Category: News

ComicMix Radio: Hot Girl In The Comic Shop!

That got your attention, didn’t it? Then come on in and meet Belkis, co-host of The Comic Book Novice radio show and a fresh fan with an interesting perspective on the industry, plus:

— Marvel collects X-Force and reprints another Hulk

— DC has a spot on the new KidsWB

— Galaxy Quest finally makes it to comics

— The Top 10 hottest sellers for March

Just before you press the button, make plans to join us Saturday for our special coast-to-coast coverage of Free Comic Book day. But even before that, be sure to shop the FCBD Retailer near you!

 

 
And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-8345799 or RSS!

Happy Birthday: Phil Foglio

Born in Mount Vernon, NY in 1956, Phil Foglio moved to Hartsdale, NY, while still a young boy and lived there until he went off to the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago when he was only 17.

While at school, Foglio worked on the science-fiction club’s fanzine, Effen Essef, and was nominated for two Hugo Awards for it in 1976—in 1977 and 1978 he won the Hugos for Best Fan Artist. In 1980 Foglio started a comic strip What’s New with Phil & Dixie for Dragon Magazine. It ran for three years.

He moved back to New York shortly thereafter but soon returned to Chicago. There he illustrated Robert Lynn Asprin’s MythAdventures series and turned the first book into an eight-issue comic book series from WaRP Graphics. From there Foglio got work with DC (Angel and the Ape, Plastic Man, and Stanley and His Monster), Eclipse (Fusion, Dreamery), First Comics (Munden’s Bar and Dynamo Joe), and others. He illustrated many card games, magazines, and books, created the character of Buck Godot for Imagine It and went on to create several Buck Godot graphic novels as well.

In the 1990s, Foglio brought What’s New back, this time for Duelist Magazine. He also created the series Girl Genius with his wife Kaja. In 2005 Girl Genius moved online as a free webcomic.

Iron Mug: 7-Eleven’s ‘Iron Man’ Slurpee Cup

000_2624tm-20394077-Eleven convenience store chains have a long history of releasing character-licensed Slurpee cups based on Marvel and DC properties, so it wasn’t a big surprise when I heard that Iron Man was next in line to help reacquaint thirsty customers with the effects of brain freeze. On the eve of the Iron Man movie release, I ventured into a local shop and had a look around at the Iron Man merch.

While there are regular, movie-based lenticular cups with little figures on the straw, it’s the Iron Man helmet and replica mug that brought a smile to my face. Sure, adults groan about merchandising, but the kids inside of us love it. Yes, comic book fans across America, you now have a new pen holder… or whiskey mug, if that’s your thing.

Here’s the official word on the promotion:

A collectible, refillable mug features the red and gold helmet of Iron Man’s Mark III suit of armor.  The 28-ounce mug retails for $3.29 and includes a Slurpee fill up. Additionally, 7-Eleven will offer three different Iron Man Slurpee spoon-straws with detachable Iron Man and Iron Monger figurines for a price of $1.49 each.

Check out the photos posted after the jump to see how cool this is… (more…)

The Weekly Haul: Reviews for May 1, 2008

War is the topic du jour in comics this week, with battles breaking out or warming up in darn near every issue. But instead of mindless battling, most of this week’s comics gave a deeper look into the costs and reality of violence. A reflection of our times, perhaps?

dcuzero-cv1-r5-8204369Book of the Week: DC Universe #0 — A very good issue, though not on par with Countdown to Infinite Crisis, which was a more lucid preamble to a big event. But that’s to be expected with Grant Morrison, who sets up Final Crisis with a series of vignettes that introduce the personal hell in store for many heroes.

The narration — leading to a very well done reveal that I won’t spoil — is appropriately vague and ominous, letting us know that storm clouds are brewing (though without falling into such cliché). The issue appropriately establishes the seriousness of the war on the horizon, though the elements of that war remain opaque.

While DC still has a lot to make up for after the painful Countdown, this issue goes a long way toward that end, not so much picking up from Countdown #1 as hitting "reset" on it.

The best scene is that with Batman and Joker, a meeting that starts out almost exactly like all of their interactions at Arkham, then twists in a new, foreboding direction. The layouts, which are extremely creative if not consistent, offer another highlight.

In the long run, though, this issue is only as good as the event that follows it.

