crime
Comics A.M. | Riverdale’s gay wedding; Tintin wannabes
Life with Archie #16
Comics | CNN covers the upcoming wedding of Archie Comics’ Kevin Keller, who will get married to another man in Life with Archie #16. Keller was injured while serving in the military in Iraq and Clay Walker, his groom-to-be, was his physical therapist. “Riverdale is this picturesque vision of American life, and when you see yourself reflected in that, you have a role in even the most idealized version of the reality you live in,” said Matt Kane, associate director of entertainment media for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. “That’s the difference between feeling like a rejected outsider and feeling like you’re a part of something.” [CNN]
Comics | Jim Caple worries that viewers of the Tintin movie won’t appreciate it the way he does, comparing old-school Tintin fans to old-school Boston Red Sox or Seattle Mariners fans: “That’s what I worry about. I worry there will be all these Tintin wannabes who only know the character from the movie, who don’t appreciate Herge’s genius, who don’t know what it was like to wait a month for the next 10-page installment or when you had to special order the few books made available in America. Fans who didn’t earn this movie.” [ESPN]
- December 22, 2011 @ 06:55 AM by JK Parkin
60 arrested in Canada in ‘Project Marvel’ gang investigation
The Marvels Project #1 ... not to be confused with Project Marvel
Sixty people were arrested Tuesday in a series of pre-dawn raids across Canada following a police investigation dubbed “Project Marvel” because many of the alleged gang members involved assumed the names of Marvel superheroes.
Unfortunately, neither the press release from the Toronto Police Service nor the report from The Toronto Star lists which characters the accused, some of whom are as young as 14, chose. I’m guessing there’s at least one Punisher, though, and probably two or more Wolverines.
However, we do learn that gang with the youngest members is Young Buck Killaz, which I’ll pretend is a reference to James “Bucky” Barnes.
The operation is being described as one of the largest ever in Canada, with more than 900 officers from 22 law-enforcement organizations simultaneously executing 67 search warrants across the country. Project Marvel grew out of May a robbery and subsequent shooting in Toronto.
- December 14, 2011 @ 08:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Comics A.M. | Angoulême Official Selections; cartoonist suspended
Angoulême International Comics Festival
Conventions | The Angoulême International Comics Festival has announced the Official Selections for the 2012 festival, which will be held Jan. 26-29 in Angoulême, France. Eddie Campbell’s Alec, Craig Thompson’s Habibi and Daniel Clowes’ Mister Wonderful are among the almost 60 graphic novels on the list. [Angoulême]
Editorial cartoons | The Columbus Dispatch suspended political cartoonist Jeff Stahler after finding that his Monday cartoon was too similar to a New Yorker cartoon published in 2009. At The Daily Cartoonist, Alan Gardner posts several of Stahler’s cartoons alongside earlier pieces with similar punchlines. While one can debate whether Stahler lifted his ideas from the older cartoons, it’s obvious that he drew them in his own style, unlike David Simpson, who was recently accused of copying Jeff McNally’s cartoons. [Comic Riffs]
Crime | Several pieces of original artwork, among other items, were stolen from the car of AdHouse Publisher Chris Pitzer while he was in New York City last weekend for the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival. Pitzer is offering a reward for any information leading to the recovery of the artwork. [AdHouse]
- December 7, 2011 @ 06:55 AM by Brigid Alverson and JK Parkin
Retailer Michael George gets life sentence for wife’s murder
Michael George
Former retailer and convention organizer Michael George was sentenced this morning to life in prison for the 1990 murder of his first wife Barbara in their Clinton Township, Michigan, comic store.
George was found guilty a second time on Oct. 11 after his 2008 conviction was overturned because of prosecutorial misconduct and the release of potential new evidence. Prosecutors contend that George shot his wife in the head in the back room of their store July 13, 1990, and then staged the killing to look like a robbery so he could collect money from an insurance policy and a shared estate, and start over with another woman.
The Detroit News reports that 51-year-old Michael George, who maintains he was asleep on his mother’s sofa at the time of the shooting, was also ordered to pay restitution of $130,000 to John Hancock Life Insurance Co.
A tearful Michael George, sitting in a wheelchair, addressed the court, saying, “Something will be found. Someone will come forward. I have never harmed a woman in my life. Let’s not forget no one saw me there — no one.” He plans to appeal the conviction.
Barbara George’s sister and brother also spoke, directing their comments to Michael George as well as his daughters Tracie and Michelle, who supported their father but were absent from the courtroom today at his request.
