Category: News

BIG BROADCAST: Jim Shooter Speaks!

shooter-2244622He started in comics almost before he started junior high school – and four decades he is ready to make his comeback at the very spot where it all started. Yes, Jim Shooter tells The Big ComicMix Broadcast why he’s returning to The Legion of Super-Heroes!

We also give you a rundown of missing comics, new DC variants and the word on the Transformers DVD release – plus we tell you the story of a guy who hooked up with The Who, flamed on and had a hit record!

PRESS THE BUTTON and we might lend you a Legion Flight Ring!!!

Have you forgotten…?

  • News
  • September 13, 2007

091306space1999-200-8905116Today marks the eight year anniversary of the tragic events at Moonbase Alpha, where all 311 of the base’s inhabitants were lost and presumed killed after terrorists set off a thermonuclear chain reaction on the moon’s Nuclear Waste Disposal Area 2.

And now, there’s a hole where the moon used to be. The night sky has just had a giant… Space since 1999.

We pause to remember the great heroes, and to remember to let the mighty Eagles soar.

(more…)

JOHN OSTRANDER: Salt In the Wound

  • News
  • September 13, 2007

morton-girl4-copy-8739947It’s the odd little news story that tends to grab my eye and we got an interesting one this week. Not only the story itself, but how it is being told.

I found the story initially through the Associated Press version on msnbc.com. The story comes to us from Atlanta, Georgia, and tells how a police officer – one Wendell Adams – arrested a cook at McDonalds, one Kendra Bull, who sold him an overly salty hamburger. Bull admitted that she accidentally knocked the saltshaker onto the burgers she was making; on the advice of a co-worker and the manager, she tried “thumbing” the extra salt off but made the burgers anyway. Officer Fife – excuse me, Officer Adams – ate about half of it before it made him sick. Adams came back, took Bull outside and questioned her, and then arrested her. She was in jail overnight and released on a $1000.00 bond.

I’m going to use two quotes from the story itself because I cannot improve on them: 1) “Police sent samples of the burger to the state crime lab for tests” and 2) “City public information officer George Louth said Bull was charged because she served the burger ‘without regards to the well-being of anyone who might consume it.’”

She served a burger – a McDonalds’ burger – without regards to the well-being of anyone who might consume it. Ummmmm – isn’t that one of the things about fast food in general? That we all know it’s not really any good for us but that we eat it anyway? If that’s the standard, why would any fast food joint be open in Atlanta?

And they sent a sample of the burger to the state crime lab for tests? Oh, that’s the case I want to see on CSI!

I was wondering if this case might work as a “torn from the headlines” case for Law and Order but I’m beginning to think it’s better suited for the sense of absurd comedy you find on Boston Legal.

Digging further, I discovered that the hamburger in question was free. A perk for being a cop. Georgia’s not the only place that this happens. Free soda/coffee for cops on beat happens in a lot of places and I guess a Happy Meal comes under that heading.

I also discovered at Kevin Underhill’s Lowering the Bar site  – a fine and interesting place – that a healthy adult would need more than a bit of over-salting to cause the sort of vomiting that Officer Krumpke – excuse me, Officer Adams – says he endured. Which might explain sending the hamburger to the Crime Lab for further analysis.

(more…)

Happy anniversary, Josie and the Pussycats on tv!

  • News
  • September 13, 2007

37 years ago today, Josie and the Pussycats premiered in ABC’s Saturday morning lineup. Based upon the Archie Comics series of the same name created by Dan DeCarlo (and based on Dan’s wife, Josie) Josie and the Pussycats featured an all-girl pop music band that toured the world with their entourage, getting mixed up in strange adventures, spy capers, and mysteries. And believe it or not, the show actually was important, as the show had Valerie Brown, the first regularly appearing black character in a Saturday morning cartoon show.

So everybody sing along, hurry hurry! First with the original…

…and then Josie, Valerie, and Melody through the years…

Star Trek Readies to Leave Drydock

  • News
  • September 12, 2007

0412anton-8472804With its 41st anniversary just a week past, the saying “Star Trek Lives!” has never been more true.  The franchise has spent the year retooling and gearing up for a major relaunch in late 2008.

The details, though, get murky as people mix rumor with fact.  We here at ComicMix are happy to help divide wheat from chaff so we may all live long and prosper.

The eleventh feature film is entitled simply Star Trek and will be released on December 25, 2008. The story, early drafts of which have already leaked out, was written by the new hit team of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.  Producing will be the Lost duo J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof with Abrams directing.  Abrams’ frequent collaborator, Michael Giacchino, has already signed to write the score.

Now comes the tricky part – the casting.

As of today, only three parts are official: Spock to be played by the inimitable Leonard Nimoy and Heroes antagonist Zachary Quinto and Chekov, to be played by newcomer Anton Yelchin (pictured above).

