Comic Book Resources

This weekend, it's Boston Comic Con

Weekly Dig

Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener's Atomic Robo graces the cover of Boston's Weekly Dig just in time for Boston Comic Con, which kicks off Saturday at the Back Bay Events Center.

In addition to Wegener, guests will include Louise Simonson, Walt Simonson, Tim Sale, Bill Sienkiewicz, Herb Trimpe, Geof Darrow, Cliff Chiang, David Mack, Khoi Pham, Mike McKone, Stephane Roux, Craig Rousseau, Eric Canete and Jim Calafiore.

Slash Print | Following the digital evolution

Tablets | Gizmodo reports on the long-rumored Apple Tablet device, saying that Apple "is in talks with several media companies rooted in print, negotiating content for a 'new device.'" In addition, Apple has also applied for a patent on a "multi-touch surface that could accommodate two full hands and distinguish between palms and individual fingers for typing, gestures and more," according to the Apple Insider.

Scott McCloud comments on the potential for such a device to change comics: "Most of today’s comics publishers are likely to jump into the pool with their clothes on—print-style pages intact. But if Apple’s gadget is anything like what’s being described, we could see a shift over time from point-and-click fragmented delivery, like what we have on the Web today, to more continuous spatial metaphors of the sort a lot of us turn-of-the-century mad scientists were playing with. Should be interesting."

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Six by 6 | Six comic book action figures that need to be made right now

Action figures!

As a kid, I was a big fan of both comics and action figures; I probably spent my allowance equally on Uncanny X-Men comics and Star Wars action figures. The day I got my Emperor action figure in the mail was almost as good as the day I found a really cheap copy of Uncanny X-Men #129 at a used book store. Unfortunately, those two passions rarely met. It was a post Mego, pre-action figure boom world that I grew up in, so with the exception of the short-lived Secret Wars and Super Powers figures, there weren't a lot of superheroes to be found on the toy aisle.

Nowadays, though, you can find action figures of just about any comic character on the shelves, from secondary X-Men like Forge and Banshee to independent characters like Madman. But there are still a few out there that the world needs, which is why Chris suggested we list a few characters who we felt needed to be captured in three-dimensional plastic with a kung fu grip.

Joining Chris and I this week is a special guest -- High Moon writer and action figure aficionado David Gallaher. You can take a look at David's collection of Marvel action figures right here.

So here we go ...

1. Firestar (David Gallaher)

In looking over my collection, I thought about a character whose history dates back almost 30 years. Playing the lead role in one of the best Marvel cartoons, she starred in her own limited series, was in a couple of coloring books, was a member of the Avengers, an enemy of the X-Men, a founding member of the New Warriors, and is currently starring in Marvel Divas. Even better still – she was featured in her own Hardees kids meal!

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What Are You Reading?

Madman Vol. 1

Welcome to another fun-filled episode of What Are You Reading?, where the Robot 6 team talks about comics, graphic novels and whatever else we've read recently. I'm filling in for Chris Mautner, who is out of town this weekend.

Today's special guest is Scott Wegener, artist on Atomic Robo, which is published by Red 5 Comics, and Killer of Demons, published by Image.

To see what Scott and the rest of us have been reading, click on through, then tell us what you've been reading in the comments section.

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Send Us Your Shelf Porn!

Welcome to another edition of Send Us Your Shelf Porn, where we gaze lovingly — and perhaps with more than a bit of envy — at the bookshelves and contents thereon submitted by readers and friends.

Remember: We want to know all about your storage solutions because we're quickly running out of space and need ideas. Fast. Let us know where and how you keep your comics by sending any and all pictures (with commentary) to cmautnerATcomcastDOTnet.

This week Scott Wegener, the artist behind the Atomic Robo series (written by Brian Clevinger and published by Red 5 Comics)  has graciously allowed us to gaze upon the wonder of his bookshelves. So without further ado, here's Scott ...

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Gorillas Riding Dinosaurs: Atomic Robo don't capitulate

Atomic Robo: Dogs of War #1

Atomic Robo: Dogs of War #1-5
Written by Brian Clevinger; Illustrated by Scott Wegener
Red 5 Comics; $2.95/issue

One of the things I loved most about the first Atomic Robo series was that each issue stood on its own and told a different story from the others. Nikola Tesla’s greatest creation could fight giant ants in one issue and mummies in the next. You just never knew what you were going to get.

