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Review: ‘Flight, Vol. 5’ edited by Kazu Kibuishi

 flight-51-4889565Flight, Volume Five
Edited by Kazu Kibuishi
Villard/Random House, July 2008, $25.00

As always, the stories in the annual [[[Flight]]] volume are gorgeous and fun, created by a group of artists who worked on storyboards and other art for animated movies, and Flight is easily the most visually diverse of the new breed of mass-market comics anthologies.

But I can’t help but think that most of these stories are square watermelons – the products of creators trained and taught to run their imaginations down narrow channels to produce upbeat, kid-friendly stories with defined beats and clear morals. Nearly every story in Flight 5 could be seen as the treatment for a big-budget “family” animated movie, and many of them feel explicitly like the first scene or two of such a movie. Even once these guys – and all but two of them are guys, which some people may find notable – have been given the freedom of Flight, they continue to tell stories in that one, confined mode, like so many victims of Stockholm syndrome unwilling to leave their own prisons.

The stories are each well-told, but, as they pile up one after another, the number of naïf protagonists learning about the world (often under mortal peril) become just more variations on the same theme. There’s the fox-like world-saver of Michael Gagne’s “[[[The Broken Path]]],” the anthropomorphic fox-man of Reagan Lodge’s “[[[The Dragon]]],” the self-consciously ironic Bigdome of Paul Rivoche’s “[[[Flowers for Mama]]],” Dave Roman’s series of folks who could all be “The Chosen One,” the probably-delusional child Princess of Pluto in Svetlana Chmakova’s “On the Importance of Space Travel,” and – the youngest and most obvious lesson-telling of all of these – boy hero of Richard Pose’s “Beisbol 2.”

(more…)

The Real World, by Mike Gold

  • News
  • August 18, 2008

In an environment where we debate the finer techniques of villains who travel the galaxy to gobble up planets for lunch, the awesome realities of day-to-day life have a habit of intruding upon our vocations and hobbies. Sometimes, the intrusion of reality shatters us completely.

Last Thursday night, 20 year-old Robbie Greenberger lost his struggle with leukemia, surrounded by his family. That’s a real-world horror of incalculable proportion; as we all know – yet, from time to time, must ignore – that sort of thing happens somewhere to somebody every minute of the day. And there’s no villain afoot to acknowledge our outrage.

Robbie was the son of Robert and Debi Greenberger and brother of Kate. For a long time, Bob was an editor and administrator at DC Comics and at Marvel, and an occasional comics writer. He’s also written a ton of Star Trek novels and stories and is editor of the Famous Monsters of Filmland website. Bob is also part of the ComicMix crew: he’s been involved in behind-the-scenes activities for quite some time (you’ll be seeing the fruits of these labors anon), and he’s contributed nearly 50 articles and columns to our site. He’s a real pro.

I remember when Deb went into labor with Robbie. The father-to-be showed up at DC’s offices, ready for work. I asked him if… well, if he was crazy. No, Bob just wanted something to do while waiting, and he had deadline stuff to clear off. He politely asked if it was okay if he were to leave early to join his wife at the hospital.

Unfortunately, I also remember working with Bob on Thursday. I knew the family was at the hospital with Robbie 24/7, doing what they could, giving Robbie comfort. Through Wi-Fi and cell phone, Bob was able to keep busy and meet his deadlines. There’s a strength there that would put a super-hero to shame.

I don’t know how Bob, Debi and Kate will be able to deal with this. There’s a saying that a parent losing his or her child is life’s greatest tragedy; by definition, you really can’t compare. Life has no “11” on the dial; we all max out at “10.”

But the Greenberger family is not alone, not by any stretch of the imagination. Our love and our support will always be with them.

Contributions in Robbie’s memory may be made to The Tommy Fund for Childhood Cancer, Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital, 20 York Street, New Haven, CT 06511-3202.

Mike Gold is editor-in-chief of ComicMix, and is proud to have shared many a credits box with Bob Greenberger.

