Words Lines and Pictures

What DC missed: KIDS!!!!!

2011-10-13T12:10:00.001-07:00

So we're all done with the 1st Month of the new 52 (and we're like 2 weeks past that) and it hit me that what was really missed was a chance to take on the one challenge DC said they really wanted to address, NEW READERS!

Now I know DC meant folks maybe younger than me who missed out on comics but why not go WAY younger and commit to 10 comics that are all ages that start fresh and are told in the "One and Done" format.

What do they have to lose really? They just committed to 52 books and I know they will have to axe 10 of those if they want to keep the quality up so here's what I propose:

10: Batman: The Brave and the Bold - It's a team up book and the book exists now and already works and you can just throw in kids versions of character that appear in the New 52 pretty much as they appear. In the 1st 3 issues, Batman can team up with Blue Beetle, Sinestro, and even Animal Man.

9: Young Justice: I don't care if ewe have the Teen Titans or not BUT, since the cartoon is still on, lets keep that book going. Young Heroes and Sidekicks having adventures!

8: Wonder Woman: When was the last time there was a Wonder Woman comic on the stands that a little girl in a comic shop could actually read? No offense to the great job that Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang are doing on the main WW book but a horse got his head chopped off all bloody like. Not for kids...

7: Legion of Superheros: Yeah I know the show got canceled a few years ago BUT this gives you lots of diversity and can be told in a "There's hope for the future" sort of way. Also it's KIDS HAVING ADVENTURES...IN THE FUTURE!!!!

6: The Power of SHAZAM: What the shit is the reason for not having at the very least a kids focused book about the adventures of Billy Batson, a kid given the powers he'd need to solve problems by the gods themselves!!!

5: Young Frankenstein and the Agents of Shade: Yeah I just bastardized the title of the main book but whatever. Make Frankenstein a kid monster and send him on missions with kid vampires, ghosts, wolf men and whatever!!! DO IT!

4: Tiny Titans: Well if this book gets canceled MFers would lose their shit. The soccer moms in the area of my store would do horrible things to their ex husbands. Can't let that happen.

3: Justice League of America: Ok so JLU is off the air and I'm mostly over it but kids should have a Justice League comic to read that isn't as campy as the Superfriends and isn't going to be as prone to darkness for the sake of darkness like Identity Crisis. How about a JLA book that tells the sorts of stories from the 1st 200 issues of the original DC JLA comic?

2: Superman: Because what kid doesn't like Superman! This also gives DC the ability to do what the Brave and the Bold comic does with guest stars. I'm really interested in Mr. Miracle, Orion and some of the other Jack Kirby creations.

1: Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew: Look, you may think it's silly but trust me. Put this book in the hands of a 6 year old and you'll have his families cash for life.

here: read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Carrot_and_His_Amazing_Zoo_Crew!

THIS IS THE SPIDERMAN OF COLOR: Now go away!

2011-08-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

Ok look, most of you are not reading OR BUYING Spider-Man comics these days and you haven't been for some time so after reading the stupid comments from the general public and the poorly written stories from the media in general, I'd like to explain things to you in the most basic form possible.

I lack sock puppets so here goes this.

The Contents of Comic Books are not real. They are just stuff written on stuff to talk about stuff.

Some cool people like stuff.

Marvel Comics is a company in the business of making comic books. I have already spoken as to the nature of where comic books fit into things that are real but I'll elaborate for the racists who are probably reading this, not knowing they've pissed me off.

Things that count in science (and are not theoretical):

People: Einstein, Newton and Hawking for example

Places: CERN, Pangea, Easter Island and Madame Currie's Lab.

Things: Bricks, Dolphins, Ice Cream, Sushi, Lesbians and the paper that makes comic books.

Things that science nerds like but may or not be real/possible:

Alternate Universes, Dark Matter and Time Travel, the contents of comic books (depending on your level of socialization)

Things that science would tell you are real:

Matter, Energy, Emotions of Stupid Mother Fuckers who don't buy comics

Now then, Marvel Comics as a company have created several alternate universes. For all intents and purposes lets call the one where Spider-Man is alive and still white, the M616 universe. This is how comic book fans think of it.

The Spider-Man you saw in movies and TV is not the M616 universe. Those were movies and TV and the people who make that stuff think not very much about what nerds think. They love their bank accounts more than they love your comic book continuity.

One of the universes that Marvel Comics created went through some major upheaval recently and because it's fairly new and NOT the main universe, this is ok. Let us call this universe MU2000 (Marvel Ultimate 2000) since 2000 was about the year this universe was created.

We have come to a point where Peter Parker in the MU2000 universe is dead as a doornail but the M616 Peter Parker is STILL alive and white (I state the latter because that matters to some of you idiots).

THIS IS THE SPIDER-MAN of MU2000

Now we know there just happen to be some people out there in the world who can't stand when something from their childhood changes or goes away. For this reason I think we still have things like all the stuff from the childhood of anyone 35-105 that folks haven't gotten over to the tune of giving something new a chance because their racist and withered hearts are full of poo.

For those of you with poo in your hearts, you blow BUT generally the M616 universe is still there for you. Peter Parker is alive and well and he's doing stuff.

Here he is:

Lets be honest, there's a white man under that mask for damn sure.

Now, knock yourselves out.

Now, as Spider-Man goes, I don't really care because I'm not that big a fan BUT I do care that assholes run to the damn internets anytime they hear that a fictitious White person has bought the farm, only to have a similarly fictitious Black/Hispanic person pick up the mantle. The bigot rage is so strong sometimes that you'd think a comic book company was about to have an encounter with a iceberg ala Titanic and sink into an ocean of ill thought out futurism.

In reality if Glen Beck (who bitched and blamed this all on Michelle Obama) and the majority of you racist jag bags out in internet land actually spent money on half the shit you showed indignation about, the world would come closer to resembling your world view. It does not because you are assholes and the universe hates you. You also have ugly feet.

Ok to summarize. Spider-Man is only "Black-Spanic" in an alternate univere of a thing that is also not real.

Comic books, while not being real, are still composed of matter and the energy contained within is still great, especially when a bunch of racist ass goblins decide they'll leave my favorite hobby to me and my friends.

For the record, I count among my friends the following types of people:

Blacks
Whites
Asians
Aliens, illegal or otherwise
Gays
Dems
Reps
a Libertarian
Some dumb folks
Smart folks
Scientists
This one chick from Germany
Geeks
Nerds
Some kids from Jersey
The Jewish Girl from Texas
Small Town girls who love beer
People with feelings
People in recovery
Pro comic book artists
Less than pro comic book artists
My Sister with lupus
My Sister who likes jean skirts
Radio personalities
Sports radio listeners
Catholics
Pagans
Travelers
Homebodies
Knitters
Boozers
Believers in the Power of Metal
Some Haters
and anyone who reads this and knows where I'm coming from.

If you can't accept that Spider-Man can be brown in some other made up universe then you are an ass and when you move to Asslandia, we will not miss you.

DC Relaunch: The Bat-Network

2011-06-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

If all the pals of Batman had their own searchlight signals, the skies over Gotham would look like Vegas!

Batwing by Judd Winnick and Ben Oliver

TF: I’m glad later press releases narrowed this down to a fictional city in the Congo rather than “The Batman of Africa.” I hear that place is pretty big.

DM: I don’t give a shit. The “Press” can kiss my ass for pretending they care if Africa is a big or small place at all. In one fucking month, Batman can have his ass in Gotham, Metropolis, Vegas, Spain, Mexico, Japan and the god damn moon. This Batwing guy has a fictional city because if he didn’t, he’s have a hovering base over Mt. Kilimanjaro and would get everywhere in Africa by teleporting and would solve it’s problems in a year, making Bruce Wayne look like a waspish slacker. Fuck the “Press”.

TF: I know there’s only one writer I’d trust with the “hovering over Kilimanjaro” angle. But unfortunately Bob Haney is dead.

DM: Wait! Morrison put his Ultramarines there didn’t he? Then Grodd ate them. Black folks forgot to get angry and complain. So did vegetarians.

Red Hood and the Outlaws by Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort

TF: Wow, you can’t swing a dead cat in here without hitting an angry sidekick--oh sorry, Speedy.

DM: Well I think this is meant to have that WildStorm like feel. It’s the only reason you include Starfire. I Can see Red Arrow hanging out with Red Hood but there are other angry also ran side kicks they could use, right?

TF: Absolutely. All-new, all-deadly versions of Wing, Dan the Dyna-Mite, and Little Boy Blue.

DM: If the JSA still existed, I know they’d use Ted Grant’s Wildcat kid. If this were a WildStom title we’d just be missing some feral cat dude with claws and a killer robot-demon. Technically maybe that’s Starfire, who also gets to be the hot, angry, space babe. She’ll have a katana to use by issue #7.

TF: Doesn’t Lobdell have the Teen Titans also?

DM: Yeah. Cross that bridge when you need to set it on fire with me in a few days.

Nightwing by Kyle Higgins and Eddie Barrows

TF: Take 2 steps back, Dick Grayson!

DM: Sigh...To be honest we all knew it was coming. The online casual readership doesn’t know fuck all about there being 2 Batmen running around. It’s just confusing to them. He goes back to being Nightwing. At least they didn’t kill him after making him one of the best characters of the last 10 years. I’m looking at you Marvel.

TF: I know, I can’t believe Marvel killed the Sentry either.

DM: Well...or Ares, the guy who killed the Sentry for that matter...

Batgirl by Gail Simone and Adrian Syaf

TF: Barbara Gordon walking again can only mean one thing: DC finally figured out they can kill Stephanie Brown a second time!

DM: No they haven’t. They don’t need anymore hate mail from the very audience they want to draw back to comics...wait...DC isn’t trying to draw girls who started reading comics Circa Y: The Last Man #1, back to comics. They are trying to attract a crowd that’s 18 - 35...which would be too young to have remembered the last time Barbara Gordon was Batgirl. Honestly, if you told anyone that the Joker had a) killed a Robin and b) crippled a Batgirl, they’d have to wonder why Batman a) didn’t just throw him in front of a train...accidentally and b) why he bothered with plucky teenagers.

TF: I’ve seen people ask you that question. You hurl a copy of Brat Pack at them.

DM: I will say this to all the people who think Oracle was the best character ever and her disability had nothing to do with why you liked her so much because you really were just into the character because she was so strong. Thank you in advance for continuing to support Gail Simone as a writer and Barbara Gordon as a character. Remember, Damian’s back was fixed in an issue after the Joker crippled him.

TF: If comics were supposed to make sense Bruce would remember where he put Shondra Kinsolving and SHE could cure Oracle.

DM: Barbara is smart and strong as shit. She can just acquire a suit that helps her physically and with her computer stuff. There. She’s then like bad ass super connected Oracle AND she’s in the field doing what she loved best, kicking ass just like everyone else. People with all sorts of disabilities, who buy comics, should be damn proud to be a fan of hers.

Catwoman by Judd Winnick and Guillem March

DM: I’m not sure what has to happen but I can’t think of anything that makes me want to buy a Catwoman comic when it lacks the names Brubaker or Cooke.

TF: I’m a little surprised the 90s Time Machine didn’t come back with Jim Balent.

Birds of Prey by Duane Swierczynski and Jesus Saiz

TF: I guess we can forget all the sociopathic killing stuff Poison Ivy used to do here in The New DC. What have we got here...Black Canary, Mecha-Katana I guess, and...is that Amazon Grace with the tattoo sleeve?

DM: I think so but we may have to wait til the book ships for confirmation. I like the lineup. It’s what I always liked about the Birds. One day a bunch of Kick Ass DC Chicks get together and have Tom Clancy like fun. What’s not to like?

TF: You know, it’s been more than 10 years since the last revamp of Black Orchid. Somehow nobody ever thought to put her in Birds of Prey?

DM: I see, you’re gonna treat this like Girl Thunderbolts right off the bat?

TF: But disguise is her thing!

DM: No one in BoP needs a disguise. They need to be themselves and crash through skylights. It’s missing Manhunter and Big Barda.

TF: Orchid’s a master of disguise AND she’s punched out Superman, so she’s better than those two combined. This isn’t rocket botany.

DM: And turned into a race of plant people or something and she’s not going to be in this book. I’d rather see more people named after birds and shit than some character the 70’s forgot that even Vertigo decided it was best to just let lay around. If you want Black Orchid, call Rick Veitch. He’ll writer her, it’ll be great, DC will get sued for something and she’ll go away again.

TF: I’m going to read this and imagine every background character is actually Black Orchid in disguise.

DM: No you aren’t. You want Black Orchid in a book you have no intention of reading just so you can declare that DC is doing it all wrong when they forget she punched out Superman. Because Orchids are Kryptonian Tough. Let it go. They’d be better off with Arrowette...Speedy...Red &Yellow Arrow Kid...or whatever her name would be once she graduates from “damaged sidekick” to “former damaged sidekick on borrowed time”.

Batwoman by those late people

TF: I stand corrected--I was also buying Rucka & Williams’ Batwoman. That said, I’m encouraged by the rumors at bleedingcool that she’s actually Black Orchid in disguise. (spoiler)

DM: You know there was only one issue of that right? This is where I see the bottleneck in DiDio claiming all books will ship on time.

TF: Well, Mr. Williams III has had an extra few months to get ready.

DM: He does comics on a schedule similar to the one Sid Vicious used for wrestling.

TF: JHWIII is active less often than Eclipso.

DM: JHWIII does comics on a schedule similar to the early acting career of Robert Downey Jr. But I assume sober.

DM: JHWIII has turned “Travis Charest” in to a verb.

TF: Fans, please contribute your ideas to Twitter, care of #JHWilliamsIsSoLate

DM: #JHWilliamsIsSoLate Christian Alamy has a shrine to him in his basement.

TF: #JHWilliamsIsSoLate He told Brian Bolland to slow it down.

DM: #JHWilliamsIsSoLate He was rejected as a fill in artist for Battle Chasers.

TF: #JHWilliamsIsSoLate He’s working on the box art for Duke Nukem Forever.

DM: #JHWilliamsIsSoLate His variant cover for Fell #10 was turned down.

TF: #JHWilliamsIsSoLate David Finch is making #JHWilliamsIsSoLate jokes.

DM: #JHWilliamsIsSoLate Alan Moore is mad iffy about letting him work on Big Numbers.

DM: #JHWilliamsIsSoLate Final Crisis still made sense when he started Batwoman #1

DM: #JHWilliamsIsSoLate DC scrapped plans for the Batwoman Forever series that would have shown what the 2nd issue would have been like if he were on time.

DC Relaunch: The Batbooks!

2011-06-24T10:27:00.001-07:00

The Batman Titles:

Batman by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
Detective Comics by Tony Daniel
Batman and Robin by Peter Tomasi and Pat Gleason
Batman the Dark Knight by David Finch and Jay Fabok

DM: Aren’t you avoiding the bat books?

TF: Folks, I have to come clean here. In the past 12 months the only DC titles I’ve paid attention to have been T.H.U.N.D.E.R., Hex, and Whatever Grant Morrison Is Doing.

DM: Well then you missed you some good Batman issues. They took place in a book called Batman and Robin and they were not written or drawn by anyone named Tony. They were GREAT! Batman did some stuff in his other books too but..well, you know, it’s Batman. Grimace, grimace and stop a serial killer here and there. There was this other book, not included in the 52 relaunch titles where Batman issues an IPO for the company of Batman and makes a fuck ton of cash. He uses it to hire some guys who look like him in Africa, Japan and South America and even has this cat in France who’s into parkour!

DM: People are really unhappy that he hired the black dude though. Apparently he’s got too much territory to cover. No one seems to care that the Argentinian dude is missing a fucking costume altogether.

DM: Nothing we say about these books will matter. It’s Batman. This shit is already sold.

TF: I see they cranked up their 90s time machine and retrieved Greg Capullo.

DM: The 90’s time machine is real. DC is filled with thoughts of how Image changed the Industry. Like imagine what would have happened if the “Image 7” were given control of the creative direction and a share of the profits of the characters they worked on...while having none of the wisdom and business sense some (Jim Lee) have now?

TF: If the time machine brings back Sovereign 7 we must call for its destruction though, agreed?

DM: I don’t think that’s a concern. Somehow I think the relaunch has no room for creator owned shenanigans.

DC Relaunch: Lanterns, Lanterns Everywhere!

2011-06-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

The Green Lantern Books:
Green Lantern: Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy
Green Lantern Corps: Peter J. Tomasi, Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna
New Guardians: Tony Bedard, Tyler Kirkham and Batt.
Red Lanterns: Peter Milligan, Ed Benes and Rob Hunter

DM: I don’t have any problems with the creative team that made Hal Jordan matter again, just staying on the book. My only request is please no more Wars of Green Lanterns. If we have less of what GL has been giving us though, I suspect that Johns may have to deal with the fact that Green Lantern normally has worse villains than Daredevil. Hal Jordan would kill to have to fight the Owl and Stilt Man.

DM: I don’t have a problem with John Stewart and Kilowog or someone heading up a GL Corps book but I do think Guy Gardner should just go and be a Red Lantern. I have never bought into the idea that he possesses great will of any kind. He’s just an angry dick.

TF: You never bought into my “Guy is Sawyer from LOST” argument?

DM: Fuck no. He’s not Sawyer. Tomar Re has a better chance of being Sawyer. Hell, Sinestro has a better chance of being Sawyer. Guy Gardner is White Masuka from Dexter. People are at least willing to side with Sawyer on a reasoned argument. No one wants to deal with Masuka.

TF: Why is there a Red Lantern book? Seems like a very 90s idea. Back then it would have been called BLOOD LANTERN EXTREME FORCE and come with a holographic pog. I tell you, some days it’s not easy being a Peter Milligan apologist like me.

DM: Because DC thinks that the message learned from Blackest Night is that we need more books about Lanterns. I don’t see this working with a hero who looks like a cross between a Sontaran and a broken lamp.

TF: And whose power is vomiting magic blood.

DM: Blood that doesn’t turn into a giant boxing glove. Why isn’t there a Red Lantern Mike Tyson? Where the hell is Rachel Pollack?

TF: Get me Bill O’Reilly on the phone. “DC’s publishing a comic about a HATE GROUP?! We’ll do it live!”

DM: Call Luda…I also thing they are just Rage-y not Hate-y.

DM: I am interested in this Tony Bedard New Guardians book. It’s got Kyle Rayner: Earth’s One True Interesting Green Lantern and a cast of hundreds!

TF: Bedard knows his space operas, that’s for sure. Hang on...Kyle Rayner AND multicolored lanterns? If they don’t form a Megazord of emotion in the first 12 pages I’m declaring it a failure.

DM: Because you just know Rayner is the one lantern who can form a giant ass Mazinga and make him use a Wave Motion Gun too.

TF: We’re the Planeteers! You can be one too!

DM: Form Blazing SWORD! OK this is looking like a region where I’ll follow GL, and the Power Rangers in Space book, but I’ll leave the Stabby Lanterns and the Green Lantern SWAT team book alone.

DC Relaunch: DC Comics Presents...a fervent hope that you like this format!

2011-06-16T13:06:00.001-07:00

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS

Written by Paul Jenkins
Art by Bernard Chang

TF: I happen to like anthologies, but have any sold well at all in the past 30 years? OK, technically DC’s Wednesday Comics was an anthology...

DM: Hell no and this book is another sign that someone at DC is asleep at the switch. The one thing DC didn’t really need in the last year was a title at $7.99. If you’re gonna do DC Comics Presents, just bring back the old team up title. This should be another way DC gets fans interested in its reimagined characters and history.

TF: In the olden days, team up comics like DC Presents or The Brave & The Bold were how you spotlighted up-and-coming heroes or characters that hadn’t been seen in a while. That Brave & The Bold cartoon show was created specifically to be a gateway drug into the DC universe, and it works. Tune in for Batman, then learn about Deadman, or Bronze Tiger, or how many Blue Beetles there are.

DM: Correct. Now DC seems to think we want to just read a Deadman arc and then read a Zatanna arc and then read a Dr. Fate arc...

TF: That said, it was at least wise to hire Paul Jenkins. He’s spent the past few years doing nothing but short character studies that aren’t involved with the continuity of the monthly comics.

DM: On paper that’s a maybe. I’m not sure that people are going to pay for this. Folks say they don’t want continuity but then find ways not to buy the books free of it. If DC wanted to give us a Deadman series, they should have thought of that when they came up with Brightest Day. That was a Deadman ongoing that got cancelled after 24 issues. Occasionally, Hawkman did stuff in it and there was a talking lamp. Right before Deadman could say goodbye in his own book, Swamp Thing, Aquaman, The Hawk People and Firestorm showed up to say, “We tried to make your book better but oh well, can’t get blood from a fucking stone, Deadman, see you after the relaunch!”

DM: I will say that this cover is by Ryan Sook and if he were drawing the book, I'd be all over it still!

DC Relaunch: Captain Atom...for multiversal tourism!

2011-06-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

CAPTAIN ATOM

Written by JT Krul
Art by Freddie Williams II

TF: Somebody’s gone all “Dr. Manhattan” in more ways than one.

DM: Well to be fair, Dr. Manhattan was all Captain Atom.

TF: Captain Atom was a sleeper hit in the 80s because he was just an ordinary, relatable guy who suddenly got cosmic super powers. Putting this “isolated,” “slowly losing his humanity” stuff on him makes it “Dr. Manhattan: The Series,” and that would be a tough sell even for Alan Moore. Who’d want to sit through issue after issue of cosmic navel-gazing?

DM: In the 80’s you could get away with that. If you did it now, people would fall asleep. I’m thinking JT Krul will fall into the other cosmic guy trap. He’ll write all about how Captain Atom has to be careful of his power lest he destroy the multiverse. sigh.

TF: This is Gødland, isn’t it? Gødland but without the Kirbyness (which is the whole selling point of Gødland)?

DM: I can’t say that but there is one thing that bothers me here. The sheer number of Captain Atom relaunches. I think he’s had more books than (including Breach) Hawkman. The only thing that has ever worked for this guy is making him an order following stiff jerk on the JLU show. THAT only worked because of the characters around him. If you were concerned about Mr. Terrific’s bad guys, you need to be doubly concerned here.

