Back when there were only four Batman books, this filled my weekly bat-quota. But now that Gotham Central is around (and so much better than this) I'm dropping it completely. The storylines have just been dull, and since they're all three or more issues long, it can be seriously painful to keep reading it on a regular basis.
- Batman-Superman: What a disappointment this book is. I've never liked Ed McGuinness (he draws everyone like they're super-buff midgets -- even his women look like mutants!), but Jeph Loeb is a solid writer, so I had some high hopes for this book. But the first issue was just awful, with narration from each character that sounded like an old married couple talking about each other, and it hasn't gotten any better since. I won't miss this one for a minute.
- Batman: The Loeb/Lee storyline was a real dud as far as I'm concerned (now that the whole thing's out, try and reason the storyline from the solution backwards - it makes no sense), but the single post-Loeb/Lee issue that's out now is even worse. The 100 Bullets team of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso should stick to straight noir books. Their Batman reads like a weak chapter of Sin City. It's only a six-part storyline, so I'll revisit this one after they're long gone.
There's been a lot of talk lately about the death of the "pamphlet" style publishing of American comics, but I for one actually like individual issues. Sure, they're comparatively ugly, and pile up like you wouldn't believe, but there's something very nice about going to a store on a weekly basis and spending a few bucks for the latest installments in the books you follow. As long as comics still come out on a regular basis, I'm going to stick by 'em.
November 17, 2003
No, no, no, no, no, no!
Superman-V.com: Natalie Portman Being Considered for Lois Lane?Why must they hurt me so? I survived Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, for heaven's sake!
October 30, 2003
In appreciation of Taboo.
Just in time for Halloween, there's a great interview with Stephen Bissette up at Comic Book Resources. Although he sadly retired from comics back in '99, Bissette is really a master of horror comics, and his greatest contribution (yes, I'm putting this above his work on Swamp Thing) was the brilliant anthology Taboo.
Taboo was pure magic. It was horror comics done right. Yes, there were some purely E.C. influenced stories in there, but it also managed to produce stories of true horror, something I haven't seen in comics since. Take a look at the Taboo Legacy page on Comicon.com to see what a profound effect this had on the comics industry. From Hell, Black Hole, Through the Habitrails, Lost Girls, Joyride...all of these major graphic novels got their start in Taboo, and that page only scratches the surface of the anthology's contents.
Bissette says in that interview that he lost a fortune running Taboo, which is a real shame, much like the fall of Tundra was a terrible blow for the industry (however poorly and irresponsibly run Tundra was, you can't deny that some of the best books of the last few decades came out of there). Also a shame are the stories that never got off the ground. I still have my pre-order bonus mini-book of Neil Gaiman and Michael Zulli's Sweeney Todd, and between that and the first (and only) installment that ran in the last issue of the magazine you could see something great starting.
It took me years to track down every issue of Taboo. There are eight in total (seven issues plus one "especial") and they're all gems of horror goodness. Steve Bissette still sells most of them through his website, if you're looking to pick some up, but be warned, they're quite pricey.
Recently, DC Comics announced Toe Tags, an upcoming horror anthology that will list George Romero as one of its first contributors. It sounds like they're on the right track with this one, but it won't have the size, ambition, quality or sheer style that Taboo did in its day. Much like Raw set the bar for the alternative comics anthology, Taboo set such a high standard that we may never see its like again.
October 21, 2003
Comics on CD
As a comics fan and rabid computer user, I've long-considered the idea of comic books on CD-ROM to be a good idea that has never quite been done right. Back in the 90's CD-ROM rush that produced a great deal of crap, Voyager produced a decent Maus collection, which was notable because it not only included the complete comic collection, but also lots of supplementary material about Spiegelman's opus. Before the whole industry went bust, Scott McCloud was working on a similar CD-ROM edition of Understanding Comics, although the market disappeared (if it ever actually existed, that is) before it was completed. Byron Preiss put out a few craptacular comic collections as well, including one featuring a few years of Will Eisner's The Spirit. There have been plenty of others along the way, many of which departed from the standard comics format and instead added sound and animation. To this day, I only still have one, and that's the complete Doonesbury collection, which while clunky, still works great (and since the Doonesbury archives are now behind the wall of a paid service, it's a good thing I still have that CD). Although I never bought it, I've been told the complete MAD Magazine collection's a winner as well.