ComicMix Columns & Features for the Week Ending August 17, 2008

  • News
  • August 17, 2008

You know, it’s not like the Olympics broadcasters on NBC get paid to talk for a living or anything.  I actually heard one of them exclaim, after Michael Phelps won his record-breaking eighth gold of these 8-8-08 Games, "This has never happened before, and may never happen before!"  I immediately looked around for a TARDIS.  Then again, I keep confusing "Citius, Altius, Fortius" ("Faster, Higher, Stronger") with the opening from the Six Million Dollar Man ("better… faster… stronger") anyway, so there you are.  Meanwhile, ComicMix columnists have been jumping some hurdles of our own for  you:

How can geeks be this into international competition?  Well, when else are you gonna see dressage and badminton and water polo and trampoline?  At least, in between the endless bouts of beach volleyball?

Amazon Now Selling Comic Subscriptions

  • News
  • August 17, 2008

Maybe some bean counter finally tallied up all those comic book trade paperback sales. But Amazon.com, the world’s largest online retailer of, well, just about everything is now offering comic book subscriptions. Not for collected editions, but the regular old monthly books that some call “floppies.”

Is this a direct attack against your local comic store? Hardly. Amazon has been offering magazine subscriptions for years now. Adding comics to the mix is just an expansion of that business.

The offerings from Amazon are for the more mainstream, monthly comics. Not the best-sellers only found in direct market shops, like Secret Invasion, but titles more likely to appeal to the “My son really liked the Dark Knight movie, so let me get him a subscription to Batman” set.

It’s true that this could potentially take some casual market dollars out of dealers’ hands, but today’s shared universe, interconnected comics might have those readers seeking out stores for more titles. And think of the benefit to readers who live nowhere near a comic shop.

Random Video: “Batman Begins” Keyski Fighting Demo

  • News
  • August 17, 2008

While this video was posted a year ago, I’m fairly certain I’m not the only one who didn’t pick up on it until now. It’s a short promotional clip featuring the Keysi Fighting Method used in the current Batman film franchise by ol’ Dark Knight himself.

From what I gather around the ‘Tubes, KFM is a fairly controversial fighting style, with many arguing that it doesn’t hold up off the movie set. All I know for sure is that it looks pretty dangerous in this clip, and I’m not sure I want to test its "usefulness" in any way, shape or form.

In fact, I’m content just checking out this video:

 


 

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Release Delayed

  • News
  • August 17, 2008

hbp7-00-6355381ICv2 reports that Warner Bros. has pushed back the release of the sixth film in the Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, due to fallout from the recent Writers Guild strike. Instead of being released on November 21, 2008, the next Harry Potter film will appear in theaters on July 17, 2009. The move is the result of the studio not having any "tentpole" blockbusters scheduled for release during the all-important summer season, as such films’ production would have normally begun during the time period in which the strike occurred.

Harry Potter fans can take heart, however, as it’s also reported that the move shouldn’t have any effect whatsoever on the release of subsequent films in the series.

The shift of The Half-Blood Prince will have no effect on the scheduling of the next Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which will be released in two parts, the first of which will debut in the fall of 2010 followed by the eighth and final Harry Potter film in the summer of 2011.

 

Two of the previous five Harry Potter films have opened during the summer, but the young magician’s rabid fan base will flock to the theaters in any season, which has allowed Warners to schedule the films effectively during either the summer or the winter holiday season.

More on the other films that Half-Blood Prince will now be competing with, as well as the moves made by other studios in the wake of this announcement, can be found over at ICv2.

In case you missed the recently released trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Cinematical has a nice version of it posted on their website.

“Kick-Ass” and Matthew Vaughn Go Indie

  • News
  • August 17, 2008

Filmmaker Matthew Vaughn recently announced plans to go the independent route with an adaptation of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.’s gritty series Kick-Ass after studios balked at the ages of the characters and the level of violence in the story.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Vaughn has managed to raise $30 million on his own, with many crediting his fundraising success to the recent fortunes raised by another adaptation of a Millar project, Wanted. Thus far, the cast of the film is likely to include Christopher Mintz-Plasse ("McLovin" in Superbad), who is in negotiations for the role of the film’s villain, and Chloe Moretz (The Amityville Horror) who has signed on to play another pre-teen vigilante. The series’ main character has not been cast at this point.

