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SDCC Photo Gallery: Costumes!

  • News
  • July 26, 2008

As with every Comic-Con, the cosplay masses made their presence known at this year’s show. While the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds made quality in-crowd photos a bit difficult, here are a few shots from the floor provided by my intrepid partner, Jessica Bloustein. We’ve tried our darndest to caption the photos as best we can, but keep in mind that things are a bit hectic out here on the West Coast, so there was rarely enough time to do anything more than point-and-shoot. Feel free to identify some of the costumes in the comment section if we weren’t able to do so.

Oh, and if you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out the webcomics-related photos posted in my latest news roundup posted earlier today.

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It’s a "d*ck in a box," of course…

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Webcomic News Roundup: Comic-Con Photos & “Overcompensating” Gets Animated!

  • Uncategorized
  • July 26, 2008

This week’s roundup of webcomic news is arriving a little late because, well… I arrived a little late to this year’s Comic-Con. It’s a long story, and involves a sprained ankle (not mine), a "security breach" at a major airport, two canceled flights and a storm that had me expecting to see cows flying across the highway at any moment. That being the case, this week’s roundup also features some images from the show floor that will hopefully be worth 1000 words — because I’m still too jet-lagged to write ’em.

Overcompensating creator Jeffrey Rowland told me this week that he’s "so excited not to be going to San Diego" — and judging by my own experiences thus far, his excitement was justified. However, be sure to check out Tuesday’s OC by guest artist (and animator) Carly Monardo, who provided one of my favorite moments of guest-ifaction in quite a while. Everyone does the robot! ‘Nuff said.

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Gary Tyrrell over at Fleen has been following recent developments on the Wowio/Platinum front with great attention. And rightly so, it seems. While you’re over there, make sure to read the comment section for each post, as Fleen has become a lightning rod of sorts for creators involved with these developments.

I tracked down You’ll Have That creator Wes Molebash at Comic-Con yesterday, and he told me about his recently launched YHT website at: www.yhtcomic.com. While he described the convention as "mediocre" at this point — since he didn’t have any new projects to promote this year — he did say he was hard at work on his mysterious graphic novel project.

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Dabel Bringing ‘The Warriors’ to Comics

  • News
  • July 26, 2008

MTV has a new comics blog (wrap your brain around that), and already they have some interesting news.

The Dabel Bros. are going to be doing some original comic books based on The Warriors, that cult classic movie of a group of gangsters trying to survive a run through hostile gang territory… while they wear ridiculous leather vests.

With a tentative release date of early-2009, Dabel is already looking towards adding its own contribution to the Warriors mythos. “The plan is to do stories set before and after the movie,” revealed Ruiz. “We really want to flesh out the world and let you know even more about these characters.”

Ruiz promises two things: first, that the iconic gangs that inhabit the Warriors’ Manhattan will indeed grace the pages of the comic, and second, that nothing will be watered down for a younger audience. “We will be sticking to the movies vision,” he stated. “So the comic will be just as dark, gritty and violent. You will see the Warriors and the other gangs beat the hell out of each other. There’s no way we could do it justice if we ‘kiddy’ it up.”

SDCC: ‘Wolverine,’ ‘Twilight,’ ‘Watchmen’ Interviews

  • News
  • July 26, 2008

watchmenewcover-3169171Entertainment Weekly has posted a load of video interviews from Comic-Con, including a handful with Stephanie Meyer, creator of the Twilight novels, which have been made into a film.

Teen-age girls, commence your screaming.

Another guest to the interview room includes Hugh Jackman, who surprised everyone when he showed up to talk about X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The interview with him is right here.

Then, of course, there’s a collection of Watchmen interviews, with the first being r
ight here
.

And, lastly, EW chatted up Robert Rodriguez and Rose McGowan about Red Sonja, which your eyeballs can find by clicking right here.

While you’re at it, EW has a pretty expansive bit of
coverage
of the Hollywood side of Comic-Con, including TV and movie news.

SDCC: C.B. Cebulski on ‘X-Men: Infernus’

  • Uncategorized
  • July 26, 2008

The big announcement out of Marvel’s X-Men panel at Comic-Con was the news that Infernus will be the next big X event, starting in December. It apparently has ties to Inferno, a previous crossover.

