Spoiler Spoilers

Stalwart OS reader *Sammy* tipped me off to the latest "Robin" solicitations (#171). The copy reads as follows (emphasis by yours truly):

"Violet’s shady spoils are piling up as fast as Robin’s girl troubles…and he’s dealing with some spoils of his own. His all-nighters are sending his relationship with Zoanne off the rails — literally — and his visions of Stephanie around every corner have to be just that…right?"

Welcome to the school of subtle ad copy, folks.

So judging by the cover and the copy, what do you think? Is this setting up the return of Stephanie Brown?

I wouldn't want to spoil it for you...

(Oh, go buy this book. It's Chris Batista pencilling it fer gods sakes. He's gonna make Robin look hawt -- like John Stamos in his prime with a touch of Tom Welling. And if it follows the previous pattern of Robin and Nightwing comics, there should be at last 5 shower scenes of either Tim or Dick in this arc alone.)

Seen and Heard: The Big Apple Convention

me and Jamal Igle

Did you ever hear one of those big rumors that just jumped the shark of all rumors? I got several of those bombs tossed on me at the Big Apple Con in NYC, most of them by RICH JOHNSTON. Most will, I assume, make their way to his new column, and a few will continue to hover over the collective consciousness of the comic book industry at large. Alas, I am not a rumor blog. But I have pictures, charming anecdotes, and the sort of folksy charm you have come to expect from my fine postings. Come with me, won't you?

My first stop was, of course, to see the illustrious DAN SLOTT. I preface this by saying that Dan does not simply tell you a story -- he acts it out, complete with fine voice work and special effects. He recounted, in detail, a possible storyline for The Thing's solo book had it not been so untimely ended. I cannot give you specifics, but it would have been mind-blowing, gritty, and even a tad controversial. Luckily for us, we still have Dan's star-studded Amazing Spider-man run to look forward to, as well a his continuing work on Avengers: Initiative (my BF's favorite comic book, by the way).

Then he took us on a trip, with commentary, through Greg Horn's covers for She-Hulk, and we both agreed that the one with Awesome Andy was our absolute favorite. A presidential pardon for Dan's "Star Fox" storyline was also discussed.

Sidekick's Chris Moreno

Next up was Sidekick's CHRIS MORENO. Chris's design for Paul Jenkins's loser lead character in that hilarious comic is one of my all-time favorites; it's like I can even smell the tuna fish and french fries coming off of Eddie Edison as he bungles crime fighting and complains about his lack of respect. Now dat's talent!

Dennis Calero

DENNIS CALERO, always great to see at the cons, has a big, big project coming up. I realize the last time I reported on Calero he still had that big, big project, and I still couldn't announce what it was. Well, that's what you get when you have big projects with high-profile characters. Hey, maybe if you know him you can weasel it out of him. But by the beginning of the new year the news will definitely come out. Maybe an interview with OS as well? Maybe...

I've said it before and I'll say it again -- JAMAL IGLE in a couple of years is going to be the next high-profile comic book artist. I've been following his work since co-editing him at Acclaim Comics about ten years ago and he just gets better and better. His pencils are amazing. I really don't know how you can compare the care and detail and delicate characterization he puts into his figures with some of the empty, flash-in-a-pan artwork that's out there.

I just saw some of Jamal's pencils for an upcoming issue of Teen Titans and you could die how lovely this stuff was. His gorgeous Tim Drake will be the envy of many a fangirl. Thank God he's doing an issue of Countdown as well -- I may actually buy this one instead of reading my Scans Daily recaps. And he has an intriguing new project, yet to be announced -- I think when you find out about it you'll be pretty excited.

C-C-C-COMIC MIXXXXXX!!! (free comics, good conversation, and knitting)

Comic Mix's MARTHA THOMASES, MIKE GOLD, and ELAYNE RIGGS are like my most favoriteist people on the face of the Earth. Pity I'm not able to go to Mid-Ohio Con this year, to follow Gold's Comic Mix Road Trip through the convention season. It's people like them that really make the conventions and the industry a family-like environment. If you have a minute to check out the free comics on their site and give 'em a holler, please do. They'll treat ya good.

