Monthly Archive: January 2009

Here is today’s list of comic-related news items that might not generate a post of their own, but may be of interest…

* The Way the Future Blogs: Proving that you’re never to young to start blogging, Frederik Pohl has started one– at the age of 89.

* Johanna notes what I think is yet another sign of the ongoing recession in comics: Stupid Publisher Tricks: Raising Price Dramatically After Order:

Top Cow offered hardcover collections of Midnight Nation (in November) and Broken Trinity (in December) at the price of $34.99. However, they’ve decided to upgrade the editions… and each book is now priced at $100. For a slipcase and poster? They may call the books oversized, but they’re now only the size of a sheet of copy paper.

* In the most interesting non-comics news I read today, Tivo reported a significant spike in "timeshifting" of primetime programming last year, particularly during sweeps periods. 54% of primetime programming was viewed on a timeshifted basis during broadcast sweeps in May and October of 2008, demonstrating a correlation between the most highly promoted programming and the amount of timeshifting among viewers.

* And speaking of timeshifting, a reminder: Wolverine and the X-Men premieres tomorrow night on Nicktoons. Here’s a teaser:

Anything else? Consider this an open thread.

It was inevitable. From a Japanese toy web site— and apparently, Barack Obama doesn’t even need Secret Service protection, he packs his own handgun. And his own street sweeper. And his own katana and wakizashi!

And best of all, since it’s the Japanese, we get to have the Star Wars reference:

Choose your punchline for this blog post:

1. Help us, Obama-Wan… you’re our only hope.

2. Obama’s private meeting with Dick Cheney.

When [[[Superman]]] whet readers’ appetite for costumed champions, comic book publishers responded and for the next decade, hundreds of characters arrived.  A handful survived through the changes in publishing and most of the others were consigned to the second hand shops and the vault of memory.  As a result, many fell into public domain, allowing anyone to dust them off and bring them back into print.

As a result, the notion that Alex Ross was going to spruce up dozens of heroes and sidekicks for his pal Nick Barrucci is certainly an exciting one.  Ross partnered once more with writer Jim Krueger to figure out what to do with them all.  The resulting series, Project Superpowers, debuted amidst much fanfare last year and the first storyline was collected in December by Dynamite Entertainment in hardcover.

What do you do with an army of heroes whose powers and abilities are currently familiar to generations of readers?  You could go in several directions and the creators chose a tried and true concept: the heroes of World War II vanished, the world changed for the worse, and now they’re back and realize how needed they are.

The Fighting Yank is led by his guiding spirit to capture his allies in a magical urn otherwise things in the years following World War II would get darker. Suddenly, the heroes and their sidekicks are taken without permission and trapped.  In the intervening years, America becomes a despotic country, casting an ominous shadow over the rest of the world. An aging Fighting Yank is enticed by the Spirit of America, a disembodied American Flag, to find the urn and release its contents.  This puts him in direct conflict with Dynamic Man, who, with his family, seem to be ruling America.

When the heroes are released, they are scattered around a world they do not recognize and their powers are altered.  The remaining story shows what happens next.

The story moves along briskly but that’s the problem.  At no time do the creators properly introduce us to the dozen-plus heroes, establishing who they are and what they can do before telling us their old powers are changed.  Nor are we really given an understanding of how America’s power is perceived around the world.  Are there allies?  What about the Communists in China and Russia? Also, how does the change in politics affect society and commerce?  No clues are really provided.

(more…)

The one of a kind series, Get Your War On, is done. Over. Finito. Full stop. Creator David Rees has decided to end the series with the exit of George W. Bush from the White House. If you have a problem with that, you can ask him yourself tonight– he’ll be appearing at PowerHouse Books, 37 Main Street, DUMBO, Brooklyn at 7:00 PM. If you can’t make it, just read this interview in the National Post.

Now let the healing begin.

There’s little left to be said about Jeff Smith’s superlative Bone.  If that’s the case, then why write anything at all?  Because today, Scholastic’s Graphix imprint has released Crown of Horns, the ninth and final volume in their color collection. Coming six months after Treasure Hunters, this is a longer book, 212 pages, but with no change in cover price which is a treat for the buyer.

With Crown of Horns, the entire saga is now in a uniform color set, aimed at school children.  The first volume was released in 2004 and we’re finally here at the conclusion.  Readers new to the adventures of Bone and his cousins now have two choices: the 1300 page black and white saga for about $40 or, the nine color volumes which all together would cost about $90.

What’s lovely is to see Jeff’s work take color so well, especially in the capable hands of Steve Hamaker. The color enhances the atmosphere and story telling, never overpowering the characters or settings.  It’s one of the finest jobs I’ve seen in quite some time.

One thing the color volumes also have going for them is that Smith’s spelling errors are corrected, making it the cleanest version of the story yet, entirely appropriate for Scholastic’s market.

When first meeting the characters, as I did in 1991, you have little idea of their species or nature but quickly they become distinct, memorable characters and you realize you don’t care about their genetics.  Instead, they exist in their little village until they set out into the great world and discover adventure, war, love, humor, and new insights.

Home, in this case Boneville, is a theme, much like in Lord of the Rings, and the theme is a major point in the final volume. And like Tolkien’s world, the Bone-people find themselves co-existing with humans, dragons, and other creatures.  No explanation necessary, just a delight in seeing the interactions.

Smith spent 1300 pages with these characters and continually revealed new tidbits about them without seeming contrived.  The storyline holds together nicely and each of the nine Scholastic volumes works with beginning and ending.

If the volumes could benefit from anything, it would be either a recap of the previous books to this point or a character key to help the readers.  Of course, you sit and read them repeatedly; they get committed to memory so maybe that’s why they’re missing.

Bone is recommended reading for comic book and graphic novel fans of all ages and essential reading for those just discovering the artform and are curious as to what’s out there.