After Hours tries suicide?

Reality?

Our latest ComicMix Podcast discusses big things at the Sci-Fi channel, anger towards Marvel’s Captain America stunt, and we reveal the astonishing inside low-down on After Hours comics and their new "reality" comic about… suicide? Timeline swoops down on 1976 and Superman Vs. Spider-Man #1.

All this and Logan’s Run – with George Perez, no less – on ComicMix Podcast #14, available by clicking on this here button:

Transcript

www.ComicMix.com ComicMix I realized the reality gave me a role Wow, reality, what a concept. What did you say I was testing the bounds of reality?

Reality is this. Tell me about a face reality Hi, it's Mike Raub. Welcome into the podcast in the middle of the week. We're going to do a little reality test from this guy. Hey, I'm Buddy Scalera from After Hours Press and this is ComicMix.

Hang on buddy, we'll get to you in a couple of minutes. In the meantime, we got some timeline to go back through. A whole bunch of news and a lot more on this. March 15, 2007. ComicMix. The Sci-Fi channel is going to premiere their latest action thriller series,

Painkiller Jane, coming up on the 13th of April at 10 o'clock. All part of a big night of Sci-Fi TV that includes a return of Stargate SG-1 at 8 and Stargate Atlantis at 9pm. Jimmy Paul Biatti, co-creator of Jane, said he's having all sorts of fun getting involved in the series and he hopes to direct an upcoming episode. Jimmy, that'd be great. Let us know what happens. We want to talk about it right here at ComicMix.

While the controversy over Captain America 25 continues with many retailers feeling either Marvel or Diamond dropped the ball and getting enough copies of the comic to the stores to satisfy the throngs of curiosity seekers who read in their local paper that good old Captain America got whacked. Meanwhile, a cover to an upcoming Punisher War Journal has been leaked, teasing just who the next Captain America might be. We got one thing to say. Remember the eradicator don't fall for it.

Nickelodeon has revealed plans for their next big television season. They'll be adding over 700 episodes of new or returning shows over that period. Among the shows that have been renewed, SpongeBob of course, Avatar, Fairly Odd Parents and Dora, El Tigre, The Naked Brothers Band and Just Jordan have all been approved for 13 new episodes each as well. Now the new series include Mighty B which is created by Saturday Night Live comic Amy Poehler,

Tack and the Power of Juju, a CGI series based on the Tack PlayStation games, Back to the Barnyard, a series based on the Barnyard movie from last year, Making Fiends, a series based on the online films of A.B. Winfrey, and Bubble Guppies which oddly enough is a completely original idea at Nickelodeon. According to Marvel, Iron Man 15 is completely sold out, at least at Diamond.

A lot of people are interested in that issue because it's the first one with Iron Man as the director of the new S.H.I.E.L.D. There'll be a second printing with another new cover. This one takes the splash page from the issue done by Roberto de la Toro and makes that the cover. If you want one, you got to get to your retailer soon though because the orders are going to have to go in real quick. As you're digging around at the comic shops this week, why don't you look on the show for a new company called After Hours Press.

We had a chance to talk to the publisher, Buddy Scalera, and he had a lot to say about some of the things that they've been doing in After Hours, including two new titles that have just hit the stores in the last few months. One is Seven Days to Fame, and Buddy explains it's a little bit twisted even for an independent comic. It's a comic book about a reality TV show where people go on live TV to commit suicide.

They so desperately want to be famous that they're willing to kill themselves for fame. Where did the concept come from? You know what it is? I've been watching a lot of reality TV. This goes back to the 90s. I was watching Cops and different things like that, and I thought, boy, people do anything to be on television.

And I sort of extrapolated it, and then I thought, you know what? Reality TV's not going anywhere. And then we saw like, who wants to marry a millionaire? I'm sorry. And some of the other shows that were coming out, and I just could not believe what people were willing to do, like on Fear Factor. And I thought, well, what's the next step?

Would someone kill themselves on television just to be able to have that moment of fame? And I think there's a plausible plot line here that says this could happen. Has there been any reaction from the real reality TV guys to this? You know what? I have a fear that they're going to sue me or something. So I sort of try to fly a little bit under the radar. So I've kept it in industry.

There's been some obviously some movie interest and things like that. But, you know, nobody's written a big check for me yet. After Hours has a second title, too, right? The other book that we just did is Model Operandi. It's girls, guns and motorcycles. So you've got supermodels by day, fighting crime by night.

