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Happy 100th Birthday, C.C. Beck!

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Born in 1910 in Zumbrota, Minnesota, Charles Clarence “C.C.” Beck started learning art via correspondence course before studying at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and the University of Minnesota. Fawcett Publications hired him as a staff artist in 1933.

Initially Beck worked on pulp magazines, but when Fawcett started producing comic books in 1939 Beck was assigned to draw Whiz Comics, starring a character called Captain Thunder. The character’s name was changed before the first issue ever came out—to Captain Marvel.

Beck drew not only Whiz Comics but Spy Smasher and Ibis the Invincible, and in 1941 he set up his own studio in New York City—he later added a second location in Englewood, NJ, and oversaw artwork for most of the Marvel Family line while also producing commercial art. Fawcett discontinued its comic book line in the early 1950s and Beck was forced to close his studios in 1954.

After that he only worked on comics occasionally, though he did illustrate the first ten issues of DC’s Shazam! series (continuing Captain Marvel, whom DC had purchased from Fawcett). Beck retired in the 70s and moved to Florida, where he wrote an opinion column, “The Crusty Curmudgeon,” for The Comics Journal. He died in 1989.

Beck was inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1997.

Starz Nabs ‘Torchwood”s 4th Season

torchwood-a-8490247Just the other day we talked about how everyone was awaiting word on a fourth season of the BBC series Torchwood. Here’s this morning’s formal press release with the details. Let the rejoicing and anticipation begin.

LOS ANGELES, June 7 /PRNewswire/ — Starz Entertainment has
acquired U.S. television rights to the next installment of the BBC’s
audience sensation Torchwood, developed and produced by BBC
Worldwide Productions. Starz will debut the 10-episode series
exclusively in the U.S., and BBC One will debut it in the U.K., both in
summer, 2011. This is a co-production between Starz, BBC Cymru Wales and
BBC Worldwide, and BBC Worldwide will distribute the show outside the
U.S. The deal was jointly announced today by Starz, LLC President and
CEO Chris Albrecht and BBC Worldwide
Productions EVP Jane Tranter.

The stars of the previous versions of Torchwood, notably John Barrowman (Capt. Jack
Harkness) and Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper), will return for the new version.
Additional key cast, reflecting the more international scope of the
series, will be announced soon.

Torchwood is a drama that puts extraterrestrial
threats into a very real world, and asks how humanity deals with the
danger – while fighting mankind’s darkest instincts. The series’
previous three seasons aired on BBC America in the U.S. and garnered
record-breaking ratings for the network. Created by visionary
writer/producer Russell T Davies, Torchwood has to date been
located primarily in Cardiff, Wales.
The new series will allow Davies and his writing team to tell a more
explosive and global story, one that takes advantage of the unlimited
narrative opportunities of a premium television service like Starz.

Davies and BBC Worldwide Productions’ SVP Scripted Julie Gardner
return as executive producers, with Davies also serving as show-runner
for the new Torchwood.

“We’re committed to programming exceptional television that is
entertaining, imaginative and provides a premium TV experience, and by
any measure the new concept for Torchwood fits that mandate,”
Starz, LLC, President and CEO Chris Albrecht
said. “I’ve been part of successful partnerships with Jane Tranter and the BBC previously, and I’m
very much looking forward to working with them again.”

Torchwood has attracted remarkable attention and loyalty in
both the UK and U.S., and in this new partnership with Starz, the next
chapter will not only reward our current fans, but also introduce new
viewers to the most impressive installment yet,” said Jane Tranter, EVP, BBC Worldwide Productions. “Chris Albrecht and his team are committed to
delivering quality premium programming to their subscribers, also a core
attribute of the BBC, and we are excited to be working with them as the Torchwood adventure continues.”

“Russell, Jane and Julie came to us with a compelling vision for the
evolution of the Torchwood saga that really takes the story
into whole new areas,” added Carmi Zlotnik,
Managing Director of Starz Media ? the production and development
division of Starz. “The compelling story and characters this trio
created provide a strong template for driving this narrative in exciting
ways.”  

Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama
Commissioning said: “We have a long history of working with many U.S.
networks, but it is incredibly exciting to be working with Starz for the
first time, as well as to be reunited with the best of British in
Russell, Jane and Julie. Torchwood will burst back onto the
screen with a shocking and moving story with global stakes and locations
that will make it feel bigger and bolder than ever”

Torchwood is the latest piece of notable programming from
Starz. It follows on the heels of the recently concluded first season of
the epic “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” this summer’s highly anticipated
event  series “The Pillars of the Earth,” based on author Ken Follett‘s international bestseller, and the
recently announced series “Camelot,” which Starz is co-producing with
GK-TV and will air early in 2011.

“Torchwood” originally debuted in the UK on BBC One in 2006. All five
episodes of Torchwood: Children of Earth” reached the Top 10 list in
TV Episodes across the entire iTunes TV Store, with episode 1 of the
series reaching the top spot the week of launch in August, 2009.

