Category: News

There are institutions in Chicago that make the city what it is. Deep-dish pizza loaded with premium toppings. A hot dog “dragged through the garden.” The Sears Tower (sorry, it’ll never be “Willis Tower” to anyone in the city). Da Bears. And Oprah. More than the robust food, gigantic buildings, or the amazing football team, Oprah’s seat in pop culture has been cemented in recent years as an unstoppable brand. Thanks to the big O, no less than than four talk shows litter the dial. And soon, an entire cable network will launch, thanks to the big O. In addition to the television shows, Oprah and her fifth-dimensionally named Harpo productions is responsible for magazines, telefilms, a radio station, and, we’re pretty sure, an eventual space station where housewives will be whisked away by private rocket to nibble on Southern comfort food and dish on their louse husbands, in between book-club meetings.

Earlier in this year, Oprah shocked her audience of 12 billion viewers by announcing the end of her talk show. And while some shows may have a special “farewell” episode, Oprah is enjoying a “farewell season.“  Chicago comic creators Todd Allen and Scott Beaderstadt are dedicating an arc of their graphic novel series Division and Rush in response to the announcement of Oprah’s eventual retirement on daily TV. Division and Rush is a serial strip published on the Chicago Tribune Media Group’s ChicagoNow website. It follows the exploits of a pair of Chicago detectives as they scour the city and confront eerily familiar pop-culture icons and current events. Story arcs from the strips are collected and reprinted as full-fledged graphic novels. The first arc, “The Murder Professor,” was a #1 bestseller on Amazon for the Kindle.

The newly announced second arc, dubbed “The Cult of Low Self-Esteem,” follows Oprah-esque television diva Opa! as she announces her eventual move to California. Not everyone is thrilled by her decision, and the murderous romp begins to unfold. We here at ComicMix dig the strip, and think you should do yourself a favor and check it out. Just don’t tell Oprah we recommended it, lest we incur her wrath. Don’t think that’s scary? Just a tip, there, hotshot: the last time Oprah got mad, America gave up BEEF for a month. We don’t want to see what happens if we get on her death-ray radar anytime soon.

Of course you do, it’s new and shiny and out in stores today
— but we’re not giving it away to just anyone.

Send a note telling us who you think the lead character really is in The Lord of the Rings (and why) to @ComicMix
on Twitter (you can click the link below) by Thursday, September 16th,
and a winner will be chosen at random. (If you’re not a member of the
Twitterverse yet, you Luddite, you can also just comment below.) There is
a runner-up prize as well, with extra ‘LOTR’ goodies, including a
poster. We’ll announce the lucky buggers on
September 17th. Here are some ground rules:

Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.

To enter, send who you think is the lead character in ‘Lord of the Rings’ and why to @ComicMix on Twitter or comment below (not anonymously, of course).

Your entry must be posted before Thursday, September 16th, 8 PM Eastern Time.

You may enter only once. No being tricksy now– we hates that.

One grand prize winner and one runner-up will be selected in a random
drawing. One Grand Prize Winner will receive The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Theatrical Editions + Digital Copy) [Blu-ray]
(valued at $99); One Runner-up Winner will receive 
‘Lord of the Rings’ merchandise (valued at $49).

Actor Kevin McCarthy, made famous by his role of Dr. Miles Bennell in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, passed away this past Saturday in Cape Cod; he was 96 years old.

McCarthy, who has been acting since 1938, has had an amazingly long career, acting even to this year, with many roles under his belt in the 90’s as well. A look at his IMDB page includes roles in movies, television, and even some voice-over work. His notable roles included Uncle Walt in the Twilight Zone movie, roles in Innerspace, Dark Tower, The Howling, and even a role as Marilyn Monroe’s husband in the 1961 film “The Misfits”. 

And while some in the later generations may recognize him as the evil R. J. Fletcher of Weird Al’s cinematic opus, UHF, it would be his role in Body Snatchers that would prove to be his most memorable. McCarthy would end up lending his memorable “You’re next!” performance in numerous spoofs and sci-fi projects… he even made a cameo as Dr. Bennell in the ’78 Body Snatchers remake, starring Donald Sutherland. Topping the list of off cameos though, McCarthy ended up appearing as Dr. Bennell in the 2003 Looney Toons: Back in Action movie– still in glorious black and white.

Kevin was married twice, once to Augusta Dabney, and then to Kate Crane. He had five children. Our condolences to his family.