Stormin' Norman Breyfogle

Why isn't NORM BREYFOGLE currently working at DC or Marvel? This, to me, is one of the great riddles of the comic book industry. The man produces great work, interesting page compositions, consistent high-level quality, has an eye for design -- and does it fast! I co-edited him on The Spectre and he was always easy to work with and gave 110 percent, never late. And whenever I needed a fill-in, he would jump right in and turn it around. There is just no excuse for some of the substandard art I see on books with "deadline issues" when you have talented people like Norm who can do the work and do it well.

I mean, with Norm is it a "name cachet" issue, an age issue? Is having a younger penciller turning around crap work because he's got a tight deadline and truly doesn't have the chops to hack it better than hiring the artist who had one of the most beloved runs of Batman? And look at his picture -- he's really not that old!

Currently Norm Breyfogle is excited about his work in First Salvo's The Danger's Dozen, the first issue of which should be coming out soon, and the second issue being currently solicited.

Sean Chen perfecting his "Norma Rae" impression

SEAN CHEN is another talented artist I remember from Valiant/Acclaim Comics, and always a cool person to stop and chat with. He's currently collaborating with Fables' Bill Willingham on DC's Salvation Run, and invited me to go check it out.

Bernard Chang perhaps not doing so well on his own "Norma Rae" impression, but giving it heart

I've always been a fan of BERNARD CHANG and it was pleasure to see him at the show. He was one of the first people who e-mailed me to congratulate me on the Friends of Lulu presidency, and I really appreciated that. He's got an assignment coming up about which I am totally jazzed and he is totally modest. All I can say is -- I think it's a really good fit for his work, and I hope it leads to more things along that vein.

Me and Rich Johnston

Ah, the infamous RICH JOHNSTON! I got to meet him for the first time at the con, where he apparently did a live show/interpretive art piece for the convention guests involving twine and Alan Moore. Obviously, him and me needed a quick chat about things, but then talk quickly evolved into Doctor Who episodes, the ins and outs of pitching comics, the advertising industry, and, as I mentioned at the top of this post, tons and tons of gossip. Some of the revelations he will be dropping in his latest column will be -- especially to readers of this blog -- well, pretty mind-exploding.

I'm a big supporter of the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, and was happy to see they got some priiiime real-estate at the Big Apple Con -- right on the way to the Adam Hughes/Tim Sale/Darwyn Cooke Bermuda Triangle of massive amounts of fans.

Speaking of which -- wow, I totally didn't expect to see Darwyn at the convention! Always great to chat with him and, as you can imagine, lines for his work were ginormous.

Grounded's Mark Sable and Paul Azaceta

MARK SABLE and PAUL AZACETA are two up-and-coming comic creators with some impressive work already under their belt and a bright future ahead of them. The two collaborated on Image's Grounded, and Mark currently has Fearless out (also from Image) and Paul does the amazing art on Potter's Field with Mark Waid (Boom Studios).

I cannot end my convention spiel without mentioning the lovely and talented BRENDAN MCGINLEY (pictured below), he of the neato comic book Dose (with exclusive Evan Dorkin story!).

After the show I couldn't decide whether to attend HEIDI MACDONALD's birthday party or hang out with my old Valiant/Acclaim cohorts -- luckily for me, both parties sort of mutated into each other over at Stout. It wasn't quite a sleep-the-next-morning-until-three-in-the-afternoon type party for me, but definitely B vitamins and Motrin were employed the following day. Alas, I'm pretty much a one-to-two beer maximum kind o' gal these days -- so I apparently went home before the karaoke started.

Dose's Brendan McGinley and this unidentified rather handsome fellow

I would be remiss if I failed to mention another attendee of both the comic con and party, one Mr. David Gallaher. He has a neat werewolf western webcomic over at Zuda.com called

High Moon
You should read it. ;-)

Until the next event!