Anyway, there are two new CD-ROM projects of note. One, from Intec Interactive, is yet another attempt to make comics more exciting by adding all kinds of annoying stuff like spoken dialogue, animations and music (ugh). But a much better (potentially, anyway) idea is this one from Topics Entertainment, which contains 100 classic Marvel books on CD, and can be viewed using a web browser.
The first reviews have been conflicting: Newsarama seems to like it, while Comic Book Resources points out that it requires Internet Explorer, or a complex process in order to get it to work in Mozilla. Unfortunately, some kind of browser plug-in is always going to be necessary for any project of this kind, if only for copy protection. But I would think it'd be possible to do it using Adobe Acrobat, which has gotten flexible enough that this shouldn't be too difficult. And as a plus, Acrobat is supported by a wide range of platforms, from Windows, Mac and Linux to Pocket PC and Palm OS.
It sounds like this hasn't quite gotten the formula right just yet. But it's nice to see someone attempting it again, because being able to buy massive amounts of classic comics for really low prices is a great thing indeed.
October 09, 2003
Hey, what happened to Lex Luthor?
I'm not saying there's anything nefarious going on here, but it occurred to me the other night that on Cartoon Network's Justice League show, Lex Luthor's skin is significantly lighter than it was on Superman. Example:
Odd, isn't it? I remember there being some flack online a while back when the Superman Adventures comic (which is based on the animated series) lightened Lex's skin. I guess whatever argument caused that to happen spilled over onto the new series.
(thanks to JLAnimated for the image)
Archie: As square as ever.
Betty Cooper may have taken a walk on the wild side recently with her nose piercing, but at least Archie's still as square as he ever was...according to The New York Times, Archie is appearing in a series of bus ads speaking out against teenage drinking. I guess this raises the question (as that article points out) of whether or not today's kids have actually heard of Archie, or are even remotely interested in something as puritanical as the world of Riverdale.
I haven't read an Archie comics in ages (I guess the last one would be from Free Comics Day '02), but I love 'em, and I always will, and the reason for that is out of total respect for the fact that after all these years, Archie still lives in some parallel universe that's basically stuck in the 50's. Of course there have been changes to the books (apparently Archie owns a computer now), but those two girls still fawn over him (with the occasional interference of a third) and while the books have gotten a little more risque over the years, I doubt you'll find any one of those characters dressing like Christina Aguilera.
Of course, I won't deny that the idea of a book where Archie and the gang actually discover first-hand the horrible effects of alcohol brings a smile to my face (I mean, come on...who doesn't want to see Betty dancing on a table?) But it'll never happen. Let the kids drink their malteds in peace.
October 03, 2003
¡Madre de dios!
This one is totally going to go over the heads of anyone who's not a fan of the Batman comics or animated series...but this totally jumped out at me as I was reading this article about Courtney Love's arrest for her latest drug-induced stupor (emphasis mine):Officers responding to calls of a possible burglary suspect at 2:38 a.m. PST (5:38 a.m. EST) on Thursday found Love standing in the middle of a Los Angeles street and detained her, police spokeswoman Renee Montoya said in a statement.It's good to hear she's back from her personal sabbatical after that whole outing and Two-Face thing she went through recently.
October 01, 2003
"Life is good...I probably have cancer"
Time Magazine conducted a rare interview with Gary Larson, the creator of the sorely missed comic The Far Side. It's well worth a read if you miss the strip as much as I do.September 30, 2003
Catwoman scares me.
