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MoCCA Recap: Day Two – Fire! Smoke! Sellouts and Links!

Day Two at the MoCCA Art Festival was… an experience.

Except for the few moments when the possibility of dying via fiery inferno was an issue, much of the day felt as if I was slogging through a sweaty, soupy mess thanks to the outdoor conditions and the exhaustion from the previous day (which I detailed in my MoCCA: Day One Recap).

As ComicMix‘s Elayne Riggs pointed out earlier today, the forced evacuation of the Puck Building generated quite a buzz as attendees, guests and staff were asked to leave the building (and its air conditioners) while emergency personnel did their thing. (On a side note, for a comprehensive look at exactly what "doing their thing" meant for the emergency crews, check out Fleen’s MoCCA Emergency ’08 report.)

Okay, confession time: When the fire alarm first started ringing, I honestly thought somebody in the room had won something… and according to a few reliable sources, I started clapping.

Apparently, all the bells, whistles and sirens I’ve been exposed to over the last few years at larger conventions have succeeded in reversing decades of training regarding what to do when I hear an alarm. Nevertheless, it looks like I won’t die alone. (more…)

Review: ‘Water Baby’ by Ross Campbell

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fourth in a series of reviews of the five books coming out from DC’s Minx imprint this year. Previously, Van Jensen reviewed Rebecca Donner’s Burnout, Cecil Castellucci’s Janes in Love and Brian Wood‘s The New York Four. -RM]

Ah, ambiguity. It can be the driving force of great fiction, powering along mysteries, character dramas and horror stories.

And, when wielded irresponsibly, ambiguity can sink a promising book straight into the murky depths of… somewhere or other.

Take Water Baby ($9.99), a new Minx book written and drawn by Ross Campbell. At the book’s start, surfer girl Brody loses a leg to a hungry shark. She sorta tries to get over it with the help of her sorta friend Louisa, but then things kinda get crazy when Brody’s old flame Jake shows up (he’s somewhat cool but a bit of a jerk).

The girls (who have a relationship that meanders toward lesbianism, but never conclusively) decide to drive Jake back home to get rid of him, and things kinda sorta get even crazier when they pick up Chrissie, a girl who’s either cool or a slut or just crazy. Maybe.

(more…)

Happy Birthday: Johnny Cloud

Flying “Johnny” Cloud was a member of the Navajo tribe but little is known about his early life. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at the start of World War II and overcame racial prejudices with his superior skill as a pilot, quickly becoming known as “the Navajo Ace.”

When the commander of his unit died in battle against a squadron of Nazi bombers, Cloud became his successor and the unit was dubbed "The Happy Braves."

Cloud led the Happy Braves for several years, but during one failed mission his plane was shot down. He was rescued by the Haunted Tank, which picked up several other stray soldiers on the same run, and the strays banded together to form the misfit military unit the Losers.

They fought together until their final, fatal mission near the end of the war.

News Roundup: Comic Theft Solved, Aimee Mann Goes Graphic, ‘Middleman’ Debuts

Here’s what’s been going on in the world of comics over the past few days to give you some Monday afternoon I-don’t-feel-like-doing-any-real-work reading.

In an interview with the Toronto Star, Shooting War illustrator Dan Goldman talks about why he doesn’t draw Spider-Man:

"I could be doing that kind of stuff, but … I feel like you’ve got a microphone; if you’re going to step up, you really should have something to say."

Goldman is concerned with what he sees as the degradation of the United States. "I have my days when it’s tough to look over at my desk and see my little American passport and I feel ashamed."

You may have heard about the sad news out of Seattle, where a man’s collection of about 6,000 comics was stolen from a friend’s house. The case is now closed. The original owner tracked down the thief, got back his books, and no one was arrested. Priceless quote from the police spokesman: "We didn’t want to spend any more time on it,"

Buried deep in this CNN story about singer/songwriter Aimee Mann (you probably know her from the Magnolia soundtrack) is the news that she’s slowly become a graphic novelist: "I take a sketchbook and I bring it out at dinner … and I’ve got this one friend who always says something ridiculous, so I’ll try to write it down and put it in [graphic] form, and it kind of amuses everyone at the dinner table," she says, while saying it’s "kind of a long-term project."

Lastly, Lost writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach reveals to Comics2Film that Paul Dini is responsible for Grillo-Marxuach’s The Middleman going from proposed TV series to comic (and now it’s set to be a TV series again): "Of course, I was a huge comic book fan already, but something about talking to Paul and realizing here’s a guy who’s doing it sort of inspired me to say, ‘Here I have a property that, in a comic book, without the constraints of budget, would be spectacular.  So why not go in that direction and try to fulfill this creative need that I have to see this thing made?’"

MoCCA Catches Fire!

Smoke in the sub-basement, fire in the sky…  As if this weekend’s MoCCA Art Festival weren’t already the hottest ticket in town during the hottest couple of days so far this year, there was a fire condition around 3 PM on Sunday that wound up causing an evacuation of the building.

An earlier video of the event was taken down from YouTube for some reason, but Brian Heater of The Daily Cross Hatch posted one of his own. Have a look:

According to MoCCA founder Lawrence Klein, there was apparently a "smoke condition" in the building’s sub-basement, nowhere near either of the convention floors or window-based air conditioning units. Attending professionals and fans were probably not all that thrilled to be ushered out into the 90-degree heat, but better safe than sorry!

