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Wal-Mart Stocks ‘Racist’ Comic

meminsml-6211600Back in 2005, the Mexican government heard quite a bit of outcry when the country’s popular comic book character, Memin Pinguin, was commemorated on stamps.

It was a controversial decision because, as many see it, Memin is a racist stereotype of dark-skinned people. Look at the image at right and decide for yourself.

Now Memin is back in the news, as some reprints of the comic book series have turned up in Texas Wal-Marts. And a few shoppers are none-too-pleased.

She found one passage particularly offensive. In the frame, Memin Pinguin is being kicked by a light-skinned man and is called “a black troublemaker.”

Activist Quanell X said the problem with the book is more than just words.

“This is poking fun at the physical features or an entire people. Making them look buffoonish (and) portraying the young (black) kid as stupid,” said Quanell. “Whenever they are beating him, they are referring to him as Negro. Even here when he is being punched, slapped (he is called) Negro.

“This is a disgrace.”

Wal-Mart didn’t offer a comment for the story.

You can find a bit more background right here, including some evidence that the book isn’t racist.

wetworks2-3113566

Happy Birthday: Whilce Portacio

  • Uncategorized
  • July 8, 2008

wetworks2-3113566Born in Sangley Point, Cavite City, Philippines in 1963, Whilce Portacio joined Marvel Comics as an inker in 1985 but soon began penciling for them as well. He worked on The Punisher, X-Factor, and The Uncanny X-Men before leaving in 1992 to found Image Comics with several other well-known comic book artists.

Portacio soon withdrew from the partnership but in 1994 he published his title Wetworks through Jim Lee’s Wildstorm imprint. In 2006 Portacio and Wildstorm began Wetworks, vol. 2—after the first six issues he stepped back from the interior art duties but continues to illustrate the covers.

Portacio has also been drawing the new DC series Batman Confidential. In October 2008 he will become the new artist on Todd MacFarlane’s Spawn.

Dash Shaw’s ‘Bottomless Belly Button’ Trailer

  • Uncategorized
  • July 8, 2008

I’m usually not a fan of comic book trailers — ooh, a collection of still images shown in quick succession, how dramatic! — but the newly unveiled one by Dash Shaw for his graphic novel Bottomless Belly Button is worth a watch.

It’s at Fantagraphics’ Web site, right here.

Shaw created the animated trailer through a sort of rough series of drawings that interweave elements of the book. While it would work better with music, it’s a beautiful-if-simple video.

I reviewed Bottomless Belly Button earlier this summer. You can read that right here.

ComicMix TV: Luke Goss Talks ‘Hellboy II’

Luke Goss has played some of the best bad guys in film in the past 10 years, from Blade 2 to Steven Seagal’s Mercenary for Justice, and now he fills the role of “Prince Nuada” in Hellboy II. We got to chat with Luke about his makeup in the film, his relationship with writer/director Guillermo del Toro, and even his take on comic book fans.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army hits theaters 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:

 

‘Fanboy’ Officially Joins Lexicon

  • Uncategorized
  • July 8, 2008

Say what you will about the term "fanboy," it’s not going anywhere soon.

CBC is reporting "fanboy" is among the 100 terms just accepted into the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Surely "Ka-THOOM" can’t be far behind.

The wordsmiths at the Springfield, Mass.-based publishing house say they picked the new entries after monitoring their use over years in publications ranging from newspapers to technical manuals.

"As soon as we see the word used without explanation or translation or gloss, we consider it a naturalized citizen of the English language," said Peter Sokolowski, an editor-at-large for Merriam-Webster.

"If somebody is using it to convey a specific idea and that idea is successfully conveyed in that word, it’s ready to go in the dictionary."

The story goes on to explain fanboy’s lineage: …"’fanboy’ dates back to 1919 and describes a boy who is an enthusiastic devotee of such things as comics or movies."

(via Blog@)

ComicMix Radio: Final Crisis – A Guide (Sort Of)

A lot of comic fans have found that the biggest reaction to DC’s Final Crisis has been “Huh?”. Executive Editor, Dan DiDio gives us his take on what it’s all about and where it’s going, plus:

  • Batman RIP scores another sell out
  • Youngblood gives you a chance to play “catch-up”
  • Smallville finally moves ahead in the Superman mythos

Our world famous tour of this new comics and DVDs starts when you Press the Button!

 

 

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-7226744 or RSS!