“We think about you all the time,” Christine Ball said, reading from a prepared statement. “Your mother lost everything. She didn’t get to hold you and watch you grow up. I know we sit at opposite sides of the courtroom, but we have and always will love you.”
- November 21, 2011 @ 11:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Comics A.M. | $15,000 comic goes missing; donations for Bill Mantlo
Amazing Fantasy #15
Crime | A man in Lincoln, Nebraska, told police that a copy of Amazing Fantasy #15, valued at $15,000, disappeared from his home sometime between Oct. 27 and Monday morning. The 1962 issue was kept with other comics, but the man claims several people had been in and out of his home since he last saw it. A near-mint copy of the comic, which features the first appearance of Spider-Man, sold at auction in March for $1.1 million. [Lincoln Journal Star]
Creators | Writer Greg Pak has set up a page to take donations for former comics writer Bill Mantlo, whose tragic situation was detailed in an article last week. “Bill Mantlo has had a huge influence on me as a writer and reader,” Pak said. “His Micronauts stories blew my mind as a kid and his Incredible Hulk run laid the groundwork for the themes I explored my five-and-a-half year run with the character.” Money donated through the site goes directly to Mike Mantlo, Bill’s brother, for Bill’s ongoing care. [Greg Pak]
- November 16, 2011 @ 06:55 AM by Brigid Alverson and JK Parkin
Superman thief sentenced to six years in prison
Mike Meyer
The Illinois man who stole thousands of dollars worth of Superman memorabilia from a mentally disabled collector in late August has been sentenced to six years in prison.
The Belleville News Democrat reports that Gerry Armbruster, 38, pleaded guilty today to stealing the collection from Mike Meyer and assaulting and robbing an elderly man. Armbruster befriended Meyer, a 48-year-old man who lives on Social Security and works part-time at McDonald’s, before swindling him out of more than 1,800 Superman comics, figures and other memorabilia he’d been collecting since 1974.
News of the theft drew worldwide attention, with fans and creators from as far away as Australia and the United Kingdom rallying to replace Meyer’s stolen items.
Police arrested Armbruster in mid-September while investigating the forcible robbery of money and jewelry from a 76-year-old man, and were able to recover Meyer’s collection. The grateful fan, who lives with his dogs Krypto and Dyno, pledged to give the donated memorabilia to charity. “People were generous to me,” he said at the time. “This is how I can be generous in return.”
Armbruster’s sentencing comes as Meyer is on vacation in Cleveland, birthplace of Superman, courtesy of Carol & John’s Comic Book Shop. He and Keith Howard, who organized the effort to replace the stolen items, visited the former home of Jerry Siegel on Monday, and today toured area comic shops, where they received gift certificates. Their trip will conclude tonight with a party at Carol & John’s.
“I feel like I’m connected with Siegel and Shuster,” Meyer told the Plain Dealer from the living room of the Siegel house, “a piece of history was created here.”
- November 15, 2011 @ 01:50 PM by Kevin Melrose
Former comics retailer Michael George found guilty in second murder trial
Michael George
The jury in the second Michael George murder case found the former comics retailer and convention organizer guilty today, according to the Detroit Free Press.
George, 51, was accused of fatally shooting his wife, Barbara, on July 13, 1990 in the back room of their Clinton Township (Mich.) comic book store. This is George’s second trial and second guilty verdict. Macomb County Circuit Judge James Biernat Sr. overturned the first verdict, citing prosecutorial misconduct and the release of new evidence that could lead the jury to believe another person was responsible for the murder of Barbara George. The first trail resulted in George being sentenced to life in prison before it was overturned.
The jury deliberated Thursday, Friday and today for a total of about 14 hours before delivering the verdict.
