It was a pretty big week for comics last week. Brian K Vaughn's Saga finally dropped (I didn't read it), and another much-anticipated book, Womanthology, showed up in comic stores (I sort of read it, but I'm in it, so I mostly just obsessed over my mistakes.) (I'm on page 194, go look it up.)
However, three much more exciting (to me, anyway) stories ended up on my digital (and actual) doorstep this week. I didn't think I could top the thrill of seeing my own work in print, but the following three comics were so well done, they have confirmed my choice to only read creator-owned / indie comics from here on out.
Continue reading "Comic Reviews and Parenthetical Asides" »
I've been remiss in writing about comics for Geektress. I'm a slacker, but isn't that what comic readers do? DC's relaunch has given me the chance to start fresh, and read comics I've never looked at before. Here's what I think as a new reader to the DC-verse (selected titles only since I can't afford to read them all):
Continue reading "Carey's Comic Roundup" »
In December, Patty Jenkins, the director of Monster, was let go from the production of Thor 2. She would've been the first female to direct a major superhero movie (really?) and her firing reportedly pissed off Natalie Portman (though, we think it just sounded more like Natalie was kind of bummed out, not "furious.") Since then, Marvel has hired Alan Taylor (most known for directing television -- and we don't mean anything negative by that) to helm Thor 2, which should begin filming this summer (with a November 2013 release date.)
The part that gave us pause was that Marvel didn't consider any other female directors to replace Patty. A lot of speculation around the 'net was that the "only" other viable candidate would be Kathryn Bigelow. Partly because she's Oscar-accredited, partly because she's apparently an "action" director. (Though, if Branagh can direct a superhero movie, why can't any other genre director, but that's just sensible talk.) So here's our list of possible replacements for Alan, should he decide he'd rather direct another episode of Game of Thrones, instead:
Continue reading "Thor Two: As in, 2 X chromosomes are better than one." »
My obsession with the Red Lanterns is no secret. (See here and here.) I love angry cats and I also love being angry. Really, I do. It’s liberating. This is why I’m pleased with the direction the Red Lantern book is going. In the second issue Atrocitus asks the all important question for the Red Lanterns: is some rage more justifiable than others?
Continue reading "Green Means Go, Red Means Kill" »
Dead Man's Run #0 by Greg Pak, Tony Parker, and Peter Steigerwald (colors) & Josh Reed (letters) came out today from Aspen Comics. (Walking Dead producer Gale Anne Hurd is also producing Dead Man's Run through her Valhalla production company.) I received a review copy in the mail this week and couldn't wait to read it, as Pak is quickly moving up the list of my favorite writers (my first experience with his writing being the Battlestar Galactica comics.)
Laura always suggests, and I now second this, that if you don't know what titles to read, follow the author. Lots of people followed Gail Simone and are now discovering the Batgirl title for the first time. (Though, I still recommend everyone check out Bryan Q. Miller's run on the title.) After Vision Machine, and this comic, I'm pretty sure I'm going to follow Greg Pak around, too.
...It doesn't hurt that he apparently really likes robots.
I never know whether to put my criticisms first, or the praise, so let's put it this way:
Continue reading "Review: Dead Man's Run" »
Yesterday Carey gave you her thoughts on some of the DCnU #1 issues. Today it is my turn. I read a lot of the DC relaunch comics. I didn't realize how many until I had to do his post. I probably would have read more if it weren't for the fact that they cost money. I'm not completely new to the DCU, like Carey, but clearly this relaunch worked for me as if I were. I tried more titles than I probably would not have previously. I loved many of them, and plan to continue reading most of them.
Continue reading "If Only DC Made Edible Comics" »
Scott Snyder is not only a talented creator, he's a nice guy, too. Often on Twitter he will go on tangents, giving out advice and telling stories about American Vampire, his completely fantastic book for Vertigo. He also had an amazing run on Detective Comics, and is currently writing Severed for Image, Batman and Swamp Thing for the DC reboot.
