Invisible, Inc.'s Superhero Conspiracy

Invisible, Inc. boasts a Watchmen vibe and an edgy painterly art style in the vein of X-Force. Up-and-coming talents Brendan McGinley (Hannibal Goes To Rome) & Tomás Aira (Starcraft, Marilith) have produced a webcomic of superior quality: one that will satisfy both lovers and haters of costumed superheroes.

Read the entire first issue for free online here!


Bankshot Comics' all-new web series follows Vera Bell, a reporter with the New York Herald, as she uncovers the ultimate conspiracy; a gathering of power manipulates the world, keeping heroes from effecting real change.

In the powerful "Yellow Journalism" arc, Bell discovers supervillains no longer try to take over the world because they succeeded decades ago. She pursues the mysterious Yellow Book, which can alter memories and perceptions, in her quest to expose its owners.

Aiding Bell's search for the truth is the questionable Mr. Twist. As the reporter follows the story, Twist gathers superpowers to strike at media king and crime lord Victor Fox. Stalking all parties is the mysterious Blackbird. It all builds to one terrible revelation that will have readers gasping, unable to accept the horrible truth before them.


Invisible, Inc. #1 was a well-paced & solid read, with great art and an engaging story. Regular updates for issue #2 will begin on Monday.

How I Spent My Sunday Morning

Degrassi: The Next Generation

After an awesomely exceptional birthday bash last night - complete with Rock Band, dessert tacos, and insanely giant pieces of carrot cake, I spent the morning watching Degrassi and playing Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.

How did you spend your Sunday morning?

Bitter Is As Bitter Does

Johanna Draper Carlson calls me "bitter" for my words about DC. Hmm...This the same woman who wrote about her own tenure at the publisher:

"You put a bunch of immature men, many of whom were very sick as children or had absent fathers or both, and all of whom escaped into over-muscled power fantasies as a result, in charge of a publishing subgroup with no prestige and little money. Several of them have never worked anywhere else, or if they have, it was at one of the few similar companies in the same industry that behave the same way. They’re still geeks, mentally, with low self-esteem and no success with women, few of whom they actually know in person, but they’re power brokers within their little world, and there are thousands like them who desperately want to be them… and you wonder why it all ends up so twisted?"

Another quote:

"I spent less than a year inside the sausage factory, and I went in knowing I could leave any moment and get a job using the same skills that paid twice as much (which I did)."

DC, a "sausage factory?"

"The people I respected there, those who had a sense of the outside world and were considerate and good to work with, have all since left as well; several of them were forced out. Those left, the ones that come to mind when I bother to think of them, I’m mostly contemptuous of."

And:

"Dealing with them was like dealing with argumentative, impulsive children who had to be constantly reassured of their power and value for fear they’d throw a tantrum."

I've endured this woman's complaints/backhanded compliments regarding Friends of Lulu for over a year in silence. I've had to read about her accusing me of "conflict of interest" while she reviews her stacks and stacks of comp copies. I was so impacted by her words that I was afraid -- afraid! -- to support the comics of my friends and loved ones for fear that "CWR" would call me out on it.

I don't need this type of "comics feminist" supporting me. I don't need "feminists" telling me what I should and should not say on my own damn blog. This sort of mentality is, to me, just as stifling and oppressing as the work environment I wrote about in "Goodbye To Comics."

Honestly! I've lived my life over the last two years "mindful" about what "feminists" might think. Was I a "good feminist?" Was I towing the line? If I made this or that decision, would that "undermine" my "identity" as "the poster child of DC sexism?"

Yeah, I was, for some women, the "the poster child of DC sexism" -- when it was convenient.

I'm not a label. I don't need to answer to a handful of computer jockeys bitching about what a terrible feminist I am. I don't need to justify or spell out every concrete action I've done -- concrete action, not bitching behind a keyboard -- to help women in comics.

Rather than to answer anymore to this bullshit, to respond and let myself be flustered by the crabs in the bucket who snap at my heels, I'll go shake Dan DiDio's hand tomorrow.

Our Virgin Of The Broken Pinkies

After a great deal of nagging, I finally bought a membership at the local gym. The first thing I notice when I walk into the gym is that it's almost completely populated by beefy muscle-guys. There are also a couple of markedly skinny young men who you know are following some Hero of the Beach end-game. But this gym is not "Curves."

The man at the counter invites me to look around the gym and get myself familiar with the equipment. Every man turns around and stares at me as I walk by. The weights are huge, and the entire place smells like jock. Baha Men play in the background. One huge man wipes down the sweat off some piece of equipment that features weights the size of truck tires.

My childhood was defined largely by weights and big cans of protein powder. My father was a body-builder. Six-pack, biceps, tan, shaved chest. I have a baby picture of me sitting in my swing set, looking at a body-building magazine in my hands. The swing set's mechanism was disabled and another chair propped my legs up, so the whole thing served as an ottoman; I had my sedentary inclinations indulged for me at a very young age.

I am told that it is required that I bring a towel with me to wipe off my sweat off the equipment. I picture myself getting taken aside by an old boxer, trained in the arts of hand-to-hand combat, and becoming a famous jewel thief.

I become conscious of the fact that I have just stepped into what will become no doubt another humorous footnote to my life. I haven't eaten since 9:00. I'm trying to lose weight. I'm dizzy.

I smile for my ID card photo and head home. On the way, I suddenly get the impulse to visit my old church. I haven't been there since I was 12, though I lived in the neighborhood. The area is cold, empty. Presumably there are students in the parochial school next door. But other than a retreating delivery man, not a sign of life.

The church has long, tall gates around it now, which are padlocked in intervals. I thought maybe I could go into the church and sit for a while, but that is apparently impossible.