TF: I bought Breach but only because Marcos Martin drew it. Should we count Takion?

DM: I don’t. I thought that was just some fake Kirby stuff.

DM: Breach brings me to my one issue with DC and it’s use of the 52 universes making up the multiverse. DC seems intent to just play around the edges of it. They won’t just flat out use it. It’s like they did the right thing by having a beloved multiverse (a sci-fi and comics staple) but they are afraid to call attention to it for fear of it being called confusing (generally by newer DC fans and Marvel fans).

DM: You can’t use the multiverse in any way that matters unless the thing out, assign it some characters, give them books and live with it. What if they want to “Dr. Manhattan” this book? So what. Shouldn’t that just be a book that takes place on Earth 4 or whatever anyway? Like what’s the point of bringing back all this Silver Age type shit if you’re really too afraid of it or too lazy to just own it?

TF: Why don’t they have an Exiles book? Did you know if Kamandi hadn’t been canceled in the 70s, they planned for him to jump to different Earths with Witchboy and Grandpa OMAC? That’s owning it.

DM: But that was like back in the day right? They’d have trashed that with Crisis on Infinite Earths and it wouldn’t have really mattered anymore. With Captain Atom they seem to want to tell stories about his VAST power. Breach did it. He’s responsible for the death of the Heartland in Kingdom Come and that’s not the end of it. Now it’s JT Krul book and I’d like this to be the point where they tour the Multiverse.

TF: It is a JT Krul book. Will Capt. Atom beat up people with a dead cat while tripping balls on heroin? Except the cat is like, the universe?

DM: That’s what this book needs to be. Let’s invent some villains for him!

TF: The Sun-f***er!

DM: What the...well seriously, why can’t he deal with Solaris the sun eating super computer. He needs an anti matter guy, a nazi scientist not over losing the race to the atom bomb, the Parasite, etc.

TF: Are the New Gods still dead? This comic could really use Metron jerking everybody around.

DM: I think they are on one of those damn Earths! Also I’m not giving JT Krul, Metron. Then folks are just gonna hate the New Gods for no reason.

TF: I’m scared Joe Casey will find this post someday and copyright “Sun-f***er.”

DM: That would be Garth Ennis. This book feels all wrong before I even read it. It’s a solid maybe. JT Krul needs a breakout moment or a JT Krul-iverse. I’d change my tune for a JT Krul-iverse. Sometimes I may not like a writer but give him his own corner of the universe to play in and I'm happy. See Joe Casey and Abnett and Lanning.

DC Relaunch: Mr. Terrific - #3 in smarts...#2 in my heart!

2011-06-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

MISTER TERRIFIC

Written by Eric Wallace
Art by Roger Robinson

TF: The success or failure of this comic depends on one thing: world-building.

DM: Well that’s the same for everyone. Shit, Green Arrow only has 2 villains and one of those is an archer.

TF: Mr. Terrific has been the anchor of the Justice Society for more than a decade. What he doesn’t have is his own mythos the way DC’s franchise players have. They need to hit the ground running and put up a setting, supporting characters, and--most importantly--villains that are unique to him. Does he have bad guys of his own?

DM: No but he’s only been in the JSA (great cast of villains) and Checkmate (Not so much).

TF: I realize that his “Fair Play” 8-ball jacket is very dated now (he was a product of the 90s, after all), but I have a problem with these tats. From a distance they look like black armbands, and that shouldn’t happen. Up close, they remind me of the current Tattooed Man, and that shouldn’t happen either. But tattoo armbands cause a problem artistically, since there are only so many poses that will show off the words “FAIR PLAY.” From other angles his arms may spell out “FA PL” or “IR PL,” and that’s not good brand recognition. Just ditch those weightlifting gloves and write F-A-I-R-P-L-A-Y on his knuckles. That would be awesome.

DM: Nice save on what is basically you complaining about what angles you need to see a man’s biceps from. Knuckles would be cool.

DM: On the villain front, he needs them to be set up for him like all good villains are. He needs a super intelligent rival, a mindless brute, A rogue operative from his Checkmate days, a JSA villain since we don’t have a JSA, A super cheater/trickster, a villain from Terry Sloane’s past.

TF: Throw in a dude who removes tattoos with lasers and you’ve got yourself a deal.

DM: How about he can fight the Tattooed Man instead. It’s not like the tattoos matter. It’s like his mask...which looks better as an “M” than a “T”.

TF: I wondered what the hell that was. Why is the third-smartest human still painting letters on his face?

DM: I think the lesson here is that Mr. Terrific is a) smarter than us and b) capable of making solid mask innovations we scarcely understand. If this were a book about Hawk and Animal we’d never question it. Where the fuck is my Dr. Midnite ongoing in this relaunch????

DC Relaunch: Justice League International - AGAIN!

2011-06-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL

Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Aaron Lopresti

TF: Did T.H.U.N.D.E.R. get canceled already?

DM: Well were they IN the DCU? If not then they can wait. Besides someone went and signed an exclusive across town.

TF: Oh they were in the DCU. I’m just not seeing the point of their purchasing those characters. Unless it was spite against the late John Carbonaro. I could believe that one.

DM: Well the point is that they are good characters and DC was trying to do something with them for ages. I’m thinking that Spencer following the “Great Image Comics Career Plan” may have left them minus one edgy hip writer to ride herd on that book. Come on. Remember my rule. Any book here in the relaunch has to be BETTER in concept than the Secret Six. THUNDER Agents is not that. It’s maybe the 55th book but not the 54th.

TF: Who do we have here...Batman, Rocket Red, Fire, Ice, August-General-in-Iron, Vixen, Guy Gardner, Booster Gold, and...Donna Troy? Gypsy? help me out here.

DM: I can’t see why Bruce Wayne would give a shit about this team. He’s busy. This is a job for Dick Grayson. You know what I don’t get about the JLI, here? What mission would be big enough for a Justice League but that the JLA wouldn’t do? You know like are Flash and Green Lantern really saying, “Umm...no, why don’t we farm that out to the Chinese cat in the armor and that Russian in the armor and that Norwegian cold chick. France is SO FAR AWAY...for our teleporters to send us. Hey Batman, see if those guys wanna save the Louvre!”

TF: You may as well ask why is there more than one international superhero team on the relaunch list. So I’ll ask it now. Stormwatch: why?

DM: Why what? Why is Stormwatch getting a book or why aren’t they the JLI?

TF: Don’t they have the same mission statement?

DM: Yes.

TF: That just brings me back around to T.H.U.N.D.E.R. also having the same mission statement.

DM: Yes, “We kick ass where other super heroes can’t be bothered to team up and go.”

DM: It looks like the best thing to do here would have been to make a book called ThunderWATCH International. It would include Hawksmoor, Apollo, Midnighter, J’onn J’onzz, Dynamo, Noman, Lightning, Fire, Ice Maiden, Booster Gold, Rocket Red and the August General in Iron. Add Guy Gardner when the sales drop at issue 10.

TF: And put Batman in your final issue.

DM: Damn right. He teleports Gotham to Oslo because he can’t be bothered to leave it to solve a mystery in fucking Oslo. This book has Hawksmoor, the breakout character for Wildstorm so I’m in for now.

DC Relaunch: Green Arrow - Richer than YOU!

2011-06-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

Written by JT Krul
Art by Dan Jurgens

TF: JT Krul? Really? Still?

DM: How many rich guys can DC support? Will there be an Arrow Car? Will Ollie have all the deadbeat dad angst?

TF: Green Arrow is one dude who could totally pull off being the Jack Burton of superheroes. “When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall zombie grabs your neck, looks you crooked in the eye and he asks if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ole' Oliver Queen always says at a time like that: ‘Have ya paid your dues, Ollie?’ ‘Yes sir the check is in the mail.’"

DM: You just described Hawkeye, who may be the Jeff Jarrett of superheroes.

TF: “Just remember what ole' Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big ole' storm right square in the eye and he says, ‘Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it.’"

DM: Now you’re doing Blue Devil. Is he in JLA Dark?

TF: The science is settled, people. Blue Devil is the Jack Burton. Ollie can’t be Jack Burton AND a millionaire.

DM: Ollie cannot be both but he can totally be Robert Downey Jr. I mean he doesn’t have to invent stuff. He just runs a company that made him rich like Dead Ted Kord. All he has to do now if live the life of an unappreciative jag off for our reading pleasure. Like Guy Gardner but with good credit and hot ex girlfriends and the son he never knew about. Of the relaunches announced to the point we’re at, I’m willing to give this one a shot but man, JT Krul must be an awesome Blackjack player.

DM: You know what you have to do to make Green Arrow really good? Hire Chuck Dixon. HOLY CRAP! I just figured it out. Green Arrow should be Burn Notice with arrows! Remember the Dixon run back in the day when Connor Hawke shows up? He had a sloppy sidekick like Bruce Campbell didn’t he? Black Canary is Fiona...

TF: Connor’s under the same bus as Wally West. Because DC can have 3,600 Green lanterns, 10 guys who run fast, and Batman United Nations, but Oliver’s the only guy who can shoot an arrow.

DM: Yeah it runs counter to what DC up top is going for. Our Hal Jordan issue is that the other 3,599 GLs are more interesting than him. Ollie is interesting by himself but he has a damaged ex sidekick (who was a GREAT single dad) and a son who really stepped up and carried the ball. This is what a supporting cast should look like. Lets hope DC isn’t shelving them.

DC Relaunch: The Savage Sword, Mace and Cestus of Hawkman

2011-06-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN

Written by Tony S. Daniel
Art by Philip Tan

TF: Geoff Johns believes saying things over and over in interviews will make them true, rather than putting them in the actual stories. “Hal Jordan is just like Indiana Jones,” for instance, despite all evidence to the contrary. And also “Hawkman is Conan, with wings!” Put the crack pipe down. Strapping D&D weapons on Hawkman is not going to get folks to respect him. I don’t know if anything would.

DM: On one level it works. He is interesting looking almost always. I think people just don’t care about Thanagar or his time lost love.

TF: Maybe Hawkman doesn’t belong in a world where every other superhero has more impressive powers.

DM: This is a function of writing. If Hawkman had the power to run fast instead of fly he’d be Flash and honestly, the only difference in their powers is that one gets you there faster. Make him interesting and give him a mission we can connect to and he can have the power to talk to fish.

Besides, Hawkman should be written like Indiana Jones. If he said that about Hal Jordan he didn’t write him that way. Maybe he meant Hal Jordan should be written like Jack Ryan...or Jack Burton. Either of those makes more sense and are still interesting. History has now shown that it like Jordan as written by Johns so you can let that one go.

That being said, I just spent a paragraph talking about Green Lantern in the Hawkman column so until he becomes Indiana Jones, Hawkman is screwed.

TF: Aquaman is Conan, but underwater!

DM: Aquaman should be Macbeth underwater.

TF: Jonah Hex is Conan, but with guns! Actually that one is true.

DM: That one is true.

DM: I used to have this idea that Hawkman was like Batman but with feathers and missing a shirt. I wanted to give him a pet Hawk and a sidekick and a battle cry. Then I realized I just wanted more cartoons designed by Alex Toth.

TF: BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRDMANNNN!!!

DM: Which just means that Hawkman is further doomed. Also this book is written by Tony Daniel, who hasn’t shown me much in his writing career.

TF: That’s twice now in this list a hot artist gets a marquee character to write.

DM: Is Tony Daniel really a hot artist? I mean I know DC has a time machine set to 1997 but dammit, they came back with Tony Daniel not Paul Smith or Bryan Hitch.

TF: They thought he was valuable enough to give him a scripting credit. Kind of like how they let Tom Welling direct some of the last seasons of Smallville, or how somebody gave William Shatner a recording contract.

DM: I know what you’re saying but isn’t it like the bid against themselves? I mean was Marvel gonna come along and give Tony Daniel Thor or something? I think the Tom Welling deal is different. He at least had actual fans. The Shatner records are gold BTW...

DM: You know what? I think this thing with Hawkman now makes more sense. He’s that idea that is always good for a few laughs and serious talk over booze, like Bruce Willis, William Shatner and the WB. Then you take it further and make it real, and it’s not long before there’s a guy flying around with no shirt, brooding and swing a fn mace....Then you realize...”CRAP....we just gave Hawkman another book and canceled Secret Six!”

DC Relaunch: The Firestorm that is...Firestorm

2011-06-14T12:59:00.001-07:00

Written by Ethan Van Sciver & Gail Simone

Art by Yildiray Cinar

TF: So Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch. I liked when they used this combo on the Brave & the Bold cartoon. Although Ronnie was a gym teacher in that; here they’re students roughly the same age. DC says, “This is not a reboot.”

DM: Well I can see them being the same age since comic book characters don’t really age and Ronnie never exactly hit pension status. If you recall, a lot of the original Firestorm’s appeal was his age and outlook. They can work well together. That doesn’t speak to reboot quite as much. You keep forgetting that the relaunch may not really be for us. It’s for your literary minded and e-reader using cube mates. THEY don’t wanna read all about the complications of Firestorm the way you remember it.

TF: I think DC puts these contradictions in their press releases to fry the brains of any killer robots who see them.

DM: I think DC says things that make sense to DC and hope Marvel says something crazier the next day so we stop talking about the contradictions.

TF: I saw a small thumbnail of this cover and thought “what’s with the almost-swastika?”

DM: I saw the cover and thought, “Alright, those symbols represent the 8 hidden States of Firestorm’s existence and he’s unlocked like 3 of them!” You know, like in Iron fist.

TF: I could get behind a teen hero who unlocks new “achievement” powers.

DM: Look, you get Gail Simone on a book so this is one that will be crafted well. You’ll get development, support and no bullshit here. You’ll also get a fun comic too. I can’t wait to meet the supporting cast and Cinar is going to art the shit out of it. You know what I miss about the Firestorm concept though? I want some actual science in it. The point of old Prof Stein was that he could do the science while Ronnie did the being young and cool. Just give a brotha some science, Gail...

DC Relaunch: The Flash

2011-06-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

Written by Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato
Art by Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato

TF: Giving Barry Allen a mask with a chinstrap is like giving Clint Eastwood a skateboard.

DM: That’s a design issue. Hell, most of the characters are designed in some way that speaks to function but adds a bit of “cool” that may or may not need to be there. for Flash I hope there’s more Cully Hamner than Jim Lee when it’s all said and done.

DM: Flash is one of those characters that needed the least amount of work. He’s the definition of the Legacy Character. If this new Flash book is a ‘Barry as One True Flash” scenario, I’ll be disappointed. I don’t give 2 shakes about Max Mercury but Wally West earned a shot at the big time and excelled when he got there, Giving him 2 super powered kids was GREAT and I’d hate to see all of that rolled back.

TF: Wally who?

DM: We could be headed there but I can’t see it with Bart in the Teen Titans. I mean damn, Dick learned the promotion was temporary because his guy was unstuck in time. Wally learned that following the company formula doesn’t mean fuck all when your dead ass uncle comes back from the dead after 30 damn years. I hate this more than I hate Legion reboots.

TF: It must give all the Barry Allen fans a twinge of delight to see everybody who grew up with the Wally West Flash be disappointed. Then they wonder why there aren’t any new readers.

DM: I’m not sure I believe in the existence of Barry Allen fans. I think they are a myth, like the Easter Bunny, Trickle Down Economics and Cold Fusion. We have a better chance of finding Bigfoot riding the Lochness Monster through Camelot than finding an honest Barry Allen Fan who still reads DC Comics regularly. I’m giving this book a shot although I have no reason to trust Francis Manapul as a writer.

DC Relaunch: Aquaman - The Most Interesting Man Underwater

2011-06-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

The Once and Future Aquaman (I made most of that up)
by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis

DM: OK, I’m all over a good Aquaman book and I haven’t been happy here since Peter David’s run. My only concern is that Geoff Johns has to work “Mordenkainen” levels of magic here.

TF: I assume he’ll follow the usual Geoff Johns strategy: If one thing is good, a hundred of that thing is better. I’m predicting the debut of Riverman, Pondman, Freshwaterlakeman, and the Puddler, leading to the crossover event of 2012, Splashdown.

DM: Yeah, there will have to be the decompressing (see what I did there) of whatever it means to be...Aquaman, I suppose BUT Johns has shown that he can take the worst ideas of the Silver Age and draw money. He’s like a great wrestling Booker. He’s not Paul Heyman but he might be someone better than that.

TF: He’s looking all angry on the cover, which tells me mistake #1 has already been made. Stop trying to make an angry asskicker out of Aquaman, DC. Nobody will ever believe it. You already have a ripoff of Namor called Black Adam, we don’t need another one.

DM: I disagree. DC has had success with angry Aquaman. Fans just don’t want him crying about his lack of living children. Folks accept that he’s mad. The alternative is a peaceful Aquaman and then you have to ask, “What the fuck is he so happy about?” When it comes down too it, Happy Arthur Curry makes folks think of the Super Friends. Angry Aquaman is one that can be supported. He just needs to be mad about shit he can also resolve. I’ll also say you have your rip offs backwards. Namor joining the X-Men is almost exactly a replay of Black Adam joining the JSA.

TF: He doesn’t need to be happy or shiny. He just needs to not be Namor. The guy’s wearing fluorescent orange. He’s a rescue worker to the world. Make him firefighting Dennis Leary Aquaman. THAT I could believe.

DM: Yeah but you wouldn’t buy that at all and no one would respect it. What you really want is that clown from Brave and the Bold and I don’t think that works in comics.

TF: That only worked because they ripped off Marvel’s Hercules instead of Marvel’s Namor.

DM: Agreed.

TF: “DID I EVER TELL YOU OF THE TIME I ACTED LIKE MARVEL CHARACTERS, MY FRIENDS? I CALL IT ‘THE ADVENTURE OF THE TIME I ACTED LIKE MARVEL CHARACTERS’!”

DM: Thankfully Geoff Johns isn’t going to do that. He’s probably going to start with a solid cast of supporters (hopefully without Vulko) and then shows us how Curry’s brother, Ocean Master goes from being good to slipping down into evil. I’d buy a book where the King has to deal with some Game of Thrones like BS. I know if we see Riverman and Glacierman, this is all out the window. So far, DC is 3 for 3 on books I’m supporting BUT 2 of those are by Johns and one is by Azzarello. These are damn near can’t lose properties.

TF: I only have eyes for WW so far.

DM That’s fine. I’m pretty sure you hate teams and I know you hate amphibians.

DC Relaunch: Wonder Woman

2011-06-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

WONDER WOMAN
By Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chang

TF: I was all set to complain that Azzarello shouldn’t write superheroes. Then I remembered these two guys did that Doctor 13 comic. SOLD.

DM: Correct. I disagree about his Superhero books. I loved Cage. The most notable thing here is the Wonder Jacket is gone and Chang makes this outfit look like a great idea. All the detractors can now go suck it. Wonder Woman likes to break necks in pants. Done.

TF: Getting rid of the scrunched-up jacket and bangles helps this outfit a lot. She doesn’t look like she escaped from “Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon” anymore.

DM: Right. Instead she looks like she’s about to just walk through Frank Miller’s Daredevil, killing ninjas and smacking all of Matt Murdock’s angst upside the head. I’d buy 2 copies. Big win for a relaunch where I know not a thing about the plans.

TF: Although we’re pretty sure she won’t be a sassy CEO looking for love in the Big City.

DM: I’m pretty sure she won’t be a Sassy CEO because DC has a series of secret rules, made by They Who Sit In Shadow. Chief amongst these rules are there can ever only by less than three Sassy CEOs in the DCU, Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen and...then someone has to become evil or die. There can never actually be three. I could however accept that plot from the Heinberg era of Wonder Woman where Diana is a bad ass spy type chick, kicking ass for the Man/Woman.

TF: DC has NO limit on badass spies.

DM: Not during this relaunch. Both of those comics fans who cried like babies when WildStorm was folded into the DCU should have a party where they celebrate and drink a few too many Long Island Ice Teas, because it looks like WildStorm has actually infected the DCU. What do you want from her supporting cast?

TF: Fewer albino gorillas. Bring back Rama, Nemesis, and I Ching. Steve Trevor and Etta Candy can go on a very long bus ride.

DM: Well I think this relaunch can use some of everyone back. I liked the Etta I saw in the Wonder Woman animated feature. I really have all the use for Nemesis but zero use for Steve Trevor...unless they find a way to write him like Michael Vartan’s character in the first few years of the Alias TV series. Suddenly I just got an Image of Wonder Woman being written as if it were Tom Strong. Now I’m more excited!

TF: DC was too eager to scrap “Diana Prince super spy.”

DM: Yeah, they tend to have ball shrinkage when it comes to anything where Diana wears a white jumpsuit and beat ass full time. OK, it looks like we’re both on board here. We both dig the creators and you especially have come around since you realized the Doctor 13 team was back to work here.

The New DC Is on the Move: The Relaunch

2011-06-10T09:28:00.000-07:00

In more ways than one.

A lot of folks are up in arms about the DC “Reboot”/Renumbering or whatever you want to call it but no matter what, it’s a vehicle for Day and Date delivery of comics via the Internet and this is probably the best way to do it.

This is Doc Midnight and Trey Formidable giving you the blow by blow...

Now we’re going to analyze the 52 tiles DC is offering in order of their revelation to us by way of their blog.

First Up - The Justice League by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee

TF: I can’t believe nobody in this picture is wearing a jacket.

DM: It’s true but what concerns me a little more is really an issue of composition. Seriously. Is there a bigger way to say “Jim Lee just wants to draw Batman” than to have Superman, the most important member of the JLA, flying out of the top of the page like he’s Hawkman or something?

TF: Cyborg. Is he there because he’s a graduating Titan or because he was on Superfriends? With Johns you never know.

DM: I think you have an issue with Johns and his love of the Silver Age but lets be honest. DC is the “Legacy Loving City” and if one guy deserves it, it’s gonna be Cyborg. Now lets just hope the 1st 12 issues isn’t all about his noble sacrificial death so Hal and Barry can have a moment.

TF: Bulky Cyborg reminds me of “Titans Hunt.” That should never happen.

DM: Maybe he’s just bulky because this is a crappy drawing of the JLA. Aquaman looks like Ryan Phillippe. This whole pic looks like ti was drawn by the guy they hired to draw Hawk and Dove...who doesn’t like drawing feet....

