Archive for July, 2008
I leave tomorrow morning for Comic-Con International, aka San Diego Con, aka Nerd Prom.
If you happen to be at the show, I’ll be signing copies of my various IDW books at the IDW Booth (#1705) on Saturday morning, from 10-11. Sharing the table with me during that timeslot will be:
- Ben Templesmith – Artist, 30 Days of Night comic
- David Slade – Director, 30 Days of Night movie
- Chris McKenna – Screenwriter, Igor movie, Family Guy TV show
Fantastic Four 48-50
There’s simply no excuse for missing this one. If we assume funny books are actually a valid art form, then this story is our Mona Lisa, our Citizen Kane, our Sgt. Pepper– our Da Vinci Code. Everything comics are capable of communicating, their grand cosmic scope and subtle human experience, is distilled into the wonderment which is spread over the three issues which are commonly called “The Galactus Trilogy.”
It wasn’t until these issues came out in Masterworks form that I was able to read the story as originally presented. I first saw it in one of those oversized treasury editions that Marvel used to put out, and assumed I had a heavily edited version of the story; the page count of the Fantastic Four’s first encounter with Galactus and the Silver Surfer only came to about enough to fill two comics, not the three which must have comprised the “trilogy.” I was both right and wrong; the first half of issue 48 is actually the conclusion to a long-running Inhumans storyline, while the back half of issue 50, after Galactus has left, is all subplot and character development as Johnny Storm moves off to college and a new villain is introduced hatching his plans. So, yeah, I had about an issue’s worth of pages trimmed from that treasury, but all the Galactus material was fortunately intact.
Stan suggested to Jack for the plot, “the F.F. fight God,” and Jack sent back pages of omens and signs presaging the arrival of a prophet, all the trappings of a classic myth set in modern day New York City. Here’s what our heroes witness upon their return home from their adventure in the Hidden Land: the skies turned to fire as the people panic in the streets. Soon the fire turns to a sea of stone hiding the sky, and we later learn this is the work of the Watcher, who is trying to conceal the planet from the figure approaching from deepest space on the back of a silver surfboard.
The Watcher’s efforts fail, however, and the stranger from the stars (who looks strangely like a hood ornament and whose ridiculous form of transportation Jack actually manages to sell to us, he’s that good) sends a signal back to the stars he traveled from. Too late, the Thing clobbers him from his perch atop the Baxter Building, sending him flying over the rooftops of the city. The damage has been done, however, as a wonderful Kirby spaceship collage presages the arrival of the big G.
The cool thing about Galactus is, he’s not a villain. He needs to eat to survive, he’s just a being of such a higher order than we mere humans that he doesn’t view us as being worth consideration. Most humans don’t get worked up over the morality of a chicken sandwich (besides vegetarians, obviously), and we’re closer to chickens than Galactus is to human. Rather than a villain, I view Galactus as an analogy to our own strip-mining, oil-guzzling, toxic waste-dumping selves, stripping away all the resources of a planet without any consideration for the cost. Stan and Jack’s depiction in issue 49, as related by the Watcher, seems to back that up:
So, the FF are facing their most desperate battle with the fate of the entire world on the line… and losing. Galactus is just way out of their league, and all their powers add up to a goose egg for the chances of Earth’s survival. Salvation instead is going to come in the form of a blind sculptress named Alicia Masters who takes in the Silver Surfer, still dazed from the Thing’s attack. His encounter with her and the conversation they share awakens all the sentimental old humanoid feelings the Surfer harbors somewhere inside that shell, and he decides he can’t let a planet full of people like her get reduced to dust.
The Watcher, meanwhile, has sent the Human Torch on an errand. Flying through a Clarke/Kubrick-style space warp, Johnny Storm arrives at the home of Galactus, a Mobius-strip space station chock full of scientific wonders beyond human ken. Somewhere on this vessel is an artifact which might help the humans in their fight against Galactus. But the Torch isn’t going to find it and return in time…
…unless Galactus’ former loyal servant turns on his master and buys some time. He ultimately fares just as poorly as everyone else– he’s fighting with power given to him by Galactus to begin with– but manages to hold the line long enough for the Human Torch to materialize and hand over to Reed Richards a doomsday device called the Ultimate Nullifier.
The nullifier is a weapon capable of wiping out everything in existence, Big G included. Mister Fantastic threatens to eradicate the cosmos if Earth isn’t spared, and Galactus falls for the bluff, packing up his world crushing machines and leaving– but not before dealing out some heavy handed punishment to his former herald, stripping him of much of his power and imprisoning him on Earth.
I really envy those readers who encountered these stories and their contemporaries when they were newly minted. Imagine picking these issues from the spinner rack in a mom and pop store and encountering these characters and concepts for the first time; those silver age books were buzzing with wonder and discovery. How long has it been since we were given a new Galactus, or Inhumans, or Savage Land, or Negative Zone? I find a lot of faults with modern comics, but really, I’d shut up if they weren’t simply boring.
This week’s page is once again courtesy of PANELista Craig Bogart. Guess away:.
