I'm The New National President of Friends Of Lulu...

Yeah. I'm really stoked. I was going to tell you earlier, but it had to be official.

Friends of Lulu is a 13-year-old non-profit organization that promotes and encourages female readership and participation in the comic book industry. We also promote all-ages comic book material, as our slogan is "Comics Are For Everyone."

We have big things planned. I'm working with a *great* group of people. And I am totally happy & excited & overjoyed.

Please check out the official announcement below. And maybe think about joining or helping us out.

Best,
Val

New Friends of Lulu Board of Directors for 2008.

We're pleased to announce the new Friends of Lulu Board of Directors for 2008, and we are already working hard to create a positive new era for the organization.

President: Valerie D'Orazio
Better known in the Internet as The Occasional Superheroine, Valerie has nearly seven years of comic editing experience, with Valiant/Acclaim and DC, as well as experience in Internet marketing and nonprofit organizations.

Membership Secretary: Nicole Boose
Nicole Boose is an associate editor for Marvel Comics, working with outside clients to create comics for all audiences extending beyond the traditional market, as well as editing the monthly series Cable & Deadpool.

Recording Secretary: Alison Bailey
Alison is a college student hard at work on her first graphic novel.

Treasurer: Marion Vitus
Marion is an illustrator and comic artist who has years of experience in nonprofit volunteering through her work with Girl Scouts. She is the writer and artist of the comic No In-Between on Webcomics Nation.

Vice President, Public Communications: Leigh Dragoon
Leigh is the writer and artist of the fantasy comic By the Wayside, which runs on Girlamatic.com. Leigh is also a Staff Writer for Sequential Tart.

Vice President, Public Relations: Adalisa Zárate
Adalisa is the editor of the Anime y Manga Colección de Luxe Magazine in Mexico city, and the writer and artist of the webcomic The Building.

Expect great things from our new Board of Directors!
Stay tuned for more on www.friends-lulu.org!

Have A Safe And Happy Halloween, Peoples!

Victoria Secret's "Secret Pink" Line Of Dolls For Girls

Yeah. "Secret Pink." That's the name of a doll line to give an eight-year-old girl.

Sure, Victoria's Secret has been outwardly promoting the dolls to college girls. But...

"...dog prints, slumber party pj's, sweats aping soccer attire, camis and panties in ice cream-cone packaging suggest a decidedly younger demographic."

Further,

"Pink is the Joe Camel of thongs. The line is advertised in YM and Teen Vogue magazines, which boast 12-17 aspirational demographics."

Is this part of a nefarious plot by the lingerie maker to suck innocent adolescents into their addictive web of Gel-Curves and Brazilian panties?

And what about those autographs on the butt cheeks of Cabbage Patch Kids? That's just sick and wrong and encourages butt-familiarity and the use of bizarre paper substitutes. And if God wanted us to use Cabbage Patch Kid butts as paper, he would have turned them into trees.

How I want to be dressed for my wedding...

Preferably without the gun to my face by hood #3.

See, before Alan Moore & Frank Miller had to go spoil everything, this was considered normal comics.

(from Scans Daily, with the rest of the whole damn story)

Occasional Interviews: Zuda Artist Steve Ellis On "High Moon"

Steve Ellis describes himself as "born with a silver pencil in his mouth," having been drawing and telling comic book stories for most of his 36 years. Steve has co-created projects for DC and Marvel including Jezebelle and Crimson Dynamo, as well as the original comic series Tranquility and The Silencers.

With his co-creation of the webcomic High Moon, he is now part of the first wave of Zuda contestants.

OS: How did you get involved with High Moon?

SE: The writer met with me at the NYCComicCon in February and he gave me the initial pitch for the series. I thought it was great, so I agreed to take a stab at it.

OS: High Moon is described as a "werewolf western." Did the idea of working on a cross-genre book such as this appeal to you?

SE: I love Werewolves, I used to work for Whitewolf's Werewolf game and it was one of my favorite projects to work on. So getting to add my own version is great. Plus, in some weird way, the Western feel meshes really well with the flavor of werewolves, there's something haunting and lonely about werewolves, and westerns have that same feeling of being out in the middle of nowhere with eyes on your back...

OS: What were your artistic inspirations for this project?

SE: I submerged myself in my buddy Chuck's extensive western collection. I really wanted that gritty spaghetti western feel, so the films I went for were High Plains Drifter, The Good the Bad and The Ugly, El Topo and Django...they really inspired the look and feel.

Initially, we really don't get to see the wolves much, but I like to think that as we see more of them people will realize my spin is a bit different than the usual. I like them being a bit more sinewy and feral rather than monstrous.


I was initially inspired by the work I did on Whitewolf's old stuff, but I thinned out the feel thinking about how a wolf doesn't have the kind of bulked out musculature one of those other werewolves have. I wanted that lanky, hunched, head low, staring kinds of feel.

I wanted the strip to feel old, weathered, and beaten up...gritty.

OS: How does it feel being one of the first contestants of DC's Zuda project?

SE: It's exciting, everyone is supportive and there's a nice buzz around the project that hopefully will turn into votes. It's really nice to be at the ground floor of something new.

OS: Why do you think people should vote for High Moon out of all the other Zuda webcomics?

SE: Well, I haven't had a chance to read the others, and I've only glanced at some of the artists work, but I think ours has a very different sensibility than what I've seen. It's much more gritty and textural both in the art and the writing. Ours is a bit of a mystery, rather than a big fight, and involves a pretty complex story.

OS: Speaking of Zuda, what do you think of the whole so-called "webcomics" revolution?

SE: I guess the whole challenge of web comics right now is finding one that I like to read on a regular basis. It reminds me of the Black-and-White comics small publishing revolution of the late eighties...there was a lot of choice, but for quality you really only ended up with one or two out of hundreds of books, since the web is free to post on for the most part, anyone and anything gets a webcomic.


In some ways, that's wonderful that all those people get to express their ideas and art, in other ways, it makes it harder to find the one good one...the needle in the haystack. The traditional publishing model of editorial houses vetting work and choosing which got published, while sometimes corrupted, really acts as a quality filter - hopefully keeping the garbage out.

I guess, I like the Zuda model because rather than just every project being put up on the web, the projects to be voted on have been vetted by a panel for viability and quality.

OS: What comic books or webcomics out now to you currently enjoy?

SE: I'm a stick in the mud, I love 100 Bullets, Hellboy, The Walking Dead, I really like anything that's a bit edgy and turns traditional stories on their heads. I have to say I miss the old feeling of the Marvel and DC's when they didn't have as much at stake and were willing to try really outrageous stories.

Now, you get the feeling that so much is on the line with some books, they have to play it safe and keep the story tame or at least within a close margin of what's been done before, what's familiar...I think it's an unwillingness to lose any more readers.

OS: What's next for Steve Ellis?

SE: Wow, I think I'm moving back to NYC finally after three years of exile, and hopefully I'll be continuing to draw High Moon. I might throw together a reprint edition of an old book I love from my past, and I might just have another Silencers story in me if the publishing model is right...But I'd really like to finish High Moon - I can't wait to draw the big Werewolf fights! Grrrr!

Heh, heh, heh...
OS: Thanks, Steve! You can read HIGH MOON at Zuda.com (http://www.zuda.com) and follow the production of the series here ( http://high-moon.blogspot.com/).

The Red Hulk: The Mob Hast Spoken

Okay, the results of my latest poll, "Who Do You Think Is The New Red Hulk?" is as follows:

WHO IS THIS NEW RED HULK???

34 Of You Say:
RICK JONES!

30 Of You Say:
AMADEUS CHO!

22 Of You Say:
HENRY THE MILD-MANNERED JANITOR!

17 Of You Say:
ROSIE THE TELEPHONE OPERATOR!

Much thanks to all who have participated in the poll!

And to those of you who voted "Henry" or "Rosie" -- you are very silly people.

Examining the new Power Girl & Huntress statue

This one sorta slipped under my radar a bit, but here we are. What do you think?

This is probably the smallest I have ever seen PG's boobs on licensed product. It's hard to gauge with all the white, but I'm thinking a C -cup maximum. Also, note the glutes. Those are some serious hardcore muscular glutes. And she looks like she could really beat your ass. She's not playin.'

Huntress is like, "I don't go for that exploitative licensed product stuff. I'm going to keep my cape pulled around me like Batman. If it's good enough for Batman, it's good enough for me."

Overall, I think it's pretty decent. I think a female fan could buy this and not feel embarassed.

Of course, the devil's advocate in me asks, what sells more this or the manga versions with the ooh-la-la?

Top 6(66) Scream Queens

I think in terms of movie monsters & monster-fighters, my gender hasn't done too bad in Hollywood. I mean, of course we still have the cliche of the the screaming woman who conveniently trips and falls. But we also have these women...


6. Sydney Prescott from "Scream"
She starts out kind of weepy and emo ("why are al my friends dying, wahhhhh...") but quickly enters Sigourney Weaver ass-kicking territory:




5. Alice from "Resident Evil"
Alice will kick...your...ass




4. Laurie Strode from "Halloween"
Sure, she has some classic "trip and falls" in this flick, but she's also really handy with a knitting needle!



3. Regan from "The Exorcist"
I actually chose a clip from the second movie here, cuz the first one creeps me out too much...and this one's kinda funny. :-)



2. Ginger Fitzgerald from "Ginger Snaps"
"Wicked"


1. Mary Shelley/Bride of Frankenstein
She seems like such a sweet girl...


Honorary Mention:

Be The Change You Want In The World

In response to my recent post about how not to engage in a feminist dialogue, Kalinara wrote the following:

"A ball-busting feminist doesn't have to understand where male complaints against accusations of feminism are coming from. We already know. Society shows us this every day, from the default comic book magazines highlighting T&A shots (and finally declaring themselves "for men") to the argument that a television show with a female lead is a risk because both men and women can identify with a male lead, but half the audience is lost with a female lead."

Hey, blaming society & the media is awesome. I get a lot of great posts out of it. But I'm not going to fool myself into thinking it's empowering me.

Blaming others doesn't empower you. I mean, the other party might really be "blame-worthy." But the act of blaming Jeff Robinov at Warner Brothers doesn't get me anything other than another few thousand hits on my blog. It doesn't accomplish anything real. And -- most importantly -- the act of blaming makes me feel helpless, at a disadvantage, not in control. It makes me feel like crap.

The only way I can feel empowered is if I say "the buck stops with me."

I have to say, "yeah, there are some shitty stuff in this world. how am I going to change it?"

Not how if the media changes, my life will be better. But how am I going to change things?

Not how if Jeff Robinov changes, the lives of women will be better. But how are women going to change things?

I can approach this comic book industry either with confidence and exultation at the accomplishments of myself and my gender, or as a Victim.

My forays into comic book feminism can either be a celebration of what my gender has contributed to the medium, or a dirge.

I can either navel-gaze or I can find ways to get funding for young female comic artists to hone their craft.

I can fill post after post about how women have been screwed in this business -- and in some cases they have -- or I could use that space to profile the work of females of distinction.

I've made my choice.

And if you define yourself as a "ball-busting feminist" and you notice that men are reacting to you poorly, maybe it's not all the media's fault. How much has a squashed nut -- or a demolished ego -- really accomplished?

I want solutions, and I want progress. I want measurable progress for women in this industry. Concrete progress. I am tired of splitting hairs over semantics.

Yeah, a man doesn't know what it is like to be a woman and my struggle. Understood. Does he like great comics? I like great comics. Hey, there are a lot of women who produce great comics; let me introduce you to some of their work...

What Comic Books I Did (And Did Not) Give A Nine Year Old Girl

So I was putting together a "grab bag" of comic book goodies for BF's niece, culled from both our collections. This is what made the cut:


1. Marvel Adventures
2. Betty & Veronica
3. Glister -- Image Comics
4. Felix the Cat - Felix Comics
5. Sardine In Outer Space graphic novel -- First, Second
6. Goodbye, Chunky Rice graphic novel -- Pantheon
7. Patrick The Wolf Boy -- Arthur Baltazar & Franco Aureliani


This is what didn't make the cut:


1. The Betty & Veronica Digest "Bad Boy Trouble" series -- That story line is a little too "Ricki Lake" for a nine-year-old.
2. Various manga hanging around my house -- maybe for 12-year-olds but not nine. Some of these books even make the darned magic house cats sexy.
3. Supergirl -- SEE?????

Age-appropriate stuff that didn't make the cut because I like 'em too much to give away & I'm a big selfish poo:1. Legion of the Superheroes Johnny DC. Nobody's touching my set! Nobody!
2. Spider-Girl.
3. My Marvel Adventures digest with Modok in it.
4. Baby Sitters Club graphic novels -- they would have to be pried out of my cold dead hands
5. Sabrina the Teenage Witch by Tania del Rio
6. Mouse Guard Hardcover -- I mean, c'mon. There's generous and then there is crazzzzzzzzy.

How NOT To Have A Feminist Discourse With A Man, #234

When engaged in feminist debate with a member of the estrogenly-challenged sex, it might be wise to avoid the following nugget:

"Well, do you have a vagina? No? Then be quiet."

I might want to start "D'Orazio's Law" -- corollary to the oft-invoked Godwin's Law of Internet discourse -- in which anyone in a feminist debate asking the accusatory question "do you have a vagina?" to a member of the estrogenly-challenged sex hast thus ended the discussion.

Now, I am quite aware of the meaning behind asking a man, "do you have a vagina" in response to his opinions on wimmins. The inquiry points out the fact that men do not know what is like to be women and thus hast no business (so the theory goes) to lend their opinions on the subject of the testosterone-challenged sex.

However, we all know what the answer is (usually) to the question thus posed to a man, "do you have a vagina?"

NO, HE DOESN'T HAVE A VAGINA!!!!!!

Asking him if he indeed has a vagina serves very little constructive purpose. I understand the meaning behind the question, but all it will really accomplish is to make the man defensive.

Now, there is the related issue of whether a man sans vagina sans tits sans ovaries is in any position to comment on wimmin's issues at all.

If we as women want to take that view, then the reverse can be used on us, and we can be kept from...oh gosh I don't know, writing comics starring male superheroes, because we do not have a penis and therefore are not "fit" to write about those possessing said instrument. 'Cause we don't "get" the whole penis thing.

In the end, I think you have to figure out what means more to you in a debate -- getting in the last word with a pithy comment, or actually trying to help change another person's point of view. If you want to help change (or expand) another person's point of view, you've got to think "inclusive" and not "exclusive." You can't underline how different you are from the other person...you have to find some common ground to speak from.

Yeah, your male counterpart in the feminist debate about cheesecake in comics doesn't have a vagina. That's right. But has he ever felt embarrassed, ashamed? Has he ever felt defensive about the way a female friend or family member has been treated? Has he ever suffered from being stereotyped, misunderstood? These are all areas from which to build some common ground.

"Green Lantern" Movie To Be Directed By "Dirty Sexy Money" Auteur

Once again, I have to hand it to Warner Brothers for realizing that action movies with male protagonists are guaranteed moneymakers. Hot on the heels of the announcement of the "Flash" movie, word comes from Variety (via Newsarama) that Greg Berlanti, from the TV show "Dirty Sexy Money," is on board for the new "Green Lantern" movie.

Says Berlanti,

"To me, this was on the last great comic book movie that hasn’t been made."

No comment:

G.I. Joe No Longer Real American Hero?

According to IGN, the new G.I. Joe movie will no longer be about American soldiers but an international fighting force headquartered in Brussels.

