Author: Glenn Hauman

Robbie Greenberger, R.I.P.

  • News
  • August 16, 2008

robbie-1-4900308We are incredibly sad to have to report that Robbie Greenberger, son of DC and Marvel alumni and ComicMix contributor Robert Greenberger, passed away on Thursday evening after a months-long struggle with leukemia. He was 20.

He is survived by his father, mother Deb, sister Kate, and everyone who knew him, all of whom are staggered by the news. Bob has been blogging about the entire course of treatment, and has written up the final week.

Friends may greet the family Sunday from 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. in the Spear-Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Road., Fairfield. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday, August 18, 2008 at 1 p.m. meeting directly at Saint Pius X Church 834 Brookside Drive, Fairfield. Interment will be private at Oak Lawn Cemetery, Fairfield. In lieu of flowers contributions in Robbie’s memory may be made to The Tommy Fund for Childhood Cancer, Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital, 20 York Street, New Haven, CT 06511-3202 (www.tommyfund.org). For information or to offer an online condolence, please visit www.spearmillerfuneralhome.com.

EZ Street trailer from San Diego

A lot of folks asked about the trailer we were showing at the booth at San Diego for EZ Street, so we’re posting it for everyone who couldn’t make it this year– or who couldn’t hear it over the crowds.

This is also a good place to remind people that EZ Street is nominated for the Harvey Awards this year, and that the deadline is this Friday. So if you’re a comics pro who’s eligible to vote and hasn’t yet, we’d like to remind you to vote and to keep EZ Street in mind when filling out your ballot.

2008 Hugo Award winners

  • News
  • August 10, 2008

hugo2008-1-2963429The 2008 Hugo Awards were given out last night at Denvention, this year’s World Science Fiction Convention, a.k.a. WorldCon. The Master of Ceremony was Wil McCarthy. The winners are (cue the drum roll) …

Novel: The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon (HarperCollins; Fourth Estate)
Novella: "All Seated on the Ground" by Connie Willis (Asimov’s Dec. 2007; Subterranean Press)
Novelette: "The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate" by Ted Chiang (Subterranean Press; F&SF Sept. 2007)
Short Story: "Tideline" by Elizabeth Bear (Asimov’s June 2007)
Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Stardust Written by Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn, Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman Illustrated by Charles Vess Directed by Matthew Vaughn (Paramount Pictures)
Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Doctor Who "Blink" Written by Steven Moffat Directed by Hettie Macdonald (BBC)
Professional Editor, Short Form: Gordon Van Gelder (F&SF)
Professional Artist: Stephan Martiniere
Semiprozine: Locus, edited by Charles N. Brown, Kirsten Gong-Wong, & Liza Groen Trombi
Fanzine: File 770
Fan Writer: John Scalzi
Fan Artist: Brad Foster
Campbell Award: Mary Robinette Kowal
 
Full list of nominated works after the jump.

 

(more…)

Jack Kamen: 1920-2008

  • Uncategorized
  • August 7, 2008

jackkamen-4990797Mark Evanier reports that Jack Kamen, best known for his work at EC Comics, died yesterday at the age of 88. The cause of death is being reported as cancer.

Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1920, Jack Kamen studied at the Art Students League and the Grand Central Art School and actually got his start in sculpture—his first professional job was on the Texas Centenniel.

His illustration career was just beginning when he was called up to the Army in 1942. After World War II, Kamen began drawing comics for Fiction House and Iger Associates, then started working for EC Comics in 1950. He quickly became one of their most prolific artists, particularly on their horror lines though he also worked on crime/suspense and weird science/fantasy books. After EC’s line of comics fell victim to industry censorship in 1954-55, it was Kamen who suggested to the publisher that the company could avoid the newly-imposed Comics Code Authority strictures with a pricier magazine format, which Kamen dubbed "Picto-Fiction" and included titles like his favorite, Psychoanalysis.

Kamen left comics in 1954 and did advertising art and supplemental illustrations for a wide variety of other clients— when Stephen King and George Romero created the horror anthology film Creepshow, an homage to EC’s horror comics, they tapped Kamen to do the artwork. He also illustrated the cover of the graphic novel adaptation.

In recent years, Kamen basked in the spotlight of his sons’ accomplishments. Dean Kamen invented the Segway and the iBOT Mobility System; he recently contributed a foreword about his father published in Gemstone’s Shock SuspenStories Archives volume 2. Another son, Barton, is a doctor who is now the Chief Medical Officer of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Space Cruiser Yamato/Star Blazers returns

  • News
  • August 6, 2008

Michael Pinto, who is a bigger Star Blazers fan than you are, reports on Fanboy.com that Yoshinobu Nishizaki has come to a legal agreement under which he can revive Space Battleship Yamato, better known in this country as Star Blazers.

Here’s the official press release (which is from here and here), quickly translated by Ed Hawkins at spacecruiseryamato.com:

"In 2220 of the Christian Era … A crisis is approaching Earth, it is seen as the expansion of a moving black hole. An operation of immigration as progressed with moving over 300 million people from Earth … The latest transportation fleet is attacked during the immigration effort, yet is counter attacked by Space Battleship Yamato, now commanded by Susumo Kodai (38). Aboard, is daughter Miyuki … Child of Susumo and Yuki."
 
The animated masterpiece “Space Battleship Yamato”, last seen in theaters 25 years ago, 73-year-old producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki, who worked on that film and the original anime series, declared that he wants his last work to be a new "Yamato" film. He said he hopes to surpass Hayao Miyazaki’s latest effort, "Gake no Ue no Ponyo." To achieve that, Nishizaki has founded Yamato Studio, based in Nerima, Tokyo.