Runners Up:

Elephantmen: War Toys #3 — In what could be just an excuse to draw some cool human-animal hybrids fighting with big guns, this series has offered a very solemn look at war. The Elephantmen are next-gen Hessians in a war between humans, and their animal instincts lead to atrocities.

It’s a gruesome reflection on how people wage war, that in battle humans become as ferocious and bloodthirsty as animals. A female guerilla soldier opposing the Elephantmen, Yvette, serves as the point of reason in this tragedy, her life in exchange for the animals gaining some humanity.

New Avengers #40 — The latest Skrullapalooza prequel that actually came out after Secret Invasion #1is a very worthwhile read, and manages to overcome its tardiness. In Mighty Avengers #12 and now this, Brian Michael Bendis has illuminated some of the anciliary issues to the big war between Skrulls and Earth, with this issue focusing on the Skrulls.

Giving motivation to villains is key to making a great comics event, and the plight of the Skrulls becomes very relatable, as does their turn toward religious extremism and their hatred of earth’s heroes. He loves you indeed.

(more…)

‘LitGraphic’ and the Comic Arts Festival at Norman Rockwell Museum

Okay, I’ll admit that I have yet to check out The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA. While this might not seem like such an egregious sin at first, consider the fact that I lived less than an hour away from the museum for nearly five years and, well… there’s really no excuse.

That’s why I was happy to see some PR cross my desk for a Comic Arts Festival happening this weekend at the museum in celebration of their ongoing "LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel" exhibit.

Here’s all of the relevant info:

Comic Arts Festival at the Norman Rockwell Museum

Saturday, May 3 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Join us for an exciting day of workshops, lectures, book signings, and conversation with noted comic artists and historians in celebration of LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel. 

Artists Howard Cruse, Marc Hempel, Jack Purcell, R. Sikoryak, Lauren Weinstein, and Mark Wheatley will be with us to discuss their work, lead drawing demonstrations, and inspire the creation of comics of your own. Comic art collector Scott Eder, graphic novel historian Robin Brenner, and author/art critic David A. Berona will offer insights into the evolution of the field and the current comics marketplace. Be a part of our wet ink sessions and mini comic exchange! Refreshments will be served, and lunches will be available for purchase.

As the press release mentioned, our own ComicMix comic artist Mark Wheatley (EZ Street) will be among the noted guests in attendance at the show. While that should be more than enough reason to check it out, I also hear that the museum is actually quite a nice place… but I’m hoping to confirm that for myself this weekend.

You can find out more information about the festival, including a full schedule of events and contact information, on the schedule of current exhibits at the Norman Rockwell Museum website.

ROFLCon Reports Around the InterWebs

After the brain drain of New York Comic Con, I couldn’t bring myself to pack up and head to Boston for ROFLCon — and now I’m kicking myself for not making the trip.

Apparently, gathering together "a bunch of super famous internet memes, some brainy academics and a big audience" in Cambridge, MA, makes for a pretty good time.

On the comics side of things, the Dumbrella crew, Randall Munroe of XKCD, Ryan North of Dinosaur Comics and other assorted webcomics creators made an appearance at the show, and were joined by the likes of "Tron Guy" and the "Chuck Norris Facts" creators. It was pretty much a Who’s Who of Internet celebrities, and there was a good chance that if you’ve ever sent a link to a funny video or website, someone in attendance at ROFLCon had a hand in creating it. From what I’ve gleaned from various reports and Twitterings, it was beautifully unpredictable.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, neither Chuck Norris nor Rick Astley were sighted anywhere near the event.

If you want to find out what you missed, here are a few sites to check out:

Whitney Matheson of Pop Candy has a nice "Reflections on ROFLCon" write-up of the event, and the requisite picture of herself with Tron Guy.

Tron Guy makes a cameo in a ROFLCon-inspired edition of Overcompensating as Jeffrey Rowland explains why punching Drew Curtis of Fark in the groin whenever possible is absolutely justified.

Oh, and some radio thing called NPR had a few reports, too. Actually, they had one of my favorite descriptions of the event thus far:

If ROFL Con were real life, this would be Elvis sitting next to Double Elvis sitting next to the wheel.

Heck, even BBC was there. sigh

Next year, screw New York Comic Con — it’s ROFLCon or bust.

