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Review: ‘The ACME Novelty Date Book, Vol. 2’ by Chris Ware

The ACME Novelty Date Book, Vol. 2: 1995-2002
By Chris Ware
Drawn & Quarterly, December 2007, $39.95

In typical Chris Ware fashion, this is an attractively (and extensively) packaged book – so much so, in fact, that what this book precisely is isn’t immediately clear. Is it some kind of notebook, journal, or calendar, perhaps? No, it’s Ware’s sketchbook, or perhaps selected pages from that sketchbook, from the years in the title.

Drawn & Quarterly published the first volume of the “[[[ACME Novelty Date Book]]]” in 2003, which included sketchbook pages from 1986 through 1995. That book covered most of Ware’s twenties, starting when he was in college in Austin, Texas and following him forward as he developed the early ACME characters and themes. That first book also had a wide variety of materials; Ware was young and trying out different art styles, but he’d mostly settled down into his current mode by 1995.

So Vol. 2, as Ware mentions himself partway through it, is mostly made up of three kinds of entries: drawings from life, journal entries, and some short comics strips (mostly autobiographical). There are also some sketches and ideas for [[[ACME Novelty Library]]], and the occasional joke or reference to older comics, but, mostly, it’s those big three.

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‘Hellboy 2’ Tops Box Office

  • News
  • July 14, 2008

hellboy2poster5-8184300More good news on the comic book movie front, as Hellboy 2: The Golden Army is reportedly tops at the box office, with a $35.9 million haul.

Variety says that well outpaces 2002’s Hellboy, the first teamup between director Guillermo del Toro and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. The second film didn’t face much competition, and next week brings the heavy hitter The Dark Knight, but it’s still a good (and better than expected) take.

Universal said the successful opening of the aggressively marketed “Golden Army” both cements the “Hellboy” film franchise, based on the Dark Horse Comics character, and continues the studio’s winning streak at the summer box office.

“This is an incredible result. No other studio wanted to do this, but Universal had the wherewithal to do it. You had a very talented filmmaker, plus a great marketing campaign that created a huge demand,” said U prexy of distribution Nikki Rocco.

“Golden Army’s” audience breakdown intrigued competing studios. Of Friday’s audience, 69% were male, while a sizeable 58% were over the age of 25, pointing to del Toro’s draw. A full 10% were over the age of 50, while 34% were 35 and older.

Sounds like a third film is possible, depending on how ticket sales hold up.

I finally got to see it Sunday, with a moderately full theater. Lots of good laughs, but overall it was pretty uneven, mainly because of some weaknesses in the script.

Full San Diego Comic-Con Programming Online

  • News
  • July 14, 2008

comic_con_logo-5300575Comic-Con International has posted the full schedule for the upcoming extravaganza in San Diego, and it’s overwhelming as expected.

Here’s Friday. And here’s Saturday.

Featured guests and exhibits are way too long to list, but Heidi MacDonald over at The Beat does a good job of breaking down the highlights.

Those two days, by the way, are already sold out, and Thursday’s tickets are just about gone. Get those comfortable walking shoes ready.

And while you’re there, keep an eye out for some of our ComicMix crew, who’ll be reporting on all the big news, and, if we’re lucky, keeping another running tally on slave Leia sightings.

Interview: Wil Wheaton on Writing, Movies and Comics (Part 1)

  • Uncategorized
  • July 14, 2008

wilwheatoncu-4559660Writer, actor and soon-to-be publishing mogul Wil Wheaton has come a long way since his days as a child actor in such breakout roles as Gordie LaChance in Stand By Me and Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers. But even with those popular and well-known performances, Wheaton was really thrust into the limelight as a cast member of the the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, where he played Wesley Crusher for several seasons.

However, in the years since Star Trek, Wheaton has managed to mostly put acting and Wesley Crusher behind him and reinvent himself as a writer through his website, his work in various magazines and other publications, writing gigs on several comic books and work on manga titles from publishers such as TokyoPop.

