Tagged: comics

Review: ‘Al Williamson’s Flash Gordon’

Al Williamsons Flash Gordon: A Lifelong Vision of the Heroic

Flesk Publications, July 2009, $29.95

While Al Williamson did not create the legendary science fiction character, in many ways he inherited Alex Raymond’s artistic legacy. The artist was born in 1931, three years before [[[Flash Gordon]]]memorably hit the Sunday newspapers.

Raymond is considered one of the finest illustrators to work in syndicated comics, along with Hal Foster, with a photorealistic style that brought his world of Mongo and its varied denizens to life. While Buck Rogers was the first SF strip, Flash Gordon was the best as the stories were epic in scope. The landscape of Mongo was unlike any realm seen in comics before and through the years that special feeling evaporated in the hands of others. Until Williamson.

In 256 pages, we are treated to the three stories produced for King Comics in the 1960s, the short-lived imprint from King Features Syndicate in addition to the his adaptation of the unfortunate 1980 film that looked better than it played. There’s also Williamson’s last major series work, the miniseries produced for Marvel in 1994. The King material is exceptional because it was the first time original material had been produced for comics with the characters actually resembling their strip origins . It’s lush and fast-paced with Williamson actually writing the first story. His long-time collaborator, Archie Goodwin, one of the most respected people in the field…ever, wrote several stories and Larry Ivie also contributed a tale.

Williamson’s style was very much like Raymond’s and his settings and characters felt just right. The deering-do is quick-paced and while the stories tread familiar ground, they are still head and shoulders above much other science fiction in comics. The three stories, brief as they were, earned him the National Cartoonist Society’s Best Comic Book Cartoonist award. His movie adaptation didn’t win awards but earned him a new generation of fans who may have only known his name in association with the legendary EC Comics.

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#SDCC: Is McLovin ready to ‘Kick-Ass’?

  • News
  • July 24, 2009

27-mclovin-lgl-4797993

Who kicks more ass? McLovin’, or the Red Mist?

“There’s a reason why [Nicolas] Cage ain’t here…” So said Christopher Mintz-Plasse, co-star of Mark Millar’s comic-to-screen adaptation of Kick-Ass, brought to us at the San Diego Comic-Con in that room of rooms… Hall D! Director Matthew Vaughn presented alongside special guest Mark Millar, the aforementioned Mr. Mintz-Plasse (formerly McLovin’ of Superbad Fame…), as well as John Romita Jr., the comic book artist who brings Kick-Ass to life every month(ish) via Marvel’s ICON line.

Showing off Avid-fresh clips to a rabid audience, Vaughn was ensuring a final product that would bring a genuine adaptation that followed the comic to the letter, or in this case… the panels. “We are a genuine comic book adaptation with comic book authors involved
in the production of the movie… It’s really important to me that fans
of the comic like the film. I’ll be more upset if fans of the comic
hate the movie than anybody else.” Vaughn told MTV’s Splash Page blog prior to the screening.

And what a screening it was. Scenes including Nicholas Cage’s Big Daddy shooting his little girl, Chloe Moretz, begarbed in a bulletproof vest. A Paris Hilton joke warmed the crowd. And what of the titular hero? Aaron Johnson plays ‘Dave’, who in clips presented at the con, showed off the straight from panel to screen costume (no leather upgrades ala X-men here.), as well as comic-worthy violence. Tasers to a thug’s forehead? Check. Hit-Girl slicing and dicing bad guys enough to shame Beatrix Kiddo? Check. And McLovin’ as the hot-rodding Red Mist? Double check. The fans in attendance ate it up? How much? They demanded a reshowing of the trailer, and they got it.

But this begs to be asked… obviously Vaughn knew what to say and show the rabid comic fans in attendance, but Millar isn’t squeaky clean when it comes to his adaptations on film… lest we forget the curved bullets of amazing aptitude in Wanted: Not Quite the Comic circa 2008.

Look for ‘Kick-Ass’ at the tail end (sorry) of this year.

Google goes comic crazy too for #SDCC

  • News
  • July 23, 2009

As part of iGoogle sponsoring the wi-fi at San Diego this year, they’ve also introduced a wide variety of comics themes that you can use to customize your iGoogle page– everything from Superman to Daniel Clowes (although, suprisingly, no Silver Surfer or Iron Man, and the web-slinger is Spider-Woman).

