Fred Hembeck has some great new 'toons up for auction. Click to see: All New X-Men, Kirby Kreeps, The Inhumans, Movie Monsters.
--------
The Edgar Allan Poe-fest continues at Golden Age Comic Book Stories, with "The Tell-Tale" heart adapted by Archie Goodwin and Reed Crandall (part one, part two) and "The Raven" adapted by Richard Corben (part one, part two).
---------
Word has it Amy Winehouse will be doing the theme for the new James Bond flick.
---------
Mike Sterling humorously and brilliantly displays how Marvel Comics has completely lost the plot.
New Get Smart movie pictures
Will this movie be bad? Most likely. Am I rooting for it anyway on the basis of inspired casting? Yes I am.
Here are some fresh pics of Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway as Maxwell Smart and Agent 99.
Here are some fresh pics of Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway as Maxwell Smart and Agent 99.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars pictures
Here are some new images from the upcoming "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" CGI-animated film, which opens next summer to be followed by a series on the Cartoon Network.
New Batman 'toon present kid-friendly Crusader
Mike Manley, character designer for the Cartoon Network's upcoming "Batman: Brave and the Bold" series talks about the new show's approach to Batman, and offers up a pretty apt assessment of today's comic book fanbase.
One of the things I enjoy about this new Batman cartoon is the fact we are going back to a kinder, friendlier Batman. A Dick Sprang version, which is the guiding design principle we are working from and there still is a slight echo of the BT [Bruce Timm] styling, which is a nice break from the grim and gritty. Let's face it, these cartoons are for children, young children 5-10,12 years old. Cereal eating, fruit rollup snacking, toy buying kids, not 30-something, 40-something bitter bee babymen who want these characters in adult situations.
The message boards are already full of babymen angst about the show, how they hate the art, the idea of a kid friendly Batman and I have to just laugh at the ridiculous comments. IMO one of the biggest reasons comics suck ass and have since the 80's is the rise and overtaking of the biz by the Babyman fan and the loss of kids reading comics as a hobby. Now we are stuck with an aging fanbase with limited taste, long memories, a twisted taste where the comic heroes have to be dark, gritty, sexy, adult...REAL!
Me, I'm 40-something and aging all the time. But I don't want my heroes to get decrepit (and embittered) along with me. I remember being 10 and having a whole spinner rack of super-hero (and other types) of comic books available to me--all pretty much geared toward my age group.
I've got my own kids now and think it's downright weird that most super-hero comics today aren't appropriate for them.
A lighter, brighter Batman sounds great to me.
One of the things I enjoy about this new Batman cartoon is the fact we are going back to a kinder, friendlier Batman. A Dick Sprang version, which is the guiding design principle we are working from and there still is a slight echo of the BT [Bruce Timm] styling, which is a nice break from the grim and gritty. Let's face it, these cartoons are for children, young children 5-10,12 years old. Cereal eating, fruit rollup snacking, toy buying kids, not 30-something, 40-something bitter bee babymen who want these characters in adult situations.
The message boards are already full of babymen angst about the show, how they hate the art, the idea of a kid friendly Batman and I have to just laugh at the ridiculous comments. IMO one of the biggest reasons comics suck ass and have since the 80's is the rise and overtaking of the biz by the Babyman fan and the loss of kids reading comics as a hobby. Now we are stuck with an aging fanbase with limited taste, long memories, a twisted taste where the comic heroes have to be dark, gritty, sexy, adult...REAL!
Me, I'm 40-something and aging all the time. But I don't want my heroes to get decrepit (and embittered) along with me. I remember being 10 and having a whole spinner rack of super-hero (and other types) of comic books available to me--all pretty much geared toward my age group.
I've got my own kids now and think it's downright weird that most super-hero comics today aren't appropriate for them.
A lighter, brighter Batman sounds great to me.
Pop links
Digital Spy shares a bunch of pics from the season 4 opener of "Doctor Who."
---------
USA Today has several images from the next James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
-------
A monument to the Beatles will be erected in Mongolia.
In support of the initiative, Prime Minister S.Bayar attended Friday a news conference called on this matter. Saying that the Beatles launched a globalization process, Mr. Premier told that he has been listening the Beatles' sings for over 40 years.
