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‘Dungeon Monstres, Vol. 1: The Crying Giant’ Review

The “Dungeon” series has gotten so full of stories, so complicated, that there’s a diagram on the back of this book to explain how all of the sub-series relate to each other.

Up top are the three main sequences – The Early Years (the creation), Zenith (the height), and Twilight (the downfall), as it says here – and below that are explanations of the other three clusters: Parade, Bonus, and Monstres. All are set in a giant castle in a standard fantasy world – the castle was set up by “the Keeper” as a habitat for various monsters, who could kill and devour the inevitable wandering adventurers. (So it’s a hack-n-slash D&D campaign turned on its head; the monsters win every time.)

Dungeon Monstres, Vol. 1: The Crying Giant
By Johann Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, Mazan, and Jean-Cristophe Menu
NBM, June 2008, $12.95

 

This particular subseries focuses on, as the back cover says, “great adventures of secondary characters.” So Monstres is the Cable & Deadpool of the “Dungeon” world, I guess…

The other different thing about Monstres is that the stories are illustrated by guest artists, not by series creators Johann [that’s how he’s credited on this book; though I’ve never seen the “h” in his name before] Sfar and Lewis Trondheim. In this case, the first story, “John-John the Terror,” has art by Mazan while the title story is illustrated by Jean-Cristophe Menu, head of the alternative comics publisher L’Association.

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Happy Birthday: Beautia Sivana

Some people hope to take after their parents—others hope they don’t. For Beautia Sivana the latter seems more likely.

Her father, Thaddeus Bodog Sivana, is a crazed scientist bent on world conquest and the utter destruction of his nemesis, Captain Marvel. Beautia’s two younger siblings take after their father in their immorality but Beautia herself—who is as lovely as her name suggests—is more kind-hearted (and her favorite brother, Magnificus, is simply indifferent).

At times, she has even rebelled and aided Captain Marvel in escaping her father’s traps, though that may be as much motivated by personal admiration as by a desire to truly reform.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer in Iraq

During a recent edition of "In Character," NPR’s series of reports on "fictional but influential people," reporter Jamie Tarabay explains why she was able to maintain her sanity during assignment in Iraq thanks to the adventures of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

According to Tarabay, the "hellmouth" Buffy and Co. lived around and found themselves continually fighting to close really wasn’t all that different than Baghdad and the areas of wartorn Iraq she reported from on a daily basis.

Give a listen for yourselves.

 

Comic Book Cameo: Green Lantern on ‘Bones’

In the season finale episode of Bones, "The Pain in the Heart," an upset Doctor Brennan burst into her FBI partner’s bathroom and made a startling discovery. Special Agent Seeley Booth likes to relax in a hot tub with a beer helmet and comic book. In this case, Green Lantern. Booth is played by David Boreanaz, who previously played the brooding vampire Angel in Joss Whedon’s celebrated TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and his solo spin-off series, Angel.

Macho tough guy, and ex-Marine Corps sniper, who would’ve guessed Booth is a closet geek. But there you have it:

gl33-2735833

 

Of course, that wasn’t just any comic book he was reading, either. It was Green Lantern #33, a Silver Age comic of Hal Jordan fighting Doctor Light. The issue featured a Gil Kane cover and a story titled "Wizard of the Light-Wave Weapons."

Booth explained the hat by saying, "Cold beer plus hot tub equals warm beer." But no defense was offered for the comic — or for the unreported crime of exposing that old comic to steam. That’s a definite no-no.

ComicMix Six: The Best Movies Adapted From Comic Books

In a previous edition of ComicMix Six, I set forth my picks for The Worst Movies Adapted from Comic Books. Now, because a "worst" list is nothing without a "best" list, I’ve assembled another one for you. This time around, I’m casting the spotlight on the opposite of bad movies and highlighting The Best Movies Adapted from Comic Books.

In contrast to the worst films, these stellar examples of cinematic goodness are not only great comic book adaptations, they’re great movies, too. From brilliant direction, exciting visuals that enhance rather than obscure the story, to compelling peformances, these six films deliver in a big way.

They alse showcase adherence to, and reverence for, their source material and represent what happens when talented people who appreciate comics get together to make a movie. Plus, they’re just plain fun to watch.

So now, without further ado and in no particular order, here is my ComicMix Six list of The Best Movies Adapted from Comic Books.

 

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Hereville, Thereville and Everywhereville, by Elayne Riggs

Oregon has become the latest state to garner the national spotlight in this Democratic Presidential campaign "silly season." Just about every liberal blog I read had effusive reports of the huge turnout at last weekend’s rally for Barack Obama in Portland’s Waterfront Park. Now me, I can’t think of Oregon without thinking of two things: the annual Stumptown Comics Festival, which I’ve never attended but which sounds pretty neat; and the person who first introduced me to the idea of Stumptown, my friend of many years, Barry Deutsch.

Barry and I go back so long that, like ComicMix commenter Vinnie Bartilucci, he knew me before my first marriage. As I recall, he visited me a few times back when I worked in the East Village, we probably even shopped at St. Mark’s Comics together, and he was an utter delight to be around. He still is, whenever he comes back east to visit. But he currently makes his home in the wilds of Oregon, so I pretty much see him around MoCCA time and that’s it. Fortunately, I get to see his art whenever I want to.