Friday night he took some questions, and, because he doesn't have a blog, I'm going to quote him here so any interested writers out there can take a peek at his process. The following is all Snyder, and is very long (which makes it sort of impressive that he did it all on Twitter.)
Continue reading "Write! Write like the wind!" »
There are few things that can sum up my love of being a cartoonist. Number one, despite her protests that I'd only ever be a cartoonist, was my grandmother. Number two is Bloom County. (And, Calvin & Hobbes, but everyone loves Calvin & Hobbes.)
I picked up "The Bloom County Library: Volume One" on the cheap at Mid Ohio Con last year. I'd really wanted the collection, as I had every other Bloom County collection there is (including the Outland and Opus books). The first volume promised to have Berkeley Breathed's early college work, and I wanted to own some of that stuff. I was not disappointed:
Continue reading "Bloom County: Several Years of Talking Animals" »
I really liked the comic book miniseries Sweets, about a serial killer in New Orleans on the eve of Hurricane Katrina. I liked it so much, I bought an extra copy of the trade paperback to give away. What you might not know is that Sweets opens with a recipe for pecan pralines, and then launches in to a hard-boiled crime drama. What I'm about to tell you is that you can win a copy of the story for yourself, simply by telling us how to make your favorite sweets.
Continue reading "Sweets for Sweets!" »
It's DC Week here at the 'Tress, and we've decided that Tuesdays should be filled with comic book crack. We've previously brought you a very special edition of World's Finest, and on the podcast, we've discussed the above-referenced issue of Wonder Woman (#155) where she marries a brussel sprout. (Read the whole thing here.)
Continue reading ""DC Comics! Got that DC Comics here!"*" »
Yes, I know that headline was completely cornball.
The Vault is a three issue miniseries from Image, written by Sam Sarkar and drawn by Garrie Gastonny. (Sakti Yuwono and Bagus Hutomo did the colors and cover for Issue #1, respectively.) The first installment was released last Wednesday, and it did not disappoint. I admit, I'm a little biased because I had no idea what the comic was going in to it, but on the first page, there's an intro talking about the Oak Island Treasure Pit.
Continue reading "The Vault: Diving In To My Heart!" »
There are a lot of things going on out there in the infosphere, and we're here to confuse the situation some more. After the jump we have a list of contests and projects you should probably take a gander at. But first up, let's talk about free movie screenings!
Epix, in conjunction with Vios, is having a "Movie Free-for-All" this summer. Tonight at Coney Island, they'll be screening Iron Man 2 for free. They are also running a Twitter contest called Sweet Seats. Fans can enter to win VIP seats to select screenings by following @EpixHD on Twitter. EPIX will announce on their Twitter handle when the contest begins for each movie, then all you have to do is tweet to @EpixHD with the hashtag #EPIXFFA as instructed to become eligible to win. All the rules and details are here. The prizes for the Iron Man 2 screening are free Iron Man 2 DVDs.
Continue reading "A Plethora of Promotion" »
Summer is eating my brain. I love my kids, but we are in the home stretch of fighting and "I am bored."
I love the blog Filth Wizardry for making crafts with and for kids. Some tips are good for grown ups, too.
Continue reading "Linksy Friday, Ho!" »
The International Comic Book Convention in San Diego was this weekend, for those of you who forgot. We put together what we thought was the most interesting news to come out of the con, for those of you who weren't there (like us.)
Continue reading "SDCC Round Up!" »
Way back in May, comic book creator Renae De Liz tweeted and asked if anyone in the infosphere would be willing to take part in an all-volunteer, all-female comic book anthology for charity. I didn't actually see this tweet, but Geektress Francene did, and urged me to sign up.
"My stuff is more cartoony than comic booky," I said. "I bet she's not looking for people like me. She's a comic book artist. A real one," I said.
"I suck," I didn't say.
"Well, it was recommended to Kate or Die. And she has a lot of things she posts like yours. Besides, you rock, so there."