Specifically, "G.I. Joe" will now stand for the following acronym: "Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity."

And the villain? From that bastion of villainy and terrorism known as...Scotland!

The official reason for this switcheroo has to do with international movie sales...and the challenge of selling "American" overseas.

Rob Moore from Paramount's marketing division told AdAge, "Until there's a [locked] script, I don't think you can really comment on what the international reaction will be. In Bourne Ultimatum, you have the story of what is essentially an American spy. But the characterization of the military and the CIA is: They're the bad guys. In any event, there are parts of the world where it's an issue, like Western Europe, and parts where it isn't, like the U.K., Australia and Asia."

However, Hasbro COO Brian Goldner assures: "GI Joe is not just a brand that represents the military; it also represents great characters."

Not just the U.S. Military -- but "great characters" as well.

Hey, I remember another great movie about an international fighting squad:

Let's all hope "G.I. Joe" will be as good as this.

Occasional Reviews: The Emerald Giantess Edition

She-Hulk #22
Writer: Peter David
Artists: Shawn Moll & Victor Olazaba
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Peter David's take on the emerald giantess starts off not that unsimilar from previous writer Dan Slott's run...quirky criminals & a quirky, self-effacing narrative by Jen Walters (tinted green in the caption boxes, natch). Then it takes a sharp left-turn somewhere in David Lynch territory, and the sudden ending -- reminiscent of the "Sopranos" finale -- will leave you guessing. I literally turned my comic book upside down and shook it to find the missing page that I assumed followed the blackout. Then I checked my cable box. Art by Shawn Moll & Victor Olazaba is effective & dynamic and makes Jen/She-Hulk attractive without making her look like an underwear model.
Rating: A


Justice League of America #14
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Artists: Ed Benes & Sandra Hope
I want to love this new era for the series as much as the next person, but please don't flame me for saying that this and the last issue have been a little on the "thin" side. The narrative -- regarding the new Injustice League -- is starting to drag out in that decompressed way that makes you feel as if you've missed something at the end of the issue...or that the story should have been completed by now. Considering the textured and well-written McDuffie "Justice League Unlimited" animated episodes, I don't know what the problem is here. In the old days, a story like this could have been done in one issue. It makes me wonder if the arc has been artificially prolonged to match up with some "Countdown" endpoint. Plus: an extended role for Black Lightning & more excessive Geo Force abuse. So it's not all bad. Rating: B-

Breathers Book One
Writer & Artist: Justin Madson
Publisher: Just Mad Books
Hey, I don't even know this Justin Madson guy; this isn't a shill or nothin.' Just found this in BF's pile of goodies from SPX. The story is about a dystopia unsettlingly familiar to our own world where people are forced to wear breathing masks outside. There is a quiet ticking desperation about the characters and their lives that is both captivating and really sad. Madson's one of these guys that you know will be "indie hotness of the month" before too long, so catch him before he gets famous so you can say you discovered him. Rating: A
You can purchase "Breathers" here...for only $5! $7 if you include #0! More with shipping! Eeep!



Uzumaki: Viz Signature Edition
Writer & Artist: Junji Ito
Publisher: Viz Media
This classic horror manga -- released in a smart new "signature edition" -- just about made me vomit on the subway train, it was so creepy. That's my roundabout way of saying, "I heartily recommend it." The story is about a small town whose inhabitants are going crazy because of a "spiral-obsession." This obsession drives them to, among other things, engage in really bizarre forms of body modification. It's like that one scene in "Nightmare on Elm Street" with the tongue coming out of the phone, for the entire book. By the way, if you're looking for this edition in the stores, it's an all-black cover with red lettering and art in a varnished outline. Rating: A+

Penance: Relentless #2
Writer: Paul Jenkins
Artist: Paul Gulacy
and
Thunderbolts #117
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Mike Deodato
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Non-stop emo action with everybody's favorite "cutter," Robbie Baldwin. To me, the sheer Grand Guignol DeSadian excess of Penance's self-mutilation overshadows everything else about his solo miniseries, with the possible exception of Paul Gulacy's artwork. Take the 16-page "grid" panel of Penance putting on his "Iron Maiden" (dude! Iron Maiden!) outfit. Geez-Louise. Next up, in "Thunderbolts," Doc Samson (who apparently has issues of his own), has a man-to-boy talk with Penance, outlining the "cutter" philosophy for the readers at home in great detail. As they are apparently setting up Penance/Robbie to be the next "key player" in the Marvel Universe, for some reason I kept thinking of Jimmy Olsen. Jimmy with nipple-clamps.
Rating: Penance: B Thunderbolts: A

Robin #167
Writer: Brandon Thomas
Artist: Freddie Williams III
Publisher: DC Comics
This fill-in by writer Brandon Thomas ("Fantastic Four Adventures," "Shatterstar") is a poignant character study of Robin and why he does what he does. He's gets beaten to a bloody pulp quite a bit in this issue (alert "Scans Daily"), but recovers just in time to have a touching scene at his father's grave. Batman makes a rare non-goddamn appearance and wraps up the issue nicely.
Rating: A




The Professor's Daughter

Writer: Joann Sfar
Artist: Emmanuel Guibert
Publisher: First Second
This is a lovely little graphic novel that has that "League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen" charm without the martians or fatal buggery. A museum mummy with impeccible manners and a proper Englishwoman form a unlikely romance. Despite the murder mystery plot and potential for darkness, always keeps a cheerful stiff upper lip to the very end of the volume. The perfect graphic novel for yourself or to buy for a girlfriend/wife/mom who might not be too impressed with your "Sinestro Corps" collection.
Rating: A

New "Flash" Movie To Be Helmed By "Fred Claus" Director

I first have to really applaud Warner Brothers for being so proactive in getting this new "Flash" movie made. Movies with male protagonists really sell well, and I think to have a director with the stature of the guy who directed "Fred Claus" on board will really make this a blockbuster.

That said, the word is that this "Flash" film will closely follow the upcoming "JLA" movie. Further rumors are that the "JLA" movie will open with the death of Barry Allen, and that the Flash-of-choice will be Wally West.

The director, David Dobkin -- who has also directed "The Wedding Crashers," has commented to the MTV Movies blog that his Flash will be no laughing matter.

But honestly, outside of "Iron Man" and possibly "The Incredible Hulk," none of these new in-development superhero movies sound like anything near the quality of "Batman Begins." Probably more like "Smallville."

Marketing Analysis: Comics In The Bookstores

Through an entirely random course of events I found myself recently at the graphic novel section at a large Barnes and Noble in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Having some time to kill, I got out my notebook and did a bit of observation.

Out of 54 shelves (grouped in units of 9 each), 2 tables, and three racks, how many superhero genre books do you think there were?


4 shelves and a 1/2 a table.

27 shelves -- 3 entire shelving units -- plus 3 racks and 1 & 1/2 tables were taken up by manga.

Manga dwarfed everything else, which was certainly not news. But to see traditional capes and cowls books so marginalized was shocking.

On to how the books racked on the shelves.

Most books were racked spine out. This meant that often, all a casual browser had to go on was that spine. This put the thinner trade paperbacks at a distinct disadvantage. A standard-sized trade often only had enough room for the logo. Thicker books -- like the Essentials/Showcase editions and books like The New Gods Omnibus -- racked far better, because the spines had room for art and interesting designs.

Both Marvel & DC's trade paperbacks -- as well as those of most of the independent superhero/genre publishers -- were also at a disadvantage for having regimented, standardized cover spines. Featuring the logo, then the title in a plain font -- and, often, a darker palette -- these books tended to "fade" out a bit on the shelves, looking like volumes of the same series rather than capturing the unique flavor of each title.


To be fair, this standardized system of trade paperback design probably works far better for the publishers' target audience, the direct market. In the direct market, seeing a big DC "swirl" or the Marvel logo tells one a lot about what they need to know. But I fear that to the non-comics fan, the comics neophyte, the innocent bystander -- many of these trades get overlooked.


There were exceptions to this. Vertigo's latest Sandman editions and Y The Last Man on Earth sported spines that were multi-colored and interesting. They stood out tremendously. Ditto for the design for the 52 trades, though the logo was nearly unreadable. Y and 52 also benefited from a liberal use of white on their spines, something Dave Sim has been doing for years with Cerebus and which works quite well. White "pops."

And as I said before, the thicker the spine, the more stand-out the book. The affordable Superman Our Worlds At War trade had enough room on the spine to sport an entire Ed McGuinness Superman on it -- and it paid off in convincing me to pick the volume off the shelf and look at it.

Marvel, meanwhile, seems to be cornering the market on high-end oversized formats, sporting several great hardcover editions. These books rack up great and look impressive. However, they may find themselves in odd places in the shelving units because of their size. And probably the best Marvel has to offer right now in the book department are their excellent Omnibus super-oversized editions. But how can these books be racked on traditional shelving? Many of the super-oversized volumes are racked horizontally -- as you might see in a library.


Some of the trade dresses & spines for other, smaller publishers were simply nondescript. While IDW's volumes for classic books like Grimjack were eye-catching, those for titles like Angel were too plain -- black with tiny white lettering on the spines. Same for Virgin Comics, whose trade paperbacks had dazzling covers but completely ignorable thin spines.

Compare this to the "alternative" indie-press books. They were all in different sizes and shapes. The standard "comic size" was but one choice. Cover design seemed to focus on the individual title rather than "branding" all the books uniformly.


And then there are those three shelving units of manga. Their nice, thick, squat format affords the publishers great leeway in design and the inclusion of art. Most books sported white spines with colorful logos and representative art. What you got was a joyous riot of books that fairly begged you to pick them up.

Another thing I noticed was the bookstore's priorities in stocking titles & especially multiple volumes. While the store was spotty in keeping superhero trade backlist recent, Vertigo & manga series were very well stocked. All the volumes of Y Last Man on Earth were stocked, for instance. But there was not one Wonder Woman trade paperback.


Lastly, I could not readily find any Minx titles in this section. But as I also didn't notice other teen non-manga books racked up, I have to wonder if they were not in the "teen" section of the store. How being racked up separately from the graphic novels impacts sales would be interesting to find out.

Based on my observations, I would make the following recommendations to publishers:

* Reprint more pages in each volume as to get a bigger book spine.
* Use more white in your cover designs, because white "pops" off the shelf
* Use more bright colors for your trade spines, and try to get art on them
* Look at shelved manga books and note the way their spines "pop" and invite the reader to look inside
* Provide bookstores special cardboard shelving/display for the oversize editions...or figure into the design of the books how they might look like shelved width-wise instead of length-wise.
* Superhero comics seem to be a relatively smaller chunk of the entire graphic novel selections for the standard bookstore. Does this mean that superheroes don't play well outside of the direct market? Or do they need to be marketed differently? I don't know the answer.

Karate Kid: Laundry Boy To The Legion

Holy crap, I just watched the latest "Legion of the Superheroes" cartoon.

Okay, so in this Legion universe, Karate Kid is Asian. An Asian martial artist. That's clever. If you're going to have an Asian kid in the Legion, he might as well wear a white karate outfit and be into martial arts.

But it gets better. Karate Kid wants to join the Legion. But he has no superpowers. So they take him into the group on a trial basis. He must prove himself to them and, basically, earn his keep.

So what job do the Legion give him?

LAUNDRY BOY!

They give him a cart with wheels and he has to go to every Legion bunk and pick up their laundry. He is also a great housekeeper.

In return, the Legion makes it clear that he has yet to prove himself to them, and is not really as legit member.

Karate Kid doesn't really hang out with the rest of the group, because they really don't accept him. He is paired off with Chameleon Boy -- ostensibly another "minority" member who also is on thin ice with the Legion.

But as Superman keeps reminding them, Karate Kid may not have fancy-schmancy powers like the rest of them...but he has a strong work ethic! Steaming and pressing Element Lad's sheets and polishing the mess hall, Karate Kid is a role model of what you can accomplish "when you don't have a lot but are willing to work hard."

Through it all, in a fake Asian accent, Karate Kid spouts out pseudo-meaningful nuggets of wisdom about "finding your own destiny" and working despite the odds.

This episode was the most mind-bogglingly patronizing thing I've ever seen since viewing the silent movie "Shadows". In that movie, Lon Chaney takes the role of the wise, stomach-churningly humble, hardworking Asian laundryman. The fact that around 80 years have passed since that film & this cartoon but the Asian protagonist has been portrayed so very similar is troubling.

Sunday Is Wonder Woman Day

A dazzling array of comic book artists have donated portraits of the world's most famous Amazon to raise money for two shelters for women and children. It's all a part of Wonder Woman day, an event held at Excalibur Comics in Portland, Oregon.

Donating artists include Adam Hughes, Alex Ross, Gary Frank, John Romita Sr., Anne Timmons, Jim Mahfood, The Hernandez Brothers, Greg Horn, Roberta Gregory, and many more.

You can visit the Wonder Woman Museum site and look at all the donated art here.

This event is HUGE. And I think the way they have used the icon of Wonder Woman to raise money for help domestic abuse victims is awesome. These comic book icons -- after we get past the cliche Bam! Pow! Bash! -- are powerful images that can be used to stir people to positive action.

Role of Wonder Woman Reportedly Cast

The buzz is that Australian actress Teresa Palmer has landed the role of Wonder Woman in the upcoming "Wonder Woman" movie, according to the News.com.au website.

A friend of Palmer's reportedly said that the blond actress will wear a wig for the role:

"Apparently they're going to have her fitted out with a black wig rather than dye her hair.''

Of course, this is all unconfirmed. But with the new JLA movie seemingly casting relative unknowns in the roles rather than going for the usual Wizard Magazine "Dream Cast," it wouldn't be totally unreasonable.

So what do you think, all? Is she WW material?

"Superman Prime" -- FANBOY!

"Oh, I get it," I said to Self as Self was reading "Superman Prime" #1, "Superman Prime is just a big Fanboy run amok...or at least Geoff Johns's interpretation of one."

The key to this, as far as I am concerned, is Superman Prime's rant about how his "heroes let him down..."

"They don't care about anyone but themselves...it was terrible. Hal Jordan went bad! Wonder Woman killed someone! I couldn't watch what they did to Sue Dibny." (emphasis mine)

The Dibny line is very telling. Is S.P. really referring to Dr. Light or Jean Loring? Or simply parroting complaints about the "Identity Crisis" and the whole "darker" tone DC had seemed to take since that miniseries?

Superman Prime is:
1) From "our Earth"
2) A comic book collector
3) The son of a comic book collector who named him after a comic book character (shades of Nick Cage!)
4) Owns a "Green Lantern" T-shirt
5) Thinks nothing has been the same since Dan Didio took over the DCU
6) Is a batshit-crazy murderer

Getting that out of the way, the book itself features a very entertaining extended fight sequence between S.P. and ALL the DCU, and flashback sequences with tortured continuity explanations that makes my brain hurt.

The art by Pete Woods is a stand-out and a revelation; perhaps the key is the fact he has inked himself here. Jerry Ordway's art is also top-notch.

Really, not a bad issue at all, except for the rather obvious "Fanboy Straw Man" and the continuity porn.

Grade: A-

Fangirl Fridays: The "Soho Surprise" Edition

What a day yesterday! First, I go to my local comic book store to pick up my weekly comics. The new Peter David "She-Hulk" is totally sold out except for one copy in a bag and board for $15.00.

