Tuesday, January 31, 2006
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Posted by
Tom
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1/31/2006 10:41:00 PM
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ACT-I-VATE In a truly bizarre LJ campaign that comprized of photos w/ these guys shirt's off, I assume they're launching a new webcomics enterprize. One panel images in a field of red sporting 'ACT-I-VATE' in big lettering have been appearing for a while now on livejournal thru their individual journals. An impressive collaborative of indie creators if that's the case. Only tommorow will tell. See all the glory of ACT-I-VATE!!
--Tom (permalink)
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Posted by
Tom
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1/31/2006 07:56:00 PM
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Stoopid Alito!! Awww hell, time to kick back.
Fun lil' drinking game for tonight's festivities. Or in my case (or Andy's) we'll substitute a vernor's or mountain dew.
(courtesy of commondreams.org)
--Tom (permalink)
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Posted by
Tom
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1/31/2006 07:47:00 PM
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*Almost makes me wish I lived in Virginia... Word on the street is that there will be a decent sized book signing up in Richmond, VA. The event will be from 2-5 on February 11th. Creators appearing will be Brian Wood, Becky Cloonan, Ryan Kelly (maaaaybe), Farel Darymple, Jim Rugg, Tom Scioli, and the cats from Teenagers from Mars (Rob G & Rick Spears)
For street direction or info:
Velocity Comics 818 West Grace Street
Richmond, VA 23220
ph. 804.726.6300
*actually after hearing the Virginia governor's rebutal to Bush's Union address, it's warming me to the thought of Virginia. Great speach by him.
--Tom (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/31/2006 04:35:00 PM
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Monday, January 30, 2006
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Posted by
Dara
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1/30/2006 09:36:00 PM
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All-Star Superman review (or: I must be a crank)
Ok, let's just get this out in the open: I'm not a huge Grant Morrison fan. Yes, yes, I know, that clearly puts me in the minority of comic book fans, and especially comic book fans with blogs. And it's not that I haven't enjoyed any of his writing. I absolutely loved his Doom Patrol. But just about everything I've sampled from him since then, from Arkham Asylum to the 7 Soldiers of Victory, has failed to really excite me. They're all well written and a cut above the average comic, but too often come across as pretentious or needlessly hyped.
And so it is with All-Star Superman. I read the first two issues back to back. I enjoyed Frank Quitely's artwork in them, especially the sublime cover on issue #1. I enjoyed Grant's crazy ideas, especially the ones lobbed at us at breakneck speed in issue #2. But overall, I'm still left with a feeling of "yeah, it's interesting and all, but...eh."
Sorry, I know that's not a very deep observation, but that's really how I feel about this book. It captures the "wow, gosh!" factor of Superman on an intellectual level, but completely fizzles out on a...well, superhero level.
I mean, I'm not one for mindless superhero slugfests, but come on. This is friggin' Superman. 2 issues in, 44 pages of story, and he throws a punch in, like, 2 panels? His epic battle is with...degenerative cell tissue? Look, I appreciate that he's an intelligent hero. A hero with heart. Not a musclebound moron. But if you're making the quintessential Superman book (that is the purpose of the All-Star line of books, right?) shouldn't you show this godlike being at least occasionally duking it out with equally godlike beings/monsters/threats/events?
As for the cinematic (or "widescreen," take your pick) approach to storytelling, I'll admit that it's used quite effectively by Morrison and Quitely to portray the grandeur and larger-than-life essence of Superman. But at the end of the day, for $3 a pop and only 22 pages of story, I need a little more. It's not the same excruciatingly painful "decompressed" storytelling plaguing so many other comics these days, but it's not enough to keep me around either.
Or maybe I'm just a square who doesn't "get" Morrison.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
T.McClurg
on
1/30/2006 06:38:00 PM
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Get your summer reading on, bitches...
I'm about as giddy as a school girl. I'm one of the freaks that LOVED summer reading assignments. Christ, was I well-rounded. Check out this link for the comicy goodness of Penguin's 2006 cover redesigns for some much loved/hated classics. I can't wait for summer break!!
--T.McClurg (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/30/2006 07:54:00 AM
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Monday Morning "Guess the Artist"
You all know the deal: I feature a page of art from the early career of some of today's big name comic book artists, you use the comments section to guess who it is. This week, we're switching gears back to a pin-up page. And I think it may be a hard one again, we'll see.
(click image to galactusize)
(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)Labels: guess the artist
--Dara (permalink)
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Sunday, January 29, 2006
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Posted by
Dara
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1/29/2006 01:36:00 PM
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AA Weekend Covers
I think I'll continue with the "themed" Awesome and Ass covers. This weekend: Swamp Thing.
AWESOME
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Swamp Thing #157 (August 1995) by John Totleben.