Wheaton has also managed to launch a very successful publishing company, and is still a fan favorite at conventions and appearances all over the country. I caught up with the multi-talented Wheaton recently at a non-trendy eatery in Pasadena, CA, to talk comics, his career and his love of writing.

COMICMIX:  Okay Wil, what people really want to know is what you order for lunch.

WIL WHEATON: The ricotta with mission fig here is awesome. I love that, but I get it so much…

CMix: Before you arrived, someone’s cellphone rang and it was the bridge alert from the Enterprise.I looked around and thought you were already here, but realized that you probably wouldn’t have that as your ringtone.

WW: No, my phone plays "Good Times, Bad Times" by Led Zeppelin.

CMix:  That’s a good one. So, you just came back from a convention, right?

WW: Yes, the Emerald City Comicon.

CMix: Are you wearing an Emerald City Con shirt?

WW: You know what, I didn’t have time to get one. This is a "Hanners" t-shirt from Questionable Content, which is one of my all-time favorite webcomics ever.

CMix: Nice. At the convention you seem kind of surprised at the amount of books you were selling. Does that happen a lot?

WW: I never know what to anticipate when I go to a new show.  And I have these internal metrics that I set — sort of like an average sales figure that’s kind of the line for whether or not it’s a successful show, and there are all these different means by which I measure success. 

Is it fun? Are the people cool? Did I stumble across a cool new t-shirt? Did I meet new artists?

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Comics’ Greatest Enigma, by Mike Gold

  • News
  • July 14, 2008

bbv11a-5671197If you’re interested in comics creators, it’s been a good couple months for biographies. First, we had Mark Evanier’s Kirby: King Of Comics (Abrams, $40.00); now we’ve got Blake Bell’s Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko(Fantagraphics, $39.99). We’ve covered Mark’s book extensively, and our very own Rick Marshall did a swell interview last March.

My column today is not really a review of Blake’s book; it’s a blather about comics’ greatest enigma. Blake is the ultimate Ditko historian, and his book (and website, Ditko Looked Up) reflects his passion. It’s well-written, well-researched, and wonderously designed by Adam Grano. If you’re into Ditko or comics history, it’s a must-have. Kudos to Blake; that’s my review.

Steve Ditko is another matter. I can’t say he’s been denied his rightful place in history – his is always the third name in the phrase “Marvel Comics as we know them was created by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and together they brought comic books kicking and screaming to an adult audience.” If he gets short-shrift, it’s because Steve refuses all interview requests, convention appearances, and celebrity signings. He says he prefers to let his work speak for itself, and I’m sure that’s true. He’s also very shy and has no problem with one-on-one (or two-on-one) conversations in his studio, at the publishing houses, or in restaurants. That’s his prerogative.

On the other hand, he’s a public figure – even inadvertently. This makes him subject of many an article, long-winded editorial (like this), and Blake’s book. I’m told he’s not happy with the attention focused on him from Strange and Stranger; having known Ditko. I’m not surprised. Maybe a little disappointed, but again, that’s his prerogative.

I think from the commercial perspective Steve Ditko’s role in the success of Marvel Comics and its transcendence to the college-student market has been severely underrated. It was The Amazing Spider-Man that put Marvel on the map and in the college bookstores. It was Spider-Man that became the first comic book character to achieve icon status since Superman, Batman and arguably Wonder Woman. That’s the first in a generation. And, maybe, the last to date.

As the 1960s progressed Steve became more and more political, embracing the values of a form of Objectivism so fundamentalist that it even scared its founder, Ayn Rand, who asked Ditko to print a note saying his work reflected his values and not necessarily hers. Objectivism, for the Google-challenged, is the philosophy that holds “there is no greater moral goal than achieving happiness. But one cannot achieve happiness by wish or whim. Happiness requires that one live by objective principles, including moral integrity and respect for the rights of others. Politically, Objectivists advocate laissez-faire capitalism. Under capitalism, a strictly limited government protects each person’s rights to life, liberty, and property and forbids that anyone initiate force against anyone else.” (Excerpted from The Atlas Society).

