Author: Glenn Hauman

Comic colorist test

Do you have what it takes to color comics? Take this test and find out. Leave your scores in the comments. (UPDATE: www.spectralcolor.com/game/huetest_kiosk is currently a bad link.)

BBC America goes HD July 20 with lots of SF, including ‘Torchwood: Children Of Earth’

BBC Worldwide will launch BBC America HD, the hi-def simulcast of BBC America, on July 20– and they’ll be rolling out a lot of science fiction during their first week:

  • The five part Torchwood: Children of Earth will debut July 20 at 9 PM and air Monday through Friday.
  • That Saturday, July 25, Primeval has its third season finale at 8 PM and Being Human premieres at 9 PM.
  • Then on Sunday, the first of the last four David Tennant Doctor Who specials runs at 8 PM.

So if you can’t make it to San Diego, you get a few things to compensate. And if you are going to San Diego, you better hope your hotel has HD and BBCA HD.

Comics-Op

How ungentlemanly of me. I’m late in pointing out the new column by the Occasional Superheroine Valerie D’Orazio over at Comixology, the new Comics-Op. She’s actually doing something new for comics blogging, it’s called “interviewing the principals in a news story for a column”. I think it might catch on.

Bleeding Cool debuts

So. The longest running comics column on the internet has now become the newest comics blog on the internet, Bleeding Cool.

If we bloggers were truly as high school as everyone claims we are, we’d be taking the new transfer student’s lunch money. And while that’s tempting, we shall refrain. Rich Johnston will have enough grief learning how the blog will become a 24-hour a day time suck, eating up every last piece of his life until there is nothing left, lurching around as a shambling mass that will make his former sickly British constitution look like a California muscle man in comparison. Not that we know anything about that, hack cough wheeeeze.

I mean, if he’s already resorting to mentioning Susan Boyle on the first day, just to get Google traffic…

We will, however, pick on his logo. Black bleeding? Have you been rereading Frank Miller’s Elektra again? It doesn’t cost anything extra to print red on the Internets.

BookExpo America 2009 recap

As with any convention, a lot of fast, disjointed thoughts kicking around. In no particular order:

  • The most action at the con was in the Diamond Comics aisle and the e-publishers area. Other areas seemed quieter.
  • There seemed to be fewer freebies this year. A lot, in fact. When asking about getting on the press list, most publicists were relieved when I asked for PDFs over paper copies.
  • One paper copy I did get was a preview of IDW’s upcoming adaptation of The Hunter by Darwyn Cooke, taken from the Richard Stark (Donald Westlake) Parker novel. Having read the thing and knowing that they haven’t printed the final version yet, they should just save time and print “Future Eisner Award Nominee” on the cover now. Barnes & Noble is going to move a lot of these babies. (Disclaimer: IDW will be publishing the print version of ComicMix projects, and they picked up the tab for lunch on Friday. We tried, but Ted Adams insisted.)
  • DC did not have an official presence at the con, which considering the amount of backlist books they do is very surprising. Marvel and Diamond did, and seemed to be well rewarded for their efforts, with many people showing up for signings and even more showing up later on Saturday for the finger food and drinks. (Sorry you missed it, Alan.)
  • Lines for comics creators were very long. Neil Gaiman made a “surprise” appearance at the Harper Collins booth signing The Graveyard Book and handing out previews of Odd And The Frost Giants (I say surprise because I don’t remember seeing it on his blog).
    Marvel’s signings for Peter David and Chris Claremont went strongly, Chris estimated that he went through about two and a half boxes of X-Men Forever. I lost track of how many Oz books Skottie Young and Eric Shanower went through.

  • Over at the Image booth, Frank Cho and Chris Giarusso moved a lot of copies of their books as well.
  • The crowd seemed a bit older, even for BEA. Not sure if it’s an actual age difference, or if the young folks got fire from publishing houses, or if everyone at traditional houses were just muted this year.
  • There will be photos surfacing of me and Torsten Adair. I will not say which of us is the evil twin.
  • I had two publishers who knew me from my days as an e-publishing pioneer come up to me and say that their sales in paper were flat and the only bright spots were in e-publishing. Nice to know I’m remembered as a prophet, even if it’s taken a while to get there.

All in all, a decent, if not spectacular, trade show. Always fun to see many of my colleagues in a much less frenzied venue than San Diego or even Wizard World. Hopefully I’ll be recovered in time for MOCCA this weekend. Oy.

Oh, one final shot– this is from Thursday’s CBLDF party, with Denis Kitchen, Heidi Macdonald, Milton Griepp, and ComicMix alumnus Rick Marshall ordering a drink– no doubt steeling himself for the upcoming hell week starting with the MTV Movie Awards and ending with his name being pinned to an idiot in a major motion picture. Pray for him.

DreamWorks Animation schedules five films every two years; Shrek, Madagascar & Kung Fu Panda sequels coming

  • Uncategorized
  • May 29, 2009

kung-fu-panda-3

I’m in a rush for Book Expo, so I’ll just cut and paste the press release:

GLENDALE,
Calif., May 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.
(Nasdaq: DWA) announced today its plans to release five feature films
every two years, adding an additional film every other year to its
existing two picture a year release schedule on a going-forward basis.
The Company also announced its upcoming slate of animated feature film
releases through 2012.

