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Review: Manga Sutra Volume One – Flirtation

 
It used to be, if you wanted to reach for the comic art form for your sex education you had to send a couple bucks to those want ads in the back of the cheesy magazines for “Comics – the Kind Men Like!” That stuff was a bit distorted; well, in the case of the ones that featured [[[Popeye]]], I’d have to say they were quite a bit distorted.
 
Trust the Japanese to get real. After all, they’ve been using the comic art form to foster all kinds of truly educational venues: business, economics, history, language, and so on. You’d figure sex ed would be a no-brainer. 
 
Be that as it may, doing sex ed comics in the form of a genuine story with a plot and character development is uniquely Manga. And TokyoPop brought the first volume of this series, Katsu Aki’s (Futari H) [[[Manga Sutra]]], to American shores. 
 
Manga Sutra is a sweet and sensitive series that focuses on the psychological aspects of sex as much as – actually, more than – the mechanics. The story is about a young couple, Makoto and Yura, who met through an arranged “marriage meeting.” This is sort of a counseled dating service, but one where the ultimate intent of marriage is upfront. The two 25 year olds dated, liked each other, got married, and only then discovered they were both virgins with a lot of understandable insecurities and a lack of any clue.

(more…)

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More Animated ‘Spectacular Spider-Man’ Art Revealed

  • News
  • February 26, 2008

The WB’s new Spectacular Spider-Man animated series doesn’t premiere until March 8, but artist Sean Galloway has posted some character designs from the show  to hold you over until then.

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The art depicts teenaged versions of Harry Osborn, Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker, along with Parker in his web-slinger duds. Spider-Man looks limber and ready to do some crime fighting, but what’s with Harry’s pose? Perhaps he likes to dazzle his classmates by doing "the robot" at random moments.

 

 

Dimension Films Locks Up ‘Locke & Key’

  • News
  • February 26, 2008

According to Variety, Dimension Films has just snapped up the rights to Joe Hill’s graphic novel Locke & Key — which, conicidentially, ComicMix’s own Van Jensen recently reviewed right here. Dimension bought film and TV rights to the graphic novel from IDW Publishing and will develop it as a potential franchise under the guidence of producer John Davis.

In case you’re not familiar, Locke & Key’s story concerns three children who move to Keyhouse, a mansion in New England that’s full of magic and secrets. Once they begin to explore the house, the kids soon discover doors that transport them to different places and give them powers. Of course, there’s also danger because behind one door is an evil creature that really wants to be let out.

Dimension chief Harvery Weinstein was particularly happy about his company’s latest acquisition. "I love what Joe wrote," said Weinstein in the Variety article. "There are fun elements that horror fans love, and it feels like a franchise where you can feel satisfied with each film, but there is a door left open for the next one."

IDW released the first issue of Locke & Key last Wednesday, with the second one set to follow on March 5th.

 

Jon Sable, Freelance: Tortured!

  • News
  • February 26, 2008

In today’s brand-new episode of Jon Sable, Freelance: Ashes of Eden, Mike Grell’s hero remains tied to a chair, naked, tortured, and still with the smart mouth.  

There’s bleeding. There’s spitting. There are leprechauns.

Will anyone get out of this alive?

 

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Credits: Glenn Hauman (Colorist), Glenn Hauman (Assistant Editor), John Workman (Letterer), Mike Gold (Editor), Mike Grell (Artist), Mike Grell (Writer), Shannon Weaver (Colorist)

More: Jon Sable Freelance: Ashes of Eden

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New ‘Indiana Jones’ Poster Hits the Net

indy4posterwithshia-7094094Previously on ComicMix, there’s been some cool new Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull news including the exciting first trailer for your viewing pleasure. Now, thanks to the Unofficial Movie Blog, there’s a picture of the new poster for the upcoming film as well.

The poster, snapped by Dan perhaps somewhere in the bowels of Lucasfilm, features not one but two intrepid adventureres in the form of Indy, of course, and his younger sidekick Mutt Williams. Mutt, as we’ve seen previsouly in the trailer, seems somewhat reluctant to be tagging along with Indy as he struggles to find and/or protect whatever the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull happens to be.

That’s probably why he’s making that face in the poster.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hits theaters on May 22nd.

‘Terminator’ Sequel to Open in May 2009

  • News
  • February 26, 2008

Even though the film only has a director and one actor confirmed so far, has no finished script and hasn’t even started shooting, it already has a release date locked down. To what lucky film am I referring?

According to Variety, it’s the next chapter in the Terminator saga, known by the rather long title Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins. The film, helmed by Charlie’s Angels‘ McG and starring Batman Begins‘ Christian Bale, has now become Warner Brothers "tentpole" Memorial Day weekend release hitting theaters on May 22nd, 2009. It will be the fourth installment in the Terminator franchise after 2003’s Terminator: Rise of the Machines, and is still in the process of casting but is expected to start shooting May 5th in New Mexico.

This latest Terminator, part one of a planned trilogy, tells the story of an older John Connor (Bale) who leads a ragtag band of nuclear holocaust survivors in a desperate battle to stop the evil defense computer Skynet from finishing the job it started and wiping out the rest of humanity. Sounds interesting.

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New Info Revealed on ‘Batman: Gotham Knight’

  • News
  • February 26, 2008

batmangothamknightsmaller-3709383Previously, my ComicMix colleague Rick Marshall brought you a first look at DC Comics and Warner Bros. animated direct-to-DVD anthology Batman: Gotham Knight. The film, designed to fill the gap between Batman Begins and Batman: The Dark Knight, features the work of several notable writers including Josh Olson, David S. Goyer, Alan Burnett, Jordan Goldberg, Greg Rucka and Brian Azzarello.

This time around, thanks to an official press release, I can also let you in on some more details about the film, including who the directors are and the release date. According to the site, directing the anthology stories will be Shojiro Nishimi, Futoshi Higashide, Hiroshi Morioka, Yasuhiro Aoki and Toshiyuki Kubooka.

In addition, the stories in the anthology will include "thrilling new adventures of Batman that spotlight several of Gotham City’s most dangerous villains, including the fearsome Scarecrow, the freakish Killer Croc and the unnerving marksman known as Deadshot."

Batman: Gotham Knights comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray on June 8th.

 

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)

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