Continue reading "Womanthology: The Magic! The Mystery: Revealed!" »
Grant Morrison is one of those writers you love to hate or hate to love. He can also see into the fifth dimension, which is how I keep him straight from all the other sassy, bald comics writers out there like Bendis (Powers guy who hates cats), Brad Meltzer (guy with the terrible television show), and BK Vaughan (guy who wrote the best episodes of Lost). Oh yeah, and Mark Millar is “the one with hair.”
Continue reading "Supergods: Tripping Comic Book Balls with Grant Morrison" »
As a friend once put it, it's ZOMGAmerica weekend, and what's more patriotic than shameless self promotion?
Francene has the week off to wrangle young children for Vacation Bible School, and technically this is my first day back to work after a long two week vacation. I hope you enjoy your fireworks and meat cooked outdoors this weekend, and maybe if you live in Columbus, stop by ARTillery Ohio's "America: Fuck Yeah" show. I will be exhibiting above referenced Colbert Pie painting.
Continue reading "Links Roundup Part Eleventyzillion" »
Last week, when Marvel announced the new series Avenging Spider-Man, for me and probably most long time comic readers, it immediately brought to mind the classic Marvel Team-Up, which featured Spider-Man teaming up with a different character every issue. It was great, and I couldn't help but think that the new series could never live up to it. Superhero comics just aren't nearly as much fun anymore. However, when I made a joke on twitter specifically referencing two of my favorite team ups, Red Sonja and Frog-Man, I got absolutely no response. Either people just don't know what they are missing, or I'm insane. I'm going with the former.
Continue reading "Fun With Marvel Team-Up" »
Star Trek comics are nothing new. Since almost the beginning of the original series, many different companies have produced Star Trek comics -- including DC and Marvel -- with the very first comics being written by creators like Len Wein. There have been comic strips, and an animated series. In fact, the only Star Trek variation that hasn't had a comic book spinoff is Enterprise. Poor Enterprise. So misunderstood. So Bakula.
Anyway, the newest version of Trek in the funny books is going to start in September from IDW Publishing, and is going to feature the new, young, alternate timeline cast from the J.J. Abrams film. Abrams' producing partner Robert Orci will be in charge of the series, which will:
Continue reading "Star Trek Is Back In Comics" »
I have a very small local comic shop that doesn't carry indie comics, but will order anything you want if you tell them about it. They actually started ordering extra copies of iZombie because I asked for it and they hadn't heard of it, but liked the covers, and thought it'd be fun to stock. So when I saw the preview images for Sweets in the back of another comic, I knew I had to request it. Even though I wasn't entirely sure what sort of story it was going to be, the art was intriguing, and that's half the reason I read a comic at all, so I needed to roll the dice.
When I read the first issue of Sweets, I liked it a lot, but I realized it may be the sort of comic that would be easier for me to read all at once. So I patiently waited until I had all five issues of the mini-series in my possession before I continued reading. Each month I got a Sweets comic in my pull was like knowing I was getting another Christmas present that I had to wait to open.
I am a woman with few strongly held beliefs: Monkeys make everything funnier; a good skirt can be infinitely more comfortable than a pair of pants; and Superman should be messed with as little as possible. I'm also not the kind of comic book fan to get all worked up by rumor and speculation. (I used to be, but it didn't do anyone any good, me least of all.) I like to keep a nice wait-and-see attitude, enjoying what I am currently reading, and worrying about whether I will enjoy what comes next when it actually sees print. Can you see how these things come in conflict when it comes to the announced reboot of the DC Universe? Wonder Woman is already wearing pants, Superman is clearly being messed with, and there's not a monkey in sight to make me smile.
Continue reading "DCU Reboot Is Pants!" »
I love comic books, but hoo boy is it a trip being part of the comic book community, y'all. Some times it's a lot of fun, going to conventions and discussing Smallville and drinking. A lot of the time, though, there is drama. VRY SRS MELLOWDRAMAZ. Things can get out of hand very quickly, and over very little.
For instance, a few weeks ago a friend of mine blogged that he found it kind of disgusting that PR people and talk show handlers are obviously forcing young actresses to "play up the geek angle" when they make appearances to plug their superhero-related movies. Somehow this got interpreted across the Twitterverse as "ZOMG THAT DUDE SAID GIRLS CAN'T LIKE COMICS!!1!!".