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The Point Radio: Stone Cold Speaks

  • Uncategorized
  • June 7, 2010

Even if you aren’t a WWE Fan, chances are you know STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN. For almost half a decade, Steve has been battling his way into the acting world and know he has a new action film on the shelves plus a role with Stallone coming up. Plus THE AVENGERS get a Hawkeye and one new ABC show set for the fall has already changed its cast.

And be sure to stay on The Point via iTunes - ComicMix, RSS, MyPodcast.Comor Podbean!

Follow us now on and !

Don’t forget that you can now enjoy THE POINT 24 hours a Day – 7 Days a week!. Updates on all parts of pop culture, special programming by some of your favorite personalities and the biggest variety of contemporary music on the net – plus there is a great round of new programs on the air including classic radio each night at 12mid (Eastern) on RETRO RADIO COMICMIX’s Mark Wheatley hitting the FREQUENCY every Saturday at 9pm and even the Editor-In-Chief of COMICMIX, Mike Gold, with his daily WEIRD SCENES and two full hours of insanity every Sunday (7pm ET) with WEIRD SOUNDS!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE FOR FREE or go to GetThePointRadio for more including a connection for mobile phones including iPhone & Blackberrys.

 

 

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Webcomics You Should Be Reading: Lackadaisy

  • Uncategorized
  • June 7, 2010

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Hear ye, hear ye! WYSBR is now in session! I hope everyone has been keeping up with their webcomic reading. There are many webcomics to explore and rave about, so lets not waste any time. We’ll start this segment with a personal favorite of mine: Lackadaisy.

Created by Tracy J. Butler, this webcomic takes place in St. Louis during the 1920’s Prohibition. Lackadaisy focuses on the adventures that ensue when running a speakeasy, an establishment that illegally serves alcohol. The stakes are high as characters risk everything to save their cherished speakeasy from being crushed by the competition.

You may be wondering why the characters are a bit on the furry side. Butler’s characters are all anthropomorphic cats, but don’t let that give you the wrong impression. These aren’t the type of furries that make you wonder what the heck “yiffing” is. You can’t help but be charmed by these fluffy cats. Each character has a unique personality that is projected through smart, snappy dialogue and wonderfully detailed expressions.

Speaking of details, Butler never holds back when it comes to detailing every aspect of Lackadaisy. Clothes, furniture, vehicles, and architecture are exquisitely designed to capture an American 1920’s atmosphere. The talented Ms. Butler sucks readers into Lackadaisy‘s lively St. Louis, which is fine with me because it’s an exciting, dramatic place full of colorful characters.

For the past few years, Lackadaisy has gained attention, praise, and thousands of fans. Butler’s webcomic won her the 2007 Webcartoonists’ Choice Awards for Outstanding Newcomer, Artist, Character Rendering, and Anthropomorphic Comic. More trophies were added to Butler’s cabinet after winning the 2008 Webcartoonists’ Choice Awards for Outstanding Artist, Black and White Art, Character Rendering, and Website Design. Many people would agree: Lackadaisy is full of win.

If you like the roaring 20’s, cool cats, or impressive webcomics in general, then give Lackadaisy a read. Chances are you’ll find something you love about it.

Monday Mix-Up: Toy Story / Fight Club

With Toy Story 3 on it’s way to theaters soon, we thought we’d treat you to a lil’ mashup that puts a new light on our favorite characters. In an alternate universe where Woody just isn’t happy with himself, or the life that he leads, one man can make it all change. Tyler Lightyear, space soap salesmen, helps our hero find his inner strength. How? By hitting the bottom of the toy chest of course. You
buy a toy. You tell yourself, this is the last toy I will ever
need in my life. Buy the toy, then for a couple days you’re
satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you’ve got your toy
issue handled. Then the right set of warrior accessories. Then the perfect videogame. The mint-in-box collectors ring. The Battle Ravaged Chase Variant. Then you’re trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you. It’s only after you lose everything that you’re free to do anything.

Now feel free to enjoy the clip!

Happy Birthday: Wayne Boring

  • Uncategorized
  • June 5, 2010

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Born in Minnesota in 1905, Wayne Boring attended the Minnesota School of Art and then the Chicago Art Institute. He started working in the comic book industry in 1937, ghost-drawing for Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s studio. When the studio created a Superman comic strip Boring was tapped to ghost-draw that, though later he was actually credited as the artist (often under his pseudonym, Jack Harmon). In 1942 National Comics hired him directly as a staff artist. In 1948 Siegel and Shuster left the company and new Superman editor Mort Weisinger handed the comic’s art duties to Boring. He handled most of the Superman penciling through the 1950s but dropped back to guest spots in the 60s and was let go from DC in 1967. Boring then ghosted for Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant comic strip, drew Sam Leff’s Davy Jones strip, and did some work on Marvel’s Captain Marvel before semi-retiring in the early 1970s. In 1986 Boring penciled a Golden Age Superman story for Secret Origins #1. He died of a heart attack the following year.