TF: Aquaman needs a trenchcoat.

DM: Yeah...a lot of these relaunched books scream 90’s. I stunned the League doesn’t have a Top Secret Base inside the high rise of a secret corporation owned by Bruce Wayne. Anyway, back to the book. I’m glad they settled on Cyborg as the clear diversity hire and I’ll support it because Johns is at least a better writer than Lee is a penciller these days.
I’m not dying to make the 90’s the new Silver Age like it looks like Didio is going to do.

TF: He’s banking on 90s nostalgia? So that’s why he put a Bloodlines character in The Outsiders.

DM: My last point is that I think this particular relaunch misses the best chance to pull the whole line wide relaunch together. I loved Grant Morrison’s statement that the JLA should be the biggest and best the DCU has to offer. This Super Friends style lineup seems to be missing like seven other characters that would really make it pop. Those seven characters are getting new books and in the new DC they could be right at home in a JLA relaunch. Just the same, I'm buying this one.

TF: Well there IS more than one Justice League title launching...but we’ll get to those later.

Next Up: Wonder Woman

Lets Fix a Character: Hawkman

2011-06-01T16:19:00.000-07:00

I know that everyone is abuzz with the news that DC is doing stuff that basically screams "Look at us, we're trying some new shit!" but I feel like talking about comics in a different way. I wanna fix stuff like characters. Today, HAWKMAN!

This is Hawkman...

Hawkman's basic premise is that he's a space cop from another world who happens to keep getting himself killed and then reincarnated as some form of Hawkman or another. This isn't the worst idea for a character but it seems like fans have a hard time sticking with him. I can't believe it's anything I named. I think it's because he's kind of a tool.

Look, if you're trying to add flavor to the JLA by offering a counterpoint to what's there then fine. Superman is a boy scout, Batman is jerk (but an awesome jerk) Wonder Woman is a warrior...and a diplomat, Aquaman is Wonder Woman but with one hand, no boobs, and fish, and the Flash is the one guy everyone likes but no one in the JLA can really say why.

What is Hawkman? He can't really be a cop. The team has a cop and a boy scout. Hell, even when Hal Jordan isn't there, there no one says, "Hey, where'd our cop go?"

My answer is that Hawkman should be written like this guy:

Think about it. Hawkman lives in a museum or something and he's all about using the weapons of the past like swords, maces, spears, kukris, and the occasional khopesh. Why not have him be the relic hunter? Give me one good reason why having stories where Hawkman tracks down and stockpiles all the mystical and evil scientific crap floating around the DCU wouldn't be great! Why would Orion's Astro Cycle just end up in Star Labs or in the JLA trophy room? Why not have Hawkman take it and stick it in his Hawk Museum...nest...place...whatever and THEN go and find the Bell, Jar and Wheel of those demons the JLA kept running into back in the day?

As far as I'm concerned you can even tie this into Hawkman's love interest, Hawkwoman, who I think is dead right now. He can be looking for a way to resurrect her with all the cool crap he finds. Other heroes and scientist in the DCU would think he was obsessed but so what. He's Hawkman Jones and he doesn't care what they think. He does care where Per Degaton hid that time traveling tank thingy he used against the JSA back in the day. He might need it to bust into some Jaguar God's lair in the 1300's to find some sort of secret to resurrecting super chicks.

I find this to be a GREAT idea! Lets get this done!

T

Wildstorm is Dead: Long Live the Dream...

2010-10-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

Wildsorm is Dead: Long Live the dream of what Wildstorm could have been.

A few weeks ago DC Comics announced that they were folding the Wildstorm brand. People have been voicing opinions on the issue since then but I think most people are missing the point.

My position on Wildstorm is like: “Your favorite band made a few good albums back in the day and had kinda been limping along ever since.”

IMO for any publishing imprint to survive in this market, it has to do 3 things well:

Have a clear purpose in the market
Publish it’s best titles regularly
Not over saturate the market

Let’s take these things in order:

Have a clear purpose in the market. WS was very well known for publishing titles like WildCATS, The Authority, Stormwatch, Wetworks, and Gen 13. These books generally had a shared Universe called the…”Wildstorm Universe” and the difference between the WSU and other books on shelves in shops was supposed to be that the WSU was an edgier, modern and more dangerous place, not constrained by clear black and white norms like, “Heroes Don’t Kill” etc. In the WSU, heroes were just got the job done and bad things could really happen to good people. This is really all well and good until you look around and find out that both the Parent company (DC Comics) AND the main competition (Marvel Comics) have been upping the ante on Anti heroes and drama in the years since WS was acquired. As soon as Apollo and Midnighter stopped having an overt same sex relationship, the Authority was done. As soon as Batman started spying on every other super person, the paranoia of Stormwatch had no purpose. There are now more comics on the shelf about super powered Teenagers and the drama they bring, than one can shake a stick at. Good luck to Gen 13.

Wildstorm showed the market it needed to live on the edge and the market went right to the edge and danced all over it. Then the market got really tired of that edge. If people thought that the DC Universe got too dark a few years ago (and the Marvel Universe as well) then how in the hell was the WSU going to recapture what it helped model?

It could be argued that the best titles offered by WS during its history were books not involved in the WSU. Astro City, Planetary and Alan Moore’s America’s Best Comics once were the standard for monthly comic book excellence BUT these were really…irregular in their shipping at best. It is basically assumed that when a comic is considered a series, it will be released every month and fans have really come to accept this. It is also assumed (wrongly) that when a creator releases a new title that same creator will produce this title and fans can enjoy it for years.

Some titles by WS were produced as the creators were able to get them done. It’s not like they didn’t have other books to do anyway, just not Wildstorm books. Fans that were really into Planetary needed to be patient and wait YEARS for the conclusion of the series. Fans that were really into Promethea needed to buy it while Alan Moore gave enough of a damn to make it because soon enough, he’d be onto something else and that would be that. Either way, WS never produced anything of the standard of Astro City, the ABC comics, Planetary or even Paul Smith’s Leave it to Chance (published before the company was owned by DC).

I’d have loved it if WS had made the commitment to the talent level of the non WSU titles. I get that not everyone is Alan Moore, Warren Ellis, or Kurt Busiek but DC certainly employed Greg Rucka, James Robinson, Darwyn Cooke, Ed Brubaker, and Paul Dini during the last 10 years so…

Essentially what I’m saying is that WS identified that it could do more than just be 90’s era edgy and could raise the bar for quality comics and somehow just never made the decision to continue raising the bar. This is not how you bring it every month.

The last thing that a publishing imprint needs to do is to not over saturate the market with products that DO NOT distinguish themselves from the competition. WS published its superhero fare which had lost its edge, rarely published non WSU material that was of high quality and then, because someone had to do it, began publishing loads of video game related comics.

I get it. DC found itself holding onto the rights to make video game related comics and if all went well, it would draw gamers into the comics market but for the life of me, I can’t see why it had to be WS that these books were published under. It’s not like there were only a few video game comics either. There were PLENTY over the years and for the most part, these books just weren’t that interesting to the established comics market or the bulk of the gamer market.

Wildstorm spent a lot of time and money making LOTS of comics that took up space on retailer shelves without offering up anything that set them apart from what they were competing against. They just crowded shelves and this was a shame considering the pedigree of the company.

As far as I’m concerned, DC should have created an imprint called “Joystick” and put all of its video game comics there.

Now I know Wildstorm has its inside problems. I just don’t care about them. I don’t care that Paul Levitz pissed people off. I don’t care that Alan Moore is a crazy person who worships a sock and hates comics. I don’t care that Jim Lee may have been busy furthering his career within DC Comics. These things really don’t matter when it comes to identifying who you are in the Market over all and how you can be the best at what you do.

I know there are people out there saying, “But what about The Boys by Garth Ennis”? Fuck the Boys. No company really wants to put out a comic that makes the company look like complete idiots. While the Boys had strong sales before changing publishers, most of it was due to people wanting to see DC being made to look like asses in the pages of one of its own books. Marvel didn’t even do that with Kick-Ass, Supreme Power or Nemesis. In any other instance we’d be telling people not to bite the hand that feeds them but when it’s an irreverent and ultra violent comic we like, we get all, DC is afraid to grow” and shit. Please. That’s a bunch of garbage. No publicly traded comic book publishing entity is going to “grow” in a way that’s going to make lovers of post modern comics happy so therefore not being able to let the young and hip The Boys take the stodgy old DC out behind the pub and do naughty things generally reserved for German porn is not a reason why Wildstorm was doomed to get the axe.

Wildstorm got the axe because it began to blend in with the comic book background. Retailers couldn’t believe in it. Fans had no reason to support it and eventually, just like that band you love so much that used to just kick so much ass on its first two albums but has been phoning it in now that they’ve practically started a movement, they need to just go away. It’s for the best.

I’d also love to say that the best thing for the WSU properties is that they’ll now be published under the DC banner but again, the banner was never the problem. CONTENT was the problem. DC has 52 Earths and the WSU gets one of them but unless WildCATS, Stormwatch, GEN13 and the Authority can really distinguish themselves, they will look like all the other superhero teams published by DC only without a reason to be supported. Maybe it’ll be like when that band gets back together but now they are just kinda old and crappy but hoping there’s still some of that reunion tour money to be had.

Good luck, Wildstorm.

Teenage Boys, Mental Health and Rubbish

2010-08-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

Over at Jezebel.com, there is an article that you can find here:

http://jezebel.com/5613857/can-superheroes-hurt-boys-mental-health

Basically some scientists have forgotten all about Fredric Wertham and Seduction of the Innocent and how much crap that was as a scientific work. The have posited that comic books and comic book movies are giving teenage boys ideas that it's ok to be an emotionally shallow jack ass just because Batman and Iron Man don't have their shit together in the growth department.

Listen, if your teenage boys are behaving like...umm...teenage boys, it's probably because teenage boys are really crazy people. It wasn't the comics. It was a combination of things INCLUDING you.

Ok, sure Tony Stark is an example of a flawed guy who gets a bunch of power and takes on the job of blowing stuff up. The same can be said of Jack Bauer and Captain Kirk.

Yes Batman is a moody jerk who will brood a lot before breaking some heads BUT, really, so is Sayid Jarrah and Han Solo. Some heroes brood more than others but hey, the bad guys get blasted right and most of the time, I'll take that over my kid getting his ass handed to him because the bullies outside didn't understand that Archie's Riverdale negotiation tactics were really meant to bring us all together.

Comics don't make kids detached, environment and hormones do. I wonder if the detached boys also ate sandwiches and wore shoes. How about maybe the non detached boys had a better sense of family and communication because they had a family that communicated pretty well.

Also (Modern) Bruce Wayne was never meant to be a great example of open feeling. Bruce Wayne is an example of how one can be a closed off prick and still use his wealth to fight serial killer who look like clowns.

(Modern) Tony Stark is similar but at least he didn't need a mask to be useful. He does need a martini and sometimes, so do I.

Maybe those scientists should spend more time talking to their therapists about why they need to point the finger at comics when their kids are too preoccupied to talk to them.

Comics are GREAT!

Damn right Heimdall is Black because Kirby was crazy!

2010-07-30T15:25:00.000-07:00

OK so some folks have gotten their spandex panties ll in a bunch about Actor, Idris Elba being cast as Heimdall, Guardian of Bifrost; the Rainbow Bridge, in the upcoming Thor movie.

I had a mini rant about this on the insidemovies site.

The real problem I'm seeing is that folks are really tying parts of their real lives to movies. The only place this will land you is on a therapists couch some day.

'Heimdall can't be Black because the Vikings were White" is a logical fallacy, simply because Heimdall, like Cold Fusion, DOES NOT EXIST!

You know who does exist? Idris Elba, who is also Black and dressed like a Viking God and people sure seem to be calling him Heimdall which just kills that argument.

This is like folks who have told me that they can't watch any of the X-Men movies because Hugh Jackman is too tall to play Wolverine.

No he isn't. How do you know how tall Wolverine is really? I mean he's a comic book character and he generally isn't always being measured like a 5 year old using a pencil to mark his laborious growth spurts.

There is also the fact that the public at large has been pretty happy with the only part that matters for Hugh Jackman, his performance.

The bottom Line is:

Comics are Comics and Movies are not comics. Most of the classic comics were created by folks who did SOME research for their books but mostly they were making guys in their underwear fight other guys in underwear.

Now get some popcorn and enjoy the damn movies!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

http://insidemovies.moviefone.com/2009/11/20/idris-elba-joins-thor/1#c29590164

Elba as Heimdall detractors need to get over it. This IS NOT a movie about Norse Mythology. This is not a movie about Spirituality in such a way as to justify your awesomely rebellious pagan ways.

It's a movie about a comic book written by two adventurous Jewish kids who didn't give a rats ass about traditional Norse Mythology.

Heimdall could be Asian or White or Arabian or Black because neither he nor his appearance are central to the story. How can someone not mind if Jane Foster is Black but have issue with a fantastic actor like Elba being a minor deity character? That makes no sense.

Yes, the "Ultimate Comics" Nick Fury is black and being used in the films. The Nick Fury movie starring Hasselhoff was a different character AND produced for TELEVISION by a different studio BEFORE Comic Boook Movies as a genre came into vogue.

Lee and Kirby DID NOT CARE about your Germanic Traditions. Thor fought robots and Mr. Hyde and Space Aliens and sometimes a troll but mostly stuff from space and robots and evil construction workers.

His story is about daddy issues, NOT about YOUR spirituality or YOUR marauding ancestors (even though vikings are pretty cool).

This is MARVEL THOR. He doesn't have red hair or even own magical goats. He just doesn't want to go into the family business (ruling) and thinks big boobed white nurses are kinda hot (cuz they kinda are). THAT IS WHAT MARVEL THOR IS ABOUT!

Stan and Jack didn't know diddly about Vikings. They knew about teen boy power fantasies and that's what matters. Boycott it if you have to. We actual fans will watch black and Mongolians run all around comic book Asgard fighting robots made by the Gods, just to get back to Earth and party with the soft ladies. Oh and Loki's horns are gonna kick massive ass!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

All I want in 2010 is for the Dumb Shit to Cease

2010-01-13T12:29:00.000-08:00

Hello America!

For many years, two companies have ruled the comics landscape, DC and Marvel Comics and many of you already know this. For many years these two companies have tried to one up each other in the great game of how to hunt the dollars that we geeks hold onto, almost dearly. At one point the level of competition sort of dropped off but Joe Quesada and Brian Michael Bendis over at Marvel have worked pretty damn hard to bring that spirit back.

I don't mind this spirit of competition. If DC puts out a great series involving Batman, Marvel should really look at Captain American and see what it can do to step it's game up. There is one thing I don't like though I hate when that competition starts looking like something you'd see in high school talent show shenanigans.

Here's the issue at hand:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=24406

Essentially Marvel is offering we retailers a copy of Siege #3 with a special variant Deadpool cover for ever stripped off cover of certain DC comics.

Stripped Covers To Be Sent:
Adventure Comics #4
Booster Gold #26
Doom Patrol #4

Justice League of America #39

Outsiders #24
R.E.B.E.L.S #10

SO if we happen to have a bunch of extra DC comics (related to DC's awesome selling Blackest Night event) we can destroy them and Marvel will do us the service of getting a copy of the 3rd issue of it's next big event but with a Deadpool cover as opposed to it's normal cover.

My problem with this is pretty much everything. Marvel should not worry so much about how many copies of a DC event we ordered and concentrate on making Dark Reign and Siege something that we give a damn about.

Blackest Night is about the emotional connection between our heroes and loved ones or enemies of theirs who have passed on and since come back to life as undead zombie Black Lanterns (like a Green Lantern, only cannibalistic and chatty). The key here is the emotional connection.

Dark Reign is about how a madman has gotten a cushy government job and hired a bunch of his crooked friends (all villains) to commit crimes and act like dicks (like villains). Generally this means many of them even get to dress up like heroes (kinda like evil transvestites).

It works in some cases but there is no actual emotional connection with anyone involved. Spiderman should care big time because Norman Osborn (Green Goblin) is the aforementioned madman and after that Tony Stark should care but he's off in a coma or something. Captain America should care because Osborn is stamping all over our freedoms, but Cap is all lost in the time stream. I guess super secret agent Nick Fury and his pals in the Avengers could just get film of Osborn being a crazy person but then this story would have been over after like 3 issues so that hasn't happened yet either.

Well something did happen when Luke Cage, Leader of the Avengers, had a heart problem, the Avengers had to go to Osborn's people to get a good cardiologist.

yeah...

So anyway, Marvel wants me to take my DC Comics relating to the good series and send them to Marvel in exchange for Siege #3 (with Deadpool cover).

Deadpool....yeah...

I hate Deadpool too.

He's a gun toting, smartass who seems to be immortal or something and as near as I can tell he just talks shit and winks at the reader a lot. Personally I'm not sure how he appeals to anyone over the age of 30 but then again, if I were a company with a wealth of characters like Marvel Comics and I asked the masses which characters they wanted more of:

The Nerdy Heroic Everyman

The Jekyll and Hyde Complex

The Man Out of Time

The Norse God with Classic Daddy Issues

The Cool Exec with a Heart of Steel

The Family of Misfits Looking for Acceptance in a World That Can only Fear Them

The Family of Misfits who have Found Acceptance but can't Find Normality

The shit talking Mercenary ripped off from a really good DC Villain and who Breaks the Fourth Wall all the time

I have an idea, based on history, which one would get the vote of the masses. The masses have been taught to look past all the stuff that could actually create and emotional connection and to instead go for the thrill of the shit talking little weirdo. Whatever.

Marvel is so confident that enough fans are into shit talking little weirdos that they have offered up...A VARIANT COVER!!!!!!!!!!

OMFG!!! I wonder if I have 150 unsold DC comics around so I can get my hands on THREE of these copies of this 3rd issue of Siege (a comic where that madman with a government job, decides to pull a "9-11" and trick an Asgardian dude into destroying Soldier Field in Chicago, in order to allow the US to invade Asgard.

Yep.

So you can have the 3rd issue of the "Heavy Handed Allegory Follies" complete with "Manic Psycho Killer" cover for issue #3.

Another reason why this is insulting is the timing of it.

Marvel is offering a Variant cover for issue #3 as opposed to the more relevant and appropriate issue #1 but that would have put them firmly up against the point in time when DC's books in question were hitting the shelves. Siege #1 JUST came out so they would have had to ask us to reduce our order of those books (which DC was hoping we'd order more of for reasons such as us getting colored power ring toys to give to customers).

This only really works for rabid collectors of variant covers, which in my opinion, our industry could use a shit ton less of. I'd rather a rabid fanboy who reads the shit out of the books than a rabid fanboy who just wants more damn covers.

Any rabid fanboy who wants more covers would love an issue of Siege #3 with that shit talking Monkey cover but I'm not going to ruin perfectly good copies of comics about what comics are supposed to be about (emotional connections with and between characters) for what comics are not supposed to be about (jealous companies trying to squeeze other comics off the shelves without providing quality content).

Now one could argue that it's just business but I'd argue that my business is my business. I'll be the one to determine if I've got a few extra copies of something and when I determine that I do, I'll do something about it. I sure as hell don't need to trade good comics for speculative bullshit.

Marve is basically acting like the "dumb jock" shouting "look, a nerd" and then running up and trying to convince us retailers to give DC a wedgie in order to get a copy of the Michael Bay Transformers movie.

Screw you Marvel. Just make good comics.

I left my cell phone at home and it just feels wrong

2010-01-08T10:01:00.000-08:00

This is the part where you say, "How wrong is it?" and then I consider my...feelings.

I know that women tend to say that men aren't in touch with their feelings at all but we men are all deep and complex dudes. We seem emotionless because our brains have a hard time translating the metaphors that are our thoughts on emotions into more that, "I'm fine!", 'It's Nothing!" or my personal favorite, "What makes you think that juyst because I'm always yelling, cursing, kicking shit and then sitting in abject silence, getting drunk, that something is wrong?"

Well, America, I own a comic book store. I've got about 1000 sqft of metaphor RIGHT HERE and it's gonna help me explain why leaving my cellphone at home is such an emotional low, like when Leon Durham missed that ball or when the Bears suited uo for almost every game this season or when Patrice ******* gave me that "Let's just be friends..." speech that day in high school. She was a pretty poetic person too. I really understood the depth to which I'd been dumped. Well...not really UNDERSTOOD per se but...you know.

Anyway.

When I leave my house in the morning I feel out of sorts unless I'm fully armed with the "Seven Items of Awesomeness"

As long as I count these Items in my pocket I'm all good.

They are:

My Wedding Ring (It's actually a Christian Bauer or something because my wife wouldn't agree to matching LSH flight rings)

My Fossil Watch (It really is a nice Fossil but I really want a Gatchaman watch kinda bad like. Bird Ninjas kick ass)

My IPod Touch. I live a mile from the train station and walking to the train with nothing but the sound of traffic blows.

My wallet. Yes, this is what my wallet looks like. Just a bit more worn these days.

My Keys. How else am I gonna get into my awesome store.

And this silly thing, my Chicago Card. It's how many of us in this town gain access to the best in odd smells, sketchy schedules and the more interested impov comedy project you'll ever see after a few drinks some times.

All this, and my cell phone. I won't post a picture of it because it's just too painful. Some of you have seen it. Small, silver and black, crushed face, lost puppy dog eyes.

I can't call people or txt people, or screen calls, or mass txt holiday messages to only 10 people at a time. I plan on getting drunk tonite. How am I gonna drunk txt?????

Now you guys out there may think I'm over reacting a bit but remember, I am a consistent over reactor and there are many stories of my losing my shit in Karaoke Bars in Chicago to prove it but some of those times it was the Drambuie talking and not me.

Here-

Remember your first phone back in the day? You knew you needed one, like Captain America needed his Shield. It may have even looked like this:

Yeah, that's Captain America with a goofy looking triangle shield, It was the bag phone of super hero accessories back in the day.

What about Thor's Hammer? Isn't that how you feel when you have your phone?

Have you ever NOT had it and been like "SHIT, did I lose it or did my cats hide it or did my pet frog stash it in frog poop?"