A number of people I know look back at the traditional religion that was grafted onto their childhoods with an instinctive disgust. Standing in front of the gated church of my youth, I have the sudden impulse to fling myself upon it and cry. I want in. But even if I got in, would it even be the same as I remembered? Or would I feel alien, like an interloper?

I look for the statue of the Virgin Mary with the broken pinkies. I knew the boys who broke those pinkies off her hands. I get a compulsion to find one of them and beat the shit out of them, though they are probably my age and either in jail or a fucking accountant or something.

Next door to the church is a relatively new, sprawling senior citizen complex. I look for notices in front of the church announcing some sort of services, but there aren't any.

I get paranoid, and wonder if the church is closed for good. Just like Circuit City.

I end my trip at a stop at McDonalds. At this point I can't tell if I'm numb and shaky from the extremely cold weather or the fact that I need food. I order a spartan two plain hamburgers and a small coffee. The calories are relatively low, and the burgers will provide the right balance of protein and carbs. I frown at the lightness of my coffee, and picture the half-and-half indiscriminately poured into the beverage as adding unnecessarily to my caloric intake. I vow to go black.

DC = "Diana Castrated"

You know, if we had a Wonder Woman comic that simply re-created her Golden Age lunacy word-for-word, panel-for-panel, it would sell through the roof.
You and I both know this. It may not be "right." But we know this would happen.

From the DC Message Boards:

"> Wonder Woman under Mr. Marston had a psycho sexual
> (i.e. kinky) component to her, but somewhere along
> the way, she lost that sexual edge. She's become
> plain 'virgin' vanilla in exuding sexuality. She's
> also become too much a part of the establishment,
> instead of challenging authority and cultural norms
> and turning things over their heads. I really wish
> that DC would allow WW to be portrayed like Mr.
> Marston had her portrayed, but updated for 2009. I
> think if DC allowed such a thing to happen, she'd be
> a lot more popular with writers, including Mr.
> Morrison. Diana was always meant to push the
> envelope, and not be just one of 'the guys'. DC made
> the mistake of trying to keep WW 'safe' like they do
> with Supes. WW was never meant to be a the ultimate
> girl scout.
>
> So I don't put most of the blame on the writers
> doorstep (except for extreme cases like AA!), I blame
> the idiotic DC editorial team for neutering WW and
> making her less interesting 'to play with' in stories.

as I mentioned a few days ago
DC = Diana Castrated"

and this one too:

"Diana's a T-shirt picture, something the corporate owners will never allow to be associated with anything too controversial."

and my favorite:

"Maybe since most writers have rejected the current version of WW and avoid her like the plague (no pun intended) or treat her like 2nd or 3rd class, then its time to revamp WW. I know many of you would disagree, but Diana should fill the niche of Wolverine in the DCU. Wolverine is Marvel's most popular superhero - his popularity even outshines that of Spider-Man, Hulk and Iron Man. Make Diana into a bad@$$ killer like how Marvel continually and consistently portrays Wolverine. Love, mercy and empowerment don't seem to be resonating with most of DC's writers, so focus on Diana's lethal warrior and combat side and skip the touch feely stuff altogether. Leave that emotional baggage to Donna Troy instead."

which, of course, is sorta like...


Which wasn't successful at all...

Batman Died For Final Crisis's Sins (Spoilers)

"Final Crisis is a clusterfuck, a mediocre failure. I don't know what went wrong, Editorial mismanagement*(which still keeps going on), rewrites, bad decisions, someone sleeping with someone's wife. Whatever it is, this has pretty much been a lackluster event, even when things seemed to 'kick off' at Issue #4 it still didn't have the oomph that other events had. The whole fact that it was billed as the most epic thing ever since Ninjas were invented, yet turned out to be a rush job just adds another nail to the coffin that is being built for DC."

"There's fundamental problems with Final Crisis #6. Mainly, it's sort of boring and the art isn't very good."

In desperation, they showed the corpse of their most popular character -- that would at least be some shiny tin-foil to wow a segment of the comic book reading public easily impressed by mediocrity and an enduring loyalty to characters who have been kneaded, reconfigured, and degraded almost past recognition.


"How do we beat Marvel in sales?" DC asked. They answered themselves: "We put more violence in our comics." And this is not even a rhetorical conversation. This dialogue, though paraphrased here, actually took place. And this, apparently, is the grand culmination of the Dream.


So their books became more violent, and they still couldn't beat Marvel in sales. But at least they gained a small core readership that is so accommodating, and so forgiving. Even if other readers fell away, and new readers were alienated, this strong core would buy *anything*.


Yes, Batman died for the sins of Final Crisis, because it would take nothing more than the graphic demise of their core superhero to distract the readers from the clusterfuck they created. And it worked, at least for the core. And at this point, it's only the core that matters, because they are, at least, guaranteed revenue. And in these troubled economic times, at least that's something.

"Batman dead! Batman dead! It so amazing! They killed him! They killed him! That was fantastic! Do again! Do again!"

Cynical? Maybe. Enough to put DC at the top of comic sales? No. But at least nobody is "laughing" at DC anymore, saying their comic books are hokey, saying that their comics are for kids. They successfully rebranded themselves. As what?


But really, I find such iconography, such branding, apropos for DC. They've advertised for a while now a "Final Crisis" and a death of one of their icons. For the last 5 years, they've focused on death, destruction, and corruption as the "spine" of their events, their publishing plan. Why this constant focus on negativity? I think it's a slow, steady exorcism, the tangible display of an ugliness that was just under the surface.

In the end, I'm relieved to hear that indeed this is the final Crisis. Because after your "Final" crisis, surely there will be no more?

The Wonder Woman That Wasn't

Did DC turn down an all-ages Wonder Woman comic by Darwyn Cooke?