So, last night, when DC announced their new publicity stunt, the whole geek world exploded. While half of my friends were debating whether Hangover 2 or Bridesmaids was better, the other half was consumed with mad confusion.
Continue reading "DC Announces Re-Launch, Evil Twin, Secret Child" »
A few weeks ago as we were podcasting, I remarked to Laura that more people should read iZombie, because of all the cute outfits.
"There are a lot of cute outfits," she replied.
"Yes," I said. "It's probably the most stylish comic book out there on shelves."
Continue reading "iZombie: Voted Most Stylish Zombie Comic" »
A few weeks ago I went a little off the rails talking about why people shouldn't be concerned with how Wonder Woman is dressed, they should be more concerned with how she's being written. Plus, there are plenty of other superheroes in the comic book world that we can pick on (or praise) for their fashion choices, instead.
While they can't all be Katy Keene or Millie the Model and change their look every issue, the following group of nominees (some of whom YOU suggested via Twitter and Facebook) top the list of who should find a stylist, and who should keep on keepin' on:
Continue reading "Best / Worst Dressed Superheroes" »
While we were at C2E2 this year, we saw a woman who had fashioned a snazzy straight-line skirt out of DC superhero fabric. We thought it was a clever way to dress for a convention without having to invest time and money in gobs of face paint or painstakingly handcrafted props.
I never realized that using superhero print fabric -- usually bed sheets -- could make such an interesting departure from traditional cosplay. But Francene brought to my attention Meagan Marie's website, where fashion really met comic con for a day last summer.
Continue reading "Not Your Average Cosplay: Recycled Vintage" »
On Wednesday as I picked up my regular pull list, I said to my local comic book store owner that if he was able to hold anything for me on Saturday, I'd most of all like the Archaia free comic, as it had a preview of A Tale of Sand, the comic Laura told us about last month.
"Why not take one now?" he said, and pulled a copy out of a box in the back room. Apparently his wife had just been flipping through the same thing, because one of the covers featured "Mouse Guard." (The Archaia comic is one of those double previews, with two stories printed upside down from the back.)
I'm very happy to show you a peek at the free one-shot I received on Wednesday, in the hopes that some of you who aren't normally comic book readers will head to your local store (here's a handy locator) and try to at least get a copy of this for yourself. Go on, it's free all day tomorrow, Saturday May 7th.
Continue reading "Free Comic Book Day: Archaia Preview" »
We live-blogged the DC Icons panel at C2E2! I typed until my laptop battery died.
Action Comics #900 finishes the Lex Luthor story and starts Doomsday. It's a 50 page story and Paul Cornell said it was "terrifying" to write. Plus, totally independently, he and Chris Roberson both brought back Superman's thought bubbles.
Bill Willingham does an awesome job of embarrassing Dan Didio by insisting on serving him water and bringing beverages to the rest of the panel. They still refuse to talk about what the bet was that Willingham lost (in order to have to be Didio's Butler for a day), but the gag is very entertaining.
Continue reading "DC Icons Panel: Challenging the Power of Butling" »
If you haven't been reading Paul Cornell and Pete Woods' excellent run on Action Comics, you are missing quite a lot. However, in a storyline that features a robot Lois Lane and some of the best villains in the DC Universe, my absolute favorite thing had to be in issue #893 when Lex Luthor faced off against Gorilla Grodd. My friends can atest to the fact that I would not stop talking about how awesome Grodd's giant combat spoon was. I mean, it's a giant spoon he uses to eat brains. That's just brilliant!
Continue reading "C2E2: I Have Brought My Biggest Combat Spoon" »
Usually the problem with open question and answer sessions at comic book conventions is that (and this is being extremely generous) about one in five questions from the audience is actually any good. Apparently an open mic can really make geeks nervous, and people get ridiculous and silly. It's why, most of the time, we'll leave a panel during the Q&A (unless you're Bruce Campbell and the whole thing is Q&A and he's making fun of you.)
