Tagged: comics

Today, We Are One, by Mike Gold

  • News
  • February 11, 2008

 

Well, it says here that this is Whizzy’s Wazoo #53. That means today ComicMix starts our second year.

Wow. 

This is a good time to look back at what we’ve done, what we’re trying to do, and how we’ve made the world a better place. Whereas that last point is undoubtedly true, I’d rather look forward. Not a whole year forward; that seems like bad luck. Just the next few months.

ComicMix is going to increase our number of pages by tens of thousands. No kidding. We’re almost ready to do that; our tech team has been working furiously to do the tech voodoo that they do so swell. We’ve already got enough broadband to bury Atlantis. You’ll be seeing a lot more of… well, everything, including some of the greatest names old and new in comics and related media.

And speaking of comics… (more…)

The Look of Love, by Martha Thomases

  • News
  • February 9, 2008
 
It was 30 years ago this week that I first slept with the man who would be my husband. This didn’t happen because I sensed he was my soul mate, my other half, the light to my void. I didn’t think he’d be the perfect father to my children. I didn’t think I needed a date for Valentines Day. Neither did it happen because he had a lot of money, a great job, or a fantastic apartment.
 
I thought he was hot, cute and funny. We had met a few months earlier, at a press event, through mutual friends. We discussed the possibility of feminist porn, and he leant me a copy of Anais Nin’s Delta of Venus. Personally, I’m not a big fan of Nin, finding her writing a bit gooey, but it was a hell of a line.
 
Why am I mentioning this, aside from monumental self-absorption? It’s been an interesting life. We’ve had adventures. We’ve had fights. (We’ve also had over a decade of therapy, but that’s another column). We’ve had successes and failures. As a result, we have a lot of stories that we tell our friends and family at dinner parties.
 
Imagine if we had super-powers! We’d have even more stories to tell!
 

(more…)

On This Day: The Communication Decency Act

  • News
  • February 8, 2008

Twelve years ago today, as part of the 24 Hours In Cyberspace event, Bill Clinton signed into law the Telecommuncations Act of 1996. A section of the bill came to be known as the Communications Decency Act, which imposed criminal sanctions on anyone who:

knowingly (A) uses an interactive computer service to send to a specific person or persons under 18 years of age, or (B) uses any interactive computer service to display in a manner available to a person under 18 years of age, any comment, request, suggestion, proposal, image, or other communication that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards, sexual or excretory activities or organs.

The law also explicity made it illegal to discuss abortions online, and implicitly outlawed a wide variety of non-obscene material.

The online community jumped into action immediately, with the Black World Wide Web protest which encouraged webmasters to make their sites’ backgrounds black for 48 hours (making 24 Hours In Cyberspace literally darker than planned), the Electronic Frontier Foundation starting up the Blue Ribbon campaign, and a number of plaintiffs (including, I’m proud to say, me and my company, BiblioBytes) joining the ACLU to get a preliminary injunction to prevent the act from ever taking place, and then taking it all the way to the Supreme Court (Reno v. ACLU) to get the thing unanimously overturned.

Yes, we shot a law in Reno, just to watch it die.

Sadly, bad parts of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 live on — most notably, the deregulation of media ownership which has led to the massive consolidation of the last decade or so (see ClearChannel and NewsCorp). But at least we’re able to put adult comics online.

Silver Surfer and Fantastic Four in ‘Not Brand Echh’ #1

  • News
  • February 8, 2008

Over on the online home of ASIFA-Hollywood, a full, scanned story from the inaugural issue of Marvel’s parody series Not Brand Echh is posted in all of its old-school, self-effacing fun.

The story, titled "The Silver Burper" is a spoof on a Fantastic Four storyline by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby that ran through issues #57-60. ASIFA-Hollywood Director Stephen Worth, who posted the scan, does a good job of summing up the attraction of Not Brand Echh:

Current superhero comics (now referred to self-importantly as "graphic novels") take themselves VERY seriously. It’s rare for a publisher to allow a parody of its own characters… and unheard of for the creator himself to get the opportunity to make fun of his own creation. But back in the silver age of comics, cartoonists didn’t take themselves quite so seriously. Here we have the unthinkable… Jack Kirby and Stan Lee doing a parody of their own Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer comics for Marvel’s Not Brand Echh!

 

(via boingboing)

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Pow! Zap! Dim! Thick! Asinine! by Michael Davis

  • News
  • February 8, 2008

hello-kitty-superman-9367110Have you noticed that whenever there is an article which feature comics, it almost always features a Pow, Zap, or some such idiotic way to describe comic books in the title? If not fight effects then it will begin with Holy, as in Holy Crack Whore! Comics find their way into Rehab!

As a comic book reader you no doubt want to scream your disapproval, but alas you cannot, as any action you take in defense of comic books would get you branded a geek at best or immature at worst. 
 
I am a grown man and love comic books and the industry that produces them, but I, like you am a wee bit…
 
PATRIOTS SUCK!
 
Sorry. Just had a subliminal moment and flashed back to the NY Giant’s impossible Super Bowl win. Forgive me, it won’t happen agai…
 
WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR PERFECT SEASON, SUCKERS??
 