Barry’s been sketching and doing comic strips for awhile now. His political work reminds me a lot of Matt Wuerker’s style, the way it relies on gentle caricature and well-thought-out illustration to get his points across easily and without straining the reader’s credulity. He’d been bending my ear for awhile about a special long-form project of his, and that project has finally come out. It’s called Hereville.  You’ve probably seen lots of reviews about it online already. Here’s another one. (more…)

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Battlestar Galactica Interview: Mark Verheiden on the ‘Final Five’ and Music

Welcome to the latest installment of Battlestar Galactica Weekly, our recurring Q&A with Mark Verheiden, co-executive producer of the hit Sci-Fi Channel series Battlestar Galactica. Each week, we’ll interview Verheiden about the events of the week’s episode, what those events might mean for both the season and the series, and hopefully unearth some clues about what to expect as the final season of Battlestar Galactica nears its conclusion.

Along with posing our own questions to Verheiden, we’re also taking questions from fans — so be sure to send your questions to me, your official BSG Weekly interviewer, after each episode airs at chris [at] comicmix dot com. New episodes of Battlestar Galactica can be seen every Friday at 10 PM EST on Sci-Fi Channel. You can read previous interviews via our BSG Weekly Archive or the links at the end of this article.

This week, Verheiden answers questions about the Episode #7 of Season Four, “Guess What’s Coming to Dinner,” which aired May 16, 2008. Note: These answers may contain spoilers, so read at your own risk.

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COMICMIX (from reader Molly): Are there any legal ramifications for Sam’s shooting Gaeta during the mutiny, for either one of them? I know some were surprised that Sam wasn’t put in the brig.

MARK VERHEIDEN: Given that Gaeta was shot in the midst of a mutiny that he was helping to engineer (in the legal sense, Anders would probably be justified shooting a mutineer), I’m not sure anyone involved wants to get into the unfortunate details of the shooting. Especially with Adama.

That said, and not wanting to delve into “the future” except in the most general sense, this is Battlestar.  The shooting will most definitely have ramifications, but they may not be what you expect. 

CMix (from reader Allison): Was there any significance to the fact that Sharon kills Natalie in front of two of the “final five”, and even asks Chief to pick up Hera, given that her vision is of the Opera House where the “final five” reside? (more…)

‘Penny Arcade’ Game Prequel Comic Goes Online

Penny Arcade is well known in the webcomic world for its wickedly funny lampooning of the videogame industry. On May 21st, they’re becoming a target themselves by releasing Penny Arcade: On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode One. The Penny Arcade videogame will premiere as a digital download for Xbox 360, PC, Mac and Linux systems.

The adventure role-playing game imagines the Penny Arcade cast in a 1920s Lovecraftian setting where Gabe and Tycho are a crime-solving team at the Startling Developments Detective Agency in the city of New Arcadia.

To help readers understand Gabe and Tycho’s role in this world, Creators Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik have created a four-page prequel webcomic that explains what the characters were up to just before the game starts.

In all honesty, they had us when they showed a steampunk version of Fruit F***er, the kitchen juicer gone bad.

Rory Root, R.I.P.

This day began like the others all have, here at my computer. I heard the familiar startup sound of my Mac, saw the comforting image of my wallpaper and then opened up my e-mail.

Spam… joke… spam…. annoying forward… reminder on work I need to do… spam…

And then a pile of e-mails in a row –  all on the death of Rory Root.

Rory wasn’t a writer, an artist or editor, yet I am certain he brought more comics into people’s lives than a lot of folks who hold those titles. Rory was a retailer – a comic book guy with a store in Berkley, California. And he was one of the best.

Over the days to come, you will read a lot of things about Rory and the way he loved the industry. Wonderful tribute sites are already taking shape here and here. Still, I welcome the chance to briefly share my little “Rory Story” here on ComicMix.

Although we hadn’t seen much of each other in the past few years, Rory was still my friend. In my comic retailing days, we grew close as part of a network of like-minded store owners that went by a number of organizational titles. No matter what the reason, we had to get together, and it was great. We shared ideas, bitched about all the things we hated and longed for the days when comics would finally get the mainstream attention they deserved. Most of all, though, we argued. Nothing malicious, just the good-natured, free-thinking debate of which Rory was a master. Rory could take a side and beat you down with it, then take your side and beat you down with that one as well, all while holding this enormous urn of coffee that was seemingly never empty. It gave him great joy to be right in these exchanges, and usually he was.

Today, I am re-running so many of those matches in my head and I even remember one (just one) where I think I came out on top.

Then again, I bet Rory had it planned that way.

Here’s hoping that coffee cup is still full and hot, old buddy.

Happy Birthday: Zatanna

Zatanna Zatara learned early on that magic was in her blood—but she had no idea how right she was.

Her father, Giovanni “John” Zatara, was a stage magician whose act concealed his very real magical abilities. Growing up, Zatanna followed in her father’s footsteps, becoming a stage illusionist.

Her own power manifested while searching for him after he went missing, a quest that found her teaming up with several members of the Justice League of America. She wound up helping them on other missions and eventually becoming a member herself.

For a brief period Zatanna’s powers were significantly reduced, but that limitation later vanished. Zatanna inherits her talent from both sides—her mother Sindella is also a member of the Homo Magi, the race of magic-wielding humans that lives among regular mortals.

At one point, Zatanna explored that heritage more fully, setting aside the techniques she had learned from her father—specifically, casting spells by speaking backward—but later reverted to her traditional style.

Currently Zatanna is a member of the Sentinels of Magic and a reserve member of the Justice League.

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