- October 11, 2011 @ 01:26 PM by JK Parkin
Comics A.M. | Janelle Asselin exits DC; Del Rey’s Betsy Mitchell retires
Janelle Asselin
Publishing | DC Comics associate editor Janelle Asselin has left the company, reportedly for a job with Disney. She clarifies on Twitter that, contrary to a report, she wasn’t escorted from the building on Tuesday but, rather, left “at my leisure.” Asselin had been with DC since 2008, working primarily on Batman books like Batman and Robin, Batman: Streets of Gotham, Red Robin, Birds of Prey and the relaunched Batman, Batwoman, Detective Comics and Savage Hawkman. [Bleeding Cool]
Publishing | Longtime editor Betsy Mitchell is taking early retirement from her post as editor-in-chief of Del Rey, where she helped create Del Rey Manga. Tricia Pasternak, a former Del Rey Manga editor herself, has been promoted to editorial director. Del Rey was established as a science fiction prose imprint; the manga line was created in 2004 and was mostly shut down in 2010, when Kodansha began publishing its manga directly in the U.S. However, Del Rey still publishes a handful of manga and graphic novels, including xxxHolic, King of RPGs, and Deltora Quest. [Publishers Weekly]
Legal | In a twist that sounds like something out of a comic (or even an ad from an old comic), a witness in the Michael George trial testified he saw someone wearing an obviously fake beard outside George’s Clinton Township, Michigan, comics shop a few minutes before George’s first wife Barbara was murdered inside the store in 1990. [The Tribune Democrat]
- September 28, 2011 @ 07:10 AM by Brigid Alverson
Comics A.M. | Asterix co-creator retires; publisher Sergio Bonelli dies
Asterix
Creators | Eighty-four-year-old artist Albert Uderzo, who created Asterix the Gaul in 1959 with writer René Goscinny, has announced he’s retiring, saying he’s “a bit tired” after 52 years of drawing. The news came as publisher Hachette celebrated the sale of 350 million Asterix books worldwide. Uderzo, who took over writing after the death of Goscinny in 1977, said he has found an as-yet-unnamed successor to continue his legacy, beginning with a new book planned for release in late 2012. [Reuters, BBC News]
Passings | Italian comics writer and publisher Sergio Bonelli, whose company Sergio Bonelli Editore (formerly CEPIM) releases such titles as Dylan Dog and Nathan Never, passed away Monday in Milan. He was 79. [UPI]
Legal | A witness testified Monday in Michael George’s murder trial that she heard the defendant and his first wife Barbara George have a particularly heated argument in their Clinton Township, Michigan, comic store on July 13, 1990, only hours before Barbara was shot and killed. [Detroit Free Press]
- September 27, 2011 @ 06:55 AM by Kevin Melrose
Police nab suspect in Superman theft, return collection to owner
Mike Meyer
Police in Granite City, Illinois, have arrested a man suspected of stealing thousands of dollars worth of Superman memorabilia from a mentally disabled collector in St. Louis. Better still, they were able to recover the collection and return it to the owner, a very grateful Mike Meyer.
The Post-Dispatch reports that 37-year-old Gerry A. Armbruster of Granite City was connected to the late-August theft during the investigation on Thursday of the forcible robbery of money and jewelry from a 76-year-old man. Armbruster has been charged with one count of residential burglary for the Superman theft, and one count each of robbery and aggravated burglary for the incident with the elderly man. He’s being held in jail on $100,000 bond.
Armbruster allegedly befriended Meyer, a 48-year-old man who lives on Social Security and works part-time at McDonald’s, before swindling him out of more than 1,800 Superman comics, figures and other memorabilia he’d been collecting since 1974.
The theft quickly drew worldwide attention, with fellow fans from as far away as Australia and the United Kingdom rallying to replace Meyer’s collection. According to the Post-Dispatch, officials in Cleveland offered to pay for Meyer to tour the house where a young Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created the Man of Steel, while the Metropolis, Illinois, Chamber of Commerce has its own plan in the works.
Meyer, who now has close to double what had been stolen — with more promised or already en route — plans to give those donations to charity, likely a children’s hospital.
“People were generous to me,” Meyer, who lives with his dogs Krypto and Dyno, told the newspaper. “This is how I can be generous in return.”
