2011 June
Super Mutant Brothers
It looks like Wolverine has gone down into the sewers one to many times.
Atlanta-based artist Casey Edwards has come up with a quartet of inventive prints mashing up Marvel’s X-Men with Nintendo’s flagship heroes, the Super Mario Brothers. Wolverine/Mario, Cyclops/Luigi, Yoshi/Rogue and more are illustrated in this send-up of fodder for any kid growing up in the 80s and 90s. Check them out:
I never realized it until now, but Luigi and Cyclops truly are more alike than you think. But putting Yoshi as Rogue makes me question a lot of my thoughts as a teenager reading comics.
- June 15, 2011 @ 10:25 AM by Chris Arrant
Sneak preview of Jeffrey Brown’s cat cartoon from Devastator
The third issue of The Devastator, the humor anthology edited by Geoffrey Golden and Amanda Meadows, comes out at the end of the month, and the theme this time around is cats. Cats! Who doesn’t love cats?
I know someone who definitely loves cats — cartoonist Jeffrey Brown, creator of Cat Getting Out of a Bag and Other Observations. Brown has a two-page strip in the upcoming volume; Devastator sent us the first page, which you can view after the jump, but you’ll have to buy the anthology to see the second page (see what they did there?) Each issues is a mix of comics, prose pieces and a whole bunch of humor, and can be bought through their website.
- June 15, 2011 @ 10:00 AM by JK Parkin
This weekend, it’s Kids Read Comics
If you’re lucky enough to be near Chelsea, Michigan, this weekend, you definitely should check out Kids Read Comics. It’s not so much a convention as a takeover of the whole downtown: The show is centered in the Chelsea Public Library, but 16 nearby shops and restaurants will also be hosting exhibits and activities, including storytelling and costume workshops, lunch with the artists, and a scavenger hunt for kids and teens, and professional development workshops for the grownups.
The organizers have assembled a stellar guest list that includes Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy), Raina Telegmeier (Smile), Rob Worley (Scratch 9), Thom Zahler (Love and Capes), John Ostrander (writer of the Star Wars comics and creator of DC’s Oracle), and Barbara Slate (You Can Do a Graphic Novel). And the show itself has an impressive pedigree: The organizers are Dan Mishkin, one of the creators of Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld; Jerzy Drozd, a creator, educator, and founder of the great kids’ comics site Sugary Serials; Dan Merritt, owner of Green Brain Comics; and librarian Edith Burney. With a series of activies spread out in time and space, this sounds like a refreshing alternative to being stuffed into an airless convention center for ten hours at a time.
- June 15, 2011 @ 09:30 AM by Brigid Alverson
SLG Publishing goes digital two ways
SLG Publishing has been doing digital comics since before they were cool, and this week had more news on that front: They have signed with iVerse, and their comics will be available in iVerse’s Comics Plus reader. This will definitely help bring their comics to a wider audience. The digital launch includes the first five issues of Nightmares & Fairy Tales, Serenity Rose, and Ben Towle’s Midnight Sun, and the first three issues of Rex Libris.
Checking the SLG site, I also noticed they are doing digital in a different way: They are making Katy Weselcouch’s The Floundering Time available in CBZ format, for use in readers such as ComicZeal, and they say they will be making more comics available in that format in the future. The advantage to CBZ is that you can download it once and keep it. Comics bought through iVerse can only be read in the Comics Plus reader, and if the company or the technology disappears, your comics may disappear as well. Basically, digital comics distributors don’t sell you a comic, they sell you a license to read a comic. CBZ is much more portable and makes it possible to keep your comics forever, independent of a particular distributor or app. The ebook versions of The Floundering Time are priced at a very reasonable $3.99, a considerable savings over the print price of $12.95.
- June 15, 2011 @ 09:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Judge grants Warner Bros. access to stolen Superman documents
Action Comics #1
A federal judge has denied an appeal by the attorney representing the heirs of Superman’s creators, clearing the way for Warner Bros. to gain access to documents the studio contends will demonstrate he “orchestrated a web of collusive agreements” that led the families to reject longtime deals with DC Comics.
The documents, which were stolen from the law offices of Marc Toberoff and delivered anonymously to Warner Bros. in December 2008. Although a judge at the time ruled that the documents were privileged and ordered them returned, it was determined that the attached seven-page cover letter was not protected by attorney-client confidentiality. That letter, dubbed the “Superman-Marc Toberoff Timeline,” became the basis for the studio’s 2010 lawsuit against the attorney, in which it claims he acted improperly to convince the heirs of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster to seek to reclaim the original copyright to the Man of Steel. Warner Bros. also alleges tht Toberoff schemed to secure for himself “a majority and controlling financial stake” in the Superman rights.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Ralph Zarefsky ruled late last month that those documents aren’t protected by attorney-client privilege because Toberoff didn’t fight a grand jury subpoena issued in the investigation of their theft, thus waiving privilege. However, the judge deferred the decision to presiding U.S. District Judge Otis Wright who, according to Hollywood, Esq., on Monday rejected Toberoff’s argument that he had no choice but to cooperate with prosecutors in the burglary investigation.