I KNOW! It's driving me nuts too! Arrrrgh! I need something to distract me...

I also think I've just provided enough emotions depth for 10 men. This means that guys I know named Jeff, Jason, Scott, Michael, Will, Joe, Troy, Mark, Dan and Gordon can be a little more introspective today. Your boy has brought the feelings...respect, ya'll!

Doc M

Technology, Comics and Old Habits Die Hard

2010-01-07T09:42:00.000-08:00

So I just read the post by DJ Francis about the possibility of the Kindle and the iTouch to save the comic book industry:

http://onlinemarketerblog.com/2009/03/how-the-kindle-and-itouch-can-save-the-comic-book-industry/

I have to say that I like many of DJ's points but some assumptions were made that really should be considered. The Comic Book industry as currently constituted is run by old skool comic book guys who are making comics for people OVER 30 years old. Hell at this point I think they are making comics for people over 40 years old. I'd also not really be going out on a limb to say that most retailers are over 35 too.

When new tech comes along it's generally the youth who stand up and leap into the fray to embrace it. Lately it's been some cats over 30, 40 or 50 to head the companies that give and distribute said tech but that doesn't change the fact that the youth are all about it and the age peers of the tech makers were left in the dust long ago.

Books, are about as low tech as you can get before we start considering writing on brick walls.

Giving people a new way to read books isn't going to kill books and it's not exactly going to save books either because that older demographic of folks who have been supporting books isn't going anywhere, well except death and even then, that younger group who folks are watching work their little fingers into a frenzy reading comics on screens are going to get older too and so will the next generation of comics publishing heads whose job it will be to prtoduce actual books.

The message will be:

"Produce content in book form that will make the masses happy"

The message to some other younger person will be:

"Turn this digital stuff into a money maker that sells our good old paper comic books"

Marvel and DC both produce online content now and there are digital subscription services out there that are ready and willing to take your cash if you're willing to do the one thing that the big publishers have made a living, banking that you will never do.

"Can you utterly change comic book buying your habits AS A GROUP?"

I'd like to think that Marvel and DC know that some folks will always drop titles and fall away from the hobby. This happens in every hobby industry but comics have managed to make the changes that were needed to please the majority of what it sees as it's market.

Here are some things DJ asked for:

· Allow me to buy single issues at a cheap price. You already have the content and you’ll spend nothing on paper or distribution. It’s almost pure profit for you. (Sure, you’ll have to allot some time for scanning and development, but not much.)

This is a fine idea and I don’t see where there has to be a ton of resistance to it. If someone needs to have a copy of Avengers Forever #4 because they really want to see a shot of Killraven carrying Captain America’s Shield and Yellow Jacket acting like an ass, then why not have then pony up a buck for it to sit on their hard drive. If you really want to make it work, spend some time pumping up the quality of the work or the era it was produced in too. Buyers have no reason to give a damn other than nostalgia (older consumers) or curiosity (younger consumers). This works for music on iTunes right now. If you’re selling the Killers and the Strokes, you may as well try and sell some Simple Minds and Velvet Underground.

· Allow me to pay a subscription fee for back issues. I would gladly pay $5 per month to browse back issues of the X-men and I’m sure I’m not alone. The interaction doesn’t need to be robust – just assign a scanner to an intern and collect the (electronic) checks. It’d be the Netflix of comic books.

This is where you have to put your money where your mouth is. People SAY they’d pay a monthly fee for comics download but they go into stores and pay for comics. The services are out there. Not sure what the buyrates are for it but I don’t know anyone doing it and from his post, it didn’t seem like DJ was up on it either.

I will say this though. The current comics buyer may not be all that keen on paying 10 bucks a month to read comics on his computer screen that were published a year or so before. Old habits die hard and comic book readers tend to still want to be current. Folks waiting for the trade paper back versions of their comics might want to consider this but again, it’s a comic book subscription so you’re still not getting entire stories.

This format looks ideal, if you’re a parent with a kid who wants to read comics but you aren’t near a specialty store and you want to have a comics reading experience with your kid but don’t want to acquire a lot of paper.

Marvel and DC better consider the content carefully though. Don’t make me pay 10 bucks a month and then give me a lot of Dark Reign to have to explain to my seven year old.

· Allow me to subscribe to the electronic version. Comic books get mangled in the mail and delivery can be spotty (I know from personal experience). I would gladly pay a slightly reduced rate to have the files sent to me each month. It would be consistent, trackable, and automatic.

Not sure how this differs from the above method but I want to believe that the publishers should be getting out of paper subscriptions anyway and pushing you towards online. If you’re so remote that you can’t get to a specialty store AT ALL and are willing to take a chance on comics coming in the mail, then you can order from several online retailers (including Third Coast Comics) at a reasonable rate BUT this is a choice for older paper buyers. Younger, remote living, tech savy folks may want the above digital subscription but with current content.

I browsed the Marvel digital site and it looks like they are just using that service to get you into current books. Read what you missed and then get out there and buy some stuff.

· Create a website or app that allows me to create my pull list and then prompt me to purchase directly. There are iPod apps that do this, but no real market leader. With this, you would have an ongoing source of income from a customer who asks to be contacted. Plus, consider the market research capabilities (i.e. imagine lots of readers with The Fantastic Four on their pull list who suddenly stop ordering it – that’s immediate notification that something about the book has gone sour.)

Not sure why Marvel or DC would need to do this. This is a retail issue and many options like this already exist. Find a store with an online component AND an online pull list system…AHEM!

You COULD have an app for it or you can just go to a site like maybe the Third Coast Comics website, using your preferred web enabled device and do exactly what you’re asking for. Now if you’d only be interested if Marvel or DC were doing this then you’re cutting out the retailer from the equation but if you’re like most comics readers who read titles from more than one publisher, then this would limit access to the vast range of titles available and wouldn’t be preferable at all.

Now if you were using the Third Coast Comics online subscription system and decided that you didn’t like the Fantastic Four and dropped it, we would know and shortly thereafter Diamond Comic Book Distributors would know and shortly after that, Marvel Comics would know. By shortly, I mean several weeks but it is what it is. The only way to make faster would be to eliminate a distributor and that’s not gonna happen anytime soon, other than with digital media BUT the current services seem to lock you in for a certain amount of time so deciding you don’t like Jonathan Hickmans’s Fantastic Four (and also proving you’re a crazy person) wouldn’t really help you. A pay per current copy scenario is what you really want and it looks like we’re not there yet.

· Wrap in author/artist interviews or other bonus material with each comic book and charge me a premium rate. Again, this is content that doesn’t take much effort to create – just figure out how to package it. Remember that fans open their wallets for access.

I agree but I’m agreeing because Marvel and DC already use this model to keep comic book readers using this model. How many times have you seen an interview that states that “This will change the direction of Company X for years to come”? How many times have you turned to a buddy and said, “Dammit, is it really time for another Crisis/War/Reign again??

You’re getting what you want and at a premium rate and people are paying it. Doing it online might LOOK different but the only real difference is a lack of paper in your house and as long as you’re six month behind the current story, does an interview with the writer really matter anymore? I loved the Wire but it’s a little late for Ed Burns to be interviewed in order to get me excited for that last season. I’ve already watched cit and spent that last year it was on, making my friends not talk about it around me.

I want to see more digital content but for reasons other than "Comics are expensive" or "I need to justify this cool toy I've purchased" I want to see digital comics because it's a great new way to promote comics. Period. I want to see it used that way and it is but I think what folks are looking for is a way to use it to replace paper comics and DC and Marvel are not in the business of helping you do that.

How about something like this for a publishing model:

All trade paper back volume 1 releases are $9.99. This is often the only way many reader get into a new series. Why should they pay $19.99 for an unproven product?

All collected editions are published in soft cover 1st and hard cover versions are only for special occasions and major story lines and both versions are offered simultaneously. Someone might want to read X-Factor in a collected soft cover and they might do it for 8 volumes but they sure as hell don't need volume 8 in hard cover.

Replace many of the limited series on the stands with the original graphic novel model. This will reduce shelf crowding AND purchase drop off. The crowding will allow for retailers to add diversity to their shelves, which in turn will get publishers a chance at more eyes and hands on their books.

Offer a digital companion series for books currently being published and set the price point at something like .99 cents to $1.99 for a download or something comparable for a subscription to said material on a monthly basis. Marvel wants me reading Dark Reign books right? Then they can offer me an exclusive series for Bullseye/Sentry/Vanessa Hand that will run concurrently with whatever series it's related to and NOW I have current content as well as older contend and I can afford my damn comics to boot.

Well that's kinda my addl. two cents on the issue.

Terry

Can new and inproved hardware actually inprove the comics retail business

2010-01-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

So today I asked the twitterverse for a suggestion for a topic (because I'm not ready to talk X-Men again just yet or post the one "Forever" topic I'd be all over.

What I got was a suggestion from Bobbidigital at www.allthingsdork.com

He asked: What effect will color tablet size computers have on the comic book retail business if any?How do retailers innovate?

I think this translates to "How will the reintroduction of the Tablet PC to the market affect folks in my line of work.

In my opinion, in it's current application, I can't see it making a lot of impact. Apparently there are some folks out there that think that the Microsoft supported version of this product will be good for business based solely on the idea that MS pushes out a ton of apps that businesses already use BUT you realy have to look at what business owners are likely to be considering.

"What does this (relatively) new technology do for me and can I get that done with the old technology?"

Hey, I don't know about restaurant owners, bike shop owners or massage therapists but I own a comic book store. It's Third Coast Comics, in the Edgewater area of Chicago, and it's a sexy bastard of a shop if I do say so myself but it's kinda Hugh Grant/Michael Shanks/Alan Tudyk sexy. The point is that it's not Johnny Depp/Matt Damon sexy just yet.

Hugh Grant sexy can be fine with a good ole desktop PC running whatever it is I run and doing it's thing here in my community like I do. Hardware isn't an issue for me and for most comic book retailers who are basically rocking something Wilfred Brimley sexy at best, new technology is more a hindrance than a help.

I can think of an almost practical application of tablet technology. I could take a tablet around the store when doing some inventory counting like crap task and instead of needing to print out count sheets or make notes, I can log right into my inventory suite and adjust and reorder, etc.

I could do that but what am I really doing? I'm not actually saving myself all that much time. I am just looking all cool and high tech and what not.

Comics book retailers need less hardware upgrades and more marketing strategy upgrades. I do realize that there are some people out there who are completely swayed by certain intangibles a shop might have. I know people who, when given a choice of two shops, will tend to choose the shop that sells Family Guy lunch boxes as opposed to the shop that just has the books they love to read.

This is largely because the consumer experience is about more than just getting what you want. It's also about getting what you want in the kind of place that you really like to envision yourself in. If I'm walking around the store with a tablet under my arm there will be some folks who will see us as a "more modern shop" and may gravitate this way. I'm not sure it's worth it. It just invites douchebaggery. Yeah, I said it.

Now there is also the Entourage Dualbool E-reader, a delightful piece of machinery that takes an anti book device like the Kindle and adds an element of Tablet PC for those of us that not only can't turn real pages but have found the physical space between a monitor and keyboard to be a limiting experience that can only be compared to the lead character in "Johnny Get You Gun".

The questions is as follows, "Will comic book collectors stop buying comics in order to simply download them onto 10 inch screen?"

The answer, as I see it is, "Anything can happen for some people, especially those whose wrists have gone numb from all holding of periodical material in their grubby little fingers."

If the only reason you're buying actual comics now is that you were waiting for a 10 inch touch screen then basically Santa got your letter. You might even save some money, except that the countdown is on for publishers to push PDFs to you in such a way as to make illegal downloads of comics not as preferable by giving you a little more content than just the PDF and we also aren't all that far from a Print on Demand element to the business where retailers like myself can get a slice of that digital pie as well.

Having a tablet, in store for retailer use doesn't help so much as I see it and the percentage of people leaving print comics for digital doesn't really seem to be kicking the ass of the number of people leaving monthly comics for the bound comic format so if nothing else, a third leg of the market has just developed which a smart industry will figure out a way to get in on.

The way I see it, smart shops will be seeing a slight decline of tech savvy fan boys but we'll be seeing an uptick of customers who check out the New York Times best seller list before heading off to their local book vendor, where incidentally, they really don't want to be shoulder to shoulder with fanboys anyway. Especially fanboys who read books on a screen.

As a retailer I've sort of already traded a certain level of "fanboy" for the next generation of "graphic novel enthusiast". This is the market and it's a lot bigger than many older retailers have ever really been able to crack. I believe that in order to really impact the industry, digital comics enthusiasts will have to cut much deeper into general fanboy numbers AND win over folks who have simply changed their preferred method of getting print comics.

How's That!

Terry

Comics: Forever? I hope not.

2010-01-05T10:41:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know that at first it looks like some sort of political statement from me but in this case it isn't about that. It's really about my dislike for the idea that some eras of comics are so special that they should have been captured in glass to forever be examined in their own little bubble of time.

An example is X-Men Forever (And soon X-Factor Forever) which seeks to show us what would have happened in writer Chris Claremont had never left the title back in...oh who really cares.

Here's my problem; Time Marches On.

Unless someone comes along and decides that time, instead, does the moon walk.

Every writer in the business who has ever walked away from a title he or she wrote for more than 12 issues, probably has a drawer full of notes all about what they would have done had they not left that title.

It's often a damn good thing that they moved on then.

Now I am a fan of many concepts in mainstream comics. I like a good old parallel universe story alot more than most people do. I love stories about giant monkeys (or apes if you're anal retentive). I like stories about evil relatives, I have a stated love for anything involving a crime fighting vehicle.

What I don't have love for is a comic book title designed to prevent comic book readers from growing and getting over their past selves.

I don't need a Fantastic Four Forever where John Byrne comes back and tries to pick up exactly where he left off back when he was destroy our enjoyment of the Fantastic Four.

I don't need a book like Spiderman comic where Spiderman is transported back to a simpler time when he didn't have a hot super model wife...wait...that just happened in Spiderman too didn't it?

Crap!

Now I know these books aren't in continuity because that would be stupid (I'm looking at you web head) but this is besides the point. If creators of yester...century want to come back and write comics then they should offer up new ideas which can be seen as contemporary and we fans ought to have the stones to say, "There is no way in hell I want to go back to 1996 with my comics".

Now my guy, Lord Toede in Middle of Nowhere, Alberta, Canada happens to like X-Men Forever and states that thousands of others do as well.

He's right. just over 19K folks were down with some retro X-Men love in November BUT this is a deceptive number.

I tried posting a chart I got from ICV2.com but I blow at that so here's a link to it and while X-Men forever came in at a respectable #109, take a look at what came in at #76. It is being outsold by the Archies.

I want to make a greater point about that too but I won't because the Archies beat a lot of books I like too. I just want to call bullshit on X-Men Forever.

http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/16433.html

Hello 2010, lets talk about 2009 for a bit

2010-01-04T15:49:00.001-08:00

Well it looks like I took a bunch of time off last Fall to do anything other than blog but I have a goal/resolution. By May, I want someone out there to think of me as Doc Midnight, Comic Book Retailer/Podcaster/Blogger in addition to other positive things so in order to do that, I think I need to move some of my real life conversations to this space here on a more consistent basis.

My friend, writer, Michael Moreci asked me to send him a list of things i really enjoyed in comics in 2009 and I did and I realized it was a perfect blog post so here it is. I'm sure Michael will edit what I sent him so I think it's fine to post here.

Now you should probably know hat I read a lot of comics in 2009. This is a list of the things that sort of hit the scene and made an impact on me (and as near as I can tell, many of you)

Incognito by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips and published by Marvel Comics

The Story of a bad guy who is depowered and put into witness protection for bad guys. One day he finds out he actually has powers and, while he doesn't want to reveal his identity to the world, really likes ass kicking and is quite familiar with the concepts of treachery and retribution.

Chew by John Layman and Rob Guillory and published by Image comics

The story of a guy with the power to get the history of any object he ingests. He gets a job with the FDA, in a world where chicken is outlawed and occasionally an underground chicken joint gets busted.

Irredeemable by Mark Waid and Peter Krause and published by Boom Studios

The story of a world where the Plutonian, a "Superman" like figure, goes apeshit and just starts wrecking the world and all of his super powered former friends. People have a hard time accepting that their greatest hero has become a murderous tool but they still have to figure out how to deal with him.

Olympus by Nathan Edmundson and Christian Ward and published by Image Comics
The story of brothers, Castor and Pollux, Olympians, who have been authorized by Zeus himself to come down to Earth and Mix it up with mortals in order to bring rogue Olympian elements to justice. It's like a cross between Boondock Saints and Steven Segal: Lawman. Full of Awesome.

Cowboy Ninja Viking by AJ Lieberman and Riley Rossmo and published by Image Comics

Ok there's only been 2 issues so far but bear with me.

So we have a world where agencies have figured out that if one assassin with the personality of an assassin of good, then an assassin with the personalities of a Cowboy and Ninja and a Viking would have to be 3 times as good right? Of Course!

Just wait til he fights Pirate/Gladiator/Oceanographer! What's not to likes. As far as I'm concerned this book was a winner before it was ever printed.

Now you may be wondering where the DC and Marvel books that dominate the racks are?

I'll tell you. The bulk of what is on the racks in comic shops is the same as it ever was. Much of it is just there to maintain the status quo. Marvel puts out a lot of titles that hold a place on shelves but that don';t really push the medium or envelope anywhere.

Exceptions to the rule are the Warren Ellis Astonishing X-Men run and Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four, in which you get the return of an ancient alien race of genetic hermit crabs and a council of super brains from parallel dimensions that show up and ask a protagonist how come he hasn't solved it all, already.

DC gave us a year of Zombie Super person action and a really good Batman universe devoid of Bruce Wayne. I'd probably be a ton more excited if I felt like someone over there hadn't just read Captain America Reborn and decided that this was a near perfect way to bring Bruce Wayne back.

I suppose if I consider that Marvel is currently running an Undead Super Big Bad story in some of their X-men comics, then all is fair in DNA and Power Rings.

I think you see my point.

I think my next post is going to cover what one can do to read books not published by the big 2 and still get that New Comics Smell all over you.

Terry

Disney has Bought Marvel: Don't leap off a bridge just yet

2009-09-03T14:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, unless you live in a cave you have probably heard that Disney has bought Marvel Comics for about 4 BILLION DOLLARS American.

I'll spare you any more jokes about Spider and Mouse related team up and instead layout a few scenarios for what this COULD and SHOULD mean to fans of Marvel Comics.

I'll start by saying that almost from birth I've self identified as a DC Comics guy. Sure some of it had to so with DC having a monster presence in my youth via The Batman TV show, Super Friends and the 24 members of the Legion of Superheroes BUT I read plenty of Marvel Comics good and bad. The important part is that I, as a kid in the 70's and 80's really did read a LOT of Marvel Comics.

I read Frank Miller's Daredevil, The Avengers story when they fought Korvac, The Dark Phoenix Saga, the Death of Captain Marvel, and The Walt Simonson era of Thor.

I read Iron Man's Demon in a Bottle story, the X-Men's God Loves; Man Kills and That Avengers story where it's revealed that Hank Pym is a spousal abuser. I even read that damn Defenders series where they fight the Six Fingered hand (right before it became unreadable).

I mention this to say that between 1979 and 1984 I was between 10 and 15 years old and I loved the stories I got in my comics. It would be some time before I got to Nexus, Grendel and American Flagg but dammit, Marvel was writing comics aimed at my age group and were kicking four color ass with those stories pretty much on a monthly basis.

If I fast forward a bit, it wouldn't be long before it began to feel like a sort of dark mid life crisis began creeping into comics. We went from having a beloved character die of cancer in a truly moving story to having cannibalistic villains, a million gun toting foul mouthed mercenary heroes and rape scenes. (yeah I know some of that wasn't Marvel)

As I got older, it's a fact that comics got older with me. If you go to any comics shop in the land, you'll probably notice that there really aren't a lot of 10-15 year olds there. I can list any number of additional factors such as retailers inability to promote, non existent casual access to comics, the popularity of Manga and it's format and monthly comic book price points but the biggest reason for this is that there just isn't a lot out there in terms of accessible comics to kids 8+, until they hit damn near college age.

Yeah, I know that there is a rating system in comics. My own store has a well stocked kids/all ages section but I'm not going to destroy store layout by shelving Fantastic Four (Rated A for all ages) on my Kids shelf next to the Archies. I CAN shelve Iron Man and the Armor Wars there but I'm taking a chance that none of my regular customers would see it.

This Iron Man title is really kind of the crux of my post. The regular Iron Man title is rated T+ (Teen until you hit Parental Advisory). I'm really at a loss for why they really need to be rated all that differently. The Armor Wars books isn't exactly a kids book but It's not as dark as IM could be if there were a Parental Advisory attached to it so thank goodness for small favors there.

I really think Disney, who has proven to be very good at marketing to kids, could actually become responsible for helping Marvel right serious comics that even kids could read. Right now I think there really isn't a middle ground. At this point in time I'm not sure that I'd advise a parent to let their kids read any comic involving Spiderman EXCEPT the book that's already in the Kid's section (Marvel Adventures) and the recently started Ultimate Comics Spiderman title.

I know Disney is going to be fairly hands off as far as content goes and this is fine, but there is no way they haven't seen the sales numbers as they relate to demographics and even if you, the 40+ year old male fan are afraid that the Mouse is gonna come stomp all over your sand castle, you need to be aware that unless you procreate quick (and this could mean even more severe lifestyle changes for some comics fans) we are approaching a point in time where none of us know any kids who read comics. My line in the sand is in about 10 years.

Since we aren't using the Comic Code Authority to police, monitor, censor, whitewash our content anymore, can we just do away with what I believe to be the utterly USELESS, MAX line of Marvel Comics. The fact that MAX exists actually speaks to what I'm talking about. If Marvel were any good doing truly Mature Themed comics, DC's Vertigo would already be a thing of the past. The Punisher could stand to go back to only having 3 comics a month (2 too many IMO).

I'm hoping that Disney (while still being hands off) can help Marvel make the Avengers, Spiderman, the X-Men, Hulk, and any number of other titles good and challenging again without the crutch of just making stories dark. At that point, there will be another generation coming to comics and staying.