So then I hop across town to attend the Dan Slott/Peter David signing at Jim Hanley's Universe. The signing is significant in that it's basically Slott "handing over the keys to the kingdom" to David on "She-Hulk." The place is mobbed and, much as I suspected, there was a surplus of extra "She-Hulk" in stock.

On my way to the signing line, I run into "Reagan: A Graphic Biography" writer Andy Helfer. I used to work w/Andy at DC, and we were yakking it up. Then I caught Dan Slott's eye and we were waving to each other across the store.

I also worked with Slott at DC, specifically on a book called "Arkham Asylum: Living Hell." I always considered "Living Hell" a significant Dan Slott comic because I think it was the first to really bridge that gap between his prolific work on stuff like "Looney Tunes" and "Batman Adventures" and the more adult/mainstream work he does for Marvel, like "Avengers: The Initiative" and, coming soon, "Amazing Spider-Man."

I grab an issue of "She Hulk" and jump on the signing line. The guy ahead of me has what looks like a professional "kit" filled with toys, comics, and other memorabilia to sign. He is holding a "Sandman" Mego-like doll in his hand.

"Is that from the movie," I ask.

"No, this came out earlier."

Is he really going to have Slott/David sign all of this, I wonder. But he was gracious and let me cut ahead of him on the line.

Chatted with Slott & David. David said he had read my blog, which was flattering.

David said, "Dan Slott says that my new run will be Shulkarific -- and I couldn't agree more."

Slott commented on the furor over "continuity porn" in comics and wondered if we can just have elements of continuity AND not getting caught up in it. Can't we just have balance?

I took a picture with the two and left the table. I realized that in all our yakking, I never did get that issue of "She-Hulk" signed by Peter David. So I just grabbed one off the "impulse rack" and just bought it.

Next, I had to visit the ER with my BF because he hurt a tooth. It wasn't serious, but it needed to be addressed that night if possible. Then I ran all the way across town again for this women-in-comics meetup. I had an awesome time, and met many talented people. My BF met up with me there, and then we headed out...

And now comes out "Soho Surprise." (did I mention yesterday was a full moon?)

We took a wrong turn somewhere around Albuquerque and ended up in the ass-end of Soho. I mean, we didn't know WHERE the hell we were. No subway trains. Every person we ran into gave us different directions. We used a skyscraper as a landmark, incorrectly thinking it was the Empire State Building. It was actually something in the opposite direction. Or across the water.

We were walking for an hour-and-a-half. It was like something out of the Blair Witch Project.

Finally we made it home. A valiant attempt was made to read our comics, but we soon passed out. Snore.

On a different note -- I have a rather biggish thing relating to me and comics that I've been keeping from y'all for the last several weeks. I'm so excited about it that I'm just about to have kittens. The official announcement will happen in a few days, but I'm just giving you a heads-up.

News at eleven. Have an awesome weekend, all!

Frank Miller Wins Goddamn Award For Goddamn Comic Book

The goddamn Spike TV Scream Awards Committee looked at all the goddamn comics for the goddamn year and decided that the goddamn All Star Batman and Robin's Frank Miller was the best goddamn comic book writer.

Also receiving a goddamn award was goddamn Neil Gaiman for goddamn lifetime achievement, goddamn John Cassaday as best goddamn artist, and goddamn Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith for best goddamn comic "30 Days Of Night."

"Because He's The Goddamn Jason Todd"

From Countdown #27

I wouldn't worry about Donna, though. I mean, dying every couple of years is practically part of her job description.

In short, I do not see this so much as a "fridging" as merely a temporary stay in one of those styrofoam coolers you take to the beach.

Besides, I still hold that at the end of "Final Crisis" there will be some variation of a rebooting and it all won't matter anyhow. Of course, that's just my opinion; I could be wrong.

Occasional Links

Spice Girl Says Feminism is "Bra Burning Lesbianism"
Because Ginger Spice is such a freakin' authority.

"The demand for things to look pretty rather than being built to work is part of the reason we’re seeing so much substandard comic book art nowadays."
Preach it, Elayne! (via Journalista)

To Serve Poo
Is "Cooking With Pooh" the worst cookbook title ever? Or does that honor go to "To Serve Man?"

Lois Griffin Topless Shocker!
This YouTube clip purports to have an actual Family Guy "easter egg" DVD footage of Lois with no top on. You owe it to yourself to click on it. And then forward the link to a friend so they can hate you as much as you will hate me.

Another Quiz So We Can Know You Better
What is your Jedi name? Yeah, it's kind of a shill for the PSP game, but it's educational as well and brings people together.

Cartoon Says: "You're Too Old To Be Raped"
What do you think? Heinous? Misogynistic? Or does it merely have that quaint good-time "Al Capp" charm? (via Comics Reporter)

YouTube Clip Of The Morning:
"How To Handle A Woman" by William Shatner (I have to go vomit now)

It's Hard To Dislike "Death Of The New Gods"

Why? Because it's Jim Starlin. DC really dodged the bullet on this whole miniseries by getting Starlin to write and draw it. Because it's like if you put Marv Wolfman & George Perez on Countdown -- yeah, it's another editorially-mandated clusterf**k but how can you dislike it when you've got such legendary creators on it? It would be like hating Stan Lee. Which is like hating Comics. There's some math in there.

If you're familiar with Starlin's work with characters like Captain Marvel or Warlock at all, you understand that this guy's a master of the Cosmic Story -- probably right behind Kirby in that regard. So if you get bogged down or confused by metaphysical/galactic sentences like:

"They'd actually taken the Source's cryptic meanderings and sculpted them into the foundation of a ridiculous little religious fantasy,"

rest assured that it all has some higher spiritual purpose and that God will probably make an appearance in the third act, even if He is in the form of a section of drywall or a Nerf ball with Kirby crackle emanating from it.

Because the mini is called "The Death of the New Gods," a big portion of the suspense and emotional impact is taken away because you're poised to expect DEATH. In fact, if the # of deaths don't total at least three each issue, one might almost feel disappointed.

That all said, I can only imagine what die-hard Kirby fans must be thinking when they read this book. It's like if you were a die-hard Buffy fan and you watching a TV movie called "The Death of All the Buffy Characters."

In that sense, this book is both a tribute and a slightly patronizing "farewell to thee" to Kirby's legacy at DC. Further, I see Death of the New Gods as an interesting companion to Marvel's recent Elementals mini. The two publishers, faced with these uniquely "Jack Kirby" characters and worlds, have gone and used two different approaches with them -- one, to put Neil Gaiman on the job and make it all pretty, and the other, to perform radical and fatal "heart surgery" on the cast.

Which begs the question: is the Fourth World saga - and Jack Kirby's bombastic creations in general -- old-fashioned and dated in comparison with comics today? I dunno. Ask George Lucas.

"Marvel Zombies 2" Everything "Snakes On A Plane" Should Have Been

Any way you slice it -- no matter what socio-cultural symbolic spin you happen to give -- the "Marvel Zombies" franchise is the "Snakes on a Plane" of the comic book world. You cannot get more implausibly high-concept than "what if all the Marvel superheroes turned into flesh-eating zombies?"

And that's why the idea is so brilliant. I mean, it's kind of stupid. But it's brilliant.

There is something I find incredibly compelling about the Marvel Zombie books, an essential quality I cannot force myself to turn away from. I buy all these damn books. I buy them though they are rather silly at points and feature covers that usually have nothing to do with the issue. I read them. And then I freakin' re-read them.

Que?

Well, for starters, while the concept is utterly ludicrous, Robert Kirkman is not hacking it out and the Sean Phillips art is quality. Which is to say, it is not executed bad. The books merely stem from a single bad premise, happy in its admitted baddity.

And maybe -- as in the case of Death of the New Gods -- there is a certain sick thrill in watching the end of things. In both Marvel Zombies 2 and Death of the New Gods we are given a front-row seat to the guaranteed destruction of a universe, a systematic dismantling of familiar concepts. It's the equivalent of watching that castle burn in California yesterday on CNN -- it's horrid. And it's horridly captivating.

Marvel Zombies 2 opens with the Marvel Zom Squad, plus a few cosmic hangers-on, hovering over an asteroid in space. What is Dark Phoenix doing there? F**k if I know. But she's frickin' there, with her guts hanging out. And so is Thanos. Life as we know it is doomed.

Then we travel back to Black Panther's fledgling community in New Wakanda. His grandson finds Hawkeye's head under some rubble. What is that head doing there? F**k if I know. Is bringing it home to show grandpa the smartest thing evah to do? Probably not.

Next we visit the Zom Squad again. They are apparently eating Ego the Living Planet. Does the extended scenes of the zoms devouring gore help forward the plot at all? Not really. But they're very cool.

Hmm, here is a subplot involving human rebels, some sort of revolution political-thing. Does it specifically involve ZOMBIES? No? Flip, flip.

Now zombie Hawkeye's head is on the body of a female robot.

As Zom Wasp asks, "What else could possibly happen?"

The issue ends as it begins, with a shot of the Zom Squad -- sans Zom Thanos, who was eaten and spit out -- in space. Spider-man, who, even though he ate his wife and aunt some time back, hasn't managed to lose his sense of humor, asks, "Are we there yet?"

Marvel Zombies 2 is the sort of book that in the 90s would have been done unintentionally bad, with awful art and a hysterically maudlin emo vibe. But in this post-modernist era Marvel is in full control, and more than aware of what it is doing. So are Kirkman and Phillips. And so am I, purchasing it.

I'm not dumb. I'm smart because I am buying something dumb recognizing it is dumb and enjoying it for its specific dumbness. By revelling in Captain America getting the top of his head chopped off with his own shield or Hank Pym eating a sedated Black Panther's leg as a mid-morning snack, I am a genius.

Occasional Links

Waiting For Guffman

Go be Tom Hanks's MySpace Friend

Baaaaaaaaaaa-d action figure

"Heroes" Dude Legally A Woman

Lou Ferrigno cameo in new "Hulk" movie. Naturally.

Make a Dalek Pumpkin for Halloween

Video: "The Dance Of Evil"

That "Inside the Actors Studio" guy was once a pimp

Be "Anna Rexia" for Halloween this year

The Partridge Family in space. Because you wanted it.


You Are Mulan!

Strong and spirited. You're no one's girly girl; actually you are very determined person with a strong sense of self. Never let go of that! The only thing that equals your sense of self is your family, but the traditions of society can always be bent to protect something or someone you love.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Halloween, 1982

Held the grudge for a few weeks. But then I got over it because...well, because I'm the oldest and I'm mature like that.

Anybody else ever dress up like a superhero for Halloween? A-Team characters count, but Huckleberry Hound doesn't.

World War Hulk #5 Preview

As can be readily discerned by the following preview pages, all sorts of messed-up goings-on are happening in this last issue of the World War Hulk miniseries. We have:

1) Explody things
2) Things helping Things
3) Blams
4) Kra-ka-dooms
5) Ouches
6) and Holy S**t!

Is that an H-bomb being thrown into the "Hulk Square Garden?"

This miniseries has been a roller-coaster ride and I've enjoyed it immensely. That said, I'm hoping the final issue will deliver the appropriate -- how shall I say -- payload.

My Funny Halloween

Red Sonja: WTF??????????????

Holy Crap, I just read these two preview pages on Scans Daily of Dynamite Entertainment's "Red Sonja"...

The text starts,

"It was said that the She-Devil had a burning, bloody hatred for all men..."

(click images for larger)

Of course, all this really does is, in a roundabout way, promote the "Red Sonja" book.

But still: dood. WTF? She's a man-hating castrating bitch but she also makes your pee-pee get hard. We get it.

UPDATED: the Scans Daily crowd, for the most part, unmoved by said images. Except for a few posters:

"I don't know, I think it's kind of hot."

Occasional Links

"King Koopa Looks Like Mr. Belvedere!"

"Psst! Yo! Want a comic book with strong female characters in it? Click here!"

The all-important Chuck Norris presidential endorsement

Shark Train

Nick Cassavetes to direct "Captain America?"

10 Sc-Fi movies that deserve to be made

"My point is if you want to protect your pee-pee, don't you think the ladies might want to protect their ta-ta's?"

The Shooting War Hardcover has landed

"even a huge best-selling author can NOT include a PRE-PUBESCENT SEWER ORGY IN HIS BOOK!"

Mark Millar makes the case why he would be the bestest Superman movie writer evah

"Though a rugged and manly man, I consider myself a feminist."

Sad, really.

Oh Sweet Jesus, I Need To Buy These!

Big Lebowski dolls (via Toyfare)



Forget about the rug—these two figures will tie your room together. BBP! will release these talking, 1/6-scale figures early next year in both PG-13 and R-rated versions. While we’re personally leaning towards the ones that drop the F-bomb, we’d be happy with either pair since they both come with awesome accessories, like bowling balls, a White Russian, Walter’s ex-wife’s dog and the Dude’s discount club card.

Approves:

Eight Reasons Why Vertigo Comics Aren't Selling As Well As They Used To

I realize there are debates as to the particulars: "floppy" issues versus trade sales, a changing reading demographic, marketing concerns, formidable new competitors, etc. But in the end I think it comes down to these eight reasons.


You need to capture -- no, seize -- the imagination. Without doing that, none of the other factors are going to make a big enough difference.

"Scalped" may be a great book. I want to read the trades at some point. But what is so unique about "Scalped" at Vertigo that it couldn't be published at Wildstorm or Image?

See those eight properties? I could never picture them being handled quite the same way anywhere else. They had the "Vertigo" brand firmly stamped upon them. And that brand is about quality, uniqueness, edge...and maybe even an element of the iconic.

I mean, APE Entertainment puts out quality books like "Bizarre New World" and "Sullen Grey" that would look right at home in the Vertigo line. They put out books that look like what would happen if developing comics was more of dynamic brainstorm and less like an 18-month "refining process." S**t, if you miss "Sandman" and the like, go pick up "Sullen Grey."


For all I know, a company like APE could quietly be becoming the next Vertigo. Or there could be a few companies like that. Plus Image. And then what becomes of the Vertigo cachet? It becomes one in a line of comparable choices rather than an industry leader.

And then you have Zuda, DC's online venture. You know all that excitement over edgy new talent that Vertigo enjoyed 10, 15 years ago? That might be what Zuda is involved with right now! And then what is Vertigo's cachet? It is five steps away from being Paradox Press at this point.

Let's not forget Minx. Hell, I think Minx is more Top Shelf than teen manga. But it has legs (if you will excuse the pun). With Minx around, what happens to Vertigo's cachet? With CMX around, what happens to Vertigo's cachet?

And Grant Morrison is doing is Superman. Again -- what happens to Vertigo's cachet?

And Christ -- I got this giveaway Marvel MAX catalog the other day where it looks like they're really beefing up the whole line and making it more edgy and "alternative." So you'll have those books on the market as well -- many of them with a built-in character recognition.

As I said before, the critically-acclaimed "Scalped" might be a great book. But in order for Vertigo to regain its market lead in "adult" comics it needs iconic books like "Sandman," "Preacher," et al. It needs *stars*. And it needs new talent.

Or maybe it should try its hand at original graphic novels along the lines of what Top Shelf & Fantagraphics Press -- and Image! -- put out. Maybe their "goth" and "Brit" period is over. Maybe they should be printing books like Tom Neely's Ignatz-winning "The Blot" and First Second's "Laika."


At any rate, this is (or should be) a time for reevaluation, redefinition, and expansion for Vertigo. If I was in their shoes I'd:

1) Keep going to the "Indie" cons like MoCCA Fest and SPX and aggressively pursue new talent.