And they’ve noted the occasion by putting a Jim Lee logo on the Google home page today. Jim noted, “It will be the single most viewed image I have ever drawn!”

UPDATE: A full size version of the image. Thanks, Jim!

Chicago Comic-Con To Host John Ostrander Benefit

  • News
  • July 12, 2009

comix4sight-small1-6989470An auction will be held at the Chicago Comic-Con (nee Wizard World Chicago) the evening of Saturday, August 8, 2009 to raise funds for comics veteran John Ostrander, who is undergoing a series of operations and medical treatments to fight off blindness.

A 27-year veteran of the comics field, Ostrander, has long
been suffering from glaucoma. Recently, John underwent a series of operations that might have saved his remaining eyesight. Progress has been made but he faces considerably more treatment in the months ahead.

To help Ostrander cover his costs, a committee has been
organized called Comix4Sight. Solicitations for the benefit auction have gone out, and the response from the comics community has been overwhelming.

“The cost of these John’s procedures has been astronomical, and are only partially covered by insurance. And by ‘partially,’ I’m being polite,” committee co-chairperson Mike Gold disclosed. “John has to
go up to Boston repeatedly for treatment, and on two occasions thus far he had to spend a week there for the actual surgery.

“Like so many other Americans John is without sufficient
medical coverage to cover these types of expenses; sadly, his insurance will
expire in about a year,” Gold noted. “With the assistance of Peter Katz and
Wizard Entertainment, Adriane Nash, Mike Raub and I have organized a benefit auction to raise funds for John’s medical expenses. We will be having this auction Saturday night at the Chicago Comic-Con to be held at the Rosemont Convention Center near O’Hare Field on August 6th through 9th.”

Original art, signed scripts, comics memorabilia,
autographed books and similar items are being donated to the auction. “Within the first 24 hours we’ve received pledges of contributions including original art and signed books by Howard Chaykin, David Lloyd, Dave Sim, Norm Breyfogle, Dick Giordano, Dennis O’Neil, Hilary Barta, Kevin Van Hook, Mark Badger, Michael Davis, Rick Stasi, Paul Gulacy, Joe Landsdale, and, of course, John’s GrimJack collaborator Timothy Truman. We’re getting commitments every day,” committee co-chairperson Adriane Nash stated.

“We’ve set up a website – www.comix4sight.com
– that will be carrying updated information about both the benefit and the
auction items,” Nash continued. “We’ll also be posting the results of the
auction, and any items that came in too late for the benefit will be auctioned off at the site. We will donate any excess revenue to other comics
professionals suffering from major vision issues or to The Hero Initiative.”

Monetary contributions would also be gratefully accepted by check or through PayPal at www.comix4sight.com.
Individuals and corporations interested in making contributions should send them to:

Mike Gold and Adriane Nash
arrogantMGMS
304 Main Avenue,
#194
Norwalk, CT 06851

One more tragic connection between Michael Jackson and comics

The one Michael Jackson comics reference I haven’t seen mentioned yet is from Wasteland #16 from DC Comics, in a story entitled “Heartshadow” written by John Ostrander and drawn by Rick Magyar. It’s a story where a young fan of “a dark prince named Michael” commits suicide.

Now, in the wake of Jackson’s death, reports are coming in of Michael Jackson fans committing suicide:

Fans of MICHAEL JACKSON have
been hit hard by the star’s death – 12 devotees have allegedly killed
themselves following the tragic news.

The King Of Pop passed away on Thursday (25Jun09) from a cardiac arrest and millions of his fans worldwide went into mourning.

But several of them found it too hard to cope and subsequently
ended their own lives, according to the founder of an online Jackson
fanclub.

Gary Taylor, president and owner of MJJcommunity.com, says, “I
know there has been an increase (in deaths), I now believe the figure
is 12. It is a serious situation that these people are going through
but Michael Jackson would never want this. He would want them to live.

“They (fans) can’t accept it, they feel in some sort of different
reality. I’m stunned that he’s dead. One minute he is coming here for
concerts and the next he is gone. I think the funeral will be where the
reality kicks in that he is gone and won’t be coming back, there will
be a huge depression in the fan community when that happens.”