Standing close to a guitar sculptures of four "Beatles" will be made of bronze. Songs of Beatles and of Mongolian groups and singers will sound all day through. Over MNT 100 million is required for this project.
---------
USA Today has several images from the next James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
-------
A monument to the Beatles will be erected in Mongolia.
In support of the initiative, Prime Minister S.Bayar attended Friday a news conference called on this matter. Saying that the Beatles launched a globalization process, Mr. Premier told that he has been listening the Beatles' sings for over 40 years.
Standing close to a guitar sculptures of four "Beatles" will be made of bronze. Songs of Beatles and of Mongolian groups and singers will sound all day through. Over MNT 100 million is required for this project.
Birds of Prey DVD details
This short-lived DC Comics-based series will be out on DVD July 15 (right before the new live-action Batman film hits movie screens).
Along with all 13 episodes, it'll include the animated, online "Gotham Girls" series. You can pre-order it now from Amazon.
Along with all 13 episodes, it'll include the animated, online "Gotham Girls" series. You can pre-order it now from Amazon.
Frank Miller's "Spirit" flick - big bunch of pics
Forty-some "green screen" images from Frank Miller's film based on Will Eisner's "The Spirit," starring Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Paz Vega, Scarlett Johanson, Eva Mendes and others have been posted here. The greens will be CGIed in afterwards, as was done with Miller's "Sin City" film.
As mentioned yesterday, I don't have great hopes for the film capturing the style and feel of Eisner's strip, given how much more the promo poster, etc., look way more like Miller's world than Eisner's, but some of these images do look Eisneresque (the goofy pic of the Spirit feeding those cats, the Spirit atop the chimney). If Miller can incorporate some humor into his grim'n'gritty noir, maybe the film will do an ok job. But, still...
We'll see.
P.S. The Spirit's suit needs to be blue. Going black was NOT a good move.
As mentioned yesterday, I don't have great hopes for the film capturing the style and feel of Eisner's strip, given how much more the promo poster, etc., look way more like Miller's world than Eisner's, but some of these images do look Eisneresque (the goofy pic of the Spirit feeding those cats, the Spirit atop the chimney). If Miller can incorporate some humor into his grim'n'gritty noir, maybe the film will do an ok job. But, still...
We'll see.
P.S. The Spirit's suit needs to be blue. Going black was NOT a good move.
Sin Ci..., I mean, Spirit movie posters unveiled!
I'm beginning to suspect (well, maybe not "beginning," since I kinda figured all along) that the Frank Miller-directed "Spirit" movie is gonna be a lot more about Frank Miller than Will Eisner.
This poster design doesn't strike me as Eisneresque in the least, but smacks entirely of Miller's artistic sensibilities. The images are part of the outdoor marketing campaign for the film.
I mean, if you're gonna do a movie based on "The Spirit," which had a look and design sense all its own, shouldn't you go with that?
This poster design doesn't strike me as Eisneresque in the least, but smacks entirely of Miller's artistic sensibilities. The images are part of the outdoor marketing campaign for the film.
I mean, if you're gonna do a movie based on "The Spirit," which had a look and design sense all its own, shouldn't you go with that?
Pop links
Golden Age Comic Book Stories posts another Archie Goodwin-penned Edgar Allan Poe adaptation. This time it's "Berenice" with art by the wonderful Jerry Grandenetti.
--------
John Lennon and a very stoned Bob Dylan take a limousine spin in this YouTube video from the infamous unreleased Dylan docu flick, "Eat the Document."
--------
The BBC's official "Doctor Who" site is sporting a new look, with lots of materials touting the show's upcoming fourth season.
--------
Mail it To Team-Up presents a nice gallery of works by comics artist Jim Mooney, who passed away recently.
--------
John Lennon and a very stoned Bob Dylan take a limousine spin in this YouTube video from the infamous unreleased Dylan docu flick, "Eat the Document."
--------
The BBC's official "Doctor Who" site is sporting a new look, with lots of materials touting the show's upcoming fourth season.
