2009 November
What is Jonathan Hickman’s new Marvel project?
Jonathan Hickman's new series at Marvel
Marvel.com has posted a teaser image for a new project by writer Jonathan Hickman, the details of which will be revealed today on G4‘s Attack of the Show. It comes on at 7 p.m. Eastern, so set your Tivos.
Update: the cover shown above is by Gerald Parel.
- November 24, 2009 @ 09:15 AM by JK Parkin
Straight for the art | Zack Soto’s Post-It Notes
Soto's Post-It
The Secret Voice cartoonist draws Cable and a couple other Marvel characters (as well as the random doodle) on Post-It notes. I bet you wish you had thought of it first.
- November 24, 2009 @ 08:55 AM by Chris Mautner
Hey kids … comics?
The old “there are no good comics for kids” war horse was trotted out again recently, this time over at ICv2. It’s a position that retailer/blogger Chris Butcher doesn’t think holds much water:
The Secret Science Alliance
So let’s really, really narrow this discussion about “all ages” comics to what it really is: Superhero Fans Want To Buy Superhero Comics For Their Kids That Are Simultaneously Exactly What They Read As Kids AND All New At The Same Time. They want all the comics on the stands to be ’safe’ for children, while still engaging them on an adult level like all of the other media targeted at adults. They want the stuff they read as kids and teenagers in the 70s and 80s (or hell, the 60s) to be the same as what’s published today for their kids. They will accept no substitutions, and most importantly they need it to be CANON. That’s right, even if the Superhero comics meet every other criteria, they can’t take place in their own “universe” or be the “for kids” version (even if it’s for ‘all ages’), it has to be part of the 616 or DCU continuity or else it isn’t ‘real’. Superhero fans want validation for their tastes and interests, just like the OCD football dad who couldn’t make it to the NFL and is going to live out his dreams in his son. Exactly the same sentiment, but without a million dollar paycheck at the end of ‘reading superhero comics’, so waaaay less pressure.
I’ve already commented on the matter before and in depth, but let me say that I pretty much agree 100% with Butcher. This continual complaint that no one’s making comics for kids anymore is nonsense — there hasn’t been this many comics for kids since the Golden Age era and the quality is in general considerably higher overall (Secret Science Alliance y’all!). I think part of the problem, apart from the reasons Butcher lists above, is that the Western comics audience has become more and more fragmented and insular in their particular interests. By and large, the superhero fans don’t mix with the manga kids who don’t mix with the indie crowd who don’t show any interest in the kiddie books.
Also: Heidi MacDonald offers similar thoughts on the matter here.
- November 24, 2009 @ 07:40 AM by Chris Mautner
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
Metro
Legal | Joseph Mayton and Marwa Rakha have more on an Egyptian court’s official banning over the weekend of Metro — considered that country’s first adult graphic novel — and the $900 fines handed down to author Magdy al Shafee and publisher Mohammed al Sharqawi for infringing public decency. “The novel deals with politically sensitive issues and what may have sparked government interest is the limited sexual content of the book,” Mayton writes. “For many, it comes as no surprise that the government is using this as a scapegoat to keep the politics from reaching a wider audience.” [Bikya Masr, Ground Report]
Comics | The A.V. Club’s panel of reviewers assembles its list of the 25 best comics of the decade, including Achewood, All-Star Superman, Criminal and Tales Designed to Thrizzle. No manga, though. [The A.V. Club]
Comics | Tom Spurgeon, meanwhile, gathers some responses to his preliminary list of the best superhero comics of the decade. [The Comics Reporter]
- November 24, 2009 @ 07:05 AM by Kevin Melrose
Paging President Deathstroke …
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths
Comic Book Resources posted the newest trailer for the the seventh entry in the ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies series, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. The story pits the League and a good version of Lex Luthor against their classic enemies/doppelgangers, the Crime Syndicate.
If you’ve watched the entire trailer, then you know that they threw in a fun little touch in the form of the leader of the United States on Earth 2, a familiar-looking President Wilson. And in the picture above, sent out by Warner Bros. today, you can see that his daughter, Rose, will also be making an appearance.
The DVD comes out Feb. 23.
