Monthly Archive: April 2008

R.I.P. ‘Confessions of a Cereal Eater’ Writer Rob Maisch

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  • April 10, 2008

Illustrator and ComicMix pal Bo Hampton recently passed along the following thoughts on this week’s death of Rob Maisch, the celebrated author of Confessions of a Cereal Eater:

Rob Maisch, the extraordinary raconteur who wrote 1995’s Harvey and Eisner nominated "Confessions of a Cereal Eater," published by NBM and illustrated by Rob’s friends, Bo Hampton and Scott Hampton, Rand Holmes and Sandy Plunkett, died this week unexpectedly of cardiac problems in Copley, Ohio.

According to his long-time friends, the Hamptons, his hilarious stories, energetic teasing, and love of life will keep him vividly alive for them forever.

 

Final Episode of ‘Sam & Max: Season Two’ Wraps

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  • April 10, 2008

That’s a wrap. Steve Purcell’s Sam & Max have just finished the second season of their episodic computer game series with the latest chapter, "What’s New, Beelzebub?" scheduled for release on Friday, April 11. Not only is it remarkable in its own right as one of the few successful examples of episodic content in videogames, but that Sam & Max has discretely become one of the best quality franchises in the realm of multimedia.

Originally a comic book released under various publishers, the dog and rabbit detectives took on hilarious cases with a unique outlook: Sam used wry observations, Max used psychotic threats of violence. Before long, they became a hit computer game in the DOS days of  computers, a television series and an Eisner-nominated webcomic.

The latest bit of multimedia stardom for the franchise has arrived via critically acclaimed episodic content videogames. In this format, smaller chunks of games are sold online and released on a shortened schedule as opposed to a single, standalone game release every few years. In the end, it’s like watching a television program season-by-season instead getting the boxed-set DVD. And just like television, episodic videogames have annual seasons that continue the adventures as long as the public wants them. And with storylines that involve assasinating the Lincoln memorial after it comes to life and decides to run for office, how could the public not ask for more?

You can download one of the episodes from the first season of Sam & Max absolutely free. (Psst… There’s a wickedly funny Superman joke contained within the game, comics fans.) If the first episode gives you the game bug, you can purchase more episodes or the Season One Collected Edition.

On a related note, Sam & Max producer Telltale Games recently announced that Season One would be coming to the Nintendo Wii system. However, in a little bit of ComicMix exclusive news, Marketing Coordinator Emily Morganti revealed that the rumored Xbox Live Arcade version of the episodic content would not be coming anytime soon, saying, "We’d like to bring Sam & Max to XBLA some day, but right now it’s not something we’re working on. We had a huge fan response to the idea of Sam and Max on the Wii, so it felt like the right place to start."

Since even the PC version is basically just pointing and clicking, we can hardly disagree that the Nintendo Wiimote is ideal for this kind of game. Just make sure the strap is on your wrist, because you might laugh enough to drop the controller.

Simone & Ajax: Brooklyn Ducks!

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  • April 10, 2008

In today’s brand-new, full-color episode of The Adventures of Simone & Ajax: The Maltese Duck, by Andrew Pepoy, our heroes are hot on the tracks of the legendary fowl.  His history includes a stint in The Black Legion. Where else will they be forced to go?

Credits: Andrew Pepoy (Artist), Andrew Pepoy (Letterer), Andrew Pepoy (Writer), Jason Millet (Colorist), Mike Gold (Editor-In-Chief)

More: The Adventures of Simone & Ajax: The Case of the Maltese Duck

 

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Brian Bendis, Warren Ellis and Other Creators Reveal the Comic That ‘Hooked Them’

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  • April 10, 2008

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As a reader of comics, there’s probably one book in particular that got you hooked in the first place and kept you reading. Whether it was Superman, Batman, Fantastic Four or, like it was for me, Captain America, you always remember fondly that first one. Successful comic book creators such as Brian Bendis, Warren Ellis and Jim Lee also have a first one that inspired them and over at Entertainment Weekly, they share which comic book was "The One That Hooked Me!"