2009 Harvey Awards nominees announced

  • News
  • June 30, 2009

harvey-logo01fullcol1nom-8226752The 2009 Harvey Awards Nominees have been announced with the release of the final ballot, presented by the Executive Committees of the Harvey Awards and the Baltimore Comic-Con. Named in honor of the late Harvey Kurtzman, one of the industry’s most innovative talents, the Harvey Awards recognize outstanding work in comics and sequential art. They will be presented October 10, 2009 in Baltimore, MD, in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con.

Nominations for the Harvey Awards are selected exclusively by creators – those who write, draw, ink, letter, color, design, edit or are otherwise involved in a creative capacity in the comics field. They are the only industry awards both nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals. Professionals who participate will be joining nearly 2,000 other comics professionals in honoring the outstanding comics achievements of 2008. Thank you to all that have already participated by submitting a nomination ballot.

Final ballots are due to the Harvey Awards by Friday, August 28, 2009. Full details for submission of completed ballots can be found on the final ballot. Voting is open to anyone professionally involved in a creative capacity within the comics field. Final ballots are available for download at www.harveyawards.org. Those without Internet access may request that paper ballots be sent to them via mail or fax by calling the Baltimore Comic-Con (410-526-7410) or e-mailing baltimorecomicccon@yahoo.com.

This will be the fourth year for the Harvey Awards in Baltimore, MD. Our Master of Ceremonies this year will be Scott Kurtz. Look for more details soon on how you can attend the Harvey Awards dinner.

This year’s Baltimore Comic-Con will be held October 10-11, 2009. The ceremony and banquet for the 2008 Harvey Awards will be held Saturday night, October 10.

The full ballot is listed below.

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Michael Jackson tribute comic from Bluewater

  • News
  • June 29, 2009

The company that made all those quick political comics is at it again:

‘TRIBUTE: MICHAEL JACKSON, KING OF POP COMIC BOOK OFFERS LASTING REMEMBRANCE FOR FANS FROM BLUEWATER

To millions he was the King of Pop; one of the world’s most
cherished entertainers and a celebrated international icon. With his
untimely passing, Michael Jackson left an extraordinary and tragic
legacy. Bluewater Productions is paying tribute in October to his
memory and legacy with a special collectors edition biography comic.

The newest addition to the publisher’s critically acclaimed
biography library will trace Jackson’s rise as a musical prodigy with
the “Jackson 5” through last Thursdays sad end. The book will feature
highlights from his storied career and cover his enigmatic private life.

“Michael Jackson’s music served as the soundtrack to countless lives…including mine,” said Bluewater president Darren G. Davis, “His influence on our culture has been profound.”

“TRIBUTE: Michael Jackson, King of Pop,” features a wraparound cover
and foreword by “The Official Michael Jackson Fan Club’s” Giuseppe
Mazzola. Mazzola was also Jackson’s personal friend. The issue is being
written by Wey-Yuih Loh, (Political Power: Colin Powell” and “Political
Power: Joe Biden) and illustrated by Giovanni Timpano (Vincent Price Presents). Noted cover artist Vinnie Tartamella will also provide an alternate wraparound cover.

On the bright side, there won’t be a comic three years down the line where Michael returns because he was in a cave at the beginning of time. Probably.

What do Apple’s iPhone announcements mean for comics?

iphonecomic-6079316If you have a Macintosh or a iPhone, yesterday was a high holy day for you, as Apple’s WWDC Keynote Speech was given yesterday, outlining Apple’s hardware and software plans for the next few months. We’ll let other people such as The Unofficial Apple Weblog cover the full release info and instead concentrate on the items that are going to impact comics the most.

Hardware: Sadly, no one’s announced the iPad yet, that long rumored half-tablet, half-netbook. But a new iPhone was announced, to go along with the over 40 million iPhones and iPod touches that have already been sold to date.

While the price on the new iPhone is a bit hefty, what will interest people is the price drop for the old iPhone– the 8GB iPhone 3G will sell alongside the iPhone 3GS for $99 (with contract, obviously). While not the ideal comics reader, it certainly will continue penetration into the market. Even more, as parents upgrade their own iPhones to the newest models, they’re likely to hand their old ones to their kids as it’s  a (comparitively) cheaper upgrade.