Courtesy of Superhero Hype! comes this first look at the costume Halle Berry will be wearing in the new Catwoman film that starts shooting this week. I've never been a fan of the character in the slightest, but this costume is just plain hideous. This movie sounds like it will be the worst super hero movie since Supergirl. At least that movie was aiming to be a b-grade cheese fest (it also has all kinds of really bizarre gender issues bubbling under the surface).
This costume doesn't even look good for what they're trying to do! By comparison, the neoprene suit Michelle Pfeiffer wore in Batman Returns is a stunning bit of design work. That one at least conveyed a real sexiness. This one looks like an S&M Halloween costume bought at Rite Aid that was mauled by a tiger. No offense to Ms. Berry, but she's going to look absolutely ridiculous in this getup. For her sake I really hope Sharon Stone has an even sillier costume in her role as the evil she-bitch bad person.
September 15, 2003
And the winner for lamest crossover ever is...
DC Comics has announced that this November they will release a Superman/Thundercats crossover book. Here's their description:
Earth's champion meets the galaxy's toughest 'Cats in a Special by Judd Winick, Alé Garza and Trevor Scott! While attempting to stop Mumm-Ra's mutants from retrieving another Eye of Thundera from an alternate dimension, the Thundercats are hurled into Metropolis! Can the Man of Steel withstand a blow from the most powerful sword in the universe?
Good lord. Could there possibly be a lamer crossover? Not since Superman took on Muhammad Ali has there been a sillier and more pointless crossover book. And yes, I'm including the Punisher/Archie crossover when I say that. At least that book knew how ridiculous the concept was. This one is just downright stupid. Don't get me wrong, I think Mumm-Ra is as badass as the next guy...but keep Superman out of that Saturday morning cartoon-verse. He's got enough problems as it is.
July 21, 2003
American Anime
Over the weekend I watched a few new 'toons, including Cartoon Network's new Teen Titans show. Teen Titans is one of those comic adaptations where I have no real attachment to any of the characters (except for Robin, and he's not in the comics, IIRC) so I'm not bothered by any radical changes made to them. And as a result, I enjoyed TT, even if it was a little wacky at times.
And wacky it most certainly was. While most new cartoons are influenced in some way by Japanese anime, Teen Titans is the first show I've seen that is a clear attempt to create an American anime show. This is clear from the outset, as things start off with a J-pop theme song, and then the show itself which sports characters with the traditionally huge eyes and teeny mouths that get huge when opened. But that's not the only influence by any means. Japanese symbolism like the vein on a forehead or single drop of sweat to indicate frustration are here, and there's even a quick flashback sequence that's done in a "super deformed" style. Yikes! If you can get past the hyperactive pace and insane Japanese style, it's actually kind of fun.
Which is more than I can say for the new Ren & Stimpy show, which proves what I've thought for some time now...if left unchecked, John K. just isn't funny. Anyone remember his Jimmy the Idiot Boy Flash cartoons? What was really sad about those, is that finally the world got to see what Spumco could do without censorship...and it wasn't funny. At all. Really. After all those stories about how he tried to get a Jimmy show made, I finally understood why. It just wasn't funny! And sadly, neither was the single episode of the new Ren & Stimpy I watched, which was totally uncensored (the constant eluding to their joint sex life just creeped me out). I've been told that another episode I have on my TiVo is much better, and I certainly hope so, because this one was just not funny in the slightest.
The last new 'toon I watched over the weekend was MTV's new CGI Spider-Man show, which I liked quite a bit. The visual style resembles Eidos' Fear Effect games, which on paper sounds horrible, but I thought actually kind of worked. In all, this show has the same feel as the Ultimate Spider-Man books (it was developed by Ultimate Spider-Man writer Brian Michael Bendis, so this makes sense), and although I don't read those, I think it works well for a series on MTV.
July 14, 2003
Yeah, I rule.