So last night at the DC Nation panel, it was kind of shocking that 99% of the audience questions were really interesting and it was Dan Didio that was being goofy. It was all very Freaky Friday / role reversal.
Continue reading "C2E2: Like 18 Father, Like George Versa*" »
Stop what you're doing! Have you ever read Axe Cop? It's probably one of my most favorite webcomics about a dinosaur and an axe-wielding cop. It's also my favorite webcomic written by a six year old and illustrated by his Eisner-Award not-winning 30 year old older brother. It might be the only comic in either of those categories, but the point is why are you reading about it if you're just now hearing about it? Go and read all 80-some episodes, I'll sit here and wait.
Okay... now that the Johnny-come-latelies are all out of here, check it out: Dark Horse put together a collection of the comic in December. I like how free the freeness of the free webcomic is, so I didn't mess with that, but now they're getting ready to start publishing the cartoon in comic form in the spring. It appears to take over where The Dark Knight left off, so maybe you don't need to care about Jonathan Lipnicki playing King Tut or whatever (let's make that a new rumor, TMGeektress):
Continue reading "TUESDAYS ARE KICKAXE!" »
Dear US Veterans:
Very exciting news! From now until January 6th, you can sign up for a year of free Marvel digital comics. It's a value of $60 and it's only good for one subscription for one year, but hey.... free comics. You worked hard for it! Click here to request a subscription.
To peruse the titles that Marvel has available for digital download, click here. They have over 9,000 comics available and over 400 completed series. They don't, however, appear to have Thor: The Mighty Avenger.
Unfortunately, this offer is only open to veterans of Afghanistan or Iraq. Fortunately (but more unfortunately) those wars have been ongoing since 2001, so there are probably a lot of OEF and OIF veterans out there. So pass it along!
(Also, if you'd like to send comics, books, DVDs, snacks, or really anything to a soldier currently serving overseas, check out our past drives page to get involved!)
Continue reading "Marvel Loves The Troops For A Limited Time" »
Last month I was browsing around Amazon and noticed someone complaining about how her young daughter loves Marvel heroes, but she doesn't know what to buy that's appropriate for her. I suggested Girl Comics,
That got me thinking, though. What are some good comics to gift for Christmas? Whether you're looking for a series to draw someone in to the world of graphic novels, or you have a small child that loves Batman or Spider-Man, hit the jump link for our list of books you might want to consider as gifts this year.
Continue reading "All You Want For Christmas Is More Comics" »
Everyone has been very generous with their comics and money in helping us send care packages to soldiers serving in Afghanistan (and Iraq!) But one thing I think our servicemen and women really appreciate are the notes from you. And, we don't get many of those.
If you haven't been able to donate comics, books, dvds, or cash, this is one thing you can do for free that would mean a lot. If you're having a hard time figuring out what to say, start off by saying thank you. Then just write about yourself. Thanksgiving just passed, you could talk about what you did for the holiday, and what your plans for the upcoming holidays are. You may think it's weird to talk about yourself to someone you don't know, but honestly, the news of something real "back home" are the best gifts of all.
Please send any and all messages, even if they're short ones, to comments@geektress.com. I'll be sending out the latest shipment of cookies and comics (and paperbacks and dvds) this week. I'd like to include lots of email printouts. Don't let the men and women of B Company down!
Continue reading "Comics Care Package #4!" »
Today is not only my birthday, it's the fifth annual Wonder Woman Day! It's celebrated in Oregon and New Jersey, but lately it's also been celebrated all over the interwebs. For instance, just check out the various auctions up at eBay to benefit Bradley Angle, an organization that helps victims of domestic violence.
In the last four years, $89,000 has been raised. This year they're trying to break the $100k mark. So, check out some of the things that are open for bids, like the custom Wonder Woman My Little Pony. If you're in the Portland area, stop by Excalibur Comics for various signings and the silent auction of even more artwork, or stop by Comic Fusion in Flemington New Jersey.