It’s Obama… Hilary… no, it’s Superdelegate! by John Ostrander

We’ve now had the Pennsylvania Primary and I guess one of the candidates saw their shadow because it looks like we’re going to have six more weeks of Primaries. It’s like the end of the first Rocky film – we’re getting to the end of eighteen rounds and neither fighter can score the knockout blow. And both fighters are looking beat to hell.

I’ll make my preferences known upfront. Between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, I prefer Barack Obama. There’s a variety of reasons but let’s just say that, while I prefer Obama, I could support Clinton if she won the nomination. I can’t reward the Republican Party for eight years of screwing the country by voting to put another Republican in the White House. I admire John McCain as a person but he’s for continuing some policies that I think are ruinous.

That said, there’s one scenario I can conceive that I think would keep me from voting Democratic. It involves the super-delegates and it’s more likely to involve a Clinton candidacy than an Obama one.

Right now, the math doesn’t favor the Senator from New York. Obama’s lead is sufficient that, given the way the Dems award delegates proportionally in primary votes as opposed to the “winner take all” method that the Republicans use, Clinton won’t win the nomination based on either delegate count or popular vote. She’s makes claims to having “won” the Michigan and Florida primaries and argues that she should get those delegates. That would certainly help her but those primaries were already disallowed by the DNC; no one campaigned in Florida and Obama’s name wasn’t even on the ballot in Michigan. Yeah, it’s messy and it cheats the voters in those two states and the DNC pulled a boner in handling the situation but you don’t hand the votes to Senator Clinton. She didn’t really earn them; the results aren’t valid. (more…)

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EZ Street: The Big Fight

  • News
  • April 30, 2008

08-9250480In today’s brand-new episode of EZ Street, by Robert Tinnell and Mark Wheatley, Scott and Danny have “creative differences” about how their comic should be drawn and what their comic should be.

Can you divorce your own brother?

Credits: Mark Wheatley (Artist), Mark Wheatley (Colorist), Mark Wheatley (Letterer), Mark Wheatley (Writer), Mike Gold (Editor), Robert Tinnell (Writer)

More: EZ Street

 

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The Flash Returns… in the Pages of NY Daily News?

  • News
  • April 30, 2008

New York City’s Daily News played spoiler to comics fans today, announcing the return of a familiar face behind a red-and-gold mask in this week’s DC Universe #0. Which of the scarlet speedsters is returning, you ask? Well, we’re posting that bit of info after the jump, lest we find ourselves forcibly evicted from ComicMix HQ by torch-wielding, spoiler-phobic crowds of angry fanboys and fangirls.

However, there’s something else about the Daily News article that has us smiling. In addition to seeking comment about the latest superhero resurrection from noted writers Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns, noted comics historian and regular ComicMix contributor Alan Kistler was also tapped for some perspective on the character’s grand return to the DCU.

Now, for the big reveal… and some big questions: (more…)

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10 Must-Read Stories Before You Watch ‘Iron Man’ in Theaters

  • News
  • April 30, 2008

iron-man-movie-poster-1294169Even people who’ve never picked up a comic book are looking forward to seeing the new Iron Man movie debuting tomorrow, starring Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, "the cool exec with a heart of steel!"

When Stan Lee and Don Heck introduced Anthony Stark, he was a modern-day Howard Hughes, a weaponsmaker who was investigating his interests in a war zone when he was injured by shrapnel and captured by guerilla soldiers. Desperately needing a life-support system to keep his heart beating, as well as a weapon to fight off his captors, he used materials around him created a make-shift suit of high-tech armor that  earned him the name "Iron Man."

Returning to the states, the world welcomed its new superhero, believing him to be the rich playboy’s bodyguard, and he soon became a founding member of the famous Avengers. Over the years that followed, "Ol’ Shellhead" has been through many armors, as well as many personal changes. He had his heart repaired and battled alcoholism. He had his heart injured again and replaced it with a mechanical one that needed  constant recharging. Recently, his body was finally healed and  his resources greatly enhanced after merging with an experimental form of nano-technology.

Much like The Dark Knight reading list we provided you as prep for Batman’s upcoming return to the big screen, ComicMix has assembled ten recommended reads that showcase how clever and resourceful our hero is while also displaying the forces and passions that drive him in his double-life. They have been assembled in chronological order, so you can follow Iron Man’s evolution.

Enjoy!

(more…)

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