The Hard Core Comic Book Convention

Last weekend's Big Apple Comic Book Convention in NYC -- also known as "The National" -- was as hard core an old school comic con as you can possibly get. You know that little comic book store you frequented near your house when you were a kid, the one crammed to the gills with dusty boxes full of back issues and lined with glass cases containing old election buttons and trading cards? It was that times 1000 plus the cast of Heroes. And Adam Hughes.

It's no surprise that, at least to me, the Big Apple Con hearkens back to the small comic shops of my youth. The event's organizer, Michael Carbonaro, was a legendary figure on the Brooklyn comic book scene when I was in my teens...sort of the Donald Trump of comic books, the King of Komix. And that flavor of Old Brooklyn comic collecting was all over the convention -- as well as, I would imagine, many of the same people who frequented those little local shops.

Standing next to me in the guest pass line was the Village Voice's Michael Musto. My first thought upon seeing him, other than the impression that he was far taller in person than I thought he'd be, was wondering if he was there to merely cover the "Heroes" angle or to do one of those ironic pieces on comic cons. Or both.

The venue, at the Pennsylvania Hotel in midtown New York City, was too small to absorb a crowd that was no doubt bolstered by holiday tourists and those eager to gawk at Hayden Panettiere and Kristen Bell. Several times during the convention I had to immediately leave to go outside and "get oxygen" -- something I've done several times at Chiller Theatre in New Jersey but never at the larger cons like San Diego.


Bottlenecks erupted at many key points at the show, most notably at the Bermuda Triangle of Adam Hughes, Tim Sale, and Darwyn Cooke. There were two "Artist's Alleys" -- the Hughes/Sale/Cooke trifecta plus many more on the first floor, and a larger one on the second. Both seemed like cattle calls or assembly lines, multitudes of fans with wheeled carts, baseball caps, and heavy winter coats waiting for a chance to get a sketch or signature from their favorite comic creator.

Much like the comic shops of my formidable years, the Big Apple Con was very much a "place where wimmens dare not tread." It wasn't a hostile environment for females by any means, but it was also an event that had little, outside of several celebrities, to offer them. Most women that I know personally would not jump into one of those bottlenecks in Artist's Alley even if you paid them, even if their most bestest comic creator was sitting there waiting to sign their book.

I mean, picture it -- you have two artist tables within several feet of each other. You're a woman standing between those tables waiting for so-and-so to sketch for you. A constant stream of male convention attendees -- a portion of which are, to be frank, somewhat large -- are pushing past your buffeted body. And you're dressed in your Cosplay outfit of Morrigan from Darkstalkers. It's a a recipe for disaster.

The T&A brigade, in terms of artwork & models, was still there, though not as big a presence as in past shows. Of particular note was one table that featured a zoftig female character who was naked except for a gorilla suit that was cut away so you could see her naughty bits. If you're taking your child to a convention such as this -- as many many people were -- it should be remembered that there will be a selection of nude images such as this presented at your rugrat's eye-level.

To be fair, "gorilla bits" and a few of the more raunchy tables were grouped with what I refer to as "softcore alley," where all the pinup stars and centerfolds sit. It goes without saying that there was a bottleneck around that section as well.


Lastly, I want to touch upon the celebrities in attendance, especially the phenomenon known as "photo-op pre-sales." For a certain fee above and beyond one would pay for a standard photo-op at these shows, you can reserve your photo-op with a certain celebrity -- in this case, Hayden Panettiere and Kristen Bell.

Unlike the celebs in "autograph alley," Panettiere and Bell were whisked away to the 18th floor in a special room designed just for the photo-ops. Looking at one of the advertisements for the photo-ops, I spied an image of Kristen Bell being embraced by a middle-aged fan with his head almost resting on her right boobie and both of his arms locked around her slight frame.

What goes through the minds of Panettiere and Bell when they have to participate in these things? And what goes through the minds of the men who purchase the photo-op? Is it merely a fan thing -- "hey, I got to meet Claire from Heroes!" Or, for the brief few minutes of the photo shoot, are these women their girlfriends?