A while back, I sent a letter to Roger Ebert's Movie Answer Man column after reading this article about the Japanese woman who supposedly died trying to find the buried treasure from Fargo. Well, it took a while, but a couple of weeks ago, I got an e-mail from Roger Ebert, asking me to reformat my e-mail (which was really just a URL) into something he could use in his column. I did, and what do you know...yesterday, he ran it. Yeah, it's no big deal...but I think it's really cool. Sue me. If there's such a thing as a fan of Roger Ebert, I qualify as one, and I got a kick out of this. Take a look:
Of course, my newfound coolness hasn't done much for my legendary lack of common sense. Despite Ebert's urging to the contrary, I'm probably going to go see The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen tonight. Why? Because I'm a glutton for punishment, and part of me really, really, really wants to believe the movie doesn't suck. Even though I'm pretty sure it will.
June 26, 2003
...and there was much rejoicing.
I've got my money back. Yay! Actually technically, I've only got a credit while the investigation is going on, but I've got money again, and that's what matters. Granted, it's not enough for me to swim around in, throw it up and let it hit me on the head, but it's enough to live off of, and that's what matters. After all, if I don't have money for beer, how can I possibly function?
The pair of Scrooge images I've posted here over the last few days got me thinking about those great Carl Barks comics, which I've read, but never really been able to afford buying. Gemstone started up their line of reprint books again this week, but just like the last time they did this, they're priced way too high for a monthly book. I want to read these, but at $7 a month, they're far too expensive. Hopefully they'll realize that there's a huge market for these books if they were only more affordable. I can safely say that if they put out a single, $3 comic of Carl Barks stories every month I'd snap it up in an instant. And failing that, $20 collections with a few hundred pages in them. Or even better, a line of Barks books like Marvel's "essentials" line, where the stories are on low-cost paper and in black and white, but you get a good 400 pages for $15. Now that would be great.
June 20, 2003
Mmm...MoCCA.
This Sunday (assuming I'm not held over from someone coming to fix the floor in our apartment), I'm looking forward to attending the MoCCA Art Festival, which looks to be better than last year's already impressive show. Among the many, many attendees are local guys like Paul Pope, Art Spiegelman and Howard Cruse and the dynamic duo of Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer, but this year there are going to be some really cool out-of-towners, including Dennis Kitchen and even Eddie Campbell. Should be a hoot.I just have to make sure I don't spend much money, which shouldn't be too hard. Last year I came home with a small stack of books, but really didn't spend a whole lot on them. Although with Eddie Campbell there, I'm sure I'll be tempted to buy his entire library...but I can fight that urge. I think.
May 09, 2003
Krypto: The Animated Series?
I was reading this interview with Sam Register of Cartoon Network when I suddenly stopped at this quote:
Comic fans can also look forward to a certain Kryptonian hero getting his own show on the Network. No, not Superman. Not Supergirl. Not even Superboy.Say what? I'm such a nerd that I'm excited about just about anything with a Superman logo (well, almost anything) but this just seems like a stupid idea. Don't get me wrong, I like Alan Burnett, I think he's done some quality work, but an entire show about Krypto? Silly. Hopefully if they do actually make this they'll throw in Streaky the Supercat as well. Heck, while they're at it, they might as well throw in those weird blob things from Herculoids, Blip from Space Ghost and heck, Ozmodiar just to round things out a bit.It's none other than Superboy's dog Krypto who is poised to take the spotlight. Alan Burnett of "Batman: The Animated Series" fame is currently scripting the venture.
May 05, 2003
It's a bird, it's a plane! It's pixelated!
Following in the footsteps of such titans as Sunsoft, Infogrames, Ubi Soft and Titus, EA announced today that they have acquired the rights to make Superman games starting next year. Now this is intentionally geared to match the next Superman movie (should that ever actually materialize), but it's a pretty broad agreement, and gives them the rights to everything from the animated series to the comic books.
