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The question of if comics can be saved
2007-05-05 20:58:00
A writer for the National Post in Canada asks this and also says:Faced with the onslaught of new media, the comic-book industry has endured declining readership in recent decades. In 1996, industry icon Marvel Comics was forced into bankruptcy. Between 1997 and 2000, comic book sales in North America fell more than 50%.While this is true, let me add that it's not just new media that comics face, but also problems from within as well, including the politicization, the use of too many "hot" writers, and also ones with questionable or no respect for the characters at hand.The problems, simply put, run much deeper than what's told here.
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The usurpers
2007-05-04 06:17:00
We read here on CBR that a different team of New Warriors is being published. A team that's meant to take the place of those who were disgraced during Civil War.To the citizens of the Marvel Universe, the New Warriors have become synonymous with tragedy, but that may soon change. It was the hasty actions of the team which lead to the destruction of the town of Stamford, the passage of the Superhero Registration Act and the resulting "Civil War." This June in the premier issue of a new ongoing series, readers will see that Registration may be the law, but a new team of "New Warriors" has gathered together in defiance of that law and are taking on the evil doers of the Marvel U. CBR News spoke with "New Warriors" writer Kevin Grevioux about the series.Put another way, they're still going by the defamation of the real team of New Warriors. I see no reason then to support this title.When "New Warriors" #1 begins, the new team will have already banded together. "When we first see the N...
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Mark Waid, too, begins to lose my respect
2007-05-03 07:09:00
I looked at this interview done for the closing of 52, and to be quite honest, I think that Mark Waid really blows it here.As we look back on 52, Waid sat down with Newsarama to talk about the project and give some insight into how the mysteries of 52 evolved. And as we chatted about detectives and mysteries, we delved into the world of Ralph Dibny -- and how the idea to make him and Sue into "ghost detectives" was one of the first 52 endings the writers decided upon and solidified.Without any real humor, I would have to figure. Regardless, the whole notion of making them into "ghost detectives" reeks of sensationalism - certainly as written here - and that's not what I asked for as a reader either.Next:MW: [laughs] It's just that Action Comics Weekly was one of the most ironically titled comics in history. That was a production nightmare from the get-go. That was where everything had to stop on a Friday afternoon at DC Comics so that we could get Action Comics Weekly out. It was ...
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Eighth Comic Book Carnival
2007-05-01 11:48:00
Welcome to the May 2, 2007 edition of the comic book carnival. Here's this month's submissions.Michelle presents Why Spiderman Totally Conquers Superman posted at scribbit.Hube presents Minority superheroes posted at The Colossus of Rhodey.desi cartoonist presents march+05+title.jpg (image) posted at desi cartoonist.Widgett Walls presents Four Color Fury: What Do Marvel Comic s Covers Say About Their Fans? posted at Needcoffee.com.Trina Cole presents Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight ?The Long Way Home posted at Talkin' 'Bout TV.Michelle Mitchell presents Why Spiderman Totally Conquers Superman posted at scribbit.Xbox360 Fanboy presents SEGA reigns in Thor, Captain America, Hulk - Xbox 360 Fanboy posted at Xbox360 Fanboy.Jon Swift presents Day By Day's Chris Muir Gives Hillary a Blackface Makeover posted at Jon Swift. Chris Muir, the cartoonist who draws Day By Day, thought it was a terribly unfair double standard that only liberals get to use blackface so he decided to do so...
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Frank Miller gets it. DC/Warner doesn't
2007-04-30 13:15:00
In a new interview with Frank Miller in the Los Angeles Times (registration required), he minces no words in making clear what the problem is with today's Hollywimps, and comics publishers too (Hat tip: Michelle Malkin): MUCH has been made of Miller's politics in the wake of "300." The deliriously violent and stylized sword film is based on a Spartan battle in 480 B.C., and although Miller wrote and drew the story for Dark Horse comics a decade ago, in film form it was received by many as a grotesque parody of the ancient Persians and a fetish piece for a war on Islam. Miller scoffs at those notions. "I think it's ridiculous that we set aside certain groups and say that we can't risk offending their ancestors. Please. I'd like to say, as an American, I was deeply offended by 'The Last of the Mohicans.'"Still, Miller gets stirred up about any criticism of the war in Iraq or the hunt for terrorists, which he views as the front in a war between the civilized Western world and bl...
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Real-life Kryptonite
2007-04-29 04:54:00
In some stranger-than-fiction news, The Scotsman reports about how in Serbia, a mineral was discovered containing chemicals similar to the Kryptonite featured in one of the Superman movies. Isn't that amazing? And yet, with the way it's structured, something tells me it may not be as dangerous as the mineral in the comics!
