If a picture paints a thousand words, does digital video paint a million? One way to answer that is to check out CNET’s video coverage of last weekend’s WonderCon. Included are:
Well worth watching, for those who want to relive the experience and for those who didn’t get the chance.
Let’s face it, we live in a hyper-capitalist society. Everything’s a commodity, and the worlds of business and entertainment are so inextricably linked that items about business deals have all but become entertainment in their own right.
And that’s cool when a spinoff of a story is also another form of that story, as with the Superman: Doomsday DVD or the upcoming DVD coming out from Eagle One Media based on the Voltron: Defender of the Universe comics from Devil’s Due and utilizing those books’ content from the comic books from Devil’s Due Publishing. (Apparently Voltron is big business — not only is the "animated digital comic production" DVD due in June, but World Event Productions is developing "a new interactive series and the release of the first-ever OVA," and there’s even talk of a for-really movie.)
But when Marvel Entertainment decides it’s going to "own 2008" with tie-in products for the Iron Man and Hulk movies due out next spring, and signs deals with Hasbrow, Hallmark, Fruit of the Loom and other companies that make all sorts of stuff that isn’t storytelling — well, it just makes one hope that kids (and adults) who buy the stuff are busy making up their own scenarios as they’re being owned.
Heck with the Spider-Man 3 preview. Yes yes, it took forever to download and was more or less worth it because, hey, who doesn’t like James Franco? But what really got me excited was this.
Kyle Baker is interpreting his masterpiece King David into animated form! Check it out before you dot another i! I even forgive him for using Carmina Burana for the background music, because he does it so well.
Must-read blogger and actor Wil Wheaton has an amusing anecdote about almost missing his latest stint doing voice work as Cosmic Boy in the Legion cartoon. He also teases, "Sadly, I can’t say anything specific about the episode. Warner Brothers is incredibly serious about protecting the content of the shows, and I’d really like to keep working on them, so I’ll just say, once again, that the level of talent, commitment, professionalism, and ultra-nerdy love for this show at all levels — writers, producers, directors and actors — is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. [Actor’s name redacted] just blew me away today."
ICv2 reports that Elfquest creator Wendy Pini has signed with Go!Comi to write and draw an original graphic novel series based on the Edgar Allen Poe short story The Masque of the Red Death, said to feature "Gothic horror, erotica, and yaoi-style gay relationships." The series bows first as a webcomic, to be collected into hard-copy GNs down the line as enough pages are done.
This is the first non-Japanese work and first original series produced by Go!Comi, which made the announcement at NYCC and believes Pini’s style is a good fit for the company. More details at Mangablog.
I know ComicMixers Martha and Glenn might disagree, but in my opinion knitted Daleks have nothing on chocolate ones! Via BoingBoing, here’s how to make a chocolate Dalek. Decadent and tasty! I will be assimilated, gladly!
Meanwhile, Series 3 of the new Doctor Who programme is said to begin on the Beeb on March 31, start airing on Canada’s CBC in June, and debut in the US… Who knows when? No announcements yet from Sci Fi, although they’ve posted a nice interview with star David Tennant.
The more years we all spend involved in comics, the less able we are to escape our past, especially in the Web 2.0 age. And that’s actually A Good Thing. For instance, check out cartoonist Howard Cruse’s blog post where he effusively and rightly pays tribute to ComicMix’s own Martha Thomases, whose family he and his partner Ed Sedarbaum have known for a good long time. I’m a sucker for "then and now" photos. Of course, Howard’s not above posting possibly incriminating photos of himself, as you can see by the lovely Esther-and-Vashti ensembles which he and Ed chose to don for their local Purimspiel.
Speaking of past Friends, Leigh Dragoon reports that there will be a forthcoming press release from Friends of Lulu (an organization with which Martha and I both spent many years) regarding their ill-fated Empowerment Fund. From what she writes, it seems the organization is intent upon correcting past wrongs, which bodes well for its future. Considering the long journey women in comics still have to undergo before the industry’s playing field is truly level, the continued vitality of organizations dedicated toward that goal is more important than ever.
ICv2 reports that Tokyopop is releasing more "cine-manga" based on Disney properties – this time tying into the immensely popular ‘tween-oriented shows Hannah Montana and High School Musical. The HSM volume and the first two HM volumes will debut in September and sell for 8 bucks, well within the price point of their target audiences. Those of us on the other side of the generation gap have absolutely no idea what we’re missing here.
Sometimes events bypass those of us who don’t have the chance to shop regularly in comics stores. Thus it was that I completely missed the debut of Will Vinton’s graphic novel Jack Hightower. Granted, the well-known animator co-wrote the 112-page GN rather than drawing it, but it’s still welcome to have such an imaginative storyteller trying out the world of comics, and the concept looks adorable. And if you live in El-Lay and have some free time after work on Wednesday, March 14, you can hightow — I mean, hightail it over to Golden Apple Books on Melrose, where Vinton will be doing a signing from 5 to 7 PM. G’wan and ask him about the M&Ms, I dare you. I want to know what’s up with the custom-printed ones too.
Another week older and deeper in debt — to you, our readers! Here again is your one-stop shopping post linking to this past week’s regular columns:
Meanwhile, Mellifluous Mike Raub is making history thrice weekly with his podcasts:
If you’ve only been reading ComicMix and not listening as well, you’ve been missing out on a lot! And of course, there’s much more to come…
Columns / Glenn Hauman / News
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