Barring another appeal, Warner Bros. will finally get unfettered access to the documents that it hopes, at the very least, will force Toberoff, long a thorn in the studio’s side, to resign as the Siegel family’s attorney. Whether the papers are the legal hand grenade that Warner Bros. attorneys have made them out to be, demonstrating improper and even illegal, behavior, of course remains to be seen. Wright could look at the evidence and decide Toberoff’s actions were merely those of an attorney aggressively soliciting clients and (just as aggressively) representing their interests.
If that’s the case, it would make this lawsuit only the latest detour in the decade-long fight for Superman — one that became even more bitter in 2008 following a ruling that Siegel’s widow Joanne Siegel and daughter Laura Siegel Larson had successfully recaptured half of the original copyright to the Man of Steel. The window will open in 2013 for Shuster’s estate to do the same.
Deadline’s Nikki Finke offers spirited commentary on the Warner Bros. lawsuit against Toberoff, focusing on the stolen documents and the studio’s controversial tactics.
- June 15, 2011 @ 08:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Morrison on Action Comics: ‘No one can expect what happens next’
Although cellphone-captured footage of Grant Morrison’s video address at the Hero Complex Film Festival popped up online within hours of Saturday’s Geoff Johns-Jim Lee panel, the low-quality recording made it difficult to understand what the writer had to say about his upcoming relaunch of Action Comics. Thankfully, the actual video is now available, complete and without the ominous camera angle reminiscent of that 1984 Macintosh commercial.
Morrison’s “ridiculous voyage into the unknown,” with artist Rags Morales, begins in September in Action Comics #1.
- June 15, 2011 @ 07:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Paul Pope original art sale explosion
Renowned Canadian comics retailer and art dealer the Beguiling has just made a massive selection of original art from Paul Pope available for purchase. Virtually everything that the cartoonist has touched over the past ten years is represented here in some form: THB, Batman Year 100, Spider-Man: Tangled Web, Strange Tales, Fantastic Four, the Star Trek comic he did with J.J. Abrams for Wired, illustration work for Diesel and DKNY, posters for the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, unseen and unused sketches and pinups…Best of all, there’s something for buyers of nearly every budget, as the prices range from a princely three grand all the way down to a measly $50.
“I remember how it felt to be a kid in school and have no money but a passion for art so Beguiling always prices out some inexpensive art,” Pope tweeted, complete with a smiley-face emoticon. Even if you’re only just looking, this stuff’ll put a smile on your face, too. But if you are in the buying mood, better hurry, as it looks like stuff’s going fast.
- June 15, 2011 @ 05:00 AM by Sean T. Collins
In brightest day, in blackest night … in a wrestling ring do Lanterns unite?!
Comics and wrestling are no stranger to one another, but a recent promotion by WWE shows just how deep comics run inside America’s premiere wrestling company. Today on WWE.com, the company posted a feature called “WWE Lanterns: Superstar Spectrum”. This unprecedented cross-over is something unique.
“”Everyone, especially the WWE universe, is going green these days with the blockbuster film reelease of “Green Lantern”, based on DC Comics’ iconic power ring slinging character,” says WWE.com. “But Green Lantern isn’t alone int he galaxy; Featuring different emotions that fuel their individual abilities, there are nine distinctly hued Lantern Corps in comics lore.”
It goes on to classify some of WWE’s top wrestlers superstars in the nine branches of the color-coded Lantern Corps. The most popular Green Lantern Corps of the WWE is comprised of top star John Cena along with the Miz, Big Show, Kofi Kingson, Beth Phoenix and Hornswoggle. Take your time to click through all the links to see where each character ends up; pay specific attention to the Black Lanterns, lead by the Undertaker but also featuring hilarious black-eyed superstars surrounding him.
No sign of former WWE superstar Shane “Hurricane” Helms on the chart, despite him having a Green Lantern tattoo.
- June 14, 2011 @ 04:00 PM by Chris Arrant
The Middle Ground #57 | When things look this good…
For those who thought that Butcher Baker: The Righteous Maker was the best-looking superhero comic of the year – and if you didn’t at least consider the possibility, it’s probably because you haven’t picked up a copy yet – I should let you know: Mike Huddleston’s work in the new Top Shelf graphic novel The Homeland Directive is possibly even better.
Continue Reading »
- June 14, 2011 @ 03:00 PM by Graeme McMillan
Food or Comics? | This week’s comics on a budget
Alpha Flight
Welcome to Food or Comics?, where every week we talk about what comics we’d buy at our local comic shop based on certain spending limits — $15 and $30 — as well as what we’d get if we had extra money or a gift card to spend on a “Splurge” item.
Check out Diamond’s release list or ComicList, and tell us what you’re getting in our comments field.