And really, when it comes down to it, there's nothing wrong with that formula. Thanks, buddy. We're going to keep an eye on the comics. You can do the same. If you can't find them in your store, then go to the web. It's ahpcomics.com for seven days to fame and Model Operandi. www.ComicMix.com

Comic next timeline. March 15, 1976. Comics this week, there were a lot more reprints from DC, but they were put together really cool. For example, this week we had DC special number 21 with a whole bunch of old stories all packaged together as the war against the monsters. There was DC superstars and super team family this week as well.

And then the big one, Superman, Spider-Man number one. I thought it would happen. And when it finally did, it just blew the doors off most comic book stores. Superman, Spider-Man number one was probably the first big and maybe even in a lot of people's eyes, the best Marvel DC team up. Also this week, Black Panther number one with art from Jack Kirby

and Sub-Baron, her maiden appearance in Marvel Spotlight number 27. Chaunton Comics was on the stands as well with magazines and comics this week, both dedicated to space 1999. In news this weekend, more set out, decided this country should not follow their training with Russia due to Russia's failure to supply them with arms.

And President Ford's campaign manager got caught taking a bribe. In movies it was Mother Jugs the Speed with Raquel Welch and Bill Cosby, Robin and Mary and of course with Sean Connery and this one. Last day, Capricorn 15s, Europe the City, 2274, Carousel begin. There is no sanctuary.

Wasn't much to remember in Logan's run except for Ferris Hare and a really cool George Perez comic that came out from Marvel about this time as well. On TV, well first we got the forgettable list, Barbary Coast with William Shatner, yuck. The Montefusco's and Joe Forrester, more forgettable shows.

On the classic side, how about Switch with Eddie Albert and Robert Wagner, Co-Jack who was at his peak at this time, and another show that had a cool comic to go with it as well. I'm telling me, Arnold's absent again today. Mr. Carter, Arnold's absent again today.

Thanks a lot, Vinnie. Let me know if you get here. In 1976, you weren't going to make it on the radio unless you had a song people could dance to and you needed a formula to keep coming back to the top 40 again and again. These guys sure had it down. It was hot chocolate. You sex a thing, sex a thing, you I believe in miracles.

Says you came along, you sex a thing. www.ComicMix.com ComicMix Mailbag. Alright, let's dig in the mailbag this time. The lucky guy is Jax555.

Jax, I assume you're a guy. If you're not, I apologize. Jax, of course, does this email thing at Yahoo.com and says, you know, I've heard a lot about how much work Jack Kirby did for Marvel back in the early days of the Marvel Age of Comics. It seems like the way people talk, he drew just about every comic that was out every month.

Come on, that can't be true. Tell me the real scoop. You know, I gotta tell you, Jax, even though Jack didn't draw everything, Jack did a lot of work in his heyday for Marvel, and during the early days of what they called the Marvel Age of Comics, he certainly was the guy who designed the style, the feel, the taste,

everything you touched about Marvel was really Jack Kirby. Let's just take a couple of months, for example. Let's say March 1965, there were 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, just about 10 comics out that month that Marvel put out, and of those 10 comics, Kirby did the covers to Fantastic 436,

Strange Tales number 130, which had the Beatles on it, Journey to Mystery 114 with Thor, Tales of Suspense number 63 with Iron Man and Captain America, Tales to Astonish number 65, Sergeant Fury number 16, Avengers number 14, and X-Men number 10.

That pretty much is, shall we say, about 85% of all the comics out that month. He also, of course, did interior artwork on Thor and in the Captain America story, Tales of Suspense, and of course, Fantastic Four and part of the Avengers and even the X-Men issue as well.

Alright, I guess it's true he didn't draw every single Marvel comic that was ever created during the Marvel Age of Comics, but he picked any particular month during the early 1960s, 63, 64, 65, anywhere in there, and you got to see so much work by Jack,

including interior work and covers as well. Thank you, Jacks. Appreciate the letter. You know, we'd love to hear from you as well. We love digging this information up, but you got to ask us the question first. That's easy to do. It's podcast at ComicMix.com.

We'll be looking to hear from you. ComicMix.com. Before I go, I just want to tell you you were fantastic. Alright, that does it for this time. Don't forget, a couple of days from now, we will be right back here.

We will be talking to Tom DeFalco about his history of Marvel Comics and about his work with Spider-Girl and Avengers Next. We'll also have a little bit of news for you. Go back in time and do all the usual things you can expect from us. Want to slip something in there just for you?

You know how to do that. Get in touch with us any time at podcast at ComicMix.com. Talk to you on the weekend. www.ComicMix.com ComicMix.