--------
Mail it To Team-Up presents a nice gallery of works by comics artist Jim Mooney, who passed away recently.
Batman "Brave and the Bold" 'toon announced -- with pic
The Cartoon Network has announced details of a new Batman animated series set debut later this year:
"Batman isn't going at it alone this time! From Warner Bros. Animation comes the latest interpretation of the classic Batman franchise. Our caped crusader is teamed up with heroes from across the DC Universe, delivering nonstop action and adventure with a touch of comic relief. Blue Beetle, Green Arrow, Aquaman and countless others will get a chance to uphold justice alongside Batman. Though still based in Gotham, Batman will frequently find himself outside city limits, facing situations that are both unfamiliar and exhilarating. With formidable foes around every corner, Batman will still rely on his stealth, resourcefulness and limitless supply of cool gadgets to bring justice home."
The series, consisting of 30-minute episodes, will be produced by James Tucker and Linda M. Steiner -- the team behind Legion of Super Heroes -- and will be executive produced by Sam Register.
Other creators include line producer Amy McKenna, story editor Michael Jelenic and directors Ben Jones, Brandon Vietti and Michael Chang.
"Batman isn't going at it alone this time! From Warner Bros. Animation comes the latest interpretation of the classic Batman franchise. Our caped crusader is teamed up with heroes from across the DC Universe, delivering nonstop action and adventure with a touch of comic relief. Blue Beetle, Green Arrow, Aquaman and countless others will get a chance to uphold justice alongside Batman. Though still based in Gotham, Batman will frequently find himself outside city limits, facing situations that are both unfamiliar and exhilarating. With formidable foes around every corner, Batman will still rely on his stealth, resourcefulness and limitless supply of cool gadgets to bring justice home."
The series, consisting of 30-minute episodes, will be produced by James Tucker and Linda M. Steiner -- the team behind Legion of Super Heroes -- and will be executive produced by Sam Register.
Other creators include line producer Amy McKenna, story editor Michael Jelenic and directors Ben Jones, Brandon Vietti and Michael Chang.
Wein/Wrightson Swamp Thing stories set for DC Comics hardcover
Not too much detail yet, but it looks as if a collection of Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson's "Swamp Thing" tales will be an early entry in DC Comics' new Classic Library series of hardcovers.
Assessing Dr. Wertham: Friend or foe
The Beat reports on a debate in Canada's Globe and Mail over the legacy of Dr. Frederic Wertham, who famously made the the claim in his book "Seduction of the Innocent," back in the 1950s that comic books were responsible for juvenile delinquency, which ultimately led to Congressional hearings and the Comics Code--an episode recounted in a new book by David Hajdu: "The Ten-Cent Plague."
In the Globe piece, Bart Beaty, author of "Fredric Wertham and the Critique of Mass Culture," criticizes Hajdu's book (which I've not yet read), saying:
Hajdu’s portrayal of Wertham substitutes a stereotype of the uptight German intellectual in place of the facts. In order to portray Wertham as a censor, the author ignores his long history as an anti-censorship expert witness. To present him as a dilettante obsessed with comic books, he has to mask his accomplishments as one of the foremost psychiatrists of his day. Most important, to depict him as a foe of children, he has to entirely ignore the monumental role Wertham’s research played in public education reforms, in particular desegregating U.S. schools in the 1950s.
These are the facts that work to undermine Hajdu’s thesis, and which made me a “defender” of the man.
Certainly, if you read a little about him, Wertham was not all bad. As Louis Menand notes in his review of Hajdu's book published recently in The New Yorker:
[Wertham] worked at Bellevue, and then at Queens Hospital Center as director of psychiatric services. In 1946, he opened a clinic in Harlem, the Lafargue Clinic, which charged twenty-five cents if the patient could afford it—the first effectively free psychiatric facility in the United States for people of color. In 1947, he started the Quaker Emergency Service Readjustment Center, devoted in part to the treatment of sex offenders. He was a prolific writer on subjects of social importance.
I really think Wertham did have the well-being of children at heart. But, at the same time, his crusade against comics was wrongheaded, self-promotional and based on sketchy science.