2) Go more Top Shelf/Fantagraphics/Oni/First Second and less Wildstorm

and/or

3) Either make a purposeful effort to restart the old properties that gave them such recognition -- Sandman, etc. -- or take some other DCU characters and Vertigoize them.

Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Storm's "New Look"

Well, I can honestly say I don't think this has been done before with this character.

Not amused:

Sort of amused: Digital Femme

Occasional Links

Bellatrys keeps making male superheroes look hot

Comic: What would Jesus drink?

The first new Captain America custom action figure?

When he decided to stop hiding

Inside the mind of a 9-year-old file-sharer

The absolutely weirdest s**t you will ever read (NSFW) via Journalista

The one where Tigra turns into friggin' housecat!

The Ball Bra...when you need that extra support

Tom Hanks Peeing

Separated at birth?

God FAQ

Keep your eyes open for Zombie Cap & Spidey in this ad

Occasional Reviews: Minx

Thanks in part to OS reader and friend Chris, I've managed to get my hands on five Minx titles to review: Re-Gifters, Confessions of a Blabbermouth, Clubbing, Plain Janes, and As Good As Lily.

It should be fair to note that I have also been reading large piles of teen manga from my local library, which has informed my opinion on these Minx books somewhat. For the most part, I found the manga I read to be fast-moving, emotionally punctuated, and engaging for the targeted audience.

Also, I have debated whether or not I should push through reading books or comics that I find boring/bad in order to give a proper review. I have decided to stop reading any text that I find so disengaging that I want to quit it; such a reaction would match that of the potential consumer, and says a lot.

So, in order of how much I enjoyed them, here are my brief reviews for the Minx line.

Re-Gifters
Writer: Mike Carey
Artists: Sonny Liew and Marc Hempel
Grade: A+

Thoughts:
This book has all the qualities requisite for a good teen graphic novel. Engaging heroine, quality supporting cast, intriguing romantic conflict, lack of cliche, no easy answers. But above all that: story and art that moooooooooooooves. Let me repeat this: moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooves. This point is crucial. It has to move. You have to hook the reader. And when we're talking about teens, maybe that need to hook immediately is even more important.

And I know there has been a lot of criticism regarding the Minx books and the fact that most of the creative talent involved don't have vaginas. But I think Mike Carey nails this. And the art is dynamic, open, and endearing. Of all the Minx books I've read, this one is closest to possessing manga energy.

The Plain Janes
Writer: Cecil Castellucci
Artists: Jim Rugg
Grade: B+


Thoughts:
Plain Janes is very much Minx's "signature" book, and the one with the biggest commercial potential. I enjoyed it but felt it skewed a little older than the target audience. It felt a lot more like a graphic novel from Top Shelf or Fantagraphics than a teen book. But the pace moves very well, and the art is excellent.

Like some reviewers noted, there are a few characters in the novel that get a little cliche. The "evil sheriff." The gay boy with the big gimlet eyes and barrels of school spirit. The Sporty Spice girl. But the protagonist, "Main Jane," had some nice layers to her personality.

Good As Lily
Writer: Derek Kirk Kim
Artist: Jesse Hamm
Grade: B


Thoughts:
This book was great but needed editing. There is just too much text, too many big word balloons, and too many panels on each page. Had some of this been cut out, allowing the story and art to "breathe," it could have very well have been a far more successful book.

Also, the Korean-American protagonist is very similar to the Korean-American protagonist in "Re-Gifters." Nothing wrong with having multiple books with Asian protagonists. But the girls look too much alike and have similar frustrations/personality for volumes coming out so close to one another.

How about some African-American girls? They go to my local library and take out manga all the time.

Confessions Of A Blabbermouth
Writers: Mike & Louise Carey
Artist: Aaron Alexovich
Grade: C


Thoughts:
I liked the frenetic, fast-paced quality of the art but the book suffered from being one of the last I read. The short, big-headed, huge-eyed spunky protagonist with the bobbed hair. Where have I read this before? Just about in every Minx book I read.

I made it through nearly half the book before I put it down. To be fair, I read "Re-Gifters" after this and loved it. But I just had Minx burnout with "Blabbermouth."

Clubbing
Writer: Andi Watson
Artist: Josh Howard
Grade: C-


Thoughts:
The first several pages of "Clubbing," with its open, engaging art, seemed promising. But I quit at page 29. I just couldn't care less about this girl. And where were the clubs? The book is called "Clubbing." I don't want a Merchant Ivory movie. I'm a prole, I know. But I'm just recording my thought process as I read it.

An update: the BF said that the title is a pun because it really refers to golf. Oh, now I really want to read this.

PS: I really liked Andi Watson's "Glister." Okay?

And there you go, my thoughts on the first five Minx books. Some were enjoyable. Some were not.

Also, as I said before, the protagonists were all a little bit similar. Petite black-haired beauties with large expressive eyes, a punky attitude, and bobbed hair. I have no idea where such an archetype came from.


Okay, I'm going now.

Harry Potter Character Outed By J. K. Rowling

Appearing in front of a full house at Carnegie Hall, J.K. Rowling "outed" Albus Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore is gay," she confirmed to gasps and applause.

Further, she said that Dumbledore was in love with fellow wizard Gellert Grindelwald, but it was a romance that was not meant to be.

"Falling in love can blind us to an extent," the noted author commented.

The outing of Dumbeldore is an extremely brave and revolutionary act, considering the money for the books has all been counted already.

In other news, "Doctor Who"/"Torchwood" character Captain Jack Harkness still out and fabulous bisexual male.

Catwoman Cosplay Video

You're either going to find this strangely exciting or as boring as hell. Either way, you've got to admit she's got some really skillful moves.

Dream Academy's "Life In A Northern Town" playing in the background is a nice touch.

William Shatner: "I Don't Do Cameos!"

William Shatner shot down rumors of him doing a guest-appearance in the new JJ Abrams "Star Trek" movie by saying "I don't do cameos." Interestingly, whle he is not in the film, Leonard Nimoy is -- and has a fairly important role in it too.

Shatner also said that even though his character, James T. Kirk, is dead, because it's sci-fi it shouldn't be a problem to bring him back "as is":

"If you can get DNA from a dinosaur...and they've been dead 160 million years...I've only been dead ten!"

( image found on this "Goddamn Batman" thread)

Welcome to Fangirl Fridays, The Preeminent Something Of Comics Something-Something

Wearing The Wonder Woman Cami

Okay, so yesterday I decided to wear my Wonder Woman camisole with a fancy jacket.

"Camisole" is a fancy way of saying "one half of a pair of WW Underoos." But it's a tank top, basically.

To back up:

My BF had surprised me with this set a few weeks ago:

The details of which is another post entirely. Suffice to say he owned a pair of Superman briefs and leave it at that.

But anyway, the whole ensemble I wore yesterday was very tasteful -- no belly, no boobage. No, I didn't wear the underpants outside, I had jeans, boots. Not outwardly sexy at all.

But I got stared at from the very moment I left the apartment.

And people would stop me in the middle of the street and go:

"Wonder Woman! It's Wonder Woman!"

I s**t you not.

I had middle-aged accountant-types doing the Lynda Carter costume-change twirl.

I had groups of twenty-somethings of both genders stop and scream out:

"Go, Wonder Woman!"

More restrained onlookers said with a restrained air of fanboy cultivation:

"Nice shirt."

Of course, I had to wait for my BF in front of a comic shop -- so this only got worse.

Now as I said before, there was no boobage involved -- the camisole was a little baggy and between that and the jacket there was not a lot of cleavage or skin or anything. Very plain.

But I think it's the magnetic quality of that "WW" icon -- the colors, the symbol, everything -- that draws people. It's instantly recognizable. It provokes a reaction. It's like the Superman & Batman symbol.

Which is why I think a well-executed Wonder Woman comic, movie, or TV series would be a huge success. The appeal is being seriously underestimated.


"Honey, I'm Home!"

"Laws of Editorially-Driven Content" #458:

When starting a "universe-shattering" & "relevant" mini-series event, have the first issue end with the husband coming home to find the wife dead amongst the now-ironic detritus of their once-idyllic domestic life. It's kind of a cheap shot, but it does keep them coming back for seconds.



"And also, people don’t like cats, so it gets a bit more of a pass. Most people reading New Avengers are dog people. "

--Brian Michael Bendis on the "Tigra Beatdown" scene in New Avengers #35
(via Expertologist)

"Strip Search Sally" And Other Halloween Options For The Ladies

Comics Fairplay posted this list of the top women's Halloween costumes according to Halloweenmart.com:

1. Referee
2. Jail Bait
3. Gothic Black Fairy
4. Lacy Pirate
5. Strip Search Sally
6. Bohemian Go Go Girl
7. Shimmer Witch
8. Gangster Moll
9. Geisha
10. Vixen Pirate Wench

Now I have to admit, "Referee" was rather encouraging because that's an occupation of some power and skill. See, you can be:

Plain old Referee

Sexy Referee

or "Playboy Style" Referee

Of course, it also should be noted that nobody is putting a gun to these women's heads to buy this stuff. (Well, I did hear somebody out a gun to Tigra's head, but...)


Pop Candy Meet-Up In NYC Yesterday

Attended a NYC meet-up for Whitney Matheson's Pop Candy blog on USA Today.com. Pizza was served and a good time was had by all.

Hey, if I throw one of these meet-up shindigs, anybody interested?


David Chase, Just Shut Up


The "Sopranos" creator expounds further on "that ending," hinting that Tony really didn't die. In the process, he manages to put down the fans of his show once again, comparing them to a bunch of "pathetic" barbaric individuals who love violence and bloodshed.

You know, I'm so sorry the rabid fanbase for the show doesn't quite match Chase's highbrow fantasies, but they are fans and they buy the DVDs and have been loyal and kept him quite wealthy so why not just suck it up? Yeah, I know you're an artiste but have a modicum of gratefulness.


"Smallville" Last Night

Was that "Smallville" or "Hostel 2"?


Dean Cain is still looking good though. Tho not as good as Waxy Colin:

That's all we have for this edition of "Fangirl Fridays." Y'all have an excellent weekend. I know I will.

What Female Superhero Are You?

Slow news day and crazy busy. Anyway, enjoy.

What female superhero are you??? Jean Grey You have a tendency to be the interest of many men. You're beautiful, intelligent, extremely powerful, but also extremely caring. The perfect woman!

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

More on Rucka, Montoya, and Gay Characters in Comics

Eric Newsom's excellent Question site is hosting a multi-part in-depth interview with writer Greg Rucka. In the latest installment, Eric took the time to as Greg about statements I made regarding the lack of open gay male romance/sexual scenes in mainstream comics on the level of what he was doing with Renee Montoya.

My original quote:

"You know, aside from the question of whether this level of nudity and sex is appropriate for a non-’mature readers’ book, I wouldn’t mind it — if gay male characters in mainstream comics were afforded the same level of frankness and depiction of sensuality."

Rucka's response:

"No, I think it’s a very fair, and very valid point. The fact is, lesbianism is considered more commercially palatable. Having gay male couples seen “coupling” is a much harder sell. I’m not sure it’s something I would argue with, frankly."

Then he elaborates:

"Look, I think comics need to be more representative across the board. I think we need to see more ethnicity, more diversity, more cultural differences. The way we do that is by forging ahead, and taking the small victories where we can. There are people who think this “agenda” is a bad thing. I don’t. Literature is supposed to reflect our world, even if it’s literature that deals with men from Krypton or small furry blue creatures from Alpha Centauri."

Then Eric asks:

"Do you remember what the initial reaction was, both from editorial and the readership, on Montoya’s forced coming out?"

Rucka responds:

"Yeah. [In editorial] there was almost none. They only cared that the story was done well. There was no resistance at all to revealing that Montoya was a lesbian. Or to showing Montoya kissing Daria. I’m sure, in large part, it was because we were doing it in a book that was selling, charitably, 25K an issue, and we were outing a character that was barely on Burbank’s radar, if at all. But there was no difficulty in getting any of those issues approved."

Actually, when Burbank found out, things did get a little tense for a while in the offices. At issue was that Renee was technically considered a "WB cartoons" character -- much like Harley Quinn was. There was the issue of a character from the cartoon being gay. And there was the issue of the WB not initially being in on the "loop" regarding this character's development.

So you had this couple of days in the office where that old familar dread of "ohhhhh, there was a f**k-up, I wonder if somebody's gettin' fired" in relation to that "Gotham Central" issue where she comes out. But in the end, DC upper management stood by editorial. If they had not, somebody probably would have gotten fired. They've gotten fired for less.

Anyway, the interview in its entirety makes for excellent reading, and was a pretty excellent achievement on Eric's part.

The Secret Origin of "WildC.A.T.S. VS. Aliens"...sort of

Former Wildstorm editor Scott Dunbier has started a new blog which I'm sure will have many interesting stories in it as the weeks roll by.

Currently he has a neat little story about when Gil Kane worked on the covers for "WildC.A.T.S. Vs. Aliens." I'd really rather not spoil it for you, but just for starters, here is the actual cover:


If you read the post and follow Scott's link, you'll see how the original cover looked like. Apparently, there was a little bit of a miscommunication.

"Gambit" In New Wolverine Movie?

According to Cinematical, rumor has it that the Summer 2009 movie "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" might have Gambit in it. Such speculation is based on two bits of info:

1) They are currently shooting some scene for the movie in New Orleans

2) The movie is supposed to have other mutant characters in it.

Sabretooth will be in the film, as will be a young Stryker (from "X2") played by Liev Schrieber.

Who should play Gambit:


Everybody say: yayyyyyyy!!!!

Almost Peed My Pants Reading This - SPOILERS

DC can use that as a pull-quote for the trade for "Death of New Gods" --

"Almost Peed My Pants Reading This"

--Occasional Superheroine

Ah. Well.

Follow this link for the spoilers, last page, and then come back here.

The "honey, I'm home...and you're dead" trope is getting rawther tired, isn't it? Didn't I read this book three years ago?

Anyways, cue the "Fridge Squad" blogger protest in five...four...three...two...

(though to be fair, the title is "Death of New Gods," right?)

Who Is "Tomato" Hulk???

Ah, a chance for more idle unfounded troublemaking speculation...

Who is this new red Hulk?

Doc Samson?

Rick Jones?

Amadeus Cho?

Hercules?

Tony Stark?

My money is on Rick Jones, for the "oh, sweet irony why do you torture my soul?!" factor.

What'd ya'll think?

Not impressed by new Hulk:

"Goddamn Batman" Now Official DC Character

Every couple of days I get hits from people searching the term "Goddamn Batman" on Google.

Make fun of "All Star Batman and Robin" -- or Assbar, as it is known -- all you want, but there is no denying the appeal of Frank Miller's "Goddamn Batman." In fact, I think the Goddamn Batman has now surpassed the regular old boring Batman as the "It" superhero of the hour.

Sure, Miller's previous take on Bats, "Dark Knight," touched relatively briefly on the dark, unstable elements of the superhero. But "Goddamn Batman" distills every nasty, jerkwad quality of previous "gritty" Batmen into one spicy bat-enchilada.


I propose that DC change the title of "All Star Batman" to "Goddamn Batman" and just roll with it. If there can be "Marvel Zombies," certainly there can be a "Goddamn Batman."

Related video:

Why I Don't Take Witchblade Seriously

Witchblade should, in theory, be a superheroine I would like.

First, she's an Italian brunette. I can relate.