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Exhibit on blacks in comics at Jackson University
2007-04-28 22:30:00
Here's an article from the Arizona Daily Star about an exhibit on blacks in comics at the Jack son State University in Mississippi.
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Marvel Studios sinks into dhimmitude - and traitorousness
2007-04-26 19:04:00
Marvel as a comics company has been doing some very disgustingly moonbatty things lately, but what about Marvel Studio s over in Hollywood? If it's under the same ownership, then they too should be ashamed of themselves for giving academic internship to members of enemy country like the UAE (H/T: Debbie Schlussel):DUBAI - Young Arab Leaders (YAL) and Marvel Studios have agreed to the first ever Hollywood academic internship alliance, according to Mohammed Khammas, the YAL UAE chapter Vice Chairman.Marvel Studios, one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, has agreed to allow sponsored internship students interested in film studio production, directing, editing, script writing, publishing, animation, marketing and back lot associated careers to work directly under Marvel staff in the full range of industry careers.Mohammed Khammas stated "The alliance between Young Arab Leaders and Marvel Studios marks the first of its kind in the world. From our end,...
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Nope, WW3 isn't worth it
2007-04-24 13:44:00
At the Titans Tower Monitor, the webmaster lets us all know that World War 3 is not worth your time and money:I got 'em all, but was rather underwhelmed. The 'gaps' they were supposed to 'explain'? Hardly!! The Supergirl stuff is still confusing... Donna Troy, Nightwing/Jason and Batgirl are not even explained, even though they have panel time. Terra is senselessly killed so Didio can do his 'old mask-new face' trick again. ONE YEAR LATER has been horribly, horribly executed. SECRET WARS did it better over 20 years ago.That may be the "new" Terra, who turned up in 1991, but that still doesn't justify slaying her. If I were in charge, I would've revealed that she was a clone and had her simply pass away when her lifeline energy gives out. But to actually slay her, if you ask me, was uncalled for.I'm really not surprised if WW3 is as dreadful as it sounds here, as it seems more geared to hype than a well written story. Once again, another "event" comic that's worth skipping.
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A Vic Sage fansite that should've stood up for him
2007-04-24 10:11:00
I looked at this fansite for the Question some time ago, and I seem to remember them saying on the main page that they said they'd accept whatever was done with Vic Sage . And you know something? If that's what they said, I'm appalled. DC may have offed a viable character in favor of one who isn't very interesting (Renee Montoya), and who's unlikely to receive any human interest stories like what Vic Sage had in the late 80s series, and they won't even fight for him? To me, this sounds like weakness.If they were smart, they'd voice their objections. That 's exactly what should be done, and not to just go along accepting what's done in Emperor's New Clothes style.
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Port St. Lucie has first comics convention
2007-04-24 10:07:00
Here's an article from the Palm Beach Post about a guy involved in setting up the first convention in the neighborhood of Port St. Lucie in Florida.
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Three Missouri natives attend local convention
2007-04-22 10:34:00
Denny O'Neil, Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich all attended the Cape Girardeau Comic Con this week. The organizer, store manager Ken Murphy, had something to say that I agree with:Murphy, a sports-loving family man, hates the stereotypes that often are attached to comic book and gaming hobbyists -- people who Murphy says come from all walks of life. But Murphy also said the area has long supported comic books as a hobby and a creative pursuit, as evidenced by people like Thomas and Friedrich -- respected comic book names from Southeast Miss ouri .I completely concur with that. That's why I find the word "geek" which originally referred to a circus performer who ate chicken heads or something in the mid-1950s, so appalling. I remember that several years ago, when the first X-Men movie was being produced, there were quite a few press sources who seemed to use the word geek, and while it's always possible to wear it with staunch pride, that still doesn't mean it's justified. Sometimes ...
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I'm appalled
2007-04-22 05:06:00
I looked at the ICV2 sales chart for last month, and I see that Captain America #25 sold at least 290,000 copies. I will make clear, that issue did not deserve an audience, yet readers bought into the publicity and went for it anyway.In fact, nothing written by Brian Bendis deserves an audience either. That he may dislike some of the characters in the Avengers like Hawkeye, for example, indicates a serious problem with some of today's writers, that they allow their personal dislike of a character to get out of hand, and do bad things to them. (But also wrong is when the editors allow them to go too far with them.) So it's not only the problem with "hot" writers that needs to be dealt with, but also the problem with writers who let their personal biases dictate what they do with someone else's favorite characters.