"This year J. Bone and myself pitched an all-ages Wonder Woman book aimed at young female readers. In other words, I wanted to give them at least 12 issues of a Wonder Woman book that any parent could give their child. They couldn’t have been less interested."

:-(

You know, for a guy who practically redesigned the DCU (a template that, in terms of the new Brave and Bold cartoon, they are still using today) and sold tons of comics & ancillary products -- you'd think Darwyn could write his ticket at DC. I just don't get it.

When New Frontier was being made, I remember hearing rumblings in the office about the "fat" Wonder Woman. That Wonder Woman was drawn too "fat." Too muscular. Because, of course, the most powerful woman in the world can't have a corresponding body type. She has magic muscles that are invisible, squashed down into another dimension, affording her a svelte, Keira Knightley figure.

But you know, if Darwyn & friends did a revamp on Wonder Woman right now -- for all-ages or not -- it would sell through the roof.

via Journalista

The Wizard Of Sales

Marvel's Wonderful Wizard of Oz #1 is sold out of Diamond -- as well as my local NYC comic book store.

Hey, all-ages comics are supposed to sell poorly! Remember? "Comics aren't for kids anymore."

Wonderful Wizard of Oz seemingly had everything "against" it (according to conventional wisdom):
1) All-ages book
2) Non-superhero book
3) Female protagonist
4) "Classics" adaptation

So why did the comic book succeed?

1) Parents are hungering for appropriate comic book entertainment for their children.
2) Amazing art.
3) Marvel's giveaway "sketchbook" promotional strategy worked.
4) Perhaps readers are looking for "happier" comic book stories?

Is this a start of a trend? If Wonderful Wizard of Oz continues to sell well, will this encourage Marvel to launch similar projects?

And who is the audience of Wonderful Wizard of Oz? Who is reading this comic book? What is the gender breakdown of the readership? The age of readers? How many issues were bought for other people?

Does Dorothy Gale qualify as a "superheroine?"

RIP Ricardo Montalban

The way this day is going, somebody better check on James Garner, and I mean like pronto.

RIP Patrick McGoohan

He was, to me, the very definition of "cool."

Amazing Spider-Man Obama Update

Amazing Spider-Man #583 was sold out at NYC's Forbidden Planet comic book store between the hours of 9 and 10 o'clock this morning. New Yorkers braved the frigid weather to wait in line to buy the comic -- limit one per person.

I heard a report that Jim Hanley's, also in NYC, had a line outside the store waiting to purchase the comic as well.

I just wanted to follow the Spider-man story this week, but was unable to buy an issue.

If anybody knows what happened in that issue non-Obama-wise, email me. Especially if Parker starts dating that girl.

In other news, ComicMix reports that a number of comic book shops are donating the profits of Amazing Spider-Man #583 to charity.

More coverage:
Lining Up For Obama and Spider-Man (NYT)

One Of The Most Ugly F**king Things I've Ever Seen In My Life

A friend just emailed me the spoiler to the latest issue of Final Crisis, and it was one of the most ugly fucking things I've ever seen in my life.

No class, no respect, sensationalist crap.

They might as well have just taken a dump on the legacy of the character in question.

And for what? Sales? To barely get in the top ten? Was it worth it?

This book comes out the same day as the Spider-Man Obama cover. Such a contrast in energy, direction.

I choose hope.

Postscript
Want spoilers, pictures, and additional commentary? Read this review.

Drunken Wonder Woman Pitch

"Okay, so now Wonder Woman is 16, and attending a high-school in the Mid-West. She's got all these kooky powers that she barely understands. BUT SHE JUST WANTS TO FIT IN! And then she's got like this brainy best friend who has a major crush on her -- but she doesn't know she's alive! Then Wondy has this other best friend who's like a dork and stuff. Only they know Wondy's secret.

"Now, the principal at the high-school is a real hard-ass -- with good reason! He's actually Ares, god of war, in disguise! Also, the home economics instructor is Circe, and stirs up (literally) no end of trouble for Wondy and pals.

"Steve Trevor is a jock on the football team who really just wants to be a doctor. But his dad is the coach, and just won't let him! Won't anybody give Steve the chance to put the cleats away? Wondy will. Wondy believes in him. But she's also fascinated by this new kid in town. This bad kid. And that kid --

"IS REALLY BRUCE WAYNE!

"But, because of arcane licensing contracts, we can't use the actual name "Bruce Wayne." So we will call him Darkling Knight. He can turn into a bat. He's secretly a vampire.

"Now, this is perfect, because like vampires, Wondy is really immortal. She's a girl made of clay. She's like Pinocchio. She just wants to grow up -- too fast!

"Lastly, I would like for Wondy to have a pet sidekick, a hamster. We can call him Hamusutaa, which means "hamster" in Japanese.

And Wondy can also sing."

Okay, I'm kidding about the singing part.

The Top Comic Book Rivalries

Is it wrong that when I read the following blurb on CBR --

"The Top 25 Comic Book Rivalries"

-- I first thought they were talking about actual rivalries between people in the comic book industry?

More Crazy Notions About Women And Comics

No, women shouldn't have to support other women who write superhero comics and make an effort to check out their books. That was *crazy* of me to say. Excuse me.

We should instead just sit on our thumbs and complain about how all the comics starring superheroines suck, all the superhero comics created by women suck, and IF ONLY (sigh!) the comic book industry could come up with a magic formula (read some minds, perhaps, toss the bones, divine the tea leaves) that would satisfy the self-described female superhero fan. Those morons at the comics publishers, who don't really care, who don't really try, who just don't understand the essence of the "fangirl."

Along the way, as we sit on our thumbs, we can direct our frustration towards one obvious scapegoat or another.

I call bullshit.

We need practical solutions.