It was the perfect format for a monthly serial. In a time when I almost always wait for the collections on independent books, Atomic Robo made me excited to tune in each month for the next installment. There was no incentive to hold off and read the story all at once later on. It was all about instant gratification.

When I heard that the second mini-series, Dogs of War, was going to be more of a serialized story, I was worried that it would lose some of that spontaneity that I’d loved so much the first time around. It didn’t though. Dogs of War focuses on Robo’s service fighting Nazis in WWII and the stories are connected, but there’s still a great deal of variety from issue to issue. There’ll be a little more flow in the eventual collection than there was in the last volume, but it’s still very much an instant gratification kind of book.

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Robot Love Week | I ♥ Second Chances

Atomic Robo and the Shadow From Beyond Time #1

Editor's Note: With Valentine's Day coming up next Saturday, we've declared this the week of Robot Love. And to kick things off, we've resurrected one of our favorite features, I ♥ Comics, where we ask comics creators, bloggers, retailers and fans to discuss the things they love about the medium.

Our first guest contributor this week is Scott Wegener, the artist on Atomic Robo, which is written by Brian Clevinger and published by Red 5 Comics. The first issue of the third volume, Atomic Robo and the Shadow From Beyond Time, is in this month's Previews.

by Scott Wegener

Ask a guy like me why I love comics and the answer is likely to be a verbatim repetition of my answer to the other question people are constantly asking me --"Why do you love oral surgery?" I love comics because they are necessary, because they promote good overall health, and because I really enjoy the way my gums throb after a good issue of All Star What’s-His-Face.

Seriously, it's much easier for me to come up with an essay about why I hate comics. I don't know if that's because there really is a lot wrong with the industry or if it's just always easier to criticize than it is to praise? I won't bore you with a list of things that drive me nuts about comics -we've already done that on Atomic-Robo.com. It's enough to say that I expend more time than it's worth taking a verbal dump on comic book culture.

And yet there came a time just a few short years ago when I took a hard look at my life and decided that I didn't like where it was going. And when I tried to figure out what it was that I really loved in life, I found the answer on my mental hard drive under >Geek/Adventure/Comic Books. And so I stopped doing what I was doing, and started doing what I'm doing now.

Looking back on it all, I guess I'd always known that I loved comics, but the 1990's really jaded me. "Oh Christ," I can here you thinking. "Another jaded Thirty-Something with a 'boo-hoo 1997 killed comics' ax to grind." Well just keep your pants on for about two paragraphs so I can get it off my chest, and then I promise we'll roll on to the unicorns and rainbows.

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NYCC | Whedon, Futurama and more

With the New York Comic Con coming up Feb. 6-8, we're posting information on the various things fanscan do and see at the show. If you're a publisher, creator, retailer or otherwise exhibiting at the show, feel free to drop me an email with your plans for the show.

General information: Ticket info | Panels | Autographs | 2009 ICv2 Graphic Novel Conference | Blog

• The NYCC blog Medium at Large has more details on the Joss Whedon/Dollhouse preview panel, set for Sunday at 12:45 p.m. ET, which is currently being advertised on the CBR home page. They've also announced they'll be showing the next Futurama movie, Into the Wild Green Yonder.

• Love and Capes creator Thom Zahler is bringing Valentines to the show:

Love and Capes

I will be at NYCC next weekend with tons of Love and Capes stuff. I'll have new Valentines featuring Mark and Abby. Kind of like Ralph Wiggum's "I Choo-Choo-Choose You" one. I'll be selling the complete run of LNC, the trade, sketchbooks, t-shirts and pins. And I'll be doing commissions all weekend, too! If you come by the booth, too, you may see a glimpse of the new promotion I'll be doing for Mark and Abby's upcoming wedding.

If people aren't going to be able to attend, they can still go to my site and print out the LNC Valentine and give it to their Special Someone. While there, they can enter the Love and Capes Valentine's Day contest. You can win some books, a set of matching t-shirts, and even some chocolate. That contest ends February 2nd, so time is running out. (But that way you'll get the goodies before Valentine's Day.)

For more info, visit www.loveandcapes.com or http://www.loveandcapes.com/love-and-capes-valentine.html for the contest info.

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