Continue reading "Happy Wonder Woman Day!" »
With the spoils from our Burgers & Cupcakes donations, we are sending out our first shipment to Afghanistan. There's an Army unit from Kentucky that's asking for "Anything. Anything at all." With no PX and not much but their laptops to entertain them, we're sending them a box full of your donated trades (Some of you really stepped up -- check out the hardcover Akira, awesome), plus some Girl Scout cookies, paperback novels, and DVDs (I assume everyone loves Caddyshack, right?)
If you weren't at our party and would still like to help out, here's our donate button. The first 12 people to donate $20 or more will get a grab bag from our shindig (which contains goodies from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab plus some Geektress swag,) and a few other surprises. Thanks to everyone who donated today and helped rid me of all the extra BPAL grab bags! My house was starting to smell like Hellboy. :)
Also, because someone asked, our privacy policy is that if you give us any of your information, we do not give that out to anyone else without your permission. Partly because we have no idea how that works, but mostly because that's annoying.
Continue reading "Comics Care Package #3!" »
The above graphic is fake. Well, not fake. I mean, it exists. I know it exists -- I made it. But it's not "official," which is why the "DC 75" part looks like ass -- I don't actually have DC's trademarked logo.
DC / Warner Brothers had a 75th anniversary graphic made up for their Zazzle store, so people could put it on hats and skateboards and underwear. It features the Flash, Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern in silhouette. It's okay, but it's pissing off some Wonder Woman fans. The DC Women Kicking Ass blog already has 460 signatures on a petition, for instance.
As Laura has pointed out, you can't make a lot of noise about there being a DC "Trinity," and say Wonder Woman is "iconic," and say the trinity of Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman is "iconic", and then leave her off your logo celebrating your iconicness. Is she not really as important as you want to pretend when you're trying to sell comics? Or did it look weird to have a superheroine that's taller than all your dudes?
Is DC ashamed of their boobs?
Continue reading "Needs More Boobs" »
First Lieutenant John Black got in touch with us after our last soldier care package drive to let us know that his unit can out-geek any other in Afghanistan. He proved it by including photos of the above golf cart, tricked out with Batman flair. They use it to get everywhere on their Forward Operating Base.
They specifically requested Return of Bruce Wayne, Batman & Robin, and Thin Mints. We couldn't possibly deny them, so due to generous donations of comics from the last drive and our friend Lynnda at the Ohio Girl Scout Council, we once again need some help paying for shipping. For example, the last round of Girl Scout cookies cost over $130 to ship. (Cookies be heavy, yo.)
If you missed out contributing last time and would like to help out this time, please donate what you can through our PayPal. If you can't help this time around but are interested in helping in the future, let us know at comments@geektress.com. We're trying to organize another drive for our anniversary party in October.
If you'd like to see more photos from Afghanistan, click the link to continue reading.
Continue reading "Comics Care Package 2: Now with more Batman!" »
If you're just tuning in, Geektress had a fundraiser this weekend to send comic books and assorted sundries to four female soldiers stationed in Iraq. Thanks to the kind contributions of our readers and my co-workers, I was able to put all this together. In total for this shipment, we had:
In total we raised over $250 and there are still more comics on the way from people contributing back issues out of their personal stash (thanks, John Wiswell and Janelle Siegel!) As a result, we're taking all the surplus and putting it in a shipment to 30 Marines in Afghanistan who requested "toothpaste, socks, and lots of comic books." If you're interested in sending comics or supplies for that drive, email Laura@geektress.com.
This was so much fun and wouldn't have been possible without lots of support from you. Especially awesome was the help of PackRat Comics* and Bimmer Tools, for helping find missing back issues and covering the expense of shipping. Also we can't thank Lynnda at The Ohio Girl Scout Council enough for the cookies, and FilmDrunk & Gamma Squad for helping spread the word so quickly.
*(PackRat Comics also sends a monthly care package overseas, so if you're ever in Columbus, Ohio, make sure to check them out because they are awesome.)