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The log of a "splog"
2007-04-21 20:18:00
Not very pleasing, but, as I discovered, there's a "splog", meaning, a spam-blog, that's been siphoning content from my own blog for a few months now, probably by logging on to my RSS feed, I'm not sure. It's on a server called 120host, and here's the URL, where, with the possible exception of anything that involves javascript in the post, it's been copying off of my blog and, if I'm sending a trackback ping to some Wordpress blogs (it's powered by their software), it seems to follow suit.According to this blogger here, who's also been getting content siphoned from this server:It's a "splog", or a spam blog. A splogger syphons high-quality content from an original blog (We are talking high-quality in baesian terms. It can be utter trite as far as humans are concerned.) Visitors from search engines then visit the splog and drive the ad revenue.I have quite a few of them attached, although the 120host is unique because apparently it seeks me personally (e.g. it double-source...
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Hawkgirl now cancelled
2007-04-20 14:13:00
Hawkgirl joins the recent Firestorm on the cancellation heap with issue #66. Personally, I wonder if what led to this was that, similar to Firestorm, they forcibly replaced one protagonist with another, or as in the case of the Hawks, they replaced the male lead with the female lead.Much as I find the idea of putting the lady in the lead intriguing, the way it was done here, to turn Hawkman into Hawkgirl was still otherwise arbitrary and done solely as change for the sake of change. But also damaging was what Identity Crisis did to make Carter Hall look like a cad, which they seem to have used as an excuse for replacing him with Kendra Saunders and even changing the series' name from male to female.It was a series that had some great potential, if you ask me, but in the end, they ultimately squandered it all.
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Wow, DC must be desperate to get an audience for the Flash as it stands now
2007-04-20 09:21:00
I don't think I've seen this kind of promotion in publishing schedules that often:THE FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE #14Written by Marc GuggenheimArt by Tony S. Daniel & Art ThibertCover by Joshua MiddletonDC Comics announces the second month of a special FLASH promotion as the Fastest Man Alive?s world changes forever! Retailers: please check your the Previews order form for a special incentive designed to help you meet the demand for this story. Fans: remind your retailer early and often to order you a copy!On sale July 18 ? 32 pg, FC, $2.99 USSomething tells me that, with the way sales have plunged for the Scarlet Speedster's title sometime after the forced replacement of Wally West with Bart Allen, they are desperate to try and get people to come back. Sorry, but, only if they're willing to be honest and say clearly that they'll bring back Wally and Linda West, little the worse for wear, will I be willing to consider. This news clip doesn't say anything beyond what we see, o...
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Scott McCloud goes to Krannert in Illinois for another lecture
2007-04-20 09:03:00
Scott McCloud makes another lecturing visit on his 50-state tour to promote his book "Making Comics", this time at Krannert in Illinois :In 1993, the comics writer, artist and theorist first championed the powerful language of comics with his book "Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art."McCloud's book was not simply a text about comics with pictorial examples, but was instead written and drawn entirely in comic book format. John Jennings, an associate professor in FAA, said of McCloud, "In my opinion, Scott McCloud is one of the most important figures in visual culture and media literacy. His insight into the comics medium is second to none, and his passion and expertise will influence comic book creators for generations to come."I certainly hope he does make an impact.
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Black Canary miniseries in July
2007-04-19 09:35:00
So here's some news on Black Cana ry's upcoming miniseries, which is being written by Tony Bedard, and is coming out in three months.I still think that, whatever her position in the DCU, that she should still be a cast member in Birds of Prey, which works much better with her in it. If DC wants to both her and BoP to work properly, they should bring her back.
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DC: the chickens come home to roost
2007-04-18 20:04:00
There were some others who quoted this most recent look at DC sales on The Beat, and I guess I will too, even if it's later than most others:DC Comics are increasingly struggling to keep up with Marvel in terms of market share and chart domination. The good news is that DC?s average sales recovered somewhat in February, thanks to a strong debut of new team-up title The Brave and the Bold, and to a bunch of high-selling titles returning to the shelves after being absent for various reasons in January. However, for the first time in two years, the publisher failed to break the 100K barrier with any of its releases ? in fact, Justice League of America and the elusive All Star Batman are now the only DC titles which haven?t dropped below that marker, and DC doesn?t seem to have any obvious new 100K+ sellers lined up for the next several months. Additionally, the problem of late-shipping titles persists. Justice League of America #6, Teen Titans #44 and Superman Confidential #4 are the ...