Second, she's a witch, who has blades. This is cool.

But, in the final analysis, I do not take Witchblade seriously. Which is to say, when I think "Superheroines" she does not come up on my list.

Why?

Because she's largely a T&A Superheroine.

I mean, the TV show went some way in breaking that image up. But in the comics, for the most part, she is largely a T&A Superheroine.


T&A Superheroines pose in every panel in a manner than accentuates their chest or ass. They often are depicted on covers half-naked. T&A Superheroines are ostensibly "empowered" females, tough wimmens...but written mostly for the males in the audience.

But I'm not complaining about that. Because having established that characters like Witchblade, Lara Croft, Vampirella, Lady Death, etc. are T&A Superheroines, they now get a free pass to be as sexy and over-the-top as they want.


I mean, it's a whole genre. It's a genre that has the right to exist. Men have the right, if they so choose, to buy comics with half-naked women with webbing on their breasts. And even buy the damn statues. It is, in my opinion, erotica. I might make fun of some of that erotica, but I wouldn't want to start advocating censoring it.

But that genre needs to be recognized and called what it is -- fantasy/soft-core erotica. It's not about mainstream superheroines. It's not for children. It's not the norm. It's specialized.


It's only when I see a Superheroine with a capital "S" like Wonder Woman treated like a T&A Superheroine that I get really annoyed.

Interestingly, with the "Anita Blake" comics we get an inversion of this, with the male characters a bit more sexualized. The "Anita Blake" book series spawns from romance novels, which have a nice long history of half-naked beefcake on their covers. It's erotica. It's ok.

Send A Get-Well Card To Marie Severin

Sad news from the Fantagraphics Blog:

My pal Greg Sadowski just passed on news that legendary EC and Marvel Comics’ cartoonist/colorist/designer Marie Severin suffered a stroke last Thursday. Direct your get-well cards to her at:

Marie Severin, patient
c/o Huntington Hospital
270 Park Ave. Huntington, NY 11743

Marie Severin is the grande dame of female comic book artists, and has drawn the adventures of Dr. Strange, The Hulk, and the Sub-Mariner, I worked with her on a story for the "Batman Black and White" series and she was super-nice and could still draw an awesome comic.

Look, I'm usually bad with these "sending stuff" things (cards, bills, Netflix).

But I'm going to stop by my stationary shop on the way out today and get a card for Marie.

Let's get together and all send something -- a get-well card, postcard, or note. I think that would be really awesome.

Thanks,
Val

Comics Journalism Redux

Sequential Tart's Katherine Keller has wrote an interesting editorial regarding the "comics journalism" debate. She feels that too much emphasis in that discussion is placed on investigative journalism as opposed to journalism in general. Basically, that investigative journalism does not automatically = Journalism; it's just one facet of it. Moreover:

Right now, based on "partying with the stars" (sheah, right) I've heard some very interesting things about the day-to-day workings of things at DC, Dark Horse, and Marvel. I've also sat in while one up-and-coming creator vented about about his dealings with one of Comics' most famous creators regarding how things were swiftly going down the toilet regarding a jointly owned and created character, as well as what really happened to spur his departure from a top 30 book. Juicy stuff indeed. And I could write all that up and send Sequential Tart's hits sky high and fly the "Investigative Journalism" flag, but in the end, who benefits?

I've just burnt bridges before me.

I've just cost several people their jobs.

And the fanbois and fangurls will find something else to read tomorrow.

True. But.

I think there is a place for investigative journalism -- or, as Keller jokes (I think), "Investigative Muckraking."

One can argue, for example, that the pundits who rather loudly and frankly complain about Dan DeCarlo not getting his due credit for the Archie Comics properties he created are "muckraking." Such complaints stir up bad feelings. Archie Comics are made for smiles and cheers. Why cause trouble?

But the story of Dan DeCarlo is an important one. I like reading Archie Comics AND I care about the story of Dan DeCarlo. What do I do? Do I "make nice" or do I ask hard questions or do I try to balance it?

And would it be better or worse to have serious investigative journalists hired to gather information & interviews about that and other topics than to have to rely solely on a multitude of bloggers who might or might not have the facts?

I have a business card with my cute picture on it (coincidently drawn by an "Archie" artist) and it lists me as a Writer, Editor, and Journalist.

But am I really a journalist?

I took one Journalism course in college. Wrote obituaries for 1/4 of the course. My teacher was the guy who wrote the book the movie "Blow" is based on.

I got an A. I struggled. Real journalism is a lot of work.

Has anything I've written been "real journalism?" Was "Goodbye To Comics" "investigative journalism?"

Maybe. "Goodbye To Comics" was memoir and drama. It was something heartfelt and spontaneous. Can that be considered journalism?

Before I wrote those posts, I had approached a few comic book media types for their advice about my personal story. And while they were all very nice to me, and I appreciated their time and their candor, it was not something they wanted to report on.

And, seeing the vacuum -- sitting on the story, ready to explode -- I stepped in and did it myself.

I did it myself because it was either me doing it or nothing.

Maybe blogs are the alternative journalism.

Maybe they are journalism.

What is journalism?

And is that sort of "investigative journalism" -- or memoir or whatever the hell you call it -- referred to in the Sequential Tart article worth the price you pay for it?

Was it worth it for me?

It was totally worth it.

You have one life to live. Be real. Be yourself. Talk about things that matter. Make life better for the people around you. Speak up. Share.

Liefeld Vs. Moore: Death Match

"And if all his magic nonsense is real then why didn’t he go into the dream realm before he wrote Watchmen and see the future success he would achieve and decide to keep all the rights to himself?"

-- Rob Liefeld on Alan Moore

The comment thread that follows this Blog@Newsarama post is priceless.

I have to go wipe the tears from my eyes now.

(via Journalista)

The Happiness Never Ends For Green Arrow Family

Anyway.

So we've got another death (or whatever passes for it) on the horizon for the Green Arrow Family:


Time to play "oh who can it be?"

I think Mia is the most refrigable. She's a) redundant. b) a female (always a liability). c) is HIV positive. and d) Winick has already admitted an interest in killing off a Black Canary.

That said, killing off Mia would be awful writing because it would be soooooooo predictable.

"Oh, her HIV turned into full-blown AIDS and she died! Look, my book is soooo relevant!"

It would be far more interesting to have Dinah die and have Mia, who is living with HIV, be the new Black Canary.

I mean, if Magic Johnson can live this long w/a drug regimen, certainly Mia can, at least for a while, continue to fight crime as B.C.

Now, I've heard it said that the dead person on the cover cannot be female because the breasts are not prominent.

However, the artist, Cliff Chiang, is not known for drawing tits like missiles. He is far more subtle. So that could be a male or female.

Now, either Connor, Roy, or both are in the crowd watching Ollie.

See, here is why I think the dead person is Roy Harper:

1) It would give a reason for the JLA to be there. Because he's on the current roster.
2) If Didio thinks Nightwing is redundant, what in the world does he think of "Red Arrow"? I mean c'mon really?
3) DC needs every ethnically diverse character they can get. So in my opinion, Connor stays. Connor is also a far more visually and thematically unique character than Roy.
4) This cover reminds me of that old Green Arrow/Green Lantern issue where Roy is on the smack. G.A. has that same sort of tenderness towards the figure on the cover, like he knows the person very well.
5) Roy Harper has plenty of enemies.
6) The best use of Roy Harper I've ever seen are the hundreds of slash Arsenal/Nightwing fan-fics:

"I get gutsy when I'm drunk." I said, and then drained the last of the Guinness. " And I'll need a lot of courage to...." I paused and took a deep breath to gather my nerve.

"To?" Dick prompted, leaning forward ever so slightly. Into my personal space.

"C'mon." I grabbed Dick’s arm and dragged him across the room and out the door. I pulled him into a nearby alley. I glanced around, making sure we were alone. I swallowed nervously and looked at Dick.

Dick looked back at me, obviously unwilling to make the first move. "I got it this far, Roy. Make a move."

I chuckled nervously. "You're a broken record Robbie."

Dick smirked and replied, "It's a training technique. Drill it into your head and you might obey. Make a move Roy."

My stomach was all butterflies, my nerves jumping. I reached my hand out tentatively and slid it gently up Dick’s neck, my fingers tingling. My hands tangled in his thick black hair and I pulled him closer to me. I closed my eyes and kissed him softly on the lips. My heart jumped, my stomach danced. My head went light and I knew that this was it. This was what I wanted.

Dick responded in kind. I pulled my lips slightly away from his. "Make a move Dick," I said huskily.

Outside of fic, I find Roy a little boring. Yes, he fell in love with a villainess. He was on the smack. He gets shot and beaten up a lot. But Connor is still, in my estimation, far more intriguing. And, unlike the real Roy, Connor has some "bi" subtext going on (DC officially denies this, but even a lot of us at the company way back when assumed he was) and that just textures his character even more.

So my money is on Red Arrow biting the dust.

That said, if it turns out to be Mia either dying of AIDS or some supervillain slapping the shit out of her, I'm going to roll my eyes.

And you don't want to see me roll my eyes.

"Lost Teen Titans Special" Out Of Limbo

The "Swingin' Teen Titans Elseworlds Special" has finally been given the green light after almost four years in limbo (also known as sitting in a dusty art flat file).

When asked about the change of heart, Dan Didio reportedly said,

"God bless us, everyone!"

No, he really didn't say that.

The special written by original Teen Titans writer Bob Haney, with art by Jay Stephens and Mike Allred, with a cover by original Teen Titans artist Nick Cardy.

It will be out (in theory) Jan. 9th.

I've had the chance to read this book and it is very cool. Nobody dies. Okay, maybe a couple of aliens die. Or cavemen or dudes in Beatle haircuts. Okay, it's been a long time since I read it.

Babies In Refrigerators

...Selina's baby is headed for all sorts of messed up:

According to LITG

The current arc "Mother's Day" will see something very unfortunate happen to her daughter, Helena, which will tip Selina back over to the dark side. It's time for Catwoman to be a bad girl again. How small do they make refrigerators?

Occasional Previews: What I'm Buying This Week!

I'm just gettin' paid from my various freelance marketing/copywriting gigs...

which means...

I'M BUYING STUFF!

Death Of The New Gods #1 (of 8), $3.50 - yeah, I'm getting suckered into this. I know, I know...

Captain America #31 CWI, $2.99

Marvel Comics Presents #2, $3.99

Marvel Zombies 2 #1 (of 5), $2.99 - yeah I'm getting suckered into this one too

Mighty Avengers #5 CWI, $2.99

Penance Relentless #2 (of 5), $2.99 - EMO!

Comic Snobs!

Heidi MacDonald's post about the "Best American Comics of 2007" anthology is a good one and it (and the 100+ comments that follow) deserves far more time and care in reading than my Monday-afternoon skim between gigs allows.

But in a nutshell what's she sorta saying is that the anthology, edited by Chris "Jimmy Corrigan" Ware, features a bunch of auto-biographical "angst" pieces and doesn't really touch upon alternate types of comic book material. For example, stories that are not auto-bio angst pieces. Stuff by Jeff Smith or Stan Sakai. Stories. Story stories.

And also, she suggests,

"...you wouldn’t catch any comics snob worth his or her salt saying they thought Jeff Smith was a great American cartoonist."

We're back, in a sense, to the "high art"/"low art"debate again.

If the piece of art -- say, a comic book, popular novel, or painting -- functions primarily as a narrative, it is "low art."

If the piece of art is a subjective abstract collection of feelings and sentiments done in a roundabout way -- it is "high art."


And as the comic book medium becomes more accepted in "high-brow" circles & academia, this debate will only get more heated.

I mean, in 50 years, what will be considered English class "required reading" in terms of graphic novels?

Chris Ware or Jack Kirby?

Will Jack Kirby be considered a great master of the medium? Or kitsch?

The whole thing tangentially reminds me of how I was a little girl and scoured my Encyclopedia Britannica for mention of my favorite book series, "Nancy Drew." I couldn't find it anywhere under "literature," so I had to enlist the help of my Mom in the search.

Finally, she found what she was sure was the citation. It didn't mention "Nancy Drew" by name. But it read something like:

"And in the post-war era we had these shit throwaway mystery and adventure books for teenagers that are not even worth mentioning by name here."

And now I'm also remembering visiting a bookstore in London with a school chum -- back in my academic days -- and picking up a copy of Stephen King's "The Shining" to buy and my friend saying "Don't buy that -- it's low-class."

I bought a book on literary criticism instead. I still haven't read that f**ker.

Monday Morning Flashback

Look, I'm not going to run up-and-down screaming "sexism" or "J'Accuse!" or anything like that.

But it's funny. C'mon.

You have all these JLA'ers in bondage and the focus is on the Canary/WW/Vixen spread-eagle trifecta.

To be fair, an artist many times is given the script -- sans significant "camera angles" -- and is told, simply, "draw something cool."

And so they do.

That said, it is writer Dwayne McDuffie himself -- who I always believe is aware of these cringe-worthy bits of comicbookdom and refers to/apologizes for them in his books, who has the last word:


It's ok, Dwayne, we know it wasn't your idea; you just got the art and had to start scripting it.

The "Best" Flash Is...According Your Votes...

With 48% of 254 votes, the winner of our "Who Is The Bestest Flash?" poll is...

Wally West!

Barry Allen Comes in Second With 31% of the votes

Jay Garrick Hops in at Third with 14%

And the Late Bart Allen is in Fourth Place with 4%

Thanks to all who participated! I'm sure DC will take note.

And be sure to check out our next poll, coming up shortly.

Yours Truly,
The Academy of Superhero Arts & Sciences

Saturday Morning Superhero Beefcake

Here's a find: a blog dedicated to drooling over sexy beefcake shots of your favorite superheroes.

What struck me first is that there's quite a few images of "non-functional" nudity or partial-nudity here from mainstream comics of male superheroes.

What struck me second is that Nightwing & Batman seem to have cornered the market on this sort of beefcakery. In fact "Nightwing in the shower" seems to need its own tag.

There are also many helpful tags for those inclined to search for such things as "no nipples," "Speedo," and, of course, "Penance."

(Of course, the pic from "Anita Blake" I posted below sort of doesn't count, but what the hell)

The Uncensored Renee Montoya Pages

From the "Who Is The Question?" blog, part of a long interview with Mr. Gregory Rucka.

There is one completely censored page of Renee doing the schnookies (<----serious journalist), and then another page that was seriously edited to, among other things, perhaps erase the dildo the artist drew in:

"This one went to press, they added more clothes to both Renee and the woman she was with. Which led to people wondering why there was a second set of undies on the floor. I think the penciller actually snuck a dildo into one of the panels, I’m not sure."

You know, aside from the question of whether this level of nudity and sex is appropriate for a non-"mature readers" book, I wouldn't mind it -- if gay male characters in mainstream comics were afforded the same level of frankness and depiction of sensuality.

But, as we have witnessed from male reader "outrage" at the Citizen Steel "boner" controversy, I doubt that's going to happen any time soon.

Fangirl Fridays: The "Apocalypse Liefeld" Edition

“Doing a book full of naked girls doesn’t interest me—never has,” he says. “But guys shooting heads off, putting knives through each other? I’m all for it.”

--Rob Liefeld, creator of the upcoming "Armageddon Now: World War 3," based on the book of Revelation and the prophecies of Ezekiel, "set in a sci-fi, testosterone-soaked, Halo-type setting."


WELCOME TO FANGIRL FRIDAYS!