Not a whole lot I can say about Totleben, other than he's one of the most amazing artists out there, period. Not only that, but he produced so many fantastically rendered covers, especially for Swamp Thing, that I could have picked from dozens and dozens of examples. This particular one, however, just stands out in its non-traditional color scheme and composition. I absolutely love Totleben's fusion of the Swamp Thing character with the traditional Green Man imagery.
ASS
 (click to enlarge)
Swamp Thing #81 (December 1988) by Rick Veitch.
Rick Veitch had a great run on this title as writer, and even produced some great covers. But this one...um, not so much. Alas, this is what happens when a clearly non-mainstream book is forced into a company-wide superhero crossover event: Invasion. The horrific mood portrayed by the central image of a Abbey suffocating under a plastic cover is instantly negated by the brightly colored and cartoony alien hands. I suppose Veitch did the best he could with a company mandate, but this was an issue that clearly didn't need to exist. And when you have a series like this that boasted a veritable who's who of extraordinary cover artists, even an average cover is going to look lame by comparison.
(previous weeks: 12/3/2005, 12/11/2005, 12/17/2005, 12/25/2005, 1/7/2006, 1/15/2006, 1/22/2006)
--Dara (permalink)
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Saturday, January 28, 2006
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Posted by
Dara
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1/28/2006 02:13:00 PM
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Gary Reed column at Komikwerks
I just saw this article penned by Gary Reed over at Komikwerks. In it, he describes how he got into comics as publisher of Caliber Comics. It's an interesting story, of which I'm sure Andy has a lot of knowledge. For one thing, I didn't know he had a master's degree in Biology. It's also interesting to hear him talk about the early days of McFarlane Toys, the Detroit convention scene, and other things."One of my customers also sold hand painted t-shirts at my store. When he asked me to look at a comic series he had been pushing for years, I was introduced to The Crow. Jim O’Barr was delivering parts at a auto dealership and when he showed the series to me, it was a bit rough in some spots." Apparently this is a more or less regular column by him at the site. There are 3 more articles by him in the archives.
--Dara (permalink)
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Friday, January 27, 2006
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Posted by
Tony
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1/27/2006 01:56:00 PM
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What Went Wrong: Lost in Space
Hey, I want a recurring blog item, too! So here it is: “What Went Wrong.”
As you may know, I often watch lousy or unknown movies just to see “what went wrong.” I usually rent these out of the library rather than paying green American money. It’s my hope that their failure will allow me to succeed in my own writing. This week: Lost in Space.
Lesson No. 1: Not all ideas are good ones. This movie’s a mess: It tries to cover environmental degradation, terrorism, hyperspace, time travel, cute aliens, evil alien spiders and the true meaning of friendship.
Lesson No. 2: Know your limitations. There’s no reason for this movie to be 130 minutes long. No reason.
Lesson No. 3: Know Matt LeBlanc’s limitations. Seriously, Heather Graham acts circles around him. Heather Graham.
Lesson No. 4: Always check the resume. Scribe Akiva Goldsman is also responsible for Batman: Forever and Batman & Robin. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Lesson No. 5: Step lightly. In the first 10 minutes it sets up Prof. Robinson as an absent father. This theme gets beaten to death all throughout the movie. By the time he finally gets around to showing Will some love, you wish they’d all just get lost.
--Tony (permalink)
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Thursday, January 26, 2006
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Posted by
T.McClurg
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1/26/2006 08:48:00 PM
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Making of Copper...
There is a pretty cool "making of" Copper curtesy of Kazu Kibuishi over at Boltcity. This is one of my favorite web ditties...quite the treat for the eyes. Then again, what do I know...I dig Kochalka.
Check out Kazu's process here.
--T.McClurg (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/26/2006 08:16:00 AM
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Joe Sacco comic in The Guardian
Comics journalist Joe Sacco has an 8 page comic in the British newspapaer The Guardian about two Iraqis currently suing Donald Rumsfeld relating to charges of torture.
(via boingboing)
--Dara (permalink)
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Wednesday, January 25, 2006
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Posted by
Tom
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1/25/2006 08:07:00 PM
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Coop's Log..
*WARNING! Definetely not work-friendly. I will refrain from adding an image because I can't stress 'non work-friendly' enough. If you're familiar with Coop, you know what I mean.
Completely forgot how I came across this but I found his blog. Not a huge follower of his work but he's posting work-in-progress reports- affectionately called 'Paintblogging'. It's facinating for me to see how artists go about producing their work. You really get a sence of the size he works at and how he goes about crafting these. While I hate most pop-art, Coop seems to have a genuine affection for comics. Still he's come to that annoying Pop-Art phase where one throws their style in a blender.