Michael May
If I had $15, I’d start with Alpha Flight #1 ($3.99). I had mostly positive feelings about the prequel issue with the only negatives being a mixture of “that doesn’t look like Sasquatch” and some anxiety born from being used to disappointment from Alpha Flight books. Neither of which has anything to do with the people creating the next eight issues, so I’m looking forward to this in a way that I haven’t since John Byrne left the book. Next I’d grab Flashpoint: Grodd of War #1 ($2.99), because an all-out Gorilla Grodd comic sounds awesome. And then I’d give Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths #1 ($3.99) a shot to see how well IDW can manage two Godzilla comics at a time. They certainly managed the first one well. Finally, I’d pick up Mickey Mouse #309 ($3.99) because it’s a globe-trotting adventure with a ton of guest-stars, including my favorite: The Phantom Blot.
- June 14, 2011 @ 02:00 PM by JK Parkin
Forget the movie — Dorkin & Thompson working on new Beasts of Burden comics
Yesterday’s announcement of a potential Beasts of Burden movie put a gleam into the eye of more than a few comic fans, but if that wasn’t enough, we have more good news: Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson are already working on more Beasts of Burden comics.
Prompted by the movie announcement, Dorkin took to his blog to give new details about new Beasts of Burden stories in his work. After last year’s crossover with Mike Mignola’s Hellboy, Dorkin & Thompson are reuniting for three standalone stories in upcoming issues of Dark Horse Presents, and they’re currently working out a schedule to do another limited series. Huzzah!
Dorkin & Thompson are no stranger to Hollywood-types taking notice of their work; Dorkin’s worked extensively for Cartoon Network, and Thompson’s Scary Godmother series was made into a string of animated films several years back.
- June 14, 2011 @ 01:00 PM by Chris Arrant
Ryan Andrews returns with new strip Our Bloodstained Roof
It seems cartoonist Ryan Andrews isn’t content blowing people away once. After he posted his comic strip Nothing Is Forgotten several months back to considerable acclaim, he returns this month with a new standalone story titled Our Bloodstained Roof available in full on his website.
It’s a bizarre story that has a surprising amount of charm; trying to explain it to my wife, I threw out the idea of Guy David and Gipi doing a strip together, but that doesn’t truly do it justice.
- June 14, 2011 @ 12:00 PM by Chris Arrant
Shrek producers step up for comic series with Sea Lion Books
The people at Sea Lion sure seem to know how to reel in major outside talent; from their earlier days at Dabel Brothers enlisting Orson Scott Card and Laurell K. Hamilton to today’s news of a new 12-volume series from a producer of one of the biggest animated movie franchises ever. Longtime DreamWorks producer Aaron Warner is coming in for his first comic ever, Pariah, and is set to debut at this year’s Comicon International.
According to a press release sent out by Sea Lion, Pariah follows a group of genetically engineered super-smart teens who find that the outside world may not be prepared for their abilities. After a terrorist attack on a laboratory leads to a biological attack, its these teens — dubbed ‘Vitros’ by the media — that become the target for the world’s scorn and retaliation.
Warner & Sea Lion are making this story real with veteran comic artist Brett Weldele (The Surrogates, The Light), whose had hsi share of Hollywood team-ups working on comic spinoffs of Southland Tales, Halloween and others. Look for more as the days count down to SDCC.
- June 14, 2011 @ 11:30 AM by Chris Arrant
From Batwoman to Blondie: J.H. Williams III
With fans chomping at the bit to see J.H. Williams III return in the new Batwoman series this September, you might get your fix first in your local record store iTunes. Last week it was announced that the California-based artist is working with legendary post-punk band Blondie for artwork on an upcoming album.
This matchmaking was done by San Francisco comic store owner James Sime of Isotope Comics. Sime is a regular on the Bay Area music scene, and finagled himself and Williams backstage at a recent Blondie show. Sime tells a heartwarming story on the Isotope blog of a impromptu moment of mutual admiration between Williams and the band members of Blondie. That chance meeting turned into business, as their full-on collaboration was announced for a deluxe edition of Blondie’s new album Panic Of Girls. No word yet on when this will see the light of day, but now you have one more reason to tune in to Blondie.
Go over to Williams’ own site to read his thoughts.
- June 14, 2011 @ 11:00 AM by Chris Arrant
Ken Burns-style documentary parodies world’s longest comics bio
In 2008, 12 families set out to accomplish a monumental task: To read all of R.C. Harvey’s biography of Milton Caniff. “What no one knew at the time,” the narrator intones, as a fiddler keens behind him, “is that it was over 900 pages long.” Tom Gammill’s five-minute parody film The Donner Book Party juxtaposes wistful, old-timey music with sepia-toned photos of funny-looking Victorian people as it tells the story of the families’ struggles—the readers’ dismay at the world’s longest sentence, the ill-fated advance party sent ahead to edit the book, the scout who warned some of them off, suggesting they read Milt Caniff: Rembrandt of the Comic Strip, or maybe a book about budgies, instead. There’s even a bit of a twist at the end. The video was presented at the Reuben Awards ceremonies as a preview of an upcoming Ken Burns history of the comic strip, and Mike Lynch says he was actually fooled for the first few seconds.
- June 14, 2011 @ 10:00 AM by Brigid Alverson