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Mr. T. Limited Advance Graphic Novel Announced

  • News
  • February 22, 2008

As if things in the world of comics weren’t already interesting enough, word now comes, in the form of an official press release from publisher Mohawk Media, that the upcoming Mr. T graphic novel, set to release later this summer, will also have a "Limited Advance Edition" available right now for eager fans.

The Limited Advance Edition of the graphic novel will only have 4000 copies available and, as the press release states:

It marks the return to prominence of Mr. T, the Mohawk muscleman who was voted the fourth “Greatest American” in a recent global BBC poll, muscling in front of the likes of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Franklin D. Roosevelt. 

‘It’s great to be the star of a graphic novel’, says Mr. T. ‘And great entertainment is always driven by great writing!’ Mr. T, who contributes world-exclusive interviews to the graphic novel and acts as its Executive Editor, adds: ‘I’ve always strived to be a good role model to children and adults alike. I can’t think of a better way to do that than by encouraging people to read! What would I say to anyone who doesn’t read my graphic novel? “I pity the fool!” ’

Well said, Mr. T. Well said, indeed.

 

Manga Friday: More from Del Rey

  • News
  • February 22, 2008

Del Rey is about the only manga publisher sending me review copies on a regular basis, so they get an extra-large helping of Manga Friday’s love. And this week is no exception; we have no theme, but we do have these three new books from Del Rey…

Minima!, Vol. 1
Machiko Sakurai
Del Rey Manga, 2007, $10.95

There will not be a test this week, so you can relax – Minima! does not refer to the mathematical concept of minima. It’s not entirely clear what it does refer to, though I’d guess it’s a vague reference to small, cute, furry things.

Ame Oikawa is a quiet middle-school girl who’s vaguely dissatisfied about something – exactly what is not clear, because she’s so quiet – when she goes with her class to an amusement park. (Her problems are probably related to having a crush on some boy or other, but I couldn’t keep the other characters straight, so that part flew past me.)

But then a cute little stuffed animal that she just bought starts talking and walking around – its name is Nicori, and it’s standing up for her. Whatever the previous problem was – and did I mention that I’m still not sure about that at all? – disappears into the background, as there’s a media frenzy about this talking toy.

The plot lurches forward almost randomly from there, focusing mostly on the relationship between Ame and Nicori, with side-trips into the price of fame, the terrors of junior high, and the dangers of kidnappers before this volume is over. There’s a whole lot of big emotional scenes, mostly because Nicori is embarrassing Ame by misunderstanding things or blurting out her secret crushes.

This was very much not for me – it’s a story for and about tween girls; the kind who go “ohmiGOD” at the slightest thing and who make and break BFFs five times before lunch. For that audience, it’s harmless, but I doubt many (if any) ComicMix readers fit that demographic. However, if you have daughters or nieces, they might love this more than life itself.

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GrimJack: The Manx Cat – Past Lives

  • News
  • February 22, 2008

In today’s brand new episode of GrimJack: The Manx Cat, by John Ostrander and Timothy Truman, John finds himself in a stranger’s body.

Not only that, but he meets a sorcerer who should be dead. And the Chaotic Gods are on the loose.

A warning? Or a curse?

 

 

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Paramount Drops HD-DVD

  • News
  • February 22, 2008

Well, that didn’t take as long as I thought it would. I figured it might be at least a few days before Paramount made the decidion to drop HD-DVD. But I guess they hated being last to the party with a date nobody wanted.

So today, according to the Hollywood Reporter, Paramount also dumped HD-DVD and will now be releasing content exclusively on Blu-Ray.

According to the Paramount press release quoted in the article:

 "We are pleased that the industry is moving to a single high-definition format, as we believe it is in the best interest of the consumer. As we look to (begin) releasing our titles on Blu-ray, we will monitor consumer adoption and determine our release plans accordingly."

Again, no mention about content currently in the pipeline that’s already HD-DVD. Maybe they’ll go back and redo all of them and then release on Blu-Ray? That would seem unlikely and pretty costly. But with the odd things Hollywood studios sometimes do, I guess anything is possible.

I’m Mad As Hell, by Michael Davis

  • News
  • February 22, 2008
 
I like to laugh. I see humor in most everything. Most people meet me and assume because of my wicked sense of humor I must have lived a charmed life. 
 
Nope. 
 
As I have mentioned before, two members of my immediate family were taken by violence and that does not leave you a lot to laugh about. My family was really poor and I survived more than one brush with death growing up where I did. Not the kind of life story that makes for a giggle fest.
 
The reason for my mostly cheerful outlook on life is my mom. If you think I’m funny (and you certainly won’t after this article), if you have read any of my other stuff and thought I was funny, then you should meet my mother. She is freakin hilarious. My mom had a lot more to deal with than me and she dealt with it with good humor and was confident that she would not just survive but flourish, and she did.
 