This may mean less Brian Bendis and Peter David but more Jeff Parker, Rick Remender, Jonathan Hickman, Matt Fraction, Terry Moore, Eric Shanower and Gail Simone but I can totally live with that.

And for those of you out there who just don't want to give the Mouse any of your money, my next post will have options for you.

To Kevin Smith

2009-08-31T06:26:00.000-07:00

To: Kevin Smith
Re: Batman The Widening Gyre

Stop.

WEDNESDAY COMICS Midterm Report

2009-08-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

First off, thanks to all our customers and special guest star Ben Templesmith for making Third Coast Comics' first anniversary party a huge success!

But now, since DC's Wednesday Comics experiment is at the halfway point, I'm giving my midterm grades to the strips. Creators are judge on quality of story and effective use of the newspaper comics page format.

BATMAN (Azzarello & Risso): The 100 Bullets crew has done noir Batman before, and this is up to their usual high standards. They're making good use of the one-page format. This is the front page for a reason. A.

KAMANDI, LAST BOY ON EARTH (Gibbons & Sook): Leaving aside the fact that i've been a Kamandi fan since childhood, this strip is the highlight of the Wednesday. They've hit the Prince Valiant vibe perfectly in presentation and pacing, the art is gorgeous, and the story is clear and kickass. A+.

SUPERMAN (Arcudi & Bermejo): Oh dear. Well, Lee Bermejo's art is gorgeous as ever, and the color palette makes you feel like you're in a perpetual sunset. But have we learned nothing from some less than successful Superman runs (I'm looking at you J.M. DeMatteis and Joe Casey) and Superman Returns, NOBODY wants to see a mopey self-doubting Superman. D.

DEADMAN (Bullock, Heuck, Fletcher, & Stewart): The art's an acceptable Bruce Timm/Darwyn Cooke homage, but I'm at a loss as to why this strip exists. Deadman's way out of his element here. He works as a ghost walking between bodies and solving mysteries (you'll never convince me the creator of TV's Quantum Leap wasn't a Deadman fan). A reader who'd never seen this character before would be at a loss--spirit world? Rama Kushna? What seem to be mythological figures? This reads like it was a Hellboy story dusted off and rewritten with Deadman. D.

GREEN LANTERN (Busiek & Quinones): Kurt Busiek's not really capable of a bad story (ok, ok, the 80s Red Tornado miniseries notwithstanding) and Quinones does a lovely early sixties mod design style, but this thing moves at a snail's pace. Some weeks Green Lantern is barely seen suited up. Busiek's trying for a depth of story here that isn't really suited for one page a week. C-.

METAMORPHO (Gaiman & Allred): Ok, Neil Gaiman and Mike Allred are having a lot of fun with the format, and the jokes hit more than they miss. But when they do miss, they reveal a strip that's a little too in love with its own cleverness (e.g., the 'snakes n ladders' segment in week six. A solid B.

TEEN TITANS (Berganza & Galloway): I think it took until week six to get to the point of this, and I really didn't care what was going on in weeks one through five. Sean Galloway (character designer for Spectacular Spider-Man) has decent art skills, stylized but clear. But this story doesn't have much to recommend it. And really, Blue Beetle alternating between English and Spanish every few words? You know who did that? El Dorado on Superfriends. 'Nuff said. D.

STRANGE ADVENTURES WITH ADAM STRANGE (Pope): Like the Kamandi strip, Paul Pope is evoking an old-school classic strip (Flash Gordon) in his own style. Nicely paced, well drawn, and just a little bit tongue in cheek. A.

SUPERGIRL (Palmiotti & Conner): Amusing light story about the Girl of Steel and two Super-Pets and the art is well suited for it. This would be a baseline. A midle of the road grade. However, in week six, there's a guest appearance by Aquaman apparently as portrayed by Jeremy Piven, which I find hilarious. B+.

METAL MEN (Didio, Garcia Lopez, & Knowlan): I don't much care for Dan Didio's editorial decisions the past few years, but he's turning in a well paced story here, and Jose Luis Garcia Lopez's art is stunning as ever. This is a great use of the Metal Men, but loses a point for bringing up the human disguises the team used to wear in the early 70s. nobody wanted to remember that. A-.

WONDER WOMAN (Caldwell): Oh this is a mess. Ben Caldwell aims for the stars with a dense story not clearly told in the one-page format, daring layouts that are tough on the eyes, and coloring much too subtle for the printing method and newsprint paper stock to handle. None of this is working. F.

SGT. ROCK AND EASY COMPANY (Kubert & Kubert): Joe Kubert and his son Adam are legends in the field. The story and art are perfectly fine, but this is another strip that's moving too slow. The suspense and intrigue don't carry well from week to week. C-.

FLASH COMICS (Kerschl & Fletcher): Perfect use of the format! The two parallel strips are a great idea, and Flash's time travel plot is treading a fine line between comprehesible and confusing. All this and beautiful art pastiches of Mary Worth and Tarzan. A+.

THE DEMON AND CATWOMAN (Simonson & Stelfreeze): This is a teamup that came out of left field, and I'm not entirely sure it's giving a balanced exposure to both of its stars, but it is pretty entertaining. Unlike the Deadman strip, both characters are in their element, Catwoman flirting and stealing, and Etrigan leaping 20 feet in the air and speaking all Shakespearean. As a side note to anyone writing the Demon. If you can't do poetry, PLEASE don't have Etrigan speak in rhyme. There are very few writers who can pull this off, and most of them are named Alan Moore. See what Simonson is doing here? Flowery but not compelled to do a rhyming couplet in every speech balloon. Anyway, B+.

HAWKMAN (Baker): Does Kyle Baker hate Frank Miller? Judging from the first two pages of this I concluded the answer is yes. However, this strip looks great and has had some twists, turns, and an anything can happen feel to it. A-.

Fear of a Black Cape

2009-08-11T11:38:00.000-07:00

The following was most recently inspired by reading a review of the events of "the Black Panel at San Diego Comic-Con International (SDCC) 09, a conversation that repeats itself in my comics shop and the letter X.

I'll summarize for you so you don't need all the background.

The "Black Panel" is an annual event at SDCC hosted by a guy named Michael Davis. The purpose/feel of the panel is to provide support/promotion for projects related to Black Culture specifically in comics.

When I put it this way, it seems pretty decent and useful but I also want to see it in it's best possible light. If you're putting a panel together with Denys Cowan and Reginald Hudlin on it I'm fine with it. Even better if you're including Jamal Ingle, Kyle Baker and Dwayne McDuffie. I'm pretty sure that you could easily honor people like Nichelle Nichols and have a high quality panel that really sets the tone for panels like it at other shows.

Of course you don't have to have a panel like this at all. If you're a person of color and into comics culture then there no end to the areas of disappointment you've had to face to either feel represented or to break into the industry. The answer, IMO is to hone your craft no matter the obstacle and get out there and do what you have to do to make it work.

Then again you could easily turn a classy panel like I described into a minstrel show full of chicken, watermelon, punctuality and laziness jokes. Then throw in some "Them" vs "Us" references, promote projects by rappers etc, and you'll have what I've seen more than once in the comics industry. I think this is a less than professional way to handle business.

If you make it to the point where you can host, organize and or moderate a panel on the state of minority affairs in the comics industry, please do me the favor of doing so as if you a) have a brain and b) have respect for the business. Panels such as these can and should be used as promotional/information sharing tools and they shouldn't be circus side shows.

Now for those conversations I keep finding myself having.

All I want are good comics. I'll be the judge of what's good though. I don't watch UPN, BET or listen to Urban Radio either. That's because they don;t offer me anything that I find useful in the least. I have no problem supporting creators of color when solid work is being done in the industry. I do not however support glorified fan fiction in my comics.

I was talking to a guy recently about how cool he thought it was that Black Panther and Storm of the X-Men were married. My position was that the whole thing made no sense to me logically and that clearly we were dealing with a case of Reginald Hudlin remembering a conversation from his youth in which he must have said, "Man If I were Black Panther, I'd get with Storm. That girl is BAD as HELL! Damn!!!" Nevermind the fact that their paths would probably never cross.

If BP were going to marry a black super personality in Marvel comics, then he'd have a better chance of meeting Monica Rambeau (Photon), a former Avenger and current member of Nextwave and the Marvel Divas comic or Misty Knight, cyborg chick detective and former GF of Iron Fist. Both spend most of their time in NYC and have Avengers ties, directly and indirectly. Storm, on the other hand is part of a team that is anything but public and she's either in Upstate NY or has moved out to the West Coast with all the other mutants, hated around the world for just being different.

Hudlin was having a Jay-Z and Beyonce moment. Storm MIGHT be Marvel's most popular female character Black America would crack the internet in half over it's collective knee if BP married a white super chick so it damn well had to be Storm but that doesn't change the fact that this is glorified fan fiction. Why couldn't Hudlin create a strong black female character whom BP could fall in love with and marry, who could become a significant character at Marvel for years to come?

I have heard arguments that the BP and Storm pairing is great considering the state of black super dudes in mainstream comics but I'm calling bullshit on complaints about the state of black characters in mainstream comics. If people were willing to actually do the leg work, they'd see that representation is out there. Something has changed though.

Hip Hop/Street culture has helped to put forth an idea that we're only being represented if black character look and act like black people act on television and in the media. A comics starring rappers who have super powers which match their music industry personas would get more notice than a long running DC super team with FOUR black characters including it's leader (JSA and Mr. Terriffic).

The only complaint I'll really allow for mainstream comics involves no male black X-Men...ever (I really don;t count Bishop since he had to come back in time from the future) and no better characters in the Legion of Superheroes than, Tyroc, Invisible Kid II and Kid Quantum II. Small potatoes to some but it's noticeable to me. I won't list all the black characters in mainstream comics BUT I will say that you have:

Luke Cage leading an Avengers team
John Stewart as a prominent Green Lantern
Black Panther himself
Jim Rohdes as that other Iron Man guy who will now be played by Don Cheadle in the next Iron Man movie (in my book this counts as 2x as black)
Steel as a big time superman supporting character as well as his niece Natasha.
Cyborg, fan favorite member of the Titans
Mr Terriffic, Jakeem Thunder, Amazing Man, and Thunder, daughter of Black Lightning
The JLA has Black Lightning, John Stewart and Vixen
The current run of Astro City (READ ASTRO CITY!) stars Charles and Royal Willams as agents infiltrating an evil spy organization (Pyramid) in order to track down the killer of their parents.
Everyone who wants to read a great sci fi comics should also read Ocean by Warren Ellis.

Like I said, not a complete list but good enough to have people only holding on to their old feelings about representation because they want to and not because it's really the case. In fact if people start mentioning characters I've left off, it would just be making my point for me.

Now I know plenty of people that want to see more African mythology and Black Historical allegories used in comics and because they don't see these things, many mainstream comics fans become indie comics creators and make these comics themselves. This is perfectly fine and I'll validate the hell out of it. To a point. Please don't tell me that this is the only outlet out there for blacks and creators of color because the mainstream won't let us in.

a) I'm having a hard time separating this "original material" I'm seeing from people disenfranchised by the industry from the material it's derived from.

If you are pissed that your voice isn't wanted by "The Man" then why do you try so hard to repackage the same stories "The Man" has spent decades selling us but with a black twist?

b) Please master the craft that you are trying so hard to display. There are a lot of talented people of color working in mainstream comics and these are not people who took a negative portfolio critique or maybe even several rejection letters or unreturned phone calls as a message that there was no place for them. They, as near as I can tell, just kept at it.

Comics is not a business for everyone. The 15 largest publishers in the business can only have some many people under it's employ so you will have to compete. Becoming bitter and not honing your skills to a true professional level of story telling is not the answer.

All Hail Ben Templesmith!

2009-08-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

First I'd like to say that this week marks the official one year anniversary of Third Coast Comics! The official celebration will take place next week on Saturday, August 15th.

To Help us Celebrate we are bringing in famed Gothic Comics artist, Ben Templesmith to sign everything from his own highly acclaimed work (30 Days of Night, Fell, Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse, Welcome to Hoxford, Groom Lake and the upcoming Choker), to anything you happen to put in front of him.

He's up for sketching slightly odd versions of all of your favorite characters and will spill all sorts of industry insider information with his Australian accent to boot.

Ben is Signing from 2:00pm to 6:00pm after which he's joining us for our Comic Book Meetup session in our Courtyard.

I don't know about you all but I'm pretty damn excited about all of this.

This year has beaten my previously chosen potential occupations of astronaut, pro wrestler or heavy metal drummer.

Nasa said they didn't need a masked percussionist so I'm bringing you Ben Templesmith instead!

Come by and meet him on August 15th at 2:00pm

I Hate Anime..well not exactly...

2009-07-23T15:18:00.000-07:00

I end up in conversations sometimes with what I can only think of as the lonely step children of geekdom, Anime Fandom, in which folks ask me about how I feel about Anime.

I tend to, in order to stop the conversation going to places where I'll just get stared at with looks of incomprehension, just say that I hate anime.

Blink...blink...

I end up having to explain (because I am always told that I've never seen good Anime) that I've see lots of Anime. I'm older than people expect. Not so old that I was there when Astro Boy was created but old enough to have seen Ultraman (yesn not Anime but I'm making a point) when it was aired on what is now an all Spanish speaking channel in Chicago.

I was an 80's kid and that means that I was there for the Anime that is spoken about in hushed whispers and the non Anime that was pretty damn influenced by it and that 20 somethings today all seem to love with the same reverance that my generation had for Speed Racer and Captain Harlock.

I've decided that the only responsible thing to do (since my Netflix TV show queue has pooped the bed on me) is to list the Anime I really liked and challenge Anime fandom to stop Cosplaying for a minute and to get their hands out of their big baggy pants and suggest things like these things.

After we're done, you can put your little wings back on and continue watching that stuff with the swords that look like boat oars and such.

Here's the list:

Akira

Appleseed

Baki the Grappler

The Big O

Bubblegum Crisis

Cardcaptor Sakura (yeah I can't explain this either)

Crying Freeman

Dagger of Kamui

Fist of the Northstar

Ghost in the Shell (all)

Gigantor

Golgo 13

Lupin III

Macross (whichever one came 1st)

Megazone 23

Ninja Scroll (again, the 1st one)

Patlabor

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (This is my favorite!!!!)

Space Battleship Yamato

Vampire Hunter D

Note: I got the titles from this list from some website and I know it's not complete because there are titles I've seen that it didn;t mention. That shit is annoying. Grown ass men shouldn't be out searching web for lists of anime but if we are you should be completist about it. You're making anime fandom look bad.

Now then, I want folks to suggest ohter things I might like BUT I need to be able to find it or trust you enough to meet you in public where you will trade movies for beer.

Got it?

Also, I know Fist of the Northstar is on the list as is Grappler Baki but that does not mean suggest the bloodiest shit you know of. Keep in mind that I have watched me some Sailor Moon. Tuxedo Mask was my boy so I understand what STORY and DRAMA are, you freaks.

I also included the Big O because I like me some Giant Robots. You'll do well to note that there is no Gundam or Escaflowne. That's because I need to be able to tell my big robot characters apart. Just because I like big robts doesn't mean I want 20 of them on my screen moving at 2 million frames per second.

As a rule, I'm gonna say, no singing or cooking. I was scarred by a bad Minmay experience. If you suggest something with singing and/or cooking, I'll send my boy Baby Seal to fix your little red wagon and you DO NOT want that.

I didn't include Cowboy Beebop either, because it was ass.

Now I'm going to say something CONTREVERSIAL:

I want to avoit Anime with talking animals if possible or where people have cat ears or fox whiskers or where men tun into women if they have to wash. I'll avoid it and you should too.

I am also not going to make this a life mission. I'm just killing time so more cool ass TV shows can be released on DVD and then I'm going back to my cave with my whisky and Foreman grilled meat.

Ok ready? Go!

My Favorite Things

2009-07-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

I get asked this sometimes and my answers don;t really change all that much so I thought it'd be a good idea if I committed them to website.

These are ALMOST in order so if you want to yell at me for where I place things, go ahead. Yes, I meant to put The Great Darkness Saga ahead of everything else. Deal with it.

My Favorite Comics stories are:

Legion of Superheroes: The Great Darkness Saga
The Avengers: The Korvac Saga
The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract
Sandman: Seasons of Mists
Thor: The Walt Simonson Era
The Uncanny X-Men: Dark Phoenix Saga
Watchmen by Alan Moore
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Bratpack by Rick Veitch
Ronin by Frank Miller
Uncanny X-Men: God Loves; Man Kills

My Favorite Series Ever are:

Nexus by Mike Baron and Steve Rude
Planetary by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday
Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon
American Virgin by Steven Seagle and Becky Cloonan
Starman by James Robinson and Tony Harris
Queen and Country by Greg Rucka
Global Frequency by Warren Ellis
Fell by Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith
Wormwood: Gentlemen Corpse by Ben Templesmith
Hellboy by Mike Mignola
Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson

My Favorite Ongoing Series are:

Secret Six by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott
Justice Society of America formerly by Geoff Johns
The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard
Incognito by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
Madman by Mike Allred
Captain America by Ed Brubaker and Luke Ross
Astro City by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson
Rasl by Jeff Smith
Zombies That Ate the World by Guy Davis and Jerry Frisson
REBELS by Tony Bedard and Claude St. Aubin

Yes, there are some omissions just because there always are. For instance, Miracleman isn't on my list anywhere. The reasoning is because most comics fans are never going to read/own it and I'm tired of giving it lip service.

Searching for it now will give you more info about why you'll never see fit again that about the story itself. I'm over it and more than willing to promote stories you can find...well...except for the Great Darkness Saga, which is out of print :)

Miracleman is now the perfect example to comics geek, pop culture "one-up-manship".

It's like, "You never read Miracleman???? You poor doomed soul. You should have been there!"

In music, it's the equivalent of Woodstock and if you're from Chicago, it's fucking Riverview. I'm willing to let it go...or I can rant all day about it because it's worth mentioning.

Go buy the stories I did mention and read good shit!

Terry

Two Steps Forward Three Steps Back

2009-04-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

Yeahhh...about that characters evolving and passing the torch to the next generation. I remember when I believed that, years and years ago.

Hal Jordan was dead, and the Last Ring was taken up by Kyle Rayner. "You will surpass him," the King of Dreams told Kyle, in Morrison's JLA.

Oliver Queen was dead, and the mantle of Green Arrow was taken up by his lost son Connor Hawke.

Barry Allen was dead, and Kid Flash had to live up to his legacy.

Jason Todd was dead, and Tim Drake was determined to prove himself a better partner for the Batman.

Superman was dead (briefly) and it took 4 people to fill in for him. I could go on.

Where are they now?

Kyle Rayner, off in space somewhere, while Hal Jordan, back from the dead, is the focal point of the GL mythos again.

Connor Hawke, no longer able to shoot an arrow but now gifted with a healing factor he got from being spliced with DNA from Plastic Man. Meanwhile, Oliver Queen, back from the grave, married the girlfriend he had in the 70s and is the one true Green Arrow.

Wally West, aka Kid Flash, had his book cancelled, was replaced by Bart Allen, who died, replaced by Wally again only to have his book cancelled a second time. Barry Allen, back from Speedster Heaven, is the one true Flash back in Central City.

Tim Drake was replaced by his girlfriend who was capriciously killed and later unkilled. Jason Todd, who was capriciously killed in the 80s, is now unkilled.

John Henry Irons spends less time as a superhero and more time as a replacement for Professor Emil Hamilton. Kon-El Kent was killed off and thanks to a lawsuit couldn't even be called Superboy when it happened, the Eradicator only shows up on Kryptonian High Holy Days, and the Cyborg Superman is...um, something happened to him in the Sinestro Corps War but I can't be bothered to remember what.

I could bring up Thunderstrike, Ben Reilly, Danny Ketch, whatever the hell Rhodey is now, The Manhattan Guardian, the v3 and v4 Legions, and whichever Doom Patrol is in continuity this year, but it's late.

The shared universe of Marvel and DC have gotten very good at the illusion of change, but in the end it all boils down to what the writer liked reading when he was 12. Because that's what you're going to get on the page. Marvel's brought back every 70s character from Angar the Screamer to Zzaxx, and all the Superfriends killed off in the 80s and 90s are running around again. I can see the 90s revival coming on the horizon--Darkhawk has had TWO #1 issues this year and it's only April.

Darkhawk. Sheesh.

The "growth" you're talking about is nice while it lasts, but it doesn't stick. Only Dick Grayson seems immune, but the year's not over yet.

Meanwhile I eagerly await Charles McNider/Vic Sage/Karate Kid/Ted Kord: Rebirth, The Kraven Clone Saga, and the All New All Deadly Brother Power the Geek.

Oh shit they did that one.

Another Step in the right direction

2009-04-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

This week DC released the second issue of Batman: Battle for the Cowl and reading it, I was reminded of why it is I thought this three issue mini series had such potential. For years many of us have been reading comics and trying to find ways to continually identify with the characters that brought us to the dance.

It doesn’t matter if it was Superman’s quest for Truth and Justice or Spiderman’s embodiment of the “Everyman Hero” to Captain America’s Man out of Time or Batman’s mission to eliminate injustice making him an iconic creature of the night.

The classic comic book characters of the Silver Age of comics contained something either significantly tragic or stunningly brilliant that attracted people like myself when I got into comic collecting.

Then one day, and I can almost pin point the day, something changed and possibly not for the better. Part of it was publishers missing the boat on opportunities to have their characters evolve and some other part was that I evolved enough to want to really be able to accept and want change.

I cheered when Tony Stark was deemed too drunk to be an effective Iron Man, passing his armor to his loyal buddy, James Rohdes. I was thrilled when Hal Jordan moved on (I won’t discuss how so Jordan’s fans can sit on their hands and keep reading) and his ring was passed to a much more contemporary Kyle Raynor. My favorite evolution of a character may be undone soon but with Barry Allen’s death back in the 80’s, the mantle of Scarlet Speedster was passed on to his nephew, Wally West, the former Kid Flash.

The beauty of these changes for me was that the new players had a chance to not just fill big shoes but to walk in directions that more established characters like Stark, Jordan and West really couldn’t because of who they were and the era they represented (Hence the freak out of Jordan fans when he…well…nevermind all that).