--Tom (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/25/2006 12:21:00 PM
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Odds and Ends
A couple of quick links to throw on the blog on my lunch break...
- Disaffected! - A free game from Persuasive Games, the description reads: "A videogame parody of the Kinko’s copy store, a source of frustration from its patrons. Disaffected! puts the player in the role of employees forced to service customers under the particular incompetences common to a Kinko’s store. From a new series of persuasive games we call anti- advergames." Tom, I think this is for you!
- From the "Jargon Watch" section of Wired magazine, December 2005: "Weblogistan - n. The Iranian blogosphere, where activists go to vent anonymously in the face of Iran's oppressive regime. Weblogistan is now so vast that Persian is the fourth most widely used language on blogs."
- The Flash, from TV to comics - Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo, the producers/writers of the 1990 live-action The Flash TV show, will be the new writers on The Flash comic. I have to say, I have fond memories of that show, even though it only lasted a year and had some heavy-handed Howard Chaykin episodes in the mix.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
T.McClurg
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1/25/2006 12:00:00 PM
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Because he's that good....
This month's Wired has a multi-page feature on Paul Pope's upcoming Batman 100. It's extra pretty in Wired's newish super-glossy format. You can read it online starting the 31st of January. Now, if I can figure out why Wired still sends me their rag every month I'll be all set.
--T.McClurg (permalink)
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Tuesday, January 24, 2006
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Posted by
Dara
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1/24/2006 01:54:00 PM
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Just for fun
haven't put up one of these cover remixes in a while, so here you go.
(disclaimer: not my work, found at somethingawful.com)
--Dara (permalink)
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Monday, January 23, 2006
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Posted by
Dara
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1/23/2006 08:12:00 AM
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Monday Morning "Guess the Artist"
Another Monday, another page of art from the early career of some of today's big name comic book artists. Although this week's page probably doesn't fit the mold exactly. The artist in question is known, but isn't exactly a household name. He has worked with some big name writers, though. It may be a hard one. If nobody comes close in their guess, I'll drop a few hints later on.
(click image for large creepiness)
(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)Labels: guess the artist
--Dara (permalink)
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Sunday, January 22, 2006
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Posted by
Dara
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1/22/2006 02:19:00 PM
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AA Weekend Covers
Another weekend, another themed edition of Awesome and Ass covers. This post is dedicated to my main man, Andy Bennett. That's right, folks, it's a very special Moon Knight episode of AA Weekend Covers!
AWESOME
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Moon Knight #6 (vol. 2) (December 1985) by Bill Sienkiewicz.
For me, Moon Knight will always be associated with the fantastic artwork of Bill "The Thrill" Sienkiewicz. It's the title where he refined his style from a Neal Adams clone to the highly distinctive and stylized form we now know and love. Plus, he experimented with fully painted covers. I love the completely subdued color palette of this one. It might as well have been a black and white illustration. It captures the essence of a cold winter night, at once peaceful and ominous.
ASS
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Marc Spector: Moon Knight #57 (December 1993) by Stephen Platt.
What happens when you combine the worst exaggerated cartoony features of Todd McFarlane's art with the worst anatomy mistakes of Rob Liefeld? Stephen Platt, my friends. And this guy was hot, hot, hot! The kids back then sure loved them the craptacular rip-off artists. Allow me to point out Spider-man's thigh-tumor, and Moon Knight's...hell, I'm not even sure how to describe his anatomy. Um, marshmallow-like? Lard-filled-balloon? Helium-ragdoll? And if I'm not mistaken, he only has 4 fingers (like those Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!) and a belt that looks like a giant metal wok on a ring. Does it come as a surprise to anyone that this gem of a book comes from the 90s, aka the dark ages of modern comics?
(previous weeks: 12/3/2005, 12/11/2005, 12/17/2005, 12/25/2005, 1/7/2006, 1/15/2006)
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/22/2006 01:37:00 PM
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Tom Judd's "Everyday"
British artist Tom Judd decided to keep a sketch diary for an entire year, drawing a page every day.""365 PAGES AGO I HAD A VERY SILLY IDEA. Draw a page everyday for one year. Each day I spent around 1 hour on the page, sometimes more, sometimes less. There was never any planning or preparation, I would just go at it whenever I had a spare moment in my day and had something I needed to write or draw. Some of the drawings are observational and some are just plain weird. You can view the whole thing on his website.
--Dara (permalink)
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Saturday, January 21, 2006
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Posted by
Tom
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1/21/2006 12:30:00 PM
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Here be the final mock up for S.P.B.:Rise! My first Satanic Paperboy comic in quite a while. Expect drunken fights with unicorns, and other balls-out wierdness. This vessel will collect the webcomic that I'll be launching soon. I'll have some copies available by April.
--Tom (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/21/2006 11:00:00 AM
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Looking for a creative job?
