baseball
Creator Q&A | 21 author Wilfred Santiago
21: The Story of Roberto Clemente
While biographies are becoming more and more common these days, sports comics remain a bit of an anomaly (indeed, up till now James Sturm seemed to have had the market cornered). Let’s hope Wilfred Santiago’s latest book, 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente, starts to fill in that genre hole a little bit. Particuarly if they’re as visually dynamic and playful as this book is. Chronicling Clemente’s life from his early years in Puerto Rico to his untimely death in 1972, Santiago avoids the traditional traps of being too staid, didactic or reverential, creating a book that show us what made the Pittsburgh Pirates member so special without feeling like a history lesson. It’s a book that’s both fun as well as informative.
I talked to Santiago from his home in Chicago about the new book and what it took to get it into print.
Why Clemente? What was it about him that made you want to tell the story of his life?
I really wanted to do a biography. It’s something I wanted to do since my last project [2004's My Darkest Hour] and I had a list of different [potential] subjects. There were a number of factors as to why I chose Clemente in particular. I think it’s a compelling story to write about. The material was somewhat familiar [to me] and I like baseball .
- April 1, 2011 @ 02:00 PM by Chris Mautner
WonderCon | Don’t fear mutants, fear the beard
Uncanny X-Men #534 WonderCon variant
Although Marvel has held panels at WonderCon over the last couple of years, they haven’t exhibited on the show room floor … until this year, that is. Not only will they have a booth on the floor April 1-3 when the show returns to San Francisco, but they also plan to bring copies of Uncanny X-Men #534 featuring a cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli that Giants fans will appreciate. It’s awesome to see Cyclops and crew supporting their new hometown’s championship team.
“Being from San Francisco, I am ecstatic about how strong Marvel’s presence will be at WonderCon this year,” Axel Alonso, Marvel’s Editor-In-Chief, told Marvel.com. “And with San Francisco now the adopted hometown of the X-Men, it just made perfect sense to create a variant for this show which celebrated the city and its achievements.”
- March 24, 2011 @ 02:00 PM by JK Parkin
What Are You Reading?
Thor: The Mighty Avenger #4
Welcome to What Are You Reading?, where we give a great big hug to all the comics, graphic novels and what have you we’ve been reading lately.
Our special guest this week is Ben Morse, assistant editor of Marvel.com and one of the several contributors to the Cool Kids Table blog. He’s also written a few stories for Marvel as well.
To see what Ben and the Robot 6 crew have been reading recently, hit the link …
- September 19, 2010 @ 12:00 PM by JK Parkin
Hero Initiative raffles ticket to the Cubs game with Brian Azzarello
100 Bullets/First Wave scribe and “long-suffering” Cubs fan Brian Azzarello has teamed up with the Hero Initiative to take three fans out to the ball game. Azzarello has season tickets to the Chicago Cubs, who play the New York Mets on Sept. 3.
“Misery loves company, and I’m happy to share this experience with three lucky fans,” said Azzarello. “The Hero Initiative is an important cause, and I’d like to thank the great Chicago comic retailers for making this all happen. Take it from me, the beginning of September is the perfect time to begin waiting for next year. Go Cubs!”
For two bucks, you can buy a raffle ticket at several Chicago comic shops for the chance to win, including Challengers Comics, Chicago Comics, Comix Revolution and Graham Crackers Comics. Tickets will also be available at Hero Initiative’s booth at Wizard World Chicago at the Rosemount Convention Center, Aug. 19-22.
- August 9, 2010 @ 12:00 PM by JK Parkin
Play ball!
Cross Game
In the spring, a young man’s fancy turns to baseball, and manga is here to help. There are two baseball series debuting this month, and one is free to read on the internet: Cross Game, a “poignant coming-of-age story,” according to the Shonen Sunday website, about a young man who wants to play baseball and the family of four sisters who live down the road (because, after all, this is still manga). The first chapter is up on the website now, and Viz is also streaming the first five episodes of the anime at their anime site.
If that whets your appetite, check out Diamond Girl, a new series from DC’s manga arm, CMX. It’s about a girl with an unusual talent for baseball that is matched only by her hatred for the game. The humor is broad and slapstick, but the art is very stylized, so readers who don’t care for manga might want to sit this one out. (Alas, we have just received word that CMX is shutting down, so this series probably won’t be completed. It’s a fun read anyway, though.)
- May 18, 2010 @ 12:30 PM by Brigid Alverson
Thom Zahler hits a double on Free Comic Book Day this year
Captains Comics: Baseball Beyond The Stars
Love & Capes creator Thom Zahler, who already had one Free Comic Book Day comic on his plate, has added a second — an eight-page comic book that will be given away to the first 1,000 fans, ages 12 and under, attending the Lake County Captains baseball game on May 1.
The Lake County Captains teamed with Zahler in both 2007 and 2008 to distribute Love and Capes to their fans on Free Comic Book Day, but this is the first time they’ve created their own comic book to distribute as an exclusive tie-in. According to the release Zahler sent over, the book is co-sponsored by Comic Haven of Willoughby and Laronge Wagner Realty of Mayfield, Ohio. Captains Comics will feature team characters including: Captain Clipper, Skipper, Skippy, Grover and the three fish: Willy Walleye, Buster Bluegill and Pauley Perch. The story is written and illustrated by Zahler.
The Lake County Captains are a Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians and play their home games at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio, at the corner of State Route 91 and Vine Street. Check out the first three pages from the book after the jump.
- April 12, 2010 @ 11:31 AM by JK Parkin
Straight for the art | Mark Chiarello’s Josh Gibson print
Josh Gibson
DC art director Mark Chiarello shares a print he did of baseball player Josh Gibson for the Josh Gibson Foundation. The organization will sell them as a fundraiser, starting in a few weeks.
- November 20, 2009 @ 09:50 AM by JK Parkin
Stark Industries working around the clock on new Mets uniform
The new Mets uniform?
The Real Dirty Mets Blog revealed some good news for fans of the New York Mets in late August — apparently they’re getting a new injury-proof uniform for next season.
“It will make sure that all the injuries of 2009 will never happen again,” the blog reports. “No word on how much it will cost to put into production but sources say the first two will go to Carlos Beltran and Johan Santana.”
(Thanks David!)
- October 20, 2009 @ 12:30 PM by JK Parkin