1. Who are buying these (specifically) superhero comics?
According to incidental and actual marketing data, the answer is that the majority of superhero comic book purchasers are male. Now, if some people feel this is inaccurate, then it's time to conduct some hardcore marketing surveys to rectify this perception.

Practical solution #1: Conduct marketing surveys to get accurate gender breakdowns on superhero comic book readership.

2. It seems as if there is a good deal of female fans (huge numbers) of fantasy/action stories in other media. If we could pinpoint why there is such a disparity between such readers and the readers of superhero comics, that would help a lot. And we need something a bit more substantial than "superhero comics for women suck." That doesn't help the editors much.

Practical solution #2: Conduct studies of comparable fantasy/action stories in manga or TV with that of superhero comics. For instance, Action Comics vs. the TV show "Smallville." Smallville has a large female audience. Action Comics does not. Why is that?


Action Comics: Features Superman (costume)
Smallville: Features Clark Kent (no costume, street clothing)
Action Comics: Focus on standard superhero plots and action.
Smallville: Focus on relationships, with action as a backdrop.

Why are female viewers so hooked on Smallville? Is it because they are fascinated with the show's hackneyed pseudo-sci-fi/conspiracy plots? Or is because of the soap opera like continuing narratives regarding Clark/Lex, Clark/Lana, Clark/Chloe, Clark/Lois?

What are the majority of female-run Smallville fan sites concerned with? Kryptonian technology or Clark/Lex, Clark/Lana, etc, etc, etc?

We need to look at all these aspects and quantify things. Physically count how many fan sites for Batgirl, for instance. Who is running these sites? What do they focus on?


Female fans of Harry Potter, Twilight, Sailor Moon, Smallville, Supernatural, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc, etc, etc. Talk to them. Find out what draws them to these stories. It's not enough to say "good stories, I'm looking for good stories." What, to these female fans, makes a good story?

Now, I'm talking about the majority of female fans. That may sound unfair. But any TV show, movie, comic, etc, has to take into account the biggest possible audiences they can get. Smaller audiences are catered to with "niche" products. But if I am launching a new superhero TV show starring women, I need to know a few things.


Do I want to attract a male audience for my TV show? What will I need to focus on? Or do I want to focus on developing female viewers? What do I focus on in that case? And if I want to get a big audience from both genders (like BTVS), how do I do that? What do I have to balance?

In my opinion, in order to get the biggest audience of both men and women for your superhero comic book, you need to balance action vs. "relationships." You need to keep the action moving, but you also need to focus on the relationships between the characters. Chris Claremont, in his prime, was a master at this. So is Joss Whedon.

I read X-Men as a teenager mostly because I was interested in the relationships between the characters.
I watched GI Joe as a teenager because I was interested in the relationships between the characters.
I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer because I was interested in the relationships between the characters.
I watch Smallville because I am interested in the relationships between the characters.
I read Patricia Cornwell crime novels because I'm trying to bone up on my forensics knowledge, and also because am interested in the relationships between the characters.

I used to love professional wrestling. Do you know why? Because of the relationships between the characters, drawn out in the acted segments between the matches. I actually would tune out when the matches happened.

I read Guardians of the Galaxy because I am interested in the relationships between the characters. I read Incredible Hercules because his friendship with Amadeus Cho is touching, and also because I am wondering if he will continue to have an affair with Namora. I read Amazing Spider-Man because I wonder what's going to happen with Harry. Will he and Liz ever get back again? Is it really going to work between Harry and this new chick? And what about MJ? Will she come back? Will she and Peter ever be reunited? And what if Felicia Hardy comes back to town?


Tigra is pregnant with Hank Pym's Skrull babies? Will she get a change of heart and keep them? And what about poor Hank? He must be devastated about the loss of Janet. And this Emma Frost thing and Scott -- I hate that! "She don't really love you, Scott!" Scott and Jean should be together forever! They have a love that is immortal.

Don't get me wrong -- I like the action too. I like my steroidal muscle-headed capes-and-tights personalities. I mean, one of my favorite comics is X-Force, and that has plenty of the over-the-top action I like.

But running a close second to the great art and the kooky violence in X-Force are:
Warren: can anything melt his heart and bring back that devil-may-care playboy with the boyish charm?
Rahne must be just heartsick, caught between her faith and the essence of her own animal nature.
Will Wolverine & Domino "do it?" Have they already "done it" and I was just too naive to notice?


There are subtle differences between (in general) male and female comic book readers. Do not fool yourself into thinking those differences in preference and taste do not exist. Know your audience(s). Do your research. Step out of your comfort zone. Most of all, know yourself.

All my life, I've been a female who was interested in the relationshippy things within traditionally "male" entertainment. Superheroes. Pro Wrestling. GI Joe. Etc. In all those things, I sought out and drifted to the relationships, the feelings, the human drama. When there wasn't relationships to be found, I invented them. Hence the creation of the "slash" genre.

But I feel I have a natural inclination towards these sorts of narratives, at least in part, due to the fact that I am female. And I am one of the more "masculine" females you might meet. I don't always find these elements in my superhero comic books. I tend to drift to those comics that do have them. Those comics aren't "women" themed, but they are the ones that I think have the biggest potential for female audiences. Who would think that Guardians of the Galaxy, as it is written now, might appeal to larger audiences of women? I do. I think it's perfect.

The worst superhero comics, either written by women or starring female characters, have no idea what they really want to be, who they are speaking to, or what audience(s) to target. The most ineffective type of feminist believes that to speak of any sort of differences between the sexes is to "lose," to "give up." They have no clue about actual demographic or sales numbers, they have no clue about how a business like comics actually works, they have no plan. They just want to be outraged and have something to write about; and don't we all? But at what age do we grow up and come up with practical solutions? I'm too old to keep banging my head against the wall. I don't view my role within "comics feminism" as to give young women a set of useless platitudes to make them feel better.

