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Gene Colan Eisner-nominated Artwork Up For Auction

captain-america-601-1996463(Editorial note: Even though Clifford writes for us on occasion, this is written in his role as Gene Colan’s friend and occasional assistant.)

We are now accepting blind bids for the following Captain
America #601 pages. Captain America #601 is up for the
Eisner Award this year. This book is also significant because it’s
Gene’s final Captain America book, and likely the end of his Marvel
work.

Minimum bids are listed. I plan to have scanned images
available soon, but please don’t let that stop you from bidding now. If I
have a solid, fair offer, I will stop the bidding and notify you that
the page is yours, as I have in the past. Don’t hold back and wait until
an item you want has been sold.

You will pay exact UPS packing
and shipping fees plus sales tax. Descriptions of the pages that we are
selling and minimum bids are below. High bidders will be notified
by July 19. To bid, write cliffmeth@aol.com.
In the subject line, put the page # that you are bidding on and your
bid.

(more…)

F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre, 1948-2010

f-gwynplaine-mcintyre-1-9128462“Straight on till mourning!”

That was the end of the last public announcement of science fiction author F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre, when he posted a note that said he’d be getting away from it all for a while and might be some time in getting back. At the time, some folks thought it was a typo.

Sadly, it wasn’t. It appears that he was tremendously depressed and killed himself last Friday by setting his Brooklyn apartment on fire.

“Froggy” was a was a Scottish-born journalist, novelist, poet and illustrator, who
lived in Wales and New York City. His writings include the
science-fiction novel The
Woman Between the Worlds
and his anthology of verse and humor pieces MacIntyre’s Improbable Bestiary. As an uncredited “ghost” author, he was known to have written or
co-written several other books.
In the early 1960s, under his previous name, MacIntyre was an
employee of Lew Grade and worked as a trainee technician on the crews of
the television series The
Champions and The
Prisoner— which explained the jacket you often saw him in, the one in the photograph.

I didn’t know him well, and I’d be hard-pressed to say anybody did– Teresa Nielsen Hayden reminded me, “Right after 9/11, every NYC group and community was constantly,
informally checking to see whether anyone was missing. In the New
York-area SF community, MacIntyre was the last person I know of who was
confirmed to be okay, and the confirmation came a month or two after the
attacks.” I remember commenting at the time, when we were all searching– how would we know? Who could we check with?

He was a man who lived his life in a sort of constant pain– he took the name Gwynplaine from the Victor Hugo novel The Man Who Laughs, which comic fans know was made into a film which served as the inspiration for the Joker– a man twisted by devastating events into something horrific. That he chose to reference that gives you an idea about the man.

It will be strange not to see him on the periphery of events anymore. He will be missed.

Garfield as Spider-Man?

  • Uncategorized
  • July 2, 2010

gar-spider-2342671The new Spider-Man has been cast… and yes, it’s Garfield.

Andrew Garfield.

Never heard of him? Us neither. But apparently he’s up and coming very fast, as can be imagined by a casting decision this high-profile for what will be Sony’s big tentpole movie of 2012.

And apparently, he’s willing to work cheap. Deadline Hollywood says that his pay scale on the film is around $500,000 salary on the first film,
$1 million for the second one, and $2 million for the third film. Considering Tobey Maguire was making at least ten times those numbers, that takes a huge weight off the cost of the film. If we assume other actors are similarly priced, this thing could actually come in under budget.

Press release follows…

(more…)

Donald Duck Arrested for DWI

Police in Massillon, OH say Donald
Duck repeatedly backed-up and struck the car in front of him
while waiting at a drive-through pizza line.

Officers say when they arrived on the scene, Duck, 51, reeked
of alcohol and when he opened the car door a bag of pot fell out of the
front seat. Duck was booked into the Stark County Jail on a felony charge of
operating a vehicle while impaired, and misdemeanor counts of both drug
possession and the possession of drug paraphernalia.

On the other hand, at least he was wearing pants. So he’s one up on the other guy.

No word if a rich uncle posted bail for him.

Jason Isaacs Muses on being the eternal Ra’s al Ghul

Jason Isaacs, renowned for his villainous turn as Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, assumes another dark iconic role as the voice of Ra’s al Ghul in Batman: Under the Red Hood, the latest entry in the ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies coming July 27, 2010 to Blu-ray, DVD, OnDemand and for Download.