Tony DiPreta, 1921 – 2010

Tony DiPreta, a cartoonist with a pedigree as long as Joe Palooka’s reach, died on June 2.

Best known as the last artist on Joe Palooka (1959 – 1984) and Rex Morgan, M.D. from 1994 until 2000, Tony got his start at the fabled Quality Comics as a letterer in 1940. He assisted Lou Fine, Gill Fox and Bob Fujitani before working on such notable features as Airboy, Uncle Sam and Daredevil (the original pre-Marvel character). During the 1950s he did an enormous amount of humor, horror and western anthology work, primarily for Marvel (Atlas) Comics.He later worked on Marvel’s black and white horror magazines such as Tales of the Zombie, Monsters Unleashed, and Dracula Lives. His last published comic book work was Fantastic Adventures #3 (Oct. 1987) where he did the humorous “The Score Board Kid” written by former Mad editor Jerry DeFuccio.  

In addition to working on Joe Palooka and Rex Morgan — both highly visible features in their time – Tony also drew Mickey Finn during its waning years. 

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Titan Launches ‘Torchwood’ Comic

torchwoodlg-jpg-2015808In addition to the ongoing audio dramas and original novels, the adventures of Captain Jack and the Torchwood crew are coming to comic books. Titan Publishing, which already handles the Torchwood magazine, will release a comic in August.

Two stories will appear, the first, “Captain Jack and the Selkie”, is being co-written by series star John Barrowman and his sister Carol E. Barrowman,. Handling the art is veteran Tommy Lee Edwards and Jonathan Ross. The second story, “Broken,” is the opening chapter to a five-part story, written by Torchwood script editor Gary Russell, with artwork by UK vet Adrian Salmon. Captain Jack, Gwen and Ianto (seemingly back from the dead) get trapped in a cosmic hotel, while an old villain from the TV series will return.

As one might expect, there will be variant covers – artwork by Ian Churchill or photography – for collectors with an exclusively edition, with different Churchill artwork available at July’s Comic-Con International.

Edwards told the Pink Paper his story “sees Barrowman facing a deadly threat on a remote Scottish island, where people are disappearing one by one. To his horror, the captain starts to suspect he may know who, or rather what, is responsible.” The artist came to Barrowman’s attention when he and Carole spotted a Captain Jack poster by Edwards at the 2008 San Diego-based convention.

“The four of us hit it off immediately and I asked if they’d ever be interested in working with us on a Captain Jack project. They thought about it for, oh, about 30 seconds, and ‘Captain Jack and the Selkie’ was born!”

Barrowman, who was seen this season on ABC’s Desperate Housewives, confirmed for BBC Radio 2 that the highly-anticipated fourth season of Torchwood will be a thirteen-episode affair, although no formal announcement or schedule has come from the BBC itself. Producer Russell T. Davies has previously indicated he knows exactly how he wanted to open the season, which would find Jack still off Earth while Gwen and Rhys welcomed their first child.

In the meantime, Barrowman is committed to appear in a production of Aladdin in Glasgow, at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre’s Clyde Auditorium from December 11 to January 9, 2011.

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Disney Consumer Products Projects Profitble Future

At an online press conference preceding this month’s Licensing Show, Walt Disney outlined their plans for 2011 and the future. Andy Mooney, president of Disney Consumer Products, hosted the event and emphasized that the company’s properties were all being evaluated for exploitation in all forms, using the phrase “newness” to cover technology and “value” to explain multi-figure packaging.

Obviously, the company expects to reap huge profits from this month’s 3-D release of Toy Story 3. Mooney anticipates $2.4 billion of global sales of merchandise for this franchise alone.

After that, Mooney felt Tron: Legacy, coming in December, will appeal to boys and has partnered with Mattel for toys based on the movie starring Jeff Bridges and Olivia Wilde.

For 2011, the company will be flogging Pixar’s next sequel, Cars 2, due in June, following a month later with the next animated Winnie the Pooh movie. For the younger set, there will also be the first new Muppets feature film in nearly a decade. The Disney Princess brand will continue to be pushed, accompanied by the recently launched Fairies line of product which already has grown into a $1.3 billion business.

Little was said about the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film, On Stranger Tides, which takes the action to America. Similarly, nothing was mentioned about the next big action film, 2012’s live-action John Carter of Mars.

Disney is also exploring a sequel to 3 Men and a Baby, the 1987 film, directed by Leonard Nimoy and starting Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson. The charming comedy led to a less charming sequel 3 Men and a Little Lady in 1990 and now the studio appears interested in seeing a later chapter in their lives. Selleck confirmed for MTV that  “It is true that Disney checked my availability,” he said. 3 Men and a Bride is the likely title and plotline, with Selleck adding, “I hope it’s a good script, and if it is a good script I hope they do it, because it would be really fun to get back with Ted and Steve. The strongest of the two movies I think is the first one. It had more heart, and that’s what I hope this third one would have if we do it.”

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