You are being sexually harassed? Go straight to a lawyer. No, don't take the scenic route. Do not stop and see what the other female pundits have to say. Do not depend on them. Go straight to a lawyer.

You feel superheroine comics suck? Pinpoint it. Quantify it. Get data. Do surveys. Learn about the industry. Learn about how much money it takes to make a comic book, or a movie. Learn about how marketing decisions are made, how the money is allocated. Start a dialogue with editors and writers that might actually make a difference.

You think there's not enough female comic book creators? Do you want to be one? You want to write a monthly superhero comic? Really? Learn what that entails. Get data on the demographics of the comic book reader. What audience do you want to target? "I don't believe in audiences. That's labels. I hate labels." Well, you know, you don't believe in the concept of "the audience" -- the audience don't believe in the concept of you, either.

It begins with your audience. What is your audience? Who are they? What do they tend to read? No, not what is your idealist version of things -- what is your audience?

And as for the original point about women supporting other women in the superhero comic book industry...you know, whatever. You know, men support other men in the superhero comic book industry all the time. It's called "the comic book industry."

"The Boy's Club! Damn them!" (shakes fist)

Well, how about a Girl's Club?

"What, just because I'm a woman I have to support women? That's pretty presumptuous on your part, isn't it? Maybe I don't want to read any comics by women! Did you ever think of that? Stop labeling my vagina!"

Okay, so how do we beat the Boy's Club, then?

"Magic!"

Look! Josh Tyler just passed by!

"Kill him!"

So Seriously, Is There Any Comic Artist Who HASN'T Done Fetish Art?

via

Turns out Shuster was drawing this stuff to support himself in the 1950s after fighting for the Superman copyright.

Not an uncommon option for some comic artists between gigs.

I wanted to do a graphic novel once about a mediocre comic book artist whose big epiphany at the end of the story was that he could support himself by drawing fetish porn. He went through all this adventure and intrigue and angst, but in the end he simply realized he could go to comic conventions and sell cheesecake pinups and make a fortune. So he becomes world-famous for his comic fetish porn, even getting one of those big Taschen coffee-table books devoted to his work. In the middle of this, of course, the world almost ends and he has to save the day.

...

My plots are starting to sound like Kilgore Trout novels.

The Top Ten Best-Selling Comics of 2008

1 Secret Invasion #1 (Marvel)
2 Secret Invasion #2 (Marvel)
3 Secret Invasion #3 (Marvel)
4 Secret Invasion #4 (Marvel)
5 Secret Invasion #5 (Marvel)
6 Secret Invasion #6 (Marvel)
7 Uncanny X-Men #500 (Marvel)
8 Secret Invasion #7 (Marvel)
9 Final Crisis #1 (DC)
10 Secret Invasion #8 (Marvel)

article

Bill Willingham: Comics Conservative?

Big Hollywood is a entertainment website with a decidedly more right-of-center spin. One of its initial "selling points" was that the site would be a sort of conservative Huffington Post, giving big-name entertainers a chance to "come out of the closet" about their political and ideological preferences.

Enter Bill "Fables" Willingham.

In a post entitled "Superheroes: Still Plenty of Super, But Losing Some of the Hero," Willingham cites Superman as not being proud of his country, Captain America as an apologist for terrorists, and even quotes Rush Limbaugh. He closes with a pledge:

"No more superhero decadence for me. Period. From now on, when I write within the superhero genre I intend to do it right. And if I am ever again privileged to be allowed to write Superman, you can bet your sweet bootie that he’ll find the opportunity to bring back “and the American way,” to his famous credo.

For now, I invite others in my business to follow suit, as their own consciences dictate. We’ll talk more about this later."

The question is -- will Willingham face fallout by going out on a limb and making this post?

He later answers such a question in the comments section:

"...it reflects no courage on my part that I happen to be in a situation, through dumb luck mostly, where I can speak openly about my politics, without too much fear of reprisals and career sabotage. You and I both know that isn’t the case with everyone in our business, which perfectly mimics in that respect the situation in Hollywood (though on a more intimate scale)."

Later in the comments, Chuck Dixon makes an appearance:

"You and I both know that there are plenty of comic creators who feel the way we do but are fearful of speaking up as it will adversely affect their career."

I brought up similar questions a month ago, and was told there was no fear of reprisals for such views in the industry -- that my concerns were nothing more than baseless paranoia.

Well, which is it?

Postscript: I ultimately place the blame for the difficulty of moderate conservatives within the industry like Willingham & Dixon to express their views with the two or three extreme radical-psycho-bipolar conservatives who ruined it for everyone by being insufferable racist and sexist dicks. Not all "conservatives" (label) are the same, just not like all "liberals" (label) are the same; both have the right to express their views without the torch-and-pitchfork brigade. Not that this has stopped that brigade from dogging on Willingham, though the discussion on Robot 6 is so relatively orderly and without the usual Alien-grade acid slime that either teh internets have grew up a bit, or they just have really good mods.

Morning Update

Yeah, totally didn't stay out with my friends at the local pub until 11:00 at night, totally didn't pose for photos wearing each other's bras on our heads like Mickey Mouse ears.

Damn you, Facebook! (shakes fist)

I got seized yesterday to compose a short story called "Marmaduke Beef," featuring the fictional memoirs of an old-time comic book guy. I got so possessed to write this -- so absolutely in this character's head space -- that I scribbled almost a complete first draft on legal pads in one shot.

Marmaduke Beef horrifies me, but also fascinates me in the way that, through his own perspective, he is the hero of his own story. Lex Luthor, Norman Osborn, Darth Vader -- all the heroes of their own stories, with their own rationales. They do not consider themselves villains. Marmaduke is racist, sexist, so many "ists" -- but he considers himself none of those things. He just plugs on to the end of the story, convinced that he's right.