Newsarama talked to C.B. Cebulski about the event:

Newsarama: First off CB, does Inferno II have anything to do with the events in Divided We Stand Book 2 and Illyana Rasputin’s return as Darkchilde?

CB Cebulski: Yes, the Darkchilde story in Divided We Stand 2 was direct set up for this story. And for those that missed it, it will be reprinted in the new Return of Magic one-shot coming out in September!

NRAMA: How does Infernus relate to the first event–nearly 20 years ago? Comic book time is weird…

CBC: And Limbo time is even weirder. You’ll just have to read to find out.

SDCC: EW’s “Visionaries” Panel

  • News
  • July 26, 2008

jim_lee-00-4662950When Entertainment Weekly assembles seven of the most powerful men (and woman) in all of comics, obviously some massive news bombs are going to get dropped.

“Yes, I read comic books in the bath,” Grant Morrison announced, shocking the assembled fans and setting the blogosphere ablaze.

Okay, so there was little in the way of truly newsworthy information disseminated by the esteemed panel of Jim Lee, John Cassaday, Matt Fraction, Mike Mignola, Robert Kirkman, Colleen Doran, and Grant Morrison. However, there’s something immensely satisfying about sharing an hour of time with some of the most creative individuals in the comic book world (and frankly, beyond). It’s the kind of panel that reminds a guy why he reads comics in the first place, because these guys work their hardest and embody the philosophy John Cassaday put forth, “There’ll be limitations in whatever you do, so you might as well go for it.”

Also, these people are really, really funny.

A topic that is nearly omnipresent at this year’s ‘Con, the specter of the film industry looming large over the conference, was addressed by the panel, with many attendees asking questions about the increasingly symbiotic relationship between film and comics.

“I see a lot of storytelling techniques in TV being effected by comics,” Lee commented, pointing out that the comic book has become so successful that mainstream has no choice but to adapt some of its devices. However, not everyone on the panel was as excited by the increasingly close relationship between comics and movies,

“I see people applying film rules to comic book visuals, let’s do the comic and then let someone else do the film,” Mike Mignola said, keenly aware of the difference between comics and film. Human quote machine Grant Morrison added, “Hollywood is more formulaic, comics allow you to break those rules.”

All of the panelists expressed some dread at the lure of comic to film adaptations limiting the ambitions of up-and-coming creators. However they all reasserted that this is a life they pursued not for money, but because its the only calling they ever felt, “I really can’t imagine doing anything else… everyone up here ha a compulsion,” Colleen Doran said.

Following the theme of creative expression, Jim Lee and newly minted partner at Image Comics Robert Kirkman were asked how that will effect their craft, “Once you’ve done all that stuff, it’s kind of hard to just go back to a table and just sit there drawing,” Lee said. Adding that there’s a liberation that comes with his executive status. As for Kirkman, “So far, it’s just making a few extra phone calls.”

The Weekly Haul: Comics Reviews for July 26

  • News
  • July 26, 2008

Wait a second, reviews of actual comic book? Isn’t Comic-Con going on?

Yes and yes. I made it to the comics shop a bit belated this week on account of the San Diego craziness, but apparently real comics came to real comic book stores this week, although it was an understandably small batch. That being the case, it’s a somewhat truncated Weekly Haul this time around.

9999_400x600-8545251Book of the Week: X-Files #0 — One of the great all-time shows is back in a big way with this week’s movie and DC’s one-shot comic. Reviews aren’t kind to the movie, but the book (set in the show’s early years and scripted by one of the creators) is top-notch.

Comic adaptations are always tricky, as the art can go too far into trying to perfectly recreate actors and the writing can fall flat. But this issue reads and looks just like a classic episode.

Scully and Mulder investigate a series of weird deaths, where victims have no signs of injury or illness. Turns out there’s something playing the possession game, which puts the heroes into a fun game of chess with the invisible adversary.

It’s strong throughout, but the final reveal is a doozy, making it a must-read for fans.

Runners Up:

Daredevil #109 — This arc is (finally) all about Matt getting his life back on track, but of course he can only do so while bringing some gangsters, the FBI and the CIA down on his head. A tense read, as Matt and his crew pull themselves further into danger’s path with each page.