Isaacs, who portrays Malfoy in five Harry Potter films, is well known for his lead role on the Showtime series Brotherhood, as well as starring opposite Mel Gibson in the revolutionary war adventure, The Patriot. The British actor has also racked up credits in films like Armageddon, Black Hawk Down, Peter Pan, Grindhouse, DragonHeart and Green Zone; TV series including The West Wing, Entourage and The State Within (for which he received a Golden Globe nomination); and in the voiceover realm in everything from documentary narration and commercial advertisements to video games and the popular animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender,

In Batman: Under the Red Hood, Isaacs gives Batman’s nemesis Ra’s al Ghul a sympathetic twist as the villain attempts to right his own wrongs and help Batman in his efforts against both Red Hood and the Joker. Isaacs is an integral part of an all-star cast that includes Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek), Jensen Ackles (Supernatural), Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) and John DiMaggio (Futurama).

Produced by Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, Batman: Under the Red Hood will be distributed by Warner Home Video as a Special Edition version on Blu-Ray™ and 2-disc DVD, as well as being available on single disc DVD, On Demand and for Download.

Isaacs splits his time between the UK and the US, but still found a few moments to chat about his latest animation voiceover role, his yearning for an actual super power, and his childhood addiction to comic books.

QUESTION: This isn’t really the Ra’s al Ghul we’re accustomed to seeing – what’s the nutshell synopsis of his part in Batman: Under the Red Hood?

JASON ISAACS: This role is a bit unusual for Ra’s al Ghul as he’s been Batman’s nemesis a lot in the past.  But this time he is actually full of regret for a mistake that he has made, and his inability to control the Joker.  A lot of what happens for Ra’s in this story is him explaining to Batman how things went so badly awry, and how Robin ended up quite so dead. (more…)

Wonder Woman’s Latest Makeover

  • News
  • June 30, 2010

wonder-articleinline-v2-2791466Hey, Wonder Woman! You’re driving me nuts.

DC Comics has announced they’re changing Wonder Woman’s costume. Let’s forget that her costume is truly iconic. Let’s forget it’s been one of the most licensed images in American comic books. Let’s even forget that
artist/co-publisher Jim Lee’s new design isn’t bad at all. Let’s just question the wisdom of capricious change.

We’ve been through this before. In 1968, DC took her out
of her costume and dressed her as Emma Peal from The Avengers teevee show. It didn’t work. In 1982, DC altered the eagle to look like a double-double-you. Since then, that image has been softened to appear almost indistinguishable.

DC has re-launched, re-booted, re-vitalized and changed
Wonder Woman more often than a new mom changes her baby’s diaper. Some incarnations were quite good, but few lasted long enough to establish an audience.

17795-1155072DC has repeatedly proven themselves either unwilling or incapable of developing their artistic successes. It looks like every time somebody new comes in, he’s got to “save Wonder Woman” just to make his bones.
Perhaps the numbers crunchers panic easily – that’s certainly been known to happen. Perhaps they should just focus on making great comics instead of
overdoing lame “events.”

Wonder Woman has been a role model to thousands of young
girls and has been an entry-point for a lot of women into this still-male
dominated medium. DC should honor Wonder Woman and her heritage by treating her with the same reverence with which they treat Superman. The way publisher has treated Wonder Woman for the past couple decades has been quite sad.

Classic Comics Press Adds ‘Big Ben Bolt’ and ‘Cisco Kid’

  • News
  • June 30, 2010

cover_flat-inddClassic Comics Press is the little engine that could, a small operation that has produced lovely editions of many series, including The Heart of Juliet Jones and Mary Perkins On Stage. Publisher Charles Pelto and collections editor James Gauthier yesterday talked about those books and today, we continue to examine their plans. 

ComicMix: Irwin Hasen’s Dondi is quite unlike the others and is a forgotten gem. What’s the appeal for you?

Charles Pelto: I did it because of Irwin Hasen. Roy Thomas suggested I talk to Irwin and we instantly hit it off. Irwin is a hell-of-a-guy and after meeting him I wanted to do it for no other reason than to honor Irwin’s work. I would have liked to continue past Volume 2 but the sales just don’t justify it. But I was able to do two volumes, people seemed to enjoy it. And it’s too bad; the storylines in what would have been the third volume are some of Irwin’s best work.

James Gauthier: I remember growing up and reading it in the New York Daily News. Dondi was always a favorite. Since it has never been reprinted before I never had the opportunity to see the early strips from the 1950’s and so putting the books together helped answer many questions that I had. I always wondered how Dondi got to this country, how he came to be adopted and what his relationship was with Mrs. McGowan.