I may turn it into a comic book script, or go back and flesh it out into an actual novella. I'm just trying to write more, write creatively, just practice writing.

Wow, New York Comic Con is almost here?

See, every year after San Diego or NYCC I say to myself: "this year I will be prepared. this year, I will use this convention to its fullest advantage." Am I scrambling? Yes!

Facebook: officially kinda annoying. I love the messages from that "speed dating" app I've never signed up for, the one where they've found a match for you and it's always somebody from New Jersey.

Not that there's anything wrong with New Jersey, mind you.

And I've been obsessed with this video of a parrot petting a kitten for several days now. I think it's the inter-species angle. If a parrot did that to my full-grown cat it would most likely be hanging from the feline's well-meaning jaws. Nom nom nom. But sit back and watch the *love*

Parrot 'pets' cat @ Yahoo! Video

Carols Pacheco Returns To Marvel

Huh.

I'll always remember Carlos Pacheco for the following reason:

Pacheco drew the cover of an issue of Fantastic Four that my BF was holding on the first day I met him at Comic Con.

I had met him (BF, not Pacheco) for the first time earlier that day, but now I was leaving the convention, and spied him to the side reading that comic.

"HELLO!" I said. "IT WAS AWESOME TO MEET YOU!"

He looked up from the comic, nodded, and went back to reading the comic (or so was my perception at the time).

I thought (cue Roy Lichtenstein pose):

"He likes Fantastic Four more than he likes me! Sniff!"

Of course, that was not true. But every time I see that cover to Fantastic Four, I shake my fist and go, "Damn Pacheco Fantastic Four!"

That said, of course Carlos Pacheco is an excellent artist and re-addition to Marvel.

(Recently, while going through our old back issues, the BF held up that very issue of Fantastic Four. "Keep it?" he asked innocently)

(I have an ego, apparently, the size of a small planet)

Show Them The Money

This is a post inspired by this post and this post and this post and this post.

When good comics starring female superheroes -- especially written by females -- come out, why don't they get bigger numbers? Why are critically acclaimed books like Manhunter canceled due to low numbers? And that book was actually given several cushions and reprieves due to DC's desire to have a good comic starring a woman -- as early as the first few issues. It had many, many chances to get bigger numbers, to build this devoted fanbase of people who like to read comics starring smart and strong superheroines.

Where is this huge bloc of female superhero fans at? I mean, on Wednesdays at the DM?

Wonder Woman currently bleeds almost a 1,000 readers with every month that goes by:

01/2008: Wonder Woman #16  —  42,897 (- 3.9%)

02/2008: Wonder Woman #17  —  41,948 (- 2.2%)

03/2008: Wonder Woman #18  —  40,771 (- 2.8%)

04/2008: Wonder Woman #19  —  39,489 (- 3.1%)

05/2008: Wonder Woman #20  —  38,116 (- 3.5%)

06/2008: Wonder Woman #21  —  37,086 (- 2.7%)

07/2008: Wonder Woman #22  —  36,514 (- 1.5%)

08/2008: Wonder Woman #23  —  35,562 (- 2.6%)

09/2008: Wonder Woman #24  —  34,583 (- 2.8%)

10/2008: Wonder Woman #25  —  33,583 (- 2.9%)

It's written by a woman. There you go: a comic with the biggest iconic female superhero in the world, written by a popular female writer. You want more books like this, you want more superheroines in comics and movies -- go arrange a movement or something and get more issues of this book purchased.

Why don't these books get bigger numbers? Why didn't She-Hulk or Catwoman get better numbers? Or the myriad of other titles starring female characters who come, go, and are forgotten? Were all these books bad? Was White Tiger bad? It was written by a successful female novelist, starring a strong female character. What more do you want? Is it a conspiracy against every female writer and superhero ever?

There are several answers:
1. It's a conspiracy against women.
2. There are lots of female fans in other media: TV, novels, movies, etc. Lots of female manga fans. But they are just not making the transition to mainstream superhero comics -- they may not even be aware of the comics starring female characters that are available to them. There's a disconnect.
3. There are not the legions of female mainstream superhero comic book fans out there to support these comics with the numbers that it will take to make them successful.

Personally, I think the answer is somewhere between #2 & 3.

But I'm saying: If you really want these comics to be successful -- and, in turn, convince Hollywood to make more movies starring these superheroines -- then make more of an effort to support these comics. Talk them up on your blogs, and support them with your wallets. No, I'm not saying support the ones you think are "crap." But go support Wonder Woman. How many of you have read the Hellcat mini-series written by Kathryn Immonen?

I think there are definitely barriers thrown in the way of women in the comic book industry. But I also see a fair bit of outreach to female writers on both sides of the aisle. And no matter what the gender -- if the bucks are there, if the numbers are high, nobody is going to argue with that. I read a comment on one of those posts that said, "movies are an artform, not a way for making money." Uh...no, not really. You can't support Hollywood without making money. You can't support the comic industry without making money. You know that nice CGI, those awesome colors on that comic book you adore -- THEY COST MONEY!!!!!!

The only way women are really going to break the barriers in mainstream comics is by their books making money. The only way you are going to see a boom in well-written superheroine comics is if those comics make money.

A publisher can -- and have -- supported superheroine books that were well-done but not pulling in the numbers. But they can only do that for so long. And then when it comes to plan out the next year or two years of books -- they remember those poor numbers. They have to. They run a business.

The next step for women in mainstream comics is to translate our hopes and dreams and talents and superheroines we love into comic book sales. Past the idealism, past the blog posts, past everything -- we need to sell these books. Nobody fucks with JK Rowling, and there's a good reason for that.