** As it turns out, the Girl Scout Cookies are going to be expensive to ship. If you haven't contributed yet and are interested in sending Cookies to Soldiers, donate here. (I may also get more cookies for some soldiers in Afghanistan.)
Continue reading "Comics Care Package: THE PACKENING" »
For some reason I can't find out much about this animated short that will appear as a bonus feature on the Special Edition Blu-Ray and 2-Disc Special Edition DVD release of "Batman: Under the Red Hood" (July 27th). What I can gather is that Jonah will be voiced by Thomas Jane, but it also stars Linda Hamilton, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Michael Rooker in unspecified roles.
In the DC Showcase story, the tough-as-nails bounty hunter Jonah Hex always gets his man - until someone else gets to him first - in this case a murderous madam who wants to steal more than just her bounty from Jonah Hex.
More pictures after the jump.
Continue reading "Preview Images From Jonah Hex... the OTHER one" »
I've had next to no sleep in the past two days and have the attention span of a goldfish, making any real thought impossible. Fortunately, random thoughts on various bits of pop culture news are much more entertaining. Above is a picture that has absolutely nothing to do with anything in this post, but is indisputable photographic evidence of the coming robot apocalypse. This is even more chilling than that chimp riding a segway.
Evangeline Lilly has signed on to costar in "Real Steel," Hugh Jackman's upcoming robot boxing movie. Now, I've really been looking forward to this movie. Sure it's not the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots movie we've all been dying to see, and the father/son drama aspect kind of makes me think of "Over the Top," but it's still about robots boxing and the director has promised Hugh Jackman will be shirtless. Those two things are pretty much guaranteed to get me in a theater, and I don't need Evangeline Lilly getting her Kate-cooties all over this thing. I friggin' hate Kate.
I can understand why phonagnosia would be a problem, but if I absolutely had to choose only one voice to recognize in my whole life, it would, without a doubt, be the voice of Sean Connery.
Continue reading "Robots and Cyborgs and Heroes and Such" »
Okay, so this year for the first annual Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, Laura and I decided that -- instead of awkwardly handing over random single-issue comics, or mumbling and shuffling our feet trying to figure out how to tell our favorite creators that we love them -- we would show the writers and artists that make our lives enjoyable that we love them by having them sign an exclusive piece of artwork we'd made ourselves (with help from Tony Miello in the actual art making department.)
It gave us something to talk about other than "ZOMG I LOVE BIGBY WOLF." It would be a way for us to advertise the site, too. And most importantly, it was something we could give to someone who wasn't able to attend. The best part is, we decided to auction off the posters we got signed, and donate the profits to the Hero Initiative. Turns out, this idea worked out great. The posters look fantastic, and we got to meet a LOT of our favorite creators.
After the jump is a list of who all we got to sign, plus links to the auction pages on eBay.
Continue reading "Geektress Posters Rocked C2E2" »
I was planning on plugging Free Comic Book Day (Saturday, May 2nd) on here soon, but The Beat had this cool PSA, naturally accompanied by an "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" trailer. Why should you listen to me when you can listen to Hugh Jackman? He's got that sexy Aussie accent. To make things extra easy for you, here's a link to the Free Comic Book Day website, where, in addition to finding a comic shop near you, you can see the comics that will be available.
Continue reading "Wolverine Wants You Smarter, Stronger" »
It's been rumored for a while, but DC has finally announced "Wednesday Comics" as their next weekly series. Debuting this summer, this 12-part series will be in the 14" x 20" broadstreet format and have to be unfolded to be read. From the Newsarama article:
“The concept is that we are trying to recapture the spirit, format, and sense of enjoyment that people had form reading the Sunday comics that arrive in newspapers every week,” DC Sr VP and Executive Editor Dan DiDio explained to Newsarama. “So, for this 12 week period, we’re creating 16 weekly strips that will be presented in newspaper format, which will feature some of our primary characters, as well as some of the premiere creators in the business.”