That’s it.

Many actors have expressed an interest in a variety of roles.  Such is Abrams’ relationship with his cast that many veterans have said they’d happily board the newly designed U.S.S. Enterprise if Abrams but asked.  As a result, gossip mongers have already cast Tom Cruise as Captain Christopher Pike (James T. Kirk’s predecessor).  Greg Grunberg, who has been in every Abrams production is expected to have a role, be it large or small, human or alien.  Today’s media dump includes word that Jennifer Garner owes Abrams so much she would don Vulcan ears if he wanted.

Beyond that, for the last month, word has been circulating, reaching a deafening crescendo this week that Russell Crowe is Paramount Pictures’ choice for the bad guy (whoever or whatever that may be).  Promoting 3:10 to Yuma, co-star Christian Bale told the press Crowe would be perfect for the film.  Today’s New York Post continues to speculate Crowe is a signature away from beaming aboard the film.

Beyond that, the roles of Kirk, Leonard McCoy, Montgomery Scott, Hikaru Sulu and Uhura remain uncast.  Sure, William Shatner has been publicly campaigning to return from the dead but as of now, nothing formal has been announced.

Production begins in November and will include two weeks shooting in Iceland. There will be eleven buildings on the Paramount lot dedicated to sets for the expansive, eighty-five day shoot.  Along with the studios’ Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, these make for two of next year’s most eagerly awaited movies (let alone topping the must see sequel lists).

ANDREW’S LINKS: Defending Freedom

  • News
  • September 12, 2007

defender-5474862

Comics Links

The ACLU has a new online comic to explain its mission: Defenders of Freedom. (I would have used a panel from one of their stories to illustrate this post but – irony of ironies – it’s left-click disabled, locked down tight by proprietary software. So, instead, you get the very first Google image for the search “defender of freedom,” because Andrew Wheeler is all about the random fun. It’s from this page, by the way.)

Mike Carey talks to Comic Book Resources.

CBR also interviews Action Philosophers! creator Fred Van Lente.

Wizard chats with Jim Shooter, once and future writer of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Occasional Superheroine, at the Baltimore Comic-Con, found the crowd incredibly conservative and unwilling to look at any materials outside the usual Punchy McSuper-Dude “mainstream.”

Kevin Jones of Culture Magazine has an essay on Craig Thompson’s graphic novel Blankets.

Comix Talk interviews Krishna Sadasivam, creator of the webcomic PC Weenies.

Bookslut interviews Journalista!’s Dirk Deppey.

Comic World News interviews Jason Thompson, author of Manga: The Complete Guide.

Comics Reviews

Augie De Blieck, Jr. (of Comic Book Resources) reviews Asterix in Spain.

Comic Book Bin reviews Jaime Hernandez’s Maggie the Mechanic.

Comics and More reviews two manga collections: MPD Psycho, Vol. 1 and To Terra, Vol. 2.

Newsarama lists its picks for the week.

(more…)

ELAYNE RIGGS: On the same page

  • News
  • September 12, 2007

elayne100-3884567Just as with the Twilight Zone, I have a favorite Star Trek: Next Generation episode that’s stuck with me for years. It’s called "Darmok," wherein Picard & co. attempt to communicate with the Tamarians, a people with an incomprehensible language. Blogger Barbara O’Brien picks up the plot synopsis: "Captain Picard and Dathon the Tamarian have an adventure together battling an invisible beast, and during this adventure Picard has a ‘Helen Keller at the water pump’ moment and realizes that Tamarians speak in metaphors taken from stories. For example, ‘Darmok and Jalad at Tenagra’ refers to two enemies, Darmok and Jalad, who became allies at Tenagra. As a phrase, it means ‘Let’s put aside our differences and be friends.’ So after much suspense and drama and the death of the unfortunate Dathon, by the end of the episode Picard knows enough Tamarian to say, ‘Bye. It’s been real.’"

One of the reasons this show resonates with me so much is that I’m keen on the necessity of communicating, whether through stories or essays or conversation. I wouldn’t have majored in English and linguistics at college if this idea weren’t one of the driving forces in my life. I’ve always believed that there has to be a way of making myself understood to anyone — probably as futile a notion as my childhood ambition of wanting every single person I met in my life to like me, to never make any enemies. But you know, I haven’t necessarily given up on that one either! And as I’ve noted a number of times, much of my life has been spent in trying to find the key, the conversational Rosetta Stone, that would result in my late father finally being able to understand me — a quest at which I never succeeded, but which led me to become a writer.

Communication is the implicit goal of storytelling. If you’re not making some connection with your readers or viewers or listeners, you may as well be writing in a secret diary. Now, I’ve mentioned before that I have a small tolerance for things like Easter eggs and other pop culture references stuck into TV shows, comics, etc. as a wink between writer and audience; you’ll notice those stories are often the first to become dated as well because their references are so time-specific. But that’s a far cry from deliberately not communicating at all, but faking it in a way that makes your audience feel as though they’re stupid if they admit they’re not in the know.