From THR:

 

Vaughn first brought the project to Sony, which distributed his "Layer Cake," but the studio balked at the violence, which he refused to tone down. Several other studios expressed interest but demanded that the protagonists’ ages be upped. Vaughn, who most recently co-wrote and directed the international hit "Stardust," now is going it alone.

Production on the film is expected to begin next fall.

ComicMix Radio: Meet Jane And The Dragon

Already a children’s classic book and a worldwide TV success, Jane & The Dragon are now both a part of NBC’s Saturday morning line-up and the local DVD rack. Here’s what you are missing, plus:

  • Darwin Cooke tackles Madman
  • Conan gets a tribute
  • Marvin The Martian gets a film to himself

Let your imagination run a little wild and Press the Button!

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-6871928 or RSS!

 

 

Nickelodeon Announces “Best Kids’ Graphic Novel Awards”

  • News
  • August 16, 2008

Nickelodeon Magazine recently announced their first-ever awards for kids’ graphic novels, and creators should take note of the open call for submissions. The awards, which will be given out in in spring 2009, are intended to honor "the best comic books and animated novels for kids published across the U.S."

Also worth noting is the pedigree of judges who will be evaluating submissions. Dave Roman, co-creator of one of my favroite webcomics, Teen Boat, will be joined by former DC associate editor Chris Duffy in determining the best of best in kids’ graphic novels.

Here are some details about the awards:

All graphic novel submissions must be submitted before Sept. 30, 2008. A list of books for kids to vote on, pre-selected by the Nickelodeon Magazine editorial staff, will be available in the December issue and online. The results will be announced in print and online in spring 2009 in conjunction with the release of Nickelodeon Magazine’s popular annual cartoon-themed issue.

Publishers interested in submitting graphic novels should send two copies of each title no later than Sept. 30, 2008. Submissions should be mailed to:

Chris Duffy or Dave Roman
Graphic Novel Award
Nickelodeon Magazine
1515 Broadway 37th Floor
New York, NY 10036.

Before you get your hopes up, however, keep in mind some words of advice from Gary Tyrrell of Fleen.com, who I assure you is not advocating murder in pursuit of childrens’ literature glory:

Got something that’s appropriate for the 7 to 13 crowd? Send it in and get yerself a little publicity. You probably won’t win unless you kill Kean Soo. Please note that this is not a suggestion that you kill Kean to improve your chances, ’cause he’ll just get the sympathy vote.

Check out the Nickelodeon Magazine website for more information.

Bigfoot Found, Cryptozoo Crew on the Way… Coincidence?

  • News
  • August 16, 2008

With all of the recent chatter about Bigfoot being discovered in Georgia, it seems appropriate to mention some big news regarding one of the upcoming series you’ll be seeing here on ComicMix — because if anyone can determine whether that’s a real Bigfoot in the cooler, it’s the Cryptozoo Crew.

Previously published by NBM, writer Allan Gross and artist Jerry Carr’s Cryptozoo Crew is headed to ComicMix for an all-new online series exploring the facts, fables and funny business surrounding mysterious creatures like, for example, Bigfoot. In fact, Gross has promised that the first storyline in the series will involve our ol’ buddy from Georgia — so the timing couldn’t be better, eh?

In case you haven’t been keeping up to snuff with the goings-on of the ‘Crew, here’s a quick synopsis of the series, according to Gross:

The story of CRYPTOZOO CREW is the story of Tork Darwyn and his wife Tara. Tork is a Cryptozoologist. He can understand all the "unknown" animals he discovers, but can never figure out his wife (or wife to be in this origin story). It is a mix of Indiana Jones adventure and Moonlighting/Romancing the Stone type male-female (mars/venus) relationship interaction. All ages appropriate.

What’s more, Gross tells me that Cryptozoo Crew was recently optioned for film adaptation by Alcon Entertainment — so it might be a good idea to get to know Tork and Tara real soon. (Well, before all that fame goes to their heads, that is.)

You can find out more about Cryptozoo Crew on the series’ official website, www.cryptozoocrewonline.com.

 

 

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