Yearly Archive: 2008

Artist Edd Cartier Passes Away at Age 94

Artist Edd Cartier Passes Away at Age 94

Edward Daniel Cartier passed away on Christmas Day.

According to pulp historian Anthony Tollin, “Edd was one of the all-time greatest pulp illustrators, legendary for his whimsical work on John W. Campbell’s Unknown and Astounding Science Fiction and 800 illustrations for The Shadow Magazine. He also drew stories for Street & Smith’s Red Dragon and Super-Magician Comics.

“The favorite artist of Astounding editor John W. Campbell and writer L. Ron Hubbard, Cartier also illustrated the beloved Hoka tales by Poul Anderson and Gordon R. Dickson, and stories by John D. MacDonald, Isaac Asimov, Henry Kuttner, L. Sprague de Camp, Clifford D. Simak, Walter B. Gibson, Lester Dent and many others.”

Born in 1914, he studied at the Pratt Institute in New York before beginning his professional illustration career in 1939.

He once said of his work: “I put a bit of humor into what I drew. I was even told at times that I put too much humor into drawing science fiction. It’s a serious thing. When I started out doing science fiction, it was all kind of a weird thing. I had started out in art school drawing the Shadow magazine. The art director from Street & Smith happened to like my work and he gave me some work to do on Western Stories and from there he asked me to do some work on The Shadow magazine as that artist was leaving. He insisted that I follow the previous artist’s type of work. Later on I expanded into my own type of work, my own technique.”


 

Manga Friday: Sex Yet Again

Manga Friday: Sex Yet Again

Where I live – darkest New Jersey – it’s been cold and snowy and cold (did I mention the cold?) for the past week, causing us all to huddle closer for warmth. Add to that the season of closeness and love towards all…and the minds of some of us turn towards more earthy pursuits, such as those examined in the three books this week.

Object of Desire
By Tomoko Noguchi
Luv Luv/Aurora, December 2008, $10.95

Object of Desire comes from the redikomi side – it’s a collection of manga stories by a woman for an audience of women, and all about young women (they seem to be highschoolers, from internal evidence) in their first, or very early affairs of love and sex. There are six stories here, each somewhere from twenty-four to forty-something pages – so they’re of roughly equal weight, unlike the similar manga collections that have one long story and one or two much shorter ones.

(The publisher’s description obscures this, focusing only on the title story – perhaps the old truism in prose publishing that a novel always outsells a book of short fiction is also true of manga?)

“Object of Desire” is narrated by an attractive young woman – so attractive, in fact, that young men routinely date her once or twice and lie outrageously just to have sex with her. (There’s a pretty casual hook-up culture going on here, obviously.) She doesn’t mind, exactly – sex is nice – but she does wish there was some way to find a “nice guy.” But then a boy with a different, blunter approach comes along, and a relationship – unconventional, perhaps, but certainly longer-lasting blossoms.

(more…)

100th Anniversary of Jack Johnson Winning Heavyweight Crown

100th Anniversary of Jack Johnson Winning Heavyweight Crown

A century ago today, December 26, 1908– ironically enough, Boxing Day in many countries– Jack Johnson beat Tommy Burns to become both the heavyweight champion of the world, and the most notorious black man on the planet.

We’ve been covering his story in The Original Johnson by Trevor Von Eeden. If you haven’t been reading it, you’re missing a treat. Start here to read it from the beginning.

Judge’s Ruling Favors 20th Over Warner on ‘Watchmen’

Judge’s Ruling Favors 20th Over Warner on ‘Watchmen’

Judge Gary Allen Feess handed Warner Bros. a legal lump of coal on Christmas Eve, as he issued a brief ruling indicating 20th-Century Fox has the distribution rights to Watchmen, according to Variety.

His five-page ruling said, “Fox owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the ‘Watchmen’ motion picture.”

