Archive for December, 2006
Well, well, look who’s got a “new and improved” version of their software. I like how they basically admit that the current Blogger is a buggy, piece of crap application and the new version is “more reliable”. And then there’s this big selling point: “Say goodbye to the dreaded ‘Publishing…’ spinner.”
Nice.
By the way, file this under the definition of irony: I’ve been getting the “dreaded ‘Publishing…’ spinner” while trying to publish this very post! Maybe if I’m lucky, it’ll finally publish after the 10th try…
Courtesy of Wendy:
Top 10 Dirtiest Names in Sports – You thought the kids teased you in school? I’d hate to think what these guys went through before they became famous (or semi-famous, as the case may be.) Pete LaCock, Harry Colon, and more.
Heroes vs. Lost: The Rumble in the Sci-Fi TV Jungle – TV geek pits the two shows against each other in a snarky, funny, knock-down, drag-out fight. Categories like “Least Annoyingly Self-righteous Male Lead with a Background in Medicine and Emotionally Unavailable Fathers” and “Better Young Black Kid With Special Powers and Bad Dads”.
The first review I’ve seen for PANEL: Travel is out at Optical Sloth. Generally a positive one:
Once again, nice work with the production value here. As the theme is travel, this is made up like a passport. The usual cast of suspects are brought together here again, which is quickly becoming a good thing in my book.
Not all the comics I wax nostalgic about were mine when I was a kid. Many moons ago, there were no comic stores, no conventions (outside of major cities, anyway), no mylar-bound back issues. The books rotating through the pharmacy shelf on any given week were all the comics in the world—those and the ones in my closet, and in the collections of a couple other kids in the neighborhood. If the kid a couple houses down had that Hulk comic with the Wendigo’s first appearance, you might get to see it while visiting his house, but at the end of the day it was locked back up among his possessions, tantalizingly out of reach. Trading comics was an enjoyable pastime which saw the value of a certain issue determined not by dollar amounts or grading of condition, but by just how much I like this book. Everyone had a couple comics they desired mightily that the neighbor kid just wouldn’t let go of; Travis Parker wouldn’t give up Captain America #253, so it didn’t actually become mine until Groveport got its own comic shop years later. Nevertheless, I remember it fondly.
This comic by Roger Stern and John Byrne is another masterpiece of compression; at the beginning, we see Cap stop a convenience store holdup Dirty Harry-style, complete with a “do you feel lucky, punk?” moment, before moving on to struggling commercial artist Steve Rogers on a date with a supporting cast member, followed by a discussion of the show they saw (Oklahoma). There’s more characterization in those few pages than three trade paperbacks. Only then does Steve get the call from Jarvis that an odd message has arrived at the mansion for Captain America. The colorful Avenger is soon transported to a setting of gothic horror and mystery as he hops a jet to England. A series of gruesome murders has attracted the attention of the residents of Falsworth Manor, who sent Cap the message in a code he hasn’t heard since the days of World War II. Gloom and foreboding fill every panel, effectively distilling the essence of a Conan Doyle or Stoker tale into comic form.
What follows is an Invaders reunion, but the group isn’t ready to spring into action. The formerly nimble Spitfire is an aging widow, and her father, old man Falsworth (aka the original Union Jack), is confined to a wheelchair, gone senile in the eyes of his family as he shouts out the window for the Nazis to get out of his yard. It turns out he has sent the message across the Atlantic, having been convinced that the grisly “Slasher” murders are actually the work of his own estranged brother and wartime nemesis, the vampiric Baron Blood. Everyone knows Blood’s body is still being kept under guard in the Tower of London, but Cap agrees to investigate out of respect for the history he shares with his fellow Invader.
Turns out to be a good idea; in a series of creepily atmospheric panels, Cap demonstrates that a different body has been switched for the vampire’s. Their old enemy is indeed on the loose. As the story progresses, an Agatha Christie-like lineup of cast members is introduced one by one as hints of a mortal accomplice are dropped; the country doctor with the tragic past, the Falsworths themselves, including Spitfire’s young son and his scruffy art school acquaintance. Before the two-part story is over, one will be revealed as Baron Blood, another will become a new Union Jack.
What strikes me most about this issue is the parallels Roger Stern has drawn between the cast of characters and the imminent threat. A palpable sense of regret hangs over the meetings with Cap and his wartime friends as he sees them in their decline, shadows of their former selves, while he is still in his physical prime. As the threat of a vampire hovers over them all, his old friends gathered around him are symbolically undead themselves. This subtext reflects the gloom of the macrocosm the action is taking place in, and if Stern didn’t do it deliberately it’s a very happy accident.