Software: iPhone 3.0 releases in a week and a half on June 17, free for iPhone users, $9.95 for iTouch users. Biggest changes for comics fans:

  • The App store now has “in app purchasing”. That’s where you can purchase another app or service from within an app. Obvious usage: You get to the end of issue #1 and then immediately buy #2, or other comics which the publisher has thoughtfully linked for you to buy.

  • The software will also allow subscriptions to be made on a month-to-month basis. Again, the usage is obvious: subscribe to the latest book, and when it’s ready, it’ll be pushed to your iPhone.
  • Parental controls have been improved in iPhone 3.0, which will allow for the sale of more adult content. Again, the implications are huge, as hundreds of independent titles that might have fallen afoul of Apple’s occasionally odd policies for content will now be able to be distributed online.

All in all, a pretty productive update. Expect to see products taking advantage of the relaxed restrictions rolling out from comic publishers shortly after June 17.

If you don’t already own an iPhone, will this make you more likely to buy one? If you’re already using it, will this make it more likely that you’ll read comics on your iPhone? Discuss in comments.

Z-Cult FM pirate site is closing down… so what?

So, over the weekend, those of us with somewhat shady connections heard about the comic pirate site Z-Cult FM shutting down– living up to their slogan of “Give Me Comics Or Give me Death”, they’ve died. Rather than admit whether or not I got a copy of the good bye letter, I’ll claim I’m quoting from Comic Related:

Dear Cultist, I have decided that within the next few weeks Z-Cult FM
will be slowly closed down and the server put offline resulting in the
death of Z-Cult FM as we know it. Z-Cult FM was born in 2004 and over
the last 5 years has seen many high and low times. I would like to
thank everyone who was involved over the last 5 years in making Z-Cult
FM what it became. I would personally like to thank all the staff past
and present, all torrenters and supporters of the site. I did start
listing everyone by name but the list was too big and was scared I
would miss someone off. Thanks to everyone who posted and helped out in
any way possible. I would also like to unthank all the people who
during the 5 years have caused trouble for the site such as no-ip,
Marvel, DC Comics, etc etc list goes on….. least you made Z-Cult FM
into a soap opera with many dramas along the way. The future for Z-Cult
FM is currently a sad quiet death and a think about it’s future. If it
does return it will be just as a message board for the members who
still like to use it but we will see what future holds.
Thanks, Serj

R.I.P. Z-Cult FM 2004 – 2009

This now brings up the next question: so what? Is this going to make a dent in piracy? I got a note from one of the numerous shady characters I know, and the answer is– probably not.

My first reaction was – doesn’t affect me. I haven’t been to Z-Cult in at least 3 or 4 years. I stopped when it was still big, before they got all of their publicity. Why? Because it was a good place to start and then move on.

What was Z-Cult? Well, for me it was a place where I could find comic torrents to download. I would stop over every few days and see what had been posted. Usually I’d only get the latest comics for that week but sometimes there was something else I wanted. The only problem was that you had to either take the entire torrent or hand pick what you wanted. And if something went wrong, you got what you paid for (in other words, nothing). But as I said, I moved on.

I won’t say where I went or how I got there but eventually I got close to where some high quality scanners hung out. This got me the weeks comics much faster than Z-Cult ever did and also allowed me to get specific files I wanted. Listening to the people there gave me information I didn’t have, including the various troubles Z-Cult was having. But like I said, doesn’t affect me.

There are still things posted to torrent sites and you can find them if you know what to look for. And then there are specialty sites. I get my manga in raw (original scans) and scanlation (scanned with fan translations) formats on one ot two different sites. I read web comics such as Girl Genius from their author’s sites. I’ll even hit the site of a comic company to see what they have that’s nowhere else yet.

And yes, I still buy the comics I like. Sometimes I even get them on a per issue basis rather than in compilations. And if something I download really grabs my attention, I may go out and buy the back issues of it as well.

I don’t know what caused Z-Cult to finally shut down. I also know that there are too many other places to get comics, and there are still lots of people with scanners out there– including comics professionals. And there are still lots of people that want comics that they can conveniently read on their computers– including comics professionals.

Or, to quote the classics, “The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.”

Comic colorist test

Do you have what it takes to color comics? Take this test and find out. Leave your scores in the comments. (UPDATE: www.spectralcolor.com/game/huetest_kiosk is currently a bad link.)

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