Category: News
That BoingBoing Bounce
It’s common knowledge that once a comics-related site appears on BoingBoing, its hits rise exponentially. So congratulations to both Ward Sutton, whose recent New York Times slideshow analyzing political posters and campaign logos (see example at right) got a mention this morning, and the very amusing Comic Book Periodic Table, saluted last week. BoingBoing notes that the latter site, a projeect from two chemistry profs at the University of Kentucky, "provides a cross-reference to mentions of various elements in a wide variety of funnybooks." Naturally there are a lot of Metal Men pages involved, but also Spidey comics, Richie Rich refs, even Tintin! And if anybody out there knows of a comic book page that mentions cerium or cesium, do contact them!
Shopping Bag People, by Martha Thomases
As you read this, the shopping malls are jammed. Many opened in the dark, with special sales to attract the first shoppers. The news programs will have stories about how many people got trampled trying to buy an item marked down a lot, and perhaps a heartwarming piece about a child who buys something for a poor family.
It’s the holidays.
Most of the world’s religions, major and minor, celebrate the passing of the Winter Solstice when the days stop getting darker and the light begins to return. It is a hopeful time. Whatever your traditions, you probably enjoy gathering with family and/or friends, eating and drinking, celebrating the return of the sun.
In the United States for most of the last century, the holidays are also the time to balance the books. Stores that might lose money all year count on the fourth quarter – October through December – to turn a profit. The day after Thanksgiving is dubbed, “Black Friday,” because that’s the day the red ink should stop. (more…)
Happy 44th birthday, Doctor Who!
On this day in 1963 on BBC television at 5:15 pm, viewers saw a notice about the assasination of John F. Kennedy, and then saw something not unlike this:
…and with that, Doctor Who began its 44 year hold on England’s psyche, racking up the title of longest running science fiction television series, and after a brief respite it shows no signs of slowing down. No longer a victim of creative low budget special effects, the show’s addictive formula, excellent casting and impressive cameos have made it a household favorite across the pond, and a closet favorite at home.
Happy birthday, old man.
Advice from the pros
Congratulations to Dave Roman on approaching his 10th year editing at Nickelodeon Magazine! To celebrate, as many others in the comics blogosphere have noted, Dave has put together a comprehensive review of "advice for building a career as a freelance artist and/or paid cartoonist" based on a number of SVA panels and portfolio reviews he’s done through the years. Lots of nice practical points in there, check it out!
And earlier this month, our friend Alan Davis gave an art class to a group of French children at the Lille Comic Art Festival, captured on video by the good folks at Comic Box. Here’s part one:
And part two:
Your Black Friday geek viewing
A heads-up, folks, that tonight at 10 PM Eastern, the TV series NUM3ERs will present its "Graphic episode," much of which takes place at a fictional comics convention featuring lots of work by very real creators, like Colleen Doran, Dan Brereton and Tony Fleecs, among many others. Wil Wheaton, who guest stars on this episode as fictional comics superstar Miles Sklar, has a Flickr stream of photos from the set, and promises a post on the experience at TV Squad sometime this afternoon.
Am I the only one who looks at the show’s title and mentally pronounces it "num-three-ers"? Just checking.
Manga Friday: Boy oh Boy
Since last week was steeped in girlyness, I thought it was only right to go entirely the other way this week. So, in honor of the weekend American men spend eating and watching football on TV, here are three manga about racing cars, slaughter, mayhem, flying blood, secret fighting techniques, and other topics of interest primarily to the male gender.
Now, I’ve never seen The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, but if anyone who has seen that movie wants to claim that it’s nothing but a rip-off of Initial D, I’d be ready to believe it. It’s set in a small provincial town, where about the only exciting thing for teen boys to do is to race cars down the local mountain. And so they do – and, even more so, they talk about racing, and cars, and the mountain, and racing techniques, and whose car is faster than whose, in interminable detail. There definitely is an audience for this, but I’m not it.
Our hero is one Tak Fujiwara, the typical semi-oblivious protagonist of a million contemporary manga. He’s developed excellent driving techniques without even realizing it – hey, this story seem to say, shamelessly, to its readers, maybe you have also learned some really cool skill and you don’t even know it! (And all the readers over the age of sixteen harrumph.)
On top of that, I found the art unpleasant – the cars and backgrounds are lovingly detailed, as you would expect, but the people stand stiffly and are drawn clumsily. Their mouths in particular draw attention for all of the wrong reasons. If you are absolutely nuts about cars, you might well enjoy Initial D. For the rest of us, though, it’s a bit too much of a muchness. (more…)
Thank you. Thank you very much… by Michael Davis
Every Thanksgiving the media does reports on what makes people thankful. It’s always the same things. Husbands are thankful for their wives and kids. Wives are thankful for their husband and kids. Older people are thankful for good health. Kids are thankful for their Mom & Dad. Blah, blah, blah…
blahblahblahblahblahblah!
Give me a break. I mean come on; everybody loves his or her family. Well almost everybody. I forgot about the Menendez Brothers.
I love my family, as I’m sure you do but besides them, I wonder what people are really thankful for?
I think I may know…
Men are thankful for women and power tools. Women are thankful for shoes and power tools (…give it a moment). Skinny people are thankful for fat people. Fat people are thankful for meat. Black people are thankful for Lincoln and videotape, especially in Los Angeles. White people are thankful for golf and vacations. Super models are thankful for books on tape. Liberals are thankful for rent control and gun legislation. Conservatives are thankful for gated communities and guns. (more…)
Happy 12th birthday, Toy Story!
On this day in 1995, Disney and Pixar released Toy Story, the first full length CGI movie. It grossed $191,773,049 in the United States and it went on to take in a grand total of $354,300,000 worldwide, and was nominated for three Academy Awards, including for Best Original Screenplay, for Joel Cohen, Pete Docter, John Lasseter, Joe Ranft, Alec Sokolow, Andrew Stanton and… Joss Whedon.
I plan on celebrating by playing with my t– action figures.
Happy Thanksgiving!
And while Santa Claus is toodling down Broadway and we start playing Alice’s Restaurant, we bring you the wise words of Warren Ellis:
Don’t forget, my Yanqui readers, the true meaning of Thanksgiving: give your neighbours an infected blanket this Thursday and then move into their houses after they’re dead.
Eat hearty, give thanks, and if the Lions game bores you, take some time and read some comics.