Invincible #51 — Lots of daddy issues surface as Mark shows Oliver the superhero ropes and they each get a new costume (in a sequence fairly ripped out of The Incredibles). A few big plot developments, but mostly this is Robert Kirkman doing the teenager-as-superhero thing better than it’s been done since Ditko’s Spider-Man.

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SDCC: Playing ‘DC Universe Online’

  • Uncategorized
  • July 26, 2008

dc-universe-online-7355216A few lucky folks at Comic-Con have been able to test out the MMO DC Universe Online, and reports are starting to come in about the gameplay experience.

Over at Newsarama, the game gets a positive early review:

The character I was playing was called Rockslide, who had earth-based powers (similar to Terra from the Teen Titans), a staff and – my favorite part – super speed. The controls are similar to other Playstation games, where the buttons allow you to perform basic movies – two different attacks, jump and pick stuff up – while holding the R2 button and hitting the buttons lets you access your various super powers. I had a proximity attack that blew the earth out from under my enemies, I could fire boulders out of my staff and I could make crystals pop up out of the ground under my enemies, causing damage.

The coolest part, though, was when I hit the right joystick and turned on the Speed Force. Throwing rocks at my enemies and slamming them with my staff was cool and all, but you’d expect that in any superhero-based MMO. Having my character run through the streets of Metropolis at super speed, trailed by what looked like the Speed Force that all comic fans know from the comics? That’s the kind of detail this game needed to really set it apart. And from what I’ve seen so far, it has it in spades.

Meanwhile, Newsarama also reported extensively on the panel and preview for the upcoming Mortal Kombat vs. DCU game.

Superman battled Sub-Zero in a ruined Metropolis, slowing the icy warrior with his freeze breath. Batman battled Scorpion in hell, trading Batarangs and grappling spears. Catwoman used her agility to get in a few bloody scratches on Shang Tsung. Finally, the Flash darted around Soyna, leaving her spinning and dazed before running her off a cliff, the pair trading blows all the way down before the Flash got the upper hand and whipped his opponent into the ground, creating a small crater.

SDCC: Stan Lee and Grant Morrison Panel

  • News
  • July 26, 2008

stan_lee-00-7958655Thursday morning at San Diego Comic Con, the marquee comics panel was Virgin Comics’  discussion featuring Stan Lee and Grant Morrison.

Before the discussion started, a brief video was screened showcasing Morrison’s MBX, a new motion capture cartoon that retells an ancient Indian Myth.

“I think today there’s an obsession with war,” Morrison said, as he explained that although MBX is a 10,000 year old Indian Myth, it will function as a lens through which to explore many of today’s pressing global issues.

The discussion was moderated by Sharad Devarajan, the CEO and publisher of Virgin Comics.

Morrison is known for being charismatic and engaging during discussions like this, but it was almost startling the degree to which Stan Lee’s presence overshadowed Morrison’s. Throughout  the panel Morrison gave due deference to the gravity of Lee’s body of work.

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SDCC: The ‘Watchmen’ Panel

  • News
  • July 26, 2008

watchmenewcover-9648004Friday’s big event at Comic-Con was probably the Watchmen panel, which featured director Zack Snyder, Dave Gibbons and the main cast.

Snyder showed off a new, less-PG trailer, described at CBR:

The trailer opens with a shot of Rorschach, then cuts to a giant Dr Manhattan blasting apart Vietnamese soldiers. We then see Rorshach searching an apartment. His morphing mask gets a lot of play. We also see the Comedian’s armor, a plain-clothes Night Owl collapsing in sorrow. And a flashback of the heroes in better days.Ozymandias’s fortress rises from the desert, Night Owl and Silk Spectre kiss in front of a mushroom cloud, Time pieces feature heavily, we see the Owl Jet in flight, and the clip ends with the Comedian falling from a window, the bloodied Smiley falling after him.

During the Q&A, a familiar cowl-covered face showed up to ask Snyder’s favorite character from Watchmen:

“That’s a good question, Batman,” he [Snyder] said. “That’s not really a fair question, though”I like them all for different reasons.” Fans booed. “Everybody likes Rorshach best, so that rules him out.” Next up was Comedian, which he also skipped over. “The girls… awesome, but also a cop out,” he continued. “Maybe I’ll just stay with the girls; I like the girls best. Thank you, Batman.”

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