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ComicMix Radio: Bionicle Builds A Comics Home

  • News
  • February 26, 2008

LEGO’s coolest product now hits the comic stores – in two formats, no less. We’ve got the story, plus:

— EA and Image offer up some Dead Space

— Candyland, Battleship and Magic – all headed to the theaters

— A new week means another brand-new trivia question and another chance to grab an exclusive Graham Crackers Comics variant by e-mailing us at: podcast [at] comicmix.com

Press The Button and then we’ll let you play with our LEGOs!

 

 

  And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-7528297 or RSS!

 

Matt Kindt Reveals Two New Projects

  • News
  • February 26, 2008

kindt-4298643The writer and artist behind my favorite graphic novel of last year, Top Shelf’s Super Spy, just announced the two projects he’ll be working on this year.

On his Web site, Matt Kindt just revealed he’s currently putting together a book titled 3 Story: The History of the Giant Man for Dark Horse. Kindt writes the story "is all about a guy that keeps growing and growing until he’s three stories tall. It’s told from the point of view of his mom, wife and then daughter and spans the 1940 through the 60s."

In the same post, Kindt includes the artwork seen at right, a typical mix for him of watercolor and ink. That page comes from Kindt’s next project at Top Shelf, a book titled Super Natural. The only description of the project given is "Houdini under water!"

Speaking of Top Shelf books, Alex Robinson just posted an entry on his blog (look for the Feb. 24 post) that reveals a swath of easter eggs from his book Box Office Poison. On page 215 of that book, the main character hears a spate of stupid questions from customers at the book store where he works.

Robinson explains that all the questioners were based on indie comics creators and characters, and Robinson gives sources for each.

 

Martian Manhunter Cast in ‘Justice League’ Film

  • News
  • February 26, 2008

If Warner Bros. decides to move Justice League out of Australia, a few friends from down under will be tagging along for the ride.

Director George Miller has cast Hugh Keays-Byrne in the role of the Martian Manhunter. Byrne is known primarily for his work in Australian film and television.

Miller first worked with Byrne a scant 29 years ago on the original Mad Max , which was released in 1979.

Byrne played Toecutter, the main villain of the film responsible for murdering Max’s family and turning him into the post-apocalyptic vigilante we all know and love. Now he’s playing a Martian superhero. The two characters actually share a common bond – a fear of exploding cars and fires – making it easy for Byrne to step into J’onn J’onzz’s green skin and blue underwear.

(via Moviehole)

Drew Goddard Is Back for ‘Buffy: Season Eight’

  • News
  • February 26, 2008

Many of the writers who made the original Buffy: The Vampire Slayer TV series so popular have moved on to other things and been very successful. One such Buffy alum who has done particularly well for himself, especially lately, is Drew Goddard — who, after exiting Buffy, went on to write for Angel, Alias and Lost.

More recently, he transitioned to features, writing the screenplay for J.J. Abrams’ monster movie Cloverfield, as well as its sequel. Even though he’s hard at work on Cloverfield 2, Goddard isn’t forgetting his roots and is, according to Dark Horse Comics Editor Scott Allie, taking on a four-issue arc for the Buffy: Season Eight comic book.

Goddard’s arc for the comic, called Wolves at the Gate, will not, as you might expect from the title, feature the Buffy gang fighting wolves. Instead, Buffy and Co. will travel to Japan to take on an ancient group of vampires bent on world domination with the stakes, according to Allie, "staggeringly high this time."

The first issue of Goddard’s arc goes on sale March 8th.

Friends of Lulu Campaign For Cartoonist Rachel Nabors

  • News
  • February 26, 2008

The comics blogosphere is spreading the word quite effectively about the current situation of Rachel Nabors, who’s facing a dental bill of up to $25,000 to correct a serious jaw problem.  Nabors, a Friends of Lulu Kim Yale award winner, doesn’t have any health insurance.  As Theresa Tschetter notes, Rachel "has her own business… She works for a subsidiary of MSNBC. Did I mention she’s only 22? She’s balancing school and a full-time job. She’s a very energetic and determined person. And this cost will be out of pocket for her." 

Leigh Dragoon and other Friends of Lulu members are spearheading a campaign to help defray these costs; if you donate more than $25, you’ll receive a Dragoon-designed t-shirt.

Thanks to the results of a similar word-of-blog campaign, Rikki Simons reports that his mother-in-law Dyane (Dee) Blackford, who had gone missing in the Glendale, CA area, has been found!  Rikki’s wife Tavisha is the co-creator of the ShutterBox books from TokyoPop.  Rikki and Tavi are one of the most creative couples I know, having burst upon the scene about a decade ago with their colorful and clever comic Ranklechick and his Three-Legged Cat, and we rejoice in their good news!

 

Review: Locke & Key #1

You can understand why Joe Hill waited so long to publicly acknowledge that his father is famed writer Stephen King. For several years, Hill used that shortened version of his name (Joseph Hillstrom King in full) so that he could test himself in the fantasy/horror writing world without the spectre of his father lurking about.

Now jumping into comics for the first time with the new series Locke & Key ($3.99), Hill saw that experience affected by the elder King even before Locke & Key #1 hit shelves. While publisher IDW didn’t promote the famous father angle, it didn’t stop some such as Rich Johnston from playing up that lineage as a bit of comics speculating.

Those who actually read the book and didn’t just seal it away in plastic to put up on eBay at a later date were treated to a very good first issue that succeeds in areas a lot of novelists-cum-comics writers fail. That is, Hill clearly understands the medium. He knows when to rein in the verbiage and let artist Gabriel Rodriguez drive the story. 