Fortunately this deliberate communication breakdown doesn’t happen with most stories I read, as I tend to choose my entertainment rather than having it (and any accompanying trendiness) choose me. But it does happen in real life, particularly so in this century so far. I don’t think I have to tell you what series of events brought this on.

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BIG BROADCAST: Hiyo, Silver! Awaaaay!

tnlonerangerhcmasscover-4450261Now it’s our turn to examine the Big ComicMix News here at the Big ComicMix Broadcast as Editor-In-Chief Mike Gold spells it out, right from the horse’s mouth and direct from that now famous panel at Baltimore this past weekend!

Plus, we’ve got a boatload of new comics and DVDs to pick through, news on some surprising new titles on the way from DC and  a quick look at the next phase for The Lone Ranger in comics.

Just PRESS THE big ol’ BUTTON, Kemo Sabe!

Tom and Jerry: Doomed To Repeat History

  • News
  • September 11, 2007

282706191_694fc36373-2065235Warner Home Video released the final set in their "complete" Tom and Jerry DVD collection – and it ain’t so complete. It’s missing the cartoons "Mouse Cleaning" and "Casanova Cat."

In their official statement, WHV said they "made the decision to omit these two shorts because, regardless of their historical context and artistic value, the offensiveness of certain scenes containing inappropriate racial stereotypes would diminish the enjoyment of the Collection’s 35 other classic cartoons for a large segment of the audience." Like their Popeye and Looney Tunes series, the Tom and Jerry box sets are labeled for mature audiences.

Like so many other cowardly companies who make as if white-washing (literally) history is a means for effective change, Warners would prefer to ignore their corporate past by giving us a revisionist version of our culture, ignoring the old adage "those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it."

Or maybe they’re just too damn cheap to commission a DVD documentary that puts all this into perspective.

As for me, I’m still waiting on a tribute to formerly legendary but now all but forgotten comedian Tim Moore, one of America’s greatest performers. Viacom/Paramount, you, too, are a bunch of spinless pussies.

DENNIS O’NEIL: Comics Education

  • News
  • September 11, 2007

If you’re a dedicated reader of movie end credits, the name Michael Uslan might be familiar to you.  If it isn’t…let’s remedy that.

If you know of Mike, it’s probably because he was executive producer of all the recent Batman flicks, including Catwoman and The Dark Knight, coming to a theater near you next June.  He’s also been involved in producing a lot of other stuff for screens both large and small.  And he’s done considerable writing, some of which was for comic books.  I first met him when he was a law student at Indiana State University in Bloomington, where he was teaching the first accredited college course in comics and a related correspondence course; he was nice enough to invite me to meet his class.

Mike’s latest project – and here we come to this week’s real subject – is a documentary movie on comics super heroes to have its world premiere on September 15 at the Montclair Art Museum which is located, no surprise, in a town called Montclair in a state called New Jersey, a short drive or train ride from New York City.  The movie screening is part of a much bigger deal, an exhibit of about 150 examples of comics art and related stuff at the museum that is currently there and is not leaving until January 13th of next year.  The screening is scheduled for 4:30 in the afternoon.

And if you’re still not satisfied, if that isn’t enough…On October 13th the museum will shelter a panel discussion on comics which will put Mr. Uslan, Danny Fingeroth, Tom DeFalco, and me in front of anyone who cares to show up, listen, ask questions.  Genuflecting and flinging rose blossoms at us are optional.

I haven’t visited the exhibit yet, but everything I know about it indicates that it’s worth going a bit out of your way to see. If you do – go out of your way to see it, that is, or even if you plan to see it without going out of your way – you might want some info. You can get it by visiting www.montclairartmuseum.org or phoning (973) 746-5555.  And while I’m in reporter mode, one final thing, the museum’s address is 3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07042

I believe that at one time it would have been customary to, at this point, urge you to “be there or be square.”  Aren’t we glad that time is past!

And aren’t we glad that comics have come to a place where respectable institutions promote and host educational efforts on their behalf?  Well, yes, with some qualification.  Producing comics isn’t the informal, loosey-goosey business it once was, and so maybe a little less fun.  And I, for one, am not entirely comfortable with all this respectability.  I’m not happy that pretty young women behind checkout counters call me sir, either.  But better respectability than oblivion and, come to think of it, better being called sir than oblivion, too.

RECOMMENDED READING:  Walden and Civil Disobedience, both by Henry David Thoreau.

Dennis O’Neil is an award-winning editor and writer of comic books like Batman, The Question, Iron Man, Green Lantern and/or Green Arrow, and The Shadow, as well as all kinds of novels, stories and articles.

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