- September 16, 2011 @ 05:21 PM by Kevin Melrose
Comics A.M. | Jury selection begins in Michael George trial
Legal
Legal | Jury selection is set to begin today in Mount Clemens, Michigan, in the second trial of former retailer Michael George, charged with first-degree murder in the 1990 shooting death of his first wife Barbara in their Clinton Township comic store. George, 51, was convicted in 2008, but later that year a judge set aside the conviction, citing prosecutorial misconduct and the emergence of new evidence that might have resulted in a different verdict. [The Detroit News]
Retailing | Retailer Mike Sterling answers questions about DC’s relaunch, noting his store saw an uptick in sales before the relaunch: “In our case, comic sales have been increasing … slowly, but steadily. And judging by demand for the new Justice League #1 and the interest we’ve seen in DC’s next batch of first issues, we’re expecting a bit of a bump in sales over the next few weeks. Whether that bump sticks, even as a slight net gain after the initial excitement over the new launches peters out and we see what the sales levels on these titles will actually be, remains to be seen. But I’m optimistic. My fear was that our upward store sales trend may have been derailed by DC cancelling everything and starting again, alienating the readership we were building, but for the most part that doesn’t seem to be happening. But, you know, in six months or a year or so, we’ll know for sure.” [Progressive Ruin]
- September 7, 2011 @ 06:55 AM by Brigid Alverson and JK Parkin
Comics A.M. | Michael George to stand trial again; cartoonists remember 9/11
Legal
Legal | A Michigan judge on Monday denied a defense motion to dismiss the murder case against former retailer and convention organizer Michael George, who will now stand trial a second time in the 1990 shooting death of his first wife Barbara. His trial is set to begin Sept. 7. George, 51, was convicted in 2008 of killing his wife in their Clinton Township comic book store. However, later that year Macomb County Circuit Judge James M. Biernat set aside the conviction based on claims of prosecutorial misconduct and the emergence of new evidence that might have resulted in a different verdict. [The Detroit News]
Comic strips | On Sept. 11, the Sunday comics pages will mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11 as 93 strips from six syndicates participate in “Cartoonists Remember 9/11.” After publication, the strips will be collected at CartoonistsRemember911.com. [USA Today]
Education | Updating Monday’s report about rising waters in White River Junction, Vermont, imperiling The Center for Cartoon Studies’ Schulz Library, Director James Sturm says that while the building was seriously damaged, thanks to the efforts of students, staff and alumni, not a single book was lost. Cartoonist Jen Vaughn, meanwhile, details the rescue, with accompanying photos. [The Comics Reporter, The Beat]
- August 30, 2011 @ 06:55 AM by Brigid Alverson
Have you seen this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle?
Marathon County Sheriff's Department
Well, not this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, but one who looks a lot like him. Police in Marathon County, Wisconsin, have released a photo of the type of mask — Raphael, I do believe! — used last week in the robbery of a Wendy’s in the delightfully named town of Rib Mountain. That’s right, a Wendy’s, not a pizza parlor.
According to WSAW-TV, employees arrived to work last Monday morning to find Raphael and another man, wearing a nondescript black ski mask, already inside. Detectives say one suspect had a gun, and the two duct-taped the employees’ hands and ankles before making off with an undisclosed amount of cash.
There’s no mention of how the robbers got inside the restaurant. I’d suggest that police start by searching for sewer access. But be warned: The suspect is believed to be cool but crude.
- August 15, 2011 @ 11:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Comics A.M. | Offended, Robert Crumb cancels Australia appearance
Robert Crumb
Creators | Robert Crumb has decided not to attend Graphic 2011, an arts festival scheduled for Aug. 20-21 at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Crumb told The Australian he withdrew from his headline appearance because of an article in the Australian newspaper The Telegraph that called him “a self-confessed sex pervert.”
“It’s a very, very disappointing situation,” Graphic co-curator Jordan Verzar wrote on the show’s Facebook page. “There were a legion of people eagerly anticipating his visit and the Graphic team and Sydney Opera House had been working for months to pull together the shows he was involved with and to supply an enjoyable first visit to Australia for him. I sincerely doubt that he will ever make it to Australia now. It’s a very sad day, but I’m still excited and looking forward to the rest of the great shows happening at Graphic next weekend.” [The Australian]
Retailers | Birmingham, England comics shop Nostalgia and Comics was damaged during the riots of the past few days; no one was injured, but the windows were broken. [The Forbidden Planet blog]
- August 9, 2011 @ 06:55 AM by Brigid Alverson and JK Parkin
Man allegedly tries to steal cop car, blames The Dark Knight Rises
The filming of The Dark Knight Rises in Pittsburgh is expected to pump millions of dollars into the economy, giving a boost to hotels, restaurants, lumber yards and more. So, hey, why shouldn’t the criminal community get a little benefit?
WPXI reports that on Saturday evening, Pittsburgh police Det. Robert DiGiacomo was in an unmarked vehicle looking for the suspect in an assault. Suddenly a man matching the suspect’s description opened the car door, sat down and told the detective to get out. When the officer drew his gun and ordered 21-year-old Micah Calamosca to exit the car, the suspect reportedly responded that he was part of the cast of the Christopher Nolan film … and that stealing the vehicle was just part of the script.
As you may have guessed, DiGiacomo didn’t buy the explanation. Calamosca was subsequently arrested, and faces a charge of robbery of a motor vehicle. A police vehicle. I’d have at least gone for Batman’s Tumbler. Heck, he has three, so he may not have missed one.
- August 1, 2011 @ 09:00 AM by Kevin Melrose