This is for our readers in Columbus or the Central Ohio area. Columbus Alive, the free alt weekly newspaper, is looking for the following positions:
Reporter
Graphic Designer
Photographer
More info on page 19 of this week's issue, or online here.
In other news, here's the Alive's list of Top 10 selling comics for this week, as reported by The Laughing Ogre:
1. JLA #125
2. Ultimate Extinction #1
3. Ultimate X-Men #66
4. X-Men: The 198 #1
5. Fables #45
6. Desolation Jones #5
7. Son of M
8. Ghost Rider #5
9. DMZ #3
10. Exiles #75
--Dara (permalink)
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Friday, January 20, 2006
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Posted by
Tom
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1/20/2006 06:50:00 PM
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The newly refurbished Art School Confidential Site just went up. A movie Steve, the Tims (Fisher & McClurg), Andy and I can relate to. (maybe too well) No trailer yet but worth it for the opening site animation. Comedy will insue in April which means that it'll hit Cowlumbus in June.
(I blanked there fellas, group hug!?)
--Tom (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/20/2006 03:38:00 PM
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Lost theories
You kids like that Golden Globe winner show, Lost? How about that funny show, The Office? Then this is right up your alley:"Many, many people have written replies to my blogs. Literally TENS of people from all over the country. Some girls have even included their email addresses and expressed an interest in getting to know "Dwight" better in a romantic sense.
[note: I was directed to let all the ladies know that "Dwight" is off the market. L (sad face)]
But no one, NO ONE!, has ever thought to ask "Dwight" what his theories were on the mysteries of the show "Lost."
Watch and learn:" Funny stuff.
--Dara (permalink)
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Thursday, January 19, 2006
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Posted by
Craig
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1/19/2006 11:33:00 AM
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Highlights from my Grandmother's funeral last weekend:
My grandparents lived in Conneaut, OH, located at about the very northeastern tip of the state. Many years ago the place was a booming railroad town, until the railroad disappeared and the town went belly up. The city now looks like one of those places where the factory that employed everybody living there moved its operations to another country, leaving the place to rot. My wife and brother and I were not optimistic about finding a decent place to eat (and avoid much of the rest of the family) until we saw a flyer in the lobby of Conneaut's only hotel advertising an Indian restaurant. An Indian restaurant! We were so very excited-- until I found the address for the place was in New York. The closest good restaurant, only two states away.
"The Guilt Rose": Because of a number of upheavals in our own lives, my wife and I were unable to make it up to Lake Erie to visit after our daughter was born seven months ago. We felt bad enough about this as it was, but my aunt made a point of telling EVERYBODY about it as we were introduced ("and this is the Great-Granddaughter she always asked about but never got to see..."). She wasn't being malicious, just very, very stupid. At the viewing, my aunt pointed out a rose clutched in my dead grandmother's hand, which she told us represented our baby (all together: "the great-grandbaby she never got to see..."). At the conclusion of the funeral service, she approached us and presented us with the flower, plucked from Gran'ma's hands. It even had a ribbon on it saying "Great Grandma." My wife left the room in tears. Thanks, auntie.
My Grandfather (who preceeded his wife away from the mortal coil a few years ago) was a Mason, and my Grandmother was a member of some sort of sister organization called the Order of the Eastern Star or somesuch. At the conclusion of the viewing, some ladies from the cult lined up in front of the casket to address the crowd. "We have come here tonight to honor the memory of our dear friend, er... What was her name?"
We really should do this more often.
--Craig (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/19/2006 09:22:00 AM
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New Derek Kirk Kim online comic
The uber-talented Derek Kirk Kim has launched a weekly free webcomic called Healing Hands. You can read it here. I believe the way it works is he adds a new panel each day.
Sweet.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Craig
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1/19/2006 09:14:00 AM
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Here's hoping this one hasn't been mentioned here before: an interesting article about Superman's anti-KKK activities in the 1940's:
Some cool history about anti-Klan espionage finding it's way into the Superman radio show, particularly the bit about Superman casing Klan headquarters. The writer goes on to make some comments about modern comics in general which suggest he hasn't read many lately.
--Craig (permalink)
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Wednesday, January 18, 2006
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Posted by
Dara
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1/18/2006 08:15:00 PM
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Ferret Central Presents: A "WTF?" Comic Cover Moment
So I've featured a lot of Elementals covers and art pages for the various features I do on this blog. In the spirit of keeping the trend alive, and to coincide with the latest drama surrounding Saddam Hussein's trial in Iraq, here's a weird cover from May of 1991:
 (clicky click to enlarge)
That's right, superheroes beating up Saddam, as rendered by Adam Hughes! Only in comics, my friends, only in comics.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Tom
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1/18/2006 07:50:00 PM
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