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ComicMix Columns & Features for the Week Ending July 13, 2008

  • News
  • July 13, 2008

New York is busy gearing up to host this year’s All-Star baseball game, as the ubiquitous banners in Manhattan announce.  They’re even having a parade on Tuesday.  There goes my commute!  But never mind that, we have some heavy hitters of our own, and here’s what we’ve knocked out of the park for you this past week:

RIP Bobby Murcer, you were one of the good ‘uns…

Comic-Con 2008 Programming

comic_con_logo-4267202Half of the four-day schedule for San Diego’s Comic-Con International 2008 is up and running.

Here’s Thursday. Here’s Sunday.

Obviously, much cool stuff to choose from. Too much cool stuff, in fact. Makes me almost not sad that I won’t make it this year (watch out 2009!).

While we’re on the subject, Variety has a retrospective of the early days of Comic-Con, when film people had little idea how to relate to comics fans.

Although it was more than 30 years ago, for example, I keenly recall a preview of the 1978 feature “Superman,” where the studio rep described the campy villain Lex Luthor, played by Gene Hackman, as a real-estate mogul, not a master criminal. He was practically hooted off the stage.

Gradually, the studios started to wise up, hiring publicists specifically trained to handle Comic-Con’s savvy but easily riled audience. When Ridley Scott’s space-horror film “Alien” was showcased — using little more than a slide show of surrealist H.R. Giger’s jaw-dropping conceptual art — the crowd was blown away.

Del Toro’s ‘Hellboy 2’ Diary

  • News
  • July 13, 2008

hellboy2poster5-4157023Over at the New York Times, reviewer A.O. Scott takes an almost apologetically positive stance on Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. Among the many things he compliments is director Guillermo del Toro’s extensive use of puppets in lieu of CGI.

It’s one of the things I’ve long loved about del Toro’s movies, an appreciation driven into overdrive by the extra DVD wih the first Hellboy movie that explained how the puppets were made.

As part of the Times’ coverage of the new flick, they have extensive excerpts from del Toro’s production diary, as well as audio of del Toro himself explaining the entries.

And of course, don’t forget to check out the multitude of Hellboy 2 coverage right here at ComicMix.

DC and Warner Talk Movies

Warner Bros. is apparently looking to emulate the success Marvel has had making its own movies, such as Iron Man and Incredible Hulk.

Variety is reporting some Warner honchos held meetings with people at DC Comics to try to develop a better pipeline from page to screen.

Warners has never had such a strategy, and there have long been complaints the studio has been slow to exploit a potential treasure trove of franchises. And while the studio is basking in critical love for “The Dark Knight,” it has watched studio rivals rake in big bucks from Marvel Comics characters, and Marvel itself get into the tentpole business.

While it’s assumed there will be another Batman pic, there’s been no formal announcement. And Warners has no movies based on the classic DC universe to preview at this year’s Comic-Con.

Few details are coming out, aside from this official statement: "We’re constantly looking at how best to exploit the DC Comics characters and properties." Exploit?

Now, if only someone from Warners would talk to DC about straightening out their comic book line.

ccbanana-bendis-1204915

ComicMix Radio: Kick-Starting The Ultimate Universe

ccbanana-bendis-1204915Late books and creator changes have plagued this once untouchable Marvel brand, but this summer both talent and publisher are dedicated to bringing it back to the glory days. At the front line is Brian Michael Bendis, who began it all with Ultimate Spider-Man, and has a lot to say on how the video game will tie into the title, why creators are late and the possibility of an Ultimate What If, plus

  • New Heroes webisodes this week
  • More new anime and Lost come to the Sci Fi Channel
  • Where have those Ghostbusters guys been, anyway?

Before you Press the Button, please note Bendis is NOT the guy in the banana suit,

 

 

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-6887868 or RSS!

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