So the question arises...will these games suck like every other one to date? I mean, has there ever been a sorrier lot of games than the Superman collection? You know something's seriously wrong when the best game of the lot was a totally lame sidescrolling arcade game from Taito, whose only real claim to fame was that it featured John Williams' score (albeit totally MIDIfied), and actually played more like Altered Beast than a Superman game.
Now mind you, these games didn't have to suck, it's purely the fault of the developers. I don't think we'll ever know what the hell Titus was thinking with Superman 64, particularly the absolutely insane and nonsensical multiplayer mode that (I kid you not here) had you flying around in spaceships for some reason. And don't even get me started on the 2600 Superman game. You know a game's bad when the best I can say about it is that it's not as bad as the disastrous E.T. game. I had very high expectations for this most recent batch of games, but after those less-than-stellar reviews I pretty much lost hope.
So I wish EA luck with their new titles. If they're smart they'll avoid oddities like flying saucers and try and make a decent Superman game for once. If they do, I'll be first in line to buy one. Heck, I'll probably be first in line either way. I'm a total sucker for this crap.
March 03, 2003
Preach on, Harry.
Here's a first for you...an impassioned plea at Ain't it Cool News to Warner Bros. that is not only sensible and intelligently presented, it only has a handful of exclamation points and even then, they're presented one-by-one, not all in a row like the site usually does (ex: "A look at INFERNAL AFFAIRS!!!!").I've said pretty much all I need to say on this matter, but the fact is that Superman means something to a lot of people, and the more dissenting voices the better.
I tip my hat to AiCN for a well-reasoned argument. Just be warned, that same maturity can't be said for the site's anarchic comments.
February 28, 2003
I want to believe.
Anyone who knows me reasonably well knows I have something of a small obsession with Superman. In truth, it's actually more than that...I genuinely believe in Superman. Not in the sense that I think if I fall out a window, he's going to swoop in and catch me, of course, but I believe in Superman as an Icon, and I think that carries with it a great deal of meaning. Superman is the closest we have to an Odyseus. He is The Hero of a Thousand Faces, and the prototypical superhero. Everyone else, from Batman to Captain America, are merely tweaks on the same general idea. Which is why Superman has managed to be reimagined successfully with each generation (Smallville being merely the latest in a very long line of such transformations).
Why do I mention all of this? Because every bit of news I read about the upcoming Superman movie simply fills me with disgust. While supposedly the current script is better than this abysmal early draft, this latest bit of casting news hasn't done a whole lot to inspire any confidence in me. I like Alias as much as the next guy, but frankly I'd be perfectly happy if J.J. Abrams would just stay the hell away from Superman.
The fact that it's being planned as a trilogy suggests the kind of epic hubris that brought us Batman & Robin, and I would really rather not see Superman's triumphant return to the big screen be rushed so Warner Bros. can cash in on the current superhero frenzy caused by the decent adaptations of Marvel's major characters.
I saw Daredevil last weekend, and while it wasn't exactly high art by any means, it was entertaining, and unlike any recent attempts at adapting DC heroes into movies, was clearly done with respect and admiration for the source material. I don't want the new Superman movie to fail...I think there should be at least one new movie every ten years...but I'd rather not see one than have something that's going to milk the franchise or something potentially disastrous like the Superman vs. Batman movie that was proposed.
February 10, 2003
Suddenly it all makes sense...
According to this message board post, Rob Liefeld and his team at Extreme were seriously hooked on cocaine for the better part of two years.
Suddenly all those incomprehensible books they published make sense: in order to actually read them, you need large doses of speed.
Should I be relieved that it wasn't me that was the problem, or disturbed that books intended for adolescent boys were being created by junkies all hopped up on goofballs?
I'll go with the first one. Many of the early animators of some of the most beloved cartoons of all time were alcoholics, so this isn't exactly a new trend. And I don't want to know what the people at Ruby Spears were on when they came up with Turbo Teen or Rubik The Amazing Cube.
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