- November 23, 2009 @ 02:08 PM by JK Parkin
Talking Comics with Tim | Michael May
Cownt Tales
It had to happen one of these days, a Robot 6 interview of a fellow Robot 6er. Michael May has a quirky sense of humor, as quickly revealed in the recently released anthology that he has written–Cownt Tales, the comedic struggles of a vampire cow. Had I been thinking more clearly, I would have gotten May to reveal the parallel narrative trends between his work and this past weekend’s smash success, The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Seriously though, it’s a unique experience to interview a pal (that’s not to say most of my interview subjects are my mortal enemies …) Enjoy our chat, folks.
Tim O’Shea: In addition to the Cownt, you introduce some interesting characters in this issue. What are the odds we’ll see Penny or the doctor in future stories?
Michael May: Oh, that’s a sure thing. Even though the Cownt is very silly, he still gets some character development; mostly in his relationship with his udder. Both Penny and Dr. Frye play huge roles in that. The Cownt wants the doc to remove his udder, but she won’t do it without making him go through a ton of counseling first. There’s a ton of story potential there (including the Cownt’s trying to raise money for the operation), so the doc will be around to help him process that. She’s sort of the straight man to his shenanigans.
- November 23, 2009 @ 01:30 PM by Tim O'Shea
Straight for the art | Iron Gelatomettista’s draw-off
Black Adam by Eddie Nuñez and Cruddie Torian
Two artists enter, one artist leaves … the Gelatomettista blog has brought back their “Iron Gelatomettista” feature, where two artists draw the same character and comments on the blog determine which one is supreme. In one corner is Eddie Nuñez, and in the other is Cruddie Torian. Voting ends at 5 p.m. Pacific today.
- November 23, 2009 @ 11:14 AM by JK Parkin
Oooh, another sale! With a Stan Bush soundtrack!
Johnny Hiro #1, from AdHouse
Your wallet may still be smarting from the beating it received at the hands of SLG and Buenaventura’s big bottom-line-boosting sales, but there’s no rest for the weary: Now the impeccably designed comics of indie publisher AdHouse Books are getting in on the act.
Click over to AdHouse’s holiday-season sale (initially announced right here on Robot 6!) to find killer deals on comics ranging from Joshua W. Cotter’s book-of-the-year candidate Driven by Lemons to serial Eisner Award-winner James Jean’s lovely sketchbook The Hallowed Seam: Process Recess Vol. 3 to Fred Chao’s multiple Eisner-nominated “adventure-scifi-love story” Johnny Hiro.
And to get you in the mood for saving money, why not watch this preview video for Driven by Lemons, set to the unforgettable strains of Stan Bush’s “The Touch” from Transformers: The Movie? After all, if you buy that comic, you’re a winner, you’re nobody’s fool.
- November 23, 2009 @ 10:32 AM by Sean T. Collins
Straight for the art | Picasso Superheroes
A cubist Frank Castle
So many nights I’ve laid awake and wondered “What if Pablo Picasso painted superheroes? What would they look like?” Now, thanks to Mike Esparza and his wonderful set of portraits, I’ve got my answer. (via)
- November 23, 2009 @ 10:00 AM by Chris Mautner
Tom Brevoort on Marvel vs. DC
Siege #1
“Well, I’ve proved that talking smack on Twitter gets you press,” tweeted Marvel Executive Editor Tom Brevoort on Friday. And indeed, Brevoort’s Twitter account and blog have proven so juicy of late — witness his wager on whether Marvel’s upcoming Siege event will wrap up before DC Comics’ current Blackest Night crossover — that I’m thinking about awarding him an honorary Robot 6 membership.
Brevoort was in unusually fine form Friday night, though, even by his own standard of dishing (and taking) criticism. In a series of tweets regarding DC’s capture of the top six sales slots for October, Brevoort wrote:
I hear tell that folks up at the DC offices have been feeling pretty cocky this past week or so. To which I say … first off, good for them for having a good month. But also, don’t confuse having the top six books with winning the month. We still took both dollars and units. And too, that was in a month where a few of our big books slipped out of the month. I don’t think we have to worry at all about January, for instance, where SIEGE #1 is up against a BLACKEST NIGHT skip month. Cold Jan [for] DC. By that same token, enjoy the moment–because all of those books that missed [October] are in the November numbers.