Back to the story: Cap uses himself as bait to draw out Baron Blood, and the battle ensues. I really like this villain; being a vampire is a little odd for an origin story, but in the Marvel Universe perhaps it’s not so illogical when you’re handed a bunch of abilities that qualify as superpowers to decide to pick out a costume and fight superheroes. It’s got to beat dressing up like a Victorian count or one of those goth wankers.
The issue ends on a cliffhanger, as Blood calls on his army of rats to attack the Manor residents and puts Cap under a hypno-zap. The last page shows the Baron about to sink his teeth into Cap’s neck as his friends look on in helpless horror. It wasn’t until years later, when Jake’s Comics opened up in Groveport that I got my own copy of this issue and it’s conclusion, and learned that vampire fangs have a tough time with chain mail.
Darwyn Cooke has created cover art for 4 new Criterion Collection DVDs. The titles are The Haunted Strangler, Corridors of Blood, the Atomic Submarine and First Man Into Space and they can all be seen here. Really amazing art, but I would expect nothing less from Mr. Cooke. Here are my two favorites…
My first review on SPB:Rise! over at the Comics Reporter. A mixed bag but fair. I’m going to take this all in before I start shopping it around.
I caught this on The Beat a few days ago. Vertical Inc., the publisher responsible for bringing Osamu Tezuka’s masterpieces the multiple Eisner award winning 8 volume saga “Buddha” and more recently “Ode to Kirihito” to American audiences for the very first time just announced that they will be translating and publishing yet another Tezuka title, the 500 page graphic novel “Apollo’s Song.”
New York-based independent publisher Vertical, Inc. has announced it is publishing its third Osamu Tezuka property in June 2007. Apollo’s Song will be published as a single-volume graphic novel at approximately 500 pages in length and will follow the same design format as the award-winning classic Buddha, and the runaway hit Ode to Kirihito. Apollo’s Song will have the same trim size as well as an obi-band mini book jacket just like its two American predecessors, and will be published as a trade paperback.
In a continuing effort to show Americans the more literary and adult side of Osamu Tezuka’s manga-graphic novels, Vertical proudly introduces Apollo’s Song, the story of Shogo, a troubled young man who has no faith in love. When his misanthropy reaches its peak, he is met by the Goddess of Love, who condemns him to an eternity of heartbreak.
Vertical, Inc. launched its manga publishing venture with Buddha, an 8-volume biography of the iconic religious leader, thereby making a name for itself as a publisher of prestige-edition comic books. Coincided with the release of its more affordable paperback version was the release of Ode to Kirihito, wherein “kirihito” represents an implied pun on the name Christ as pronounced in Japanese (kirisuto). With nominal appreciation of the ancient Greek god, Tezuka’s homage to spirituality comes full circle in Apollo’s Song.
Damn it all to hell, this is great great news. Tezuka is consistently amazing, and I have yet to be disappointed with anything of his I’ve read, from the kid friendly all ages 23 volumes of “Astro Boy” to the more mature and still outrageously funny and touching “Buddha.”
Heard a promo for this program on NPR today:
“”Chanukah: A Time for Superheroes” illuminates the connection between ancient heroes and modern-day superheroes. Host Arye Gross begins with the Chanukah story of the Maccabees, the Hebrew band of brothers who fought against the religious repression of the Syrian-Greeks over 2000 years ago. This heroic tale has inspired comic book writers since pow, zap and bam first appeared in print and on the silver screen.Listeners enjoy insights from Marvel Comics’ Stan Lee and DC Comics’ Wil Eisner, who describe their humble origins and the backdrop of their Jewish experience that informed Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and Wonder Woman. Listeners also hear from filmmakers Sam Raimi (“Spiderman”) and Brian Singer (“X-Men,”) from Michael Chabon, the acclaimed author of “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay,” and they visit the studios of Art Spiegelman and the Hanouka brothers, cutting-edge graphic novelists.
“Chanukah: A Time for Superheroes” includes archival radio and movie clips, music and readings, all woven around the compelling tale of how the holiday evolved from a story of military victory to one of light and inspiration.”
Here in Columbus, the special will air on WCBE on Saturday, Dec. 16th at 5pm. Check your local NPR station to see if it airs in your area. This is supposedly a PRI production, but I couldn’t find a mention of it anywhere on their site. I’m assuming it’s an old program from previous years, being rebroadcast this year.
Andrew Schoultz, one of my absolute favorite artists, is finally getting a nice thick hardcover book collecting his paintings, drawings, murals, public art, sketches and more. Based in San Francisco, Schoultz is well known for the massive and detailed murals he paints in public spaces. Here are a few photos-
The book is limited to 3000 copies and is being put together by Derek and Jamie, the fine folks behind the Park Life Store & Gallery out in San Francisco. Check out Andrew’s site for more examples of his amazing art, and if you want the book then head over to Park Life Store to reserve a copy. Derek tells me they’ll be shipping at the end of December.