The narrative is split in three parts: the teenaged protagonist Ty witnessing his father’s murder, sobbing through the funeral and relocating to a spooky house in the ominously named town of Lovecraft, Mass. Aside from a few awkward transitions, the story runs seamlessly.

First issues, of course, are incredibly difficult to do well, making it all the more surprising that in his first 32 pages of comics, Hill establishes a great deal of depth to his characters and lays out a handful of intriguing plotlines to follow. The last few pages are particularly effective, as Hill takes what was previously a down-to-earth story and shifts to a more supernatural paradigm.

It’s a series to watch, even if you aren’t just looking to make a buck.

The Super-Hero Car, by Dennis O’Neil

  • News
  • February 26, 2008

When we last looked in on our intrepid, tv-watching old guy – that’d be me – he was waiting to treat himself to the premiere of Knight Rider, a remake of an old series.

 
Okay, I watched it.
 
I can’t really compare it to the original, which aired at a time in my life when television had a very low priority. The episode I do remember seeing annoyed me, just a bit, I think, because he talking car seemed to be as much a – brace for a pun – deus ex machina as…oh, say, the shafts in Green Arrow’s quiver or the items in Batman’s tiny utility belt compartments; whatever the hero needs, that’s what’s there. But, as noted, I was never a real Knight Rider watcher.
 
Having made that confession: the show I saw last Sunday didn’t seem to be awfully innovative. The one blatant updating was that one of the good guys was a gay, black woman, a character who probably would not have appeared on network television during the original Knight Rider’s heyday.
 
And that talking car? Pretty nifty, I have to admit – similar to the original, but a bit improved. For example, it changed colors at the twiddle of a dashboard thingy, which brings us to the aforementioned Batman.
 

(more…)

ComicMix TV: Toy Fair ’08 – 30 Days of Night, Halo and Marvel Sub Casts

In this first full episode of ComicMix TV, we peek at some of the comics-related products on display at this year’s Toy Fair International event, including toys based on the 30 Days of Night film, Halo figures designed by Todd McFarlane and a line of cartoon-cool Marvel characters.

Missing all of the Toy Fair fun already? You can always look back through our archive of Toy Fair 2008 coverage and experience it all over again.

 

 

 And remember, you can always get more audio and video coverage of your favorite comics news by subscribing to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-3213661 or RSS!

Corey Feldman Talks ‘Lost Boys 2’

  • News
  • February 25, 2008

Previously, I brought you the first image from the upcoming film The Lost Boys 2: The Tribe, the sequel to one of the seminal films of the ’80s: The Lost Boys. Now, thanks to ShockTilYouDrop, there’s a new, exclusive interview with the sequel’s star, and ’80s teen icon, Corey Feldman.

The site caught up to the actor this weekend at a post-Oscar party in Beverly Hils where, among other tidbits, Feldman reveals that the Lost Boys sequel has finished shooting and is now in post-production, some info about the sequel’s story, which picks up the action 20 years later, and why it may have taken so long for the sequel to finally be made.

Feldman also reveals his thoughts on the film’s script, why he thinks the sequel should have been made and that he and co-star Corey Haim won’t be spending much quality time together in the future. It’s an interesting, albiet short, interview that gives some decent insight into the film and one of its stars.

Review: Crossing Midnight, Vol. 2

The news of Mike Carey writing a fantasy/horror comic set in Japan sounded too good to be true, and when Crossing Midnight debuted more than a year ago it struggled to live up to that promise.

Carey created a deep and supernatural world to backdrop his story of mystery: Two twins, Toshi and Kai, were born on either side of midnight, leaving each with an otherworldly power and putting them at the mercy of dark forces. But Jim Fern’s stiff art and some uneven storytelling held the series back. When sales weren’t strong, the rumors of a looming cancellation kickstarted.

After the so-so showing of that first arc, I gave up on the series. But, when Vertigo sent over a copy of the second volume (the cover seen at right is from DC’s website, but isn’t the cover on the actual book), Crossing Midnight: A Map of Midnight ($14.99), I realized I just didn’t give the series enough of a chance.

The volume picks up with Toshi, the female twin, struggling as a slave under an apparently evil spirit. She must fly through Japan at night, cutting unpleasant memories from people’s dreams and collecting them for some unrevealed purpose.

Following the archetype of most stories featuring children, Toshi’s impudence puts her and others into danger as she squares off against one of death’s faces. Perhaps because of the more fantastical nature of the content in this volume, Fern’s art loosens and adeptly adapts an ethereal tone. Later, Eric Nguyen takes over on art and, if anything, is an improvement.

Meanwhile, Kai stumbles onto a group of “telephone club” girls — early teens working essentially as prostitutes — and must help save them from an evil spirit that’s on the prowl. While this storyline feels a bit tangential to the larger theme, it is easily the high point for the series. Carey clearly has strong opinions of such clubs (he denounces them in a postscript) and how deplorable it is that they operate uncensored.

It is only then that the book goes farther than dipping a toe into Japanese culture, and Carey unleashes his horror-writing instincts. Sadly, the series seemed to be finding its footing just as the rug was being pulled out from under it. As Carey wrote on his Web site, [[[Crossing Midnight]]] will be wrapped up at issue #19.

Carey wrote that he knew a cancellation might happen, and all the plot threads will be wrapped up in that final issue.

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