Supergirl's Walk-On In Red Bikini Last Night On "Smallville"












Lana & Clark have a heartfelt conversation, then Lara inexplicably walks through the scene in a skimpy red bikini balancing a book on her head.

"Ya, ya, I'm exchange student."

No, it wasn't exploitative.

Clark: "Lana, my life has gotten a lot more...complicated now. I want to have sex with my hot cousin."

Lana: "It's not right, Clark. It's not right."

Clark: "Well, you slept with Lex, you got no right to talk."


When Bad DC Events Collide:

The "big reveal" of "Green Arrow/Black Canary #1:

"Get away from me, you damn dirty Amazons!"

But Cliff Chiang is pencilling, so I'm cutting slack.


When Casper Got Shot!






















Dude!

Pop Culture Rules, #456

1965: "You Can Show Midriff As Long As There Is No Belly-Button"














2007: "You Can Show Breasts As Long As There Are No Nipples"












And Chris Batista Is Pencilling "Robin!"



















Ah, so when he said in San Diego "I have this big awesome project I can't talk about but it's awesome,"

THAT was what he meant.


The Butt-Cheek That Launched A Thousand Complaints:























The Cover To "X-Men #491" caused a stir recently because of Storm's submissive pose and exposed butt-cheek.

Was that butt-cheek functional? Or was it an exploitative butt-cheek?

Bellatrys could immediately find only one cover featuring such nonfunctional depiction of male buttitude:























let's take a closer look at this, shall we?













Approves:



















I had only $8.00 To Buy Comics At The Store, And I Spent It On "Booster Gold" & "Simon Dark"





Aaaaaand That's It For Fangirl Fridays, folks!

Captain America 2.0! Lots of Pics!

Yeppers, the Dude is back. In issue #34.

But who is this man in the strangely sensual combo of black spandex and patriotic chestplate?

Marvel's been keeping this one pretty mum.

I would like to think Clint Barton, for the following reasons

1. Incredibly popular character as Hawkeye

2. Idolized Captain America while they were on "Avengers" (read the old issues especially...Hawkeye starts out like a wiseass to him, but then respects him).

3. He was Ronin for a while. A Ronin is as masterless samurai. Captain America was Nomad for a while, "man without a country." See? See?

4. Avengers won't exactly miss Ronin, because he's not really a very distinct or memorable character.

5. Clint has an edgy quality that I think would work in an updated Cap.

So anyway, that's who I'm pushing for.

What d'yall think?

Reflections On Comics Journalism

There has been a debate recently in the blogosphere regarding comic book journalism -- what is it, is there enough of it, or does it really exist at all?

The usual suspects are dragged out for examination: Wizard, Newsarama, Lying in the Gutters, etc. "Are they really comics news?" "Do they really ask the hard questions?" Etc.

Dick Hyacinth's post "Journalism and the future of Newsarama" encapsulates the debate nicely.

Here are some thoughts on the subject:

I think a big problem is that this industry is way too small to burn bridges in.

First, it has been my observation that to an extent there is an overlap between people who write about comics online and people who aspire to work in the industry itself in some capacity. This by no means refers to all comic pundits, bloggers, and reporters -- but there is an overlap. And there is also an overlap between people who write comics online and people who have friends in the industry. Why is there such an overlap?

Because this industry is way too small.

Me personally?

I see the same buds at every convention, every party. A lot of people know each other. And I write on this blog maybe 10% of what I hear. Because they're friends and associates.

But maybe the best critics and investigative reporters have to come from outside the world from which they report.

Take "Siskel and Ebert." I think part of their appeal -- why they were so trusted as authorities on movies -- was because they seemed so utterly outside Hollywood (though Ebert had a screenwriting career before becoming a movie reviewer).

There are exceptions in the comic book world, however.

Heidi MacDonald's Beat is consistently daring, frank and balanced in its handling of comic-related issues, and she is not an comics "outsider."

Some people have questioned whether Rich Johnston had gone soft regarding a positive piece he did on Dan Didio this summer. But if Johnston truly wanted to be a suck-up to DC, he wouldn't be posting any of the items he posts -- like this week's column on "Countdown" -- because DC hates any non-authorized news.

Still, do we have a comic book journalist at the moment of the (relative) level of Murrow in "Good Night and Good Luck?"

No. I mean, Comics Journal occasionally will have some really good pieces. But no.

Reason One: They would need to get paid accordingly. Real investigative journalism takes real time and sweat and labor. You might be able to do that on your own for your blog every once in a while, but not on a regular basis.

Reason Two: They would need to have nothing to lose regarding the burning of bridges.

A Reason Three that's bandied about a bit is the lack of access by the publishers themselves. I disagree on this point. I think for those who have the inclination to do so, you can get very far in investigating one comics-related thing or another without the official cooperation of the company itself.

Take DC for example. DC has a very efficient -- some might say Stalin-era -- embargo on information they want to keep private.

But within that structure are numerous tendrils of exasperated peoples who are just looking to vent.

DC is not unique in this, it's pretty much the structure of every corporate organization.

But in order for the aspiring "real" investigative reporter to do this expose, they have to understand that they will never ever ever (ever) ever get work at DC. (ever.) (well, maybe until the next internal "housecleaning" -- but that could take years)

And if you're the online media outlet hosting the story, your relationship with DC will also become strained.

Can either the reporter or his/her employer survive this story? Will it be worth it? Will they be invited to the parties anymore?

The great thing about The Comics Journal is that their answer would be somewhere along the lines of "who the f**k cares about the party?"

But for most comic book news media outlets, I think the answer would be "let me think about it."

This brings to mind a related situation.

I had chatted with a smaller "entity" some months back about possibly adapting my "Goodbye To Comics" in graphic novel form. In our first meeting, they were extremely enthusiastic. In fact, when I demurred on the idea, they gave me some gentle prodding and insisted I pursue it. But by the second meeting, a month later, the conversation went something like this:

Them: We were thinking about it...and, well, we just don't think this story would really be of interest to readers. It's not compelling. And this has nothing to do with us being scared of DC or Paul Levitz. <-----quote!

Me: Well...okay. I guess...maybe it worked better with the blog because of the medium? Because it did get quite a number of hits. What exactly about the story is not compelling?

Them: It's just...it's just not a story that people would be interested in reading. Besides...everybody will know who the people are, even if you change the names.

Me: But you just wrote to me the other day that you wanted that realism. That the last treatment I gave you was too fictional, too watered-down.

Them: It's just not a story people would be interested in reading. It's just not the right time or place for such a book.

Me: Maybe I need to do it as a webcomic or something? Is it the medium?

Them: It's just not a story people would be interested in reading.

The rest of the conversation concerned a subtle dissuasion from even pursuing it personally as a webcomic, and the reassurance that I was really a very talented writer and should write manga for teens instead. I s**t you not.

Why the sudden turnaround?

I could go into details, but as I said -- I only write about 10% of what I know.

And this is the sort of environment in which hard-hitting, controversial comics journalism must flourish.

In that environment, I think $$$ for the reporter who has to deal with this s**t is at least the very first order of business.

The Jokester: RIP, Funny Man

No, maybe he wasn't as well known as his evil counterpart.

Maybe he didn't have a "Ha Ha Hacienda."

Maybe he was just a throwaway "Countdown" character that Sean McKeever & Jamal Igle invested far too much wonderful writing and art to.

But he was somebody, dammit!

And now he's gone.


I don't know...

First Puppet Master dies, then Jokester. Now I received an e-mail that somebody died in the new issue of "Captain Carrot."

Stop this world, I want to get off!

(sniff)

Anyway...

Jokester, I have one thing to say to you. And that is:

GOODBYE, FUNNY MAN!

And...

Thanks...for the memories.

If you can't make a decent Wonder Woman movie you should quit the movie-making business

This is in response to the continuing "WB no like the wimmins" movie clusterf**k, and word that a "Wonder Woman" solo movie most likely will never happen.

Really, if as a producer you f**k up cool concepts like "Catwoman" and "Wonder Woman" and can't make a decent film out of them, you are a moron.

Yes, "Catwoman" the movie failed.

Why did it fail? Because women leads make bad action films?

No, because the producers didn't trust the original source material and decided to rewrite the character from scratch.

Even inside DC at the time we were baffled why the WB felt the need to completely change this character -- her name, her origin, her powers, everything.

If anything, the WB seemed more concerned with making the licensing "bible" for the character than creating a memorable film character. I remember walking into a conference room at the end of a marketing meeting and there were swatches of fabrics and wrapping paper and all this "Catwoman" licensing design stuff everywhere. And it was all foo-foo, all precious Barbie-level purple-and-pink pussycats and diamonds and s**t.

You know those T-shirts that play to the Paris Hilton wannabe crowd and have sayings like "hot materialist sexy bitch" on it with a graphic of a pampered chihuahua on it in a bubble bath? That's the level of design and sentiment we're talking about here. That's what the WB apparently got out of "Catwoman" the concept.

Well, no wonder the movie bombed! And it had Sharon Stone as the villain! WTF???

Fan-movies have been done better than that damn film!

And so what now, since "Catwoman" was screwed up it sets the precedent for no superheroine movies?

We're talking about @&$%& WONDER WOMAN!!!!!

Even that corny-ass TV show in the 70s made lots of money.

Meanwhile, we have a character like "Alice" from "Resident Evil" starring in three moderately-successful action films. And Alice is a cypher compared to Wonder Woman.

Why does Sony "get it" and the WB doesn't?

Obligatory: (pay attention to where Halle "thanks" Warner Brothers)

Thoughts About "New Avengers" #35 & Tigra

Somebody on the Scans Daily "Poor Tigra" thread posted this debate between Siskel & Ebert regarding the movie "Blue Velvet" & its portrayal of violence against women. I think it's apropos.

"Men In Refrigerators"

Do white male heterosexual characters receive a disproportionate amount of abuse in comic books? If they are not dying only to be brought back heroically or being mutilated so they can have cyborg arms they are being raped by sexually aggressive women or having their girlfriends and moms die.

Why can't we have happy comics? Why?

Partial "Men in Refrigerators List" (feel free to add)

Atom: Wife divorces him, writes tell-all book on his life. Disappears, missing.

Banshee: Dead.

Batman: Parents murdered in front of him as a boy. Back broken by Bane. Killed and brought back to life in the Lazarus pit. Mindwiped by his JLA collegues. Frequently bound in straitjackets and hung from his toes while Scarecrow's spiders crawl all over him in a Freudian frenzy. Apparent sexual issues.

Blue Beetle Ted Kord: Suffers heart-attack. Shot in head by Max Lord.

Captain America: Becomes fugitive from government. Killed by his girlfriend.

Captain Marvel: Dies of cancer.

Commissioner Gordon: Captured and stripped naked by Joker, forced to pretend he is circus pony.

Daredevil: Blind.

Element Lad: Nutter.

Flash II: Dies horribly during "Crisis."

Flash IV: Stomped to death by second-rate supervillains.

Firestorm I: Dead.

Green Arrow: Died. Brought back to life. Raped. Dies again on honeymoon, killed by wife with one of his own arrows.

Green Lantern Hal Jordan: Goes crazy, destroys planet, dies.

Green Lantern Kyle Rayner: Goes crazy, becomes evil. Girlfriend found dead in his refrigerator. Mom dies.

Hank Pym: A bit of a nut job.

Hawk: Becomes evil.

Hawkeye: Dies. Comes back as lame-ass character who we all know is really Hawkeye.

Hulk: Bruce Banner abused by his dad. Banner also victim of attempted rape at YMCA. Hulk betrayed by his friends and enslaved on another planet.

Human Torch: Betrayed by his wife who was really a Skrull. Was rape involved???

Iron Man: Alcoholic. Beaten and/or tortured by the Hulk, Thor, Spider Man, and probably some others.

Jack of Hearts: Explodes.

Jason Todd: Killed. Brought back as vapid nothing character.

Jimmy Olsen: Must die.

Justice: Abused by his dad. Goes to jail. Has wedding ruined by girlfriend who decides "I need to find myself."

Monkey Joe: While not human, if he was would likely be white heterosexual male. Dead.

Mr. Miracle: Frequently depicted in bondage.

Nightwing: Raped.

Optimus Prime: Dead.

Penance: Nut job. Cutter. Masochist. Emo.

Red Arrow: Smack addict. Falls in love with villainess. Single dad. Ollie always loved Connor more.

Sentry: Wife murdered. Nut job.

Slobo: Goes blind.

Spider-Man: Apparently dies a few times. Gets eye poked out. Emo.

Starman: Raped!

Superman: Killed by Doomsday. Possible split personality issues. Scientifically proven that he can't have intercourse with Lois without accidently sending her bowels up into her chest cavity.

Swordsman: Dies. Turns into a frickin' tree.

Thing: Implied in second "Fantastic Four" movie that he and his girlfriend possibly use mutual masturbation and other improvisations rather than real sex due to fact that he has sex organs made of jagged rock.

Superboy: Goes insane, becomes villain.

Wolverine: All kinds of messed up.

The Truth About Sea Monkeys

I think it's time we have a frank chat about Sea Monkeys -- who they are, and what they are not.

If you have grown up reading comic books like I have, you probably have a distinct impression what Sea Monkeys are.

You think they are these strangely sensual creatures with gently distended bellies. You think they are generally jovial creatures with a developed sense of what it means to be a nuclear family.

But actually, Sea Monkeys come in a little plastic packet, dry and unmoving. Seeds, basically.


You empty these little Sea Monkey seeds -- about as big as a nail clipping from your pinkie, perhaps a little smaller -- in a glass of water.

Now, perhaps when you mailed away for the critters you went out and purchased a nice, roomy tank for them to live in. Perhaps a faux-coral duplex, with two bathrooms and a non-descript room that could be storage, could be a home-office, who knows?

But all you needed was a drinking glass.

So you empty the Sea Monkeys in there and they are supposed to "wake up" and swim around.

And, if you are successful at all at reviving them, they look like little bitty baby nail clippings. Little bitty baby nail clippings with hair.


I had no such luck with my Sea Monkeys. Common phrases around my household at around the time of my acquisition of the Sea Monkeys were,

"Why aren't they moving?"

or

"Oh, I think they are moving. No, wait. Someone just shook the table. Sorry."

and

"I think they're dead."

However, I had far more success with ordering the stamps.

Remember the stamps?

You'd have these ads in the comics for like 1,000 stamps for 10 cents. So I ordered them, sent in a ten-cent coin taped to my letter.

Now, if you did this, you got a lot of stamps. You got them weekly, in these waxy see-through packets.


So many stamps did I receive, in fact, that at some point my mother's interest was piqued.

And that's when she discovered all the bills.

Because the first set of stamps cost ten cents. But the rest were billed to you on a regular basis. But I was seven, and did not know what a "bill" was.

So my mother paid the bills, sent a letter to the stamp company requesting a cancellation of my "account," and I was banned from sending away for any more items from comic book advertisements.

And I was bitter, because that meant that I would never get the 400 tiny plastic dolls of the world for $3.98, I would never get the fake poop or X-ray glasses, or the life-sized glow-in-the-dark skeleton.

But beyond that disappointment, I was still sad about the damn Sea Monkeys.

However, there was still one thing I could count on to buoy my flagging spirits:

The "Secret Rape" In The Harry Potter Books?

Yeah, that's a pretty sensationalist headline, but...