To sum up, the Big Apple/National Comic Con is very much a place of acquisition -- whether it be Golden Age comics, statues, signatures, sketches, or photos with imaginary girlfriends. It is not a place of discovery -- in terms of new books, talent, ideas, etc. It can be a place of socialization -- but only within the group you know. In all those senses, it is an echo of Ye Olde Comick Shoppe. And it will either have to change and expand its scope in order to outlive its aging clientele -- or get more photo-ops. Perhaps Britney will be available next year.

"Mr. Moore, Can You Sign My DVD Of Watchmen Babies?"

Tonight's episode of The Simpsons, "Husbands and Knives," was an important one in the history of the series. It saw the closure of a Springfield landmark -- The Android's Dungeon.

Jack Black provided the voice of Milo, the uber-hipster proprietor of the new comic store Coolsville. He plays Tom Jones covers in Korean, gives away Japanese hard candies, and has indie icons like Alan Moore, Art Spiegelman, and Dan Clowes do in-store signings.

Unable to compete with the charismatic and egalitarian Milo, The Android's Dungeon's owner Jeff Albertson (better known as Comic Book Guy) must close his doors.

Is this a statement on the comic book industry in real life? Not so much if the Coolsvilles will supplant the Android Dungeons -- but will the publishers themselves transition out from Hardcore Fanboys to Hip Purveyors of Sequential Art Narratives?

And when will DC finally come out with "Watchmen Babies?"

Fangirl Fridays: The "Goodbye To Comics" One-Year Anniversary

It has been pointed out to me that it's been exactly one year since I wrote "Goodbye To Comics."

What a difference a year makes, huh?

The fact that I am more active, integrated, and successful in the comics world now than I ever was when I was officially "in" the comics world kind of baffles me a little bit.

It's like, some people can play within the confines of a very set group of said and unsaid rules and really be successful at it. In my twenties, I tried to do that and succeed in the comic book industry. I failed. The more I tried to follow the "rules," the more I tried not to make any waves, the more I tried to follow DECORUM -- the worse my life became.

And when I finally busted out and expressed myself and did the very thing I was not "supposed" to do -- my life got radically better.

You know who my idols are? Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Andy Kaufman, Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, Margaret Cho, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock. My biggest fault in life was that I didn't embrace the true part of myself who looked up to these people. Instead, I was that chick with the little voice in "Police Academy." I lost a lot of time.

Thankfully, with this blog and Friends of Lulu, I really feel as if I have been granted another chance. A lot has changed. I am very happy.

And thanks to the majority of you for reacting as kind and understanding and empathetic as you did to "Goodbye To Comics." After the blog hit, I spent a few days avoiding the Internet entirely because, quite frankly, I was afraid I was just going to get laughed at or hated or whatnot. Writing those posts was a very out-of-character thing for me to do.

I'm glad I did it.

PS: The irony of The Comic Reporter's interview with ex-Wizard staffer Rick Marshall running today is not lost on me.

Occasional Links, the I Know You Are But What Am I? edition

• Did Marvel kill emo? And do they deserve an award of some kind because of it? (via Journalista)
  

• Wrestlers need not apply for the role of He-Man, the movie's writer says to Toyfare. In other news, Marvel interviews a wrestler rumored to be in the running to play Thor.

• Heroes' Hayden Panettiere has a warrant for her arrest out in Japan, Newsarama reports. In other news, Newsarama readers disappointed the headline "Arrest Warrant Issued for Heroes Hayden Panettiere" did not involve a "Chained Heat" sort of scenario.

• There is a growing movement of women who apparently hate the word "moist." "Fudgy" also source of disdain, but at least has chocolatey element to take edge off.

• Have you ever wondered in a battle between Superman & the Death Star who would win? This and other scenarios are pondered (in a most scientific manner) in this informative link.

• Video: Captain America, F**k Yeah (standard version)

• Video: Captain America, F**k Yeah (sad version)

• Here is a page hosting pictures of women dressed in Supergirl outfits. Significant because actually demonstrates how the current outfit, with its just-above-the-pubic-bone low-rider skirt, looks in real life.

• Video: Pee Wee Herman PSA. Scarier than actually taking drugs.