Among the comics that inspired these creators are Fantastic Four #1 for Brian Bendis, Tarzan for Jim Lee and Countdown, a british comic series, for Warren Ellis. Some of the other artists and writers who detail their first comic book experiences include Robert Kirkman, who counts Amazing Spider Man #314 as the one that "hooked" him and Matt Fraction, who finds it interesting that his first comic book was Batman #316.

If you do read comic books — and lets’s face it, if you’re here at ComicMix, you probably do — what was the comic book that first "hooked" you?

Happy Birthday: Golden Age Black Canary

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Dinah Drake was born and raised in Gotham City, where her father Richard Drake was a detective with the Gotham City Police Department. He trained his daughter well, and when she was old enough, Dinah applied to the GCPD herself. She was turned down, however, and the disappointment crushed her father, who died a short time later.

Dinah vowed to use her skills and training to fight crime in his memory, and donned a blonde wig, fishnet stockings, pirate boots, a bustier, and a short jacket to create her new alter-ego, the Black Canary. Dinah also opened a flower shop, using the money her father had left her, and that served as both a day job and a cover story.

While fighting crime, Dinah met and fell in love with GCPD detective Larry Lance—the two were later married and had a daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance, who would ultimately follow in her mother’s costumed footsteps. The older Dinah continued her secret life and became a member of the Justice Society of America.

It was during those years that Dinah fought the living star-creature Aquarius, whose radiation ultimately killed her.

ComicMix Radio: Would You Sell Comics To These Guys?

Despite the Reality TV show, license to carry a gun and the costumed crusader thing, the Defuser is just like us. He hits the comic shop every week, but what does he grab? He shares his weekly list with us, plus:

— Image, Marvel & DC all chalk up sell-outs

— See you in  September – Three hours of Heroes!

— More High School Musical and The Saint slips back on screen

—  And you know we have another  exclusive Graham Crackers Comics variant that could be in the mail to you – if you win by e-mailing us at: podcast [at] comicmix.com

You know the drill – press the button!

 

 

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-9058926 or RSS!

 

Interview: Steven Cloud on ‘Boy on a Stick and Slither’

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  • April 10, 2008

Boy on a Stick and Slither creator Steven Cloud claims that he’s been publishing his webcomic since 1999, but one gets the impression that BoaSaS has been around quite a bit longer than that, growing in the margins of sketch pads, notebooks and crumpled pieces of paper discarded long ago.

The structure is fairly simple, with only two major characters in essentially the same position from one strip to the next, but the subject matter, well… that’s another story. The topics of conversations for the primary characters, Boy on a Stick (a stick with a boy’s head, just like the name implies) and Slither (a green snake), range from simple observation to complicated existential analysis. One strip will contain dialogue that could just as easily be found in a supermarket checkout line, while another will directly address complicated sociopolitical debates of the modern era.

So, yes, it’s a bit hard to "sum up" BoaSaS… and it seems like Cloud intended it that way.

In fact, it’s probably best to let my conversation with Cloud speak for itself as the best description of the strip, its creator and why it should be a part of your weekly reading list, as we discuss the origins of BoaSaS, the current debate over profitability in print- versus web-based comics, and his upcoming participation in a road rally that spans several continents.

COMICMIX: Thanks for taking some time to talk with me, Steven. What are you working on tonight?

STEVEN CLOUD: Honestly, I was just goofing off, surfing some old sites I’d bookmarked but forgotten. But my intention was to start drawing comics. I have the file open. That’s half the battle.

CMix: What’s the plan for the comic you’re working on tonight? Do you already have it thought out and need to work on the art, or are you still brainstorming a bit?

SC: I still need to brainstorm. I have it 90-percent drawn and maybe 50-percent written. I have a vague notion and I’m trying to turn it into an idea.

CMix: Is that how things normally work with BoaSaS? What’s the creative process normally like for you?

SC: I work probably four hours a day on average, including weekends. I have a full-time job that pays the rent. I have to draw comics during my off-hours. I normally just sit at the computer and draw fun backgrounds while surfing and IM’ing. Then I try to think of a clever premise/joke and lay it on top of the background.

