Godspeed, Mister President
"I was actually born on Krypton and sent here by my father Jor-El to save the planet Earth."
—Barack Obama, October 16, 2008
Good luck, sir.
Author: Glenn Hauman
Yes, We Will
The happy mutants at Tor.com– no wait, the happy mutants are at BoingBoing, the snarky geeks are at io9, and the ink-stained shockwave riders are at Tor.com– are running a Dan Goldman comic, "Yes We Will", in which Obama deals with the greatest problem of his first term, as predicted by Nostradamus. Or the Mayans. Or Timothy Leary. Or something like that.
Go read it, it’s fun.
Although I can deal with the idea of the singularity a lot easier than I can with Barack Obama not dressed nattily. I’m sorry, but that’s stretching credibilty too far.
PREVIEW: ‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold’ with Blue Beetle and… Wil Wheaton as Ted Kord?
We’ve obtained preview footage of the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode, "Fall of the Blue Beetle!" airing this Friday, January 23 on Cartoon Network at 8:00 PM, guest starring Wil Wheaton as the Silver Age Blue Beetle, Ted Kord. Yes, Wil Wheaton playing a wise-cracking technical wizard who’s a bit of a geek… it’s a real stretch of character. Take a look…
‘Lost in Space’ robot actor Bob May dies
You probably never knew his face. You don’t remember his voice, you always thought it was Dick Tufeld’s. But you knew his most famous role just the same.
From the AP wire: ‘Lost in Space’ actor Bob May dies at 69
Bob May, who donned The Robot’s suit in the hit 1960s television show "Lost in Space," has died. He was 69.
May died Sunday of congestive heart failure at a hospital in Lancaster, said his daughter, Deborah May.
He was a veteran actor and stuntman who had appeared in movies, TV shows and on the vaudeville stage when he was tapped by "Lost in Space" creator Irwin Allen to play the Robinson family’s loyal metal sidekick in the series that debuted in 1965.
"He always said he got the job because he fit in the robot suit," said June Lockhart, who played family matriarch Maureen Robinson. "It was one of those wonderful Hollywood stories. He just happened to be on the studio lot when someone saw him and sent him to see Irwin Allen about the part. Allen said, ‘If you can fit in the suit, you’ve got the job.’"
While in this day and age you can purchase a replica, it’s never quite the same as the original.
Hollywood wrapup — Iron Man, Spider-Man, Scott Pilgrim, Cowboy Bebop
A pile of Hollywood related comic items I didn’t get to this week, so let me get them out of the way:
* Keanu Reeves will be starring in a live-action version of Cowboy Bebop. It’s just been confirmed as going into production for Fox.
* The cast of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World expands.
* Sam Raimi wants Morbius for Spider-Man 4? By the time it comes out in 2011, everyone will think he’s ripping off Twilight.
* And finally, a cast photo for Wolverine:
Human Target TV pilot in the works for Fox
Fox is working on a pilot for the Human Target, based on the cult DC Comics character Christopher Chance, created by Len Wein, Carmine Infantino, and ComicMix contributor Dick Giordano. Christopher Chance operates by impersonating his clients in order to eliminate threats to them, making himself the target. The character first appeared in Action Comics #419.
The Human Target has already been turned into a TV series back in 1992, starring Rick Springfield. The new pilot is written by Jericho co-creator Jonathan Steinberg, and comes from Warner Bros. TV, McG’s Wonderland Sound and Vision and DC Comics. (Via Hollywood Reporter.)
Interview Series With Al Jaffee, Jules Feiffer, Harvey Pekar In New York Begins January 21
The YIVO Institute presents one-on-one interviews with Al Jaffee, Jules Feiffer, and Harvey Pekar. YIVO’s “Comics and the American Jewish Dream” series kicks off Wednesday, January 21 at 7:00 pm with:
"The Mad, Mad, Mad (Jewish) World Of Al Jaffee"
A graduate of New York’s High School of Art and Design, Jaffee worked as an editor, writer and artist for Stan Lee at Timely (later Marvel) Comics during the 1940s. In 1955, Jaffee joined “the Usual Gang of Idiots” at Mad Magazine, where he’s been a mainstay ever since, entertaining generations with his Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions and Mad Fold-Ins. Join us as Jaffee provides snappy answers to provocative questions about his art and life, including his new book, Tall Tales, published by Abrams.
Series curator and moderator Danny Fingeroth, a longtime writer and editor at Marvel Comics, has spoken about comics at the Smithsonian Institution and The New School. He’s the author of Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero (Continuum) and The Rough Guide to Graphic Novels (Penguin).
Wednesday, January 21, 7:00
The YIVO Institute For Jewish Research
15 West 16th Street / New York, NY 10011
The series will continue with:
Jules Feiffer: Tuesday, February 3, 7:00 P.M.
Harvey Pekar: Tuesday, February 17, 7:00 P.M.
Admission to programs: $25 / YIVO members: $18 / students: $12
For tickets: call 212-868-4444 or visit www.smarttix.com
For more info visit www.yivo.org
Tips from Cory Doctorow on writing while avoiding online distractions
If you’re like me, you’re wondering how to write blog posts on comics-related stuff and other neat things on the web, without getting too distracted by what else is on the web. It’s not an easy task, as anyone who’s seen my computer desktop, with 50 different windows open for different sites that I keep meaning to write up into blog posts are.
Luckily, one of those windows has an article from Cory Doctorow, who’s one of the most wired-up folks I know. IDW recently adapted a bunch of his short stories into comics, he’s one of the guys behind BoingBoing, and…
…sorry, I just spent ten minutes catching up on BoingBoing– apparently there’s a job opening for a science fiction writer, 16 grand for four months, but you have to be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada, dang it.
Anyway, Cory’s written a piece about writing in the age of distraction, which you should read. Or at least open it up and promise yourself you’ll read it later.
Oh, and the picture of Cory is from xkcd. A truly amazing likeness. Wonder what else is in the archiv– no. Stop. Take the win. Stop and post.
Kevin Colden and Miss Lasko-Gross signing in Drexel Hill, PA
From Kevin Colden:
I’ll be doing a hometown signing for Fishtown THIS SATURDAY, January 17th at:
Cool Stuff Comics and Collectibles
417 Burmont Rd.
Drexel Hill, Pa.
3PM-5PMMiss will also be there signing copies of Escape From "Special" and showing off pages from her forthcoming follow-up A Mess of Everything.
Well? You heard the man. Get going. Ten miles west of Philadelphia. Can’t miss it.
ComicMix Politics: Ted Rall presents ‘The Bushies’
Ted Rall and David Essman have released a new short animated political cartoon called "Behind the Rubric: The Bushies", a surrealist, rock-n-roll-super-group spin on the outgoing George W. Bush’s resume, along with what happens now that the band is breaking up…
Only mildly unfair and rude. Which for Ted Rall is pretty good.