Studio Open general superintendent, Masuda Toshio gave toast to the revival project now that the copyright litigation is over, which was originally announced in July 2004. According to Mr. Nishizaki “This time it’s a fresh start, all is clear.”

In 1999, Mr. Nishizaki was arrested for violating sword and gun laws, who served time and was released December 19th 2007. Meanwhile, reconciliation between Leiji Matsumoto concerning each others work has gave way to allowing each to pursue their own works.

The movie IS currently titled “Fukkatu-hen" which Nishizaki has been planning since the mid 1990s.

Toshio Masuda (81) superintendent of Studio Open, is Chief Director of the Rival Movie. Toshio Masuda (81) has been directing films and TV since 1958, including “Life at the Showa Era” (1968), “Tora! Tora! Tora!” (1970), “Space Battleship Yamato” (1977) and “Arrivederci Yamato” (1978).

Tomonori Kogawa (58) will be Chief animator for the Revival movie. Tomonori Kogawa has animated such works as; “Space Runaway Ideon” (1980), “Aura Battler Dunbine” (1983), “Super Dimensional Cavalry Southern Cross” (1984) and “Heavy Metal L-Gaim” (1984).

Announced for 2009 release.

 

New “Watchmen” Posters Echo Originals

  • News
  • August 2, 2008

The Watchmen posters that debuted at Comic-Con are now online, and dang– they’re just like the promo posters from the original miniseries.

Don’t believe me? Compare and contrast:

Larger versions of these images, as well as the rest of the promo posters, are posted after the jump.

(more…)

Stephenie Meyer Twilight Signing in NYC

  • News
  • August 1, 2008

On 44th Street in New York City today, right down the street from where Daniel Radcliffe is shedding Harry Potter’s robes (literally) in Equus, Stephenie Meyer is preparing to take over the mantle with her Twilight series, speaking and signing tonight at the Nokia Theater to a sold-out crowd of 2100 screaming fans that are already waiting on line as I type this, all in preparation for the midnight launch of book four in the series, Breaking Dawn.

I was on the subway this morning, and I saw a group of young women wearing "Team Cullen" shirts, and asked what they were doing for the launch of the book, and they told me about the event tonight. Of course, it was long sold out– four minutes to sell them all, according to the ticket guy there– and people were alreadly lining up in the early afternoon, in 90 degree heat and wearing all sorts of homemade fan apparel, to get the best seats. It reminded me of the lines for the fourth Harry Potter book, before the first movie came out, before it really got big.

More photos after the jump. (more…)

Overheard at San Diego 2008, part 4

  • News
  • July 27, 2008

The San Diego Comic-Con Masquerade is in full swing right now, but people are still letting their personal masks down at the most interesting times…

On the dealer’s floor:
Let’s face it, comics aren’t for kids anymore. So get ’em out of here and let me enjoy the last ten years of the industry.

In an elevator with fourteen people at the Westin:
There are no girls in this elevator…

Over in the Webcomics section, at the Girl Genius booth:
Phil Foglio: We’re giving away free sandwiches! Want one?
Me: Sure! Are you sure?
Phil: Yeah, we bought sandwiches for every booth here, but a few weren’t hungry.
Me: Web cartoonists aren’t going hungry? This is front page news!

In the hallways between conference rooms:
Joe Straczynski is doing the Impact books for DC? Are they sure it’s not supposed to be Len Strazewski and somebody’s spell-checker got confused?

On the way to the trolley in the crush of people, a man was jostled by David Gerrold, leading to a retort of, "Hey, watch it, Cusack!"

And finally, ComicMix‘s Editor-in-Chief Mike Gold and media mogul Michael Davis were seen lunching at the Marriott with Denys Cowan. Old home week or something more? Mike’s not talking.

 

Overheard at San Diego 2008, part 3: Warlord, Milestone, and S&M

  • News
  • July 26, 2008

manchesterhyatt-5228242Look, I’m not all that inconspicuous– I’m 6’6 with bushy hair and a ComicMix t-shirt. If you keep saying interesting things within earshot of me, it’s not my fault. (Okay, I have lots of spies and moles out there too, but that’s still no excuse.) So if you’re a famous comics writer who’s looking to hire a dominatrix while you’re in town, just use Google like the rest of us, okay?

First, the things where I’m completely removing the sources except that I heard them at the Manchester Hyatt, but expect to hear them confirmed at DC Nation panels before the weekend is through:

  • Mike Grell (Jon Sable Freelance) will be returning to his most famous creation at DC, The Warlord, in time for the character’s 35th anniversary. This from a Mike Grell panel on Friday from Mike Gold, who commented, "I haven’t worked for DC for years, what are they going to do to me for telling?"
     
  • Milestone is coming back, and will be (pardon the choice of words) integrated into the mainstream DC universe. How they’ll do this exactly is unclear, and we won’t commit potential spoilers by speculating… but there are a couple of ways they could do so.

And with those out of the way, back to the other tidbits overheard…

(more…)

Overheard at San Diego 2008, part 2

  • Uncategorized
  • July 25, 2008

Continuing our shameless eavesdropping, ComicMix presents the stuff that you missed while you were trying to get into the party last night…

"Alfred is the new Batman."
—overheard at the DC Nation panel

"Steven Moffat and Neil Gaiman are ‘going on a date’."
—from somewhere around Hall H, further speculation that Neil may write an episode of Doctor Who

"What happened to me? What happened to my life? I used to have a career…"
—artist who was real big in the 90’s

"I’ve only heard blissful things this year. Everything is going fine."
—Bill Willingham

Categories

Archives

Everything you need to make great comics!

comicmix-pro-300x69-2

Nucleus X

Bookshop Zaks