Frees, over the fall, urged Warner Bros. and 20th to iron out their differences.  He repeated the suggestion in the document, saying, “The parties may wish to turn their efforts from preparing for trial to negotiating a resolution of this dispute or positioning the case for review.” Warner is set to release the film on March 6, 2009.

Fox acquired the rights from DC Comics in the 1980s with producer Lawrence Gordon’s production company.  When 20th lost interest, Gordon moved the project to Universal and Paramount Pictures before landing it with Warner, parent company to DC.

Fox contends that Gordon never obtained all rights from them and they have a controlling interest in the highly-anticipated feature based on the Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons comic.

Given the holidays, Freees promised a lengthier explanation prior to the January 20 trial date.  Warner Bros. had no comment on Wednesday.

‘The Clone Wars’ gets Limited Run on Internet

‘The Clone Wars’ gets Limited Run on Internet

Beginning Monday, while everyone is home from school, kids can catch up on Star Wars: The Clone Wars.  While new episodes return in 2009, the ten aired on Cartoon Network will  be available at both StarWars.com and CartoonNetwork.com. Supervising director Dave Filoni provides commentary.

The online option lasts until January 2 and that evening, the next original episode, "Dooku Captured," will air at 9 p.m. 6

Eartha Kitt Dies

Eartha Kitt Dies

Eartha Kitt died today at the age of 81 from colon cancer.

Known worldwide as a self-proclaimed "sex kitten", famous for her catlike purr, Kitt was an incredibly versatile performer, winning two Emmys and nabbing a third nomination, as well as Tony and Grammy nominations, but probably best known for her role as Catwoman on the 1960’s Batman TV series, replacing Julie Newmar in 1967; and for singing the song "Santa Baby". She was once dubbed the "most exciting woman in the world" by Orson Welles– an assessment that’s hard to dispute.

She said in an interview for Harper’s Bazaar that "a gentleman who wrote [the late 1960s TV series] Batman said he wrote that character especially for me. He said, ‘You are a cat, you look like a cat, you act like a cat.’ "

If only she had eight more lives…

Marvel Announces Kid Friendly ‘Wolverine’ Graphic Novel

Marvel Announces Kid Friendly ‘Wolverine’ Graphic Novel

Clearly inspired by Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Marvel is releasing a hardcover graphic novel, Wolverine.  The press note says, “That’s right Bub, Marvel is proud to unveil Todd Nauck’s cover to Wolverine, an all-new hardcover graphic novel presenting the history of Wolverine’s life from his days as wimpy kid to just how he became one of Marvel’s deadliest heroes. In stores this April, experience the most unique look ever inside the mind of everyone’s favorite Canadian in Wolverine!”

The question must be asked: is it right to release a kid-friendly Wolverine book just weeks before the not-kid-friendly Wolverine movie opens?

4 New Images from ‘Wonder Woman’

4 New Images from ‘Wonder Woman’

Warner Premier provided us with four new images from March 3’s Wonder Woman animated feature. Wonder Woman will also be available OnDemand and Pay-Per-View as well as available for download day and date, March 3.

Wonder Woman will receive a big screen premiere at New York Comic Con on February 6, 2009 in the IGN Theater at the Javits Center. The 8:30 p.m. screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring members of the film’s cast and crew. Ticket information is forth-coming.

Here’s what you’re looking at:

Artemis (center, voiced by Rosario Dawson) takes the lead during a gathering of Amazonians. Princess Diana, later to be known as Wonder Woman, stands immediately to the right of Artemis.

Ares assumes an even more menacing figure in battle as the primary villain, voiced by Alfred Molina.

Wonder Woman gets the upper hand, er, lasso on Ares’ henchman Deimos during a thrilling action sequence.

Steve Trevor, voiced by Nathan Fillion, reacts angrily to Ares’ affront to an American icon.
 

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

May you all find what you’re looking for, be it peace, love, courage, funding, or that copy of Superman #74 in very fine or better.

We bring you a little bit of a New York holiday tradition as you open your presents:

 Through next year we all will be together, if the fates allow. Even if we have to muddle through somehow.