I saw this post by Jesse Hamm over at The Comics Journal message board and it got me thinking. The thread was questioning what superhero comics, specifically from the Big Two, would have to do differently to be as fresh and exciting as our modern perception tells us the work of Lee, Kirby, Ditko and so on were back in the day. Jesse wrote…
Here’s what happened to superheroes: fans got old enough to realize they should add adult drama to their entertainment diet, but they were too lazy to start reading alt comix or Raymond Carver or whomever, so they starting enthusing over the adultish elements in their usual fare, resulting in a tsunami of soapy stories about deeply flawed superheroes suffering romantic and/or political troubles, often sans costume. Today’s “grown-up” superheroes are to comics what McDonalds’ “healthy options” menu is to food: a dull-but-guilt-free middle ground between decadence and nourishment.
TV has occupied that middle ground since its inception — never as trashy as film, nor as profound — and now it’s the superheroes’ turn to snap on that tie, clip on those earrings, and parade around the party with a long-stemmed glass of Martinelli’s.
I’m really not sure what I think of that right now, but it’s really got my brain working.
It’s back to Marvel week. Here’s some Frank Castle for you vigilante types…
(click image to punisherize)
(previous weeks: 9/12/2005, 9/19/2005, 9/26/2005, 10/3/2005, 10/10/2005, 10/17/2005, 10/24/2005, 10/31/2005, 11/1/2005, 11/2/2005, 11/3/2005, 11/4/2005, 11/5/2005, 11/6/2005, 11/7/2005, 11/14/2005, 11/21/2005, 11/28/2005, 12/5/2005, 12/12/2005, 12/19/2005, 12/26/2005, 1/2/2006, 1/9/2006, 1/16/2006, 1/23/2006, 1/30/2006, 2/06/2006, 2/13/2006, 2/20/2006, 2/27/2006, 3/6/2006, 3/13/2006, 3/20/2006, 3/27/2006, 4/3/2006, 4/4/2006, 4/5/2006, 4/6/2006, 4/7/2006, 4/8/2006, 4/9/2006, 4/10/2006, 4/17/2006, 4/23/2006, 5/1/2006, 5/8/2006, 5/15/2006, 5/22/2006, 5/29/2006, 6/5/2006, 6/12/2006, 6/19/2006, 6/26/2006, 7/3/2006, 7/10/2006, 7/17/2006, 7/24/2006, 7/31/2006, 8/7/2006, 8/13/2006, 8/21/2006, 8/28/2006, 9/4/2006, 9/11/2006, 9/18/2006, 9/25/2006, 10/2/2006, 10/9/2006, 10/16/2006, 10/23/2006, 10/30/2006, 11/6/2006, 11/13/2006, 11/20/2006, 11/27/2006, 12/4/2006)
New Punk Planet‘s out with an amusing Top 10 issue. Comic related: An interview with Dash Shaw, a top ten from Brent Warnock & Paul Hornschemier, and reviews (heavy on the Oni product this go)
Funny sampling for you Lost fanatics..
10 TOP HEADLINES OF 2006 PAIRED WITH QUOTES FROM SAWYER, OF THE HIT TV SHOW LOST, THAT SOUND AN AWFUL LOT LIKE THINGS GEORGE W BUSH WOULD SAY
1. House Ethics Commitee Member Steps Down
“So how does it feel? Taking my place at the top of everyone’s most hated list. Sucks, don’t it?”
2.Vice President Shoots Friend During Hunting Expedition
“Don’t look at me. I was just here pushing the button.”
3. Bush Proposes Legislation to Authorize the Use of Military Tribunals
“Sorry, I’m fresh out of sweet forgiveness.”
4.Tom Delay Leaves Congress
“Why are you lookin’ at me?”
5. Bin Laden Warns U.S. of al-Queda’s Plans
” If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some revenge to tend to.”
6. Scientists Find Evidence of Water on a Saturn Moon
“I’ll take comfort knowin’ some day, this is all gonna be a real nice shopping complex. Maybe even an auto mall.”
7. Bush Tours New Orleans, Promises Change
“You got a Band-Aid?”
8. Sectarian Violence Continues in Iraq
“I’m guessing everybody’s going to want to play cowboys and Indians. And once those guns are out and about, something tells me they ain’t never going back in.”
9.President Bush Turns 60
“Do I get a lollipop?”
10. North Korea Performs Nuclear Weopons Test
“Well, well. Look at who’s got a secret stash… Seeing as I got all the guns, I do get to ask why.”
Three articles bridging the small divide between computer nerds and genre geeks:
1) Top 20 Hackers in Film History – from Wyatt Donnelly (Weird Science) to Michael Bolton & Samir Nagheenanajar (Office Space)
2) Top Ten Servers in the Movies – from Teletraan 1 (Transformers) to Deep Thought (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy)
3) What code DOESN’T do in real life (that it does in the movies) – “Code is not three dimensional,” “People who write code use mice ,” etc.