Early Reviews for ‘Dark Knight’

dark_knight_joker-7251506The latest Batman incarnation, The Dark Knight, doesn’t come out for another couple weeks, but the love is already streaming from critics. We’ve also had buzz about a posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger and his supposedly terrifying take on the Joker.

Rolling Stone was one of the first out of the gate to lay honors at director Christopher Nolan’s feet, calling the movie “a potent provocation decked out as a comic-book movie. Feverish action? Check. Dazzling spectacle? Check. Devilish fun? Check. But Nolan is just warming up.”

Over at MTV, the sequel was given a 10 out of 10 for “Wow Factor.”

Variety jumps on the batwagon, praising the whole operation: “…this is seriously brainy pop entertainment that satisfies every expectation raised by its hit predecessor and then some.”

The Hollywood Reporter praises Christian Bale: “Bale again brilliantly personifies all the deep traumas and misgivings of Batman’s alter ego, Bruce Wayne. A bit of Hamlet is in this Batman.”

An early review at AICN says, “Just go see it.”

And an Associated Press review says, “Running just over two and a half hours, “The Dark Knight” is a true crime epic. Throughout, the Joker’s bag of tricks is bottomless, twisted to the point of horror-flick sick.”

‘Wolverine’ Movie: Kevin Durand Talks Blob

2319811-4417942Fans of Lost and 3:10 to Yuma know well how good Kevin Durand is at playing one mean prick. And soon we’ll all get to see how he fares at playing a mean, fat prick, as Durand is starring as Blob opposite Hugh Jackman in the upcoming Wolverine movie.

Durant recently chewed the fat (HA!) with Thunder Bay’s Source newspaper about the film.

“I wasn’t a comic book kid because I was busy playing hockey here in Thunder Bay. That’s all I wanted to do and all I dreamed of really. But when I saw the first (X-Men film), I was just in awe and the second one (X2: X-Men United) just blew me away,” he said.

When he heard the news a new installment was in the works, he was hoping the producers would consider him for a part and luckily for Durand, they already knew his name and called for him to take a look at the part.

And to get the larger than life Blob ready for the cameras, it took six months of costume and special effects preparation.

“I have a feeling people are going to like him,” Durand said.

Wolverine is planned for a fall 2009 release.

‘Hellboy: Wild Hunt’ Preview on MySpace

With Hellboy 2: The Golden Army coming out on Friday, it’s probably no coincidence that Dark Horse just posted a preview of the next Hellboy comics series online.

Head over to MySpace to see the cover (at right) and first six pages to Hellboy: Wild Hunt #1, which is set to debut in December. The series once again pairs Mike Mignola with artist Duncan Fegredo.

Here’s what the story’s about:

When ancient giants begin to rise from their graves across England, Hellboy is invited to join a mysterious group called The Wild Hunt and help bring them down. But the hunt leads to betrayal and death, and Hellboy is forced to face the consequences of his past actions—actions that now threaten the survival of all mankind. "The fading children of the earth" gather in the shadows, awaiting the promised return of the "Queen of Blood" and a chance to shake the trees, crack mountains, and make the daytime world weep for fear."

Education, by Dennis O’Neil

Over the past few years, I’ve come to believe that not everyone gets the same education, even if schools and transcripts are identical. Some folk mentally compartmentalize: church goes here, family here, school stuff here, life in general there. So when they pass tests on what they’ve heard in classrooms, and at the end of a span of time, usually16 years and some august personage hands them a rectangle full of fancy lettering, they’re done with it. No more schooling, and no learning above what’s needed to live comfortably. Schooling in its compartment yonder, not touching this compartment, which is where we live.

That seems particularly true for liberal arts types, and vastly less true for engineers, doctors, dentists – students who go to the universities to acquire skills.

Although it’s been encouraged and enabled by the current “No Child Left Behind” calamity, which seems to be all about passing prefabricated tests and not at all about learning, this just pass the test attitude is not new. My favorite college professor, from whom I took at least six courses, told us that we’d better join the Book of the Month Club; if we didn’t, we’d probably never read another book after graduation. He was admitting that he wasn’t in the business of encouraging curiosity and a love of books and what’s in them. Rather, his task was just to help us grind through the requirements, pick up the sheepskin and…what? Remember to pay taxes. Don’t raise a fuss. Hang the sheepskin in the foyer, where visitors will see it.

The problem, I think, is this: There might be information over in the school compartment that is relevant to the contents of the living compartment. It might supply answers, or at least stimulate thinking.

Left in the ghetto of the school compartment, denied access to other compartments, and it is useless, and it will die. Worse, its lack might cause you to blunder.

(more…)

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