I just read on Dolly Mix a theory concerning a "forgotten rape" in "Harry Potter and the Order Of the Phoenix" -- specifically that of Dolores Umbridge, Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

In the novel, Hermione takes Delores into the forest and "leaves her to the centaurs" when the errant professor threatens to curse Dumbledore.

When next we see Delores, she is hospitalized with no outward sign of injury, just messed-up hair & clothes. When Ron makes the sound of hoofs near her as a joke, she jumps and reacts in fear.

The Dolly Mix poster points out the the mythic lore regarding centaurs is filled with references to rape and as the creatures as rapists. Since J.K. Rowling does such thorough research for her books, the reasoning goes, she certainly would have been aware of this rapey pedigree.

Hence, it's implied in the book that Delores was raped by the centaurs.

What do you think?
(ducks)

Girl-Wonder Auction Opens

The official Girl-Wonder Art Auction to raise money for the organization has started on eBay:

Overcoming technical difficulties, Girl-Wonder.org is proud to officially open the Art Etcetera Auction for bidding! A listing of all items can be found here, and a catalog of item previews here. Bidding will close on Oct.15. All proceeds will be donated to Girl-Wonder.org.

The Girl-Wonder team has collectively produced some wonderful writing and have a lot of enthusiasm both for the topic of women in comics and the comics themselves.

Up for auction is a cavalcade of awesomeness with something for every price range:

(Get the Supergirl doll. C'mon. It's cooler than that chick on "Smallville.")

The Return of Stephanie Brown?!

Comic by Comic points out a...Spoiler warning, of sorts...

Here is a "map" of intersecting comic covers for the upcoming "Gotham Underground" --


And here is a close-up of the bottom middle cover:


This would not surprise me in the least. They could kill two birds with one stone (metaphorically, of course) by saying that Leslie Thompkins lied about Stephanie and actually put her in hiding, making everybody else think she was dead.

And still -- no trophy case! For legitimate reasons!

It's diabolical I tells ya!

Occasional Interviews: Tales From The Farm's Jeff Lemire

I met Jeff Lemire during the MoCCA festival last summer at the Top Shelf booth, and bought a copy of his "Essex County Volume 1: Tales From The Farm" graphic novel on the spot.

This week the sequel, "Tales From The Farm Volume 2: Ghost Stories," is coming out & to mark the occasion I thought an interview with the Canadian artist might be in order. And don't forget to check out the six-page preview of "Ghost Stories" at the end of the article!



OS: What was your first professional comic book gig?

JL: Five pages of Beowulf, from the now defunct Speakeasy Comics (for which I was never paid!)

OS: There is a very memoir-like feel to "Tales From The Farm." Is the book at all autobiographical?


JL: I grew up in the "real" Essex County, on a farm much like the characters in my books. The settings are very much real, but the characters, plots and themes are mostly fictional.

OS: There seems to be a Jack Kirby-like influence in the design of the character "Jimmy" -- he seems almost reminiscent of "Rocky" from "Challengers of the Unknown." Were you a fan of Kirby's work?

JL: Wow, I never thought about the Kirby-look of Jimmy before. It's funny, at the time I wrote and drew Tales I wasn't really into Kirby. I was always more of a DC Silver age fan, Kubert, Infantino and Kane. But recently I have started to look at more Kirby. So, no at the time Jimmy wasn't directly influenced by the King, but I can totally see it in the big blocky fingers etc...I guess Kirby's shadow is so big that as a comic artist you're standing in it even when you don't realize you are.

OS: Was the comic book that Lester drew in "Tales From The Farm" a real book you drew as a child?


JL: Yeah, I drew that when I was 8 or nine years old, I found it around the time I was working on Tales and wrote it into the book. I have a couple of other comics I did around that time, a lot of them are my own version of DC's original Who's Who series, which I was obsessed with as a kid. If Top Shelf ever does a collected version of the Essex County books, maybe I can include more of "Lester's" work in the bonus features.

OS: "Tales From The Farm" seems to be a book about defining the real "heroes" in one's life. What is your definition or example of a hero?

JL: Anyone who does what they love, and does it for their own sake, and not by anyone else's agenda. Weather it be a musician, comic artist, athlete, doctor, plumber, farmer ...whatever.

OS: Would you ever try your hand at drawing a mainstream superhero comic, given the opportunity? If so, which character would you like to draw?

JL: I would absolutely love to draw and write a mainstream comic for Marvel or DC. I would love to take a crack at Hellblazer, The Unknown Soldier, Green Lantern, Captain America. As I said, I love all the old silver and bronze age DC stuff.


OS: How has been your experience working for Top Shelf? Do you feel they have supported your vision on this project?

JL: Chris Staros and Brett Warnok at Top Shelf have been incredible. They are the most generous guys I could ever want to work with. They create a real family like feel at shows and whenever we get together. I've made a lot of new friends among other Top Shelfers like Jeffrey Brown, Matt Kindt, David Yurkivich. They have been nothing but supportive of by work, and letting me do what I want.

OS: Your new book, out this month, is called "Ghost Stories." It is titled as Volume 2 of the "Essex County" series, of which "Tales From The Farm" is Volume 1. Are both stories related -- do the characters exist in the same general space? And can you tells us something about "Ghost Stories?"

JL: Ghost Stories is the 2nd in a trilogy of books all set in Essex County, this fictionalized version of my own hometown. The characters all interconnect and the books all tie together thematically. Ghost Stories follows the lives of Jimmy's Grandfather and Great Uncle as they go to play hockey in Toronto in the 1950's right up until there last days as old men on the farm.

OS: What's next for you after "Ghost Stories?"

JL: I am currently working on the third volume of the Trilogy "The Country Nurse". I should be done drawing it before Christmas, for a 2008 release. I am writing my next graphic novel as well, which I will start drawing in 2008 for an eventual release with Top Shelf. I'm also pitching another sci-fi project with Noel Tuazon (Elk's Run) around, we'll see what happens.

OS: Thanks for the interview, Jeff!

You can purchase "Tales From The Farm: Ghost Stories" at your book store or comic speciality shop or order it direct from Top Shelf Comix here.

Preview Starts Here! (click for larger image)

Saline Superheroines

"Jessica Drew And The Boobs of Life"(From "New Avengers" #14, via Polite Dissent)


not to be confused with

"Nancy Drew And The Secret Of The Old Clock"

Now It Can Be Told: The Dark Truth About Charlie Brown!

After reading the press coverage surrounding the new Charles Schulz "tell-all" bio, I feel this post is obligatory...(I would have had a lot more had I decided to include all the squicky porn)

from Cracked.com

from Whatisdeepfried.com

and a little something sweet...

Which Peanuts Character Are You???

"Poor Tigra. Poor, Poor Tigra."

Okay folks, it's time to play:

WHAT HORRIBLE MISFORTUNE IS GOING TO BEFALL THE SUPERHEROINE?

Today's contestant is Greer Nelson, better known as "Tigra."

The ad copy for "New Avengers" #35 includes:

"Guest-Starring Tigra. Poor Tigra. Poor Poor Tigra."

What fate-worse-than-death will befall our feline female?

Will it be:

1. Being forced to kill brand-new super-hubby on heart-shaped honeymoon mattress?

2. Undergoing unspecified torture that leaves her sterile?

3. Being forced to eat strips of boyfriend's face?

4. Finding out that her babies are figments of her imagination and going insane?

5. Being strapped to table and having one of her arms amputated?

6. Being tortured with power drill?

7. Enslaved and rented out as "living experimental art" by gimlet-faced supervillain?

8. Tentacle porn?

9. Impaled by large iron rod through chest?

10. Head torn off body?

11. Being mind-controlled and raped and being forced to give birth to rapist's son who is really reincarnation of rapist? And having co-workers think everything is marvelous??

12. Being mind-controlled, forced to wear bad 80's costume, and watch as mind-controller has sex with other women besides herself?

13. Having heart torn out by Wolverine?

14. Having intestines torn out by Wolverine?

15. Having eyes ripped out and replaced with tiny cameras that allows her attacker to spy on her friends?

16. Having crazy supervillainess leave "tiny footprints" on her brain as she gives you a fatal hemorrhage and sets your pregnant body aflame?

17. Having her race of feminist warriors be misled by a large elderly fat lady and try to overturn the US Government?

18. Shot in spine and stripped naked while her attacker laughs uncontrollably, leading to an awkward moment?

19. Sai through the bread-basket?

20. Enslaved in extended S&M sketch to third-tier supervillain and having sex with him because her animalistic sex drive betrayed her?

If you guessed #7, you're wrong, because that's what happened to Tigra last week!

If you guessed #10, you've confused Tigra with Pantha, which means you have to turn in your fanboy membership card.

And if you guessed #20, you are still having flashbacks to the extended S&M sketch from an old "West Coast Avengers" posted in Scans Daily a few weeks ago. Which means you have to really get out more.

Occasional Previews: What I'm Buying This Week!

CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK #1 (OF 3)

SUICIDE SQUAD RAISE THE FLAG #2 (OF 8)

WONDER WOMAN #13

FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #24 OMD


NEW AVENGERS #35

"Panda Dio"

From DC's new "Captain Carrot" book...


But the question is: since the Captain Carrot universe is supposed to be a real one within DC continuity, is there a Dan Didio counterpart on any of the other Earths?

-- Occasional Superheron

"Oh, It's All Your Fault, You Didn't Read The Contract Good Enough"

So here is the sitch, as I understand it (brought to my attention by Journalista):

Mike Strang creates a webcomic for Drunk Duck called "Adventures In Unemployment."

Strang is fired, Drunk Duck hires a new person to continue strip.

Drunk Duck can do this because of the contract they had with Strang.

Strang complains on Comixtalk:

"Having your creation which you worked so hard on and basically RAPED like that is what can happen when you sign a work for hire contract with a corporation like I naively did a few years ago."

And is told in a post by new "Adventures In Unemployment" artist Brandon Carr:

"Just know that the property you created is breathing new life, getting people's interest, and has had a fantastic number of hits so far for a start-up online comic. Even though you're not attached to the project, it couldn't have been done without you."

oh Jesus...

I guess this guy meant well, but...it just sounds like he was better off saying nothing.

Then Strang gets the usual barrage of "you're a dolt I don't feel sorry for you you should have read the contract better."

A couple of things that came to my mind:

1. Having a new person hired to write & draw something that is as personal (at least to me) as somebody else's webcomic or a comic strip creeps me out. I'm sure the ethics and whatnot are faaaaar more complicated, but I'm just describing my immediate gut reaction.

2. How much more different is this situation from one where somebody creates a superhero for a comic book publisher and then somebody else writes & draws the character? Like Howard the Duck or Black Lightning or whatever? Does the similarity between the two situations mean that Strang should have been more realistic about the business of comics? Or does it simply bring up larger issues about creators' rights for all different types of comic works?

3. I understand how some feel it is acceptable to be harsh and blunt about the Strang case and use his example as a "cautionary tale" and tell him that he was "foolish" and "too bad." But that sort of approach leaves a bad smell. It's not constructive.

As time goes on, and as the gold rush for cutting-edge IPs to fill online content and spur movie options continues unabated, this situation will come up over and over again.

But even more concerning to me: if, as Strang has been "advised" by segments of the online community, the creator shouldn't pitch their most "heartfelt" and personal pieces to companies anymore, for fear of losing the rights -- how does this impact the quality of the properties & projects that are being pitched?

Because Jack Kirby, in things like the Fourth World saga, did pitch his most heartfelt and personal piece. Perhaps the same for Siegel & Shuster. And so many others.

If comic creators are afraid to put their best foot forward because they don't want to lose their material...

Occasional Reviews: Lazy Sunday Batch

Batman #667-669
Publisher: DC Comics
Rating: A-
In A Nutshell: The retro-styled "Club of Heroes" -- an international organization of Batman-types -- are being picked-off one-by-one Agatha Christie-like.
Pros: Typical Grant Morrison quirky panache + J.H. Williams's virtuoso art. Outstanding colors by Dave Stewart. Pretty much everything "Batman" should be but hasn't been in a long time.
Cons: Color me clueless, but I found that the mystery plot starts breaking down towards the end of #668 and I never quite fully pick up on it in #669, leaving me with a little but of a "huh?" at the end.
Would I buy another issue?: only if Morrison or someone of his caliber was writing it; ditto for Williams.





Omega The Unknown #1
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Rating: A
In A Nutshell: Two intertwined stories about a strange highly-intelligent boy and a alien/superhero on the run...
Pros: This is a Marvel comic with a truly "indie" treatment; no dumbing-down, no attempts to commercialize it. I suspect that writer Jonathan Lethem & Farel Dalrymple were given a wide range of freedom on this title, and it results in a vastly different, deeper capes-and-tights comic book reading experience.
Cons: I had to double-back a couple of times because I lost track of the complex narrative thread.
Would I buy another issue?: Yes






Teen Titans #51
Publisher: DC Comics
Rating: B
In A Nutshell: An adult version of the Titans have captured their JLA counterparts and force the real Titans to go up against Starro's minions.
Pros: Sean McKeever's character-centered writing anchors the book and gives you a reason to care about it.
Cons: I understand why Ale Garza's art is popular but it's just not my personal bag. It always leaves me one step removed from really connecting with the book & its characters.
Would I buy another issue: well technically, I borrowed this issue (thanks, chris!) but I will probably buy another one (or borrow again)






Miriam #1
Publisher: Alternative Comics
Rating: A+
In A Nutshell: Following several vignettes from the life of a young cartoonist and the best friend she has a crush on.
Pros: If you like Dan Clowes or the Brothers Hernandez, you will like Rich Tommaso's work on "Miriam."
Cons: There really aren't any, it's pretty damn sweet.
Would I Buy Another Issue?: Yes, but with these sorts of indies I'm always afraid it will be a long time between issues.
You can purchase this book here.







ROM #8
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Rating: B+
In A Nutshell: Rom was fighting this heinous villain named Deathwing in the rain. In a cemetery. And coffins were smashed and somebody fell into an open grave.
Pros: Oh dude, this was awesome. He had this light coming off of his one red eye like "neeerrownnnnn."
Cons: I sent away for the "Sales Leadership Club" using the form in the back of the comic because I wanted to win enough points to win the Bee Gees Phono with Microphone. But I haven't heard back from them. At least there is no postage necessary if mailed in the United States, so it's not a total loss. But I deminted my comic, man.
Would I Buy Another Issue?: Free ROM!

It Makes Total Sense About The Wonder Woman Movie Now

You know, I've just come home from a lovely evening of playing Magic The Gathering & drinking gin and tonics with awesome people only to read this s**t:

According to LA Weekly's Nikki Finke (article found via Newsarama), Warner Brothers president of production Jeff Robinov has been quoted by three sources as saying that "We are no longer doing movies with women in the lead."

I would doubt the veracity of the quote except for the fact that is so totally f**king believable.

Nikki Finke writes:

"Of course, Warner Bros has always been male-centric in its movies. But now the official policy as expressly articulated by Robinov is that a male has to be the lead of every pic made. I'm told he doesn't even want to see a script with a woman in the primary position (which now is apparently missionary at WB). Oh yeah, the fact that so many Warner Bros movies have been sucking at the box office for the last two years is all the fault of females. "

Noted women's rights attorney Gloria Allred has now called a boycott on Warner Brothers movies:

"It is truly unfortunate that women get blamed for decisions which are made by men. Instead of taking responsibility for their own lack of judgment about which scripts to make, directors to hire and budgets to OK, some men in the movie industry find it easier to place blame for their lack of success on women leads and to exclude talented female actors from the top employment opportunities in Hollywood in favor of macho males."

