Category: News

ComicMix at WWLA: Photo Gallery – Costumes

  • News
  • March 19, 2008

When attending conventions like Wizard World Los Angeles you often get to see just how devoted to their favorite character some hardcore fans really are. How can you tell?

Well, these fans generally don’t just pay their money and passively attend the show going from one panel to another, buying the latest action figures, comics or t-shirts and generally having an "okay" time.

No, these hardcore fans go the extra mile and take their fandom to an altogether different level. They come in costume.

Following after the jump are a few photographs spotlighting these true hadcore fans. It can’t be easy putting costumes like these together.

So, for doing all of that hard work and going the extra mile, we at ComicMix salute you.

Check back later today for the second part of our WWLA photo gallery, featuring some of the other people, places and sights from this year’s convention. (more…)

In My Ears and In My Eyes (Part 1), by Elayne Riggs

  • News
  • March 19, 2008

Last week we were casting about, as usual, for something interesting to watch in the 100-200 channel range of our cable system. The local PBS stations were hip-deep in pledge drives, which meant 20-minute breaks between segments of shows that would otherwise have been enjoyable but which we’d mostly seen anyway by this point. (Did anyone else think it just a tad disconcerting that WLIW, the Long Island-based PBS station, could afford to send its two high muckety-mucks out to broadcast from Innsbruck during the pledge breaks for Visions of Austria, but made sure to keep reminding us that Viewers Like You made all that possible? Oh great, I should give to their station to sponsor their executives’ vacations?)

The few writers’ strike-delayed shows that we usually watch on the networks haven’t begun running new episodes, and in their place were the same tired crop of cringeworthy reality shows. Keith Olbermann and MSNBC are turning into FOX-lite (but that’s another column). And how many times can I watch the Ghana episode of Tony Bourdain’s No Reservations? (Not including subconscious reruns during REM sleep, approximately ten, but not consecutively; give me a break, Travel Channel!)

So it was that we found our way up the dial to a delightful programme all about amber hosted by "Dickie-Love’s" brother David Attenborough — and now little impressionable ol’ me suddenly wants some new amber earrings — which we then followed up with a Biography Channel episode on The Beatles’ Wives, which itself preceded two recent Paul McCartney concerts, one from 2005 and the other from 2007, on that same channel, both horribly chopped from the originals. And suddenly there I was, fascinated all over again. (more…)

Arthur C. Clarke: 1917-2008

  • News
  • March 18, 2008

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The newswires are spreading the news that Arthur C. Clarke has just died in his adopted home of Sri Lanka at the age of 90.

Clarke will be known to most of the world as the writer of 2001: A Space Odyssey along with other science fiction classics as Childhood’s End, Rendevous With Rama and The Nine Billion Names Of God, but his influence on the world was far greater– he was the most influential advocate for creating satellites with geostationary orbits to be used as telecommunications relays.

For his achievements in writing science fiction and science fact, he was knighted by the British Empire in 2000.

We will miss him terribly.

Iron Man and Wolverine Animated Shows Coming to Nicktoons Network

  • News
  • March 18, 2008

Iron Man and Wolverine are no strangers when it comes to animation. Both of them have been the stars of animated programs in the past and now both of of them will get a chance to return to the medium thanks to the new popularity afforded to them by upcoming big-budget, live-action films.

Wolverine and the X-Men and Iron Man: The Animated Series will debut in the early part of 2009 with 26 half-hour episodes each on Nicktoons Network.

The plot of Wolverine and the X-Men is as follows:

The story begins as an explosive event shatters the lives of the X-Men and takes away their mentor, Professor X. The beaten heroes, including Beast, Storm, Cyclops and Nightcrawler, walk away from it all but then they are given a rare glimpse into the future, where they see a world in utter ruin … ruled by giant destructive robots. They discover the world has spiraled out of control because the X-Men have given up. So now the most legendary of all X-Men, Wolverine, must take the lead on the ultimate mission — to prevent the world’s destruction — while fending off enemies Magneto and The Brotherhood.