The Company’s slate through 2012 now includes eight feature films
from DreamWorks Animation’s talented and seasoned creative leadership
team, including five original films and three sequels based on the
Company’s existing blockbuster franchises, Shrek, Madagascar and Kung
Fu Panda. As has been previously announced, all DreamWorks Animation
feature films are now being produced in 3D.

“Our exceptionally talented and highly experienced creative team is
bringing to DreamWorks Animation a significant number of imaginative,
original and cutting-edge ideas today,” said Bill Damaschke,
Co-President of Production and President of Live Theatrical. “Having
achieved a high level of success and consistency in our creative
process and having in our development pipeline more great story
concepts than ever before, we are very confident in our ability to add
one original film every other year.”

The upcoming animated films on the Company’s future theatrical release schedule are currently planned as follows: How to Train Your Dragon, which is based on the book of the same name by Cressida Cowell, will be released on March 26, 2010. Shrek Forever After will be released on May 21, 2010. Oobermind (formerly titled Master Mind) will be released on November 5, 2010. Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom will be released on June 3, 2011. The Guardians (working title), based on the forthcoming books by William Joyce, will be released on November 4, 2011. Puss In Boots (working title) will be released on March 30, 2012. The next chapter of the Company’s hit franchise Madagascar
is due to be released on May 25, 2012. On November 2, 2012, the Company
plans to release one of three original projects currently in
pre-production at the studio. The first is The Croods (working title).

CBLDF party tonight at BookExpo NYC

  • Uncategorized
  • May 28, 2009

cbldf-logo-4005788Kick off the summer convention season tonight at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund‘s
Book Expo Welcome Party! Enjoy free gourmet bites and a cash bar, while
mingling with the best and the brightest authors and pros from the
graphic novel world! The party runs from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at Hudson
Terrace, conveniently located near the Javits Center on 621 W 46th
Street between 11th & 12th Ave.

This event is open to all
BEA attendees and CBLDF supporters. The party is free for current year
CBLDF members. A suggested donation of $10 is asked for non-members. If you sign up for membership at the party, you’ll receive a CBLDF lapel pin.

What: CBLDF’s BookExpo Welcome Party
When: May 28, 6:00 to 9:00 PM
Where: Hudson Terrace, 621 W 46th Street between 11th & 12th Ave
How Much: $10 suggested donation, and free to CBLDF members!
Dress: Business Casual

About
the CBLDF: The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund was founded in 1986 as a
501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of
First Amendment rights for members of the comics community. They have
defended dozens of free expression cases in courts across the United
States, and led important education initiatives promoting comics
literacy and free expression. For additional information, donations,
and other inquiries, call 800-99-CBLDF or visit them online at
www.cbldf.org.

Ecocomics! (Or: where did they get those wonderful toys?)

scrooge-mcduck-8712282If you thought comics weren’t dismal enough nowadays, just wait until they meet up with the Dismal Science. Lo, we shall combine comics and economics and there shall be Ecocomics:

In the Marvel Universe, Canada is responsible for creating some of the
most deadly super-soldiers in history. Wolverine, Sabretooth, Deadpool,
Kane, and Agent Zero were all deadly assassins who were empowered by
Canada’s Weapon X program. This secret division of the Canadian
government went to great expense to create nearly unstoppable weapons
(and in almost all cases, allow them to escape shortly thereafter).
This gives rise to a single question: WHY?

What threat was Canada so afraid of that the government felt the need to constantly produce human death machines?

“Holy Crap, Quebec is getting uppity again, let’s coat another mutant in adamantium!”

Or:

It has occurred to me that building repairs must make up something like
90% of the economy in comic book universes. This must be true to combat
the rampant destruction in the comic book world. Nearly ever major
title from DC comics showcases this constant and overwhelming
destruction. Superman frequently levels Metropolis while “protecting”
its citizens. Riots happen in Gotham City roughly every five minutes. A
FRICKIN DARK GOD POSSESSED EVERY LIVING SOUL ON THE PLANET AND
DESTROYED TONS OF BUILDINGS WHILE BURNING EVERY BOOK EVER WRITTEN!

I can’t wait to see the psych workup on Richie Rich. (Hat tip: Amy Goldschlager.)

Happy Birthday to Harlan Ellison and Mark Wheatley!

harlan-2-9488537We here at ComicMix would like to wish the happiest of birthdays to two of our favorite people:

Harlan Ellison, who despite various attempts directed at him of annihilation, assassination,
bloodshed, butchery,
carnage,
destruction,
foul play,
homicide, knifing, liquidation,
lynching,
manslaughter,
massacring, murder,
shooting, stabbing, slaying, taking out, terrorism, general mayhem, and the rest of the works up to and including editing, has somehow survived to the distinguished age of 75. Happy birthday, unkie Harlan.

Mark Wheatley, who as far as we know has never been the object of anyone’s ire, and is the creator of Mars, Breathtaker, EZ Street, Lone Justice, and Frankenstein Mobster, turns 55 today. Celebrate by reading some of his great works today!

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