Mr T: "Treat Your Momma Right"

"Scalped" Creator Offers Money Back Guarantee on Trade Paperback

Jason Aaron, writer of Vertigo's Scalped, recently posted a money-back guarantee on the first trade paperback:

"If you're not reading my Vertigo series SCALPED, I want to make it as easy as possible for you to at least give the series a shot, so I'm now offering a money back guarantee on the first trade paperback, "Indian Country." That's the first five issues of the series, for only $9.99, and if you don't like it, you can send it to me and I'll give you your money back."

Well, Mister Aaron, I'm going to take you up on that bet. I have here one padded envelope that will be used to send the first trade of "Scalped" back to you if I am not satisfied.

Will I send Scalped back to Jason Aaron? Stay tuned.

Phoenix As A Dude

Yes, I realize that the name of the book is What If? X-Men: The Rise & Fall Of The Shi’Ar Empire, but it really should be called...

WHAT IF PHOENIX WAS A DUDE?

Not bad. Looks like the lead singer for "Jet."

Occasional Reviews: "Titans East Special"

I felt the need to sit down and talk to you about this one face-to-face.

Spoilers!

Occasional Links

* A new book links comics to the occult and suggests superheroes are the new gods:

"It’s a historical view of comic books that will lead readers to believe that today’s demigods aren’t only found in religious tomes, dark séance rooms or Freemason gatherings, but in comic books, which have a long history evolved through cultures that worshipped demigods all the way through dime store fiction, adventure novels and creators who delved into secret sects and the strange religiosity of occult practices."

In other news, the new gods are dead.


* Use this handy chart to find out how many episodes of your favorite TV show are left before it runs out of scripts and is replaced with "Pooping With The Stars."


* 20% of NYU students would trade their right to vote for an iPod touch, a new poll sez.

Laughing at stupid Americans:


* Angry Zen Master points out the possible in-joke in Marvel's new online project, Digital Comics Unlimited. Again, that's Digital Comics Unlimited.

Does not approve:


* The differences between male and female geekery:

"I once met a beautiful woman who had what I consider to be one of the hottest combos in the world: she was Asian with a British accent. But she was also a hardcore Barbie collector. Hypothetically, could I have overlooked this in regards to a relationship? I'm honestly not sure I could have. It would have just been too weird. Even picturing all those plastic women all over the place, makes me shudder." (via via)

As a former hard-core Barbie collector, I just have to take exception with the quoted article. Having a room full of little plastic eyes staring at you is awesome...and you never feel like you're alone.


* Signs on "L" Train Changed To Forbid "Full House" cast (via via). Can a "yield" sign featuring Jodi Sweetin be far behind?



* "Tales of The Really White Vigilante" chronicles one man's struggle to fight the yuppification of his neighborhood while wearing a Mexican wrestling mask. Guest-starring Gentrification Bear. I'm not kidding.


* Video: Crank Dat Souljah Boy, Mellow Acoustic Version. Soothing.

Breast Augmentation The Salma Hayek Way

The actress says in an interview:
"My mom and I stopped at a church during a road trip we were making from our home in Mexico. When we went inside, I prayed for the miracle I wanted to happen. I put my hands in holy water and said: 'Please God, give me some breasts'. "And he gave me them!"


This is almost as awesome as that time my grandmother placed rosary beads over the TV set when they were calling out the lottery numbers. But not quite.

Superman Primedickery

Okay, let's analyze these latest "Superman Prime" pages and see once again if the character isn't a critique on the so-called "fanboy mentality."

1. "I can't believe I found an Earth even lamer than the one I was stuck on." -- "Worst Earth Ever!"

2. "Cyborg shouldn't be a member of the Justice League." -- lingering institutionalized racism. Liked Black Panther when he wore the full mask and didn't have the African overtones.

3. "Or another fake Aquaman." -- though, to be fair, to really complete the "extreem fanboy" stereotype, he would have snuck a gay joke in there.

4. "This Wonder Woman's not that pretty. Not like my girlfriend Laurie." -- Dude is in denial. Uses insert from picture frame as photo of supposed girlfriend. Would have sex with WW in two seconds. Would have sex with WW's photo insert from picture frame in two seconds.

