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Happy Birthday, Doug Moench

  • News
  • February 23, 2008

Moon Knight creator and noted Batman scribe Doug Moench celebrates his birthday today. Moench’s byline has adorned hundreds of issues through the years, including work for DC, Marvel and various other publishers of comics and magazines.

He’s the man who made Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu a hit, and the architect behind many of Batman’s Elseworlds battles with vampires, werewolves and, on one occasion, the creature who gave Ah-nuld a run for his money: the Predator.

A personal favorite of mine, Moench’s run The Spectre was my first introduction to the writer, and I’ve been a fan ever since.

Here at ComicMix, we hope you have a great birthday, Doug!

 

ComicMix Radio: ‘Heroes’ Is Back!

  • News
  • February 23, 2008

Yes, Heroes is back… at least, in the toy and comic stores. Mezco Toyz is handling the no-brainer of bringing Claire, Hiro & the rest into the world of action figures. Who is coming and when? ComicMix Radio has got the scoop, plus:

— A trip to the coolest toy collection on the planet (and a desperate search for one particular item you might have)

— Locke & Key scores a sellout for IDW

— The X-Men Origins: Wolverine casts keeps expanding

— Did you know Mr. T was cooler than Thomas Jefferson?

— And, of course, 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

We pity the fool who doesn’t Press The Button!

 

 And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-7151330 or RSS!

‘Watchmen’ Movie to Keep Original Ending?

  • News
  • February 23, 2008

We’re all used to Hollywood changing endings for comic book adaptations, usually to make them happier and more palatable to mainstream audiences (such as Mary Jane being saved from the Green Goblin on a Manhattan bridge rather than Gwen Stacy being thrown from one). And yet, the involvement of Neville Page in the upcoming Watchmen movie suggests that this film may try to be more true to its roots, considering that Page is known for monster/creature effects.

The official Watchmen film site has a discussion on effects specialist Neville Page’s involvement in the upcoming film.

The site also includes an excerpt of an e-mail from Page himself:

"As for The Watchmen, I am not able to discuss what I had done in terms of the creature … The production designed [Alex McDowell] is amazing, so the production should be fantastic … I am working as a concept designer but the focus as of late has been creature."

Is the "creature" mentioned by Page the monster from the story’s final scene? After all, as the site itself points out, the only other odd-looking beast in the film is a genetically engineered lynx and it doesn’t seem that a specialist such as Page would be needed for such a simple design.

 

The Sweet Smell of Rot, by Martha Thomases

  • News
  • February 23, 2008

 

This is my least favorite time of year.  It’s not that I mind the cold – in fact, this winter’s unnatural warmth has me creeped out – but the darkness.  The days are more dark than light since the middle of September, and it’s more than a month until that changes.  Every day is a bit brighter, but not enough.
 
The wait is excruciating.  
 
Every day, the buds on the trees are a little bit larger, a little bit more plump.  The first tentative shoots of crocus slip through the dirt in the tree pits.  The sparrows fight for twigs to build their nests, or maybe they fight because they’re in gangs, but they are noisy in a way that would be annoying if they were teenagers from the local high school, but charming when we can’t tell what it’s about.
 
It’s not enough.  
 
In just a few weeks, the calorie pear trees will be in bloom, and the chestnut trees, too.  They’ll be covered with white petals, like snow, and the first little leaves will be starting to burst.  The daffodils and tulips will splash color across the public gardens.  The soil will have the sweet smell of rot that comes with spring rain and spring thaw.
 

(more…)

A Plethora of WonderCon Coverage

  • News
  • February 23, 2008

WonderCon is in full swing in San Francisco, with plenty of of guests and events on the schedule. Here’s a quick look at the convention news that’s popping up around the ‘Net.

Over at The Beat, Heidi MacDonald has kindly done all the hard work for me, and the rest of you, and put together a list showcasing WonderCon events and coverage — all in one, easy-to-use place.

She’s got quite a bit of info there already, including links to Wired Magazine’s preview of all the hot comic shop action in San Francisco during the con, a guide to programming from Prism Comics at the show and a breakdown of some of the parties being thrown during the event. 