And, whether or not Wertham was anti-censorship or not, or whether he supported the Code or wanted to put comic book publishers out of business, his crusade resulted in those things happening.
It's also true that Wertham took aim at comics with a wide barrel. He didn't just go after crime and horror comics, but the whole medium--reading sexual subtext into harmless super-hero books, as well.
I know it's not hard to read such subtext into the comics of that day from our modern perspective. But does anyone really believe--campy as those comics may be in retrospect--the writers of Batman had a "homosexual agenda"? Or that reading Batman would "make" you gay? This notion shows that Wertham was being irresponsible and wrongheaded in his arguments--stretching his thesis to make comics as whole into something evil. (Not to mention, playing into the prejudicial and narrow-minded thinking of those times .)
The bottom line is that, what happened back then concerning comics was not black and white. Wertham did have a point about some comics--particularly the hyper-violent horror and crime titles of the day--not being appropriate for young children. They weren't.
Then, as now, many parents need a wake-up call about what kids are putting into their heads, whether its comics, movies or video games. I have nothing against people speaking up and advocating for such awareness. In this way, Wertham was providing a service.
But I don't support the labeling or censorship that resulted, or similar measures that are in use or, from time-to-time, get proposed today. Parents need to be responsible for their own kids, and that means paying attention to what they're ingesting pop-culture-wise. And, if you deem something inappropriate for your child, don't let him or her ingest it.
If Wertham forced publishers to think about the messages they were sending to kids, that's good. No doubt, publishers knew that violent, exploitative materials were reaching children, and they profited from that fact.
Publishers do need to know their audience, and they should act responsibly. The stuff that comes out in mainstream super-hero comics today, in titles that for decades were appropriate for children, is often ridiculously inappropriate.
But, at the same time, publishers shouldn't be censored or forced to abide by an authoritative code that enforces guidelines and limits on what can be said in a creative medium.
See? It's decidedly not simple or black and white, then or now.
As a sidelight: One of the most best things I've ever read about the whole 1950s comic book panic is the title piece in Mark Evanier's collection "Wertham was Right!," which takes a succinct, balanced look at the man and exposes a very little-talked-about fact about the doctor--one that hasn't been mentioned at all in any of the discussions I've seen about Hajdu's book--which is: Wertham, late in life, became incredibly interested in, and supportive of, science fiction and comic book fandom.
Back in the late 60s, the doctor contacted comic book fan clubs, subscribed to fanzines and even wrote a book about the whole phenomenon, "The World of Fanzines," which was very positive about people coming together, writing about, and being enthusiastic about--of all things--comic books!
In the Globe piece, Bart Beaty, author of "Fredric Wertham and the Critique of Mass Culture," criticizes Hajdu's book (which I've not yet read), saying:
Hajdu’s portrayal of Wertham substitutes a stereotype of the uptight German intellectual in place of the facts. In order to portray Wertham as a censor, the author ignores his long history as an anti-censorship expert witness. To present him as a dilettante obsessed with comic books, he has to mask his accomplishments as one of the foremost psychiatrists of his day. Most important, to depict him as a foe of children, he has to entirely ignore the monumental role Wertham’s research played in public education reforms, in particular desegregating U.S. schools in the 1950s.
These are the facts that work to undermine Hajdu’s thesis, and which made me a “defender” of the man.
Certainly, if you read a little about him, Wertham was not all bad. As Louis Menand notes in his review of Hajdu's book published recently in The New Yorker:
[Wertham] worked at Bellevue, and then at Queens Hospital Center as director of psychiatric services. In 1946, he opened a clinic in Harlem, the Lafargue Clinic, which charged twenty-five cents if the patient could afford it—the first effectively free psychiatric facility in the United States for people of color. In 1947, he started the Quaker Emergency Service Readjustment Center, devoted in part to the treatment of sex offenders. He was a prolific writer on subjects of social importance.
I really think Wertham did have the well-being of children at heart. But, at the same time, his crusade against comics was wrongheaded, self-promotional and based on sketchy science.
And, whether or not Wertham was anti-censorship or not, or whether he supported the Code or wanted to put comic book publishers out of business, his crusade resulted in those things happening.