Currently the big deal is that Bruce Wayne is dead (or just not around anymore) and Gotham needs a protector against the likes of that which has threatened it like evil clowns, reptiles, thieves, former DAs, acts of God, and bus loads of crazy people. FINALLY, his cowl will not only be picked up by Dick Grayson, the first Robin, but it looks like the mantle of Robin will be handed down to Damien, Wayne’s loose cannon of a son (long story).

Now I’m not really looking at this as just another costume change or something like that. I’m looking at this as a way to actually see Batman grow for a change. Grayson has long avoided the issue of someday becoming Batman but let’s face it. It’s his job to take over the family business and if this is done right, this can be some of the best comics work since Jack Knight reluctantly became Starman back in the 90’s. The reluctant heir to the thrown can be a great vehicle as long as there isn’t too much whining. It’s not like Grayson is a rookie or anything but no one can really what it’s like to be Batman until they’ve worn the suit and tried to do what Batman did. We’ll also have the benefit of watching Grayson grow into the role as opposed to reading Batman for the past 10 years and have the realization that no matter who or what the obstacle was, Batman was well prepared and all the stuff between preamble and conclusion is just a formality.

I’m hoping that I get a change that makes me feel like I felt when I no longer had to watch Pierce Brosnan’s 007 and could enjoy the flawed but deeply emotional and dangerous Daniel Craig’s 007.

If you want to read something else like it then I recommend the Current run of Captain America by Ed Brubaker, in which former sidekick Bucky Barnes is found to be alive, (again long story) and has now taken over for the assassinated Steve Rogers. Essentially you get a real sense of just how heavy that shield is when carried by Barnes, who has to overcome his own programming and a personal agenda that may at times get in the way or representing the same ideals Rogers did.

I still call these changes, steps in the right direction. If comics readership is getting older then it’s a safe bet that we have seen all we need to really see of whatever fit is the Silver Age was taking us on a tour of. If there is a younger comics audience to tap and indoctrinate then writers and publishers may need to find ways to make older concepts new and not just by changing the characters outfits and methods. We can see right through that. Sometimes the best thing to do is put someone else in the driver’s seat and let him take the wheel and keep it for a long time.

This isn’t really a new idea and it’s the way life is supposed to work anyway. You had your living at home for cheap and listening to the bullshit your parent tossed your way because you were living under their roof yadda yadda yadda right? Then you moved out, got some cool roommates, learned that they sucked and either were too neat or were pigs and moved out again, borrowing money from the bullshit parent to do it or working that extra gig for the cash to make rent or to pay those loans back.

Now you have you shit together (or close enough not to be like that sibling or friend from high school or college who still hasn’t leaned shit) and WOW, you may now even be a shit talking parent or are headed that way.

This is just how it goes for many of us and I’m still reading comics and wondering about how now that I don’t really need to see my own angst and rebellion reflected in my favorite characters, how can I see the growth that I notice in myself and my peers reflected in my favorite concepts?

Well I’ve been enjoying the hell out of watching Bucky Barnes go through it as Captain America and I’m hoping I get the same from Dick Grayson and crazy little Damien as Batman and Robin.

Vertigo gets it!

2009-04-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

I've been saying for some time when asked about whether I thought floppy monthly would ever go the way of the 8 track tape (no) and cellphones that don't do anything but make calls (yes).

There are a tone of comic book titles out there and many do well by today's standards. When I hear someone lamenting modern sales compared to the sales of bygone eras, I snicker. We aren't guaranteed to always make the money we made in the past and IMO publishers spent a good amount of effort giving us substandard product to make that money and retailers should have known it.

Personally this period in comics is the most diverse the market has seen in a long time and if retailers do their job and attract the appropriate market while publishers listen to that same market, then the medium with survive and thrive.

Vertigo gets it.

In August they are releasing 2 new titles under the banner of Vertigo Crime but instead of making 2 new monthly titles which will enjoy healthy 1st issue sales that will have dropped off like a major league split finger fastball, they are releasing them both as Graphic Novels and bypassing monthlies altogether.

Filthy Rich by Brian Azzarello and Victor Santos isn't about a character fans already have a measure of loyalty to and loyalty is one thing that helps sales of monthlies as well as well known creators. I have no doubt that I could move this comic if it were a monthly but I'm kinda glad I don't have to. Instead I can devote that one spot on my shelf to some indie title that needs the exposure more than a DC/Vertigo title. In this case, I could make space (hypothetically) for a title like Four Eyes (Once upon a Time in America with Dragons). Instead of making shelf space for Dark Entries by Ian Rankin and Werther Dell'edera, I can give that space (Hypothetically) to Terry Moore's Echo, which is simply a well done Terry Moore property with an interesting female lead but with super powers (unlike Strangers in Paradise which had well developed characters and more drama than day time TV).

The main point is that major publishers would do well to consider introducing new properties in GN format for a while and save the monthly comics for that which already works. It could prevent them from having to cancel a series by issue #32 even when the title, characters and creators are well regarded.

I think a lot of indie creators pushing new titles could benefit from this too. I've only got so much space in my shop and I am pretty picky about what mothlies I'll add to the rotation based on what I perceive to be the tastes of my clientele and my abilty to sustain interest in it.

One doesn't have to be overly picky in order to consider the strain on their comics budget put there largely by Marvel and DC comics. Many of my customers will avoid unknown properties in order to still afford the old stand by titles but would support a well done indie original graphic novel in a heartbeat.

A step in the right direction by DC.

SPECIAL

2009-03-29T18:17:00.000-07:00

In case you needed another reason to love Michael Rapaport.

Into my queue it goes!

Wonder Woman #30: Gail Simone chucks one in the fridge

2009-03-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

Just like the Big Boys!

Boo Hoo, You Had Me then You Lost Me

2009-03-07T17:34:00.000-08:00

Dear Christos Gage,

I've been enjoying the heck out of that X-Men/Spider-Man miniseries you've got going, and I see in your last issue you've come up with a new villain.

I quite like him. Nice look, lots of potential. Good gimmick (mutant hunter created by Mr. Sinister from the DNA of Kraven and the original X-Men), nice powers (derr, Kraven and the original X-Men). Doing fine so far.

And then you go and spoil it all by doing something stupid like

"XRAVEN." You're really gonna go with that, huh? Wow. Oh gosh, is that the time? I have to go be anywhere else now. Bye.

Open Letter to Marvel

2009-02-05T13:15:00.000-08:00

Ok so this was written by Robert at Brainstorm in response to the announcement that Marvel is going to raise prices on select titles.

The upshot is that this sparked a decent discussion on a comics board out there.

I'm reprinting it and also posting my response:

Hello to Joe Quesada and whoever else may be inclined to listen,

My name is Robert and I own Brainstorm Movies Comics and Gaming in Chicago. I am sending this to you in response to the recent price increase of more and more books going up to 3.99.

First of all, I realize that times change and everything goes up eventually. And I have told my customers that have expressed concern about the recent price increases that we should wait and see what happens. My argument was that if the page count goes from 32 to 40, then I could justify spending that on a GOOD book. I would even be willing to forgive it if the 32 page books kicked butt, like Dark Avengers #1.

The latest Previews has a line that seems to repeat itself and it is causing some rumbling. Namely that line is “Plus 8 pages of Director’s Cut Extras!” This is like a slap in the face as one customer put it…right before he had me take all Marvel titles off his list.

Oh, I know, you maybe smiled at that one. Oooo, there goes someone else threatening not to buy our books anymore. Oh what will Marvel Comics do if we don’t sell those 15 or 20 books a month to that one guy in Chicago? I imagine it wouldn’t be that big a deal…except this isn’t the first one this month.

I’m not so much worried about Marvel. I’m worried about Brainstorm. This was someone who has been a customer since the day he walked in. He has stuck it out through thick and thin, and he would probably even be willing to give the price increase a fair chance…UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THERE WOULD BE MORE STORY! Plus 8 pages of Director’s Cut Extras does NOT justify a price increase. Eight pages of story would be an easier sell.

If the price increases are due to budgetary reasons, then may I suggest that Marvel stop putting out things like Marvel: Your Universe or any of the Chronicles. I stopped ordering these with Hulk Chronicles, because that’s when my customers stopped buying them. And when they see this in Previews and then all these 3.99 books they ask me what gives. I don’t know what to tell them. Repacking material that has already come out in trades is like poking a wet cat…it does nothing but make the cat madder.

If you have some insight, I would appreciate it. But I’m pretty certain that this won’t get any response and if I do it will probably be something about how exciting the future of comics is and that the price increases are needed for this or that.

Regardless of whether you answer this or not, keep in mind that there are people out here who have invested everything they have into their stores. The same stores that rely upon people being able to afford the books they’re interested in reading. Because I have found that no matter how good a book is, if people have to make a choice between necessity and Wolverine, they will and have been lately, choose the necessity.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t raise the prices of your books. You’re going to do that anyway. I’ve seen the writing on that wall for a while now. I’m just asking that whoever makes these decisions please keep in mind that if you want more from us, we’re going to want more from you. And Director’s Cut Extras are not going to cut it.

Robert Kimmons
Owner
Brainstorm Movies, Comics and Gaming
1648 W. North Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
773-384-8721

Here's my comments:

I’m a retailer in Chicago as well as a fan of comics and the industry so I’m going to start by just saying that Robert at Brainstorm is essentially correct.

Marvel is going to raise prices no matter what and I don;t think it will be long before Dc follows suit when the backlash blows over. This is the way it works. Everything costs and suckas gotta pay.

Now here’s why Robert is right:

Director’s Cuts/extra inserts do not equate quality of product. All Robert is saying is that if you want to raise the price to $3.99 then give the fans 8 more pages of actual story and make that 8 pages count.

That way, the fan walks up and drops an extra buck and goes home happy and our expense on that book is also justified.

Here’s where it falls apart:

1. Ed Brubaker and Brian Michael Bendis cannot write ever book Marvel produces. We all know which books are good and we know why. Quality goes in and quality comes out. I can sell Captain America to blind people at $4.50 a shot because my customers can trust that Marvel is bringing the fire with that book almost every month.

Robert is talking about an issue of risk, which we as retailer have to assume before any customer does.

Examples from Feb 09 Marvel Previews:

New Avengers: The Reunion #2 - I don’t remember the comics world asking for Mockingbird back and I’m not sure that it’s worth an extra buck to see she and Clint Barton catch up.

All New Savage She Hulk #1 - Really…

Franklin Richards: April Fools - Guys, I have a decent and well regard kids section but parents of these kids look at price like no one else…

Marvel Asst-sized spectacular #1 & #2 - Not at $3.99

Exiles #1 - I love Jeff Parker’s work but $3.99 for a property that has never really burned itself in the minds of a wide audience.

The Destroyer #1 - Love Kirkman but this solicit is Frank Castle with leukemia and customers will know it too.

There are other examples but like I said, it comes down to risk. As a retailer, I have to weigh this and I’m going to decide (as I have been doing) not shelve a good chunk of the Marvel Offerings (though I’ll order any requested by Pulls).

The real issue Marvel is making us decide is one that is actually worse than the price increase. Marvel can put out as many books as it wants but honestly, I only have so much room for this stuff and like Marvel, I’m all about the Market share. I know that ordering Marvel Triple Action and The Index to the Marvel Universe at $5.99 and $3.99 respectively, are going to impact my ability to shelve product by publishers not named Marvel or DC. I have one of those shops where it’s just not worth it to me at all to give up shelf space to books like Dead Irons, Rasl, 3 Geeks or Echo just so Marvel can pat iotself on the back about stuff it’s already published.

Lee, you are also correct. Fans will bitch. Fans bitched when comics went from .20 to .25 cents. It’s written in the fan code. Fans will also decide to not take a chance on She Hulk the Barbarian and wait instead for the tpb which is fine for a shop like mine with my business model but harder for Robert, who is really just asking for more of a vote of confidence from the publisher but allowing him to return a certain number of copies when the inevitable happens and his customers decide to stick with what they know and avoid paying for SOME of the increased prices of books like New Avengers, which is NOT a $3.99 comic no mattter what anyone tries to tell me.

There.

Terry Gant
Third Coast Comics

Crisis on Infinite Kamen Riders

2009-01-13T09:56:00.000-08:00

Ok so you think DC has cornered the market on Legacy characters? Then you may need a crash course in how Japan gets down. See ove here we get all excited when someone remembers that Batman had a son with this hot but really evil and conflicted woman during a hot night in the desert.

Japan never wants to have to remember that. They take Batman out in the desert and spay him down til there's nothing left but ears, belt and motorcycle then they trot him back out to kick ass all over again.

Kamen Rider is the equivalent of a Batman to the world of Sentai and this year is the Kamen Rider 10th anniversary. What are they doing to commemorate said event?

The Kamen Rider producers are dusting off ALL THE OTHER Kamen Riders for a big masked moto meltdown!!!

How cool is that???

Dig it!

Anther greatest thing ever

2009-01-12T07:16:00.001-08:00

If you're not watching BATMAN: THE BRAVE & THE BOLD, you've missed Batsy and Green Arrow doing their best Tango & Cash imitation, Red Tornado learning about Christmas, a jailbreak of 60's TV Bat-Villains, Grodd shooting Batman with an ape-ray, the origin of Plastic Man, Wildcat telling the Outsiders to get off his lawn, Guy Gardner being...Guy Gardner, and Blue Beetle worshipped by alien slime people.

This week on BATMAN: THE BRAVE & THE BOLD: Deadman! The Gentleman Ghost! KAMANDI!!!

Speaking of Batman and Kamandi--Now I take you to Chris' Invincible Super-Blog, and proof that Bob Haney was one of the greatest human beings in the history of the world.

I hate Gallant Girl

2008-11-25T13:08:00.000-08:00

Ok here's a book that I thought I'd like but it turns out I love. The premise is that a group of heroes have a good thing going by having a contest to award the role of Gallant Girl to an up and coming young heroine.

The star of this book, is good enough to win the role BUT it tuns out that the winner of the contest is gonna do all the work and the actual Gallant Girls is gonna get the credit.

This generally sucks for our young heroine until the book's Batman like figure offers her the job of his sidekick, in order to stick it to the establishment.

It's clear that our heroine has the brains and talent to hold her own but she lacks a) experience and b) a group of media flacks who are gonna spin her story just the right way.

The style of the title is similar to a Michael Avon Oeming book and the allegories are all recognizable. My one issue is that I would have liked more of an introduction to the characters involved in this first issue but this is a minor complaint.

I really do like it and I can highly recommend it.

Doc M

From Out of Nowhere: Terra

2008-11-23T10:44:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm gonna do something I don't normally do but it looks like our poor blog had gone untended for a while so I'm gonna review some comics!

Now I don't know if DC intended it but they they have taken a character who was capable of vying for the award for DC's Most Tragic Character in Terra (the original) and passed her legacy on in a way that may result in a very cute Brave and the Bold style team up title.

If this is the case then I like it. This new Terra comes off as some sort of Geological Guardian who is just the poop when it comes to knowing what pisses off the under ground inhabitants of the world. She's like Aquaman for Dirt Dwellers.

So far we've seen guest appearances by both Dr. Mid-nite AND Power Girl. This is a score on two fronts for me.

I enjoy Amanda Connors art and have for years but I always feel like Palmiotti and Gray have a little something to show me over the long haul.

So far so entertaining and that's all we can ask.

Terra

Third Coast Comics in the Loyola Phoenix

2008-10-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

Third Coast Comics - Diversions

Yes America, you can run a comic shop in a way that defies what we have learned about comics shops from the 70's to the Simpsons.

A week ago the Loyola Phoenix stopped by interviewed me. I did my best to communicate our mission without specifically calling out those who haven't really figured it out or the big boxes who sort of almost have it right. Opening a brink and Mortar may seem nuts to some folks I think we can turn out good stuff. The Loyola Community might think so soon after they have the Third Coast Comics Experience.

Your Mortal Kombat vs. DC Lineup

2008-09-11T07:45:00.000-07:00

Word on the street is this is the final MKvDC roster:

TEAM KOMBAT:
Baraka
Jax
Kano
Kitana
Liu Kang
Raiden
Scorpion
Shang Tsung
Shao Khan
Sonya
Sub Zero

TEAM DCU:
Batman
Catwoman
Darkseid
Deathstroke
Flash
Green Lantern
Joker
Lex Luthor
Shazam (Capt. Marvel)
Superman
Wonder Woman

Jimmy Palmiotti Dressed As Johnny Cage may be a hidden character.

Which Super Villain is Doc Midnight

2008-08-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

And at least this time I diodn't make this one up!

Your result for The Supervillain Archetype Test...

The Megalomaniac

Ambitious, Intelligent, Calculating

The Megalomaniac is the most prestigious of super-villain classes. If anyone is ever going to rule the world, it will probably be you.

Your main goal in life is power and domination, you have the tools to do it, and you know it. Megalomaniacs are intelligent and forceful, and they tend not to let their emotions cloud their judgment. Most of the time. They are usually found, or not found, working at the top of a huge structured organization, though many prefer to work by themselves.

The Megalomaniac has but one flaw, but its an invariably fatal one; arrogance. He knows that he can take over the world, and he isn't afraid to let you know, often elaborately and in great detail. They often do not foresee the fly in their ointment, because they do not want to admit that such a fly could exist.

Sample Megalomaniacs: Dr. Doom, Lex Luthor, Ras al'Ghul, Kang the Conqueror, Emperor Palpatine, Brain

Take The Supervillain Archetype Test at HelloQuizzy

The One Where I Spoil Trinity for You

2008-08-11T21:03:00.000-07:00

Very clever, Mr. Busiek. A little too clever. But you've tipped your hand with the anti-matter Earth.

I see who your "Enigma" is. He's Quizmaster, the anti-matter Riddler.

We've already seen the anti-matter Earth "revise" certain details to reflect DC-Earth. In your JLA run, Power Ring was "revised" from a white man to a black man to reflect John Stewart's membership in the League.

And since on DC-Earth, the Riddler is nominally a good guy these days, then Quizmaster must be a bad guy. And those burns on his face were no doubt caused by the Qwardian invasion.

Well played. Now let's have Gravedigger's grandson show up again.

The New DC: Engulfing All in '09

2008-07-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

Is it cynical of me to think that DC will handle the acquisition of the Milestone and Archie superhero characters much like Vince McMahon handled the acquisition of WCW?

13 Days of D.C.F.I.S.-mas! Part 3

2008-07-18T14:07:00.000-07:00

Welcome back. DC First Issue Special wasn't just a place where new concepts could debut and fail. It was also a place where older characters could be dusted off and fail. I present: Metamorpho, the Element Man.

Metamorpho, like the Doom Patrol and Ultra the Multi-Alien, was a response by some DC staffers to the surging popularity of Marvel's freak/monster heroes--The Thing, the Hulk, the X-Men, etc.

Most of the top brass at DC were a bit mystified by Marvel's early success. One editor--Mort Weisinger I believe--was heard to remark "I guess kids like ugly art these days."

But some forward-thinking guys at DC (Bob Haney, Bob Kanigher, Arnold Drake, and others) saw the appeal of the tragic, outsider heroes Marvel was coming up with, and attempted to work the same magic at DC.

You could say Rex Mason was the "Ben Grimm" of Silver Age DC. Running afoul of an artifact called the Orb of Ra, he was transformed into a misshapen freak with the power to change into any element. He has a troubled romantic interest in Sapphire Stagg, because (a) he's a freak; (b) Sapphire's dad, Simon Stagg, is a megalomaniac who hates Rex; and (c) Sapphire's dad's manservant is an unfrozen caveman who wants to kill Rex and take Sapphire for himself. OK, those might be the sort of tragic elements you might find in a Marvel comic. But we're putting a square peg into a round hole here, and I'll demonstrate why Metamorpho was never an A-lister among DC readers. His comics haven't been big sellers historically, and this issue--despite reuniting Metamorpho's original creative team of Bob (Teen Titans, Brave & the Bold) Haney and Ramona (Aquaman, Brenda Starr) Fradon--was no exception.

You know, originally, his power was to change into any element found in the human body, but it's a rule at DC that if you hang around long enough your power will probably increase exponentially. It's how Superman went from leaping tall buildings to pushing planets out of orbit and breaking the time barrier. It's how Wally West became the personification of velocity, Wonder Woman became Goddess of Truth, Billy Batson turned into a super-wizard, and Booster Gold became guardian of the timelines. It's what DC does.

OK, see that? Right there, Metamorpho is a pansy by the standards of Marvel heroes. He can just put a mask on! Can Ben Grimm just put a mask on? No, because he weighs like a ton and he's as wide as an SUV. Nightcrawler had a holographic image inducer, but he used it once in a blue moon. Nightcrawler ain't got nothing to hide. Put a mask on Rex Mason and bam, he blends into society. When trouble strikes, he pulls it off and assumes his secret identity of The Element Man. You know, just like damn near every other DC hero.

Side note: Are you thinking Sapphire tends to say, "Rex, honey, let's do it with the mask on."

OK, what the hell's this plot? Some ghostly Frenchman is wrecking historical landmarks in Washington DC. He's Dr. Destinee, but no relation to the JLA villain Dr. Destiny, who predates this story. During the War of 1812 he approached President James Madison with a mysterious "chemical warfare" device he found back when Napoleon invaded Egypt. Um, yeah.

When the Brits burned Washington DC, Destinee was killed, but his ghost haunts the city still. He's attacking national monuments in order to distract the authorities so he can retrieve the device from its hiding place. The authorities have been pretty much powerless to stop him, so concocting an intricate plan to distract them suggests a penchant for plot-padding worthy of a Scooby-Doo villain.

Anyhoo, in a mad chase for clues that will probably be ripped off for the plot of National Treasure 3, Rex and Destinee intercept each other at the secret hiding place only to find that Simon Stagg has beaten them to the device and is going to use it to...steal the gold out of Fort Knox?

I just want to point out that Metamorpho NEVER bothers to arrest Simon Stagg and take him to jail, EVEN when he does something like, oh I don't know, melting all the gold in Fort Knox.

