The Mix : What are people talking about today?

IDW to do Doctor Who

drwhogibbons-5548087IDW announced at their SDCC panel this morning that they’ll be doing a Doctor Who comic series, featuring the tenth doctor and Martha Jones. It’ll be written by Gary Russell (Doctor Who story editor for the BBC) with art by Nick Roche. Russell T. Davies will be keeping his eye on the series as well. The series will make its bow in December 2007, starting as a 6-issue limited series, with more to follow.

They’ll also be reprinting the Dave Gibbons Doctor Who stories from many years back, many in color for the first time.

Johnny Depp IS Barnabas Collins!

tb275-7049191Yep, you read that headline right. Johnny Depp will be playing the Barnabas Collins role in the upcoming Dark Shadows movie. Turns out, he’s fulfilling a life long dream. (Editor’s note: originally Mike typed "live long dream", which may or may not be a typo.)

According to Variety, Warners (who produced the failed revival pilot two years ago) will be handling the drudge work.

No word on the availability of a part for the original Barnabas, Jonathan Frid, who is currently doing a one-man turn as Richard III.

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Happy 67th birthday, Bugs Bunny!

wildhare-3481559On this day in 1940, A Wild Hare was released in theaters, which was written by Rich Hogan, animated by Virgil Ross, and directed by Tex Avery. It was in this cartoon that Bugs Bunny first emerged from his rabbit hole to ask Elmer Fudd, now a hunter, “What’s up, Doc?” It was also the first meeting of the two characters, and the first cartoon where Mel Blanc uses the version of Bugs voice that would become famous worldwide.

The film would go on to get an Academy Award nomination for best short film, alongside Puss Gets The Boot, which introduced Tom and Jerry. Both lost to Citizen Kane.

The Simpsons and the Sex Pistols

simpsons_scream_lo-7050090With The Simpsons Movie opening today, you just might be wondering which superstars are going to appear on the show next season. Well, if you weren’t, you shouldn’t take them for granted.

Guest stars for 2007 – 2008 season include Glenn Close, Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten (as in The Sex Pistols; trust me), Jon Stewart and Dan Rather covering the Springfield elections, and opera star Placido Domingo. I don’t think Placido will be jamming with the Sex Pistols.

They’ll all look good in yellow.

MICHAEL DAVIS: In The Ghetto

michael-davis100-9494775I hate to see stereotypical images of black people, like the thug with the gold teeth who speaks in horrible English:

I was on the way to the crib, you knows wha I’m sayin? When I gots dare tis ho wanted to hang out, you know what I’m saying? You know what I’m saying? You know what I’m saying?

        

No, I don’t know what you’re saying. Nobody knows what you are saying.

I hate to see large black women with little itty-bitty short skirts and 10 inch nails that hook at the end. I hate to see black men grab their crouches. I hate to see black kids with their pants down to their ankles.

Here’s the thing: these are not stereotypes. I know black people like that. I’m sure you know black people like that, or at least you have seen black people like that.

Hey! Keep your hands away from the “comment” button! I’m about to make a point!

Yes, there are black people who act in the ways I mentioned above. There are also lazy black people, black people who love watermelon, black men who love white women, black men with really large (insert word here) and, yes, there are loud angry black women.

These types of black people do exist. I can’t stand most of that behavior, although I have eaten my share of watermelon and dated my share of white women. I have been lazy; when I was a kid I grabbed my crouch. Lastly, I have said, You know what I’m saying?

You know what I’m saying?

None of the above acts makes up a stereotype. I have seen black people engage in every one of those acts. I myself have engaged in a few.

They become stereotypes when you assume every black person acts in such a manner all the time.

That is just crazy.

To assume that all black people behave like this is simply freakin RIDICULOUS! To think that any race of people behaves in one way as a whole is just madness. 

Every race of people has its share of people who are, let’s say “undesirable.” Black people have “niggers,” white people have “white trash,” Latinos have “spics,” Asians have “chinks.” You name the race I’ll tell the stereotypical name.  (more…)

Overheard at San Diego, part 2

lucylawlesstattoo-8217844Waiting for a trolley: "I’m so glad, I just found out that Lucy Lawless is going to be here on Sunday. I hope I get to show her my tattoo!" And in case she doesn’t get a chance, everybody else can see it here.

Neil Gaiman, at the Paramount preview panel: "I’m growing vats of people like you all around the world. Eventually we’ll put a bunch of you in a room with knives, and whoever emerges alive will be the winner and can make the Sandman movie."

On Market Street: "IDT buying IDW? Aren’t they supposed to buy a company called IDU first?"

Marvel Studios has both Doctor Strange and Ant-Man in development as live action movies, along with gosh-darn near everything else in the catalog. The good Doctor, of course, will make his live action D2DVD debut in a few weeks. And, according to a source, a new slate of animated D2DVDs is in the works.

Contributors to today’s column: Adriane Nash, Matt Raub, Mike Gold

The Big ComicMix Broadcast in San Diego!

It’s Day One for the Big ComicMix Broadcast at the San Diego Comic-Con International 2007, which begins with time spent in a long line … but we make a new friend … then we hit the panels for a scoop on where Countdown is going at DC. Next we head down to the dealer’s room for a a quick lesson in buying original art and then over to the publisher’s row for a sneak preview at the Babysitter’s Club Graphic Novels. We even had energy left to look back  at the FIRST San Diego show – and the hit album track everyone was listening to that weekend!

You PRESS THE BUTTON while we soak our feet for awhile!!

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Jenna Jameson born again at Virgin

jennajamesonvirgin-9026876Jenna Jameson. Virgin Comics. We’ll wait while you go through all the punchlines.

Now then.

In a transparent effort to change her Google rankings, Jenna Jameson is writing a comic book series for Virgin Comics.  Jenna Jameson’s Shadow Hunter will debut in December with a cover by ace illustrator Greg Horn. (Go ahead, do a few more jokes. We’re patient.) A 144-page trade paperback collection is scheduled for release next June.  Virgin is also setting up a new website, JennaComix.com that will provide on-going information and previews of the new comic book series.

Perhaps the funniest side piece on this is the comments thread on TMZ, which claimed an "exclusive!" to the thing. The comments are along the lines of how covering this demeans their site. One supposes they should stick to covering such paragons of virtue as Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan.

Be Vewwy Vewwy Quiet. We’re Hunting Fanboys.

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USA Today stalks the elusive Fanboy.

Locus Online lists new paperback editions of SF/Fantasy books that they saw in June.

Matthew Cheney thinks about the latest eruption of the what-is-SF-and-what-isn’t discussion.

A highly scientific investigation into the age-old struggle between pirates and ninjas. [via Chris Roberson]

tSF Diplomat  thinks hard about online book reviewing and book-blogging.

Biology in Science Fiction rounds up recent interesting news stories about bioscience.

Mundane SF hates astrophysics.

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Spanning the Globe with Comics

Comic Book Resources talks to Timothy Truman and new artist Tomas Giorello about the new direction, and new series, for Dark Horse’s Conan comics.

Comic Book Resources also chatted with the creative team of the new Booster Gold series.

Even if you’re not at Comic-Con, you can see it via the official flickr set.

Mike Sterling’s Progressive Ruin pokes through the new Previews catalog for monthly signs of impending Armageddon.

Comics Reporter reviews The Architect by Mike Baron and Andie Tong.

Chris’s Invincible Super-Blog has some fun with a 1969 Batgirl story.

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