5. "The perfect universe is out there. Mine is out there. And if I had to rip apart the entire Multiverse..." -- Isn't this how we got in this "Countdown" mess in the first place?

"Final Crisis" and the "New" Batman: The Plot Thickens!

According to LITG, the original plan of turning all the main DCU icons into "Fifth World" characters has been abandoned for something a bit less drastic:

"...a Bat-storyline by Grant Morrison. So look for Bruce Wayne New God to go head-to-head with Darkseid in "Final Crisis."

You know, I really have to wonder if these sorts of spoilers are purposely "leaked" to test the waters with the fans. I'm not saying that Rich Johnson is knowingly running rumors that have been leaked on purpose, because I don't believe that's the case. But if you're the head of a major comic book publishing outfit and are planning massive changes to your characters...wouldn't it make sense to do a little "research?" Isn't it better to find out before you turn half your cast into pseudo-Gods in Kirby headdresses whether or not the fans will balk?

Honestly, I don't think permanently removing Bruce Wayne as Batman will work with the fans. This is not to say that I think DC won't do it. I'm just saying I think it won't "stick" -- unless very maybe you make Dick Grayson Batman. Only a character with that level of "legacy" could really take over.

Personally, I think if they made Jason Todd Batman, fans would be setting their comics on fire and filming it for YouTube. And Stephen Colbert would weep.

Occasional Links: The "Ultimate" Edition

The first images of Heroes' Zachary Quinto as Spock have been released! The dude looks pretty much like a dead ringer for Leonard Nimoy. Can a revival of In Search Of be too far away in his future?


Speaking of JJ Abrams's new Star Trek movie...somebody finally got around to informing Harlan Ellison that the plot might be strikingly similar to his own work on the original television series. As you can imagine, Ellison takes it really really well...


Newsarama's Super-Articulate theorizes that you can figure out all the latest Marvel spoilers by analyzing which characters are being included in their upcoming Marvel Legends action figure waves. A conspiracy theory, you say? Hogwash and craziness? Or...utterly frocking brilliant?!


Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder says he won't do newspaper strips again, calling the venue too "sanitized." In other news, "Pearls Before Swine" now new "relevant" comic strip.


Sarah Michelle Gellar explains to Maxim why she's finally posing for their magazine:
"Lots of things. I’m 30, and I’m promoting a bunch of different kinds of movies. I like to shake things up every once in a while. It’s good to leave people wanting more, but I don’t want to leave them waiting too long or they’ll lose interest. Besides, how could I not do a Maxim shoot when I have a movie coming out in which I play a porn star?"
Darren Aronofsky called; he would like to do a movie based on that interview excerpt.


"The best way for me to avoid spending money on comic books is to not enter the comic book shop," and other advice for shopoholics. "Picking up a few comics on my way home from work? What harm was there in that?" Next thing you know, you're in Requiem for A Dream with your arm amputated and in possession of one of the best damn collections of Bronze Age Marvels on the block.


There is apparently an epidemic of people scattering cremation ashes at Disneyland. "You're dead...what are you going to do now?" "I'm going to Disneyland...whoooooooooo!!!"


Video: Here is a compilation of the best of pro wrestler Ultimate Warrior's incomprehensible speeches. Bear in mind that in the early 90s, this all made sense to me and he was awesome. (Also check out the Warrior's 1996 comic book)

Italian Spiderman

Not as good as Nicholas Hammond, but better than "Electric Company."

DC's ARENA: "Fan Fiction At Its Finest"

C'mon, like you never asked yourself, "If Rorschach went up against Dark Knight Batman, who would win?"

Other battles I'd like to see in DC's "Arena":

Neil Gaiman's Sandman Vs. Jack Kirby's Sandman

The cast of "Camelot 3000" Vs. the cast of "Ronin"

Jim Aparo Commissioner Gordon Vs. Tim Sale Commissioner Gordon

Evey from "V For Vendetta" Vs. Arrowette

Grant Morrison's cat from "Animal Man" Vs. Power Girl's cat from "Justice League Europe"

Jacques Derrida Vs. Mother Teresa

REM's Peter Buck Vs. Rico Suave

Inside a "Furry" Convention

The 11th annual Memphis Furry Convention was held this past weekend at a Holiday Inn. Members of "furry fandom," or, simply, "Furries," are enthusiasts of anthropomorphic representations of animals.