Let your geek flag fly.
Iron Man #150
Despite the fact that Iron Man has been around as long as any of Marvel’s mainstays, I don’t quite grasp his popularity. The surface concept of the character is cool, but there’s no appealing human core driving the personality of the main character, like Spider-Man’s guilt or Batman’s grim resolve. The series has probably been carried by the strengths of whoever happened to be working on the book at a given time, and while several popular names have been attached to the character, only once in my experience did a writer/artist team intersect to make something memorable. Fortunately for Tony Stark, it was memorable enough to propel the series through years of mediocrity to follow.
David Michelinie wrote my least favorite issues of Amazing Spider-Man, teaming with Todd Macfarlane to turn everyman Peter Parker into the spouse of a supermodel, hanging out with rock stars. Whatever fantasies he was expressing were much better suited to Tony Stark, and he grounded them in the business world of Stark International’s industrial complex much more effectively. I came into the series shortly after the alcoholism storyline, when the series had settled comfortably into a cycle of corporate boardrooms, goofy supervillains, and playboy living. A solid supporting cast and a series of costumed lunatics tearing up the factory grounds was penciled by newbie John Romita jr.; I’ve always liked the guy’s art, but I think he peaked early, and on this series.
The cover of this particular issue blares “150th Anniversary Issue!” as if those earliest episodes featured a steam-driven suit of armor back in the 1830’s. Semantics aside, this comic abstains from any form of retrospective story (since, as mentioned, the character has no real history to look back on) to give us the next best thing: an adventure story with everything but the kitchen sink crammed between the covers of the double-sized book. The previous issue showed Iron Man tracking some missing tech to Latveria, where a battle with Doctor Doom ensued. During the scuffle, the pair lands on Doom’s time machine, and a minion with a grudge throws a lever to send his master and the Avenger back in time, presumably lost. They wind up in the least likely setting for a story about techno-warrior Iron Man:
Camelot. Okay, maybe there’s some connection in that these two armored guys (who aren’t even traditional foes) are mixing it up with a bunch of knights, but that connection is tenuous at best. But who cares? Iron Man and Doom are dragged before King Arthur himself. Iron Man wows the crowd with the old magnetically-levitating-the-throne trick, but Doom considers such parlor tricks beneath him, flashing his royal insignia to the fellow monarch instead. The two are led away to separate quarters while the King considers their fate, and Tony Stark ponders life as a technological fish-out-of-water in this age of myth and magic. His outlook does brighten at one point, however:
Good old Iron Man. Unlike Batman, who pretends to be a playboy but would rather be busting heads, this guy really digs the cars, drinks, and chicks that come with the superhero lifestyle. That drinking problem aside, that’s a well-adjusted hero.
Doom, on the other hand, takes off to find the only woman in this time he’s interested in; it turns out the time machine’s coordinates were preset as part of a mission to track down Morgana Le Fey. A frequently overlooked part of Doom’s backstory is his gypsy heritage, including dabbling in sorcery. His mother was a sorceress herself, and Doom obsesses about freeing her from Hell or wherever she ended up. To that end, he has used his time machine to track down mystics through the ages to learn their ways. Le Fey agrees to help him if he in turn will lead an army of zombies against King Arthur; only upon seeing an army of zombies waiting to do his bidding does Doom become aroused.
Now comes the battle royal, as Doom and Iron man take to the skies while Arthurian knights and zombies trade blows on the ground. This issue really does have everything! Iron Man has an epiphany that if he bypasses Doom and takes the fight to Le Fey, the zombie menace will be dealt with– but on the way, he has to fight a dragon, grumbling about his dislike for magic as he produces just the right gadget to neutralize it.
With Le Fey gone, Doom is pissed, but he’s also pragmatic. He has no reason to stay in this time, but he needs Iron Man’s help to get back to the distant future of 1981, so he promises not to kill him for the time being. Then we’re treated to an A-Team style montage as the two disassemble their suits of armor to construct a time machine. As a bonus, we get one of those Kirby-esque gadgets at the end of the process, along with some cool time travel special effects that might be mistaken for Ditko’s work:
Any good comic with Doctor Doom should be replete with excellent quotes, and this is no exception. Besides going through the entire issue referring to Iron Man as “lackey”, Doom delivers:
“You dare lay a hand on me? You have little regard for your life, fool. And I have even less!”
“Your repulsor means as little to me as the slap of a velvet glove!”
When a knight presumes he has used a catapult to make a hole in the side of the castle: “Fah! Doctor Doom needs only—DOCTOR DOOM!”
Another chapter in the Stuck saga wrapped up yesterday. Check out the whole she-bang here. I guess Vito & I are taking a break till January. There’ll be a lil’ interview session next week and some such to fill in the void.