So it all makes sense now about the Wonder Woman movie delays, doesn't it?

And if the movie company is this clueless and they are influencing the output of the comics as I know they are ("the comics are in the service of the TV/movies/licensing"), what the hell does that mean for the way women will be portrayed in the comic books?

And female characters like Ripley (4 movies), Alice from Resident Evil (3 movies), etc have made plenty of money for movie studios so this is just a bunch of crap.


Warner Brothers, stop blaming your failures on women.

Warner Brothers, what is your problem with women???

Time Warner, go wake up and see what is going on in your divisions and kick some ass. Anti-woman bulls**t is bad for publicity, dontcha know?

Badass Japanese X-Men Cartoon Intros

Has anybody seen these?

They're openings to the X-Men cartoons when they ran in Japan -- specially-made intros done in anime style.

They are quite the badass.

Comics: The World That Is Coming!

Well, dears, I've got a lot on my plate today & I'm going to have to interrupt my usual "Fangirl Fridays" for a little something I wrote about the future o' comics:

For one of my freelance jobs I've been reading nothing but articles on how the "digital revolution" is revolutionizing media. And how Wall Street itself is putting the squeeze on mega-corporations like Time Warner & NewsCorp to break-up or downsize their other sectors in favor of beefing up their online presence & capabilities.

Of course, the important question is:

How Does This Effect Comic Books?

How Comics Make Money Today

I just read in "Alter Ego" magazine that the DC comic book "Captain Carrot" sold 100,000 copies on a good day. Now only the hottest, most heavily-hyped comics reach that number.

At DC I remember some staffers referring to our editorial department as the "research and development" wing of Time Warner's entertainment division. This was not news to me. That's how management referred to Acclaim Comics in relation to its parent company several years before.

Any smart comics publisher, big or small, realizes that you cannot get rich off of comics alone. That without the licensing, the movie deals, etc., you aren't going to make the big bucks that will allow you to quit your day job or please your corporate parent.

But now there are some additional complicating factors.


Free Comics On The Internet

In the future there is going to be a heck of a lot more webcomics offered both by indies and the big players. In fact, for smaller publishers, webcomics might become the necessary initial route. But larger companies like DC & Marvel might also more heavily use the digital medium to distribute their titles.

Now, according to standard media analysis, the pay-for-read paradigm for online newspapers and so forth is dead. In order to compete, places like The New York Times & CNN must offer their news for free on the Internet.

I know Scott McCloud has written about "micropayments" in conjunction with webcomics but I really think that the future of comics online is free access.

So I might extend that and say that the future of comic books period is largely online and for free.

Then there is the matter of illegal downloads of comic books. Illegal downloads in general have reduced the worth of media across the board -- music, movies/TV, etc. A whole generation is growing up with the sense of entitlement that their entertainment media must be available to them free to download. I don't see this attitude changing; I think we've lost the "war" on this one.

So here is another "crazy" statement, take it as you will --

The future of media in general will largely be product offered for free on the Internet.


Survival of the Awesomest

So how will these companies make their money?

Advertising, licensing, movies, etc blah blah blah. AND pricey "collector's editions" for the best stuff -- trade paperbacks, hardcovers, slipcase editions, omnibuses, etc.

So what product thrives in this new environment?

THE BEST STUFF.

In the new online comic book marketplace, only the most original, thought-provoking awesome stuff will be able to distract readers from the billions of choices on the Net and garner the hits & exposure necessary to make money.

That's why there is a "gold rush" of sorts with the comic companies now to acquire intellectual properties, etc. -- an unheard-of call for submissions.

Which means that the market currently favors the INNOVATOR & the GENIUS rather than those who tow the same line with "safe," so-called "marketable" comics.

Which means that the sort of raving geniuses you see on webcomic sites like ACT-I-VATE and so forth are the ones who are going to benefit the most, who are going to be approached by agents and publishers and be the next "rock stars" of the industry.


Forecast For The Future

1. Less superhero titles from the major companies.

2. Stronger push by the majors to acquire "quirky" genius-level talent from indies & webcomics.

3. More inexpensive "Essentials/Showcase" reprints done on cheap paper.

4. Conversely, less expensive "Archive Edition" books. (though more ultra-expensive "prestige" editions of very popular arcs & stories).

5. Conversely, more aggressive "archives on DVD" programs. You'll probably start seeing a spike in this late '08/early '09.

6. The publishing wing of Time Warner breaking-off from the main company.

7. The DC "Zuda" initiative mutating from an "American Idol"-type contest to a standard online vehicle for both new & established titles. In time, Zuda will simply be an important part of mainstream DC's content delivery system.

8. Marvel developing its own webcomic site.

9. Everybody else developing their own webcomic sites.

10. DC & Marvel branching out into paid comic subscription services for mobile phones/PDAs/MP3s.

11. A temporary "gold rush" hysteria hitting comics similar to the Dot Com craze in the 90s. There will be a lot of people with big talk of venture capital, the millions that are going to be made off of webcomics & mobile. A lot of IPs acquired, talent searches, etc.

12. When DC & Marvel find their "level" in the webcomic/mobile phone world, you will then see an implosion where a lot of smaller, newer "venture capital"-type publishers might spontaneously combust.

13. More established book publishers will have "indie"/manga graphic novel wings, giving new and edgy artists options so they don't have to necessarily turn to mainstream styles and companies. The Big Two, DC & Marvel, will furiously compete with these book publishers for talent & have similar graphic novel programs.

14. A tremendous increase in diversity in comic creators, and diversity in genres.

15. More mandatory "synergy" between the publishers and movie/TV adaptations of their books.

16. "Rebooted"/"ultimized" versions of traditional comic book characters for online consumption by new readers.

17. And, within 10 years: a significant amount of DC & Marvel's monthly comic output being run exclusively on the Internet. Leading to the breakdown of the "monthly" format in favor of the weekly or even daily.

You know, when I see the postmodernist chaos that is "Countdown" or various permutations of the "Marvel Zombies" meme, I can't help but interpret it as an unconscious acknowledgement of this fundamental breakdown of "old media" & "old comics" to make way for...

THE WORLD THAT IS COMING!

C.C. Beck on "What Comics Ought To Be"

The late C.C. Beck was the co-creator of Captain Marvel & the character's chief artist.

In "Alter Ego" #72 I ran across an essay he had written in 1986. Called "Originality In Art," it is his examination of basically what comic books ought and ought not to be.

Two passages stood out for me:

"Art -- or cartoon art, at any rate -- should not be produced for people with warped personalities, for psychopaths, for inmates in insane asylums or prisons...but for normal, average, everyday citizens. Just as average citizens would rather associate with other average citizens than with weirdos and perverts, average citizens would rather read about and look at pictures of normal, happy people doing things that everyone understands and enjoys."

and

"In my way of thinking, comic art is a form of entertainment. It should never touch, except very lightly, on serious subjects such a religion, sex, child and substance abuse, various kinds of perversions, and ethnic and racial matters. Few cartoon producers are qualified to handle such material, and even if they are, putting such matters into cartoon form trivializes them and doesn't entertain the kind of people who read comic strips and comic books (there are some people who don't, remember)."

Now, the above paragraphs could be written off as an "old timer's" view derived from a vastly different era. But I have heard variations of some of the above applied to everything from why rape should never be used in comic books to why gay characters can't be major characters to why Mary Marvel shouldn't walk around in a hot black sexy dress.

Your thoughts?

Puppet Master: Goodbye, Funny Man

Perhaps Phillip Masters -- better known as the Puppet Master -- didn't have the notoriety of Dr. Doom or the face for licensed material like Mole Man.


But the gimlet-eyed supervillain with the oversized head and the penchant for sculpture had certainly put in his time at The House Of Ideas. That's why when I read the latest issue of "Ms. Marvel" yesterday I was shocked to find that he was blown to kingdom come.

In a word, deeeeeeeeed.


It is only fair to mention here that it was, in the end, sort of Masters's own fault. He had been recently operating a "superheroine love-doll" service out of Chile, farming out B- and C- list superheroines for "imaginative play" to wealthy businessmen.


Still, it is sad to see the macrocephalic prince of puppetry go. As such, I wanted to present a remembrance of sorts, something to mark the passing of this classic Lee & Kirby creation.



His last words: "I amused myself!"

That's right, Freebird -- amuse yourself. Fly. Go fly.

Goodbye, Funnyman.

Reflections On Stephanie Brown's Inability To Stay Dead

design by Joel Carroll

Looking at these awesome Stephanie Brown/Robin/Spoiler costume designs on the Project Rooftop blog, I cannot help but think the following:

The more you try to bury or deny something -- pretend it never existed -- the more it reasserts itself.

Let's face it: had Stephanie Brown gotten her trophy case, or didn't die horribly but cast off the Robin costume for one of a number of banal reasons, she wouldn't have captured the imagination of so many fans as she did.

But by making it a point to deny her the case, and by having Batman be so incredibly dismissive of her, and by doing so much to marginalize her and "make her go away," she's now drawn and redrawn, talked about, redesigned, reimagined, and discussed and discussed again. And not just by comic readers, but comic creators.

There is a law of physics somewhere in there.

design by Dean Trippe

The Kids WB Is RIP

Holy Shmokes!

I just read on The Beat that The CW is discontinuing their Kids WB programming.

From the Toon Zone article:

"The CW has announced it will be shutting down the Kids WB! Saturday morning programming block at the end of the current 2007 - 2008 season. Rival 4Kids Entertainment will handle programming and marketing of the block starting with the new season in September 2008. Some current Kids WB programs may continue to air after the changeover, but no decisions have been have yet."

And this from Variety:

"Warner Bros. TV Group prexy Bruce Rosenblum said the company examined the Saturday morning issue "closely with our partners at CBS," and ultimately decided leasing the space to 4Kids made the most business sense. For example, by farming out Saturday morning, the net believes it can focus more ad sales energy toward the online world."

The Variety article goes on to quote Rosenblum as saying that the WB will still produce cartoons for "cable, direct-to-DVD, broadband and wireless."

And all this just when I was really getting into "Legion of the Superheroes in the 31st Century!"

Damnit.

The Countdown Crime Society Comic Doesn't Suck

My, that IS news!

But really, I read it today and it was very well done...

Jamal Igle's art is awesome. It's NOT rushed-looking.

And Sean McKeever writes a story. McKeever writes a STORY, a real story that has interesting characters and is not just a shill for this crossover.

And at the end, he gets the "Amazing Trio" of Troy, Todd, and Rayner in and out within two pages. Gets them on the stage, exposition blahblahblah, then gets them the hell off the stage, so we can enjoy this tale which is basically "what if Joker was a good guy and Batman was a bad guy?" I mean, what's not to love about a premise like that if it's done right?

Of course, the ending of this issue leaves a backdoor for the inevitable "Showdown Of The Jokers" or some other such multiple-earth weirdness, but, you know...

PS: The cover is completely misrepresentative of what's in the issue, including the art, so don't let it scare you off.

(click to see larger images)

Awesome Doctor Who Swag...

Wouldn't it be great if a show like "Heroes" aggressively put out a line of action figures the way that "Doctor Who" does? You could have "Chop Top Issac Mendez," "Battle Damage Claire," "Samurai Hiro"...

Anyway, here are the latest "Who" figures. I think they're only available in the UK at the moment, tho :-(

Sarah Jane

Sarah Jane's Sonic Lipstick & Wristwatch

Doctor Who In Spacesuit

The Master

The Old Guy Who Was Really The Master

Weeping Angel from "Blink" episode

"Converting People To The Religion Of Crime Through The Lesson Of Lust"

You know, God bless this new "Crime Bible: The Five Lessons Of Blood" miniseries starring Question & Batwoman, but read this blurb:

"The Dark Faith spreads throughout the DCU as the Daughters of Lilith take the forefront in a recruitment drive to convert people to the Religion of Crime through the Lesson of Lust."

and look at this cover:
This is extremely steamy stuff.

Which is absolutely fine, unless this ends up reading like a pulp fiction throwback "lipstick lesbian" adventure with more to titilate the boys in the audience than anything else. I have faith in Greg Rucka that this probably will not be the case. But...

I think it's the combo of the cover -- which is tastefully done but with a heavy sexual vibe -- and the unfortunate blurb which sounds overtly sexual & sleazy.

See, combine the image with the words:


Symbolically, who are the "Daughters of Lilith?"

Lilith is a demonic figure from Babylonian times who was considered evil because she couldn't bear children, couldn't "copulate normally," and brought disease, infertility, and unhappiness wherever she went. (there is debate whether she was originally considered a positive goddess-figure before the "patriarchy" got their hands on her, but that's a debate for another day).

In folk-tradition she is the first wife of Adam who had the audacity to claim they were equal; when he balks, she dumps him and goes away to live on her own. Which of course makes her an evil baby-killing demon, which is largely how she was perceived.

In modern times, feminists have attempted to "take back" Lilith by naming magazines & music fairs after her.

Lilith, with her shunning of Adam, her unwillingness to accept her dictated societal role as babymaker and passive helpmeet, and her association with radical feminism, has been associated with, among other things, lesbianism.

Now, does the "Dark Faith" & "Religion of Crime" of the "Daughters Of Lilith" put them symbolically at odds with organized religion? Why would they be at odds?

What is the symbolism of "recruitment drive" and "convert people" in relation to stereotypes and slander against homosexuals?

So the "Daughters of Lilith" are of the "Religion of Crime" and are actively trying to "convert people" and get "recruits" to their "Dark Faith" through the "Lessons of Lust."

Again, this is not to say that this is what "Crime Bible" is all about. But as I said, this ad copy does a disservice to the book. And associating the figure of Lilith with evil has a little bit of societal baggage attached to it.

Occasional Reviews - The Big Batch

Marvel Comics Presents #1
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Rating: A-
In A Nutshell: anthology book with serialized & one-shot stories featuring characters like Hellcat, Spider-Man, and The Thing.
Pros: The Spider-Man "Unfriendly Neighborhood" one-shot story by Stuart Moore & Clayton Henry is Grant Morrison-level good and worth the price of the comic. Nelson's Thing story is very sweet and also a must-read.
Cons: The serialized story "Vanguard" by Marc Guggenheim & Dave Wilkins wasn't strong enough to start the book, and its lack of an identifiable superhero may discourage the casual browser to delve further into the issue. And the "Weapon Omega" story, while OK for a regular comic, didn't have the "prestige" factor I think is necessary for the "Marvel Fanfare" nature of this title.
Would I buy another issue? Yes


Potter's Field #1
Publisher: Boom Studios
Rating: B
In A Nutshell: A mysterious detective who specializes in identifying John & Jane Does buried in Potter's Field investigates a kidnapping.
Pros: I've always identified writer Mark Waid with capes -and-tights stories & it's neat to see him do a gritty crime drama.
Cons: The color palette is relentlessly & monotonously murky and it overwhelms & absorbs the art.
Would I buy another issue? No, but if it continues to be well-reviewed I might buy the trade.




Franklin Richards Monster Mash One-Shot
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Rating: A+ for kids, C for adults
In A Nutshell: A series of cute stories featuring Franklin Richards and his trusty robot HERBIE.
Pros: This is the perfect comic to give a child and introduce him or her to the Marvel U. It's adorable.
Cons: This book skews really young, and not in a way that easily crosses over to adult readership.
Special Note: This book looks a LOT like "Calvin & Hobbes." Especially Reed.





Justice League Of America #13
Publisher