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An RPG tourist attraction based on a manga strip
2007-04-17 09:33:00
Here's an article from Japan's Asahi Shimbun in English that talks about a manga series called Detective Conan, and a kind of role-playing game that was done for a day as a tourist attraction: It didn't take a detective to figure out why there was a queue of about 300 people on a street in Hokuei recently.The crowd was anxiously awaiting the opening of the Gosho Aoyama Manga Factory, an attraction that local leaders are hoping will put the town of about 16,700 people on the tourist map.Aoyama was born in what now constitutes Hokuei, and he is best known for the "Meitantei Conan" (Detective Conan) manga series.On March 18, the manga factory opened its doors to the crowds of fans and curious locals.A taped message from the famous manga artist was played at a ceremony to welcome those gathered."I hope you will check into every little corner of the entire facility because it is filled with the essence of all of the works I have produced so far."Facility officials said after the large...
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Edward Norton to star in a new Hulk movie
2007-04-17 06:09:00
There's going to be another Hulk movie, but, as some recent news reports have indicated, could this be a remake rather than a sequel?LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Two-time Academy Award nominee Edward Norton will play scientist-turned-superhero Bruce Banner in a new movie version of "The Incredible Hulk," Marvel Entertainment said on Monday.The new movie is based on the comic book series telling of the exploits of Banner, a scientist who transforms into a giant green brute, and it follows a 2003 big-budget film called "Hulk" that failed to catch fire with audiences or critics.Norton, 37, is among Hollywood's most versatile actors, having appeared in more than 20 films including "American History X" and "Primal Fear," both of which earned him Oscar nominations for acting. For the most part, his roles have been in dramas such as 2006's "The Illusionist," making his choice to portray a comic book hero a novel idea."His ability to transform into a particular role makes him the ideal choice...
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Gail Simone to write WW
2007-04-15 21:35:00
I see now that Gail Simon e is going to be the new writer for Wonder Woman (via Monitor Duty). Maybe now, there'll be something auspicuous to come of this third volume.Update: more evidence as to why we should hope so: while looking at the Dixonverse forum, someone tells what happens in WW #7:Wonder Woman has been in search of her 'bracelet' in issue #7 and gets picked up the Metahuman Force and taken in for questioning. There is another witty/stupid exchange with a Sarge Steel who informs her she will be detained till they get info on some 'Purple Ray' power. When the Sarge says he was told to do this, WW says 'Violate The Geneva Convention?', Orders from the White House is the answer. I was surprised WW wasn't put in an orange suit and sent to Gitmo. I'm getting fed up with these moronic analogies to Gitmo. The people there are NOT superheroes, Cut the CR@P. Sorry, had to get that off my chest. If this is the crux of the WW III by DC, after Marvels Civil War, I'll pass....
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Could Marvel have "killed off" Captain America because of this?
2007-04-15 06:25:00
Not content with just being anti-America n in their storytelling, Marvel 's management is now following in the footsteps of Halliburton* (the company Michael Moore profited from even as he attacked them), and doing a deal with Dubai to open a theme park there.FastCompany, a mostly business related blog, wondered if Capt. America was sacrificed on the alter of global business (or, put another way, to appease the enemy):Less than two weeks after the surprise death of this superhero created during World War II to embody the patriotic spirit, Marvel Entertainment Group announced a partnership with UAE-based Al Ahli Group. According to Marvel?s press release, this partnership ?will bring Marvel?s full library of Super Heroes ? including Spider-Man, Iron Man, The X-Men, Incredible Hulk, The Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer ? to Dubai for a major new theme park destination being developed by AAG.? Captain America died just in time.Apparently, there is no longer room in Marvel?s library for ...
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Interview with Paul Norris of Aquaman fame
2007-04-15 04:26:00
The San Diego Union Tribune interviews Paul Norris, the artist who co-created Aqua man with Mort Weisinger back in the Golden Age, who's now 92 years old:OCEANSIDE ? Paul Norris is still getting fan mail for the comic book character he created more than 65 years ago.The 92-year-old Oceanside resident created ?Aquaman? in 1941 with DC Comics editor Mort Weisinger, known for his work on Superman.It was the golden age of comics when Norris was asked to create a super human who lived in the sea.?I drew up the character, and off he went,? Norris said.?Aquaman? appeared around the world and developed a following throughout Europe that still exists today.Wow, if that's so, then how can anyone ever say the Sea King isn't a great character? He certainly is, and the Silver Age adventures are certainly said to be well regarded.
