ComicMix TV: ‘Hellboy II’ and the Guillermo Del Toro Interview

Podcasts
July 10, 2008

Guillermo del Toro has made his mark in the comic book and sci-fi/fantasy world with his work on both Hellboy films, writing and directing Marvel’s Blade II, and possibly now joining in on future projects such as Doctor Strange and The Hobbit. See what Guillermo has to say about his favorite comics, the evolution of characters in the new film, and even a little Pan’s Labyrinth homage in Hellboy II: The Golden Army, which hits theaters this Friday, July 11.

Missed one of our Hellboy II: The Golden Army interviews this week? Here are links to all of the recent ComicMix TV interviews with the Hellboy II cast and crew:

Who’s the Best Superhero?

News
July 10, 2008

Of all the heroes in all of the comics ever made, who is the greatest?

While the answer to that one is easy (it’s Rom: Spaceknight, of course), Chicago’s RedEye Magazine seems to think the question merits a bit more discussion. They’ve put together a bracket-style "Best Superhero Tourney" to choose the greatest superhero, and even went so far as to recruit Stan "The Man" Lee to provide an audio greeting for participants.

Sure, some of the choices are easy (does anyone really think Popeye stands a chance against the Silver Surfer’s power cosmic?), but there are some conspicuously absent characters — including [gasp] Rom! The RedEye crew also loses points for naming two of the groupings of characters the "Nicolas Cage Region" and the "Rosario Dawson Region" — but that one’s forgivable. The absence of Rom, however, should be considered an affront to comics history as we know it.

With that in mind, I think it’s time to do a little ballot-stuffing, folks. Who’s with me? Let’s head over there and make sure Popeye ends up trouncing Superman in the final round.

The first 32-character round ends this Friday, July 11, so register your votes soon — then come back the following week to vote on the "Sweet Sixteen" of characters.

Nudist Camp: The Comic

News
July 10, 2008

The National Post’s writer and cartoonist team of Ben Kaplan and Steve Murray recently chronicled their foray into a nudist colony in Ontario, Canada, and the resulting story and comic strip, well… they pretty much speak for themselves. From naked lawn care to threesomes in a hot tub, both features provide a funny, fish-out-of-water look at the inner workings of a popular no-clothes destination.

"Who’s going to believe I go to a nudist camp to get away from my sexual urges, but it’s true," English, 62, says in his trailer, where a pair of jockeys rests on a tub of gum drops. English now wears tan shorts and white Crocs and quotes Second Timothy, Chapter III, Verse six in a sermon that invokes rape fantasies, C.S. Lewis and a diatribe against Four Seasons showing porn.

(via journalista)

Comic Con 2008: Going, Going, Gone

News
July 10, 2008

comic_con_logo-8482191 Plenty to look forward to for people headed to San Diego for Comic Con International 2008, at least as long as you already have tickets.

According to the CCI Web site, single-day passes for both Friday and Saturday are sold out, as are four-day passes.

Sounds like more proof positive of the idea brought up by Laura Hudson in this Publishers Weekly story, that Comic Con has possibly grown too large for its own good.

Even publishers aren’t sure if they’ll make it inside:

Exhibitors are also feeling the pinch as they compete for limited space on the convention floor. At the recommendation of fire marshals, aisles in the giant halls D and E were widened, meaning there’s even less available acreage overall. As a result, many professionals and publishers, including book publishing giant HarperCollins, are still on a waiting list for a booth only weeks before the show opens—and unlikely to come off of it.

Boom Tabs Matt Gagnon as Managing Editor

Uncategorized
July 10, 2008

One-time Meltdown Comics retailer Matt Gagnon continues a rapid climb in comics, as he’s just been named Boom! Studios’ new managing editor.

He started on at Boom in March to help edit their upcoming Farscape series, and now he’ll be overseeing the entirety of Boom’s line of comics.

That’s a surprisingly quick climb, especially for someone with so little editorial experience (Mark Waid refers to Gagnon as being the "Michael Clayton" of comics).

It’s an interesting move at the least, but one that seems typical of Boom, which has brought people in from the movie industry and other non-comics backgrounds.

Let’s open this up as a poll for readers: Who’s the best retailer to go into comics writing/editing?

Mike Oeming, Mark Wheatley Bring ‘Hammer of the Gods’ to ComicMix

News
July 10, 2008

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Following is an Official ComicMix Press Release –

COMICMIX BRINGS DOWN HAMMER OF THE GODS II JULY 14

Brand New Adventures from Oeming, Wheatley and more!

ComicMix editor-in-chief Mike Gold today announced the launch of the next all-new on-going series, Hammer of the Gods: Back from the Dead. Written and drawn by Michael Avon Oeming (Powers, Mice Templar, Thor) and Mark Wheatley (EZ Street, Breathtaker, Frankenstein’s Mobster), the series begins running at ComicMix.com for free online every Monday starting July 14.

Hammer of the Gods: Back from the Dead continues the story of Modi, a young Viking who was given amazing powers from the Norse Gods., as well as a set of limitations.

In the 2004 graphic novel, Modi came to terms with his strengths and weaknesses, fell in love with the Valkyrie, Skogul, and became a hero. As the new series starts, Odin, the king of the Gods, decides to peek in on the world of men. He travels to China, and soon Modi and his men must follow.