Apparently we have DC Art Director Mark Chiarello to thank for this, frankly, awesome project, which will include creators like Kyle Baker, whose Hawkman is pictured above (via The Pulse), Joe Kubert, Neil Gaiman, Paul Pope, Walt Simonson...there are a lot and they are pretty much all awesome. The cherry on top is that the series is completely divorced from regular DC continuity, and the stories specifically being written with first time readers in mind. There really is no excuse not to pick this series up.
Continue reading "Sunday Wednesday Comics" »
In his latest column, Rich Johnston leaked news and art of an upcoming, though currently unscheduled, all ages comic from DC entitled "DCU Elementary." In it, all the heroes and villains of the DC Universe will be going to school together, and it looks adorable. Follow the link for more unbearable cuteness. Unfortunately, Johnston doesn't doesn't name the artist, which is a shame, because that person deserves a lot of love.
Continue reading "Super Cute" »
Just a reminder to everyone that this Saturday, May 3rd, is Free Comic Book Day. How awesome is that? If you follow the link, you will find a store locator for participating shops. Unfortunately, it is for the U.S. and Canada only, but Free Comic Book Day is international. There's also a list of the comics that will be available, several of which I would buy if they weren't free. I'm most excited about getting my hands on Tiny Titans #1, since I missed out on it when it first came out, and the Hellboy/B.P.R.D. comic. The Marvel Adventures Iron Man issue is written by Jeff Parker and Paul Tobin, so that one is definitely going to be good. If you didn't buy All Star Superman #1 when it came out, you really want to get that one. Trust me. There's a lot to be excited about this year, so go check it out. Get free stuff. Bring the kids. If you don't have kids, pick one or two up at the local playground. They won't mind. They're getting free comics. Unless you reach your limit on the free comics you can get, but there are others you want. Then you might want to take the kids' comics.
Continue reading "It's Like Christmas, But You Have to Leave the House" »
Geektress is still recovering from the New York Comic Con, and despite the fact that three of us were there, we have to catch up on all the news and announcements just like everyone else. (What can I say? We just don't care all that much about Skrull invasions, the umpteenth DC Crisis, or movies directed by Frank Miller.) However, this little piece of news begged our immediate attention. In the vein of Marvel Zombies, Marvel Comics has now announced Marvel Apes to be written by Karl Kesel with Ramon Bachs on art.
Continue reading "Simiantics" »
Hugh Jackman is apparently teaming with television and comic book writer Marc Gugenheim to create a comic book for Virgin Comics to be titled Nowhere Man. Here's what the press release has to say about it:
Story details are being kept under wraps but Virgin officials describe the story as a Sci Fi odyssey set in a groundbreaking vision of the future in which mankind has traded privacy for safety. “I’ve had so much fun in the graphic novel world with the X-MEN franchise that I wanted to get even more involved,” said Jackman about the project. “I am so excited to work with Virgin and Marc and create a compelling character and story that hopefully will also make it to the big screen."
So it's not about the TV show?
Not surprisingly, Jackman's own production company, Seed Productions, is already developing it for film and "other areas." One can only hope this includes radio.
Continue reading "Not Content Ruining Others' Comics, Hugh Creates His Own" »
Newsarama has an interview with Paul Tobin announcing a new addition to the Marvel Adventures line of all ages comics, entitled Marvel Adventures: Super Heroes. Tobin describes it as such:
The title is set up to revolve in four issue arcs, with not only the creative teams but also the featured characters themselves changing out. It’ll give us a chance to showcase characters that don’t have their own book, or team-ups of characters that do. Beyond that, Super Heroes largely holds to the same "rules" as the rest of the line, so we're looking at one-issue storylines with an emphasis on fun and action.
Tobin will be writing the first arc, featuring Spider-Man, Iron Man and the Hulk in stories that revolve around the Hulk entering Orthus and Cerberus into a dog show, extreme sports in space, a Kang the Conqueror plot involving potato chips, and Klaw becoming a country singer. As if it couldn't get even more insanely brilliant, Tobin dropped some hints, and some preview art (above) about an upcoming Marvel project with his wife, the crazy talented Colleen Coover.
Continue reading "Comics For Kids Are Comics For Everyone" »