Doctor Who in Review: Season Four, Episode #6 – The Doctor’s Daughter

The hit BBC series Doctor Who is now in its fourth season on the Sci-Fi Channel, and since we’re all big fans here at ComicMix, we’ve decided to kick off an episode-by-episode analysis of the reinvigorated science-fiction classic.

Every week, we’ll have our best Who-philes go through the most recent episode with a fine-tooth comb (or whatever the "sonic screwdriver" equivalent might be) and call out all of the continuity checks, names dropped and storyline hints we can find to keep in mind for future episodes. We’ll post our analysis each Monday, so you have ample time to check out the episode once it airs each Friday at 9 PM EST on Sci-Fi Channel before reading our review.

Missed a week? Check out our "Doctor Who in Review" archive or check out any of the past editions of this column via the links at the end of this article.

Keep in mind, we’re going to assume readers have already watched the episode when we put fingers to keyboard and come up with our roundup of important plot points. In other words, SPOILER ALERT!

Let’s begin now, shall we?

Season Four, Episode #6: "The Doctor’s Daughter" (more…)

Iron Man Featured in New ‘Incredible Hulk’ Trailer

As most of you know by now, Marvel and Universal are taking the Incredible Hulk marketing into full swing this week, with one TV spot that may just be giving away a little too much.

Those of you who stayed till the end of Iron Man know that Sam Jackson pops up as fellow Marvel character Nick Fury, and rumor had it that we would be getting the same treatment with the next film from Marvel Studios, with Robert Downey Jr. rumored to appear as Tony Stark in the upcoming Incredible Hulk.

Well, it looks like the cat is out of the bag here, because according to the TV spot that hit the airwaves last night, Downey is definitely in the picture. It seems bizarre that the studios would spoil what could have been another big cameo, but such a move is likely indicative of the studios’ worries regarding the film — and an effort to ride the coattails of the biggest movie of 2008?

Check out the video below, but beware: If you would rather enjoy the surprise in the theater, stay away!

 


 

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Incredible Hulk hits theaters this week on Friday, June 13.

Not Necessarily The News, by Mike Gold

I have previously opined my regrets that America’s most reliable newspaper – some might say only reliable newspaper – the Weekly World News, bit the dust. It was a hoot.

Because the New York Post cloaks itself in the shroud of legitimacy, it may very well be America’s most unreliable newspaper. It is the hairy wart on Rupert Murdoch’s considerable media ass, which is saying something. The Post is completely bereft of credibility.

But they’ve got a sense of humor about it, and I’ve got to give them credit. Rupert’s book publishing division Harper Collins came out with a volume reprinting many of the, ahhh, more interesting front pages published in the Post since he bought the staid, boring tabloid and converted it into a daily joke. But at least it’s a good joke.

Entitled Headless Body In Topless Bar, the book was named after what may very well be the most memorable front page headline since Variety’s “Wall Street Lays An Egg.” That one set the standard for both the rag and for journalism itself: rarely has an entire story been reduced to five words. They did that back in 1983 and haven’t beaten it yet.

They reprint over 150 front pages in black and white (most were published in black and white, but the paper went to color several years ago) – from “Crowe Flies” (Russell; get it?) to “Good Noose” (about Saddam’s sentencing), from “Bowling For Palestine” (Arafat’s theft of pro-Palestinian funds) to my second-favorite: “V-D Day!” The sub-head, which does nothing to illuminate the story, is “Paris liberated, bimbos rejoice.” You couldn’t mix that many messages in a blender. (more…)

Friends of Lulu Awards 2008

Friends of Lulu, the organization dedicated to increasing the involvement of girls and women in comics, as both professionals and consumers, held their annual Lulu Awards at the New York Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art on Saturday, June 7.  Until now, the awards have been presented during the San Diego Comic-Con.  This is the first time the event has been held in New York.

And a glittering evening it was.  There were several glamorous gowns, lots of cool earrings, and more cleavage than one sees at an average comic industry night out.  After a cocktail half-hour starting at 8:30, the ceremonies began at 9 PM.

Emily Flake was the Mistress of Ceremonies, and she ran a very tight ship.  The presenters were introduced, announced the nominees, and awarded the trophies.  Here’s the list, with the winners in bold:

Kim Yale Award for Best New Talent (presented by 2007 winner Rachel Nabors):

Martina Fugazzotto, senior designer, gURL.com
Kiki Jones, gURL.com Comix artist
Julia Wertz, The Fart Party

Woman of Distinction, for contribution in areas other than writing and art (presented by Heidi MacDonald):

Shelly Bond, group editor, Vertigo; editor, MINX line
Cindy Fournier, VP Operations, Diamond Comics Distributors
Janna Morishima, director, Diamond Kids Group (more…)

ComicMix Columns/Features for the Week Ending June 8, 2008

Greetings from the MoCCA Art Fest, where ComicMix will be out in force today!  We’re probably having the time of our lives, having prepared this roundup well beforehand.  Good thing, too, as we keep adding more new features!  Here’s the scoop on what our columnists and feature-ists have brought you this past week:

Back to the fun at the Puck Building!  Or is that the pun at the F– no wait, that can’t be right…

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