Dude. This isn't like the post-Crisis dynamic between Superman and Lex Luthor. Simon Stagg doesn't even bother hiding the fact that he does dangerously illegal things on a monthly basis. I mean, this seems to suggest that wealthy people are above the law or something, and we all know that's not true.

Anyways, Destinee and the device are apparently destroyed in the pool of boiling gold, and Metamorpho explodes his way out by turning into flammable gas. The end.

So where is he now?: Since this story, Metamorpho joined Batman & the Outsiders, died, came back, joined the Justice League, had a kid, died, came back, accidentally duplicated himself, and joined Batman & the Outsiders again. That may seem like a large number of deaths, but I'm told that in an upcoming issue of JLA Red Tornado will die in every third panel.

Sometimes Jimmy Olsen needed his ass kicked

2008-06-26T07:29:00.000-07:00

This is the reason why heros give their sidekicks masks and should be hangin out with normal folks. You'd never see Robin doiing this shit even for the cheap yuks.

You know why? Because Robin, as soon as he got the mask, would understand that if he ever came face to face with Uncle Adolf, he's supposed to knock him the fuck out.

Jimmy Olsen on the other hand? He lost his damn mind the second Superman gave out his cell phone number. Now you can find Jimmy off on Alien Worlds, turning into turtle people or wearing the Satanic Helmet of Hate or some other nonsense all the damn time!

Even Speedy just went and shot heroin. He didn't try to sell the shit. THAT would be a Jimmy move.

"Hey Superman's not around...I think I'll hang out with these fellows over here from the wrong side of the tracks and sell blow! Wait til Lois gets a load a me!"

ICv2 - Sony Targets 2011 for 'Spidey 4'

2008-06-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

ICv2 - Sony Targets 2011 for 'Spidey 4'

Hey hey!

For those of you who hated Spidey3, you now have Spidey4 to look forward to.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Spider-Man producer Laura Ziskin told an audience of theater owners that the fourth installment of Spider-Man’s celluloid adventures is tentatively scheduled to debut in May of 2011. The first three Spider-Man movies currently rank as the top three comic book adaptations in terms of domestic box office success, and the three films have taken in over $2.5 billion worldwide in theatrical showings.

Ziskin told the assembled California and Nevada theater owners that Sony Pictures did not yet have a finished screenplay for the fourth Spidey saga, but writers are working on the project and she is hopeful that things will fall into place. Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi have not been signed for the film, but Sony Pictures “has paid Marvel to renew its rights” to the character.

The Spider-Man movie franchise has clearly been so successful that Sony isn’t going to walk away from it, but mounting a fourth film presents a lot difficulties and could be a very expensive proposition, especially in terms of personnel both in front of and behind the camera. Aside from money the key to reuniting the hugely successful Spider-Man team is a good script--after first indicating that he was walking away from the franchise after Spider-Man 3, Tobey Maguire has said that he could be tempted to return if there was a great script.

If things do fall into place for Spider-Man 4, a May 2011 date could still be dicey since that is the month picked by Marvel Studios for the release of its Captain America movie (see “Iron Man Sequel in 2010”). While there is no guarantee that either film will ready for a May, 2011—if they are, it could result in a very interesting game of debut date “chicken.”

Now I don't know what's left after having Venom and Sandman shoe horned into part 3 so you'd better get ready for both a huge dose of creeping gigantism as Spiderman fights Mysterio, the Lizard, The Rhino, TheVulture and the Chameleon all at the same time.

He'll do it while dating the Black Cat, driving the Spidermobile, wearing the Spider Armor and solving the mystery of his clone, Ben Reilly, played by one of the guys from the Office.

Destro: Sexy Beeatch!

2008-06-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

Now this is what any self respecting terroristic arms dealer needs to be wearing. Any man dressed like this can probably make the hell out of a HISS tank or those swank one man helicopter jobs.

Christopher Eccleston, I'm lookin at you!

Questions for the Producers of the New G.I. Joe Movie

2008-05-11T19:48:00.001-07:00

1. Um, yeah, that guy? Not exactly giving off a "Destro" vibe.

2. Heavy Duty? HEAVY DUTY?! Are you kidding me? I'm going to ask the same question kids across America asked when the character of Heavy Duty debuted back in 1991:

WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO ROADBLOCK?

For those unfamiliar with the G.I. Joe roster, the post of heavy machine gun expert was filled by two enormous black men with shaved heads. You could tell them apart because Roadblock was the one with a personality and an interesting backstory and tremendous popularity among the fans, and Heavy Duty had NOTHING.

Never mind the uproar over rumors of the downplaying of the Joes' American-ness, the "international strike force headquartered in Switzerland" angle, and the casting of Marlon Wayans in an action movie. You sumbitches picked Heavy Duty over Roadblock, and I ain't havin' it.

Watchmen Video Journal

2008-05-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

Ok for those of you STILL not on board with the Watchmen movie, here's a video Journal from JoBlo over at JoBlo.com

Feel it damn you!

http://www.joblo.com/video/player.php?video=Watchmen_480

If I hear one more complaint, the gloves come right off!

Doc M

Iron Man News - Animated and otherwise

2008-05-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

Compiled by Banana Oil:

Iron Man 2 (duh) was announced for 2010. The masterplan also includes Thor and Captain America films, all leading into the big Avengers movie.

Between now and 2010 are smaller Marvel projects: the Wolverine solo movie and Punisher 2: War Zone.

Making the cable and syndication rounds will be new series of X-Men, Hulk, and Iron Man toons, and the recently announced Black Panther cartoon for BET.

The 90s Iron Man and Spider-Man series have been bought up by Toon Disney, which means they're sure to make a play for the 90s X-men series soon.

In the direct to dvd animation department: Next Avengers (all-new concept--sons and daughters of the Avengers vs. Ultron), Planet Hulk, and the very underappreciated comic Thor: Son of Asgard ("The Adventures of Thor...When He Was a Boy!(tm)") are the next wave of dvds.

13 Days of D.C.F.I.S.-mas! Part 2

2008-04-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

Welcome back. DC First Issue Special was a place to try out fresh new concepts for the DC Explosion. It was a showcase for the hits of the future! Or, you know, not. I'm your host, and fair warning, I've been drinking all night and I have NO attention span.

Behold, The Green Team! Second-to-last gasp of the "kid gang" genre. Joe Simon, along with Jack Kirby, had pretty much created the "kid gang" comic what with The Newsboy Legion, the Boy Commandos, Young Allies, and so on. Ol' Joe went back to the well one last time, and like every other comic made during Simon's triumphant return to DC, it was a mind-buggering disaster. Meet THE GREEN TEAM, won't we?

First up is Commodore Murphy (left), shipping tycoon who, when we meet him, is about to purchase the town of ROCKMUCH, Oregon. In his defense, I do admit that "Rockmuch" is a frickin' AWESOME name for a town, and despite having a population of 2, it should be in the forefront of the DC Universe's fictional cities. Wouldn't you like to live in ROCKMUCH? People could ask you, "So, where you from?" and you could say, "ROCKMUCH!" Puzzled, they'd respond, "ROCKMUCH?" and you'd say "EVERY DAMN DAY, MOTHERF*CKER!" Yeah.

I seem to have drifted from the point. Er, next we have J.P. Houston (center), the oil magnate. His job was (1) being token hick and (2) caring more about adventure than oil. Ideally, we should all care more about adventure than oil, but nobody's invented a car that runs on adventure. I bet J.P. does have a car like that, but he's hiding it from the world, the selfish bastard. YOU'RE why we're in the Middle East, J.P.--you and your damned adventu-car.

Third in line is Cecil Sunbeam (right), FABulously effeminate child prodigy Hollywood director. I like to imagine Uwe Boll before his balls dropped. Not to visualize Cecil Sunbeam, mind you; it's just a mental image I like to go to sometimes.

It's the fourth member, however, who's the true star of the show. This being 70s DC, they needed to make some attempt at social relevance and then fail utterly (see also, every DC comic published circa 1970-1979). Meet Abdul Smith (wait for it), an African-American (wait for it) SHOESHINE BOY on Wall Street. Thanks to a computer error at his bank, the $5 in his account became $500,000 overnight. He quickly invested it and more than doubled his money by the time the bank caught on--thus making the million dollars required for membership in The Green Team.

Boss screamin' in my ear about who I'm supposed to be
Getcha a 3-piece Wall Street smile and son you'll look just like me

I said "Hey man, there's something that you oughta know.
I tell ya Park Avenue leads to Skid Row."

Ah, Sebastian Bach, you make me feel young again. Where was I? Oh yes, Abdul Smith. Just imagine what Grant Morrison would do with this treasure. He'd have a metahuman gene for making money! Wealth as a superpower! Code name: Bankroll(tm)! Who's been funding Cave Carson, the Sea Devils, the Challengers, Rip Hunter, and S.T.A.R. Labs? Now you know!

Anyway. The plot of this comic, such as it was, involved something called The Great American Pleasure Machine.

Yeah. The jokes pretty much write themselves from here on in, don't they? I don't even need to be here. Um, some bad guy tries to sabotage the G.A.P. Machine, thus depriving the 70s of much-needed happiness. But the Green Team saves the day, and guess how!

THEY THREW MONEY AT THE PROBLEM. So...many...jokes...fighting to get out...But let's pause a mo' to take a closer look at the Green Team super uniforms, which needed their own text page:

To sum up, their secret weapon: POCKETS. Deep, deep pockets.

Amazingly, if it hadn't been for the DC Implosion, two more issues of The Green Team were waiting in inventory AND WOULD HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED. You dodged a bullet there, Planet Earth. High five.

So where are they now?: The GT was last seen during Karl Kesel's run in the Superman titles, funding a youth center in Metropolis' Suicide Slum.

A few chapters from now, we'll witness Jack Kirby killing off the kid gang genre for good. But next time, a beloved Silver Age character's comeback fails in the pages of FIS...get used to it, 'cause that kind of happened a lot.

13 Days of D.C.F.I.S.-mas! Part 1

2008-04-24T20:19:00.000-07:00

Who is this guy fighting Superman?

James Robinson knows. I know. And after this, so will you.

Hello and welcome to the 13 Days of D.C.F.I.S.-mas! Where we'll be dissecting DC First Issue Special.

You could say F.I.S. was the 1970s answer to Showcase. Or you could say it was Bizarro-Showcase. Whereas Showcase brought us the first appearances of the Silver Age Flash and Green Lantern, the Metal Men, Adam Strange, the Challengers, Enemy Ace, Bat Lash, and many other classic DC characters, First Issue Special gave us one character that was actually popular and a lot of one-hit wonders that only people like James Robinson or Gail Simone remember.

"Sounds like a flimsy premise to milk for 13 posts," you say.

"Bite me," I say. Let's begin with the guy pictured above? Who is he? Hercules in a hijab? Samson in a scarf? Conan in a keffiyeh?

It's ATLAS! No, not the titan Atlas from Wonder Woman. No, not the Atlas who puts the first "A" in "SHAZAM." Not Charles Atlas, who can make a man out of YOU (and who can sue you for creating Flex Mentallo). This is the other other other other Atlas. Is he legend or man? Man or monster? Floor wax or dessert topping?

Sword & sorcery is not a genre Jack Kirby really touched, apart from a few pin-ups in Marvel's Conan comics. This comic is Exhibit A of why he didn't do Sword & Sorcery. The King was not really firing on all cylinders here.. It's a pretty pedestrian story of vengeance seeking hero, evil overlord, weaselly sidekick, etc. What is notable about it is how accurately Kirby was able to predict the plot of the Schwarzenegger/Milius film "Conan the Barbarian" nearly a decade before it came out:

You can probably piece together the rest. The boy grows up into an impossibly muscled barbarian, swears to bring down a reptilian cult, befriends a wizened annoying old guy, etc. etc.:

If there had been a next issue, we would almost certainly have seen Atlas tied to the Tree of Woe and go on to kill several mighty warriors with Wile E. Coyote traps. CROM!

OK so where is he now?:Well, apart from some tantalizing cameos in "hypertime" when Karl Kesel was writing Superboy, and standing in the background of Kingdom Come (yeah, him and like 900 others), we never saw much of old Atlas. But James Robinson's bringing him back, just like he dredged up long-forgotten characters like Stalker or the Blue Starman.

But that's another story.

God of Thunder

2008-04-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

By Odin's beard, I command thee to click!

An Open Frimshaz to Jim Shooter

2008-04-08T05:40:00.000-07:00

Hi Jim! I think you're doing a sworvel job on this Legion of Super-Heroes bandsnee. Just really really flipple. Couldn't be more gronked.

There's just one florging thing.

Can ya tone down the fabbed-up lizzingo? I totally grilk that sometimes pranning some krindled color can establish a worzle, you know, make you really varg that you're in the 31st hoontz. And bandsnee has a fron tradition of it, from "drokk," to "feldercarb," to "sprock."

Unhooberantly, when you infrant a made-up vroz in every florging panel, it's sometimes inplisigent to frim-fram wovenheim what you're prizzling, ya grilk?

So in cranpludle, if we could just get a fnit less of the pseudo-quonchy future-teen plabblegap, I think we'd all mack-a-rinnie mone vowtie pazzotle, and vip spaw naddle bip kreessly. Frimps!

Oh and "Troob Vrix the Leeble!"

One Year to Midnight (Watchmen)

2008-03-06T08:46:00.000-08:00

One Year to Midnight (Watchmen)

YES!!! It's happening folks and while it won't be perfect, you'd have to be a curmudgeon like Banana Oil to not love these images and how things are going.

This pics are from Director Zach Snyder's blog.

Stan Lee Collaborating on Manga

2008-03-05T07:53:00.000-08:00

ICv2 News - Stan Lee Collaborating on Manga

Stan Lee Collaborating on Manga With 'Shaman King' Creator
March 04, 2008

According to the Muhyojo Website (via Anime News Network), Spider-Man and X-Men co-creator Stan Lee is collaborating on a new project for Shueisha with Shaman King creator Hiroyuki Takei (Shaman King is published in the U.S. by Viz Media).

Together they are creating an as yet unnamed story that will help to launch Shueisha's Jump Sq. II (Jump Square Second), which debuts in Japan on April 18th.

Jump Sq.II is a spin-off of the Jump Square manga anthology -- and the announcement of the Lee/Takei collaboration was made in the April issue of Jump Square, which was released on March 4th in Japan. While there have been manga adaptations of both Spider-Man and X-Men, this is the first time that Stan Lee has worked directly with a Japanese collaborator, though the exact nature of the collaboration is not known at this time.Ok, this is something

I'm very curious about this. We've seen the Stan Lee take on DC heroes before and that, by many accounts, was a train wreck. This can either be very cool or just too strange to properly and honestly critique.

Worst Black Heroes Ever! Mal Duncan

2008-02-19T11:54:00.000-08:00

From Banana Oil: Circa 2005

Mal Duncan Mal "MAL!" Duncan: The Forgotten Teen Titan!

Long before Cyborg, Beast Boy or even Pantha, the Teen Titans hired their first person of color. The plucky sidekicks club first encountered him in Teen Titans #26, where he was confronting a street gang all by his lonesome in the tough neighborhood of "Hell's Corner," Anytown, USA. Impressed by his blackness and streetwiseness, the Titans invited him to join the team, despite the fact that he had no powers, no costume, and no superhero name.

{above: Mal displays his power of no-self-esteem-having} Mostly, Mal (superhero name: Mal) just stood by while the Titans did things, wearing an orange jumpsuit and occasionally providing much-needed exposition. Soon afterward the Titans adopted a hippie chick and an unfrozen caveman. By then Mal's duties had shifted to watching over headquarters, and he seriously considered changing his superhero name to The Janitor. The Teen Titans briefly returned from cancellation in 1977. By this time heroes like the Black Panther, Luke Cage, and Black Lightning had gained popularity, and this led DC to conclude that maybe Mal should be more of an actual superhero and less of a token black guy in a jumpsuit.

{above: Teen Titans #44, 1977...Mal's first try at being superheroic probably led to "Identity Crisis" #1-8} It was decided that Speedy, aka Roy Harper, would now be revealed as the nephew of one of DC's third-string golden agers: Jim Harper, aka The Guardian. For the flimsiest of reasons, i.e., Speedy somehow having the Guardian's old suit in his closet, Mal Duncan decided to embark on a career as the new Guardian. This career lasted one issue, as Julie Schwartz was reported to have said "what the fuck are you guys doing?" and so the time had come for yet another identity for Mal. In Teen Titans #45, someone claiming to be the archangel Gabriel gave Mal some sort of enchanted bugle, and so began the legend of Hornblower.

{above: Teen Titans #47, and note that Mal is always credited as "Mal!" on the covers. It's like they were ashamed to call him "Hornblower" or something} For the following year, Mal switched between the guises of Hornblower (until his horn was stolen; oddly, nobody tried very hard to find it again), The Guardian (now The Golden Guardian), and "Mal!" This led to very little confusion, since nobody was reading Teen Titans anyway, and the comic mercifully ended with #53, but not before Mal's girlfriend started dressing up as a giant bee. But that's another story.

{above: Mal, seen here as Herald, the post-Crisis version of Hornblower. Yes, someone at DC actually thought "Herald" would be a less embarrassing name} These days, Mal! only gets trotted out for anniversary issues and Titan weddings or funerals. But his years of exemplary service have made him a glorious asterisk in the annals of Titans history. There have been other lame black heroes, but no one was as lame as long and in as many different ways as Mal Duncan.

Star Wars Geeks: Rejoice!!!

2008-02-13T08:20:00.000-08:00

ICv2 News - 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' Movie

For those of you who really like to believe that there was no Episode 1-3 (I count myself and there was no Episode 6 either), here is a project you can get behind.

I hadn't heard anyone complaining about the Animated Clone Wars series and we all know that Jesus won't let people jack up epic cartoon anymore so this has to be a good thing.

Of course if it sucks then it means that Jesus took a day off because he's all wrapped up in Watchmen movie drama.

You guys better start prayin...

Steve Gerber R.I.P.

2008-02-12T15:53:00.000-08:00

http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/steve_gerber_1947_2008/

Howard the Duck, Omega the Unknown and some pretty strange Defenders stories are what the man leaves behind. If you were a geek reading Marvel Comicsa in the 70's then you couldn't have gotten by without Steve Gerber.

There hasn't been a decent batch of villains with mix matched heads since...

Doc M

ICv2 News - Fox Sues Warners over 'Watchmen'

2008-02-12T15:48:00.000-08:00

ICv2 News - Fox Sues Warners over 'Watchmen'

For those of you who, like Alan Moore, are terrified at the prospect of a Watchmen movie (although for the life of me, I can't figure out why the hell he even cares), Santa may have gotten your letter.

Fox wants it so bad they are willing to go to court for the right to spend 15 Million dollars and be hated by every comic book fan born after 1964 but before 1983.

I saw Cloverfield

2008-01-22T12:03:00.000-08:00

And it was GOOD!

I'll tell you what was good about it.

Cloverfield was the BEST attept at Lovecraftian Horror you will ever get in the modern film making era. Sure you can have Reanimator, From Beyond and Dagon on your list if you want but I'll just say High School, High School and Netflix during college.

JJ Abrams didn't make a film that reminded you of any of his other projects either and he could have. There would have been plenty of room for some Lost Alias Heroes to crrep right in there and battle a big assed Mystery monster for 2 hours.

He didn't do that but you know what he did do? he delivered on the promise of his viral marketing campaign.

SOMETHING scared the shit out of us! Night Nurse declared that she wasn't even gonna deal with the POV camera stunt and Ice Queen bolted when one of those many bridges in NYC ate a crown of people but Eris404 and Xtine stuck it out. Eris talked to the screen in a good way too. You know, laughing and screaming like you do when you're actually engaged in the film as opposed to yelling and laughing because you think the actors need your advice.

You really don't get a good look at the monster til damn near the end of the movie and I'm not sure you should have gotten one then. They also do a good job of not letting you see a lot of the "fleas" either, which I like. This gave it a little bit of "The Warriors" meets "Aliens" kinda feel.

You know, 4 Yuppies are forced to turn off the old Sparta and Radiohead CDs and trot themselves across town to find a 5th yuppie whme the 1st yuppie had a thing for before all hell broke loose.

"Hey Guys, Lets take the tunnels!"

Ok look, of Chicago is ever attacked by a 60 foot tall Cthulhu, I will NOT walk down in the Red Line tunnel to get away from it to find my way home. I'd really just as soon take my chances using Jackson to get to Ashland to get to Lincoln to Get to McCormick to get to Main where I'd totally make a right to get over to Crown Park and BAM, home free.

The Monster would get to Chicago, attack Navy Pier cruise on up to Lincoln Park and then probably head South West to Naperville. I'd be way ahead of him by the time he crossed a street I'd used.

In the end, JJ Abrams stick with his plan. The army guys don't explain what the monster is. They don;t intercept an ancient message from the "Old Ones" warning us about the dangers of polluting the oceans.

No one melds minds with the creatures.

They drop bombs on them.

That's f'n right.

They f'n drop bombs.

Just like you'd want them to do.

If you saw Independence Day, Godzilla (Matthew Broderick) or I am Legend and were a lil pissed, JJ Abrams has stolen money from those film makers ala Robin Hood and given you the film you deserve.

Unless the POV camera makes you sick. Then I feel for you and JJ should have added Dramamine with the price of the ticket.

Comics Terry is Excited About: Nixon's Pals

2008-01-11T11:09:00.000-08:00

Ok so over Newsarama.com there was a press release for a new upcoming Joe Casey OGN. Normally I sort of start out lukewarm about things written by Joe Casey but the truth is, lately that guys writing has really begun to grow on me.

Here's the press release:

This March YOUNGBLOOD's Joe Casey and rising star Chris Burnham dig deep into the hidden super-villain underbelly of Los Angeles this March in the 120-page graphic novel, NIXON'S PALS."The 'Nixon' in NIXON'S PALS is Nixon Cooper, parole officer to Los Angeles' ever growing super-villain scene," said writer Joe Casey. "This is hard boiled storytelling, basically putting a superpowered spin on what I love in crime fiction by writers like Elmore Leonard and Jim Thompson."Casey is not comparing NIXON'S PALS to Leonard's work lightly. The world of NIXON'S PALS is far from bright, with Burnham bringing a refreshingly unique twist on the conventional grim and gritty super tale.Burnham said, "Not only is Joe the type of writer who lets an artist run free, but NIXON'S PALS is exactly the type of comics I love to draw. It's an insane romp, filled with giant furnance robots, sentient breasts, and a ton of really vile bastards. It's fun for the whole family!"NIXON'S PALS (JAN082057), a 120-page black and white graphic novel for $12.99, will be in stores March 26th, 2008.