In addition, Brevoort replied to a variety of reader responses to his trash-talk tweets, including an enthusiastic endorsement from Rob Liefeld.
And oh, yeah, he kicked it all off by teasing three major deaths in Siege, “at least one of whom will surprise you.” I’d encourage you to follow his Twitter feed yourselves, but as the middleman, I can’t very well endorse cutting myself out, can I?
- November 23, 2009 @ 09:29 AM by Sean T. Collins
Send Us Your (holiday-themed) Shelf Porn!
So with the winter holidays fast approaching, we thought we’d try something a little different with our Shelf Porn feature. We want to see what sort of comic book-themed decorations you hoist out of your Christmas boxes this time of year. Does Superman stand atop your tree? Does Spider-Man help light your menorah? Do you have a special limited edition manger featuring the cast of Hellboy? We want to know. More than that, we want to see it. Send any and all pictures to cmautnerATcomcastDOTnet and we’ll post them here, either in one fell swoop or doled out over the month of December, depending upon how many pictures we get. And don’t feel like only the fanciest or largest ornaments can be included. One or two pics are fine, we just want to see how you combine comics with the winter solstice. So unpack those basement boxes and get cracking!
- November 23, 2009 @ 09:03 AM by Chris Mautner
Batman and Spider-Man have a new nemesis: Twilight
New Moon
Move over, Joker and Green Goblin: Edward Cullen’s here to give you a real run for your money.
New Moon, the second in a series of adaptations of author Stephenie Meyer’s teen-vampire Twilight saga, stunned Hollywood and shattered box-office records this past weekend by taking in $140.7 million over its opening weekend. As best I can tell, the film is now the box-office record-holder for Biggest Advance Ticket Sales, Biggest Midnight Screening, Biggest Opening Day, Biggest Friday, Biggest Two-Day, Biggest November Opening, and Biggest Non-Summer 3-Day Weekend. The movie currently ranks third on the list of all-time opening-weekend box-office champs, behind only the summer superhero blockbusters The Dark Knight ($158.4mil, 2008) and Spider-Man 3 ($151mil, 2007).
In shattering all those other records, the movie leapfrogged claims previously staked by such fanboy-beloved franchises as Batman, Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. In particular, New Moon‘s dethroning of The Dark Knight as the reigning opening-day record-holder caused much agita among nerds of my acquaintance. Fortunately for them, the movie ultimately came up short for the weekend title — proving that when push comes to shove, audiences prefer serious stuff like billionaires who dress up as bats to fight evil clowns or young men whose spider-like superhuman abilities interfere with their love lives to all this emo-vampire-werewolf silliness.
Then again, when No. 3 in the series, Eclipse, hits this summer on June 30th, who knows what’ll happen?
- November 23, 2009 @ 08:04 AM by Sean T. Collins
Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes
From "Metro"
Legal | An Egyptian court on Saturday officially banned Metro, considered that country’s first graphic novel, and found author Magdy al Shafee and publisher Mohammed al Sharqawi guilty of printing and distributing a publication infringing public decency. The two were fined the equivalent of about $916; they could have received up to two years in prison. Shafee has vowed to fight the ruling.
Shafee and Sharqawi were arrested in April 2008 after police raided the publisher’s offices and confiscated all copies of Metro, which centers on a young software designer in a modern and corrupt Cairo who turns to bank robbery to repay underworld loan sharks. Retailers were immediately ordered to remove the book from their shelves. You can read a translated excerpt of Metro here. [Zawya]
Legal | President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines last week signed into law the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009, which bans real and “virtual” child pornography, including comic-book depictions. [Anime News Network]
- November 23, 2009 @ 07:21 AM by Kevin Melrose
Liefeld’s kids preview Image United #1
Here’s a fun video that artist Rob Liefeld posted over the weekend, featuring his kids going through the first issue of the big Image crossover title Image United and telling their dad what they like about it. Spawn gets a lot of props.
- November 23, 2009 @ 05:00 AM by JK Parkin