It’s very free-form. Sometimes the background inspires the idea. Other times an idea will strike and drive the process. I just go with the flow and have fun with it. (more…)

Things That Suck, by John Ostrander

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  • April 10, 2008

I’m growing older, approaching cranky-old-manhood, and there are increasing number of small petty things that simply annoy me, dagnab it. Since I can write whatever I durn well please in this here column, I’m just going to indulge myself with a couple of rants on different topics and nothing unites them beyond the fact that I’m a cranky old fart. Yessir.

Grocery stores. The grocery stores I use have self-checkout lanes. These are new contraptions and, as such, on general principles I’m agin ‘em. However, in theory, they get me out of the store faster and that’s a boon so I use them most of the time. What I hate is that the damn things nag ya! They have this voice that keeps walking me through the process. I know how to use it. I don’t need it to keep telling me. It has the same disapproving female voice as Sister Mary Water Closet back in the third grade. I don’t need to hear that voice again, thank you very much!

It would be nice if you could refuse its help but you can’t! Screaming at it to “shut the fuck up!” only gets you stares from your fellow shoppers. Telling it that, “If I wanted to be nagged I’d dig up my mother!” is ineffective and sets small children to weeping, bringing store security. They and the IRS are not well equipped in the sense of humor department.
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Preview: She Hulk #30

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  • April 9, 2008

 

ComicMix pal Peter David recently sent us this pencilled splash page for She-Hulk #30, scheduled for a June 25 release. The artist for the issue is Val Semeiks and the writer is, of course, Peter David.

The image is so nice, it’s a shame one of them is a… Whoops. No spoilers here.

 

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ComicMix Six: Why Marvel’s ‘Secret Wars’ Was Better Than ‘Civil War’

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  • April 9, 2008

 

[EDITOR’S NOTE: In last week’s edition of ComicMix Six, we told you why the Skrulls’ "Secret Invasion" probably isn’t worth losing sleep over, given our list of the worst moments in Skrull invasion history. This week, we’re playing in the sandbox of big events yet again, with a list of reasons why Marvel’s recent  Civil War event doesn’t stack up against one of its popular predecessors, the 1984 series Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars. -RM]

Just over a year ago, Marvel shook up their universe with Civil War, a series-spanning event wherein the U.S. government decided, after a tragic accident involving super-powered heroes and villains, that anyone with superhuman powers would be required to register and become official federal operatives. Costumed crime-fighters picked sides, Marvel picked a slogan ("Whose Side Are You On?"), Spider-Man unmasked, and Iron Man’s pro-registration camp hunted down the anti-registration crowd led by Captain America. In the end, Cap tearfully surrendered, only to be "killed" for his troubles a few issues later.

Throughout the series’ seven issue (and countless tie-ins), the Merry Marvel Marketing team hailed Civil War as the most mind-blowing storyline since, well… ever.

Here at ComicMix, we’re not quite sure we agree. After re-reading Civil War and comparing it to one of the first epic Marvel crossover events, the ’80s action-fest Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars, there’s a good argument to be made for the superiority of the earlier project.

Oh, and remember, what’s being discussed here is the 12-issue Secret Wars series, published by Marvel in 1984 (and featuring the first appearance of Spider-Man’s famous black costume), not to be confused with Secret War, the 2004-2005 five-issue series written by Brian Bendis.

Got it? Good. Now let’s begin…

6. REMEMBERING THE LESSONS ‘SESAME STREET’ TAUGHT THEM: In Civil War, heroes who fought alongside each other for years decide that the best way to debate the merits of a new law is to spy on one another and brawl at each and every opportunity. In Secret Wars, heroes who don’t necessarily trust each other decide that, despite their differences, teamwork and cooperation will improve their situation.

Sure, Spider-Man had a skirmish with the X-Men and the Hulk was shouting at everyone, but they still came together in the end. Wolverine and Captain America shared a heart-to-heart, and the heroes even accepted Magneto’s help, knowing that the greater good was more important than issues of mistrust.

(more…)

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