As for Iron Man’s show, the plot roughly follows that of the comics, just with Tony Stark as a teenager instead of a middle-aged alcoholic:

Tony Stark, heir to a billion-dollar corporation, lives a life of luxury, free to pursue his chief interests — seeking extreme thrills, solving scientific mysteries and creating mind-boggling inventions. But everything goes horribly wrong when a tragic accident robs Tony of his father and nearly costs him his own life. Now dependent on his own impressive technology for survival and dedicated to battling corruption, Tony must reconcile the pressure of teenage life with the duties of a Super Hero. Inside his remarkable invention, Tony Stark is geared for high-speed flight, high-tech battles and high-octane adventure! He is Iron Man.

Will a new generation of children tune into to the action packed adventures of Iron Man and Wolverine or will they stick to their precious little anime programs? Only time will tell in this battle to capture young minds and advertising dollars.

 

(via SHH)

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ComicMix Radio: Back In The Flash

flash12-7786147It’s a new direction for The Flash, a boat-load of second printing variant comics, and no less than two Katee Sackoff DVDs that hit the stores this week. We’ve got your new comics & DVD rundown, plus:

— Marvel and FX cook up a movie deal

— NBC courts Christian Slater

— It’s in the cards for Speed Racer at Topps

—  And we feel so generous that here is a hint for today’s new trivia question that is worth an  exclusive Graham Crackers Comics variant — and you win by e-mailing us at: podcast [at] comicmix.com

It’s all a click away, so just press the button!

 

 

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-3643779 or RSS!

Jon Sable, Freelance: Stealing Junk

  • News
  • March 18, 2008

In today’s brand-new episode of Mike Grell’s Jon  Sable, Freelance: Ashes of Eden,  Maggie and Jon don’t fight.  Instead, they figure out why the McGuffin Diamond is so important, and why Jon was hired to protect it.

Credits: Glenn Hauman (Colorist), Glenn Hauman (Assistant Editor), John Workman (Letterer), Mike Gold (Editor), Mike Grell (Artist), Mike Grell (Writer), Shannon Weaver (Colorist)

More: Jon Sable Freelance: Ashes of Eden

 

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British Ad Agency Creates New Comic

  • News
  • March 18, 2008

mothercomic460-6047303Though the history of comics largely began through free newspaper inserts, that practice has gone unused for decades.

Fitting, then, that such an unexpected distribution model would accompany the release of a new comic book series created by an advertising agency. Mother, the London-based agency best known for promoting Coca-Cola, recently announced it will be shipping Four Feet from a Rat – a collection of comics stories – in the weekly Time Out listings magazine.

Read the full Guardian article right here. Strangely enough, the comic doesn’t even include advertisements. The company explained that it serves simply as a creative outlet for employees.

The story behind the creation is pretty interesting: Mother has a history of offering its services for favors instead of money. The company did some work for Time Out in exchange for pages in the publication. Once they accrued enough pages, they set about making the comic.

Mother partnered with comics publisher Mam Tor for the art on the stories. Guardian comics critic Will Hodkinson said the stories carried on in the tradition of Hellraiser and Sandman.

"This isn’t as good as those comics – it is a little derivative," said Hodgkinson. "One might almost call it a pastiche. But it’s well drawn and well written and it’ll be interesting to see how it develops as they find their voice."

If the book has some success, keep an eye on other publishers who might try something similar.

Our Comics Community, by Dennis O’Neil

  • News
  • March 18, 2008

Things are fanning out all over.

But before we go any further, let me explain and, while I’m about it, issue an OFA, or Old Fart Alert.

Back in the day – now you begin to understand the reason for the OFA – part of the fun of attending science fiction and comics conventions was seeing stuff like outtakes and blooper reels and old movies and especially old serials, entertainments virtually unavailable anywhere else. Another pleasure was listening to other fans who were In The Know reveal secrets, or at least semi-secrets, about the actors and artists and, yes, even writers whose work we enjoyed and was the raison d’etre for the whole she-bang.