Here's a link too with would give you about 5 pages of Chris Burnham's art too.
Very nice...

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=142558

Terry Moore is Back

2007-11-20T14:31:00.000-08:00

And boy is my wife happy...

He's basically doing a new series called Echo, Mary Jane Loves Spiderman or something for Marvel and Runaways, besides.

Essentially, the Spiderman thing will matter to my wife but I'm wondering how long it will take before she realizes that Peter Parker's life has ALWAYS been a SiP level soap opera but that she is now forcing her self to read about it by just because Terry Moore is delivering the goods.

It's like being forced to have to watch WWE programming just because Ira Glass has become a writer on Smackdown.

She should like Runaways. There is no reason not to like it even before Terry Moore comes on board. It's got little girls with super strength, space aliens of indistinct gender, magic involving blood and, a telepathic Dinosaur.

You people should be all about it just because i wrote that.

I got no idea what Echo is all about BUT if that book is late, I'll probably be raked over the coals bad enough to make me travel to Texas to hand Terry Moore that ass whupping I wanted to give him that year at Wizard World Chicago when my wife and a friend of hers stood in line while Terry Moore signed every damn comic in some dudes short box and talked to some woman for like an hour, who happened to have many life affirming moments while perusing the pages of SiP.

Honestly, Moore could have broken sooooo many ethical tenets if he'd just gone into counseling comics geeks instead drawing comics.

Not that I want him to change vocations. I just want him to approach his current one with regards to what my wife goes through when he slacks. I don not want to hear all about the rigors of making comics either. Those damn brits can jam out the ultra violent magi-porn at the drop of a fucking hat just to make sammich money when the muse is preventing them from giving us issues of Fell or Planetary.

Yeah Ellis, I'm looking at you, so why can't Moore, just so Wifey doesn't think i've instructed Diamond to hold up shipments of the book until keith Giffen returns to the Legion of Superheroes?

At any rate, fans of Terry Moore can rejoice...HUZZAH!!! The King is Returned to f'n Gondor but if he takes a break to find himself, I will bust the ass of whichever fan stands in my wife's way as I turn her loose on him at Wizard World.

You can also just read all about it here as opposed to hearing me rant about Terry Moore all week...

http://www.terrymooreart.com/blog/?p=179

The Venture Brothers

2007-11-20T14:00:00.000-08:00

OK, the only reason I am making this post is as a public service announcement to all of you who make have totally slept on the Venture Brothers show.

This show is the shit and if you like Jonny Quest back in the day (as opposed to whatever they were doing in the 90's) you'll f'n love this shit.

Unless you have a problem...

Seriously Brock Samson is a true cartoon bad ass, the likes of which have not been seen since Sgt. Slaughter beat the crap outta that guy with the wings in GI Joe: the Movie.

Dean and Hank Venture are Idiots. Really. Just...Idiots but they bring the funny.

The best stuff is actually almost anything surrounding Dr. Thaddeus Venture, from his financial status to his less than stellar past.

I love the villains too. The Monarch may have some sort of contractual obligation to appear in every third episode but each appearance is better than the last and you will find your self cheering for Dr. Girlfriend...but you will also wince at her voice.

GET THIS DVD!!!!

Or netflix it or something. Just do it. Then go and watch more Linda Carter...

Next Up: Wonder Woman

2007-11-19T09:17:00.000-08:00

We bought Season 1 of ABC's Wonder Woman show. Was it as camp as we remember? Was Lynda Carter as hot as we remember? Was Lyle Waggoner? Find out with us!

Moon Knight Reloaded: Counterpoint

2007-10-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

Part 3 of 3: Under the Hood

Regarding Moon Knight #13: KUDOS to Charlie Huston for not only illustrating the "Old Testament" attitude we were speaking of earlier, but also for seeming to back up my next point.

Denny O'Neil, who wrote Batman in the 60s and edited Batman in the 80s, famously declared that Batman disguised himself as Bruce Wayne, not the other way around. He also said lots of other rubbish like Batman is impotent and he never caught his parents' killer, but that's an outraged rant for another day.

As Batman has Millionaire Bruce Wayne (and on occasion, Matches Malone), so Moon Knight has Millionaire Steven Grant and Jake Lockley (and Marc Spector, and Khonshu, and in the Ultimate Universe, a little girl with no eyeballs). Pretty much the primary way writers express the "Moon Knight is CRAZY" concept is by emphasizing his many identities.

Um...yeah. What say we leave the multiple-personality shtick to Bruce Banner, ok?

So who's really under the hood, Mr. Moon Knight? Jake Lockley?

You can't fool us. That's just how you pose as your own stoolie to the get the word on the streets. Steven Grant?

Nah. That's how you infiltrate high society and finance your operations. Are you the Avatar of Khonshu?

Nice try. You'd have to be an idiot to fall for that one. But are you Marc Spector, ruthless mercenary and killer?

I submit that Marc Spector was dead inside long before he started wearing a cape. I submit there is nobody under the hood. And that may be even scarier.

A man who has no sense of self at all. Every face he shows is a tool, a step to carry on his mission. He is unknowable, because there is nothing there to know. He's a blank slate; only the mission of vengeance matters. I find this direction intriguing. However, it requires the supporting cast to carry the emotional load. Fortunately we have Frenchie and Marlene, and perhaps Doc's idea of "The Moon Knight Family" has a use after all. I say if you're going that way, the answer is move him into the realm of The Shadow rather than Batman. The earliest days of The Shadow, mind you, not the radio bastardization--back when he was an unknowable force operating behind the scenes, as his agents wondered just who that manipulative bastard was who gave them their marching orders and saved them from certain death.

Well, readers? What's your counterpoint? Who is this Moon Knight, and why has he endured this long?

Moon Knight Reloaded: Counterpoint

2007-10-23T19:04:00.000-07:00

Part 2 of 3: How do you solve a problem like the Moon Knight?

Villains. Moon Knight. This is an uphill climb. Still, Daredevil had pretty much nothing in the way of bad guys until Frank Miller stole Kingpin & Punisher away from Spidey and threw in a couple of hardcore assassins. What then can we steal for Moon Knight, who spent a lot of his career fighting a mercenary, a bunch of corrupt businessmen, and a werewolf?

Let's free associate. Moon...Knight...wolves howl at the moon...phases of the moon...moon sign, Sun sign, rising sign...knight to queen's bishop 4...Egypt...disguises...false faces...vengeance. Hmmm.

A vigilante who dealt vengeance on "criminals" with intense random violence. He was a crazy man, who only appeared during a full moon. He was...a LUNATIK.

But that was just one face, one phase, of a more complicated man. Another face was a suave sophisticated fellow, Harrison Turk.

But his true self was the evil wizard king Arisen Tyrk, arch-enemy of...the Man-Wolf.

Not bad for a start. We can do better. In Moon Knight's first solo story in Marvel Premiere, he fought the lame-ass "Conquer-Lord" (less said about him the better), who put him in a chessboard deathtrap. Let's remove everything from that last sentence except "chessboard." We can steal a page from Alpha Flight (who'd notice?) and bring in...the BRASS BISHOP and his CHESS SET.

Oh dear. They're a little TOO "Batman" don't you think? King Coal?! Overknight?! Its a wonder they didn't have a guy named Pawn Cocktail. We are getting closer though. It's nice to have MK go against a group, have him outnumbered, make him the underdog. Yes...a team. Ya know, for a guy who isn't supposed to play well with others, he did manage to be on two super-teams. First a cup of coffee with the Defenders. Then a brief stint with the West Coast Avengers.

Hey that's weird. He was on both teams just long enough to fight ZODIAC.

A-ha. now we're getting closer. Corrupt businessmen criminals, colorful outfits, ruled by the movements of the Sun and Moon. Now, all we need is someone to lead them. The world doesn't need another robot double of Nick Fury's brother though.

Fortunately, I have found another candidate. A real mastermind. Cruel and sadistic. Likes disguises. Always looking for vengeance on the world that created him. And best of all he looks like a GOD DAMN WEREWOLF.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you
the MAN-BEAST.

Man-Beast, or Super-Beast. The Bastard Son of Wundagore Mountain. Evolution gone wrong. Tough enough to go mano a mano with Thor and Adam Warlock. Smart enough to create an army of animal-men (say...aren't most of the Zodiac animals?). His first words were "I live...AND I HATE!"

But why lead the Zodiac? Why not? Look at this guy's history. Put all of his insane plans together and you've got a guy whose sole motivation is f*cking with people for the hell of it. He fancies himself the modern-day Satan (back when Warlock was the Counter-Earth Jesus). He disguised himself as the Hate-Monger for a whole year in the 70s, and why?! BECAUSE HE COULD. Don't believe me?

Ok, I admit it. My number one reason is still that he's a FRICKIN' WOLF MAN. Wolf man + Moon Knight = GOLD. You can't argue with science, folks.

Oh and what's that Egyptian deity with the head of a dog? Oh yeah, that's right: SET the Lord of Evil.

PS: Just to have some more Egyptian trappings around, steal OZYMANDIAS away from the X-Books.

Cheers. In part 3 we look at Moon Knight's "multiple personality" shtick and see if it's worth saving.

Moon Knight Reloaded: Counterpoint

2007-10-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

Part 1 of 3: "Bite Me, Doc"

Adding more Batman trappings to Moon Knight? Is he gonna be a parody character forever?

There is one thing Doc and I are agreed on: Moon Knight is Old Testament. From Marc Spector's rabbinical dad to Khonshu the Egyptian god of vengeance, Moon Knight is all about an eye for an eye. This is how he can stand apart from the other street-level Marvels wandering New York City. He doesn't need colorful bank robbers, Spider-Man has that covered. He shouldn't be beating up mobsters, that's daredevil's job. Playing bodyguard for cash? There's at least 5 guys who've done the "Hero for Hire" bit. And the Punisher took all the guns.

Let the punishment fit the crime. With Moon Knight, killers get killed. Thieves have something precious taken from them. Combined with his crazy reputation, all the other Marvel heroes think he's that dude from "SAW."

That said, wreaking Mikado-like vengeance on petty criminals will get boring after a while. So this m.o. is just in the background. What epic battles should a Moon Knight have?

Quick, name as many Moon Knight villains as you can in 10 seconds.

Time's up. Right now you're amazed MK was ever popular. He's got fewer quality bad guys than Daredevil! He's gotten by for decades on a COLD look and Batman's gimmicks.

What are the building blocks of his rogue's gallery? In the next installment, we look into the past to find themes for the future...

Moon Knight Reloaded: The Moon Knight Family

2007-10-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

Ok so me and Thad were talking and as often happens, a character comes up who we feel could use some working over. As usual Thad and I were of 2 diffent minds of how to do it so we are presenting our ideas here.

Here's Mine, The Moon Knight Family.

Moon Knight was basically created to be Marvel's Batman and I think there is nothing wrong with that. I just want to carry the idea as far as possible. He has the cool look but no real personality. He's Marvel's resident crazy guy. Like...all those other crazy guys...

I think he needs a stable of guys to help him on his mission and give him life. The same way Batman is energied by Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, Catwoman and Oracle.

He already has Alfred in the form of Frenchie and a slew of cool gadgets like the Moon Copter.

He needs a Nightwing and a Robin. I nominate Silver Sable and Darkhark.

He's had dealings with both and Sable proved her skills by being able to capture the Moon Knight once and setting him up to stand trial in some banana republic or some crap. Everyone likes Darkhawk too and I can't tell you why. He flies, throws stuff and has a funky amulet and a cool helmet. I think he reminds me of that masked rider guy from Team America (the comic, not the movie).

At this point he needs a Batgirl but I'm going away from the theme slightly by using the Ethos of Moon Knight himself. The instrument of the Egyptian God of vengeance needs a mummy but Marvel is lacking in decent mummies these days soooo, I'm giving him this guy:

Yes, it's Frankenstein's Monster and yes, he is choking out Iron Man. Good enough for me...

After that all the man needs is to fall in love with the absolute wrong kind of girl and he's done except for his villains which I'll let Thad suggest.

Here's the wrong kinda girl though:

He needs Sabra as a bad girl pal and I'll post some semi relevant stuff about her from the Marvel site, leaving out a bunch of stuff about her joining all this mutant stuff. She was much more interesting in Union Jack's limeted series.

Ruth Bat-Seraph is an Israeli national who, along with her family, was taken to
a special community by the Israeli government when her genetic mutation
manifested. Bat-Seraph was subsequently studied and eventually became a member
of the Mossad's Super-Agent program. A highly trained special operative and
police officer, which became her cover identity, Bat-Seraph has since lost her
first-born son in a Palestinian terrorist bombing.

I give you all the Moon Knight Family!

EW Spotlights 'Black Dossier'

2007-10-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

October 16, 2007
The Entertainment Weekly Website includes a four-page preview of Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier ($29.99), which Wildstorm will release on November 14th, and which promises to be one of the best-selling graphic novels of the fourth quarter (if not the entire year).

EW's Jeff Jensen puts the new graphic novel in the proper perspective with his first sentence: "Long before it became known for being a terrifically crappy movie starring Sean Connery, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was a terrifically acclaimed comic book franchise created by one of the medium's most revered scribes: Alan Moore, the British writer behind Watchmen and V for Vendetta."

Jensen lays out the basic conceit of the LOEG series ("the entire genre of Victorian fantasy fiction treated as if it were a cohesive world akin to the Marvel superhero universe"), summarizes the plotlines of the first two books in the series, and then provides some insights into the somewhat obscure literary references (for Americans) included in the full color four-page Black Dossier excerpt ("the Greyfriars School is a nod to a series of popular mid-century stories about a British schoolboy named Billy Bunter"), though he doesn't mention the more obvious allusion to Richard Hannay and The 39 Steps (John Buchan's novel that was made into a hugely popular Hitchcock film in 1935).

All quibbles aside, Jensen provides an excellent introduction to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen graphic novels, which should interest additional readers in what is already one of the most popular graphic novel series in the marketplace today.

Top 10 Heroes in Hats - #7 - Uncle Sam

2007-10-04T07:15:00.000-07:00

Now I don't know how many of you realize it but one of the best things to
come out of DC and the Infinite Drama was a new version of the Freedom Fighters,
led once again by Uncle Sam. This new version of the Freedom Fighters are
updated versions of the old Golden Age team only this time there are other
updated versions of GA characters added like the Red Bee, Firebrand and Miss
America.

They beat ass and here's what you need to know.

I copied this stuff from wikipedia to save time.

The earliest version of the Freedom Fighters was assembled on December
7, 1941. This
group, however, failed in its attempt to stop the devastation at Pearl
Harbor. Neon the Unknown and Magno were
killed. This version of the group was a retcon and their deaths were
depicted in
the pages of Roy Thomas's two books
chronicling that era: All-Star Squadron and
the Young All-Stars.

I know this doesn't sound like ass beating but it had to happen and
everyone has to start somewhere.

The DC version of the characters were said to reside on the parallel
world of "Earth-X," where Nazi Germany eventually won
a prolonged World War II due to a Japanese Empire invasion
of California and successful
Nazi nuclear weapon development (which implies that the successful Allied attack on Peenemunde
never happened in this world).

Since the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Freedom Fighters have been based on the main DC Universe Earth, and were all members of the All-Star Squadron.

A fourth, more modern version of the team appeared as an auxiliary
of the new Justice Society of America. The Human Bomb, Black Condor and Phantom Lady were killed by
the Secret Society of Super Villains in Infinite Crisis #1. Damage was
critically injured, Iron Munro was not there for some reason, and the Ray was captured by the Psycho-Pirate, and connected to Alexander Luthor's dimension-altering tower.

Current team

A new team of heroes debuted in the limited series Crisis Aftermath: The
Battle for Blüdhaven, and later featured as Freedom Fighters members in the
miniseries Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters, which premiered in July 2006.
This team consists of new incarnations of the Phantom Lady, the Ray (Stan
Silver), the Human Bomb, Doll Man, Bigfoot, Destroyer and Face.

It is part of S.H.A.D.E.,
a secret American government agency chartered under the USA
PATRIOT Act, led by Father Time.
The new team conducts assassinations and other illegal acts against criminal
and terrorist organizations.
As issue #1 of Uncle Sam and the Freedom
Fighters begins, the team is tasked to capture the revived Uncle Sam, who is
in the process of forming his own Freedom Fighters team; Sam subsequently
recuits the S.H.A.D.E. members to his cause, openly disapproving of their
use of deadly force (although they continue to kill people even under Uncle
Sam's guidance). [1]

This version of the team is based on notes by Grant Morrison. Uncle Sam is
portrayed as an almost Christ-like figure, returning from the dead, with the
new Firebrand filling a John the Baptist role.
Father Time is shown as aiding in Senator Frank Knight's being secretly
murdered in the midst of his successful campaign for the Presidency of the
U.S. and replaced by a sentient robot double, Gonzo the Mechanical Bastard, who proceeds with an agenda to implant RFID chips in every U.S. citizen by law and control them to bring chaos to the world through war.

In Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #3, a team created by Father Time
called First Strike
attacked the Freedom Fighters but not before being stopped by the new Black
Condor.

It is worth noting that this Black Condor is essentially a flying, head busting version of almost any character played by actor Danny Trejo. He does not fuck around. He is not the weak little float around the skiy version of the Black Condor previously seen in DC Comics.

In #4, Condor manages to weaken First Strike long enough for the Freedom
Fighters to fight back. Human Bomb kills one First Strike's members,
Propaganda, and the team heads back to S.H.A.D.E. headquarters.

In #7, The Freedom Fighters face off against the Cosmigods as Uncle Sam calls
them. In the midst of the battle the traitorous Ray is confronted by the
returning Ray Terrill. As predicted Gonzo turns on the newly rejuvenated
Father Time, who proceeds to give Uncle Sam the evidence of to prove Gonzo's
true identity. Sam presents the evidence to the world, and seemingly the
final battle between First Strike and the Freedom Fighters begins.

In #8, The Freedom Fighters engage in battle against Gonzo's metahuman
taskforce at the Washington Monument, and quickly gain support from the
civilians. The public eye are now seeing them as real heroes, which was
later revealed to be part of Father Time's plan all along.

OK, feel free to call bullshit here. I know I did. It read more like the writer really wanted to keep Father Time available as a back ground DC guy but it was a swerve worthy of Vince Russo.

He tricked Gonzo into believing that S.H.A.D.E was against Uncle Sam, while
in truth he was preparing the Freedom Fighters to help combat a major threat
in the future. Father Time captures Gonzo and turns him into an 'Orphan Box'
in the shape of a pair of spectacles. He plan to use it against Gonzo's
creator, the Shadow Demons. All of the metahuman taskforce members disappear
into the timestream along with Father Time shortly thereafter. A week later,
the new President appoints the Freedom Fighters the new directors of
S.H.A.D.E.

Top 10 Heroes in Hats - #8 - The Question!

2007-09-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

Oh like you thought it'd be anyone different. It had to be the Question.

Just look at the guy, he has a faceless mask, rumpled coat gloves and a suit you could be buried in.

You have to repect him. He doesn't really have powers but the version of him that appeared in Justice League Unlimited was priceless for it's conspiracy theory nut job personality.

In DC continuity, this version of the questions is no longer with us but it's comics so he'll be back soon enough.

HATTER M TRAILER PREMIERE

2007-09-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, we can jump for joy at this next bit of news. I know I'm excited and this guy isn't even listed in my Top 10 heroes who wear hats either.

Here's the story from Newsarama...

The graphic novel collection of author Frank Beddor’s Hatter M (with art by Ben Templesmith) goes on sale in just a few days (9/26), and Newsarama has a first look at the trailer. Click on this link or on the cover image to open (or right-click either to download) the Quicktime clip. And if you’re not yet familiar with the world of Beddor’s The Looking Glass Wars, following is some information provided by the publisher…

”In geo-graphic novel #1 Royal Bodyguard Hatter Madigan searches our world in a mad quest to find the lost Princess Alyss of Wonderland. Meticulously assembled by the true believers of the Hatter M Institute for Paranormal Travel this collector’s edition hardback illustrated with the realm jumping art of Ben Templesmith will contain a multitude of mind boggling ephemera and extras including concept art illustrating Templesmith’s creative process. As you turn the pages of Hatter’s first adventure take heart in the knowledge that the world is much stranger than fiction.”The publisher also provided this more detailed synopsis…

”Put to rest any delusions or disinformation you may have of the tea guzzling madman of faux literary history and prepare to expand your consciousness as the saga of Hatter Madigan and his relentless search for the lost Princess of Wonderland unfolds on these pages.“In Frank Beddor’s The Looking Glass Wars, Royal Bodyguard Hatter Madigan was ordered by Queen Genevieve to take Princess Alyss and leave Wonderland after a bloody palace coup staged by the murderous Redd. But while escaping through the Pool of Tears (the portal connecting Wonderland to our world), crushing centrifugal force pulled them apart and Alyss was lost. In this geographic parallel adventure, Hatter finds himself in Paris, France in the year 1859 shockingly separated from the child he had been sworn to protect.

“Unbeknownst to Hatter, Alyss had exited a puddle in London, England. Lost and alone, she was befriended by an aspiring author to whom she told the surreal, violent, heartbreaking story of her young life only to see it published as the nonsensical children’s fairytale Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. But Carroll had got it all wrong. He even misspelled her name! Alyss had trusted Lewis Carroll to tell the truth so that Hatter would find her and bring her home. Instead, Hatter must endure a non-stop quest, crisscrossing the globe for 13 years in search of the lost Princess.

While formidable with blades, a moment must be taken to introduce his signature weapon, the Hat. Woven and blocked from a material not available in any realm except the origins of wonder, the Hat, when hurled by his expert hand, instantly unfolds into a circle of blades to attack or defend. “The mad odyssey begins here…”