As stated above I like to laugh and do find humor in most every thing except violence and cruelty. 
 
I am not a behaviorist, anthropologist or psychiatrist. I do not claim to understand the effects of environment, religion, tribal history, poverty or anything else that that affects human behavior.  I know that there are reasons why people do things. I know that there are sometimes societal reasons why people hurt other people. 
 
You know what? I don’t care anymore.
 
I hear a lot of reasons on the nightly news explaining why some people commit horrible brutal deeds against other people.   

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ComicMix at Toy Fair: Coverage Round-Up and Extra Photos

  • News
  • February 21, 2008

Well, Toy Fair is officially over, folks. All that’s left is to sweep up the wayward Legos, find a place for all of the free promotional swag, and calmly reflect on the passing of yet another convention.

Oh, and there’s always the "Clip Reel" — or, as we call it in the InterWebs News, the "Round-Up" article. So, just in case you missed any of our Toy Fair 2008 coverage, here are some of the announcements, audio, video and photos from Toy Fair ’08 we collected thus far.

We still have some audio and video wrap-up coverage, including today’s edition of ComicMix Radio, so keep an eye on the site over the rest of the week. As a special "bonus feature" of sorts, I’ve included a few photos after the round-up below of some sights, scenes, and, of course, toys that  were favorites of the ComicMix crew but didn’t quite fit into the rest of our coverage.

 

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Happy Birthday, Alan Rickman and C-3PO

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British actors Anthony Kingsley Daniels and Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman were both born today in 1946.

Daniels is famous for creating the memorable Star Wars ‘droid, C-3PO, and although Rickman is an accomplished thespian, his recent portrayal of Snape in the Harry Potter films earned him an entirely new generation of fans.

One interesting note about Daniels: He was the only Star Wars cast member to voice his character in all three National Public Radio dramatizations of the trilogy.

 

Mattel Debuts New ‘Justice League Unlimited’ Figures

  • News
  • February 21, 2008

Mattel announced a new line of "Justice League Unlimited" figures today and provided images of several figures from the line.

The first wave of the new "Collector’s Line" will be unveiled at New York Comic-Con in April, while the second wave will be announced at San Diego’s Comic-Con International in July.

According to Mattel:

16 brand new figures along with collector requested repaints and reissues will be available in singles, 3-packs and 6 packs. Figures will be out in two waves. Each wave will consist of two 6-packs, two 3 packs and five single carded figures, some with brand new accessories. This line will be sold exclusively at Target stores starting Aug 1, 2008. At this time the line will be an in store exclusive only.

The company has released preliminary images of the first 6-pack set from Wave 1, "Attack from Apokolips", featuring Superman, Darkseid, Mr. Miracle, Lashina, Mantis and Forager.

Large images of each figure are posted after the jump.

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New ‘Iron Man’ Photos Pop Up

  • News
  • February 21, 2008

I’m still amazed sometimes at the power of the Internet. If it wasn’t for this great invention that I use every day, how could I now bring you more, brand new, Iron Man photos that, thanks to tipster Rene over at SuperHeroHype, we know have just surfaced.  

These new pics look like either production stills or screen-captures from the film itself and depict verious scenes such as Tony Stark and Pepper Potts in a somewhat intimate moment, Stark being led by his captors in the desert carrying a mysterious box and Stark working his magic with two scantily-clad young ladies.

You can find the new pics here, here, here, here, and here. Enjoy!

Live-Action ‘Akira’ On the Way from Leo DiCaprio

  • News
  • February 21, 2008

Yesterday, the Hollywood Reporter dropped the news that Warner Brothers has snapped up the rights to make a two-part, live-action version of the Japanese Anime classic Akira. Not only that, but producing the film will be superstar Leonaro DiCaprio. In addition, first-time feature helmer Ruairi Robinson will be taking on the directing duties and Gary Whitta is writing the screenplay.

But wait, there’s more.

Today, it was confirmed by Aint it Cool News that DiCaprio will, in addition to producing, star in the live-action film as the lead character Kaneda. Also confirmed is that Joseph Gordon-Levitt, soon to be seen in the upcoming live-action G.I. Joe, will join him in the cast as Tetsuo. 

In case you’re not familiar with Akira, it originally came out in 1988 as a manga and then as an animated film co-written and directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. The story, set in a futuristic post-nuclear war "New Tokyo" in the year 2019, concerns a teen biker gang member called Tetsuo who is subjected to government experiments which unleash his hidden and terrifying powers. Kaneda, the gang’s leader and Tetsuo’s best friend, must then find a way to stop the ensuing destruction caused by his friend, even if it means killing him.
 
I first saw the film in the early ’90s and was blown away. At the time it was like no other animation I had ever seen and I’ve always secretly harbored a desire to see it as a big-budget, live-action feature. I guess I’ll get my wish. Hopefully, that will be a good thing.
 
Warner Brothers is looking at a Summer 2009 release for the first film.

 

 

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