As if The Beat’s info wasn’t enough already, Tom Spurgeon over at The Comics Reporter has also chimed in with his list of "Ten Things to do at WonderCon this year." Tom, whose knowledge of comics and comics-culture knows no equal, has always provided some great insight into the convention scene. His lists of must-see-and-do’s are always one of the first things I check out before heading to a show.

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Batcave Home Theater

  • News
  • February 22, 2008

Valerie D’Orazio points us to this Gizmodo story about a home theater system company that built their very own Bat-theater.

batcave-hts-gi-1898406

While it’s pretty dang cool, it’s not quite as impressive as the comic book professional who converted his basement into his own Batcave, complete with:

  • giant screen TV
  • desk carved in the shape of a bat symbol
  • hidden door to the stairway
  • atomic turbine, and
  • working batpole hidden behind the bookcase that leads from the first floor to the basement office– for when inspiration struck and the stairs were too slow, I guess.

But that’s not the impressive part. It’s that, since he was doing it for his home office, and that he was a comic book professional and it helped him get in the right mindset to create, it was all tax deductible. The only person who could write this off would be Michael Uslan.

 

First Look: ‘Y:The Last Man’ Wrap Party Footage

  • News
  • February 22, 2008

It’s probably not much of a secret that I’m a huge fan of Brian K.Vaughan’s comic book series Y: The Last Man. If I wasn’t, why else would I be posting about it so much? So, in my continuing effort not to disappoint those of you who are also fans of the series, here now is yet another bit of news about it.

This time, the news comes to us in the form of exclusive video from the Y:The Last Man wrap party courtesy of Variety’s Bags and Boads site. The party, which took place a couple of weeks ago at Meltdown Comics here in LA, was held to celebrate the final issue of Y: The Last Man and as a benefit for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund — a worthy cause indeed.

The video showcases some of the many guests in attendance, including Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerrra, Geoff Johns, Mark Waid and my personal hero, Joss Whedon.

Check it out at the Bags and Boards site. Or, if, as the post says, you have trouble watching it there, it’s also available at Myspace Comics. Enjoy.

For Kids: Find Your Inner (and Outer) Superhero with ‘Super You’

  • News
  • February 22, 2008

Here is one of those things you find in your travels around the InterTubes that’s just too cute/funny to keep to yourself.

Super You, in addition to having a theme song of the same class as "It’s a Small World" when it comes to getting stuck in your head (WARNING: Music plays automatically when you visit the site), offers custom-made superhero outfits for kids. You simply choose a size and color for each part of the outfit (unitard, cape, belt, etc.), wait for the costume to arrive, and next thing you know, your favorite little crimefighter has a new costume.

What could be better for a child’s self-confidence and creativity than to be able to create their own superhero costume? By creating Super You, I hope to teach children that being Super is whatever they want it to be—and that being Super comes from within.

My favorite part about the whole arrangement? The costume arrives in a black "Super Briefcase" for kids to open — preferably away from the prying eyes of supervillains and those they’re sworn to protect.

 

Marvel Releases New Hawkeye Skrull Promo

  • News
  • February 22, 2008

Building up to the summer’s Skrull-a-palooza, Marvel has been sending out a variety of variant covers and promo images featuring heroes depicted as Skrulls. As part of its "Who do you trust?" marketing blitz, Marvel has tried to raise suspicion on most major characters, including the Fantastic Four, the Avengers and, most recently, Wolverine.

Today came the image at right, and for once we have a candidate who actually makes sense as a Skrull: Hawkeye.

While most heroes have good alibis for the looming Secret Invasion, the purple-wearing, bow-and-arrow toting Clint Barton was killed off in House of M by Brian Michael Bendis, who also is writing Secret Invasion and has said he’s been laying the groundwork for this event for years. And since Hawkeye’s return from the dead was never fully explained, he’s a prime suspect.

Of course, this could just be more misdirection, which adds a whole metatextual layer to the slogan "Who do you trust?"

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