I am so sorry that keeps happening. However, in my defense I was so sick of hearing how my beloved Giants were just a gnat on the ass of the Patriots. I was also sick of hearing about the perfect season of the Patriots, so much so, I have developed subliminalitis. 
 
Sub*lim*in*al*itis: 
The abrupt screaming out of phrases such as The Patriots got their cocky asses kicked, during unrelated conversations or writings. See: Dynasty…not. 
 
To the fans in New England, hold your head up high! You won EVERY SINGLE GAME…almost!
 
You only lost one game.
 
Only one.
 
One loss.
 
The Super Bowl.
 
I’m sure that people will forget that you lost the Super Bowl but won 18 games.
 
Sure, they will!
 
Yep, So hold your head up high! 
 
That way you can see the sign that says LOSERS!! 
 
As I was saying, I am a grown man and love comic books and the industry that produces them, but I like you am a wee bit tired of the comic book industry being look at as “kid stuff.” Just the other day I was reading the February 4th issue of The National Law Journal…
 

(more…)

Update on Marie Severin’s Recovery

  • News
  • February 7, 2008

Cliff Meth reports on his blog that, as of today, comics great Marie Severin "has moved on to an assisted living facility out on Long Island. It’s been a solid, steady recovery. Her spirits are high (but weren’t they always?) and she acts like nothing much has happened. And nothing much has.

"Except for retirement. Marie isn’t drawing anymore. Isn’t taking coloring assignments either. Time has finally caught up with the First Lady of Comics and she’s spending her twilight years relaxing and doing fun stuff. Whatever fun stuff means."

We at ComicMix send our best, as always, to Marie, and suggest that some of her fun stuff include reading our many free comics and news items.  Provided the assisted living place has WiFi, of course.

On This Day (Sorta): Charles M. Schulz Day

  • News
  • February 7, 2008

It’s hard to wait for February 13th when you’re a California resident. There you are, counting down the days until a kid in a yellow, zig-zagged shirt comes down your chimney, pontificates on life and lets out bloodcurdling screams of "Aaaaarrrrghh!" while trying in vain to kick your football.

Sadly, you have another six days to wait until Charles M. Schulz Day. Yes, on today’s date in 2000, the California Legislature declared February 13th the official day to honor the creator of Charlie Brown, who died just a day earlier on Feb. 12. They liked him so much, in fact, that they also named an airport after him.

Just think, comic hopefuls, someday something as simple as a few scribbles of a beagle with World War I-related delusions could earn you a day of recognition and your name on a major traffic hub.

 

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52 Weeks of Reading Recommendations by Dennis O’Neil

  • News
  • February 6, 2008

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When ComicMix launched a year ago, we were especially pleased to include the legendary Dennis O’Neil as one of our regular columnists.  Denny has written and/or edited every major character in comics, including Batman, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Superman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Iron Man, the Question, Azrael, and Millie the Model.

Back in the day, when comics had letter columns, Denny would usually share his reading preferences with readers.  We’re delighted to have continued this tradition here on ComicMix in Denny’s weekly columns.

To celebrate the last 52 weeks of Denny’s contributions to ComicMix, here’s a list of what he’s recommended so far, in the order he recommended them and with his thoughts on the recommendations (when he provided them). You’ll notice that, sometimes, he suggests the same book more than once.  And sometimes, he suggests more than one book at a time.  That’s the kind of reader Denny is — he takes his time, and he’s eclectic.

Good reading!

2/13/07

Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud

This is the one essential book for anyone with a genuine interest in the subject.

2/20/97

The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason, by Sam Harris

2/27/07

Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames, by Thich Nhat Hanh

(more…)

The Science of Superheroes

  • News
  • February 5, 2008

In what’s become familiar but always interesting subject matter, PopSci.com examines "The Science of Superheroes" by calling in a "Hollywood physicist" to analyze the science behind superhero (and supervillain) antics.

The article takes eight popular characters from the world of comics and evaluates what it would really take for them to do all of the super-powered stuff they do. How could Superman fly? What happens when Bruce Banner’s body suddenly grows and he becomes The Hulk?

And my personal favorite: How does Storm control the weather?

If her stomach has mutated into some type of nuclear-fusion reactor, however—or better yet, a matter/anti-matter reactor—she could do it. Applying relativity (E = mc2), a single gram of mass converted completely into energy would yield 90 trillion joules. That’s 18 million lightning bolts!

Umm… yuck. Note to self: NEVER invite Storm out for Indian food.

 

ComicMix Radio: Wolverine’s Got A New Boyfriend?

 
On this Super Tuesday, you get the history making opportunity to vote twice, one of those times with your wallet at the counter of your local comics store.  As promised, ComicMix Radio does our part by running down the latest comics and DVD releases.
 
Plus , we’ve got…
 
• Brian K. Vaughan from Y to Wolverine
• Zuda Comics picks their first winner in 2008
• See those SuperBowl ads again -– and again
• The Schifrins get Spooked
 
And the picture here is just that: a picture, so no hidden messages here. If you’re in one of the Super Tuesday states, it’s just an enticement to get out and vote. So close the curtain and Press The Button!

 Or subscribe to our podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-1443231 or RSS!

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