CMix: Irwin’s a terrific guy and quite the character. What’s his take on seeing these in print?

Pelto:  Irwin loves it. I happened to be there when Irwin saw the first copy and the look on his face was well worth the price of admission.

Gauthier: He was thrilled that people are able to experience the strip again, and it was great to be able to reprint the strip and see his reaction to it. So many of the great comic strip artists have passed away before they could see their work reprinted and preserved for future generations to enjoy. It’s nice that Irwin is still around to see them get reprinted. (more…)

looneylineup2-8507157

New Looney Tunes Look for Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and the rest of the gang

  • News
  • June 30, 2010

looneylineup2-8507157

A new Looney Tunes television series is on the horizon, and the 80-year-old cartoon characters are getting another face lift. Jessica Borutski spent nearly two years redesigning the Looney Tunes characters for Warner Bros., saying, “I gave them slightly different proportions that
emphasize things I always
liked about the characters. An example is Bugs’ feet. I streamlined
them and made them bigger.” When the studio released the news about the upcoming cartoon series, along with promo art, many fans were in an uproar.

Borutski experienced a backlash of criticism and negativity towards her work. Many fans found the redesigns “desthpicable”, or as CartoonBrew.com put it, “embarrassing.” Although some people embraced the new style as being fun and more modern, the media’s attention has focused on the negative reactions to Borutski’s art. Pete Emslie, a freelance artist like Borutski and an admirer of her work, expressed his take on the situation in his blog: “If these designs were of brand new characters with no previous history
in cartoons, I believe that these images would be embraced by the
majority of animation fans and recognized for how appealing they are in
terms of graphic design and feeling of inner life and personality. The
problem of course is that these are the Looney Tunes characters, with a
long illustrious past… Most of us would rather that they not be
messed with…”

(more…)

Superman & Batman Repeat Appearance on Next Animated Feature

  • News
  • June 29, 2010

As has been unofficially discussed on the net, Warner Premiere continues to exploit DCE’s major heroes. The details on the next release were officially unveiled today in the following press release.

BURBANK, CA, (June 29, 2010) – To save an earthbound Kryptonian, the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight unite once again – this time to battle the powerful forces of Darkseid – in Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, the ninth entry in the popular, ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies coming September 28, 2010 from Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation. The highly anticipated, full-length film will be distributed by Warner Home Video as a Special Edition Blu-Ray™ and 2-Disc Special Edition DVD as well as single disc DVD. The film will also be available On Demand and for Download.

Fan favorites Tim Daly (Private Practice) and Kevin Conroy (China Beach) return to their seminal roles as Superman and Batman, respectively. The celebrity-laden guest cast is headed by Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age) as the daunting Darkseid. Sci-Fi heroine Summer Glau (Serenity/Firefly, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) provides the voice of Supergirl, and seven-time Emmy Award winner Ed Asner (Up) reprises his Superman: The Animated Series/Justice League role as Granny Goodness.

Based on the DC Comics series/graphic novel Superman/Batman: Supergirl by Jeph Loeb, Michael Turner & Peter Steigerwald, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse is produced by animation legend Bruce Timm and directed by Lauren Montgomery (Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths) from a script by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Tab Murphy (Gorillas in the Mist).

After a spaceship splashes down in Gotham City Harbor, Batman and Superman encounter a mysterious Kryptonian with powers as great as those of the Man of Steel. The Kryptonian is soon revealed to be Kara, cousin of Superman, who takes her under his wing to educate her about the ways of Earth. However, the villainous Darkseid has other plans. Seeing an opportunity to finally defeat Superman, Darkseid abducts and gains control of Kara, utilizing the powerful Kryptonian to do his bidding. It’s up to Batman and Superman to save Kara, but they’ll have to take the fight to Darkseid within his hostile world – where unknown, deadly threats lurk around every corner, including a brainwashed Kryptonian able to match Superman blow-for-blow.

In addition to the feature film, the Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Special Edition Blu-Ray™ and 2-Disc Special Edition DVD include the third DC Showcase animated short, Green Arrow.  Screenwriter Greg Weisman’s story finds Oliver Queen at the Star City International Airport to pick up his girlfriend, only to be forced into action as Green Arrow to protect the 10-year-old Princess of Vlatava from his old nemesis Merlyn the Magnificent and the League of Assassins. The short features the voices of Neal McDonough (Desperate Housewives) and Malcolm McDowell (Entourage). Bruce Timm is executive producer. (more…)

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