It's also true that Wertham took aim at comics with a wide barrel. He didn't just go after crime and horror comics, but the whole medium--reading sexual subtext into harmless super-hero books, as well.
I know it's not hard to read such subtext into the comics of that day from our modern perspective. But does anyone really believe--campy as those comics may be in retrospect--the writers of Batman had a "homosexual agenda"? Or that reading Batman would "make" you gay? This notion shows that Wertham was being irresponsible and wrongheaded in his arguments--stretching his thesis to make comics as whole into something evil. (Not to mention, playing into the prejudicial and narrow-minded thinking of those times .)
The bottom line is that, what happened back then concerning comics was not black and white. Wertham did have a point about some comics--particularly the hyper-violent horror and crime titles of the day--not being appropriate for young children. They weren't.
Then, as now, many parents need a wake-up call about what kids are putting into their heads, whether its comics, movies or video games. I have nothing against people speaking up and advocating for such awareness. In this way, Wertham was providing a service.
But I don't support the labeling or censorship that resulted, or similar measures that are in use or, from time-to-time, get proposed today. Parents need to be responsible for their own kids, and that means paying attention to what they're ingesting pop-culture-wise. And, if you deem something inappropriate for your child, don't let him or her ingest it.
If Wertham forced publishers to think about the messages they were sending to kids, that's good. No doubt, publishers knew that violent, exploitative materials were reaching children, and they profited from that fact.
Publishers do need to know their audience, and they should act responsibly. The stuff that comes out in mainstream super-hero comics today, in titles that for decades were appropriate for children, is often ridiculously inappropriate.
But, at the same time, publishers shouldn't be censored or forced to abide by an authoritative code that enforces guidelines and limits on what can be said in a creative medium.
See? It's decidedly not simple or black and white, then or now.
As a sidelight: One of the most best things I've ever read about the whole 1950s comic book panic is the title piece in Mark Evanier's collection "Wertham was Right!," which takes a succinct, balanced look at the man and exposes a very little-talked-about fact about the doctor--one that hasn't been mentioned at all in any of the discussions I've seen about Hajdu's book--which is: Wertham, late in life, became incredibly interested in, and supportive of, science fiction and comic book fandom.
Back in the late 60s, the doctor contacted comic book fan clubs, subscribed to fanzines and even wrote a book about the whole phenomenon, "The World of Fanzines," which was very positive about people coming together, writing about, and being enthusiastic about--of all things--comic books!
Vengeance of the midget Daleks!
Via Action Figure.com, here are a couple of hilarious-looking Doctor Who items for kids:
First up: The Dalek Dress-Up Set, which looks like a really weird skirt to me. You can get it at Woolworths UK, but it's only available "suitable for ages 5-11 years."
Next, we have the Dalek voice-changing helmet, which I wasn't able to find available yet anywhere with a quick Google search.
Amazon in the U.S. has the super creepy Dalek Hybrid voice-changing mask, though, so maybe the goofy-looking standard Dalek one will be available here, too.
There's actually a surprising amount of Dalek stuff
available here via Amazon. Thats a big change from my big Who-mania days of the mid-80s when it seems like nobody here had heard of the Doctor and I went nuts buying books and cheap plastic Dalek toys on a trip to London.
First up: The Dalek Dress-Up Set, which looks like a really weird skirt to me. You can get it at Woolworths UK, but it's only available "suitable for ages 5-11 years."
Next, we have the Dalek voice-changing helmet, which I wasn't able to find available yet anywhere with a quick Google search.
Amazon in the U.S. has the super creepy Dalek Hybrid voice-changing mask, though, so maybe the goofy-looking standard Dalek one will be available here, too.
There's actually a surprising amount of Dalek stuff
available here via Amazon. Thats a big change from my big Who-mania days of the mid-80s when it seems like nobody here had heard of the Doctor and I went nuts buying books and cheap plastic Dalek toys on a trip to London.
Pop links
The great "Donald Duck" artist Don Rosa is is suffering vision problems, The Beat reports.