Now…bloopers are shown on network television, as are outtakes, and one major international star has, for the last decade or so, incorporated them into the films themselves. And although nobody, to my knowledge, is showing serials regularly, a cable channel used to and somebody almost certainly will again and even if that doesn’t happen, these crusty old flicks are easily buyable, or rentable, or, maybe, available at your local public library. As for other kinds of old movies…Well, let’s just say that I’ve filled in some of the gaps in my appreciation of Rocky Lane, Lash LaRue, Wild Bill Elliott, the Durango Kid, and the indomitable Sunset Carson by watching the Westerns Channel from the comfort of my living room.

Insider info? It’s practically a national industry, only they call it gossip and push it at us on television and in the magazines I read in doctor’s offices. Push a lot of it, I might add. And most DVDs have material in addition to whatever movie’s on them and these, too, frequently feature gossipy tidbits, though never scandalous ones.

(more…)

‘Smallville’ Comic Contest to Determine Plot, Comic-Con VIP

  • News
  • March 17, 2008

Years ago, DC let fans determine whether Batman sidekick Jason Todd met his end at the hands of the Joker via phone-in voting. Fans of Smallville, the television series that follows Clark Kent before he was Superman, now have a chance to play a similar (albeit far less morbid) role in determining the direction of a superhero-themed story.

Twice a week, fans will be able to vote on how Smallville: Visions, a DC-produced digital comic scripted by Stephan Nilson with art by Andie Tong, will evolve. At the end of the voting period, the pages will become (virtual) reality for readers.

Along with determining the outcome of the story, fans can also participate in the Stride Gum contest that goes with the promotion. All participants in Smallville story development will be entered for a chance to win a "VIP Weekend" at this year’s Comic-Con International: San Diego. They’ll also receive a year’s supply of Stride gum — which could come in handy amid the funk of the convention floor.

 

 

Interview: Jacen Burrows on Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis and ‘Crossed’

  • News
  • March 17, 2008

Artist Jacen Burrows has already had an impressive career in a relatively short amount of time. His talent, bold visual style and penchant for the darker, more sinister aspects of life have already earned him a place collaborating with some of the most popular and successful writers working in comics today.

Some of these writers include Warren Ellis, Garth Ennis and Alan Moore on projects such as Dark Blue, Scars, The Courtyard and 303. More recently, he’s worked on Chronicles of Wormwood with Ennis.

And, just yesterday at Wizard World in LA, it was announced that he’s doing a brand-new project with Ennis called Crossed — described by Avatar Press’ William Christensen as "a story about the worst people can possibly be, as a group of good people attempt to survive in a world of pure evil."

ComicMix caught up with Burrows at Wizard World LA to get some more details on Crossed, his other work with writers like Warren Ellis, what artists he admires and much more.

COMICMIX: Jason, thanks for taking the time to talk with me. Let’s get right into it with a little background. When did you first start drawing?

JACEN BURROWS: I’ve been drawing from the beginning. Three years old I was doing more drawing than anything else. And I think everyone does that. All kids draw but it was just the thing I happened to stick with because everyone would tell me I was good at it so I never stopped. When other kids were outside doing things I was inside working on my drawing. So, its kinda my curse.

CMix: Your parents encouraged you?

JB: Oh yeah, they were like "do what you want" and let me do my thing. Early on I had a tendency to draw the things that were fun to me, like war scenes with tanks and dead bodies.

Teachers would freak out and my mom would come in and tell them I was just being creative. Later, when I had art teachers, they would say it’s all perfectly normal.

CMix: You liked that kind of thing? Monsters, severed heads, etc?

JB: Yeah, I had a nice healthy obsession with drawing monsters, werewolves and things like that. It’s the fun stuff. (more…)

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