My Last Precinct

I usually turn my nose up to mass-market paperback fiction -- you know, the type advertised on subway cars. I got through about 8 pages of "The Da Vinci Code" before I put it down in disgust.

But I recently purchased a copy of "The Last Precinct," by Patricia Cornwell, for two reasons.

One, I felt I needed to bone up on my crime/mystery writing.

Second, because of this weird and very vivid dream I had.

It featured a copy of the Bible -- my Bible -- with the words "Patricia Cornwell" on it in gilt letters. A voice said, "this is your true story."

So I randomly chose a Cornwell paperback at the bookstore, and purchased it along with a book on FBI profiling and the basics of spycraft. (I'm pretty serious about adding more "meat" to my writing)

I am halfway finished with reading "The Last Precinct," and am hooked. But the book's subject matter -- or rather, the subject matter that keeps reappearing, reasserting itself in different permutations -- has struck a nerve.

The book opens with the aftermath of an attack on a woman's life. She survives, and actually got an opportunity to hurt her assailant. But the tables are turned on her and she becomes the criminal, the suspected. Her life gets turned upside down, whereas her attacker sits pretty (or ugly) in the jail, being fed junk food and soft drinks. She was the one who was attacked, yet she finds herself constantly on the defensive.

Underlying this is the fear of some male characters of strong women, giving some a motive to destroy the objects of their hate (whether physically with a hammer to the face, or career-wise).

One character says,

"Righter thinks you're a nut case, I hate to tell you. And I gotta add that he don't like you personally and never has because he's got the balls of a soprano and don't like powerful women."

The main character, Kay Scarpetta, is not the only female in the novel to face this sort of resistance and persecution. Her niece is in the process of being "run out" of the ATF -- for being both a woman and particularly a lesbian. And a similar thing has happened to her partner, Teun.

And sexual harassment -- even by "well meaning" male characters, also features prominently.

While the outward battlefield in "The Last Precinct" is played out in court rooms and medical examiner's offices, there is another battle -- that against high-achieving women in mostly male institutions.

The solution -- at least at this point in the story -- is to quit those institutions and create a new place. A place where women can work without the barriers, the suspicion, the hatred of who they are. The Last Precinct.

I'm at the part of the story where Kay -- suspected of a murder she didn't commit, slandered, betrayed -- tenders her resignation to the governor. It is a hard decision for her. But she's had enough.

"I have lost this city. I can't go back. I can blame it on Chandonne, but that isn't all of it, if I am honest with myself. It is time to do the harder thing. Change."

Guide To Sex In RPGs

I found this -- THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO UNLAWFUL CARNAL KNOWLEDGE FOR FANTASY ROLE-PLAYING GAMES --while searching for something completely different.

Some excerpts:

Masturbation (Enchantment)

Level: 1
Range: 10 yards
Components: S, M
Duration: 1 round/level
Casting Time: 1
Area of Effect: One creature
Save: Neg.

This spell causes the horniness of Arousal with the added
irresistible urge to masturbate with any and all external sexual
organs. This spell functions like a combination of an Arousal cantrip
with a command to "masturbate!" If no appendages are free for this
purpose, the subject will rub the sexual organs against any nearby
functional object. The material component is two pieces of cloth,
rubbed quickly against one another.




Table 3: Magical Diseases

Die
Roll  Disease
2     Acidic Secretion
3     Bitchy Magical Syndrome (B.M.S.)
4     Fiery Secretion
5     Mummy Crotch Rot
6     Orgasmatic Flight
7     Orgasmatic Monster Summoning
8     Orgasmatic Polymorph
9     Poison Secretion
10    Sexual Audible Glamer
11    Sexual Chill Touch
12    Sexual Clairvoyance
13    Sexual Invisibility
14    Sexually Transmitted Lycanthrope
15+   REROLL


PMS (Conjuration) Reversible

Level: 1
Range: 10 yards
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 1 round/level
Casting Time: 1
Area of Effect: one creature
Save: 1/2

PMS causes the subject to experience an unceasing, agonizing, dull
throbbing pain throughout the groin and lower abdomen, as though all
the muscles in that area were clenched like a vise. THAC0 and all
saves are treated as if the subject were one level lower (a 0th-level
or 1st-level character automatically misses or fails), and Constitution
and Charisma are reduced by 1 for the duration of the spell. A
successful save results in a nagging headache reducing Constitution and
Charisma by 1 for the duration of the spell.

Red Alert

I'm PMSing like crazy today and run the mortal risk of starting a controversial post that will piss many people off.

Seriously -- I've spent the whole morning trying to craft posts, and they are all like:

"You know who I hate? This motherfucker right over here."

"Abortion! I have many fascinating opinions on this fascinating topic!"

"Here, for your amusement, is the unexpurgated 12-page chronology of events that I submitted to my lawyer in 2004."

"Hipsters! Rauugh!"

So instead of doing this, I will put the blog in stasis until tomorrow morning -- or when I eat a slice of really nice cake -- whatever comes first.

The Sexy and Glamorous Life of a Comic Book Writer

Just in case you were wondering.

(rest assured, many sexy and glamorous ideas are going on in that brain, feverishly being translated into rip-roaring entertainment for all!)

What Image Is More Sexist? (NSFW)

And why?





















Images taken from interior pages of Witchblade & WildCATS/Grifter.

Grifter image via Shirtless Superheroes

Oh, and just wanted to zoom in on one part of the Grifter pic:









"Is that your gun or are you just happy to see me?"
"Uh...no actually, that's just my gun."