In addition to the creators, there will be contributions from Neil Vokes, Guy Davis, Matt Plog, Tim Wallace, Brian Quinn, Scott Morse, Ethan Beavers, David Beck and others.

Michael Oeming said, “I’m really excited to be working with Mark and the gang on the new volume of Hammer. The best part is that people can read it for free, every week on ComicMix.”

Mark Wheatley said, "Doing the first Hammer with Mike was a huge amount of fun. And every project I’ve had fun doing has turned into something exceptional . We’re very excited to dig deeper into the Norse legends as well as open up the series to include Chinese gods, dragons and monsters."

Comicmix.com is the site for readers who enjoy all types of fantastic media, from comic books, television and movies to video games and more. Every day, visitors find new original comics, classic stories, news, facts, reviews, commentary, columns and a community environment that reaches across the globe, across decades and into the future.

For more information, contact:

Martha Thomases

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Martha@comicmix.com

Exorcising the Comic Shop Stigma

News
July 10, 2008

George Munoz is a new comic shop owner, having just purchased Windy City Comics in Northlake, Ill., and he’s gotten a little local press for wanting to combat the Android’s Dungeon stereotype.

For anyone who hasn’t seen The Simpsons, that’s the comic shop owned by the Comic Book Guy, the obese, stinky, rude resident nerd on the show.

From the article in the Franklin Park Herald-Journal:

As such, he wants to change some of what he describes as stereotypes in comic book stores.

"Many have this weird funky smell, the owner is a jerk and won’t even let you look at the books," Munoz said. "I want to convert this to a different style of comic store."

His ideas include bringing in comic book creators for signings, selling original comic art, showing comic based movies in the store, adding gaming and perhaps a small cafe.

"I want to bring in people who wouldn’t normally come into a comic book store," Munoz said.

Now, a lot of those ideas aren’t the most novel, but I’m curious what other comic book buyers think about their shops. How inviting are they, especially to non-traditional comic book readers?

And, alternately, for retailers, what are you doing to entice new readers?

‘Exterminators’ Headed to TV

News
July 10, 2008

Simon Oliver and Tony Moore’s bug-annihilating comic series The Exterminators appeared to have taken a lethal dose of RAID, with this month’s issue #30 scheduled as the series finale.

But the story, which was originally pitched by Oliver as a TV series, now comes full circle as it will live on in televised form on Showtime. The Hollywood Reporter has the story:

Showtime is reteaming with "Dexter" executive producer Sara Colleton for "Exterminators," a drama project based on the comic by Vertigo/DC Comics.

Created by Simon Oliver and Tony Moore, the comic centers on an ex-con who joins an exterminator company, working with a freakish supporting cast of characters. A mystery surrounding his girlfriend and the manufacturer of an insect poison percolates on the periphery, and the insects are much more dangerous than they seem.

Twenty Minutes Into the Future, by John Ostrander

News
July 10, 2008

A little more than twenty years ago there was, briefly, a smart satiric SF TV series called Max Headroom. It starred Matt Frewer who now has a supporting role on another smart comedic TV series called Eureka, which in a few weeks will start its third season on the SciFi channel. On the earlier series, Frewer played both the crusading young news reporter, Edison Carter, and his manic, stuttering electronic alter-ego, Max Headroom. It also had a terrific cast that included Jeffrey Tambor, Amanda Pays, George Coe and – as an regularly recurring villain – Charles Rocket.

I’m surprised no one has thought of updating it for a movie or another TV series.

The series was set, as it stated at the start of every episode, “twenty minutes into the future.” This future has a cyberpunk feel and TV rules the land. It is, in fact, against the law to turn your television off. If you cannot afford a television, one will be provided for you. The major networks are global and ratings are instantaneous and constant, being tied to revenue. The programs we glimpse might have come from Paddy Chayefsky’s great movie, Network. In addition, Max Headroom really did anticipate a number of trends that are now commonplace.

It’s that “twenty minutes into the future” gag that keeps popping up in my mind. It’s both brilliant and really tough to do. You need to be perceptive of the world as it is and then be able to project forward, to see the consequences of what we’re doing today, and that seems almost impossible. If there’s one thing we’re real good at doing, it’s ignoring unpleasant facts until it’s no longer possible to do. By then, it’s usually too late.

When I was teaching, one of the assignments I gave my students was to take something of today and then project it “twenty minutes into the future.” In other words, describe that future. They had to be able to justify it; it has to have connections to the real world. Anybody can play. (more…)

Muriel Kubert Passes Away

News
July 10, 2008

brb03415-4621879 Muriel Kubert, co-founder and administrator of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon Art for 32 years, died Tuesday from breast cancer.

A graduate of Rider College with a B.S. Degree in Business Administration, Muriel and her husband, comics legend Joe Kubert, started America’s preeminent school for cartoonists in 1976. The school’s many illustrious graduates include Steve Bissette, Tom Mandrake, Jan Duursema, John Totleben, Tom Yeates, and Timothy Truman… among many, many others.

Muriel and Joe had five children. Andy and Adam followed their father to the drawing board and became two of the most respected artists of the day. Lisa, Danny, and David round out the pack. In turn, their children gave them 11 grandchildren.

Muriel often modeled for Joe’s work, although this reporter cannot say the process was fully intentional. The resemblance between Mrs. Kubert and Shiera Hall from the early 1960s Hawkman revival is uncanny.

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