(click image to weirdify)
(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, 12/11/2006, 12/18/2006, 12/25/2006, 1/1/2007, 1/8/2007, 1/15/2007, 1/22/2007, 1/29/2007, 2/5/2007, 2/12/2007, 2/19/2007, 2/26/2007, 3/5/2007, 3/12/2007, 3/19/2007, 3/26/2007, 4/2/2007, 4/5/2007, 4/9/2007, 4/16/2007, 4/23/2007, 4/30/2007, 5/7/2007, 5/14/2007, 5/21/2007, 5/28/2007, 6/4/2007, 6/11/2007, 6/18/2007, 6/25/2007, 7/2/2007, 7/9/2007, 7/16/2007, 7/23/2007, 7/30/2007, 8/6/2007, 8/13/2007, 8/20/2007, 8/27/2007, 9/3/2007, 9/10/2007, 9/17/2007, 9/24/2007, 10/1/2007, 10/8/2007, 10/15/2007, 10/22/2007, 10/29/2007, 11/5/2007, 11/12/2007, 11/19/2007, 11/26/2007, 12/3/2007, 12/10/2007, 12/17/2007, 12/24/2007, 12/31/2007, 1/7/2008, 1/14/2008, 1/21/2008, 1/28/2008, 2/4/2008, 2/11/2008, 2/18/2008, 2/25/2008, 3/3/2008, 3/10/2008, 3/17/2008, 3/24/2008, 3/31/2008, 4/7/2008, 4/14/2008, 4/21/2008, 4/28/2008, 5/8/2008, 5/12/2008, 5/19/2008, 5/27/2008, 6/2/2008, 6/9/2008, 6/16/2008, 6/23/2008, 6/30/2008, 7/7/2008, 7/14/2008)
My future brother-in-law:
“It was like seeing something incredible, like seeing a unicorn or something.”
Me:
“Later, I’d be talking about something that was awesome, and then I’d remember something else that was awesome, and I’d be like, how could I forget that? That was awesome!”
“It’s, like, there’s too much awesome to keep in your mind at one time.”
I’m putting this link here on the blog, just in case I need photo reference for the Joker.
Molly Durst picked this week’s subject: The Flaming Carrot!.
Here are this week’s entries from our fellow PANEListas:
Craig Bogart (colors by Steve Black):
Steve Black (wip):
I love it.
This is the greatest thing out of Marvel for a long time.
check out the video on the Marvel site and drool.
http://marvelcomics.com/news/moviestories.4184.First_Look~colon~_Iron_Man~colon~_Armored_Adventures
Another important guest added to MidOhio Con:
http://midohiocon.blogspot.com/2008/07/one-true-incredible-hulk.html
really, would it have felt right without him?
The time has finally come: Comic Book Tattoo comes out next week with a big rollout planned for San Diego.
This is a brief recap as more stuff keeps showing up in my inbox about this book: It was officially announced on Tori’s site that she’ll be on hand for the CBT signing in San Diego a while ago. Creators from the book will be at the Image booth throughout the show. There was a whopping 4 page interview with Rantz and Tori in last week’s CSN. CBR has also put up an ongoing CBT blog that will run till October. Featuring production blogs from the various creators on the book.
There will also be a panel discussion as well. Hosted by comics and music critic Douglas Wolk, and featuring discussion between Tori, editor Rantz Hoseley and several of the contributing creators on Saturday, July 26 from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM. The book hits the DM next Wednesday. National rollout (book stores) is June 29th.
Rantz will also be on Dave Navarro’s show pimping the book in August. I didn’t even know Navarro had a show. I’ve gotten word that the limited slipcase edition’s sold out save a few copies that will be snapped up at San Diego. There’s also another book signing planned in August in California (Golden Apple, LA August 1st. 6pm).
The “Barbie Collector Doll” series of DC superheroines carry a manufacturer’s age: recommendation of “12 years and up”, and somehow I suspect most of the buyers are going to be 30-something guys…
“Introducing the Barbie Collector doll Black Canary, the Gotham City bombshell and crime-fighting superpower is depicted here by Barbie doll in signature black patent, gloves, boots and fishnet stockings. The DC Comics’ heroine is world-renown for her skill in martial arts and leads the courageous Justice League team of superheroes.”
That’s one fancy Wonder Woman! As for Black Canary, apparently some British religious group called Christian Voice is all up in arms:
“A children’s doll in sexually suggestive clothing is irresponsible – it’s filth.”
Get your filth at Toys-R-Us for $40 each.
Transcript for an e-mail conversation I had earlier today with Wendy:
Me: So I got an email from a guy who writes for MTV.com. They want to do a short interview with me about my [unannounced IDW movie tie-in] comic book!Wendy: OH MY GOD! Dude, ur gonna be on MTV! That’s like, every American kids’ dream come true! So cool!!!
Me: Well, not exactly on “MTV”, more like on MTV’s website’s movie site’s blog. I guess that’s a little like saying you worked on the new Ford Mustang redesign team, but really your company made the “premium gas only” decals that they stuck on the inside of the gas capBut hey, it’s one small step from the website to making it on a live broadcast of TRL. I’d totally ask for the latest Lil’ Romeo video!
Wendy: Dude! You’d ask for a BEN HARPER video!
Me: Hey, this is MTV. They have no clue who Ben Harper is.
(Wow, could I have made this self-indulgent post any more gratuitous? Hmmm, maybe.)