Springboards For Controversy

I thought I would just lob a few opinions out there that might be controversial, or not, we'll see. Some have already been field-tested. :-)

1. I really really really enjoy the Mark Millar/Bryan Hitch Fantastic Four.
I do. The book looks beautiful. It presents the characters is a way that I can relate to and enjoy. This is the first time I've really felt motivated to keep up with the book as a monthly. And the interior artist also draws the cover -- bonus! And I even like the way the logo is composed on the cover. Sold.

2. Vertigo comics & trade paperbacks are printed on shit paper.
Yes. It's true. Why go through all the trouble of producing something like Northlanders only to print it on shit paper? Are the trades for Northlanders printed on shit paper too? The key is not so much the paper itself -- rough, one step up from newsprint -- but the color palettes used. Books like Scalped, Northlanders, and Hellblazer usually have darker, moodier palettes. These are rich palettes. You can't have these palettes on crap paper, because the paper can't "hold" that richness. Rich color on crap paper looks like murk. Now, I can understand if you are doing it for the monthlies. But the trades too? Read a trade for Scalped -- shit paper. Surely these better-selling Vertigo titles deserve something better? Yeah, I know that keeps the price-point down -- but at the cost of making the book look like a murky smear?

3. Gender might impact one's creative output.
Certainly not in all cases! But there might be general trends. I just don't buy that gender has zero impact on creative output. I mean -- zero impact? Really? I'm just the same as a man? That's bullshit, I'm not the same as a man. My "wiring" is not the same as a man's. My hormones are not the same as a man's. The immediate, everyday details of life that I instinctively observe are different. I'll say it: I care more about emotions and feelings. And I'm saying this as someone who considers herself a bit more "mannish" than the average woman. Does denying these differences really help me? It's like some corporate chick when I was working in advertising, she told me to never admit you menstruate. Fuck -- I menstruate! I'm not going to mention it at the board meeting. But I fucking bleed, and I get bloated and feel shitty and emotional too.

The problem comes when the idea I have outlined gets interpreted as meaning (for example) "women don't write as good as men." Obviously, this is not the case. JK Rowling, Patricia Cornwell, Anne Rice. That chick who wrote "Twilight." Multi-billion dollar authors. But my point is: why is this not yet translating to the comic book market in the numbers that it should? How does a female writer work with a comic publisher to maximize her strengths and audience potential? Does she do it by positioning herself as "another Geoff Johns/Brian Michael Bendis?" Or does she do it by saying: "Yeah, I'm different. Different and awesome. And it's exactly my difference that's going to sell this book." That's the key -- how do we use this natural difference in a way to sell the product?

4. I think the direction of Amazing Spider-Man post-"Brand New Day" has worked.
I tried to approach the Spider-Man comics several years ago and gave up. That "Other" storyline? I couldn't follow that. The continuity had become impenetrable for me. As a new reader, I was turned off. But now, I feel I have been given an even platform onto which to begin my re-involvement with Spidey. And buying the weekly books has just become a habit. I might not read all of them right away. I read the arcs in chunks. But it works for me. I guess it becomes a question of, should comic book companies try to grab new readers on longtime titles? Can we streamline the continuity a bit? Like in Invincible Iron Man. And I think you periodically need to do that.

Clint Eastwood On The "Pussy Generation"

quotes from Clint Eastwood's recent interview with Esquire.

"We live in more of a pussy generation now, where everybody's become used to saying, "Well, how do we handle it psychologically?" In those days, you just punched the bully back and duked it out."

"I don't know if I can tell you exactly when the pussy generation started. Maybe when people started asking about the meaning of life."

The Anti-Eastwood:


However, Hawkeye Pierce is NOT a pussy!

A New Year, A Brand New Day

With the turn of the new year, there is the tendency to make big lists for ourselves of resolutions. Lose weight. Stop smoking cigarettes. Keep that journal going.

For me, it was reading that big damn pile of comics.

I read about 60-70 comics in one shot over the weekend. These were all the comics I have been putting off reading for weeks, in some cases months. Entire runs. Arcs from Daredevil, JSA, Hercules. The entire new Guardians of the Galaxy. The tie-ins to the end of Secret Invasion and everything in Dark Reign. War Machine. Amazing Spider-Man. Blue Marvel. Even goddamn Northlanders. Read eight issues of Northlanders within 30 minutes -- you get a chill wind.

The point was, I had these books on my plate, made a commitment to read them, but just couldn't get my ass in a seat to do it. Now, I've done it. The cumulative effect is not necessarily negative, but slightly "Super Size Me" in immediate impact. Can you overdose on comic books?

As soon as I was finishing, the BF creates for me another stack of "must read" comics. This is to keep me limber. What did Denny O'Neil tell me when I asked him what comics he recommended I read? "You've already read too many comics." Nay, I say. I say thee nay.

That's it -- Thor. I need to read more Thor.

Michael Cera's Identity Crisis

Fight Schlub: Nick Twisp and his edgy alter-ego Francois

Much like my recent Jim Carrey post, I could travel through Michael Cera's filmography and point out that the majority of his roles are strikingly similar to each other, all roles pointing backward to this particular gentleman:


What was cool when he was a teenager may not really fly anymore at age 21. Though bear in mind, Stockard Channing was wowing them as the teenage Rizzo at 34, so it's possible that Cera will be able to extend his awkward/sensitive teenager shtick for some time. Then again, he might become Joshua Jackson's replacement on "Fringe."

(Does Cera watch Joseph Gordon-Levitt's career and just want to strangle that guy?)

That's why I regard Cera's dual role in the movie "Youth in Revolt" with interest. Might the tough-guy Francois Dillinger be the representation of the graduation to "adult" and more edgy roles that Michael Cera yearns for?

Michael Cera impersonating Joseph Gordon-Levitt impersonating David Niven

Fun Fact: in the original novel "Youth In Revolt" is based on, protagonist Nick has two alter-egos – one of them a woman, the motherly Carlotta.