A small subsection of Furries -- the numbers of whom might be unfairly exaggerated by the Media Who Does Not Understand -- sexually fetishize these humanoid creatures.



According to this article, the convention averages about 600-700 people a year, and many show up in full "Furry" costume.

"They love "living" like an animal, or at least dressing up like one. Furries occasionally stroke each other, and there are even fur piles, including one at a dance."

One father brought his children to the convention. Said a Furry known as "Growl Tiger,"

"I just want them to see the things their father is interested in."


The article also states (rather authoritatively) that mostly men enjoy being Furry, and suggests maybe it's a power thing.

In Search Of Jackie Ormes

Tonight at 7:00 in the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, the New York chapter of Friends of Lulu is hosting a panel discussion entitled, "Women of Color In Comics And Manga." Moderating the discussion is Cheryl Lynn -- known to the blogging community as Digital Femme and a member of The Ormes Society, an organization inspired by the groundbreaking work of cartoonist Jackie Ormes.

But who is Jackie Ormes?


Jackie Ormes, among her other accomplishments, had two successful syndicated comic strips: "Patty-Jo 'n' Ginger," which ran for eleven years during the 1940s and 50s and inspired a doll line, and "Torchy Brown," which first appeared in the 1930s and was revived from 1950-1954.

In an era of rampant stereotypes of African-Americans in popular culture, Ormes's comic strips featured women of color who were confident, brave, intelligent, fashionable, and independent. With a mass media that even now seems to have a problem with the same damn cliches, I marvel at how Ormes managed to buck the system and present her own vision.

Yet in spite of her successes, I haven't seen a tremendous amount written about Ormes. Indeed, after 25 years of being a comic and cartoon enthusiast, the first mention I have ever found of her was in a copy of Trina Robbins's "The Great Women Cartoonists."

But recently there seems to be a renaissance in appreciation for her work. In February of 2008 a book entitled Jackie Ormes: The First African American Woman Cartoonist by Nancy Goldstein will be published by University of Michigan Press. And The Ormes Society continues to keep the memory of this distinguished American cartoonist alive.

Turning now from the past to the present and future, I would recommend dropping by the "Women of Color" panel discussion at MoCCA. Panelists include illustrious illustrators such as Alitha Martinez, known for her work on books such as Iron Man and Thor, Jenny Gonzalez, creator of the Too Negative series and contributor to the House of Twelve anthology, and Rashida Lewis, creator of the comic series Sand Storm.

Occasional Links, The Krusty Edition

REM guitarist's shadowy comic book guy past...


...and System of a Down drummer's comic book guy future.


More pearls of wisdom from crack psychologist William Moulton Marston. And the key word is "crack," which looks like "crock," is shaped like a rock, and rhymes with "quack."




Winona Ryder to play Spock's mother in upcoming Star Trek movie. In other news, I'm f**king old.


Michael Bay circulating fake "Transformers 2" scripts to throw off fans:
"One thing I do know is I know how to screw them up more," said Bay. "We're going to leak a lot of false information all over the place. I now know their game. They're going to get a lot of script treatments that they think are going to be the script. They will never see the script. We've got scripts and treatments written up that we're going to leak. No one's going to know."
In other news, Michael Bay is a douche.


Bill Morrison's Velvet Crusty on display in Utah.



The ballad of Dazzler's butt. Many Betty Grable-esque over-the-shoulder tush shots, "do I look fat in this," "see anything you like," "wanna see me bounce a quarter off of this," "I'm the new Marvel superheroine for the 1980s," etc.


Kevin Church assists DC's Marketing Department with some crack ad copy. And by "crack," I mean looks like...well, you know. Via Journalista.


Video: Who needs "Smallville" and "Batman Begins" when you can have CAMPY SUPERFRIENDS?