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Kirsten Dunst puts a cloud over Spider-Man 3
2007-04-12 20:14:00
I was really looking forward to Spider-Man 3, which is set to debut next month. But then, I was thunderstruck to find out that Kirsten Dunst , who plays Mary Jane Watson in it, put a cloud over the production while in Britain, where she spoke with Live magazine and according to The Sun (via Celebslam):MOVIE star KIRSTEN DUNST believes the world would be a better place if "everyone smoked weed".During a revealing interview, the Spider-Man 3 actress admitted to smoking marijuana and trying other drugs.Kirsten told a British newspaper: "I drink moderately, I've tried drugs. I do like weed. I have a different outlook on marijuana than America does."My best friend SASHA'S dad was CARL SAGAN, the astronomer. He was the biggest pot smoker in the world and he was a genius."I've never been a major smoker, but I think America's view on weed is ridiculous. I mean - are you kidding me? If everyone smoked weed, the world would be a better place."I'm not talking about being stoned all day, th...
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Finding a tinker-job done in a trade paperback
2007-04-11 11:04:00
If you're looking to buy the trades of the New Teen Titans, namely, Terra Incognito and the Judas Contract, you'll probably want to know that there's a very odd manipulation in the former.A couple years ago, I bought three issues of the New Teen Titans from around the time of the Terra storyline. Later on, I bought both the above trade paperbacks, and so I now more or less have all of that famous storyline. That aside, when looking at some of the pages inside the former, I noticed that there was some very strange thing done there, as I'll explain by presenting the following panels below. For starters, here's page 9 from NTT 28:Now, Donna sure looks great taking a shower, doesn't she? But the main subject here is how, in the trade paperback, they manipulated her word balloon when she's talking to Koriand'r about Dick and how he tries to be as good as Batman (being such a classy girl, she often referred to the Masked Manhunter back then as THE Batman, which probably shows how ...
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Ostrander is going to kill off a Titan in "WW3"
2007-04-09 19:58:00
The fluff-coated Wizard runs an interview with John Ostrander in which we discover that he too suffers from the problem of obsession with death obsession:War is about to break loose in the DC Universe, and no one is safe?not even the junior superhero team, the Teen Titan s. In a series of one-shots being released April 18 in conjunction with issue #50 of the weekly series 52, the DC Universe will feel the wrath of Black Adam. We sat down with writer John Ostrander to talk about World War III Part 3: Hell Is for Heroes, in which we?ll see one of the Teen Titans die. The comic veteran reveals that the issue will show readers how Black Adam?s rage is not without cause, and he hints at the possibility of another death in the issue.Oh, I'll bet it's not. And that line about how no one is safe, I can't stand that either.WIZARD: So, one of the Teen Titans is going to die, huh?OSTRANDER: Someone asked me that question and I said, ?Hmm?only one?? [Laughs][Wizard:] So more than one of the T...
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Gail Simone is departing from BoP
2007-04-09 19:39:00
It seems that Gail Simon e is leaving Birds of Prey. If she leaves while fixing the error Mark Waid made when he killed off Tora Olafsdotter a decade ago, then she'll have left a solid mark to her record on that series.
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Warren Ellis "starts masked hero revolution". Yawn
2007-04-07 20:06:00
So Warren Ellis is putting out his first creator-owned material with Avatar Press called "Black Summer". Sorry to say, but I have very little respect for this would-be writer whose standings towards the US are so negative, and when spotting this little line here about the premise, that's what tells me this may be quite dreadful indeed:Series protagonist John Horus was a retired member of the once government-endorsed team of superheros called the Seven Guns, but when the political situation in the USA becomes more than he can stand, he moves to take matters into his own hands. Since all his other team-mates aren't so eager to throw the world into chaos, an epic conflict starts to form. And no one will be safe as the bodies start to fall.And I'm sure this book will be more than I can stand either. I've got no interest in hearing Ellis drone on and on about how he doesn't like US government policy. And if even independent comics start becoming full of all this political nonsense, ...
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Now what did Mark Sable do?
2007-04-06 10:12:00
This is one more minor followup to the prior post I did on Eddie Berganza. I'd seen that Sable took to speaking on the forum of Girl-Wonder about his upcoming role on just one issue of Supergirl, it turns out, but does even he emerge from Berganza's debacle unscathed? Not really. Besides, here at the FCMM, any comic book staffer/freelancer can be subject to criticism and will do well to respect that. He went onto this thread here and said:...I'd first like to say I can [u]nderstand why you and many others aren't happy with the tone of the column, but I'm hoping that you'll be able to look past that and give our issues a fair shot. Regardless of how it was expressed, speaking only for myself, I beleive the sentiment behind the column is sincere.Let's see, he speaks for himself, or does he? The sentiment has already been exposed as shoddy contempt, given what issue #15 turned out to be like.* He can say what he likes, but in my mind, he's only apologized for a man who doesn't...
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