Don has communicated to me that on Tuesday he had a follow-up visit to the eye doctor to check the progress of his recent surgery. It was discovered that his “good” eye was developing some tears that foretold the same retinal detachment he experienced in his left eye, so he again had an immediate operation - this time laser surgery to mend the tears. His doctor feared that the retina in his right eye might also detach before his left eye had healed, rendering him blind in both eyes for months.
Here's wishing Rosa all the best during this challenging time.
----------
Golden Age Comic Book Stories is on an Edgar Allen Poe kick. Check out this adaptation of "The Cask of Amontillado" scripted by Archie Goodwin with art by the great Reed Crandall: Part one, part two.
----------
Meanwhile, The Horror of it All remembers prolific comics artist Jim Mooney with this 1953 tale.
Fred Hembeck has a nice remembrance of Mooney as well.
----------
What is wrong with Marvel Comics?!
Sigh...
----------
Entertainment Weekly counts down the 20 Worst Comic-Book Movies Ever. Just 20...?
Don has communicated to me that on Tuesday he had a follow-up visit to the eye doctor to check the progress of his recent surgery. It was discovered that his “good” eye was developing some tears that foretold the same retinal detachment he experienced in his left eye, so he again had an immediate operation - this time laser surgery to mend the tears. His doctor feared that the retina in his right eye might also detach before his left eye had healed, rendering him blind in both eyes for months.
Here's wishing Rosa all the best during this challenging time.
----------
Golden Age Comic Book Stories is on an Edgar Allen Poe kick. Check out this adaptation of "The Cask of Amontillado" scripted by Archie Goodwin with art by the great Reed Crandall: Part one, part two.
----------
Meanwhile, The Horror of it All remembers prolific comics artist Jim Mooney with this 1953 tale.
Fred Hembeck has a nice remembrance of Mooney as well.
----------
What is wrong with Marvel Comics?!
Sigh...
----------
Entertainment Weekly counts down the 20 Worst Comic-Book Movies Ever. Just 20...?
Listen to Radiohead live on the BBC
The band did a live performance on British radio this week. You can listen to bits here.
Doctor Who launches fourth season
"Doctor Who" has launched its fourth season in the U.K. The BBC checks in with producer Russell T Davies and stars David Tennant and Catherine Tate.
Tuesday's audience was treated to a sneak peak at future episodes that included a brief glimpse of a Dalek.
Asked if this heralded the return of legendary villain Davros, however, Tennant and Davies remained as tight-lipped as ever.
Speculation has been rife over who will play the Doctor's nemesis should he return to the show, with David Bowie and Sir Ben Kingsley just two of the names mooted.
You can watch a trailer for the new season here.
Tuesday's audience was treated to a sneak peak at future episodes that included a brief glimpse of a Dalek.
Asked if this heralded the return of legendary villain Davros, however, Tennant and Davies remained as tight-lipped as ever.
Speculation has been rife over who will play the Doctor's nemesis should he return to the show, with David Bowie and Sir Ben Kingsley just two of the names mooted.
You can watch a trailer for the new season here.
Comics great Murphy Anderson returns to (Captain) Action
Murphy Anderson, who designed the original Captain Action toy packaging back in the 1960s is set to provide art for a new array or retro-Captain Action products, IcV2 reports.
He's also providing a cover for the second issue of Moonstone Comics' new Captain Action series and, down the road, will illustrate a story for the title too.
He's also providing a cover for the second issue of Moonstone Comics' new Captain Action series and, down the road, will illustrate a story for the title too.
"Veronica Mars" producer, star reuniting for new series?
E! reports that "Veronica Mars" star Kristen Bell may reunite with that show's creator Rob Thomas for ABC's "dramedy" "Outrageous Fortune," which is based on a popular New Zealand series.
Reliable insiders confirm that Kristen has been offered a role as one of the daughters on ABC’s Outrageous Fortune remake, and that Rene Russo is very close to signing on as the mother. The series is about a family of criminals, in which the father gets sent to the clinker and the mother decides to set everyone straight.
The first two seasons of "Veronica" were fantastic, while the viewer-desperate third was a flaming wreck. It'd be great to see Bell back in a regular series--she's a great, fun-to-watch comic actress of immense talent--and with Thomas involved, too, this sounds promising.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)